Channel 8's website, how sad...

[unverviking]

In the last 2-3 months they've added 2 new reporters, Kevin Jolly and Matt Malloy and neither of them have a bio on their website. I guess that really shows how important they really are to the company...

In stark contrast, Cathy Orosz's bio was up within 2 weeks of her starting at Fox 6 in Milwaukee.

In case anyone is interested here's a link to it.
http://www.myfoxmilwaukee.com/myfox...n=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=5.3.1

 

[SirRoxalot]

WHAM's no better

It isn't just Channel 8. WHAM TV still hasn't put up a bio for Rachel Barnhardt, and she's been there a month.

Of course, neither one is as bad as the Democrat & Chronicle when it come to updating broadcast information...

 

[scott mate]

Actually Cathy had a bio up within the 1st week then added a video bio two weeks later. Channel 13 is very disappointing. They have had the same bio's for some of their reporters for 5 years. Jane Flasch, Patrice Walsh, ect. In this day and age where the internet is so huge and people get their news from the internet, we should be embarrassed with 13 and 8's website.

Channel 8 had a very good team of reporters and lost virtually the whole team. As far management goes, this is the worst leadership i have ever seen and have not turned on the station to watch the news since Cathy left. Channel 8 has always had the lowest ratings but actually built a good team of reporters in the early 2000's- early 2006. They let the entire team go or some of them left on their own before they would be let go. They simply need someone in charge who is capable of running the show.

I wrote to 13 about 3 months ago and asked them politely to update the bio's of their team. They never replied back or did any kind of updates. That is so poor in my mind. So unproffessional.

I was so impressed with Fox 6 in Milwaukee. I'm personally a huge Marquette basketball fan so i turn to their website for sport news and also get reports from Cathy and see that other local weather guy who went there as well.

Fox 6 in Milwaukee embassess both 13 and 8 . I continue to watch channel 10 locally.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

TV and Newspaper

I agree that the local stations need to do something about their websites; especially in this day and age where more people get their news from the internet.

As for the D&C's so-called media page, it's a joke. They still have Chuck Kelley listed as the morning host on WVOR. Wake up down there at the paper! Kelley has been gone for months and WVOR changed its call-letters a while back.

Like I've said, the D&C doesn't want to draw attention to the electronic media because it takes away advertising dollars from the paper.

The only time the D&C reports anything about the electronic media is when they write about the 'Voice of the Voter' stories, and that's because the paper is in collaboration with WHAM and WXXI. Speaking of WXXI, I believe that one of the newspaper's executives is also on the Board of Directors at WXXI. Talk about conflict of interest.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

TV Websites

Perhaps the TV stations should hire more web-savy people.

 

[unverviking]

Actually Cathy had a bio up within the 1st week then added a video bio two weeks later. Channel 13 is very disappointing. They have had the same bio's for some of their reporters for 5 years. Jane Flasch, Patrice Walsh, ect. In this day and age where the internet is so huge and people get their news from the internet, we should be embarrassed with 13 and 8's website.

Channel 8 had a very good team of reporters and lost virtually the whole team. As far management goes, this is the worst leadership i have ever seen and have not turned on the station to watch the news since Cathy left. Channel 8 has always had the lowest ratings but actually built a good team of reporters in the early 2000's- early 2006. They let the entire team go or some of them left on their own before they would be let go. They simply need someone in charge who is capable of running the show.

I wrote to 13 about 3 months ago and asked them politely to update the bio's of their team. They never replied back or did any kind of updates. That is so poor in my mind. So unproffessional.

I was so impressed with Fox 6 in Milwaukee. I'm personally a huge Marquette basketball fan so i turn to their website for sport news and also get reports from Cathy and see that other local weather guy who went there as well.

Fox 6 in Milwaukee embassess both 13 and 8 . I continue to watch channel 10 locally.

When I have time to watch the news I only go to 8, because what TV shows I do get to watch are all on 8.

I can't stand Rich Funke on 10, he's too harsh. He talks like he's still a reporting from the sidelines of a game...

Didn't know about that 13 was that bad too. Can't say with any certainty the last time my tv was even on 13, let alone watching their news, or their website. Rachel Barnhardt was a good catch for them. She's certainly more talented than the pixies that replaced her on 8. Although I would imagine on her end, she maybe a small fish in a big pond at 13, but if she lasts (why wouldn't she) at 13, she'll be the next Jane Flasch, Patrice Walsh, or Ginny Ryan...

