KATIE AWARDS...sign of the times?

[Steve Eberhart]

Noticed in the Dallas Morning News (November 16, 2008) the story on the Press Club of Dallas Katie Awards.
They listed the various winners and their categories.
Did anyone else notice in the category for "Divisions 5 & 6: TV and Radio", it said "insufficient number of entries to determine a winner".
In other words, not enough people did anything worthy of even attempting to obtain the award!!
That's amazing to me that in a market this size, local broadcast media did not even have enough entries to determine a winner....Sad.

 

[Holstead]

Hold on Steve-

The true issue is there are not enough broadcast JOURNALISTS on radio anywhere anymore. Hence the reason I had a cat when Ralph Francis filled in all that time for Paul Harvey.

Second thing is, depending on who judges or what the criteria is, the type of RADIO news being done in D/FW may not even fall within the guidelines of judging. True, if it is a local contest, the judges should make the awards match the market, but sometimes that does not even happen.

Third, for those few stories, newscasts and features that fit into that narrow scope, just about anybody who enters wins. Then you have those who are discouraged because they never win, those who get tired because they win all the time-and those who sit on the sidelines wanting to play, but the environment will not allow them to get on the field.

To a lesser extent, radio companies will not even fork over the entry fees a lot of the time. They want their employees to win awards, but they will not fork over the few hundred bucks a year to enter their own people.

 

[Jay Weaver]

Sad!

 

[grantchester]

I heard that some stations asked for a refund for the entry fees from the years when the awards were 'fixed'.
Maybe they didn't enter because they didn't get the refund?

 

[Stinkymess]

Noticed in the Dallas Morning News (November 16, 2008) the story on the Press Club of Dallas Katie Awards.
They listed the various winners and their categories.
Did anyone else notice in the category for "Divisions 5 & 6: TV and Radio", it said "insufficient number of entries to determine a winner".
In other words, not enough people did anything worthy of even attempting to obtain the award!!
That's amazing to me that in a market this size, local broadcast media did not even have enough entries to determine a winner....Sad.

And it might be no one trusts the Dallas Press Club at the moment.
Their reputation has been tarnished, and they don't see a reason to enter.
Has everyone forgotten this?
Dallas Observer "Kiss Me Katie"
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-06-14/news/kiss-me-katie/1

 

[Holstead]

Yup. There's that too. -and they are all valid points.

Daily, I stare at two Katie's from the 70's. They are old, outdated and tarnished. Not from poor keep, but from blood, sweat and tears. All earned the hard way by people who cared deeply about their craft.

I could polish them up I am sure-but why? That old and lackluster appearance stands for something. You bring a polishing rag near them, I'll break the arm of the person that that holds the cloth that dares to spruce them up!

 

[spinderella]

The two leading news talk stations in Dallas Fort Worth said they did not enter because of the fixed competition and the Katie's lame offer of only two free entries as a way to compensate for thousands spent on bogus competitions the previous couple of years.

The scandal prevented radio and TV awards from being presented. I believe only about 20 Katies were handed out this year compared to 100+ in the pre-fixed judging years.

 

[Mookie]

With so many stations cutting positions - it does not make sense to enter the cost. Plus the Dallas Press Club has not repaired it's tarnish, tainted, rigged image...

that will tak time...

 

[longtimelistener]

Like Holstead, I have a handful of Katies from years gone by. Since the scandal broke I would rather spend time & money on the weeds in my yard than submit an entry for consideration by the Press Club.

 

[johnjohn1970]

Steve and Holstead === You have no idea what you're talking about. I have very good friends in radio and in television and the reason why there were "insufficient entries" was because everyone took a stand against the Katie Awards. No one entered because of the scandal.

Second = Paul Harvey isn't a journalist. I've heard someone else writes his stuff and as many of us know .... a lot of it's wrong.

Thirdly = There are plenty of radio and television journalists around. You just aren't paying attention.

Sorry times can't be like the golden days of yesteryear. Get used to it. Styles are different and it's not just old men reporting in button down shirts and tightly tied neckties.

 

[Holstead]

John John:

A boycott of the Katie Awards may have been the case in Dallas/Ft.Worth. But I still stand by what I wrote.

I was posting about my own personal experiences in entering and submitting for awards. I submit materials quartlery for various awards. I have won a few, and been nominated for many more.

As for me & Steve not knowing what we are talking about, best you consider what you are saying and who you are typing to. Especially given that you have 'freinds' in the industry but indicate you are not in it yourself. I'm not flaming you, I'm just sayin'...

Steve is my friend. He does not need me to defend him, but just so you know, both of us spent many years in major markets. Most of the time with big RADIO news operations. The best-bar none. Yesterday, today or tomorrow. I'd stack six 60+ guys against the best you could throw at me tody and you'd probably lose.

I know the business has changed. I am still employed because I can change with it. I also wear button downs most days. I'm not even a news guy. The classy ones always did dress well. All a part of the lost art of credibility-on the air and in the field.

Your statement about Paul Harvey pretty much sums up your level of intelligence on matters regarding radio broadcasting. "Good Day"

 

[spinderella]

I want to point out that if one looks at the number of winners and entries in RTNDA Murrow Awards and the Texas AP Broadcaster awards and even the Lone Star Emmy's, one can conclude that organizations and individuals are still spending money to enter journalism contests. They, however, have decided not to spend their money with the Katies for now. This year was a statement by those ripped-off by a crazed Katies organizer and a board that didn't do its due diligence and properly oversee the competition. I expect this will likely continue until the Katies prove themselves again.

