Spitzer Coverage

[The Voice of Reason]

I've come out of my self-imposed exile on this board to bring up, what I feel is another example of how the quality of journalism has slipped over the past few years.
I was watching a live report on Channel 13 when I heard one of their reporters mispronounce the name of the Republican Party Chairman. Ginny Ryan covered this mistake by pronouncing Steve Minarik's name correctly. Then, while watching R-News I heard this same reporter ask Maggie Brooks a question; again mispronouncing Minarik's name. Everyone makes mistakes, but I hope that someone back at Channel 13, maybe the Assignment Editor or even the News Director takes this person aside for a few minutes and sets him straight. This reporter has been in the Rochester market for a while now and if he can't pronounce the name of someone in the news, what does that say about the news operation he works for?

 

[prompter]

Comparing coverage, 8 owned the story late. Solid satellite coverage with a main anchor reporting from the field. Their head news honcho there, Jerry Walsh, is a Rick Kaplan in the making. I have familiarity from WTEN in Albany as well as WKTV. Walsh has the uncanny ability to arm himself with "junkyard dogs" who can sniff out a story faster than Mr. Spitzer can say "over here madam." A clear sign that 13 is on the ropes, they were the only local station with no live presence in Albany. You get a story like this maybe once every 20 years. 10 had pretty solid stuff with Nikki Rudd at the Capitol, but the night belonged to WROC. I like the way their news department is getting more aggressive.

 

[rocktv]

Live "presence" alone does not = more information or better coverage.

From what I hear, people at 8 are miserable. No staff, no money, the same old crap.

 

[dustintv]

This whole thing has been really shocking!

I think WHEC is doing a good job of covering the story, so is R News. Haven't really watched 8 except for a few brief glimpses, so if they are doing an excellent job, more power to them.

Voice of Reason, when did that live report air? I watched a little of 13-WHAM at six last night and I don't remember a mispronunciation occurring.

 

[Red1]

It happened on the 6pm newscast, I didn't see the 11pm. The guy has been here only a couple months and maybe hasn't had the "pleasure" (and I use the term loosely) of running into Minarik before. And then again maybe it's one of those things where the more you think about pronouncing it right the more you screw it up. Just a thought.

 

[Rochwatcher]

Comparing coverage, 8 owned the story late. Solid satellite coverage with a main anchor reporting from the field. Their head news honcho there, Jerry Walsh, is a Rick Kaplan in the making. I have familiarity from WTEN in Albany as well as WKTV. Walsh has the uncanny ability to arm himself with "junkyard dogs" who can sniff out a story faster than Mr. Spitzer can say "over here madam." A clear sign that 13 is on the ropes, they were the only local station with no live presence in Albany. You get a story like this maybe once every 20 years. 10 had pretty solid stuff with Nikki Rudd at the Capitol, but the night belonged to WROC. I like the way their news department is getting more aggressive.

This has got to be the first time anyone has lately (or ever?) said Channel 8....and....owned the story....in the same sentence.

 

[rochesternynews]

Live "presence" alone does not = more information or better coverage.

From what I hear, people at 8 are miserable. No staff, no money, the same old crap.

I would have to agree about the live "presence". Of course this is a major story, but what additional information is a local Rochester reporter going to find out by doing a live shot in Albany?

 

[Kohoutek]

Comparing coverage, 8 owned the story late. Solid satellite coverage with a main anchor reporting from the field. Their head news honcho there, Jerry Walsh, is a Rick Kaplan in the making. I have familiarity from WTEN in Albany as well as WKTV. Walsh has the uncanny ability to arm himself with "junkyard dogs" who can sniff out a story faster than Mr. Spitzer can say "over here madam." A clear sign that 13 is on the ropes, they were the only local station with no live presence in Albany. You get a story like this maybe once every 20 years. 10 had pretty solid stuff with Nikki Rudd at the Capitol, but the night belonged to WROC. I like the way their news department is getting more aggressive.

Thanks for weighing in on this board, Jerry.

 

[BobRoss]

Of course this is a major story, but what additional information is a local Rochester reporter going to find out by doing a live shot in Albany?

I originally had a post written in agreement with you... after all, when Spitzer says his piece, he'll probably do it from NYC (not Albany), and every station will just wind up getting the video through a pool feed. You don't need to be "there" to get the resignation announcement.

However, one could argue that a reporter --who has a solid working relationship with state lawmakers who have the right connections-- could possibly find out about certain developments sooner than everyone else does. And being right there in the state capitol might make it easier than just trying to reach these people on the phone. Not to mention, when the resignation does finally happen, being in Albany makes it much easier to gather reaction sound from the lawmakers representing your market.

Other than that, it's just song and dance to try to impress the viewers. If you've got a reporter who doesn't know how to work the sources, you might as well have the reporter "live" in front of a chroma-keyed photo of the capitol.

