COMMENTARY: A Sad State of Affairs in TV News

WACH news anchors Darryl Hood

and Bree Boyce.

Photo: Free-Times.com

Just because "The Camera Loves Her” doesn’t mean Bree Boyce is qualified to anchor a newscast.  This article in the Free Times (Columbia, SC) written by Otis Taylor, whose work I have enjoyed and respected for many years— seems to take the glossy approach to a ludicrous hire that makes me wonder if television news has come full circle when it comes to hiring some people, particularly women, for frontline anchor positions.  It seems to feed the notion that it's okay for a main co-anchor of a newscast to have no other credentials but a pretty face, a pageant title and the fact that she lost a life changing 100 pounds.  I was astounded when I first heard of this move by WACH-TV, my former employer, and I remain astounded to this day.

My frustration is not rooted in anything personal against Ms. Boyce.  I have never met her. My frustration is rooted in the poor messages this hire sends to the community and to all of the aspiring young broadcast journalists spending tens of thousands of dollars of their money, their parents' money, scholarship dollars and grants to get formal training for a career that apparently requires only a certain level of celebrity and beauty to obtain.  Students, forget about all that crap your college professors and other professionals who visited your classes told you about "paying your dues" or "having to cut your teeth in Podunkville, USA" before you get the chance to anchor a newscast in a place like Columbia, or better.  Don’t worry about learning the craft or gaining experience.  Just go out and do something that garners you major attention because those are the people television station general managers favor for anchor slots— one of the most high profile and significantly important jobs in the newsroom-- over formally trained and experienced journalists.

Artist Joseph L. Woolfolk opens special exhibit in Las Vegas gallery

LAS VEGAS, NV— Joseph L. Woolfolk is the featured artist for January in the Members Gallery at the Contemporary Arts Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Woolfolk’s exhibit, Poster Power, opened to rave reviews on Thursday, January 3. 

"Ski Yucca"
© Design Noir
All Rights Reserved

Poster Power features 16 original graphic designs in the style of mid-20th century posters that bring to light hypocrisies of modern life and consumerism.  “I attempt to express the underlying messages we receive in modern communication and practices that we ignore, fail to acknowledge or question,” said Woolfolk. 

Woolfolk’s original “posters” are actually produced on glass using designs carefully cut from contact paper, then painted on the glass using lacquer.
  

"Detroit City"

© Design Noir

All Rights Reserved

Among his most popular images is a poster called “Ski Yucca” which depicts someone skiing down Yucca Mountain wearing a protective radiation suit and a gas mask.  Yucca Mountain is approximately 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, in the Nevada Test Site, and was to be the site of the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository before the U.S. government scrapped that plan in 2010.  Another image on display is “Detroit City: Rouge River Coastline” which depicts a skyline of smokestacks billowing toxic factory exhaust.

David Hardy, a writer for the Arts Vegas website, calls Poster Power "easily my favorite exhibition at the CAC in some time" and he recommends it as a “must see.”  The showing runs through January 27, 2013.  For more information, visit www.lasvegascac.org.

Woolfolk also has launched a campaign through the Kickstarter website to generate funding to support the production of limited edition prints of his posters.  Backers choose their level of support and can receive up to four signed posters.  For more information, click here.

###

About the Artist:  Joseph L. Woolfolk is a native of Detroit, Michigan.  He is a graduate of Detroit Catholic Central High School (1986) and the College of Southern Nevada (2006) with an Associate's Degree in Fine Arts (High Honors).

Statement by President/CEO Mike Woolfolk on the Death of Ted Holtzclaw

Ted Holtzclaw
Photo by: Marc Willis

I am deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing this morning of Ted Holtzclaw.  Ted was a dedicated broadcast news manager and strong supporter of the National Association of Black Journalists Multi-Media Short Course at North Carolina A&T State University for many years.

Ted was a fabulous mentor, not only to those interested in video journalism and other news operations support staff positions, but to anyone seeking his advice, training and help.  When I served as NABJ Vice President-Broadcast with oversight of the A&T Short Course, I greatly valued Ted's assistance and participation which continued through the most recent program held this past March.  He made a lasting impression on the careers of many young and veteran journalists, alike.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and pray that God will grant them strength during their time of bereavement and beyond.

###

Ted Holtzclaw was the News Operations Manager at WABC-TV in New York City.  Prior to joining WABC, Holtzclaw worked at WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durahm, North Carolina.  He died suddenly on Monday, August 13, 2012.

Farewell to a Family Friend

James B. Fritz
1927-2012

The Woolfolk Group was saddened to learn of the death of Mr. James B. "Jimmy" Fritz of Southfield, Michigan on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.  Mr. Fritz was a retired funeral director and long time friend of TWG President and CEO Mike Woolfolk's family.

Fritz was born in 1927 in Washington, Pennsylvania and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was six months old.  Except for a tour of duty in the U.S. Army after World War II, Fritz worked in the funeral business founded by his father in 1937.

"Mr. Fritz was good friend to my father and I got to know him and his daughter, Christina, when Dad called upon the Fritz Funeral Home to handle my grandparents' final arrangements," said Woolfolk.  "I'll always remember Mr. Fritz for his kind, warm and caring demeanor as he helped us all deal with our grief.  Years later, he helped us with arrangements for my mother's father."

All-Male Reading Blitz at Carver-Lyon Elementary School

Mike Woolfolk speaks to Ms. Squirewell's fifth-grade class at
Carver-Lyon Elementary School in Columbia.

TWG President and CEO Mike Woolfolk was among several local civic and business leaders to participate in the All-Male Reading Blitz at Carver-Lyon Elementary School in Columbia.  The goal of the event was to impress upon students the importance that reading plays in their lives.

"This was a great chance to spend time with young students at a very impressionable point in their lives," Woolfolk said. "Reading is so important to their overall success."

Woolfolk visited Jessica Squirewell's fifth grade class where he read the book "You Can Do It" by Tony Dungy, the former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.  Dungy coached the Colts to victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

In the book, Tony's little brother, Linden, is a third grader who is having a bad day at school.  Linden is the youngest of the Dungy family and the least motivated because he hasn't found "it." In a family where everyone seems to have found their special talent, all Linden knows is that he wants to make people happy.

With encouragement from his parents, a helping hand from his older brother Tony, and inspiration from God, Linden learns that if he dreams big and has faith, he can do anything!

Constant changes cause some Columbia viewers to question stability of local news operations

When I posted Otis Taylor's breaking news message about the latest front-line talent change at a Columbia television station, one of my Facebook "friends" commented, "ouch, not very stable lately…"  That's not a good commentary coming from a viewer and television stations should take note.

While those of us who have made our livings in television news would like to think we are irreplaceable, it just isn't true.  Change is often difficult, scary and sometimes unnecessary.  Despite those things, change is almost always inevitable.  Change can be tough to accept, for everyone involved, but eventually things stabilize again.