Happy Holidays everyone!!!
Friday, December 24, 2004
Monday, December 20, 2004
Info Please???
I got this anonymous post today. Anybody know anything???
IT'S RUMORED THAT AIMEE MARTINEZ, FORMER STATION MANAGER AT KJHK, GOT BREAST IMPLANTS ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF/WHEN THAT AIRED? OR THE TITLE OF THE PROGRAM?
IT'S RUMORED THAT AIMEE MARTINEZ, FORMER STATION MANAGER AT KJHK, GOT BREAST IMPLANTS ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF/WHEN THAT AIRED? OR THE TITLE OF THE PROGRAM?
Monday, December 13, 2004
Continuing Hawke Coverage
More on Hawke resignation. Gary just said he was leaving to "persue other opportunities." He's moving to Virginia, but other than that doesn't have definite plans. No word yet on what the school will do for a replacement. We'll keep you posted.
Dick
Friday, December 10, 2004
AP-KS Hawke Quits
AP-KS Hawke
U R G E N T
Lawrence, Kan. (AP) – KUJH-TV General Manager Gary Hawke announced today that this would be his last semester at the University of Kansas.
Hawke made his announcement to a shocked and stunned faculty meeting at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
MORE
AP 12-10-04 3:05 PM CDT
Alzamora Checks In
I am now in Amarillo, Texas. I was transferred down here at the beginning of July to take over as the Sports Reporter and Assignment Editor for KEYU-TV, the new local Univision Affiliate here in Amarillo.
This is a brand spankin' new station that Equity Broadcasting (the company that owns INN) decided to open. So I am still working for the same people and under the same system, (the newscast still comes out of Iowa, with the local news team here in Amarillo).
Now while the politics about the move itself were pretty messed up in my opinion, I have been trusted with a pretty heavy responsibility. As the Assignment Editor, I am the head of the local news department. I am in charge of all the reporters and photogs and with everything that my job entails, the position is more like a News Director but without the News Director Salary.
The biggest problem I have with this is that I often have to sacrifice my sports coverage because of these other responsibilities. And many times I find myself working seven days a week even though we only do a newscast Monday thru Friday.
I am however in the process of exploring my options, but I barely have time for that. So if anyone knows of any sports openings, give me a shout.
My bio (click on Nuestro Equipo) and one of my stories is on our website. The link is to the website is the one above. here's the direct link to my story.
It is the championship game of the local soccer league. It is in Spanish but check it out anyway. Just click on the little camera to see the video.
Take care,
Mike Alzamora
Thursday, December 02, 2004
The KC Star On KCTV-5
by AARON BARNHART
In the first five minutes of this story, you'll learn the shocking details behind the TV station that toppled market leader KMBC!
If that teaser sounds familiar, then you've probably been watching KCTV, Channel 5, lately. Join the crowd. For the first time in more than a decade, KCTV is sitting pretty atop the 10 p.m. Nielsen ratings at the end of a November sweeps month.
Though final results won't be in until this morning, Channel 5 was comfortably ahead of Channel 9, holding a two-share-point advantage through Tuesday. (One share point is equivalent to 1 percentage of homes watching TV.) And KMBC, which remained No. 1 at 5 and 6 p.m., will probably lose its lead in morning news to WDAF, Channel 4.
Buoyed by strong prime-time programming from CBS and its high-energy news, KCTV has achieved a remarkable comeback that few would have predicted three years ago when the station's new boss, Kirk Black, rode into town.
“When I walked in the door in August 2001, we had lost 45 percent of our news audience in the past five years,” Black said Tuesday. “We had problems. And I said that we were going to work a plan like no one has worked it.”
Thanks to an amped-up promotion budget from parent company Meredith Corp. and a newsroom run by his hand-picked lieutenant Regent Ducas, KCTV is surging. Its ratings are up 25 percent year-to-year while KMBC is way down, despite a modest revival of ABC's prime-time schedule.
KCTV's 10 p.m. newscast — an in-your-face nightly spree of crime, accidents, sexual perversity and wild video — looks nothing like the newscast it used to be. Almost none of the anchors or reporters on the air in 2001 is around now; they've been replaced by younger and seemingly hungrier talent (notable exceptions include anchor Dave Helling and dayside veteran Liana Joyce).
Longtime viewers were not shy about expressing their disgust and outrage as Channel 5 transformed itself. On Gateway City Radio, an Internet bulletin board popular with local broadcasters, one anti-KCTV partisan this week described Channel 5 as “Jerry Springer TV,” while many others used descriptions that are unfit to print.
The complaints seem to peak during the three-times-yearly sweeps periods, when KCTV heavily promotes its most eye-grabbing news pieces.
In February, Channel 5 aired a four-night investigative series based on a sting it had conducted of men it said tried to solicit sex illegally on the Internet. Critics howled, but ratings went through the roof on those nights. And while KMBC won the overall ratings that month, the tide was starting to turn.
By October, “KCTV5 News at 10” was beating KMBC's late news regularly.
“This is not a flash in the pan,” Black said. “We started to close the gap (with KMBC) every month. We saw the gap shrinking, and in July we realized, hey, we might win this thing.”
KCTV's win may be interpreted as a case of a rising tide lifting all boats. The rising tide is CBS, which trounced the other networks in November on the strength of its hit crime dramas: the “CSI” shows and “Without a Trace.” It was the most-watched network among 18-to-49-year-olds, the first time CBS has finished No. 1 among that prized viewer group since 1980.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, CBS chief Leslie Moonves called it a “milestone” and a “watershed moment” that had put its affiliates in their best competitive position in 10 years.
By contrast, the ABC network has been dragging down its affiliates for years with its poor programming choices. That has begun to turn around under new leadership, and ABC's new hit “Desperate Housewives” has given KMBC a big lift on Sunday nights. Another hit ABC show, “Lost,” airs at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, but by 10 p.m. much of the audience watching that program has tuned away.
Research supplied by KMBC shows that its ratings leap 30 percent to 40 percent at 10 p.m. — enough to make it competitive but not enough to stop KCTV's juggernaut.
Black, however, can hardly be accused of riding the coattails of CBS, any more than KMBC can be said to be coasting at 5 and 6 p.m. on its huge lead-in from “Dr. Phil” and “Oprah.” Nielsen data shows that KCTV has become one of the top-performing CBS stations across the country. And KCTV's ratings are way up at other times of the day, especially 4 and 5 p.m., when CBS programs are nowhere to be seen.
Some research suggests viewers start to tune away from Channel 5 after those vaunted “first five minutes,” a conclusion Black disputes. But one thing is undeniable: Kansas City viewers are some of the most voracious consumers of local news in the country, having made KCTV and KMBC top-rated in their respective network groups.
At WDAF, ratings for its morning news are up double digits as well, giving Fox 4 a slight edge over KMBC through Tuesday. Double-digit growth buoyed KSHB, Channel 41, at both 5 and 6 p.m. Its 5 o'clock newscast, following on the heels of Ken Jennings' daily smackdowns on “Jeopardy!” was up an eye-popping 30 percent year-to-year.
Success has allowed KCTV's Black to pull off a career feat that many once thought impossible: He survived the entire tumultuous reign of his boss, former Meredith Broadcast Group president (and onetime Channel 9 sales manager) Kevin O'Brien, who fired all the other general managers in the 13-station chain during his three years running the group.
O'Brien, who didn't hire Black, was terminated last month for violating the company's equal-opportunity employment policy. Newsroom insiders say a cheer went up when his firing was announced.
Black said he always had a terrific working relationship with O'Brien, and Ducas said that O'Brien, who could monitor every Meredith station from satellite feeds at his office in Las Vegas, “left us alone because he thought we were doing a great job.” And to those who fondly remember the olden days, Ducas points out that Channel 5 had a long history of aggressive reporting before he and Black came along. Its best-known reporter was investigative bulldog Stan Cramer, who thrived off targets putting a hand up to the camera and slamming the door in his face.
In the first five minutes of this story, you'll learn the shocking details behind the TV station that toppled market leader KMBC!
If that teaser sounds familiar, then you've probably been watching KCTV, Channel 5, lately. Join the crowd. For the first time in more than a decade, KCTV is sitting pretty atop the 10 p.m. Nielsen ratings at the end of a November sweeps month.
Though final results won't be in until this morning, Channel 5 was comfortably ahead of Channel 9, holding a two-share-point advantage through Tuesday. (One share point is equivalent to 1 percentage of homes watching TV.) And KMBC, which remained No. 1 at 5 and 6 p.m., will probably lose its lead in morning news to WDAF, Channel 4.
Buoyed by strong prime-time programming from CBS and its high-energy news, KCTV has achieved a remarkable comeback that few would have predicted three years ago when the station's new boss, Kirk Black, rode into town.
“When I walked in the door in August 2001, we had lost 45 percent of our news audience in the past five years,” Black said Tuesday. “We had problems. And I said that we were going to work a plan like no one has worked it.”
Thanks to an amped-up promotion budget from parent company Meredith Corp. and a newsroom run by his hand-picked lieutenant Regent Ducas, KCTV is surging. Its ratings are up 25 percent year-to-year while KMBC is way down, despite a modest revival of ABC's prime-time schedule.
KCTV's 10 p.m. newscast — an in-your-face nightly spree of crime, accidents, sexual perversity and wild video — looks nothing like the newscast it used to be. Almost none of the anchors or reporters on the air in 2001 is around now; they've been replaced by younger and seemingly hungrier talent (notable exceptions include anchor Dave Helling and dayside veteran Liana Joyce).
Longtime viewers were not shy about expressing their disgust and outrage as Channel 5 transformed itself. On Gateway City Radio, an Internet bulletin board popular with local broadcasters, one anti-KCTV partisan this week described Channel 5 as “Jerry Springer TV,” while many others used descriptions that are unfit to print.
The complaints seem to peak during the three-times-yearly sweeps periods, when KCTV heavily promotes its most eye-grabbing news pieces.
In February, Channel 5 aired a four-night investigative series based on a sting it had conducted of men it said tried to solicit sex illegally on the Internet. Critics howled, but ratings went through the roof on those nights. And while KMBC won the overall ratings that month, the tide was starting to turn.
By October, “KCTV5 News at 10” was beating KMBC's late news regularly.
“This is not a flash in the pan,” Black said. “We started to close the gap (with KMBC) every month. We saw the gap shrinking, and in July we realized, hey, we might win this thing.”
KCTV's win may be interpreted as a case of a rising tide lifting all boats. The rising tide is CBS, which trounced the other networks in November on the strength of its hit crime dramas: the “CSI” shows and “Without a Trace.” It was the most-watched network among 18-to-49-year-olds, the first time CBS has finished No. 1 among that prized viewer group since 1980.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, CBS chief Leslie Moonves called it a “milestone” and a “watershed moment” that had put its affiliates in their best competitive position in 10 years.
By contrast, the ABC network has been dragging down its affiliates for years with its poor programming choices. That has begun to turn around under new leadership, and ABC's new hit “Desperate Housewives” has given KMBC a big lift on Sunday nights. Another hit ABC show, “Lost,” airs at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, but by 10 p.m. much of the audience watching that program has tuned away.
