I was caught up in the holidays, out of town and have not posted in awhile. I have a lot on my mind, but the media coverage of the missing boy in El Dorado has been interesting. For those of you who do not live in the area, an 11 year-old boy disappeared 10 years ago. His adoptive parents did not report him missing. Suddenly, last week, the Butler County Sheriff said he was working a missing person's case and couldn't release much info, not even a name, but would release more info at a Monday morning press conference. From last week to today the local media has worked the story and have found out more information. However, without a doubt, KWCH and reporter Michael Schwanke has been out in front of the story, since the beginning with interviews of family members before the other stations. (12 Troll, I complemented your station. You may not want to read the next paragraph.) Tonight at 5PM, KWCH leads with a great full story by Schwanke with an interview with the adoptive brother of the missing boy. The other stations do not have the interview. That 5PM newscast was well done. In a story that has lead for several days its good to get the freshest information. Although there was a press conference, there wasn't a whole lot of new information. While the other stations lead with the press conference and new interviews from people previously interviewed, KWCH had someone new and interesting. Then comes 6.
For a station who so overwhelmingly beat the other two at 5, KWCH failed miserably at 6. They had all the ingredients needed, but the producing failed. With better producing KAKE and KSN made it seem like they had just as much as KWCH at 6. KWCH led with Kim Hynes setting the scene from El Dorado and sound from the press conference. It drug on way to long. I know they were trying to set the scene of what happened today, but that could have easily been done from the desk in 30-45 seconds and then immediately to Schwanke's story with the adoptive brother like they did at 5PM. Instead, following Hynes' report, they have one sound bite from the adoptive brother. The story Schwanke did at 5PM would have been a much better fit at 6 and they could have touted the "exclusive" part of it more. Schwanke is anchoring and the 12 troll could argue that played into the decision making on why Schwanke didn't do a full story at 6 on the brother like he did at 5PM. To that, I say you must decide which is the more important newscast, 5 or 6. I would say the longer version runs at 6 instead of 5PM. Take the 6PM newscast out of the equation and KWCH has been out ahead of this story, but Tonight's 6PM newscast is an example of how a poor newscast structure can undermine a station's great coverage. -Hal
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Who the hell are you Hal? You have never produced a newscast in your life. You sit at home, probably in your mother's basement, and lecture others on how to do their jobs. You are too much of a chicken_sh!t to tell people what your qualifications are to judge "newscast structure" or what stories in what format should go where. You don't have any room to judge or criticize. You are a hack and a coward for not telling people who you are. You constantly bash people for doing their jobs, for working their ass off because you don't like it.
Your opinion of Kim Hynes again appears in one of your posts. Your personal attacks on her in the past have been beyond the pale so it's not surprising that you again go after her work.
Who the tell are you to decide anything or lecture anyone when you have no experience news and if you do, refuse to fess up and expose yourself. You hide behind your anonimity and are really nothing but a coward.
Let's see if you post this message. Then if you answer demands on here for years to tell us what your qualifications are then maybe people's minds of you will change.
Are you a producer? Are you a reporter or a news director? Are you involved in news at all? Probably not...so shut the F-up.
If you actually worked in news you would know that the 5 is always the most important show aside from the 10. It's like that in almost every market. But then again you don't work in news.
Of course Hal has to bash 12. What else would he do?
I LOVE THIS!
Everything's just ducky when the criticism is tossed at 10 or 3...
Then Hal is your friend!
But heaven forbid he say anything even remotely negative about 12.
You guys are thinned skinned.
You certainly love to dish it out... but you really can't take it.
There is a greater point here about producing the 5 PM and 6 PM shows. I don't fault 12-this happens everywhere.
I've seen HUNDREDS of times when stations have kind of dropped the ball-and they are ALWAYS stories like this--great stuff when YOU have the goods.
Its intuitive to produce the BEST story/stories for the FIRST time they run. You want to --and should--"go for it" as soon as you can.
SOO, the 5 PM ALWAYS looks awesome--the way it SHOULD be. Then we always think "how do we do this differently at 6" (the PERFECT strategy for anything BUT the BIG story)...SOOO, you do something different and it ain't, obviously, the best.
Truth is--the 6 PM audience is different, many viewers aren't home after work by 5 PM. When you've got the goods on the big story...GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT AT 5--then GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT AT 6. If its essentially a repeat with ONE new sound bite or updated fact--FINE!
We'll talk about the 10PM and find a way to do things creatively/differently then.
I agree 100% with a previous poster concerning the importance of the 5 PM and 10 PM casts--and 95% of the time what 12 did with their 5 PM lead is THE RIGHT call for 6 PM. Just NOT with the rare MEGA story--verbatim word-for-word at 5 and 6 is better than leaving out any of the goods at 6 on THIS story.
