These stupid "local TV wars" -- the viewers don't care!

[NewsSleuth]

Here is the thing...I used to work for a local station in the Rochester market. I have since left the business, partially because I didn't like hard news, but also because I didn't like the attitudes of some people in the local industry.

It seemed like all the stations were concerned about was scooping the competitors, scooping the D & C, being the first to report, being the first station to do a live remote...etc

Leaving the industry has made me realize, that the only people who care about this stuff ARE those who work in the local media. As viewers, we really don't give a damn about any of this. We're not going to remember who did what first, or who wrote the best topical promo, or who had the best coverage. In fact, most of the time we can't even remember the names of the reporters or anchors. Basically, what we want are good, in-depth, and informative stories.

I feel that the local news stations should focus more on improving their content, as opposed to these silly compeitions that most viewers really don't care about.

I guess that some things never change...

 

[dampier]

> It seemed like all the stations were concerned about was
> scooping the competitors, scooping the D & C, being the
> first to report, being the first station to do a live
> remote...etc

Uh, because that's important to the viewers. It really is. The reason I ordered the stations with who broke the tornado story first is because that was vital to me, not because of the "business" but because I was a viewer looking for the information. If you miss the story, people are going to notice.

> In fact, most of the time we can't even
> remember the names of the reporters or anchors. Basically,
> what we want are good, in-depth, and informative stories.

No, I'm afraid that isn't true. If I asked my parents the names of every anchor on 10 and 13 since the 1960s, they would effortlessly answer me. After around 1975, if I asked them who anyone was on channel 8, they wouldn't know except Wanda Miller and Kevin Williams, both of whom jumped to and from other stations. The anchor they did have that did seemed to start bonding with people was Jerry Fiore, but he's gone now.

One perfect illustration of this is who our county executive is today. Why it's former anchor-reporter Maggie Brooks from channel 10! People already seemed to "know" her when she ran, and she seems to be popular among the Republicans and respected even among Democrats who hate the rest of the county legislature.

It was a very sad day when Wanda Miller ended up doing ads for Irondequoit Dodge. It was like finding your best friend in a crack house. We all knew who she was though.

The list of names goes on and on... Joel Loy, Wyoma Best.... People do remember.

> I feel that the local news stations should focus more on
> improving their content, as opposed to these silly
> compeitions that most viewers really don't care about.
>
> I guess that some things never change...

Which is why WROC still doesn't get it. Unfortunately, thinking like yours, which on the surface seems logical, does not work in reality in this market. Channel 8 keeps proving that over and over again. I want channel 8 to succeed. People keep telling them how and they don't seem to listen to the people who have lived here all their life.

I'd bet it's probably a similar story in Buffalo and Syracuse and Binghamton.

 

[NewsSleuth]

Phillip,

You are clearly a guy who has worked for or who has a great interest in the local news media. Therefore you are in the minority -- Not everyone cares about news as much as you do, and you'd be surprised how many people in Rochester really don't watch news on a regular basis.

My point is, that people who work in the industry get wrapped up in these competitions, while the average viewer (apparently with the exception of your parents) really don't care about any this. I think that people in the industry need to put things in perspective.

Anyway these type of attitudes, coupled with an obnoxious arrogance of some of the newspeople, are reason why I thankfully left the news media!

 

[RipNRead]

Don't Cry For Me Wanda Miller

>
> It was a very sad day when Wanda Miller ended up doing ads
> for Irondequoit Dodge. It was like finding your best friend
> in a crack house. We all knew who she was though.
>
> The list of names goes on and on... Joel Loy, Wyoma Best....
> People do remember.
>
Don't feel too bad for Wanda Miller. First of all she was never that good as an anchor or field reporter. Second she didn't get along with a lot of her co-workers. Third, she once was hired to work at a radio/TV operation in Rochester. The day before she was supposed to start she informed management that she wanted more money, or she wasn't going to report to work. There isn't a TV station in Rochester that would hire her. Let her sell cars.
As for Joel Loy, he's been dead for a number of years. God rest his soul.
Wyoma Best was one of the smart ones. She linked up with old Tom Mooney and had a smooth P R job with the Chamber of Commerce for most of her career. She recently retired and is living the good life.