Kudos for the most part to the posts from Wednesday. Sure there were a few bad apples, but there were some good thought provoking pieces. Recently some have written that this blog has become nothing more than a forum for people to rip other stations and then employees from those stations to respond in an even angrier tone. In some cases it has become that and that's not exactly what I intended the blog to be. Many think the cure would be not allowing anonymous comments to the blog. Many blogs run things that way. However, to get a user name to post comments you basically can assume any identity you want and make up a user name, so in someways it is just like being anonymous with that extra step. I'd like for those who do post thought provoking things to not have to go through that extra step of registering. However, I will give that some thought.
In the first post over a year ago I wrote about the blog, "I hope in the days to come we can get an interesting conversation started about Wichita TV news." 165 posts later that conversation has at times been marred by some pointed attacks at people and stations. Believe it or not, I probably delete 2 out of every 10 comments. Some say that's not enough, others may say its too many. Anon 3:02 from the last post wrote:
If the host of this blog truly cared about journalism and an educated discussion, he would lead it that way by his posts, and more importantly, by controlling responses... and not allowing the haters and bitter people to turn this into a gripe-fest.Too bad. The concept is good. The execution is poor.
I agree to a point, but the term "controlling responses" is a tough thing to battle, because at times, I, myself have been criticized for being too pointed at a station or a personality in my own blog entries. And as I have written before, like it or not, these reporters are in the public eye. They may not be elected to an office, but they still chose to be in front of a camera or work in a very public industry so they must be able to take some criticism, however I will agree it cannot be personal or downright rude and cruel. So in conclusion I will give this topic more thought and see if there is a solution to finding a balance of giving my opinions and still allowing you all a forum to agree and disagree with mine or raise new concerns in the comment section. -Hal
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26 comments:
Good post, Hal. It's time to take this blog to a new level. One where TV journalists unite behind the medium that supports their lives, and not one that seeks to divide the increasingly small pie we try to carve up on a daily basis.
Honestly,
This blog really doesn't serve a useful purpose.
It is at best divisive, and it has been consistently a flame war since its inception.
What purpose does that serve?
From my perspective, All three of the stations have their respective strengths.
All three have weaknesses.
It take a strong person to realize that about the place that employs them.
Those who are blind to that are obviously not paying attention.
Moreover, I tend to think that the folks that crow the loudest, must feel terribly insecure about themselves, or their lot in life.
Plus, the only constant in this world is change. Nothing last forever... audiences change, stations change. To assume differently demonstrates a monumental amount of naivete.
One day, a place that is the "best" -- might become the worst. And then I pity those who aren't prepared for the consequences that reality may very well bring.
If your nature is to be competitive.. that's fine.
But really, the classiest people in this business never try to belittle their peers.
Its true...very small people try to make themselves bigger by tearing others down. Frankly, that's a pathetic way to live your life.
I have friends at the other two stations. I offer kudos to them when I see something that stands out.
Then I become inspired to make my work better. And in the long run, that benefits me, my employer, and my family.
Perhaps the folks that endlessly to put down the competition, should really look in the mirror and focus more on becoming better human beings.
To Anon 7:36pm:
Amen.
We should be helping each other, not tearing each other down.
Was I the only one on here who saw KAKE's MAJOR blunder during their 5:00 show on Thursday evening? The anchor was talking about something then the whole screen went to green. We saw the anchors briefly before the screen went back to green but this time with a graphic over it. It seems as if gremlins have invaded KAKE as errors seem to happen more & more frequently with them.
Nothing more needs to be said than anonymous 7:36 p.m. Either the blog becomes more constructive and positive, or Hal should pull it.
The blog DOES serve a useful purpose, offering critiques of daily coverage and analysis of the inner-workings of each station.
Its not the santized BS that comes from Station Management -spoon fed to the working grunts through the Department Heads.
Anon 7:36 represents the good ole boys who for 20 years have simply assumed given roles for each station: KWCH number one, KAKE alternating between pretty pictures and hyped news scripts, and KSN hoping to make noise every time there's a natural disaster.
Some folks here refuse to accept the status quo, and the "natural order".
Other than 1 or 2 posters, most of the negative stuff here has been mild. If some one's proud of the work they're doing and feel they wipped the competition--more power to them.
As a famous neighbor to our East once said "if you can't stand the heat--get out of the kitchen". Thats true in Kansas, too. Or at least, it SHOULD be.
Sorry no. Some of the posts on here have been down right mean and unprofessional. In fact, most of those posts have come from Hal himself who now wants to be open and transparent. He's yet to tell us who he is, where he works, what gives him the authority to judge what we do. His comments about certain people in this market have been way below the belt so this "cleaning up the discourse" spin is just that, BS.