The first few comments to this post are about what I expected. To those 12 trolls, I say just try, try, to be open a little bit to criticism. I haven't seen any ratings lately (the latest should be out) so you probably are still a dominant #1 and say why should we even care. OK. Fine. I think your viewers at 6PM who didn't see the 5PM would have liked the longer story about the brother.
For the record, by the Ten PM show, KWCH had Cliff Judy with a full story recapping the days events and then Michael Schwanke with a full story on the brother like 5PM. With that I think they clearly won the time period. I simply ask why this wasn't tried at 6PM? I don't care if this would have been a repeat of 5PM. It was clearly the get and angle of the day. -Hal.
This is all a waste of time. It's inside baseball.
Isn't this ALL ABOUT Inside Bseball?
KWCH breaks another angle on this story with an on-camera interview with Herrman's uncle. Meanwhile, KAKE has done the faux outrage of lawmakers demanding change. I guess when you're out of ideas, go get officials offering their opinions.
Dave Freeman must be on vacation. I haven't seen him on the air for what seems about a week or more. I must say I haven't missed him. I really have enjoyed Leon Smitherman filling in and have noticed a couple of times that Leon adds good chemistry with Jim. Anita gets in the way of that, no surprise.
I see 12 has an entire section on their site devoted to this story, complete with all their stories, raw video and other information.
http://www.kwch.com/Global/category.asp?C=156887
I don't see anything like that on KAKE or KSN. KSN does have a list of stories but it's not prominent and there's no raw video, just aired stories from their newscasts.
The fact that Anita's hair changes every day it seems is also distracting. Also, there needs to be a rule, you cannot have bangs in front of your face when reporting or anchoring. Abby Barnett had that over the week and it totally distracted people from what she was saying (as if it mattered anyway).
...what's wrong with the homeschool concerns angle? i didn't see the show, but i think it's an interesting sidebar: the kid was homeschooled so no one knew he was "gone." i get it. while not earth shattering, i don't think it warrants getting tossed into the "official sound" category.
and yes, i think it's great 12 had an exclusive with the uncle. kudos! but. what did he have to say that anyone else previously interviewed hasn't ALREADY said? what did he have to offer the viewer that's NEW? how many extended family members can we (ANY station...not just 12) parade before a camera before it gets boring?
So, anon 908 & 909 -- let me get this straight: you don't accept criticism/opinions about newscasts from anyone who's not in the biz?
Get over yourselves!
I sometimes don't agree with what Hal has to say, but he's got the right to his opinion, no matter what his experience.
If you don't like it, don't visit this site. I'm sure you'd be a lot happier for it (although I'm sure you would just find something else to bitch about!)
To the idiots bashing Hal about his qualifications or lack thereof ...... give it a rest. He is simply sharing an opinion. Guess what? Those of us who tune into the news aren't experts or industry insiders, but we determine the ratings. We form opinions of what we like and don't like and decide which station to watch based on that. Are you saying that since I'm not an insider and have never worked in television that I shouldn't have an opinion? That is what you are saying to Hal. I disagree with his opinion a fair amount, but we as adults should be able to listen to others' opinions and take what we want to from them. Likewise, maybe if the Big 3 automakers had listened to a bit of criticism in the '90's instead of just resting on their laurels, they wouldn't be in the situation they are today. No matter what profession any of us are in, we should all be open to constructive criticism in order to improve ourselves.
I don't think Hal's uninformed. He sees what any viewer sees and you folks don't like it -- but it is the viewer who really matters, not you arrogant station eggheads. There should have been a full Schwanke story at 6 p.m. ESPECIALLY when the competition didn't have the interview and because so many people are not home for the 5 p.m.. I saw both newscasts. Kim's regular nasal delivery only slowed down the top of KWCH's 6 p.m. newscast. How come no one is asking about the quakifications of the Butler County Sheriff's department to solve this mystery? Are the qualified? Have they brought in some outside experts, or are they going to blow this case just like they did the Carole Mould case several years ago. I sure wouldn't want a family member to come to a bad end in Butler County. The sheriff sounds like a total bumbler.
Who here thinks the 5pm is more important then the 6?
Thats crazy as the 6 always draws higher amounts of viewers...Look at the ratings books...
10:59 - Why not have Joe schmo in Toledo tell the Navy how to do its job. Or Sally Sue in Pocatello tell Bill Gates how to run Microsoft. Those who are not in a profession, especially one with a specialized skill set, should not lecture others how to do their jobs. There's a reason we do this and those people do whatever it is they do.
12:51 - Why don't you tell everyone who you are so they can bust your nose for a comment like that. Wait you're a coward.