Research supplied by KMBC shows that its ratings leap 30 percent to 40 percent at 10 p.m. — enough to make it competitive but not enough to stop KCTV's juggernaut.
Black, however, can hardly be accused of riding the coattails of CBS, any more than KMBC can be said to be coasting at 5 and 6 p.m. on its huge lead-in from “Dr. Phil” and “Oprah.” Nielsen data shows that KCTV has become one of the top-performing CBS stations across the country. And KCTV's ratings are way up at other times of the day, especially 4 and 5 p.m., when CBS programs are nowhere to be seen.
Some research suggests viewers start to tune away from Channel 5 after those vaunted “first five minutes,” a conclusion Black disputes. But one thing is undeniable: Kansas City viewers are some of the most voracious consumers of local news in the country, having made KCTV and KMBC top-rated in their respective network groups.
At WDAF, ratings for its morning news are up double digits as well, giving Fox 4 a slight edge over KMBC through Tuesday. Double-digit growth buoyed KSHB, Channel 41, at both 5 and 6 p.m. Its 5 o'clock newscast, following on the heels of Ken Jennings' daily smackdowns on “Jeopardy!” was up an eye-popping 30 percent year-to-year.
Success has allowed KCTV's Black to pull off a career feat that many once thought impossible: He survived the entire tumultuous reign of his boss, former Meredith Broadcast Group president (and onetime Channel 9 sales manager) Kevin O'Brien, who fired all the other general managers in the 13-station chain during his three years running the group.
O'Brien, who didn't hire Black, was terminated last month for violating the company's equal-opportunity employment policy. Newsroom insiders say a cheer went up when his firing was announced.
Black said he always had a terrific working relationship with O'Brien, and Ducas said that O'Brien, who could monitor every Meredith station from satellite feeds at his office in Las Vegas, “left us alone because he thought we were doing a great job.” And to those who fondly remember the olden days, Ducas points out that Channel 5 had a long history of aggressive reporting before he and Black came along. Its best-known reporter was investigative bulldog Stan Cramer, who thrived off targets putting a hand up to the camera and slamming the door in his face.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
CBS affiliate taking over WB station
By AARON BARNHART The Kansas City Star
Two more television stations in Kansas City merged operations Friday, as the owner of CBS affiliate KCTV bought a controlling stake in WB affiliate KSMO-TV.
But the deal — initially valued at $26.8 million, with a potential $6.7 million kicker later — probably will face legal challenges.
Kirk Black, the general manager of KCTV, made the announcement at KSMO's offices in Kansas City, Kan., Friday afternoon. Black said Des Moines-based Meredith Corp. was assuming control of Channel 62 immediately and KSMO's facilities would be moved to KCTV's Fairway offices within four months. He said the employees of both stations would remain on payroll, except for KSMO's general manager, Mark Martin, who is leaving.
“We're taking over KSMO,” said Black, who called the acquisition “exciting” and said it would make Meredith “the biggest player in town.”
Under the arrangement, KCTV will be able to sell all available commercial time on both stations and boost profits by combining operations, such as sales and engineering, which the stations now perform separately.
KCTV will also be able to determine up to 15 percent of KSMO's programming, or about five hours per weekday. Black said this could include adding KCTV's local news, Metro Sports or repeat broadcasts of syndicated fare such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to KSMO's schedule.
The deal comes at a time when media ownership rules are in greater flux than at any time in history. The company is betting, in effect, that the federal courts, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission will resolve a variety of disputes affecting broadcasters in such a way that KCTV will be allowed to buy KSMO outright.
Currently, federal law on “duopolies” — the ownership of two stations in a single market — does not permit an outright KCTV-KSMO merger. Instead, Meredith is paying $26.8 million to enter into a “joint sales agreement” with KSMO's owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group of Hunt Valley, Md., with an option to buy the license for $6.7 million should the law change.
The joint sales agreement could be invalidated under a proposed rule change filed in August by the FCC.
Currently, both stations in a joint sales agreement are considered independent. If the rule change goes through, the owner of the larger station would be considered in control of the smaller one. That would put Meredith in violation of the commission's “voices” rule, which stipulates that stations cannot merge if that would reduce the number of independent voices in a market to fewer than eight.
There are 10 TV stations in Kansas City controlled by eight entities. E.W. Scripps Co. owns both KSHB-TV and KMCI-TV, while Hearst-Argyle owns KMBC-TV and operates KCWE-TV.
Further complicating matters, an appellate court in Washington in 2003 remanded several rules to the FCC, including the “voices” rule. If the commission is unable to justify the continuing need for the rules, they will be nullified and the KSMO deal would stand.
Another possibility is that the commission will allow the merger under a grandfather clause, as it has done when making rule changes in the past.
To Sinclair, challenging media ownership rules is nothing new. Shortly after the 1996 Telecommunications Act was passed by Congress, Sinclair struck deals that virtually doubled the number of stations under its control. The law on such deals was vague, and Sinclair was allowed to keep the agreements in place. It currently owns or operates 62 TV stations, more than any other company.
“This is the kind of skirting-the-law tactic that has helped make Sinclair the poster child for big, bad media,” said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, which advocates tougher media ownership rules. “Clearly Sinclair here is taking a wager that their pals at the FCC will give them a high five to sell the station.”
Chester and other industry observers predicted Friday that with Sinclair involved, the deal would face higher-than-usual scrutiny from political opponents and media watchdog groups.
Sinclair recently endured a storm of protest over its plans to broadcast a documentary, “Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal,” that attacked presidential candidate John Kerry. It wound up showing a more traditional news program that featured both “Stolen Honor” and a pro-Kerry film.
With KCTV's newsroom as its disposal, KSMO is unlikely to become an affiliate in Sinclair's “News Central” operation, which produces a hybrid national-local newscast for more than 30 of its stations. Critics say “News Central” waters down local news, replacing it with large doses of right-wing commentary beamed in from its Maryland headquarters. Sinclair has argued that it is bringing local news to TV stations that traditionally did not offer news.
Sinclair officials did not return phone calls on Friday.
According to full-day Nielsen ratings averages, KCTV is the second-most-watched station in Kansas City. KSMO ranks fifth.
With the transaction, Meredith now owns or operates 14 TV stations in addition to its publishing assets. It has owned KCTV since 1953.
The company's shares closed Friday at $52.38, down 1 cent.
To reach Aaron Barnhart, call (816) 234-4790 or visit TVBarn.com.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
RE: Another Election Disaster
ouch, dick. you didn't mention misuse of punctuation. or the use of sentence fragments. or the blatant refusal to use captial letters, especially for proper nouns.
sherwood
sherwood
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Mr. Tony is Back
Washington Post columnist , ESPN TV host , and all around media god Tony Kornheiser is coming back to radio. He used to be on ESPN Radio, but left earlier this year. Now he's back on local radio in Washington D.C., and you can listen to the station online. Now you know where Doug and I will be if we have free time between 9 A.M. and 1 P.M. Eastern time. Just check by the computer speakers.
Bieke
Bieke
Sunday, November 07, 2004
RE: Another Election Disaster
"...should've WENT to MU?" Perhaps he's right. Maybe they teach grammar better than we do! (If you think just because you've graduated I won't still critique your writing, think again!)
If Mizzou is still teaching backtiming by hand they're further behind the times than I thought. They probably still teach students how to edit film.
BTW, Michelle, if you want a good story about election disasters, talk to Gene Hartley about 1976 at KOMU.
Dick
If Mizzou is still teaching backtiming by hand they're further behind the times than I thought. They probably still teach students how to edit film.
BTW, Michelle, if you want a good story about election disasters, talk to Gene Hartley about 1976 at KOMU.
Dick
Friday, November 05, 2004
Another Election Disaster
oh yea, well how about this. our news program craps out at 8:30 a.m. DCM was DEAD. picture this--we have no prompter, no scripts, no way to backtime (except by hand, of course--dammit kevin pope was right, i should've went to mu! joke, he was basically belittling me with my ku education when i went for an interview because mu taught him to backtime by hand. some of you may remember this story) oh yea and no wires. we got it up before the 10 and all the cutins, but the day was a little hairy.
michelle
michelle
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Election Night(mare)
Welcome to election day in Wichita Falls, TX. 26 hours after the polls closed.. we still have absolutely no election results. No winners.. no losers. Instead we are waiting for officials from the Secretary of State's office to come and oversee a possible manual count of 40,000 ballots.
They believe it's a problem with the computer program that was installed to tabulate the results. In any case... a very long night last night.. followed by six hours of standing outside the county clerk's office.. doing interviews as the local republican and democratic party people spewed hate at each other. I love politics.
Andrea
They believe it's a problem with the computer program that was installed to tabulate the results. In any case... a very long night last night.. followed by six hours of standing outside the county clerk's office.. doing interviews as the local republican and democratic party people spewed hate at each other. I love politics.
Andrea
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Go Vote!!!
It's Election Day. I know it's all hand on deck, but you should pass along any funny stories about what happened today when people get a chance.
Bieke
Bieke
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Joy keeps movin' on up
Happy Halloween! I have great news!!! As you all know, I've been the weekend anchor at KCAU Channel 9 in Sioux City for about two months now. But that job title won't be mine for much longer! I've been promoted to morning/midday anchor!!! Meredith Putney, who's the AM anchor right now, got a job in Fort Myers, Florida (we'll miss her...she's a solid anchor and a good friend...) She's leaving the first weekend in December and I'm taking over her duties. I still get to report on special assignments, I'll get unbeatable anchor experience AND I get my weekends back!!!
Many of you know that I was cautious to shoot for Meredith's job because I thought I would have to extend my contract. But my bosses gave me the option to finish out my existing contract (until August 31, 2005)...the raise isn't near as big...but money isn't everything right? (This experience is priceless!)
In other news...I already picked out my wedding dress!!! I went shopping with my mom and sister on Friday in Des Moines and found it. It's just perfect for me!!! (Only ten months away from the big day!!!)
Take care,
Joy
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Jessica Wedding
Jessica was kind enough to pass along these pictures. Others should send more if you got 'em.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Send Me Pictures
Hey,
Since I missed Jessica's wedding (congrats, by the way), do you think somebody could send me some pictures...I'll post them here too for all of us who couldn't make it.
Bieke
Since I missed Jessica's wedding (congrats, by the way), do you think somebody could send me some pictures...I'll post them here too for all of us who couldn't make it.
Bieke
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Dick's Looking Out for Us
Job Openings:
Photographer, WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL. Contact John Rinkenbaugh, Asst. ND, john.rinkenbaugh@winktv.com
Photographer, KAIT, Jonesboro, AR. Contact Bob Snell, Asst. ND. P.O.Box 790, Jonesboro, AR 72403-0790
Investigative Reporter and 5 p.m. Anchor/Reporter, KYTV, Springfield, MO. Contact Michelle Sherwood, msherwood@ky3.com, for more information.
Editor, DH Productions, Kansas City. Contact Mark Honer, Executive Producer, (913) 262-7800.
