Good comments, folks
Great discussion yesterday on the tornado coverage. I think we got good arguments from all sides. One thing I was wondering about: If the local stations are going to be serious about covering the towns out on the plains (or at least the severe weather out on the plains), shouldn't they hire some stringers out there, or station a reporter a little closer to the action?
Holly is like 200 miles away from here -- it's barely in the same state. I understand why we're all interested in it -- there's absolutely nothing between here and there so we're the closest major city. But the plains get tornados pretty regularly and if the TV stations are going to cover them, it seems like it would behoove them to have somebody with a camera out where the storms are happening.
posted by AndyW @ 3/30/2007 07:37:00 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
I'd have to say that I don't think the local stations are really all that serious about covering anything outside the two major cities in the market...and it's a stretch to include Pueblo.
Local news has become a lot of fluff, some of it looks like it's designed to appease some of the major advertisers. I know that comment will probably take some flack from the TV stations, but to the casual viewer, it sure seems accurate.
Local TV news tries to trump the competition at the expense of accurate reporting...all in the name of self-promotion and ratings. It really is rather pathetic. I long for the days when we could watch news from Denver - which admittedly had its own problems, but was at least far more professional.
Agreed, anonymous. You make an excellent point in that the real issue is the lack of quality journalism, reporting, producing, etc. As a PR professional, I dealt with enough reporters, including our local ones, to say that this market is rudimentary at best. It's considered a proving ground for most broadcast students fresh out of college. Production is shaky at best most of the time. I noticed KRDO is a fan of not using names of people they interview so everything is out of context. Also, KRDO is usually the last to report anything, usually a few days after the Gazette, even. I'm not sure what holds them back except complacency. The changes that need to be made (updating sets, improved talent, accountability) are basic in that industry.
Quit "longing for the days"..If you have cable you can get 9News in Denver, starting at 4 pm. Then at 5 pm you can get 9News and KCNC News4 through 5:30 pm. Then you can get 9News and KCNC News4 again at 6 pm and both again at 10 pm. You can get Channel 2, KWGN at 9 pm. I usually watch the first few minutes of the A block of one of the local news channels and if there's nothing of substance, switch to the Denver news.
Better yet. Move to Denver. Colorado Springs will never be a big television market unless the population triples in size. Springs TV is what it is. Not enough cash to bring in seasoned reporters. Anchors are the only ones that can make a decent wage. I think the local stations do the best with what they are dealt. If you want Denver TV then move to Denver, or tune in to the cable stations mentioned. By the way, Denver doesn't cover Colorado Springs so if you truly want Denver news then you should move to Denver.
thats not exactly true about the denver tv stations..cw2 carries the colorado springs area too. not to say that the local tv stations like krdotv was bad, but these denver tv stations have great reporter/anchors and as i see it. those denver tv networks should have come down and checked it off. denver is 16th dma and here its 90 th dma tv market..we just dont have the movement to handle more tv stations like kxrm or koaa new news block..most of all the people hired from kxrm tv was from other stations from outside of colorado.. dont get me wrong, but i think that some of these tv stations news directors should maybe look into hiring locals from holly areas or the eastern colorado..to cover it..
The truth is this: aside from the main evening anchors, the majority of reporters and morning/midday/weekend anchors in this market and similar-sized markets are working their second job out of college, most of them having come from very small markets. Almost all are less than 10 years out of school, under 30 years old. They're still learning their craft, and making plenty of mistakes along the way. There are exceptions, of course. 5/30 has some older and more experienced reporters (Jarman, Davies), and that helps their ratings and credibility tremendously. Most of the producers, photographers, and technical crew members in this market are fresh out of college, or still in college. Some of them have not finished community college. The older ones stay either because they're deeply committed or because they're not trained in any other industry and are pretty much stuck.
This market is what it is: a stepping-stone market. The stations simply don't pay well enough to entice truly experienced professionals. Most of the behind-the-scenes folks would be making more money if they had dropped out of college to wait tables. Most of the reporters make less than $30K. They're here to get mid-market experience and move on either to a bigger market or get out of the business and emerge from massive financial debt. The main evening anchors make okay money and are here because they want to be here. This is the place they've made home.