 

[rochesternynews]

From what I understand, 13 is in the process of developing a new website that is more easy to navigate. I am sure the issues with the bios will be addressed at that time.

 

[dampier]

When I have time to watch the news I only go to 8, because what TV shows I do get to watch are all on 8.

I can't stand Rich Funke on 10, he's too harsh. He talks like he's still a reporting from the sidelines of a game...

Didn't know about that 13 was that bad too. Can't say with any certainty the last time my tv was even on 13, let alone watching their news, or their website. Rachel Barnhardt was a good catch for them. She's certainly more talented than the pixies that replaced her on 8. Although I would imagine on her end, she maybe a small fish in a big pond at 13, but if she lasts (why wouldn't she) at 13, she'll be the next Jane Flasch, Patrice Walsh, or Ginny Ryan...

Question - Are you a Rochester native? I ask because I am interested in people's reasons for choosing newscasts, and as we've discussed in this place before, Rochester viewers are notoriously loyal to one newscast which can dominate year after year, decade after decade. So during the 1960s and early 1970s that meant WROC, then for a time in the 1970s that meant WHEC, but as that decade closed, it's been WOKR/WHAM's market for at least 20 years now, if not longer. And most people just won't switch. I know this because I was born here and have lived here my whole life. So have my parents. They have the same view. The only window you get is when a major anchor figure retires, but once that window closes, it's a very rough road.

WROC is going nowhere as long is it continues the musical chairs of news format. People make a very personal connection to the anchorperson, and when the chair is yanked out from under them, no one ever has time to develop a rapport with the anchor team. WROC makes this mistake year after year, and while I respect some of their reporting (good consumer news focus, for example), it's just going to continue to go nowhere as long as the make the same mistakes. But they never listen....

Rich Funke was a good choice for WHEC because they understand the personal connection, and Funke was with WHEC since the 1970s, so he's well known locally.

As far as websites, the only thing I look for on the TV outlet sites are video clips and whole newscasts. Those stations that offer them I visit when I want to catch something I've missed. Those that don't aren't worth my time.

 

[SNOOZENEWS]

I think you may want to re-check your facts before claiming WROC has been a "musical chair" of anchors.
In fact, "Kevin, Maureen, Scott & John" are currently the longest running primetime anchor team in Rochester.
Maureen replaced Linda Allen during the summer of 2001, shortly before Bill Peterson retired

 

[dampier]

Let me clarify this a bit: I am not talking about "anchor teams" when I refer to "musical chairs." I am referring to the lead anchor when I speak about the emotional and personal connection people make with a newscast. When most people think about newscasts, they think first of the lead anchors. For WOKR that was Dick Burt and Don Alhart. For what became WHAM, that remains Don Alhart (joined in 1966) and Ginny Ryan (1987). And just a few others - Doug Emblidge (1983), Glenn Johnson (1985), Patrice Walsh (1991), et al. And Kevin Williams was with WOKR for years before he left, and he's probably the most familiar figure on WROC news. On WHEC, Gabe Dalmath was lead anchor for nearly 30 years himself.

My larger point, which I still think remains true, is that WROC has had more turnover in anchors, formats, and redesigns than any other news department in town. When they try someone that doesn't provide instant results in moving them towards number two, they dump them. One of their longer tries was Jerry Fiore, who at least looked the part of an experienced long-termer... but he's gone too.

Anyone who understands Rochester knows this market is VERY resistant to change when it comes to local news. If you don't understand that, you are number three or you are laughed off the air (News Central's fakecast anyone?)

I wish WROC news all the best. But if they want to move into number two, they need to start understanding the psychology of this market. We need to bond with the person we want to be telling us what is going on. We trust people who have either lived in this area for their entire life or have at least been here for a few decades. The anchor has to know the community inside and out, and has to be a part of the community as well. Every time they replace an anchor, that process has to start all over again. People here are not going to choose another newscast when they are satisfied with what 13 and 10 are providing. At this point, the only time that changes is when a major anchor figure leaves or retires. Then people might start sampling. Otherwise, you could go the route 31 has taken with a 10pm newscast so that is provides a service the others are not. How about a 7pm newscast? Or local news at 6:30, national news at 7? At this point, that would be one way Channel 8 could be exposed to viewers who would not otherwise consider them when faced with competition from the other two.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

I think you may want to re-check your facts before claiming WROC has been a "musical chair" of anchors.
In fact, "Kevin, Maureen, Scott & John" are currently the longest running primetime anchor team in Rochester.
Maureen replaced Linda Allen during the summer of 2001, shortly before Bill Peterson retired

Excuse me? Maybe you should check your facts. Don Alhart and Ginny Ryan have been an anchor team a lot longer than the current anchors at 8 ( McGuire and Doran)

Funke and Lomax have been on TV for many years as well. (except Rich did sports)

So please don't come on here and try to tell the rest of us that 8 has the longest running primetime anchor team in Rochester.