BTW - when you work someplace, your competition is the enemy. The only way to survive is to work harder, do what you can and yes take down the other guy by any means possible.
Anon 1:36p
By "critique" do you mean throwing in your two cents about which you know nothing.
Case in point -- I'm Anon 7:36p, and I don't represent the good ole boy network with preconceived notions about the stations in this market.
I come from a new generation of broadcasters.
So, already you've made an assumption that is incorrect.
As I said, All three stations have challenges facing them right now.
I won't bore you with the details, but I believe you'd dispute the facts I have to offer about your station.
Do I accept the status quo? No, I understand it.. but work as hard as I can to help my bosses change that.
As far as crowing about achievements -- tell it to a mirror.. you're likely to get a better response from it, than people here.
So crack open a cold one, and feel good that you put me in my place.
You haven't changed my mind about anything.. or the "value" of all the BS here.
See you on TV.
Freedom of the press belongs to whoever owns the press. As long as this is Hal's blog, Hal gets to post what he or she wants to post and gets to control what comments get posted.
Unless reading and posting to this blog is part of your employment contract or part of your probation, shut up and go take a staycation.
In the past I especially didn't like KAKE when they were the "fear" station (e.g. watch at ten for news that could save your life). If they could save my life, why in the name of all things decent wouldn't they tell me at six? What if I didn't make it to the ten o'clock show?
So I didn't watch KAKE.
In the spirit of good ol' American competition, if you can improve on what Hal does, then start your own blog.
Personally, I'd rather read the inter-station sniping than read the sniveling whiners.
Someone said Hal has yet to tell us "what gives him the authority to judge what we do."
I'll tell you where he gets his authority-- US! We come to this blog, we read it and we post in it. This isn't anything more than a "blogspot" address that anyone could start tomorrow. Don't like this blog or the fact that Hal's anonymous? Go do your own. But the fact is, the Wichita broadcast media folks and their appetite for making anonymous comments about each other's work is what drives this site, not Hal.
I'm not taking any credit for achievements. But if others want to --thats fine by me.
TV, by its very nature, is open to critique, even inviting critique.
Its the most public of public institutions. Success is judged by popularity. People vote every night with their remotes. Its the ultimate DEMO-cracy, its not a MERIT-ocracy.
Stations yell and scream about their "merits" each week through on-air promotions among other means. Some of the stuff is very deceitful. But I guess thats OK?
I suppose in your naive world they should cease bragging and cease promotion and let the quality of their work stand for itself? Wouldn't that be the classier thing to do? Probably.
You're paid by how many people WATCH--period. Hey, I don't like the rules either--but they're the rules.
You want everyone here to just shut up and do their work and let the suits do the bragging and the analysis.
Welcome to Democracy. I know, sometimes its not pretty.
Lighten up, and let the working stiffs speak out. They've had their benefits and pay cut while being asked to do more.
Let 'em vent. Give Democracy a shot. Freedom of Speech is pretty cool.
I find it highly ironic that some of the "journalists" in the Wichita market have the audacity to come on here and tell you how to run YOUR blog. WTF??? Are they not the same nazi jerks who stuff microphones in the faces of victims so they can get the winning sound bite of the day? (That was rhetorical by the way)
It is called freedom of speech! To have the nerve to make a statement like "Either the blog becomes more constructive and positive, or Hal should pull it." give me a break....get over yourself. Tell you what either you develop thicker skin or you should find another line of work. How is that for constructive criticism?(That was rhetorical as well....notice a trend here?)
Or the comment about this blog serves "no useful purpose"....yes it does actually it is called entertainment. Reality TV serves no useful purpose, Staycation stories serve no useful purpose, the Explainers on KSN serve no useful purpose, Herndon's "Good Question" serves no useful purpose, anythng out of Bruce Heartl's mouth serves NO useful purpose.....EXCEPT it is ALL entertainment in one form or another. And that my friends is what TV, and by proxy this blog, are ALL about.
Like I have said in the past this blog and pornography are similar, (Can't wait to read the remarks about that statement) if you don't like it don't look at it....but don't expect everyone else to jump off the cliff with you if you don't want to look at it.
Hal keep doing what you are doing don't change a thing....I find it refreshing to hear what a person outside the biz thinks of what most of us do for a living.
