RUNNING COMMENTARY ON BRIDGE COLLAPSE COVERAGE

[Studio20]

first off, CNN should do what Court TV did: Jettison Nancy Grace. What an abysmal display. They are one hour behind in their "fact checking". At 844 Pm, one of her co anchorettes "recieved confirmation that the bridge was under construction"....something that FOX had at 7 30 pm et. Back in the day, they'd do what they did best....give us Headline News, while the mothership would take the point on scene....now, cnn looks like mud because theyre airing two separate versions of the story.

FNC does not escape without a slap on the face for their "expert" who thought that a crushed hopper railroad car, might have been a passenger rail car....well..you don''t need to be an engineer (bridge or rail) to understand that [passenger rail cars have windows...hoppers..generally which carry grain, cement or some such...do not....

Now..bridge construction normally revolves around pavement, or the "rebar" that runs between the pavement and the cement....Lets look at the legs itself....down in florida, we'd chalk this up to a sinkhole, before we'd think terrorism...

Shepard Smith, aside from the one "expert" did very well...oh god, now theyre turning it over and the disaster will be "Hannitized"....why a talk show host anchoring instead of...a reporter.....puzzles me, but thats show biz...

Someone..and hes yet to ID himself...took over for Keith Olbermann on MSNBC....he is floundering ..badly....

One more thing....in some cities, Metro Networks and or Shadow Traffic..or their successors .. have traffic cameras running on the bridges..if so, how long before Homeland Security confiscates those tapes of the bridge going down....

 

[PTBoardOp94]

There seems to be a whole lot of misinformation floating about. In the last hour, I've heard two very different reports on casualties:
a) 3 dead, 8 injured
b) 1 dead, 24 injured

Also, ABC Radio reported the bridge was 'under construction,' without noting that it was only resurfacing work.

 

[stationi]

Someone..and hes yet to ID himself...took over for Keith Olbermann on MSNBC....he is floundering ..badly....

I think it was Dan Abrams, now its back to Keith Olbermann at 10PM(ET)/7PM(PT).

 

[MarcB]

Headline News said the Twins Game was cancelled as a result. CNN said it was still going on. The mayor confirmed the game was still going on.

 

[KeithE4]

Headline News said the Twins Game was cancelled as a result. CNN said it was still going on. The mayor confirmed the game was still going on.

Today's game is being played. Tomorrow's has been canceled and the groundbreaking ceremony for the new ballpark has been postponed. The weekend series vs. Cleveland may also be affected.

Link: Yahoo Sports

 

[FightingIrish]

The national news nets should just turn it over to the affiliates' coverage and tell their overpriced clotheshorses to shut up. I skipped the national news coverage last night (except for Nightline) and pulled up the streaming video from the four Twin Cities news operations. They were all feeding live on the web, and MSNBC even put the stream of their NBC affiliate, KARE 11, on their site.

I was mostly watching the streams of FOX 9 and KSTP 5. They are right in the thick of it, the reporters likely traveled that bridge every day, and know people that drive on that bridge. They know the traffic patterns, the outside temperature, where the bridge goes, alternate routes to take around it, businesses and roads located near the bridge, etc. Think I'd watch Nancy Grace over that? Puh-leez! She should stick to dead blondes.

After 9/11, my cable company briefly added NY1 to the lineup. All the way in Wisconsin. There's nothing like watching or listening to the stations right there.

 

[KeithE4]

The national news nets should just turn it over to the affiliates' coverage and tell their overpriced clotheshorses to shut up. I skipped the national news coverage last night (except for Nightline) and pulled up the streaming video from the four Twin Cities news operations. They were all feeding live on the web, and MSNBC even put the stream of their NBC affiliate, KARE 11, on their site.

Agreed. As tragic as this was, it was not a national news story. CNN, FNC, and MSNBC should have only broken into regular programming if events required it, and then taken the feeds from the Twin Cities stations as-is.

I don't think CBS, ABC, NBC, or Fox broke into their regular programming to cover this story, and they made the right decision.

 

[genius]

I agree about the fact that the cable networks should have been taking full feeds from the local Twin Cities stations about the bridge collapse instead of showing footage and having bubbleheaded New York and Atlanta talking heads attempt to explain the situations using the wires. Although Keith Olbermann at MSNBC seem to do a good job sorting out just the facts.

And the news wires were getting behind last night. Here at the station our cell phones didn't start buzzing with our text messages from Reuters until shortly after 6PM Mountain time, a full hour after the bridge collapsed.

 

[Markxxx]

While it may not be national news it makes a good story. You got a school bus full of kids, lots of cell phone camera shots, you got stories of people calling their loved ones from their cell phones before they die, all tragic yet stuff the networks love.

And of course GW Bush who quickly addressed this, so as not to repeat Katrina.

