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Birmingham stations and the missing girl in Aruba

B

bpatrick

I'm curious. Is there anyone who lives in
the Birmingham market who can tell me how
the stations there are handling the story
out of Aruba? Do they have crews there?

I can tell you that Mountain Brook is
probably the wealthiest suburb of Birmingham
(at least it was when I lived in Birmingham),
so I wonder if money's the motive behind this
tragedy.
 
> I'm curious. Is there anyone who lives in
> the Birmingham market who can tell me how
> the stations there are handling the story
> out of Aruba? Do they have crews there?
>
They're cramming it down our throats. NBC 13 sent someone, I believe. Don't think any of the other stations did.


> I can tell you that Mountain Brook is
> probably the wealthiest suburb of Birmingham
> (at least it was when I lived in Birmingham),
> so I wonder if money's the motive behind this
> tragedy.


We don't know that it's exactly a tragedy yet, now do we? If she turns up alive, fat, happy, and probably stoned, it'll be a comedy just like the Runaway Bride. . . Face it, if Natalee Holloway were African-American or Hispanic and she disappeared in Aruba, the news wouldn't care. If she were an unattractive meth addict instead of a bright student, they wouldn't care.

I'm just sick of these stories in general.
 
> They're cramming it down our throats. NBC 13 sent someone,
I believe. Don't think any of the other stations did.


There is a reporter from Fox-6 (WBRC) in Aruba as well.

As a daddy, my heart goes out to the family of the missing young lady. I, for one, cannot be sick of this story. I only pray that when my daughter grows up, she doesn't face the same fate.
 
> We don't know that it's exactly a tragedy yet, now do we?
> If she turns up alive, fat, happy, and probably stoned,
> it'll be a comedy just like the Runaway Bride. . . Face it,
> if Natalee Holloway were African-American or Hispanic and
> she disappeared in Aruba, the news wouldn't care. If she
> were an unattractive meth addict instead of a bright
> student, they wouldn't care.
>
> I'm just sick of these stories in general.
>

I hope they find Natalee Holloway ok as well...

...yet I have to agree with you. It's as if only young white females are suddenly going missing, while the Tamika Huston's* of the world get little coverage, if at all. And while not trying to downplay the immediate seriousness of these cases--it would seem that in most instances these cases would actually be more statewide or regional stories rather than make national headlines, unless authorities believe such attention could make the difference (Amber Alert, kidnapping cases, etc.)

*Her case has been profiled nationally Fox's "America's Most Wanted" and the recently canceled BET News, but that's largely it--per www.tamikahuston.com <P ID="signature">______________
There's nothing to see here.</P>
 
as I used to live there...
MountainBrook is the wealthiest school system in the state, about the only one whose students could afford to go anywhere outside of PCB (Panama City Beach).

Ch. 6 & 13 are network O&O's, Ch. 33/40 and 42 are not (Albritton/WJLA 7 DC, and Media General/Richmond Times-Dispatch). The resource difference is huge.<P ID="signature">______________
I am not an employee of Jefferson-Pilot, Clear Channel, Infinity, Radio One, TimeWarner, Cox, Belo, Bahakel Communications, Capital Broadcasting, or Knight-Ridder</P>
 
> > I'm curious. Is there anyone who lives in
> > the Birmingham market who can tell me how
> > the stations there are handling the story
> > out of Aruba? Do they have crews there?
> >
> They're cramming it down our throats. NBC 13 sent someone,
> I believe. Don't think any of the other stations did.
>
>
> > I can tell you that Mountain Brook is
> > probably the wealthiest suburb of Birmingham
> > (at least it was when I lived in Birmingham),
> > so I wonder if money's the motive behind this
> > tragedy.
>
>
> We don't know that it's exactly a tragedy yet, now do we?
> If she turns up alive, fat, happy, and probably stoned,
> it'll be a comedy just like the Runaway Bride. . . Face it,
> if Natalee Holloway were African-American or Hispanic and
> she disappeared in Aruba, the news wouldn't care. If she
> were an unattractive meth addict instead of a bright
> student, they wouldn't care.
>
> I'm just sick of these stories in general.
>

The sad and shallow thing about American society is in any case of a missing person if it isn't a person of causian ethnicity, it just doesn't matter. The Birmingham media has a very long and notorious history of this problem that traces all way back to the pre-Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950's to the 1970's. People who have such narrow-minded mentality will have to answer to a higher power about such ignorance in the afterlife though.
<P ID="signature">______________
If you don't like what I said....Oh hell, oh well. I have bigger fish to fry.</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by jaleo23 on 06/10/05 05:28 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> > I'm curious. Is there anyone who lives in
> > the Birmingham market who can tell me how
> > the stations there are handling the story
> > out of Aruba? Do they have crews there?
> >
> They're cramming it down our throats. NBC 13 sent someone,
> I believe. Don't think any of the other stations did.
>
6 has Mia Martinez and 13 has the guy with the red hair and funny name.
 
Breaking--and horrible--news...

It's been reported to CNN and the Associated Press that a suspect has confessed to killing Natalee and that he was going to lead police to the body later tonight.

If this is indeed true, my condolences to her family. BTW, this has been getting a lot of local press here in Jackson, too, since she is from this area (Clinton, to be exact).<P ID="signature">______________
"...and the countdown continues until the neanderthals that govern college football do something about their pathetic postseason."--Tim Brando, Sporting News Radio</P>
 
> > They're cramming it down our throats. NBC 13 sent
> someone,
> I believe. Don't think any of the other stations did.
>
>
> There is a reporter from Fox-6 (WBRC) in Aruba as well.
>
> As a daddy, my heart goes out to the family of the missing
> young lady. I, for one, cannot be sick of this story. I
> only pray that when my daughter grows up, she doesn't face
> the same fate.
>

I'm affraid to think of how crazy I would be going it either of my children turned up missing. I would be equally as upset if most of the news coverage went to just one family when my family is concerned about a missing loved one at the same time. There are currently two other missing persons cases in Birmingham. One a coach and the other a cook, I believe, for the school system.
 
> What about radio station coverage in Birmingham?
>

I know Matt Murphy has been discussing it heavily on The Source, and I presume it has been a topic of conversation on their other local shows as well. ARN has also carried updates about the situation.
 
> > What about radio station coverage in Birmingham?
> >
>
> I know Matt Murphy has been discussing it heavily on The
> Source, and I presume it has been a topic of conversation on
> their other local shows as well. ARN has also carried
> updates about the situation.
>
I heard Finebaum was talking about it. Don't know what he said. I don't listen to him. I heard the Q giving updates on their midday show, but they had the DJ doing it instead of the ERC newsroom. I've heard occasional updates on DJC with both talent and the sister station; that's all I've heard on music stations. I would be shocked if the news/talkers were talking about something else, though.
 
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