 

[prompter]

Why is it so difficult to fathom that 8 breaks stories? They owned the Rob Clark/Rhinos story---on that day, no one even mentioned it in their shows. Having read posts on here for a short time, I am amazed at how 10 and 13 get a "free pass". I have seen on-air material from those stations that wouldn't pass in market 150. Just look at some of the on-air people at those places. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a tape crease on WHEC, I would have enough money to buy the Rhinos, PAETEC AND the Fast Ferry. 13 routinely puts rookies on the air, sitting next to established veterans. It looks silly. But people insist on ripping 8 all of the time. They have broken many stories over the years. Someone out there has blinders on. The balance in this market is about to change. Everything is cyclical, everyone gets their turn in the barrel, and I think the playing field is about to change. 8's coverage of Mr. Spitzer's gross dalliances has been heads and shoulders above everyone else's. Give them their due. Sending Ms. McGuire out there lends the station more credibility than what 13 had with Mr. Carroll last night. 8 is making some smart tactical decisions. Leave it at that and move on.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Ho-ratio Hornblower

Gee, I guess we know who "prompter" works for, huh?

 

[Rochwatcher]

It is going to take more than a story or two to change my (and the entire market's) perception of 8. 8's on-air product has been weak in comparison to the other stations for many years. The only reason they haven't fallen even further in the ratings is because of strong CBS programming. Yes, 10 and 13 have issues...but they are small in comparison to the dysfunctional 8.

 

[rocktv]

I have to agree with the last post.

So 8 had ONE big Rhinos story. Where were they when the d&c and 13 were reporting on the story from the very beginning? It's almost over now and a little late to get on the bandwagon.

8 tends to make a big deal out of every win they get, because they are in third place and don't get a lot of wins. They should do that. But if one was keeping score of these wins, 8 would not come close. 8 is always jumping up and down, "Look at us! See we broke a story!" 8 should be breaking stories anyway. Rack up enough wins, get consistent, and we might pay more attention. You're not there yet. I doubt you will get there, with inexperienced reporters who are unfamilar with the market.

10 makes a big deal out of every win, too. 10 also makes a big deal out things that are not their wins and things that don't qualify as wins. That's nothing new and that's not going to change.

You'll never hear 13 say "we broke this story" or "we were first to report." That's not their style. They don't have to say they those things.

Seriously, though, props to 8 for what looked like good coverage of the Eliot Mess.

 

[SpinNY]

Watching coverage of the Spitzer story on the web for the past hour—13 seems to be kicking everyone’s ass. In addition to live streaming coverage of the Governor’s announcement, they also had Ginny Ryan and Evan Dawson on set guiding the coverage for viewers, and frequently tossed to reporters out in the field.

I also agree with some earlier posts—just because a reporter is LIVE in Albany with the Capitol behind him or her doesn’t mean their providing better coverage. Most of the news on this story has been coming out of New York City anyways where Spitzer is held up in his 5th Avenue apartment—so really all anyone was getting in Albany on the first day of this story was talking heads/politician sound: Yep that really sounds like compelling television. The case can be made that today and next Monday, when a new Governor is sworn in, are the important days to be in Albany.

 

[tvnewswatcher]

I've been watching everyone's coverage these past couple of days and I would have to say that ROC/FOX had great presence during the early part of this. While many posters here disagree on the merit of sending a crew to Albany, I think that having your local people there adds more credibility to the newscast. To the viewer it shows that you're on top of things. Judging from the amount of satellite trucks and live shots by the TODAY Show and other national media, I'd say ROC/FOX made the right decision. Besides, getting there early and having live interviews instead of taped sound with Joe Morelle, Brian Kolb, and other lawmakers really added something to the content of the show. That said, my biggest criticism of ROC/FOX's live coverage in Albany would have to be that I was left wondering if ROC/FOX had enough money to buy microphones for their reporters? Seriously, you mean to tell me you can't pony up some cash to have two reporters use two separate mics? The way Maureen handed off the mic to Jecoliah reminded me of some bad college-closed circuit TV-newscast. Also, note to Ch 8, BUY SOME NEW MICS. They don't cost that much and it makes your people look a little more professional out in the field. Lav mics also work great in a pinch. You're already wearing clothes emblazened with the station's logo on it, you don't need a mic flag to let everyone know what station you work for.

Watcher's grade: A-

WHEC's coverage has been decent. It was disappointing to see that they were a little late getting on the ball and sending someone to Albany, but their coverage has been consistant. I do like Nikki's hair...Red is her color...Sorry, back to the point. I also have to chuckle at the various slugs that the news stations have given this story. True to form, 10 never fails to disappoint in that respect. They are calling their coverage "Eliot's Mess", as if you couldn't figure out that this is a play on words with Eliot Ness, the title given to Spitzer over the years due to his aggressive crime fighting tactics. Once a Magid station, always a Magid station. Solid reporting both in Albany and in the ROC. Although, why is it that every time Steve Minarik farts, all the stations come running to catch wind of it? Just a question.