Dick Nelson
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Another One Gettin' Hitched
Hi everyone! I'm so excited to tell you all that I'm ENGAGED! Kevin asked me to marry him last Thursday night in Lawrence (out at Clinton Lake...watching the sunset). I, of course, said "YES!" and haven't been able to stop smiling since!
I waited to email everyone until I had the date set. Kevin and I are getting married on Saturday, Sept. 10th of 2005 in the Cathdral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. That's all I know right now...I still have lots of work to do!!!
The following link will take you to pictures of the ring!!!
Take care,
Joy
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Wedding Plans Part II
Bieke's coming to town. That's right...I'll be in Lawrence and surrounding communities for Doug's wedding staring Thursday, September 30th. What I'd really like to do is have a KUJH Memorial dinner on Monday, October 4th. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. Come one, come all. Hang out. Catch up! Please....for me....not that I'm begging....but I am.
Email me (michael@bieke.us) if you're in.
Bieke
Email me (michael@bieke.us) if you're in.
Bieke
Monday, September 20, 2004
Lost!! Update
Randy Withers recently left us here at the "Big 6." He now has an internship with the Chiefs video department -- and, no, he's not the reason they are 0-2.
Rigg
Rigg
Stardom
The KUJH-TV News Staff Web site (http://people.ku.edu/~dnelson/kujh.html) now features a link to a featured alum. We hope this will inspire current students. A different alum will be featured each week. The first--for no particular reason--is Theresa Freed. There will be no logic to the choices, just the arbitrary and capricious whims of the Webmaster. One requirement is that your station Web site must include your picture and a short bio, or something like that. That's mostly because I am lazy and don't want to "create" content. I realize that leaves out most of the behind-the-scenes people, but once again, facetime begets stardom. People who nominate themselves to be featured will be disqualified automatically.
LOST!!
Does anyone have any idea as to the whereabouts of the following people?
Head, Kelsey B.
Pehrson, Liza C.
Schaefer (Nightengale), Angela M.
Withers, Randall A.
Zeka, Julie J.
Dick Nelson
Editor's Note: Liza is right there in your fair city of Lawrence pursuing her rock music. Rock on Liza, and go visit Dick if you have a minute.
Head, Kelsey B.
Pehrson, Liza C.
Schaefer (Nightengale), Angela M.
Withers, Randall A.
Zeka, Julie J.
Dick Nelson
Editor's Note: Liza is right there in your fair city of Lawrence pursuing her rock music. Rock on Liza, and go visit Dick if you have a minute.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
KSNT pumps itself up
This was in this month's edition of Broadcasting and Cable Magazine:
KSNT MAKES JULY GAINS -
KSNT/Topeka grew its ratings in
every newscast in July in both households and demos. The
Emmis Broadcasting NBC affiliate made the biggest gains from 6-7 am, where the station moved into first place in households, adults 25-54, and adults 18-49. Year to year, the 6-7 am hour on KSNT grew from a 2.6/18 to a 4.6/26 in households, from a 1.7/20 to a 3.7/31 among adults 25-54, and from a 1.7/27 to a 2.3/31 among adults 18-49. In mid August, KSNT expanded its morning newscast to two hours (5 am-7 am).
Jason Matisoff
KSNT MAKES JULY GAINS -
KSNT/Topeka grew its ratings in
every newscast in July in both households and demos. The
Emmis Broadcasting NBC affiliate made the biggest gains from 6-7 am, where the station moved into first place in households, adults 25-54, and adults 18-49. Year to year, the 6-7 am hour on KSNT grew from a 2.6/18 to a 4.6/26 in households, from a 1.7/20 to a 3.7/31 among adults 25-54, and from a 1.7/27 to a 2.3/31 among adults 18-49. In mid August, KSNT expanded its morning newscast to two hours (5 am-7 am).
Jason Matisoff
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Weekend Anchors-R-Us
Like Joy.. I'm making that move from reporter to weekend anchor/reporter in September! I found out last week.. but didn't want to post until I had worked things out with my station manager. I'm signing on for an extra year in the lovely state of Texas (please pray for me!).. but I'm thrilled!.. especially since I love my co-anchor.
My celebration drinking starts in a matter of minutes.. so that's all for now.. but if anyone is looking for a reporter job, let me know! We have an opening!!!
Andrea Burnett
KFDX
My celebration drinking starts in a matter of minutes.. so that's all for now.. but if anyone is looking for a reporter job, let me know! We have an opening!!!
Andrea Burnett
KFDX
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
I like this idea!
Joy-
So glad to hear your news!
I think there should be a new rule that says "if thee get a raise and/or a promotion, thy shall drinkith heavily thereafter from that moment forth, until such time as unconciousness occurs or 24 hours pass."
Just a thought, mind you.
Everyone raise a glass to the wealthier!
Zach Lee
'03
So glad to hear your news!
I think there should be a new rule that says "if thee get a raise and/or a promotion, thy shall drinkith heavily thereafter from that moment forth, until such time as unconciousness occurs or 24 hours pass."
Just a thought, mind you.
Everyone raise a glass to the wealthier!
Zach Lee
'03
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Promotion Time
Hey everyone! What a surprise...I came back from vacation on Thursday and found out I have a new job (same station!) I'm now the weekend anchor at KCAU Channel 9 in Sioux City. I'll be anchoring the 6 and 10 shows on Saturday and Sunday starting Labor Day weekend! I'll still be reporting three days during the week, too. This is a great opportunity for me, as I'm wanting to gain anchor experience AND I still get to report (which I LOVE!)
Just wanted you all to know the good news!
Hope you're all doing well and loving life!
Take care,
Joy Larson
Friday, August 06, 2004
Ain't Conversation Grand
Thanks for the congrats, Dick. I think it'll be fun because the job will change every day. We'll see how it goes. Just excited to be a such a great, small, local station where everyone is so friendly and genuine, and it just happens to be close to my home!
Robyn F.
Robyn F.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Dick Reacts
Congratulations, Robyn.
And, by the way, while you're at it, could you run camera, do the weather and wash the windows?
Dick
Editor's Note: I think Dick's trying to be funny again....
And, by the way, while you're at it, could you run camera, do the weather and wash the windows?
Dick
Editor's Note: I think Dick's trying to be funny again....
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
KSNT Update
Congrads to Robyn Flohrschutz who will be the new full-time reporter/editor/photographer/producer for KSNT's 27 News Today. I like to think I helped her nab the job since I taped the standups for her resume tape :)
Oh also...if you notice the on-air talent look a little different on KSNT it's because a complete overhaul of the studio lights just took place. We were finally able to get rid of them all (most of the lights were labeled KTSB, KSNT's former call letters way back when).
Jason M.
Oh also...if you notice the on-air talent look a little different on KSNT it's because a complete overhaul of the studio lights just took place. We were finally able to get rid of them all (most of the lights were labeled KTSB, KSNT's former call letters way back when).
Jason M.
Another 2004er checks in
How is everyone doing? I don't have a job yet, unlike Liz, but I will be going to NYC at the end of August so that I could stay with a good friend of mine. Liz, keep in touch in NYC!
Caleb Loong
Caleb Loong
Monday, August 02, 2004
Updated Info
Michelle Sherwood suggests: "I think we need an updated "where are they now??"" column. how about everyone write where they are and what they're doing. esp. the class of 02. thanks."
So I tried to update what I knew including an e-mail from our bud Matt Makens who is heading for KAKE in Wichita from KSNT to continue to do weekend wx.
Anyway, if you have updated info on the Where Are They Now? link above. Send it to me at michael@bieke.us
So I tried to update what I knew including an e-mail from our bud Matt Makens who is heading for KAKE in Wichita from KSNT to continue to do weekend wx.
Anyway, if you have updated info on the Where Are They Now? link above. Send it to me at michael@bieke.us
Saturday, July 31, 2004
New Newsroom Blog Update
The problem with Brooke's story not downloading has been fixed. However, the problem with the horrible photography has not.
Dick
Editor's Note: Check out the new newsroom blog at http://www.journalism.ku.edu/blogger/
Dick
Editor's Note: Check out the new newsroom blog at http://www.journalism.ku.edu/blogger/
Sunday, July 25, 2004
2004 Grad Makes Good
Hi everyone. I am officially a New Yorker and start my real "grown up" job Monday. I'll be the executive producer's assistant with Good Morning America on ABC. Hopefully I'll enjoy myself as much as I did at KUJH. After spending lots of time in NY this summer I definitely know I'm not in Kansas anymore...
Liz Springer
Liz Springer
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Congrats!
Congrats to my girl Julie. Now that you'll be spending more time in KC, you can calm my nerves about my wedding in two months and I'm 100% positive my dad will find you and complain he's tired of spending money "on this damn wedding."
I too have a new job as Research Director for Missouri Victory 2004, the Kerry/Edwards Campaign in MO.
I hope to see some of you at my wedding!!!
Jessica
I too have a new job as Research Director for Missouri Victory 2004, the Kerry/Edwards Campaign in MO.
I hope to see some of you at my wedding!!!
Jessica
New Newsroom
For those of you who might not be regularly checking out the blog detailing the construction of the new multimedia newsroom at KU (and honestly that would include me), you might want to take a look: http://www.journalism.ku.edu/blogger/
There's a video tour from Rick Musser that took me forever to download and would be better if he was properly mic'd, but it is kind of interesting. There is also a story from KUJH alum Brooke Wehner that's supposedly about the construction, but I couldn't get it to load.
Well, maybe this blogging thing from them needs a little work. But check it out anyway. It is interesting how they are gutting Dole and starting from scratch. And then the newspaper people move in with the cool kids.
When I'm back in Lawrence in October, I'll go down there and check it out and report back.
Bieke
There's a video tour from Rick Musser that took me forever to download and would be better if he was properly mic'd, but it is kind of interesting. There is also a story from KUJH alum Brooke Wehner that's supposedly about the construction, but I couldn't get it to load.
Well, maybe this blogging thing from them needs a little work. But check it out anyway. It is interesting how they are gutting Dole and starting from scratch. And then the newspaper people move in with the cool kids.
When I'm back in Lawrence in October, I'll go down there and check it out and report back.
Bieke
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
New Job!!!
Hey guys! Just wanted to let everyone know I'm graduating from WIBW, and moving to KCTV 5 as their new morning show producer. So this means I'll actually be able to buy groceries without worrying if my check is going to bounce. Ha ha! Word up to my saucy sidekick Salad Bar.
Julie Kellogg
Julie Kellogg
Monday, July 12, 2004
More KSNT
KSNT Update:
As of now the morning show will be expanding to 2 hours for a few weeks for olypmic coverage updates. Whether or not it will stay expanded is yet to be decided.
Also, there is a producer job open but I don't think it's for the morning but instead the 5pm and 6pm.
The news department is looking for a morning reporter to be live and do "newsroom reports" especially when there is severe weather (and being in Kansas who knows when that may be).
Finally, for those interested in working in the production department be aware that the news and production departments will be merging in October...so things and people could change (read between the lines).