 

[Slambang]

The DPC and the Katies are a shadow of their former selves, after the issues from the past couple of years, they're a tarnished organization thats been shown to have no real credibility. Most of that can be placed squarely on the shoulders of the "Good Ol' Boys" who didnt handle up on their own corrupt culture, that left the opportunity to allow a board member to self-nominate.

 

[MikeYoung]

Holstead-

It's alright to admit you're wrong, you know. The SOLE reason for the lack of entries was the distrust of the panel behind the Katies and the recent scandal. That's it. Nothing else can be attributed to the dismal number of entries. As much as you'd like to thump your chest and relive the supposed "golden days" of news radio, the low number of entires has NOTHING to do with talent, quality of journalism, the changing times, etc. Why would someone care to take the time to enter a contest that has been rigged in the past?

Now, I don't know you and this isn't an attempt to flame anyone, but there are perfectly good people working in the industry today that can more than hold their own. There are good broadcasters, good writers, good journalists - professionals with credibility, passion and insight - that bust their butts today just as much as anyone did "back in the day". And they do win awards - plenty of them. Particularly, the ones that aren't rigged.

And no, Paul Harvey, as great as he is, is NOT a journalist. He's an entertainer and informative. I can't seem to recall the last time Harvey was on the scene of a major news event, giving us all the hard-hitting details directly from the scene. Jim Ryan is a journalist. Paul Harvey is an entertainer and a voice. I'm sure he'd tell you the same if you asked him.

 

[Holstead]

I am not defending the Katie Awards. Pretty slimy stuff, and a black eye on that beautiful trophy. I think that is where I am misunderstood. I was speaking in generalities about local awards in general, and what people who are interested in face when they attempt to do just that.

I'd admit it if I was wrong, believe me Mike.

I do not live in the past. I certainly do have one with Dallas radio news, and I am proud of my Pop and those he worked with. I am certainly not taking anything away from those that are attempting to provide those services to radio today. But I maintain they do not possess the education, upbringing, experience or level of commitment to the product as a whole as they did. Blame who you want on that, band I do know there are still plenty of people who want to go out there and get it-those are the ones who should be submitting for these awards.

We'll agree to disagree on Mr. Harvey. He -IS- still the most syndicated radio personality, the second most syndicated radio personality and their third most syndicated radio personality in America.

I feel better, how 'bout you?

Happy Turkey Day

 

[spinderella]

Does Paul Harvey even do a show any more? Since his beloved Angel died it's been Ron Chapman and Paul's dreadful son Paul Jr. who seems more interested in UFO's, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster than covering anything of substance. If Paul isn't going to return full-time it's time to end that franchise. It's a dreadful shell of its old self.

I don't begrudge Paul stepping back after losing his lifetime love and truly one of the driving forces behind the scenes of his program. Isn't it time to end the show if he can't recommit to doing it on a daily basis.

As for the caliber of radio journalists these days....if there's been a dumbing down or reduction of quality it can be blamed on owners as much as anything. There are tons of fantastic radio people who have been pushed out of the business by no actions of their own. They've been banished by CEO's beholden to the bottom line.

Many of those still in the radio trenches are doing it through staffing agencies like Metro and making peanuts simply trying to stay in the game. So many good people have given up and moved on to other careers.

And with the current state of the economy and with radio reeling prior to the financial mess the country is in right now, it's not likely to get any better soon.

It used to be a dedicated broadcast journalist could work hard, excel at his or her craft and be rewarded for it. Now they're being shown the door.

 

[elokiddy]

Noticed in the Dallas Morning News (November 16, 2008) the story on the Press Club of Dallas Katie Awards.
They listed the various winners and their categories.
Did anyone else notice in the category for "Divisions 5 & 6: TV and Radio", it said "insufficient number of entries to determine a winner".
In other words, not enough people did anything worthy of even attempting to obtain the award!!
That's amazing to me that in a market this size, local broadcast media did not even have enough entries to determine a winner....Sad.

And it might be no one trusts the Dallas Press Club at the moment.
Their reputation has been tarnished, and they don't see a reason to enter.
Has everyone forgotten this?
Dallas Observer "Kiss Me Katie"
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-06-14/news/kiss-me-katie/1

I dunno about any of this other stuff being discussed, but that article was VERY interesting. Wow.

 

[MikeShannon914]

Not to get into a p!ssing match with anyone, but did want to add that I joined the Dallas Press Club in mid-2007 (but couldn't afford to renew in Aug 08) and was in a couple of meetings where the credibility issues and the one bad apple were discussed at length, and I have to say that the board in place now is very serious about restoring the credibility and class and relevance of the club, they've got board members from all facets of media (including PR people from the area's largest corporations, so it's not just radio and TV and newspapers) and they are working hard to get that respect back. I know that will take time, and they can't expect folks will just forgive and forget and all that...just wanted to say that I know for a fact that they ARE trying, and I think they had no choice but to have a new Katie event to keep the tradition going, and to show that they weren't going to let those earlier problems do the club in.