ABC15 at VaTech????

[Teddyo]

Can someone explain to me why that sleazoid ABC15 would send an anchor -- Steve Irvin -- all the way out to VaTech to join in on the media feeding frenzy there? Talk about vultures.

Did they decide the poor students, administration, and their families on that campus in Virginia hadn't been harassed enough by the national (and their own state's) media? What could ABC15 or any other local station based 2,000 miles away possibly add to the coverage in VA?

Hey pathetic KNXV: Why don't you try getting ratings by developing some quality local news coverage and decent talent instead of flying across the country to chase ambulances and harass those people in their grief.

 

[double07]

It's called Journalism buddy. I don't care whether we're talking ABC15, FOX10, CBS5 or any other outlet.

It's about telling the story.

You can't bash 15 for sending a crew to Virginia without bashing the fundamentals of Journalism.

If they had the money and resources to send a crew, that's their right...i didn't see much of their coverage, but i'm sure they were respectful and i'm sure it brought the story closer to home for their audience.

 

[Teddyo]

Sorry, can't agree, and I said "or any other local station 2,000 miles away."

ABC15 isn't covering a breaking event on the East Coast, they're trolling for tears and invading privacy in a community that has no connection to their own. Let the other 10,000 "journalists" on site cover it. If you knew anything about the actual situation, you'd know that there are signs all over the campus and community there saying "media go home." They would like to try to get back to some normalcy there without having some morning geek from a Phoenix station stick a microphone in their faces.

Meanwhile, back home, 15 makes a big deal about "choosing not to air the NBC tapes out of respect." Right.

It's just a stupid ratings stunt.

 

[KeithE4]

It's called Journalism buddy. I don't care whether we're talking ABC15, FOX10, CBS5 or any other outlet.

It's about telling the story.

Nope. It's strictly about ratings - something KNXV knows little about.

You can't bash 15 for sending a crew to Virginia without bashing the fundamentals of Journalism.

Sure we can. Unless there's a Phoenix angle, they're just getting in the way. And that goes for news crews from every other city that were there, not just Channel 15. The only local news-folks that had any business there, other than those from Virginia and Washington DC, were those from cities where the victims came from.

If they had the money and resources to send a crew, that's their right...i didn't see much of their coverage, but i'm sure they were respectful and i'm sure it brought the story closer to home for their audience.

Sure, they have the right to send their people anywhere they want, and they were respectful, but that doesn't change the fact that they had no business there. But if I were a suit at Scripps, I'd be all over the news director at KNXV for spending unnecessary money, when that dough could have been better used for their Phoenix news coverage.

I'm not a journalist, haven't ever worked for any media outlet, radio or TV, and probably never will. But I am a viewer that Channel 15 and their advertisers are trying to reach. I do watch KNXV's newscasts on occasion. It isn't as bad as many here think, but there is a ton of room for improvement. They didn't help themselves by going to Virginia, IMNSHO.

 

[formeraa]

If there is a substantial local component, then I expect local reporters to be there. However, in this case, there doesn't appear to be a need to have a local reporter on scene. Why not use a pool reporter to cover the story adequately? I don't expect the local Phoenix news to have tons of reporting on Virginia Tech; I expect to see VT on the NATIONAL news (or CABLE news).

As for ABC15, I still think their news is tabloid garbage. Their teases border on the ridiculous: "A new way for thieves to steal your identity...the details at 10!!!!" Then, after teasing all evening long, the story is about 15 seconds long.

 

[double07]

That's right...god forbid any local station on the West Coast tries to localize the largest shooting massacre in U.S. history, a story that affects everyone who has kids in a classroom...whether in Arizona, Alaska or Virginia.

 

[KeithE4]

That's right...god forbid any local station on the West Coast tries to localize the largest shooting massacre in U.S. history, a story that affects everyone who has kids in a classroom...whether in Arizona, Alaska or Virginia.

There was a similar threat this week at a high school in Tempe. Fortunately, nothing happened. But that is where KNXV and the other stations should have been focusing on as far as these types of incidents go. The only connection between Tempe and Virginia Tech is a possible copycat. But no reporter needs to go to Virginia to report on it.

 

[dhett]

That's right...god forbid any local station on the West Coast tries to localize the largest shooting massacre in U.S. history, a story that affects everyone who has kids in a classroom...whether in Arizona, Alaska or Virginia.

All of the stations localized the story. They found parents of VaTech students, VaTech alumni, friends of VaTech students, etc., all living right here in the Valley. Sending a crew to Blacksburg is nothing but a cheap publicity stunt by a station that is so desparate to be noticed that they'll try anything.

 

[Teddyo]

Just as an update to the on-location, media post-mortem feeding frenzy in Blacksburg that KNXV, ABC15 happily joined in,
the student government at Va Tech gave all the media until 5:00 am this morning to get off their campus.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042101554.html

Good for the Hokies!

 

[DudeOnTV]

Sending local reporters to "bring home" the big national story is pretty standard practice for large market stations. Hopefully, the reporter from ABC15 was able to find some kids from the Phoenix area or at least from Arizona to talk to for his news packages and live reports.