Oh and Bieke, Ken kinda cornered me last week asking for what info I had of yours. Hope it's ok I game him your e-mail address (since that's all I had).
Editor's Note: It was fine.
Jason M
As of now the morning show will be expanding to 2 hours for a few weeks for olypmic coverage updates. Whether or not it will stay expanded is yet to be decided.
Also, there is a producer job open but I don't think it's for the morning but instead the 5pm and 6pm.
The news department is looking for a morning reporter to be live and do "newsroom reports" especially when there is severe weather (and being in Kansas who knows when that may be).
Finally, for those interested in working in the production department be aware that the news and production departments will be merging in October...so things and people could change (read between the lines).
Oh and Bieke, Ken kinda cornered me last week asking for what info I had of yours. Hope it's ok I game him your e-mail address (since that's all I had).
Editor's Note: It was fine.
Jason M
Sunday, July 11, 2004
KSNT Jobs
Hey,
Well, there are definitely some jobs to be had at 27 News in beautiful Topeka, KS. There's going to be a director job (PUNCH BUTTONS LIKE ME!!!), and there already is a producer job and I think there is or will soon be a producer/reporter job for the morning show which I hear is expanding to two hours in August. Let me know if you know somebody who maybe graduated in the fall and is still looking for a job (or anyone else for that matter). My former boss GM Ken asked if I had any suggestions for people, so I'll open it up to you.
Bieke
Well, there are definitely some jobs to be had at 27 News in beautiful Topeka, KS. There's going to be a director job (PUNCH BUTTONS LIKE ME!!!), and there already is a producer job and I think there is or will soon be a producer/reporter job for the morning show which I hear is expanding to two hours in August. Let me know if you know somebody who maybe graduated in the fall and is still looking for a job (or anyone else for that matter). My former boss GM Ken asked if I had any suggestions for people, so I'll open it up to you.
Bieke
Saturday, June 26, 2004
REALLY Small Market Television
Check out this guy. It blows me away that television, even in backass Montana, is still made this way.
Glendive TV station is one-man operation
Associated Press
WIBAUX (KRT) - As Ed Agre videotapes this small Montana town's annual parade, candy skids along the ground - thrown from a bank-sponsored float. Behind, farming tractors follow the local football team roaring from a flatbed truck.
Though he looks like a proud grandfather trying to catch his grandchildren on tape, Agre, 66, is covering the news. He's news director, reporter and desk anchor for KXGN-Ch. 5 in Glendive, the smallest television news market in the nation.
For a 100-mile radius, the only local broadcast news source from the Canadian border to southern Montana is KXGN, aka Ed Agre.
In a time when Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, the courts and the White House are fighting over consolidation in the news media, Agre's work for KXGN represents the kind of local news coverage that critics argue gets lost when a few big corporations own chains of TV and radio stations.
"I'm not for consolidation, period," said Paul Sturlaugson, 51, vice president and general manager of Glendive Broadcasting, which owns KXGN-TV and a pair of AM/FM onsite radio stations. "It's less people making more decisions for all of us, and when corporate America takes over, the bottom line becomes more important than the community. Sports and community events, those are the sort of things that tie a community together."
Agre covers his beat, roughly 400 miles between Scobey and Ekalaka, in his white Lincoln Town Car, chain-smoking Marlboro Lights before he returns each afternoon to tape his evening broadcast.
"The way I feel about radio broadcasting and TV - you're talking to people," Agre says. "It's a personal thing. You're dealing with those people, sitting there in their living room."
Glendive's Cronkite?
Agre begins his day at 6 a.m. on KXGN radio, spinning classic country and pop records while offering the first news of the day. At 2:30 p.m., Agre tapes his "Montana East" nightly television news in advance, so he can make happy hour at a local watering hole, the Beer Jug (a valuable source of stories, he says). The time in between is devoted to newsgathering, cigarettes and a lot of driving.
This year, Agre celebrates a 50-year career that began at age 16, when he started out cleaning tapes for KFYR-AM in Bismark, N.D.
"He has quite a flare for that dramatic. When he first started, I think he thought he was Glendive's answer to Walter Cronkite," said resident Pat Moline, 71, sitting in the stands above the game.
Agre's tastes lean toward another broadcast legend.
"My favorite is Paul Harvey. His program is so well-balanced that, to me, it's just beautiful," Agre says. "He's a role model of sorts. I've always admired him, talked to him on the phone a couple times. He walks that fine line between news and entertainment."
Agre's own morning broadcast mixes a down-home sense of humor and such community necessities as reading school menus and weather reports. He keeps a list of some 300 residents' birth dates and sings "Happy Birthday" to them personally. In one segment, Agre reads excerpts of old newspapers. He ends each show with an Ole and Lena joke followed by a polka. If he doesn't, he gets complaints.
"You walk up and down town, and two old ranchers will stop you. They'll let you know what you did wrong," Agre says. "You don't have to worry about TV or radio critics here, we got 50,000 of 'em."
For some, Agre's broadcasts are the soundtracks to their mornings.
"He's a good historian. A lot of the younger kids don't like him because he doesn't play rock," says Jo Ryan, 62, an employee of Reynolds Warehouse. "It'd throw my routine off if I didn't listen to him. If my hair isn't dry by the time he reads the old papers, then I'm late."
An endangered species
This is radio the way radio should be done, Agre says.
"A station like this a is probably an endangered species. What I do is probably endangered as well," he says. "There must be some valid reason why they listen to me. At least here, we can individualize."
"All that stuff on that computer - what are you going to do, when that goes down? It's just becoming too push-button. You're losing that edge, that local personalized thing."
Too many programs, he says, are pulled down off "the birds" - Agre's nickname for broadcast satellites.
Agre prefers to get his music, and his news, locally. Although KXGN-TV is a CBS affiliate, it carries some NBC programming at night, including "Friends" and "The West Wing." When Fox carried the National Football League contract, KXGN broadcast Fox.
"People have been writing the obits of these little tiny stations for a long time," says Al Tompkins, who teaches broadcasting at the Poynter Institute. "There is always a hunger for local news, and as long as they can provide a niche, they are always going to have a market. When it gets to the point where they no longer provide a unique service and their content becomes generic, they lose that."
Stephen Marks, a Maryland businessman, owns KXGN, along with a handful of smaller stations, a practice not uncommon in low-population markets, according to the trade magazine Television Week.
The station carries state-centric news from Billings at 10:30 p.m. before Agre's "Montana East" program, so he can keep his news focused on the surrounding 15 counties, including one in North Dakota.
The barrel-chested Agre delivers the news in a professional, no-nonsense manner. Occasionally there's a brief editorial comment, an "Amen to that" chimed in after he agrees with a particular quote, but otherwise he remains a smiling, neutral anchor. Reporting the news in an area where everyone knows your face, your car and your habits requires a certain finesse.
"Most of us in Glendive get a good kick out of him. I've run into him at the Beer Jug," said resident Curt Milne, 70. "Without (the local news) boy, you'd lose that personal touch, and that means a lot to a small community. And pride - you're kind of proud to have the smallest TV station, upgrade it and keep it growing."
Copyright © 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
Glendive TV station is one-man operation
Associated Press
WIBAUX (KRT) - As Ed Agre videotapes this small Montana town's annual parade, candy skids along the ground - thrown from a bank-sponsored float. Behind, farming tractors follow the local football team roaring from a flatbed truck.
Though he looks like a proud grandfather trying to catch his grandchildren on tape, Agre, 66, is covering the news. He's news director, reporter and desk anchor for KXGN-Ch. 5 in Glendive, the smallest television news market in the nation.
For a 100-mile radius, the only local broadcast news source from the Canadian border to southern Montana is KXGN, aka Ed Agre.
In a time when Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, the courts and the White House are fighting over consolidation in the news media, Agre's work for KXGN represents the kind of local news coverage that critics argue gets lost when a few big corporations own chains of TV and radio stations.
"I'm not for consolidation, period," said Paul Sturlaugson, 51, vice president and general manager of Glendive Broadcasting, which owns KXGN-TV and a pair of AM/FM onsite radio stations. "It's less people making more decisions for all of us, and when corporate America takes over, the bottom line becomes more important than the community. Sports and community events, those are the sort of things that tie a community together."
Agre covers his beat, roughly 400 miles between Scobey and Ekalaka, in his white Lincoln Town Car, chain-smoking Marlboro Lights before he returns each afternoon to tape his evening broadcast.
"The way I feel about radio broadcasting and TV - you're talking to people," Agre says. "It's a personal thing. You're dealing with those people, sitting there in their living room."
Glendive's Cronkite?
Agre begins his day at 6 a.m. on KXGN radio, spinning classic country and pop records while offering the first news of the day. At 2:30 p.m., Agre tapes his "Montana East" nightly television news in advance, so he can make happy hour at a local watering hole, the Beer Jug (a valuable source of stories, he says). The time in between is devoted to newsgathering, cigarettes and a lot of driving.
This year, Agre celebrates a 50-year career that began at age 16, when he started out cleaning tapes for KFYR-AM in Bismark, N.D.
"He has quite a flare for that dramatic. When he first started, I think he thought he was Glendive's answer to Walter Cronkite," said resident Pat Moline, 71, sitting in the stands above the game.
Agre's tastes lean toward another broadcast legend.
"My favorite is Paul Harvey. His program is so well-balanced that, to me, it's just beautiful," Agre says. "He's a role model of sorts. I've always admired him, talked to him on the phone a couple times. He walks that fine line between news and entertainment."
Agre's own morning broadcast mixes a down-home sense of humor and such community necessities as reading school menus and weather reports. He keeps a list of some 300 residents' birth dates and sings "Happy Birthday" to them personally. In one segment, Agre reads excerpts of old newspapers. He ends each show with an Ole and Lena joke followed by a polka. If he doesn't, he gets complaints.
"You walk up and down town, and two old ranchers will stop you. They'll let you know what you did wrong," Agre says. "You don't have to worry about TV or radio critics here, we got 50,000 of 'em."
For some, Agre's broadcasts are the soundtracks to their mornings.
"He's a good historian. A lot of the younger kids don't like him because he doesn't play rock," says Jo Ryan, 62, an employee of Reynolds Warehouse. "It'd throw my routine off if I didn't listen to him. If my hair isn't dry by the time he reads the old papers, then I'm late."
An endangered species
This is radio the way radio should be done, Agre says.
"A station like this a is probably an endangered species. What I do is probably endangered as well," he says. "There must be some valid reason why they listen to me. At least here, we can individualize."
"All that stuff on that computer - what are you going to do, when that goes down? It's just becoming too push-button. You're losing that edge, that local personalized thing."
Too many programs, he says, are pulled down off "the birds" - Agre's nickname for broadcast satellites.
Agre prefers to get his music, and his news, locally. Although KXGN-TV is a CBS affiliate, it carries some NBC programming at night, including "Friends" and "The West Wing." When Fox carried the National Football League contract, KXGN broadcast Fox.
