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.

The Race to be First: Social Media's Slippery News Slope

There are lessons we all can learn from the handling of information concerning the death of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.  Coach Paterno died on Sunday morning following a two-month battle with lung cancer.  Unfortunately, several news organizations prematurely reported Paterno's passing on Saturday night based, ultimately, on unconfirmed information first posted by a student media website on the Penn State campus.

Onward State claimed it had multiple sources who confirmed Coach Paterno's death and posted the news online around 8:45 pm Saturday.  CBS Sports gave the story viral life by posting a Paterno obituary on its website, seemingly based on information from the Onward State post.

Many organizations and individuals followed suit, tweeting and re-tweeting links to the CBS story on Twitter and posting on Facebook.  (I'm guilty of both.)  Here in Columbia, the mis-information found its way into coverage of the GOP primary as news anchors paused to announce the "breaking news" that Joe Paterno had died.  In all cases, ti would seem that everyone trusted (assumed) that CBS had vetted the information and that it was accurate.  We learned how wrong that we were when Paterno's sons took to Twitter to let everyone know the rumors of their father's death were premature.

NABJ Seeks Entries for 2012 'Salute to Excellence' Awards

College Park, MD -- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is now accepting entries for the 2012 Salute to Excellence Awards competition.  The NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards recognize exemplary coverage of people or issues in the African/African American Diaspora.

The competition is open to all professional journalists in print, broadcast, new media or photojournalism nationwide.

Only work originally published or broadcast during the judging period of January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011 is eligible for consideration. The deadline to submit entries is January 9, 2012.

Entries will be disqualified if they fail to follow the rules and eligibility requirements of their designated category.

Award winners will be announced at the 2012 NABJ Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans, Louisiana.

NABJ to Honor News Director and Diversity Champion Michael Fields with Ida B. Wells Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 23, 2011) -- The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced today that Michael Fields, news director of WABE 90.1 FM in Atlanta, will receive the prestigious Ida B. Wells Award. The annual honor is given to a media executive or manager who has made outstanding efforts to make newsrooms and news coverage more accurately reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

Michael Fields

Fields will be honored on January 26, 2012, at NABJ's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, D. C.

Fields is being recognized for his efforts which have resulted in excellent WABE news coverage and a more accurate reflection of the diverse communities that public broadcasting station in Atlanta serves. The award is a joint offering from NABJ with the National Conference of Editorial Writers. Previous recipients include: Steve Capus of NBC News; Reggie Stuart of Knight Ridder; Paula Madison of NBC Universal; and Walterene Swanston of NPR.

Tre' Tailor to appear on WIS News 10's "Awareness"

Media personality and TWG client Tre' Tailor will appear on this Sunday's edition of Awareness on WIS-TV in Columbia, SC.  Tailor, a former host of the program, was invited to sit with Columbia attorney and former state lawmaker I.S. Leevy Johnson to discuss this week's "Hot Topics" with host Chelsea Washington.  Among the subjects covered are the GOP presidential race, the recent sexual abuse scandals at Penn State and Syracuse universities, and the controversy over voter identification laws.

Columbia News Ratings Roundup: February 2011

The Nielsen television ratings are in for the February 2010 survey period in the Columbia market. Here's a quick breakdown of the local news races:  (Rating/Share)

CNN's New Odd Couple

Kathleen Parker and Eliot Spitzer

Photo Credit: Art Streiber/CNN

Have you checked out CNN's new prime time offering, "Parker-Spitzer?"  The program wrapped up its first week on Friday night and already, some question how long the show will last.

For those of you who don't know, "Parker" is Kathleen Parker, the conservative Washington Post columnist; "Spitzer" is Eliot Spitzer, the liberal disgraced former governor of New York.

I watched half of the debut show last Monday, and was less than impressed.  Not so much because I think they don't have personalities-- they do.  But, they didn't appear to have mastery the TelePrompter, their crosstalk was often awkward and I didn't like the small table they sit at, almost on top of each other.  I also wasn't very interested in what they were discussing. Here are the "Opening Arguments" from Monday's show.

THE SCOOP: WOLO to welcome new co-anchor next week

When ABC Columbia viewers tune in for Monday night's newscasts, they will be greeted by a new face.  Chime In has learned that Eric Weisfeld is the new co-anchor at WOLO-TV replacing Daniel Seamans.  Weisfeld will join Alicia Barnes on the 6pm and 11pm newscasts.

Anchor/Reporter
Eric Weisfeld

According to a resume, posted on the Collective Talent website, Weisfeld is an award-winning anchor and reporter with 16 years of experience.  He last worked at WBBH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Fort Myers, Florida, where he was the morning anchor from 2007-2009.  Weisfeld has also worked at television stations in Indianapolis, IN; Raleigh, NC; Evansville, IN; and Hopkinsville, KY.

Here is a sample of what viewers can expect.

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.

TWG client and former Columbia reporter Jerrita Patterson back in the mix

Photo Credit: Jerrita Patterson/Facebook

Congratulations to reporter Jerrita Patterson on her move to Huntsville, Alabama!  "When one door closes, another door opens," said Patterson of her new opportunity.  She joined the WHNT News 19 team on September 27, 2010 after spending two years at WACH FOX News in Columbia, South Carolina.

Distracted Driving on the Job

Photo: Ed Brown

I received a Tweet this afternoon from Consumer Reports about the 2010 Distracted Driving Summit taking place in Washington D.C. involving government leaders, industry executives and safety experts.  Their goal, according to Consumer Reports, is to develop policies designed to limit dangerous distractions.

I don't think anyone would disagree that distracted driving is not just dangerous, it's deadly.  The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that distracted driving resulted in more than 5,400 deaths and 448,000 injuries.  If that's not the slap in the face we all need to put the cell phones, PDAs, mascara brushes and hair combs away while rolling down while rushing off to work, school or wherever, I don't know what it will take.  And, I say that knowing-- full well-- that I am guilty of doing everything from trying to pull something out of the rear console or eating, to talking on the phone or texting all while driving.  I know, I know--- STUPID!  I need to sign that pledge Oprah promotes.