BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism

Subject: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 07:02 PM

Great moments in TV journalism:
One: Bird infestation – He should have seen that coming.
Two: An anchor and a reporter disclose their hostilities.
Three: A sports anchor has an onscreen meltdown.

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 08:04 PM

Well, that last one is what they get for hiring babies. Sheesh! My Rog's station had some of them, first job outta school and they can't even read. It's just sad. Some of the get better, though. Sometimes it is the teleprompter not working right, just to be fair.

The bird guy wasn't not thinking and I loved hearing the two veterans have at each other, though I would wonder if they still had their jobs after!

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: Bee
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 08:32 PM

Poor guy! Maybe it was just first timer nerves.

I recall a local TV station getting a new weatherman, good looking young guy who actually was a meteorologist as opposed to a weather-reader. It was sadistically entertaining to watch him the first few weeks. He dropped his clickers, got tangled in cables, his maps didn't work (not his fault), his mic fell off, and he lost track of where he was five times a forecast. He made it though, and is a well known and popular weatherman.

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: Rapparee
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 09:00 PM

The last guy has my sympathy -- it looks like mike fright, opening night jitters, and a malfunctioning teleprompter. The guys in the other clips deserve whatever they got.

I saw a newbie weatherman on a Cleveland station years back. Made some spectacular goofs, as I remember. Name of Al Roker....

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 03:32 AM

How are those "great"? The on-screen demolition of Emil Savundra by Frost - that was great.

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 02:10 PM

It isn't only Americans who sometimes have problems recognising irony ...

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 04:32 PM

My guess is that #3 was a classroom and not a broadcast operation.   While they hire young at local stations, the anchors and sportscaster seem unusually young and green. I cannot fathom ANY station hiring someone who be that unprepared to handle an emergency. I also doubt that any director would allow the segment to go on like that for four minutes without wrapping early and going to break or something else.   It had the appearances of someone being given practice and coaching.

#2 is priceless!!!!   I have witnessed similar events, but NEVER on camera like that.   Both should have been fired on the spot!

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 05:33 PM

This goes back a long time---Frank Field was the weatherman on NBC in NYC and, it seems, that day one of the local papers questioned his meteorological background (saying he was an Optometrist --or something like that). He felt he had to tell the audience how he was insulted and threw such a fit that they escorted him--red faced and all--off the set.

The other thing was fairly benign---Al Roker (also doing weather at NBC) had his lens pop out of his glasses and he got quite upset and blustered a bit but at least that was a bit humorous.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Mar 08 - 01:44 PM

I looked for more information about videos 2 and 3:

2. The station is WNYW, the Fox affiliate in New York. The program "Good Day New York" runs from 7-9 a.m. weekdays. The current male co-anchor is Ron Corning (his partner is female) who does NOT look like the guy in the video. I can't locate the reporter, either, in their current lineup. Maybe they were both fired.

3. ESPN has a story about Brian Collins, the inexperienced sportscaster. While it wasn't a classroom training exercise, it was on a university campus TV station, which I suppose is only one step above that. He was an unpaid volunteer, a last-minute substitute for someone who didn't show, and he did have TelePrompTer problems.

Subject: RE: BS: Great Moments in TV Journalism
From: Riginslinger
Date: 08 Mar 08 - 01:55 PM

I can remember an overly anxious tv reporter announcing to the public--many years ago, as the president was coming down the gang plank from an airplane--that, "President Eisenhower is being greeted by a twenty-one son galoot."