"People have been writing the obits of these little tiny stations for a long time," says Al Tompkins, who teaches broadcasting at the Poynter Institute. "There is always a hunger for local news, and as long as they can provide a niche, they are always going to have a market. When it gets to the point where they no longer provide a unique service and their content becomes generic, they lose that."
Stephen Marks, a Maryland businessman, owns KXGN, along with a handful of smaller stations, a practice not uncommon in low-population markets, according to the trade magazine Television Week.
The station carries state-centric news from Billings at 10:30 p.m. before Agre's "Montana East" program, so he can keep his news focused on the surrounding 15 counties, including one in North Dakota.
The barrel-chested Agre delivers the news in a professional, no-nonsense manner. Occasionally there's a brief editorial comment, an "Amen to that" chimed in after he agrees with a particular quote, but otherwise he remains a smiling, neutral anchor. Reporting the news in an area where everyone knows your face, your car and your habits requires a certain finesse.
"Most of us in Glendive get a good kick out of him. I've run into him at the Beer Jug," said resident Curt Milne, 70. "Without (the local news) boy, you'd lose that personal touch, and that means a lot to a small community. And pride - you're kind of proud to have the smallest TV station, upgrade it and keep it growing."
Copyright © 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
A Dale Update
For those of you wondering what Dale Ziegler was up to, here's a little excerpt from an e-mail he sent out:
"Well, it’s probably about time for an annual report on how I’m doing and
what I’ve been up to. Long story short, I’m no longer with Hy-Vee, nor am I
delivering newspapers anymore. I’m currently working at the Yellow Freight
World Headquarters in Overland Park, helping out in their Sales and
Marketing Department (technically, it’s called Territory Management). It’s
a temporary position, but hopefully they’ll make it permanent, or at least
find something permanent for me within the company.
As I mentioned, I’m no longer doing either of my old jobs. Both of them
took way much of a toll on my personal life with my new bride, Janet (oh, by
the way, I got married in July for those who didn’t know :) ). I was losing
too much sleep and was never home for anything important, plus I was kind of
grouchy. Now I’m home in the evenings, home on the weekends, and loving
every minute of it!"
Bieke
"Well, it’s probably about time for an annual report on how I’m doing and
what I’ve been up to. Long story short, I’m no longer with Hy-Vee, nor am I
delivering newspapers anymore. I’m currently working at the Yellow Freight
World Headquarters in Overland Park, helping out in their Sales and
Marketing Department (technically, it’s called Territory Management). It’s
a temporary position, but hopefully they’ll make it permanent, or at least
find something permanent for me within the company.
As I mentioned, I’m no longer doing either of my old jobs. Both of them
took way much of a toll on my personal life with my new bride, Janet (oh, by
the way, I got married in July for those who didn’t know :) ). I was losing
too much sleep and was never home for anything important, plus I was kind of
grouchy. Now I’m home in the evenings, home on the weekends, and loving
every minute of it!"
Bieke
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Best Anchorman Ever
Sherwood would like to share a little Will Ferrell for you...the best anchorman ever.
(This link should spawn the Windows Media Player.)
(This link should spawn the Windows Media Player.)
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Liz Wedding
Got back this weekend from former KUJH buddy Liz Godfrey's wedding. Andy Davies was also present as Liz got hitched and changed her last name to Warner. A big congrats to her.
Bieke
Bieke
Friday, June 04, 2004
More on Evansville
I've heard bad things -- both about the station and the city. I have a friend at the ABC in E-Ville. Besides, what would LHS soccer do without you?
Evansville, IN
I have a friend I worked with in Montana that now works for the fox station in evansville. I'll e-mail her tomorrow and see what she thinks... I know she loved it when she first got there.
Andrea
Andrea
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Makens requests help
Does anyone know anything about the Evansville, IN market? Good/bad? Especially WTVW, their Fox affiliate? Let me know at mmakens@ksnt.com.
Thanks,
Makens
Thanks,
Makens
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
A baby!
Julie Zeka, now Julie Wright had her second baby on Saturday. Congratulations to her!
Info is below.
Jessica
>Brett and Julie had baby boy!
>
>Saturday at 2:30am
>
>Jack Allen Wright
>
> 7 lbs., 14 oz
>
>Congratulations Brett!
Info is below.
Jessica
>Brett and Julie had baby boy!
>
>Saturday at 2:30am
>
>Jack Allen Wright
>
> 7 lbs., 14 oz
>
>Congratulations Brett!
Look at my tiny station
Think I was lying when I said my station was in the boon-docks. Check out this satellite photo.
This is a really cool website, though. You can get satellite images, albeit kind of old ones, for almost anywhere.
Bieke
This is a really cool website, though. You can get satellite images, albeit kind of old ones, for almost anywhere.
Bieke
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Editor Needed!?!?
This site is in desparate need of a good editor. Bieke writes: "Well I can't imagine that any of you waste as much time watching TV as me." No, they don't waste "as much time watching TV as I."
How in the world did you people ever graduate from such a great school of journalism? Teachers must be VERY lax.
Dick
Editor's Note: I urge Dick to turn on the close captioning and read a local newscast for proof that broadcast people don't like to spell good or have well grammer. We prefer talkin' funny.
How in the world did you people ever graduate from such a great school of journalism? Teachers must be VERY lax.
Dick
Editor's Note: I urge Dick to turn on the close captioning and read a local newscast for proof that broadcast people don't like to spell good or have well grammer. We prefer talkin' funny.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Sweeps in Topeka
Well I didn't do any either-- but here's a 3 pt. series we did. We had our weekend anchor "re-enact" what it's like after you're picked up for a DUI. She went through the entire process-- her name was even listed in the police records has being pulled over for a DUI. (Other media outlets came across the record and thought it was true until told otherwise.) Anyway, she was arrested, fingerprinted, booked, had a court hearing and the whole thing. Then we had high school kids come and watch it and give their view for the third part of the series.
Also, I heard that Theresa Freed has been moved up from Garden City, and is now working at KAKE in Wichita. Congrats to her!
Derek
Also, I heard that Theresa Freed has been moved up from Garden City, and is now working at KAKE in Wichita. Congrats to her!
Derek
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Meth Rules
What is this, the year of the meth reports? Kendra Buscho's in-depth report on meth users in Kansas aired May 14 on Kansas Week, a public affairs program broadcast statewide on Kansas Public Television. It originally aired on KUJH-TV News April 12. It featured interviews with a former meth user, a woman who lived next door to a meth lab, and several state law enforcement officials. It can be viewed on the Digital Jayhawk in KUJH in-Depth Reports. Kendra graduated this past Sunday.
This has nothing to do with sweeps, but I thought it was kinda interesting. As of Monday KSNT in Topeka has stopped all stock market reports in its newscasts. They said more people are interested in local news that will fill the time instead of national stocks, which can be viewed on cable outlets 24/7 (i.e. CNBC). Perhaps it will be back in the near future just like KSNT sports.
Jason Matisoff
This has nothing to do with sweeps, but I thought it was kinda interesting. As of Monday KSNT in Topeka has stopped all stock market reports in its newscasts. They said more people are interested in local news that will fill the time instead of national stocks, which can be viewed on cable outlets 24/7 (i.e. CNBC). Perhaps it will be back in the near future just like KSNT sports.
Jason Matisoff
Sweeps in Michigan
To answer Andrea's question (see below)...
I didn't do any sweeps pieces, but as a station, here's what we did. We had the continuing tradition of "Try Before You Buy" where our 5PM anchor makes an ass out of himself testing infomercial products...very entertaining at times, like when he starts fires or breaks the microwave by shorting it out. We also did a "Cold Case" series on unsolved local crime. We also did the obligitory meth piece. In ours, our youngest looking reporter went "undercover" to see how easy it was to buy all the products you need to make meth. It turns out it was very easy, and then we basically told all our viewers how to do it...like you couldn't find out on the internet. Oh, and we also did the obligatory sex offenders story where you follow the cops to see if registered sex offenders still live where they're supposed to. Let's see, there must be more...I'll have to think of them later.
Bieke
I didn't do any sweeps pieces, but as a station, here's what we did. We had the continuing tradition of "Try Before You Buy" where our 5PM anchor makes an ass out of himself testing infomercial products...very entertaining at times, like when he starts fires or breaks the microwave by shorting it out. We also did a "Cold Case" series on unsolved local crime. We also did the obligitory meth piece. In ours, our youngest looking reporter went "undercover" to see how easy it was to buy all the products you need to make meth. It turns out it was very easy, and then we basically told all our viewers how to do it...like you couldn't find out on the internet. Oh, and we also did the obligatory sex offenders story where you follow the cops to see if registered sex offenders still live where they're supposed to. Let's see, there must be more...I'll have to think of them later.
Bieke
Let's Start a Sweeps Discussion!
Now that the hell of sweeps is behind us..
What did everyone do for their sweeps pieces??
I'm already trying to figure out what I'm doing in July!
This month I did a piece on meth with a recovering drug addict.
Andrea
What did everyone do for their sweeps pieces??
I'm already trying to figure out what I'm doing in July!
This month I did a piece on meth with a recovering drug addict.
Andrea
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Cooper Kids
Hey,
Jeff Cooper passed along some photos of his now three (count 'em three) kids. Enjoy!
Jeff Cooper passed along some photos of his now three (count 'em three) kids. Enjoy!
Friday, May 07, 2004
Dick corrects English
Jeff,
You guys DID drive me crazy, but I've recovered. By the way, it's "...would have driven," not "would have drove."
Dick
You guys DID drive me crazy, but I've recovered. By the way, it's "...would have driven," not "would have drove."
Dick
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Cooper Checks In
What's up everyone? It's good to hear some of you are still alive, especially Dick Nelson. I thought Eric, Bieke and myself would have drove him crazy by the time we left KU. I miss KUJH. I miss the the all day event that was the KU Sportsdesk.
Jeff Cooper
Jeff Cooper
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Sources Tell Us...
Anonymous sources report that our favorite KUJH station manager (HA!) Gary Hawke has dyed his hair red. Now I don't know exactly what sort of mid-life crisis this is, but...wow!
Now this information is not confirmed but rest assured that KUJHalumni.com is working to bring you more on this story (our Magid consultants told us at work that people like that phrase).
Also, I talked with my old friend (and he is so old...it's amazing how much you age on a Mormon mission) Jeff Cooper this past week. Big news is that he and wife Becky have welcomed their third child into the world (another product of being Mormon, I suspect). So congratulations to them. I told him about this site so perhaps he will send some pictures so we all can partake in a collective "Awww" at the cuteness of said child.
Later,
Bieke
Now this information is not confirmed but rest assured that KUJHalumni.com is working to bring you more on this story (our Magid consultants told us at work that people like that phrase).
Also, I talked with my old friend (and he is so old...it's amazing how much you age on a Mormon mission) Jeff Cooper this past week. Big news is that he and wife Becky have welcomed their third child into the world (another product of being Mormon, I suspect). So congratulations to them. I told him about this site so perhaps he will send some pictures so we all can partake in a collective "Awww" at the cuteness of said child.
