A critical look at the Wichita TV news

Thursday, September 20, 2007

No News = Crimestoppers?

I guess as far as news goes, Wednesday must have been a slow news day. KAKE leads with a story about Crimestoppers and how they are catching bad guys. I guess they have had some luck lately on some high profile cases, but I still am wondering, what the news is on that. Isn't the purpose of Crimestoppers to catch bad guys? In the actual story, the details of cases getting solved and guys arrested was buried. If those facts were at the top of the story than this non-story could have been more of a story. Even for those who argue it is news, is it worth leading the newscast? #2 it appears it was more of a PR stint for KAKE. I am generally not a fan of showing clips of your own newscast in a story. There will be exceptions, but this was a case of the story being less about news and more about PR. Although KAKE loves to push crime stories I seem to remember they hadn't always done Crimestoppers. I seem to remember we used to get to see those fine looking mug shots on KSN of the Most Wanted or as I liked to call them "Thug of the Day." Come to think of it, I don't see those anymore on KSN so maybe KAKE has picked up Crimestoppers now and are trying to let people know they are responsible for catching bad guys by airing Crimestoppers. I think that should be more a job of their promotions machine and rather than a lead news story. -Hal

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

On a day when each station chose three different leads, you decide to single out KAKE? At least their story was immediately relevant with the perp facing a preliminary hearing today. KSN's story, whild honorable, was not worth the lead and KWCH thought so much of their top story it's not even on their website.

What would have been your lead?

WichitaMedia said...

My chief complaint of your newscast last night (I would guess you are a KAKE employee), would be how you had to gush praise on yourselves by having a clip from your newscast in the piece. Like I said in the blog, the credibility of story when you show a clip of your own product in it (when it is the lead) goes down in my opinion. I agree KSN's story would have fit better as 2nd segment story and should have been even promoted. Once again one of KSN's chief problems is promotions. When they do good stories they just don't promote them so often noone sees them, yet while its a good project, will hear about the breast cancer walk until we are pink in the face. KWCH's story, I cannot remember now what the lead even was now, shows it might have not been a memorable lead either. On a slow news day maybe it comes to how you execute to make it look like you have a leadable story. And I think the KAKE lead was a product of the KAKE promotions department, rather than from news. -Hal

Anonymous said...

KSN's story was promoting their own breast cancer awareness event. It wasn't news, IT WAS PROMOTION.

In fact, 12's story on the violent death of a Kansas man in Texas was actually news which neither KSN nor KAKE had.

I also have to say that I thought 12's earlier story about the City Council giving themselves money for their own retirement very interesting and a bit shocking. They cornered a bunch of councilmen who either didn't know what they were voting for or were covering their tracks.

Anonymous said...

You just vindicated KAKE's story with that comment.

Anonymous said...

Don't make assumptions...nothing in my post indicates that I'm a KAKE employee.

Anonymous said...

Hal,

You haven't talked about the web in awhile but what are your thoughts.

It seems to me that KWCH is doing things unique to the web, ex: the 8 Wonders series which for someone new to the state is kinda cool, the web exclusives and their sports site. KAKE has a high school prep site as well.

Any thoughts.