Watcher's grade: B+

WHAM-13's coverage was probably the most disappointing to me. I'm not sure what happened this time around, but something clearly got in the way of the decision making process. No presence in Albany until way late. How did Sean Carroll get from Albany to ROC so fast?? Did he fly? Speed? One second I saw him in Albany and the next thing, he's in the studio at 11pm. Give that guy props for stamina. Believe me, I've made that drive numerous times and it isn't a joyride by any stretch. 13 looked like they relied heavily on their NewsOne ABC Satellite to get coverage with our local reps in Albany. Are they short-handed over there this week? The one saving grace for them was their use of the web. I have to admit, WHAM-TV's web is bar none better than the others. Webcasts, blogs, real-time updates has kept them in the game with regards to this story. To their credit, since there was no real presence in Albany, they did what they do best, cover the news in the ROC.

Watcher's grade: C+

Now, nobody sent anyone to NYC, which might have been overkill, but I think it would have been cool nonetheless. Some questions to ponder until Monday, when David Patterson takes over as Governor. I wonder how long 8 can keep Maureen in Albany without fresh clothes? Is red Nikki's color? Will 8 have new mics come Monday? Will 13 send someone to Albany or rely on network feeds? I'm assuming all the local outlets will be on hand in Albany for Monday's shenanigans....they'd be crazy not to be.

BTW, I am not a teacher, so these grades mean absolutely nothing. I thought it was a better scoring system than say maybe a "thumbs up or down" or a "1-10". Have a great weekend everyone, can't wait to watch the coverage on Monday!

 

[BobRoss]

Interesting analysis. Even though I don't follow Rochester very very closely, some comments:

WHAM-13's coverage was probably the most disappointing to me. (...) One second I saw him in Albany and the next thing, he's in the studio at 11pm. (...) Are they short-handed over there this week? The one saving grace for them was their use of the web.

Insiders tell me WHAM actually is shorthanded this week, with Alhart and one or two other "behind the scenes" folks on vacation. One can only guess how different the on-air coverage would be if Alhart were behind the anchor desk. It would have also been nice to be a fly on the wall wherever Alhart was when he heard the news. A huge story like this, you're a lead anchor, and you're on vacation. Was he mad he missed such a biggie, or was he relieved he didn't have to deal with it all?

As for Sean Carroll going from ALB back to ROC... it's only about a 3.5 hour trip. If he got right out of there after his 6:00 report, he could easily make it back before 10. And knowing how most news crews drive, they probably made up enough time to grab a bite to eat along the way.

I agree it's a boring drive, but it's not impossible to make it back. But with the price of gas, I wonder if it would have been cheaper for everyone to keep their crews in Albany. Everyone was out there Monday when the story broke, Tuesday expecting the resignation that never came, and Wednesday for the actual resignation. Now you've got Paterson speaking today, which some stations will likely rush out for, and again on Monday for the swearing-in. The big winners here are the Thruway and the gas stations.

 

[prompter]

13's coverage last night at 11 was flawed. There were technical snafu's all over the first five minutes (go to black, what appeared to
be a wrong tape, etc.). Peter Jennings could have been in the anchor seat and would have had trouble tap dancing around it. I'm not going to buy they are "short staffed" this week. Get used to it! It's what you do with the people you have that matters. The days of WHAM and WHEC getting a "pass" on these boards are over. I view news with a very critical eye. 10 was solid at 11 as was 8---the so-called number one station was not.

 

[rocktv]

13 always has a lot of technical issues. That's nothing new.

I heard they had a serious problem with a flu outbreak. Not kidding. And not sayng that's an excuse, but it did happen.

 

[dustintv]

Bob, just of out curiousity any thoughts of how the Syracuse stations handled the story compared to Rochester? I'm pretty sure the NYC and Albany stations were all over the story, but I'm wondering if the Syracuse and Buffalo stations handled it the same as Rochester, though Buffalo's stations might have more resources.

One final thought, yes it has been weird for Alhart to be off this week! I know the man certainly deserves his vacation, but I would have preferred him in all his glory to deliver the news.

 

[cnymike]

WSYR-TV has been somewhat good. Their website certainly blew everyone out on the water, but just like WHAM, they were a little late in breaking the story. Ever since then, they've been dedicating their newscast to the story, with Dan Cummings live in Albany and all sorts of anaylists in the studio every day.

WKTV in Utica has been really not caring. I think they sent a reporter down, but they haven't really cared. I feel this issue has been over-blown (to much news coverage, did he use gov't money?), so I liked these guys this week, although their graphics do suck and they never pull up the right story.