The point is, you're simply not going to get major-market quality here. Viewers get angry. Most seem to think TV presenters should be treated like politicians. They want to vote them in and vote them out. But all TV stations are private businesses, and personnel decisions are made by company managers, not viewers. The first local station to recruit top-level major market talent and pay them the money they're worth will also be the first station to shut its doors and fade to black because it's simply not cost-effective to do that in this market, regardless of ratings or ad revenue generated.
Everyone here is doing the best they can. They have pressure from consultants, internal pressure to do what it takes to get to the next market, pressure to get the scoop or the exclusive, pressure to get it right. And nothing anybody ever does will please everybody. Simply opening your mouth is enough to enrage some viewers. It's no wonder so many people leave this industry. The bright lights aren't worth the stress and scrutiny.
"Denver doesn't cover Colo Spgs"
Among the Colo Spgs stories carried on Denver TV stations recently, with live shots etc:
Castle West Fire.
2 cops who were killed.
Ted Haggard.
El Paso Co drug bust (part of national story).
Every soldier killed, stationed at Ft. Carson.
3 kids burned in fire in Village Seven.
Cosmix.
Local politics.
Every major Doug Bruce proclamation.
Every major weather event.
And many more I can't think of right now.
i agree with those views with both anonymous ideas ..but back in the good old hal kennedy and gary curtis "DAYS". right..My brother didnt went to "school" to get experince for being a tv photog..he went in and he got the "job" in 1976 with craig mcmorris and zoe mcreea. back then the cbs people took a "chance" on him..he was great ! he was lucky! no 4yr degree or newbies..like joe cole or the others .i admitt mr cole and the others have their work cut out for them..but they can go to mr dant and ask for more live trucks or s.n.g dishes. lets look at krdo tv they have a big budget better than harry hoth..but noo s.n.g mobile dish ..yes, i was here in colorado springs long before andy w was with tv news and i was there with the first e.n.g sony dxc-1600 and sk-80 remember those...(sorry andy!). and they were bulky!! try that with kktv new sony xdcam . and got to admit ..these news directors should give credit to college people here..we have two great
colleges here ppcc and u.c.c.s. talent . if i was the news director ..take a chance and hire there. i would love to hire from there!! but no..they cant do that..every thing has to be done their ways..i missed those days with my brother..missed the great stories. he had with kktv being local..and he had true experiences without going to ..i.e school or to another small market..like farmington, n mex..and waste aways... yes joe cole is great ,so is krdo tv amd the others. but do colorado springs needs more talent from the maine areas .. no i like people to tell it here ..im sorry to offend anyone here but thats the ways these "news" directors miss real TALENT here..
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=pub&storyid=6982&source=0
Full damage survey, looks like KRDO did what needed to be done for residents north of Holly, surely it was appreciated by the ranchers in the area...
Whatever. 13's Matt Meister coverage looked like crap.
The comments about reporters in this town are mostly true. It's the minor leagues. There are some great players, but mostly just rookies and wannabes. It's obvious KOAA has the biggest bankroll. It makes the most and pays the most, so it can keep the most experienced people. KKTV and KRDO are just trying to stay on the same field.
i wonder what happended to brian bledsoe. didnt he went on the air?..on kk?he was born in limon. didnt see him or mike d from koaa-tv at all .ill still watch channel 13..it BLOWS the competiton aways especially, FOXY 21!
Saw Bledsoe on TV. He told the area what they needed to know, and got off of my television. Unless a storm is affecting a mass quantity of people, that continuous coverage stuff is crap !
Anonymous,
You just placed the value of some lives higher than others. That is pretty scary!
i think that foxy 21 should concentrate on that holly/eastern colorado area.. not just stratimmor hills or colorado springs .i suggest j cole should do is to open a southern colorado fox bureau.just like kk and koaa/krdo tv .it doesnt cost that much to do with the "modest" budget and ill be great for foxy21!and the people out there..i suggest that back in the 1970s that they should have had microwave links back then at lamar, but now it satellite news..
we are just saturated with news and news and NEWS till i bARF!!!
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