Later,
Bieke
The news of KSNT
With the departure of Kevin Pope last month, KSNT had been looking long and hard for a new news director. Well they found one and she started a couple days ago. Michelle Barlow definetely knows what she's doing and we all know great things will come from her! Also, Lance Vesser has been hired as sports director. He starts the end of May.
Feel free to e-mail me at my new address: jmatisoff@ksnt.com
-J
Feel free to e-mail me at my new address: jmatisoff@ksnt.com
-J
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Another iNews country heard from
The station I worked at over the summer in Dallas uses iNews. I liked it a lot partly because there is a feature that acts almost like an instant messaging program. I had quite some fun with that especially during a boring Saturday afternoon. As long as the person has a username in the system you can send them an IM and a "ding" notifies them that they have a message. If they're not logged on, not to worry, it will stay saved until the next time they are on. Anyway it's good program and everyone at the station liked it as well, for more reasons than mentioned above.
Jason Matisof
Editor's Note: Ah, I can see the potential of annoying your coworkers. I like this program already.
Jason Matisof
Editor's Note: Ah, I can see the potential of annoying your coworkers. I like this program already.
Monday, April 26, 2004
iNews answer
MB: I saw Avid iNews at NAB. It is pretty impressive. Seems to be catching on in a lot of newsrooms.
Dick
Dick
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Hey I got a question for all you TV techies out there. I want to put together a resume tape but don't really know where to start. Obviously I want to highlight my directing skills without boring the person looking at the tape by showing an entire newscast. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd really appreciate it! Either post it on here or send me an e-mail, jmat22@ku.edu
Thanks ya'll - Jason Matisoff
Thanks ya'll - Jason Matisoff
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Vegas, Baby
Anybody going to RTNDA/NAB? I will be there. I'm even moderating a panel on convergence (9 am Wednesday) and will do my best to act like I actually know something about it.
Dick Nelson
Dick Nelson
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Producers Take Note!
Hey fellow J-Hawks, greetings from sunny Florida. I have a job heads up. We're in desperate need of producers here at WINK TV in Fort Myers. We're looking for a 5 p.m. and an associate producer. The 5 p.m. is a great show, some local some national news. The AP job is mainly editing, but a great way to get your foot in the door. Pay isn't all that great, but you can't beat the location. If you'd like more information, send me an email at mkat19@yahoo.com. Our EP is also a KU grad and is dying to get another Jayhawk on staff. Hope everyone is doing well!
Molly Dallon
Molly Dallon
Avid Question
Hey,
Anybody using Avid Newscutter and/or Avid iNews in their newsroom? My station is thinking about getting it, and I just wanted some third party opinions that I could call my own.
Bieke
Anybody using Avid Newscutter and/or Avid iNews in their newsroom? My station is thinking about getting it, and I just wanted some third party opinions that I could call my own.
Bieke
Monday, April 12, 2004
Pope Update!!!
For all you fellow KSNTers, a final word on Kevin Pope. I ran into him this weekend here in lawrence. He didn't leave for another position, instead he's currently "in between jobs." So for all of you wondering about the Pontif, he's unemployed and wandering the streets of Lawrence. Hide the children and lock the doors!
Eric Boedeker
Eric Boedeker
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Heads Up
Sherwood passed this along. If you're worried about it, you might want to double check the website below.
Early on April 2, 2004, technical staff at the University of Kansas, Lawrence campus, discovered that a pharmacy server in Student Health Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center was targeted by an individual or individuals attempting to obtain unauthorized access. The University contacted the FBI and KU Public Safety about this computer crime and an investigation is underway. The affected server contained data from pharmacy operations between July 1,1994 and January 26, 2004. It is not clear which data, if any may have been accessed. The affected server is no longer in operation. Information in files contained on the affected server varied by patient. Files, if accessed, contained the following types of data:
Patient Demographic Information: KU ID number and/or Social Security number; name; address; phone; birth date; and other pertinent information such as drug allergies. Patient Medication information such as items dispensed, patient instructions, cost and prescriber's name and address. Insurance information provided to process claims such as name and insurance identification number.
The unauthorized access of this information could result in possible identity theft. We urge you to address this possibility by consulting the information on the following web site:
www.ku.edu/identity
Information on this website will be periodically updated. If you have remaining questions after reading this letter and reviewing the website, you may contact the University by emailing KUassists@ku.edu or by calling a toll free number 1-877-529-4295. Local callers may use 864-9147. The phone line will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. CDT.
We regret this situation and any difficulty it may cause you.
Carol Seager
Early on April 2, 2004, technical staff at the University of Kansas, Lawrence campus, discovered that a pharmacy server in Student Health Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center was targeted by an individual or individuals attempting to obtain unauthorized access. The University contacted the FBI and KU Public Safety about this computer crime and an investigation is underway. The affected server contained data from pharmacy operations between July 1,1994 and January 26, 2004. It is not clear which data, if any may have been accessed. The affected server is no longer in operation. Information in files contained on the affected server varied by patient. Files, if accessed, contained the following types of data:
Patient Demographic Information: KU ID number and/or Social Security number; name; address; phone; birth date; and other pertinent information such as drug allergies. Patient Medication information such as items dispensed, patient instructions, cost and prescriber's name and address. Insurance information provided to process claims such as name and insurance identification number.
The unauthorized access of this information could result in possible identity theft. We urge you to address this possibility by consulting the information on the following web site:
www.ku.edu/identity
Information on this website will be periodically updated. If you have remaining questions after reading this letter and reviewing the website, you may contact the University by emailing KUassists@ku.edu or by calling a toll free number 1-877-529-4295. Local callers may use 864-9147. The phone line will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. CDT.
We regret this situation and any difficulty it may cause you.
Carol Seager
Crushed Dove
So there's not really been much news from us lately. I'm sure we're all just at the grind at work. So I'll share a story from the LJ World today. It's Chuck Woodling's of a memorable day in his life a year ago. It was also very memorable for Doug and I, and the story, I think, captures everyone's recollections of a incredibly interesting day. Here ya go:
Wooding: Al Bohl's driveway: a year later
By Chuck Woodling, Sports Editor
Contemporary days of infamy usually start with Dec. 7, 1941, include Nov. 22, 1963 and conclude with Sept. 11, 2001.
I'll never forget April 8, 2003, either, although that date contained no catastrophic events.
Nevertheless, it was the most bizarre day in the history of Kansas University athletics.
At 3 p.m. on that day -- less than 48 hours after KU had played Syracuse in the NCAA men's basketball championship game in New Orleans -- Chancellor Robert Hemenway announced to a packed media session that athletic director Al Bohl was "leaving his position effective immediately."
In other words, Bohl had become the first Kansas University athletic director ever to be fired. Not that the handwriting wasn't on the wall. Bohl had clearly lost the confidence of coaches, athletic department administrators and boosters during his 20-month tenure.
Many thought Bohl should have been handed his walking papers earlier, and Hemenway admitted he delayed the firing so as not to distract from the Jayhawks' march through the NCAA Tournament.
Media attending Hemenway's announcement in Hadl Auditorium figured to receive a perfunctory written statement from Bohl handed out by the sports information office.
No way. Bohl wanted to give his side of the story in person. Since KU would not make a venue available, Bohl decided to do it in the driveway of his home on Wimbledon Drive adjacent to Alvamar Country Club.
And so, a handful of television satellite trucks and numerous media turned Bohl's residential street into a media mecca, no doubt startling Bohl's neighbors and passers-by.
At that stage, the atmosphere was uncommon at best, strange at worst. Then Bohl passed out copies of a statement he had generated on his home computer. Moments later, Bohl read the statement with TV cameras rolling and tape recorders whirring.
This was, for now and forever, to be known as the "Crushed Dove" speech.
Bohl accused KU basketball coach Roy Williams of hatred and vindictiveness, adding that Williams held Bohl in his hand like a dove.
"He had the choice," Bohl stated, "to either crush me with his power of influence, or let me fly with my visions for a better total program. He chose to crush me."
Ohmigoodness, I remember thinking at the time. Did I really hear what I just heard?
Anyone with any connection with the KU athletic department knew Williams was just one of many who had cast stones. Bohl's dismissal had not been a one-man show. It had been a team effort.
As proof, Williams bolted for North Carolina five days later, effectively ending speculation he would come back for a 16th season on Mount Oread if Bohl were discharged.
Had Williams stayed -- and to this day I believe he listened too much to his heart and not enough to his head -- I've often wondered how Williams would have interacted with Lew Perkins, the man who replaced Bohl. I can't envision there would be any conflicts, but it does appear Williams feels more comfortable working for men who hired him.
Williams worked amicably for 14 years under Bob Frederick, the Kansas AD who hired him in 1988, and now he's working for North Carolina AD Dick Baddour, the man who lured him -- with Dean Smith's help -- back to Tobacco Road.
What's done is done. Both Williams and Bohl are gone. Williams landed on his feet, but Bohl has dropped out of sight. He's living in St. Augustine, Fla., where his wife Sherry is teaching first grade in a public elementary school. I couldn't reach him because he and his wife are vacationing.
Anyway, it was a year ago this week that the face of Kansas University athletics began to change.
Bohl's polarization of KU athletics convinced Hemenway he needed to take a giant step to boost Kansas into major-player status in today's high-powered, cutthroat world of million-dollar bowl and television contracts.
In making Perkins the highest-paid university athletic director in the country ($400,000 salary, with an undisclosed annuity worth at least that much and probably more), Hemenway served notice he believes the only way to compete in contemporary NCAA Division One athletics is to spend money.
Whether the chancellor is right or wrong will be determined in the marketplace of athletic success or failure.
Wooding: Al Bohl's driveway: a year later
By Chuck Woodling, Sports Editor
Contemporary days of infamy usually start with Dec. 7, 1941, include Nov. 22, 1963 and conclude with Sept. 11, 2001.
I'll never forget April 8, 2003, either, although that date contained no catastrophic events.
Nevertheless, it was the most bizarre day in the history of Kansas University athletics.
At 3 p.m. on that day -- less than 48 hours after KU had played Syracuse in the NCAA men's basketball championship game in New Orleans -- Chancellor Robert Hemenway announced to a packed media session that athletic director Al Bohl was "leaving his position effective immediately."
In other words, Bohl had become the first Kansas University athletic director ever to be fired. Not that the handwriting wasn't on the wall. Bohl had clearly lost the confidence of coaches, athletic department administrators and boosters during his 20-month tenure.
Many thought Bohl should have been handed his walking papers earlier, and Hemenway admitted he delayed the firing so as not to distract from the Jayhawks' march through the NCAA Tournament.
Media attending Hemenway's announcement in Hadl Auditorium figured to receive a perfunctory written statement from Bohl handed out by the sports information office.
No way. Bohl wanted to give his side of the story in person. Since KU would not make a venue available, Bohl decided to do it in the driveway of his home on Wimbledon Drive adjacent to Alvamar Country Club.
And so, a handful of television satellite trucks and numerous media turned Bohl's residential street into a media mecca, no doubt startling Bohl's neighbors and passers-by.