 

[AVNevis]

The national news nets should just turn it over to the affiliates' coverage and tell their overpriced clotheshorses to shut up. I skipped the national news coverage last night (except for Nightline) and pulled up the streaming video from the four Twin Cities news operations. They were all feeding live on the web, and MSNBC even put the stream of their NBC affiliate, KARE 11, on their site.

Agreed. As tragic as this was, it was not a national news story. CNN, FNC, and MSNBC should have only broken into regular programming if events required it, and then taken the feeds from the Twin Cities stations as-is.

I don't think CBS, ABC, NBC, or Fox broke into their regular programming to cover this story, and they made the right decision.

I disagree. Even though it may not have heavily impacted the whole nation, neither did the Loma Preta earthquake or even Hurricane Katrina. We are talking about several dozen drivers literally being plunged into deep, cold water, with the possibility of several dozen deaths. In addition, it will likely impact the Twin Cities severely for at least a few years until the highway can be rebuilt. It should have at least warented a bulletin from the over the air networks, and cable news was right to go with it all night (although you are correct in that they should have stayed with the local affiliates, except where needed to provide context for a national audience.)

 

[toby]

Three New York stations had reporters there yesterday - WCBS, WNYW, and WABC. What a waste of resources!

 

[FightingIrish]

Three New York stations had reporters there yesterday - WCBS, WNYW, and WABC. What a waste of resources!

I really don't get that.

I do know that the FOX affiliate in Milwaukee sent some people there, but that was because News Corp. asked them to help out the Twin Cities affiliate, KMSP, with non-bridge stories.

As for stations in other markets, even New York, sending all those people up there is ridiculous. WCCO in the Twin Cities is owned by CBS. Same with the FOX affiliate. And even though the ABC affiliate, KSTP, is not network-owned (Hubbard owns them), they have been commended locally for their coverage. The Milwaukee ABC affiliate aired some coverage from them, and they're owned by a seperate entity (Hearst-Argyle).

In situations like this, especially when the disaster scene is already overcrowded, perhaps it would be best if affiliates from far away parts of the country just rely on the local affiliates. They can tell the story better anyway, and are much more knowledgeable. Sheesh, even some of the national people think the 35W bridge connects Minneapolis and St. Paul. Actually, it connects eastern downtown with the University/Northeast (Nordeast) sections of Minneapolis. St. Paul is a few miles east of there. And I'm sure a few of those East Coasters were surprised there wasn't any snow on the ground.

 

[bpatrick]

Re 35E and 35W: same thing in Dallas/Ft. Worth;
there's a split south of the Metroplex with 35E
going to Dallas and 35W to Ft. Worth. So I would
suspect 35E in the Twin Cities goes to St. Paul.

I agree it wouldn't be too difficult for the Twin Cities
affiliates/o&os to feed their reports to the networks.
My local CBS affiliate, WFMY, picked up what looked
like a report from WCCO (live) Thursday morning on
its "Good Morning Show." WCCO (CBS) and KMSP (Fox)
are o&os and I know can feed stories directly to their
networks' affiliates. Seems KSTP (ABC) and KARE (NBC)
could uplink to a satellite or (do they still do this?) connect
with Chicago's WLS and WMAQ, respectively, with those
stations feeding their networks' affiliates.

But it's good promo material for a station in New York
(or anywhere) to say "we were on the scene" when a
story like this breaks. Yes, it's a waste of resources, but
think of all the promos you're going to see now.

 

[easttxtv]

Re 35E and 35W: same thing in Dallas/Ft. Worth;
there's a split south of the Metroplex with 35E
going to Dallas and 35W to Ft. Worth. So I would
suspect 35E in the Twin Cities goes to St. Paul.

OT about this (for DFW)...wish I had $$ for every time I've had to explain to guests at both my hotel jobs about '35E not going EAST' or '35W not going WEST', especially when giving directions over the phone to those driving to either hotel. They can't get past the E or W even though all the signs clearly have either *north* or *south* on them! (/rant)

 

[FightingIrish]

Re 35E and 35W: same thing in Dallas/Ft. Worth;
there's a split south of the Metroplex with 35E
going to Dallas and 35W to Ft. Worth. So I would
suspect 35E in the Twin Cities goes to St. Paul.

I agree it wouldn't be too difficult for the Twin Cities
affiliates/o&os to feed their reports to the networks.
My local CBS affiliate, WFMY, picked up what looked
like a report from WCCO (live) Thursday morning on
its "Good Morning Show." WCCO (CBS) and KMSP (Fox)
are o&os and I know can feed stories directly to their
networks' affiliates. Seems KSTP (ABC) and KARE (NBC)
could uplink to a satellite or (do they still do this?) connect
with Chicago's WLS and WMAQ, respectively, with those
stations feeding their networks' affiliates.

But it's good promo material for a station in New York
(or anywhere) to say "we were on the scene" when a
story like this breaks. Yes, it's a waste of resources, but
think of all the promos you're going to see now.