 

[SNOOZENEWS]

ANYBODY WHO WORKS IN TELEVISON WILL TELL YOU THE STATION'S
"MAIN ANCHOR TEAM" CONSISTS OF THE NEWS ANCHORS, SPORTS
ANCHOR AND WEATHER ANCHOR. JUST CHECK OUT ANY PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL OR A
STATION'S WEBSITE, AND YOU'LL FIND "JENNIFER, JANET, RICH, MARK AND
KEVIN'S FACE PLASTERED THERE..NOT JUST RICH OR JANET.

NOT INCLUDING SPORTS AND WEATHER WOULD BE CONSIDERED A BIG INSULT. AS
FOR DON AND GINNY? FYI: THEY ARE THE CO-ANCHORS...NOT THE ANCHOR
TEAM

THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT WORK IN TV MAY NOT REALIZE THAT KEEPING A FOUR
PERSON TEAM IN TACT FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS THESE DAYS IS A MAJOR
FEAT.
SO WHILE YOU ARE ALL FIRST TO RIDICULE AND POKE FUN AT CHANNEL 8, (AND
THERE ARE A STILL A LOT OF REASONS TO POKE FUN WHEN IT COMES TO HUMBOLDT ST) "MUSICAL ANCHOR CHAIRS" IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

IT'S ONE THING THE STATION HAS DONE RIGHT, AND MAYBE ONE DAY WILL PAY
OFF, ESPECIALLY IN A TOWN WHERE REDUNDANCY AND FAMILIARITY GETS
RATINGS.

 

[dampier]

ANYBODY WHO WORKS IN TELEVISON WILL TELL YOU THE STATION'S
"MAIN ANCHOR TEAM" CONSISTS OF THE NEWS ANCHORS, SPORTS
ANCHOR AND WEATHER ANCHOR. JUST CHECK OUT ANY PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL OR A
STATION'S WEBSITE, AND YOU'LL FIND "JENNIFER, JANET, RICH, MARK AND
KEVIN'S FACE PLASTERED THERE..NOT JUST RICH OR JANET.

IS THERE A REASON YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF USING LOWER CASE LETTERS?

Perhaps that is the problem. Those in the business apparently assign importance to that which viewers do not, otherwise those most excellent promos and website would have put Channel 8 in first place long ago. Oh wait.

NOT INCLUDING SPORTS AND WEATHER WOULD BE CONSIDERED A BIG INSULT. AS
FOR DON AND GINNY? FYI: THEY ARE THE CO-ANCHORS...NOT THE ANCHOR
TEAM

You've parsed your argument into a distinction without a difference. Viewers certainly aren't buying it either.

SO WHILE YOU ARE ALL FIRST TO RIDICULE AND POKE FUN AT CHANNEL 8, (AND
THERE ARE A STILL A LOT OF REASONS TO POKE FUN WHEN IT COMES TO HUMBOLDT ST) "MUSICAL ANCHOR CHAIRS" IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

I didn't realize that commenting on a station's business decisions and permanent residency in the number three spot is "ridiculing" and "poking fun" at WROC. I think everyone wishes them well - in fact, I hope they'll one day come to understand what WHEC and WHAM understand so that WROC actually gets a shot at number one for the first time since the 1960s and early 1970s.

IT'S ONE THING THE STATION HAS DONE RIGHT, AND MAYBE ONE DAY WILL PAY
OFF, ESPECIALLY IN A TOWN WHERE REDUNDANCY AND FAMILIARITY GETS
RATINGS.

Oh... I see. It has nothing to do with understanding the market and serving its needs. Viewers should just accept that WROC must be the better newscast despite the fact WROC management apparently doesn't think so because it has installed a revolving door for its news staff.

Your argument just doesn't make sense. When the management of the station isn't demonstrating a long term commitment to its news staff, then why should anyone else?

Suggesting the problem is really with the viewers, not the station is an answer... it's just not one that is going to do anything for the ratings.