At that stage, the atmosphere was uncommon at best, strange at worst. Then Bohl passed out copies of a statement he had generated on his home computer. Moments later, Bohl read the statement with TV cameras rolling and tape recorders whirring.
This was, for now and forever, to be known as the "Crushed Dove" speech.
Bohl accused KU basketball coach Roy Williams of hatred and vindictiveness, adding that Williams held Bohl in his hand like a dove.
"He had the choice," Bohl stated, "to either crush me with his power of influence, or let me fly with my visions for a better total program. He chose to crush me."
Ohmigoodness, I remember thinking at the time. Did I really hear what I just heard?
Anyone with any connection with the KU athletic department knew Williams was just one of many who had cast stones. Bohl's dismissal had not been a one-man show. It had been a team effort.
As proof, Williams bolted for North Carolina five days later, effectively ending speculation he would come back for a 16th season on Mount Oread if Bohl were discharged.
Had Williams stayed -- and to this day I believe he listened too much to his heart and not enough to his head -- I've often wondered how Williams would have interacted with Lew Perkins, the man who replaced Bohl. I can't envision there would be any conflicts, but it does appear Williams feels more comfortable working for men who hired him.
Williams worked amicably for 14 years under Bob Frederick, the Kansas AD who hired him in 1988, and now he's working for North Carolina AD Dick Baddour, the man who lured him -- with Dean Smith's help -- back to Tobacco Road.
What's done is done. Both Williams and Bohl are gone. Williams landed on his feet, but Bohl has dropped out of sight. He's living in St. Augustine, Fla., where his wife Sherry is teaching first grade in a public elementary school. I couldn't reach him because he and his wife are vacationing.
Anyway, it was a year ago this week that the face of Kansas University athletics began to change.
Bohl's polarization of KU athletics convinced Hemenway he needed to take a giant step to boost Kansas into major-player status in today's high-powered, cutthroat world of million-dollar bowl and television contracts.
In making Perkins the highest-paid university athletic director in the country ($400,000 salary, with an undisclosed annuity worth at least that much and probably more), Hemenway served notice he believes the only way to compete in contemporary NCAA Division One athletics is to spend money.
Whether the chancellor is right or wrong will be determined in the marketplace of athletic success or failure.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Oh...that assignment
For one of my classes I have to ask certain questions to someone in the field I want to go into...duh, journalism! If any reporters, anchors, producers, etc...have a few minutes for my questions please e-mail me back, jmat22@ku.edu.
I would greatly appreciate it(as would my GPA),
Jason Matisoff
I would greatly appreciate it(as would my GPA),
Jason Matisoff
Morals on KCTV Sex Sting
This is from last week's Broadcasting and Cable
Controversy Surrounds Sex-Predator Sting
Ethical debate over TV's role; men threaten lawsuits
By Steve McClellan -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/22/2004
Is it good journalism, or is it going too far? TV stations create chat rooms to lure men into believing they are arranging trysts with teenage girls. The sting operation has a laudable goal: exposing potential pedophiles. It also has some journalists worried about ethics. And at least one of the men nabbed on-camera is suing the station that aired the story.
Meredith Broadcasting's KCTV Kansas City, Mo., and several other stations ran February sweeps pieces working with Perverted-justice.com. The Portland, Ore.-based Web site exposes "wannabe pedophiles" by visiting chat rooms and posing as adolescents, enticing adults to make dates. The conversations are extremely explicit. Later, the Web site exposes the would-be offender by posting his name and phone number, which they manage to obtain during their chats.
KCTV and stations in Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and elsewhere joined with Perverted-justice.com to take the deception to the next level. Together, they secured a house where the adult visited, presumably to have sex with a minor. Instead, station cameras were there to tape them. KCTV's sting nabbed 16 alleged sex predators prowling the Internet, but it also resulted in three complaints of defamation and one lawsuit.
KCTV was apparently among the first stations to actually name names and show faces of alleged perpetrators lured to a house where, the station alleges, they expected to have sex with a 14-year-old girl. What the station didn't tell its viewers, says Miriam Rittmaster, attorney for one of the plaintiffs, is that her client terminated his online chat without having a clue where the teen's "house" was located. It was only after he received a phone call from a woman "who was clearly in her 30s or 40s" and expressed in graphic detail how she wanted to pleasure him that his "curiosity got the better of him," says Rittmaster.
The CBS Evening News With Dan Rather aired a clip of the Kansas City sting that focused on Rittmaster's client.
Brian Costello, a Kansas City attorney representing another plaintiff, says his client also received a phone call after an Internet chat that he claims lured him out. "This is 100% entrapment," he says, though his client has since dropped his lawsuit and left the area. "[The station] rode him out of town on a rail, acting as judge and jury," Costello charges.
"Even well-intended grassroots undercover investigators can create more harm than good," Michelle Collins, director of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, told the AP. Journalists have problems with it, too.
Former ABC News correspondent Robert Zelnick, chairman of the journalism department at the University of Boston, has "little sympathy for sexual predators." However, he adds, "if you're employing fraudulent techniques to lure people into embarrassing situations, that's crossed the line."
Brant Houston, executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a 5,000-member group of print and TV journalists nationwide, says deception is a "last resort" in developing news stories. Ideally, he says, investigative work by news organizations ought to come from within.
Most of the recent series—from Post-Newsweek's WDIV Detroit; Journal Broadcast's WTMJ Milwaukee, and Viacom's WCAU Philadelphia—relied on Perverted-justice.com to set up the chats and get the alleged perps to a pre-arranged site.
KCTV is steadfastly standing by its story. Station attorney Bernard Rhodes argues the plaintiffs are desperate to save their tattered reputations. "They said nothing about a call from an older woman when they were confronted at the house," he insists. "Their attorneys said nothing about a call" when they tried to get a stay to stop the story from running. "They knew exactly what they were doing," he says of the plaintiffs.
At WDIV Detroit, News Director Deborah Collura says no lawsuits have been filed by any of the 15 alleged predators she put on the air. As for the deception necessary to expose its targets, she says, "When you see those faces coming through the door and read the chats they had online, you don't give a second thought about going to air."
Controversy Surrounds Sex-Predator Sting
Ethical debate over TV's role; men threaten lawsuits
By Steve McClellan -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/22/2004
Is it good journalism, or is it going too far? TV stations create chat rooms to lure men into believing they are arranging trysts with teenage girls. The sting operation has a laudable goal: exposing potential pedophiles. It also has some journalists worried about ethics. And at least one of the men nabbed on-camera is suing the station that aired the story.
Meredith Broadcasting's KCTV Kansas City, Mo., and several other stations ran February sweeps pieces working with Perverted-justice.com. The Portland, Ore.-based Web site exposes "wannabe pedophiles" by visiting chat rooms and posing as adolescents, enticing adults to make dates. The conversations are extremely explicit. Later, the Web site exposes the would-be offender by posting his name and phone number, which they manage to obtain during their chats.
KCTV and stations in Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and elsewhere joined with Perverted-justice.com to take the deception to the next level. Together, they secured a house where the adult visited, presumably to have sex with a minor. Instead, station cameras were there to tape them. KCTV's sting nabbed 16 alleged sex predators prowling the Internet, but it also resulted in three complaints of defamation and one lawsuit.
KCTV was apparently among the first stations to actually name names and show faces of alleged perpetrators lured to a house where, the station alleges, they expected to have sex with a 14-year-old girl. What the station didn't tell its viewers, says Miriam Rittmaster, attorney for one of the plaintiffs, is that her client terminated his online chat without having a clue where the teen's "house" was located. It was only after he received a phone call from a woman "who was clearly in her 30s or 40s" and expressed in graphic detail how she wanted to pleasure him that his "curiosity got the better of him," says Rittmaster.
The CBS Evening News With Dan Rather aired a clip of the Kansas City sting that focused on Rittmaster's client.
Brian Costello, a Kansas City attorney representing another plaintiff, says his client also received a phone call after an Internet chat that he claims lured him out. "This is 100% entrapment," he says, though his client has since dropped his lawsuit and left the area. "[The station] rode him out of town on a rail, acting as judge and jury," Costello charges.
"Even well-intended grassroots undercover investigators can create more harm than good," Michelle Collins, director of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, told the AP. Journalists have problems with it, too.
Former ABC News correspondent Robert Zelnick, chairman of the journalism department at the University of Boston, has "little sympathy for sexual predators." However, he adds, "if you're employing fraudulent techniques to lure people into embarrassing situations, that's crossed the line."
Brant Houston, executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a 5,000-member group of print and TV journalists nationwide, says deception is a "last resort" in developing news stories. Ideally, he says, investigative work by news organizations ought to come from within.
Most of the recent series—from Post-Newsweek's WDIV Detroit; Journal Broadcast's WTMJ Milwaukee, and Viacom's WCAU Philadelphia—relied on Perverted-justice.com to set up the chats and get the alleged perps to a pre-arranged site.
KCTV is steadfastly standing by its story. Station attorney Bernard Rhodes argues the plaintiffs are desperate to save their tattered reputations. "They said nothing about a call from an older woman when they were confronted at the house," he insists. "Their attorneys said nothing about a call" when they tried to get a stay to stop the story from running. "They knew exactly what they were doing," he says of the plaintiffs.
At WDIV Detroit, News Director Deborah Collura says no lawsuits have been filed by any of the 15 alleged predators she put on the air. As for the deception necessary to expose its targets, she says, "When you see those faces coming through the door and read the chats they had online, you don't give a second thought about going to air."
Friday, March 26, 2004
Sad, sad day
Well, I changed the color of the page for the weekend to black. I do this because Doug and I are in mourning. Why? Because the greatest radio show ever went off the air today.
I don't want to speak for Doug (but I will anyway, he can post his own thoughts of you want) but The Tony Kornheiser Show on ESPN Radio was the smartest, most interesting, and funniest show on radio...hands down. If you never listened to it, which I'm sure most of you didn't, you truely missed one of the best talkers in media history. Mr. Tony will continue to be on TV, but it's just not the same.
So, the page will be black this weekend in memorium and return to it's happy upbeat colors next week.
Bieke
I don't want to speak for Doug (but I will anyway, he can post his own thoughts of you want) but The Tony Kornheiser Show on ESPN Radio was the smartest, most interesting, and funniest show on radio...hands down. If you never listened to it, which I'm sure most of you didn't, you truely missed one of the best talkers in media history. Mr. Tony will continue to be on TV, but it's just not the same.
So, the page will be black this weekend in memorium and return to it's happy upbeat colors next week.
Bieke
Sunday, March 21, 2004
This business...an analysis
I have no idea how many of you have read this stuff. It's linked off TV Jobs, but I had never looked at it until the other day.
What I'm talking about is Television and Radio News Research by Mizzou prof. Vernon Stone. It takes a very in-depth look at everything involved in the TV and radio news business through surveys of those in the business. You can link to the main page here.
Of, if you prefer, here's a list of the surveys I find most interesting.
Television Newspeople (who they are, where they are, what they do, etc.)
Television News Salaries
Single in Television News (relationship analysis)
Job Mobility in TV News
Now, I like statistics, and I think these are very telling statistics. What do others think?