2:59 - If you actually looked at the ratings you would see in most markets, including this one, the first evening show almost always has higher ratings than the second one.
And if Hal is going to attack people, their work, them personally, then he at least should have the balls to tell people who he is and why they should listen to him. It's called disclosure and transparency.
Again,
Twelve troll
You can't stand even a BIT of criticism.
It is hysterical to see you get all ruffled --- especially when your attacks are targeting normal, non-TV people...
Smooth move rookie.
Do you remember the key element necessary in the business...
Let me clue you in...VIEWERS. Piss them off enough and see what happens.
Your arrogance, your "know-it-all" atttiude is the type of thing folks, viewers pick up.. and one reason the business is caving.
Now, Let's bring some reality to this mix.
Let's talk about 12's 3 point drop you saw in the main demographics during your 10pm newscast in November.
In fact Ch 10 BEAT you in Women 25-54.
I'll concede you lead in A25-54 and HH... but you DID drop in A25-54.
So much for HD news...Huh?
Those are facts, dispute all you want.
I'm sure that the day the book came out... things got pretty ugly on 37th street.
To 906: What kind of "specialized skill set" do you need as a TV reporter or producer? Seriously, there are people in this biz who don't even have a college degree! There's no comparison.
Without Joe Schmo & Sally Sue -- you're nothing.
Keep believing it you hack. No such "change" happened. The fact that you have to go so far into the book to pick out women in a certain demographic shows you are grasping at straws. Even your reading of the numbers is off...way off.
It's not arrogance. We know what we're doing. People outside the biz do not. It's that "anyone can do this" attitude that led to Joe the freakin Plumber being named a war correspondent. We are trained to do this. We know how to do it and what to cover. Ordinary people do not.
BTW: I've been doing this longer than you've been alive probably so bite me. Rookie my ass.
I also like reading the refrain "KAKE #2 and dropping" frequently here. Only to have the "dropping" part not be the case when the next book comes out.
Congrats to 12, still a strong #1.
But, "dominant #1" stations win every newscast and demo...and 12 doesn't.
Ok 12 troll,
Here is the ratings posted on YOUR site
http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=6812855&nav=menu486_10_15
Sure looks like to me there are more tv viewers at 6pm then 5pm...
So are you telling me your station lies?
Maybe the RATINGS are lower for news at 6pm, but the amount of viewers is higher as more people are home at 6pm then 5pm... Get a clue
Anon 308,
While I do not disagree with you, the link to the ratings you put in your response, is of the February 2008 time period and not the November 2008 ratings. Just to set the record straight, I thought this needed to be pointed out. -Hal
Anon 927
Don't count it.
I started working in TV when stations still had film chains.
And believe me, I know about 21st century technology just as much.
Plus, I'm not saying EVERYONE can be in this business.
But they are your customers, and treating them as second class citizen is moronic.
I'm saying your disdain over comments made BY THE F**KING PEOPLE WHO WATCH YOUR STATION shows disrespect... for THE VERY PEOPLE WHO ULTIMATELY BUY FOR THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ADVERTISED ON YOUR ALMIGHTY STATION.
Where exactly do you think your paycheck comes from? Joan, Chad?
Treating viewers like idiots is the fastest way to destroy your station's reputation.
But, you go right ahead.
As far as A25-54 ... that is one of THE KEY DEMOS ad agencies buy on TV stations ...so is A18-49. AND YOU DID DROP IN A25-54 AT 10PM -- and not by a few tenths of a point.
I can read a ratings book, I'm not sure you can.
It is very clear. You really can't handle criticism -- it is laughable.
I definitely "expect more" crap from you.
So get all mad, get fired up. Then go spray that ax, k?
Hal, you praised 12 for advancing the story by getting the family members that nobody else got. That's all fine and dandy, I suppose, but I'm not sure if it's really necessary to get EVERY family member's point of view on the situation.
But anyway, I believe 10 won the race in actually ADVANCING the story on Wednesday with Cayle Thompson producing SRS and Derby Police Department documents showing the past history in the Herrman household. That advanced the story more than another family member telling whether or not they believe there was abuse.
This goes to prove that you win some and you lose some. Everyone gets lucky breaks dropped on them every now and then. Cayle actually produced useful information by digging to get public information. And, 12 troll, don't say it isn't so, because your station went and got the documents the next day after realizing you missed the boat.
This is entirely correct.
Everyone gets lucky breaks.
What about KSN having the mail from the Herrman's biological daughter in which she admitted that she and her brother were the ones who called authorities first?
The bio daughter was NOT the one who started the investigation. SRS already confirmed 12's FIRST report that it was the adoptive sister and her cousin who started asking questions, prompting the investigation.
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