Monday, September 8, 2008
The Online Breaking News Battle
Sunday night proved to be a pretty big news night with a missing child and a fire, injuring 3 including a firefighter. I must say all three stations did a real nice job updating their online content for these events on a Sunday night when staffing usually is low. I think it was handled even better than on a weekday. My biggest question as of 12AM, where is the Eagle in all of this? Neither of the two events were posted online. Someone may say they are in the business to sell papers, but at least with the missing child, put his picture online as KAKE and KSN did (KWCH didn't have a picture online, but did have the story online). While I write about the coverage of the missing child, I appreciated KWCH mentioning specifically the guidelines required to issue an Amber Alert and the reasons why this hadn't met those qualifications. It was a question I had when I heard about the case and anchor Michael Schwanke mentioned viewers called asking that as well. Here is a question on coverage, should the broadcast stations adhere to those same guidelines to even just mention the case of the missing boy in the newscasts, without an Amber Alert? I seem to remember the broadcasters had a part in developing Amber Alert criteria and had legit reasons for making those. Should they follow that same criteria in taking it to the air? Despite not having an Amber Alert, I thought they needed to mention it and all handled it responsibly. -Hal
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18 comments:
Authorities issue Amber Alerts. A TV station, radio station, whatever cannot issue one on their own.
I like how KAKE is only now reporting the Spirit cutbacks. KWCH broke the story on Saturday, a very big story, and KAKE doesn't report anything until Monday.
I realize authorities issue the Amber Alerts, that is why I am curious how stations decide whether to cover a missing child, when one is not issued. I am sure these situations come up across situations with a runaway or a kid just disappearing, although they usually aren't playing video games at the local Wal-Mart. -Hal
With the several comments about KAKE being late on stories and not filling vacant positions, I have a serious question.
Is the end near for KAKE's parent company, Gray, and is this impacting the Wichita operations?
Investors think the company is almost worthless--its 2 bucks a share. That says a lor.
Spare me the flame wars, this is an honest question. Are they having to do even more with less, and is this "cutting into the bone" of the operations?
I hope not. There are some quality people there.
hal,
Haven't seen it mentioned all the blog that KSN reporter Jason Kravarik who was acting as an interim, has been officially named as news director of KSN replacing the former one, Todd Spessard
KAKE has two maybe three serious problems. First, while they are cutting back everything KWCH and KSN are hiring and expanding. Two, KSN is making an agressive move to become No.2 in the market. And three, the problems with Gray. I think big changes will be here soon. Glad I'm not working over on the westside these days.
Despite what some of the KWCHers say on here about KSN being so far behind and all, I think KSN has made some strides in the short time the former news director Todd Spessard thankfully left Wichita to take his disasterous judgement of talent and bad management style with him to Tulsa. You cannot fix a broken ship overnight and I don't think KSN is ever destined to be #1, however I think they will be even more compeitive the longer Jason is in control. The things slowing him down are a few of the trainwreck hires Todd brought on at the station, both on and off camera.
Um, Natasha Trelfa and Chris Frank both touched on the Spirit cutbacks last week and over the weekend I believe.
I am getting so sick of KWCH broke this and KWCH broke that...to anon 1045...everyone knew Spirit would go on a shortened work week. They did it in 2005. I think most stations had the story as a pacer on Friday.
While I applaud your agressive nature, a viewer does not know who had the story first.
Good luck you KSNrs. You are going to need it.
Morale has improved at KSN. If KSN could be see a ratings improvement that would be just a fraction of the morale improvement percentage wise, since Todd Spessard left, KSN would see a significant ratings jump.
Everyone mentioned the possibility of changes to Spirit but no one had specifics until KWCH. If they did, why wasn't it posted on their website until today?
It was the top story on KAKE and KSN's website. You don't do that on a 3 day old story. Nice try though.
I know you KAKErs are scrambling because you have nothing going for you but no need to lie.
It seems morale is up everyone but KAKE. Theirs keeps going down.
Reason #483 this blog sucks. No one ever stays on topic. The second post on this thread is completely unrelated to what the original topic was about. Just some KWCH guy trying to make it look like they were ahead of the game when they weren't.
Stay on topic.
Thank heavens Jamelle is back! I don't know how much longer I was going to be able to stand Caroline.
Off post but.... What ever happend to Sydney Fisher? Brett Harris never even mentions her anymore!
I think that Caroline Brady is doing a fine job.
Especially when you take in to account that she seems to be on air about 40 hours-a-week.
Last week she was on every morning and probably at 11:30 as well during the week, for two hours on Saturday morning, maybe Saturday evening, and if I recall she anchored at 10:00 on Sunday night.
I hope she's getting paid by the hour.
Does she have the same chemistry with Mike Iuen that Jemelle Holopirek has? No, they've been working together for some time and seem to be cut from the same cloth.
But from what I've seen, Brady is competent and appears to have genuine interest her stories and interviews.
I am with anon 6:40...
Sydney did the 4:00 KAKE show for like the first 2 weeks and was gone. I never hear about her anymore.
Brady is OK, I too am glad to see Jamelle back. Caroline does not have the personality needed as a wake up newscast host, she reads well, but is dry & dull. Jamelle makes me laugh.
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