Bieke
What I'm talking about is Television and Radio News Research by Mizzou prof. Vernon Stone. It takes a very in-depth look at everything involved in the TV and radio news business through surveys of those in the business. You can link to the main page here.
Of, if you prefer, here's a list of the surveys I find most interesting.
Television Newspeople (who they are, where they are, what they do, etc.)
Television News Salaries
Single in Television News (relationship analysis)
Job Mobility in TV News
Now, I like statistics, and I think these are very telling statistics. What do others think?
Bieke
Friday, March 19, 2004
Funny
Ok, so we at work think this is funny. I'll share.
It's captioned: How can you spot a city boy out in the country?
It's captioned: How can you spot a city boy out in the country?
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
News & Notes
- Apparently everyone's favorite husband and wife reporting combo is heading for Denver. KMBC's Jeremy Hubbard will reportedly anchor weekends, and report for FOX affiliate KDVR. KSHB's Taunia Hottman, however, will apparently become a new helicopter reporter for Gannett NBC affiliate KUSA. Not a bad jump, if true.
- WIBW-TV General manager Mike Delier resigned this past week.
- WIBW-TV General manager Mike Delier resigned this past week.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Pope Response
I can't imagine a news director leaving any job in the middle of sweeps even if it was for a bigger market. My sources say he was forced to resign, and I'm sticking by them. It was also indicated to me that the last book...November, not February, was bad for KSNT. That lends credibility to this hypothesis.
Bieke
Bieke
Pope Reaction
So the rumors of Pope's forced retirement are bogus? Who in STL did he con into hiring hiring him? Is Thiboldt finally going to step up and be ND, or are they bringing in someone new to KSNT?
Eric Boedeker
Eric Boedeker
Pope Update
Kevin Pope has left KSNT's News Director post to go to St. Louis.
From: Not tellin, hehe
From: Not tellin, hehe
Monday, March 08, 2004
KC Ratings
For those of you who may or may not be interested. The following appeared in the KC Star today with the included graphic.
The Feb. sweeps: KMBC wins again
by Aaron Barnhart
KCTV, Channel 5, had a huge early lead in the local February news sweeps thanks to its riveting investigation of online sex predators. In the end, however, KMBC, Channel 9, remained on top.
KMBC, Channel 9, once again won every newscast in every time period during the Nielsen ratings sweep that ended Wednesday. KSHB, Channel 41, continued to score impressive gains at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
It wasn’t any one thing that put KMBC back in first place in late news. As Channel 9 officials pointed out this week, the ABC affiliate just brought home the bacon night after night, regardless of how well (or poorly, in ABC’s case) the network was doing.
Channel 9’s average ratings ranged from 11.7 on Thursdays to 13.9 on Wednesdays, while Channel 5’s 10 o’clock news fluctuated from a 14.8 rating on Mondays — when it got a reliable lift from “CSI: Miami” — to 8.2 on Fridays.
Inconsistency cost KCTV its first chance in years to win the 10 p.m. news ratings race. Moreover, KCTV’s weekly averages were all over the map: up when Steve Chamraz’s reports on Internet perverts were airing, down when they weren’t. All three of its competitors, especially WDAF, Channel 4, had much steadier audiences week to week.
So what does this prove? That a heavily hyped news series can artificially pump up viewership during a ratings period? Yes. But KCTV’s rivals ignore another lesson at their peril: People do watch investigative reports.
Station managers know all too well that many viewers will watch whatever news is on. But they sought out Channel 5 when its investigation aired. For four nights, KCTV scored a rare feat: Its audience actually grew after the network signed off at 10 p.m. (KMBC improves on its network lead-in nearly every night.)
Chamraz spends four days in a house and KCTV gets four nights of great ratings. Not bad.
Now imagine what would happen if Kansas City had investigative teams doing real, substantial investigations all the time. KCTV wants to be the area’s leading I-team, but, frankly, there’s not much competition. KMBC staked out its reputation in beat reporting; WDAF and KSHB do consumer news.
Other cities the size of ours have TV stations that devote weeks and months to large investigations. The National Headliner Awards this week honored stations in Nashville and Indianapolis for such work.
KCTV may not dependably deliver the ratings that advertisers want. but it’s shown that it can turn heads. In a 300-channel world, that counts for something.
The Feb. sweeps: KMBC wins again
by Aaron Barnhart
KCTV, Channel 5, had a huge early lead in the local February news sweeps thanks to its riveting investigation of online sex predators. In the end, however, KMBC, Channel 9, remained on top.
KMBC, Channel 9, once again won every newscast in every time period during the Nielsen ratings sweep that ended Wednesday. KSHB, Channel 41, continued to score impressive gains at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
It wasn’t any one thing that put KMBC back in first place in late news. As Channel 9 officials pointed out this week, the ABC affiliate just brought home the bacon night after night, regardless of how well (or poorly, in ABC’s case) the network was doing.
Channel 9’s average ratings ranged from 11.7 on Thursdays to 13.9 on Wednesdays, while Channel 5’s 10 o’clock news fluctuated from a 14.8 rating on Mondays — when it got a reliable lift from “CSI: Miami” — to 8.2 on Fridays.
Inconsistency cost KCTV its first chance in years to win the 10 p.m. news ratings race. Moreover, KCTV’s weekly averages were all over the map: up when Steve Chamraz’s reports on Internet perverts were airing, down when they weren’t. All three of its competitors, especially WDAF, Channel 4, had much steadier audiences week to week.
So what does this prove? That a heavily hyped news series can artificially pump up viewership during a ratings period? Yes. But KCTV’s rivals ignore another lesson at their peril: People do watch investigative reports.
Station managers know all too well that many viewers will watch whatever news is on. But they sought out Channel 5 when its investigation aired. For four nights, KCTV scored a rare feat: Its audience actually grew after the network signed off at 10 p.m. (KMBC improves on its network lead-in nearly every night.)
Chamraz spends four days in a house and KCTV gets four nights of great ratings. Not bad.
Now imagine what would happen if Kansas City had investigative teams doing real, substantial investigations all the time. KCTV wants to be the area’s leading I-team, but, frankly, there’s not much competition. KMBC staked out its reputation in beat reporting; WDAF and KSHB do consumer news.
Other cities the size of ours have TV stations that devote weeks and months to large investigations. The National Headliner Awards this week honored stations in Nashville and Indianapolis for such work.
KCTV may not dependably deliver the ratings that advertisers want. but it’s shown that it can turn heads. In a 300-channel world, that counts for something.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Another New Look
I continue to play with the new look of this website. Please feel free to drop me a line and comment on such things or you can post them for all to see by clicking the Post New Message link above. I'm trying to make it as easy to read and navigate as possible. Of course, loading time is also a consideration.
Dick's newsletters are now back in the right column. There is also now an official archives section. It includes the postings from the old format. It also will begin to archive current postings by month. So in 6 months if you want to go back and read postings from March, they'll be easy to find.
That's it for me today,
Bieke
Dick's newsletters are now back in the right column. There is also now an official archives section. It includes the postings from the old format. It also will begin to archive current postings by month. So in 6 months if you want to go back and read postings from March, they'll be easy to find.
That's it for me today,
Bieke
Friday, March 05, 2004
Old Postings Return
How very exciting...the old postings that were lost in the great blog failure of 2004 have been recovered. If you missed anything on this site in the last six months or so, you can read the old postings by going to the archives section at the right of the page and clicking the link. Or, you can just click this link to the old postings.
Also, congrats to Sherwood on being award winning. She also pointed out that the link to post a new message was missing from the top of the page. It's back now. Post early and often.
Have a good weekend,
Bieke
Also, congrats to Sherwood on being award winning. She also pointed out that the link to post a new message was missing from the top of the page. It's back now. Post early and often.
Have a good weekend,
Bieke
Thursday, March 04, 2004
She's award winning
I've been trying to get a hold of you. I finally put my bio on the web. I thought that was exciting. Also, another yea for me...a story I wrote won first place for general news in this NPPA quarterly contest. I was excited. We beat out Kansas City and St Louis and it's for general news...sort of a tough category. Anyway, better go for now...Hope you're doing well. How was national single awarness day for you?
Michelle
Michelle
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Castro is not dead.
This came from CBS Newspath a few days ago as an urgent message. I laughed...a lot.
NN-MANDATORY-KILL-GRAPHICS
URGENT
The Evening News Graphics which fed on the Newspath feed at 22:13:07 ET
mistakenly included an obit graphic for Fidel Castro. Do not use this
graphic. Castro is not dead.
Newspath NY
NN-MANDATORY-KILL-GRAPHICS
URGENT
The Evening News Graphics which fed on the Newspath feed at 22:13:07 ET
mistakenly included an obit graphic for Fidel Castro. Do not use this
graphic. Castro is not dead.
Newspath NY
Sunday, February 29, 2004
New Alumni Jobs
So in case you haven't heard, two KUJH'ers recently changed jobs. Both Melissa Freeman and Liz Pepperdine are now producing their little hearts out at Fox 4 in Kansas City. Yeah for them.
On a side note, I think I've finally fixed all the problems with re-do blog. Hopefully it works as well as the old one. If anybody has any problems with it, please e-mail me.
On a side note, I think I've finally fixed all the problems with re-do blog. Hopefully it works as well as the old one. If anybody has any problems with it, please e-mail me.
Saturday, February 28, 2004
More KSNT News
According to some sources at KUJH, Pope was "forced to retire." But then again there have been a lot of rumors circling around about this, so this could just be another.
Jason Matisoff
Editor's Note: Ha, ha...retire at 35 or whatever young age he's at. That means he's been fired from his last TWO jobs.
Jason Matisoff
Editor's Note: Ha, ha...retire at 35 or whatever young age he's at. That means he's been fired from his last TWO jobs.
Site Update #2
First off, another thing about the new weblog, we seem to have lost all the old postings in the great blog failure of 2004. I'm still trying to recover them but right now to no avail...so let's have a lot of new postings to make up for it.
The news out of my former employers, KSNT, is interesting. They have fired news director Kevin Pope, interestingly, right in the middle of sweeps. Actually, I think technically he "resigned," but we all know what that means. The same day they posted the news director job on TV Jobs, they also posted a sports director job. So I guess that means the "no sports" experiment is over. Ha!
Bieke
The news out of my former employers, KSNT, is interesting. They have fired news director Kevin Pope, interestingly, right in the middle of sweeps. Actually, I think technically he "resigned," but we all know what that means. The same day they posted the news director job on TV Jobs, they also posted a sports director job. So I guess that means the "no sports" experiment is over. Ha!
Bieke
Friday, February 27, 2004
Site Update #1
So I guess the old way of doing things is gone forever. Yes, sadly, the site I used to maintain the blog is busted indefinately, so we'll try this new site. It looks a little different, but it should work the same way. The links to the Alumni Newsletter will now be below the postings instead of side-by-side. Everything else should be the same.
I will be back tomorrow with actual news!!!!
I will be back tomorrow with actual news!!!!
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