In all actuality, we have no idea if "HAL" as he calls himself (probably from 2001: A Space Odyssey) is even OUT of the business. For all we know he's working right next to one of us right now and the more and more I read his posts, the more I'm leaning toward that possibility. Think about it. What better way for someone working in an authoritative position at a local station to 'control' how people feel on a daily basis about their job? Sound crazy? Maybe. But I can make a list right now of a few people who are just that cunning, psychotic, and sick enough to do it. Be careful when you let someone know which post is yours, chances are its getting back to your boss, or should I say, "Mr. Kubrick". (Roll erie music).
Honestly,
Wichita Television really doesn't serve a useful
purpose.
It is at best derisive and it has ben consistently a flame war since its inception. Or at least since Expanded Basic Cable.
Maybe its the Promotions Departments, the on-the-brink-of bankruptcy Corporate ownership, or whatever--but have you ever watched the "promos"--or God help us, the alleged "content"?
The stations prey on people's fears with useless stories that "will save your life.
They run endless kicker stores featuring water skiing dogs.
News you can use about staycations at the petting zoo.
And they scare the crap out of entire families in the entire state over a storm thats 120 miles from the Metro area racing through open land with little chance of impacting human beings--anywhere.
If a Blog was this useless it would be shut down.
Wichita TV is useless.
So the holier than though content Gods of Wichita media have officially decided to shut it down.
That is, immediately after they put a muzzle on Hal and those arrogant TV working stiffs who dare challenge the ultimate authority on Earth: TV Management.
The Wichita Eagle, all 4 Reporters that remain, will now become the only sanctioned source of Wichita News. Thats the way it should be, sorry.
And NO BLOGS TO COMPLAIN OR WHINE. The cyber space Police are on standby.
4:44 am
You're wrong on just about every level. You overgeneralize for-- entertainment. I hope you enjoyed that cartoonish rant. And that you now feel empowered and good about yourself.
Hal, it's time for a new post. The children are getting restless.
Anon 7:15... I think you have hit it right on the head. I think Hal is someone we all know personally.
But that's OK, I like the blog. I think it is a good way to get discussion out there.
I just wish we could know from comments who is actually a viewer and who is actually in the biz. To me the viewers thoughts are more valuable than the employees who have a gripe about their competitor.
I know KSN is the 3rd ranked station in town and many at KWCH come on this blog and get defensive all the time and act as they are all powerful and all, but what appears as a reaction to a KSN promotion was laughable tonight. In conjunction with the Olympics, KSN has been promoting the last week something they called, 'Gold Medal Moments.' They want people to e-mail their ideas of the best moments in Kansas sports history. So Tonight on KWCH's Sports Sunday, blaming a slow sports week they "dusted off" their favorite sports memories in Kansas. Had to be a rip off. I got more joy watching Bruce's looks through the years.
Sports Sunday does its "dust off" on a semi-annual basis. You can when you have decades of archives. No rip-off. Try again.
"Slow sports week"?! What? Big 12 Media Days Monday-Wednesday... the Chiefs opening Training Camp on Thursday and signing their top draft pick on Saturday to a record deal... and a guy from Hutchinson wins a MAJOR golf championship on Sunday... "slow sports week"?!
Hal...what do you think about KSN aileen simborio?
KAKE has to result to name-calling and mockery to get attention. You also post false ratings on here trying to get people to believe you are a competitive #2 instead of fighting to keep #2. You people are joke. Another "Staycation" story anyone?
Friday during the noon hour I turned on KSN to check the forecast. Stephanie Bergmann was reporting on the day's solar eclipse.
I'm not a regular viewer of KSN news. For one thing I don't have cable and my TV reception of channel 3 is the poorest of the local stations.
From what I know of Ms. Bergmann she seems to be a nice person and is probably a competent journalist.
I believe the eclipse was already over at the time of this newscast. Also, according to NASA the eclipse fell over "parts of Canada, Greenland, the Arctic Ocean, Russia, Mongolia, and China" but not the KSN viewing area.
Ms. Bergmann admonished us not to look directly into the eclipse.
If someone had looked directly into the eclipse, burned out their retinas, then hopped on a jet in order to make it time to watch, er listen to the KSN noon newscast, isn't it mean-spirited for Ms. Bergmann to effectively say, "I told you so?"
aileen simborio in my opinion is just as effective as anita and probably alot easier to get along with in the newsroom and less of a salary and could maybe keep a male anchor around for over a year with her. Next news director at KSN might want to think about that
It looks like everyone missed the boat about the missing girl, now a homicide, Thursday night except KWCH. They were the only ones to have it at 10, the only ones with anything up on their website overnight.
KAKE led with the Cobert story Thursday. It's an interesting story but not a lead and certainly not when there's a one-year-old missing. They should give up now and give #2 to KSN. At least they try but I don't think they even had anything this morning.
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