Yes, 35E goes through St. Paul, though it is not recommended for I-35 traffic passing through the metro, since just south of downtown St. Paul, it is a scaled-down parkway with low speed limit and a truck ban. This part was the last completed, around 1988 or so, and is the product of various compromises with residents of the well-to-do old money neighborhoods around there.

I-35 is the only interstate to have E-W splits. Quite a few interstates originally used this type of designation (i.e. I-80 had 80N and 80S). This practice ended a few decades ago, and 35E going through St. Paul was going to be renamed I-135 or something like that. St. Paul balked, wanting to remain I-35, and the split remained as a compromise. I assume the same thing happened in DFW.

http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-035ew_tx.html

 

[ixnay]

In situations like this, especially when the disaster scene is already overcrowded, perhaps it would be best if affiliates from far away parts of the country just rely on the local affiliates. They can tell the story better anyway, and are much more knowledgeable. Sheesh, even some of the national people think the 35W bridge connects Minneapolis and St. Paul. Actually, it connects eastern downtown with the University/Northeast (Nordeast) sections of Minneapolis. St. Paul is a few miles east of there. And I'm sure a few of those East Coasters were surprised there wasn't any snow on the ground.

A poster on another mb reported seeing the headline on Drudge and thought the collapse took place in the *state* of Mississippi. :

And according to my 2007 Rand McNally, the Twin Cities not only border each other (with the boundary between them in some places dry and other places wet), but both occupy land on both sides of the Mississippi. Each Twin City is in a different county. Don't let the "classic" Minnesota Twins logo fool ya!
ixnay

 

[FightingIrish]

In situations like this, especially when the disaster scene is already overcrowded, perhaps it would be best if affiliates from far away parts of the country just rely on the local affiliates. They can tell the story better anyway, and are much more knowledgeable. Sheesh, even some of the national people think the 35W bridge connects Minneapolis and St. Paul. Actually, it connects eastern downtown with the University/Northeast (Nordeast) sections of Minneapolis. St. Paul is a few miles east of there. And I'm sure a few of those East Coasters were surprised there wasn't any snow on the ground.

A poster on another mb reported seeing the headline on Drudge and thought the collapse took place in the *state* of Mississippi. :

And according to my 2007 Rand McNally, the Twin Cities not only border each other (with the boundary between them in some places dry and other places wet), but both occupy land on both sides of the Mississippi. Each Twin City is in a different county. Don't let the "classic" Minnesota Twins logo fool ya!
ixnay

The river makes it all so disorienting.

Minneapolis and St. Paul are right smack next to each other. Each are in their own county (Minneapolis in Hennepin, St. Paul in Ramsey). Each currently have separate area codes (plus a few more in the 'burbs). And the Mighty Mississip borders the two cities on the south end, from just north of Lake Street south to near the Airport and Fort Snelling.

And tying this all into television, KSTP-TV and the Hubbard radio properties' offices and studios are located on University Av., right smack dab on the border of the two cities.

 

[bpatrick]

Re 35E and 35W: same thing in Dallas/Ft. Worth;
there's a split south of the Metroplex with 35E
going to Dallas and 35W to Ft. Worth. So I would
suspect 35E in the Twin Cities goes to St. Paul.

OT about this (for DFW)...wish I had $$ for every time I've had to explain to guests at both my hotel jobs about '35E not going EAST' or '35W not going WEST', especially when giving directions over the phone to those driving to either hotel. They can't get past the E or W even though all the signs clearly have either *north* or *south* on them! (/rant)

Do you live near Denton? Because where 35 splits north of DFW, you're
right. 35E would be going left to Dallas, 35W to the right to Fort Worth.
But at the Hillsboro split south of DFW, it's the other way around.

 

[ixnay]

I-35 is the only interstate to have E-W splits. Quite a few interstates originally used this type of designation (i.e. I-80 had 80N and 80S).

Interstate 70 east and south of Frederick, MD used to have I-70N (to the Baltimore City line) and I-70S (to I-495 aka the Capital Beltway). Eventually 70S became I-270 and 70N became I-70 which had always been the route's designation west of Frederick, at least in Maryland.

ixnay

 

[KML0224]

Seeing all this footage, plus what happened in my state back in 1983 (Mianus River Bridge in Greenwich, CT), it's made me scared to cross either the Tobin Bridge in Boston or the GW Bridge in New York City (was on the Tobin last Wednesday before I heard about Minnesota). As for splits, you also have the east and west spurs on the northern end of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), with the eastern spur through Newark to access the Lincoln Tunnel in Secaucus being older. However, it's not labeled as "I-95E" or "I-95W". I could only imagine if the Bulkeley Bridge in Hartford/East Hartford were the next to go? This bridge, which carries I-84/US 6/US 44 over the Connecticut River, is the oldst bridge in the interstate system. Our local media has only been referencing the Mianus Bridge in 1983 though.