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WGSR-TV Talk Show Interrupted by Profanity-Spouting Trespasser

Whoa! What a redneck! Pretty scary stuff and I'd be watching my back for a while. No telling what that guy might be capable of!
 
I'd be watching my back for a while. No telling what that guy might be capable of!
Click to expand...

The story has made the newspapers... http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070818/NRSTAFF/70818002

Naturally, I'm concerned for the safety of my staff. We are a small facility, and don't have the budget (or space) for security personnel. Also, part of our formula for success here is accessability to the public. We do more live remotes than the other stations in the market, plus as you see in the video our studio is in a glass storefront. Anyone can walk into our lobby, watch us on-air, and interact with the show hosts if they wish. The only "security" we have used to this point is a sign on the door between the lobby and the main studio floor asking people to remain in our lobby when we are live on the air.

All of this makes our staff vulnerable to the kind of stuff you see in the video. This is the first time something like this has happened in the 3 1/2 years that we have been doing local news/talk. For the time being, we're locking the lobby door, but that's a hassle during newscasts, because of our frequent in-studio guests who must come through that door to get in. I have to send the master control tech across the main floor to unlock that door when someone needs to enter. I didn't design it this way, but I have to work with what I have. Changes in our building arrangement will probably happen.

My biggest challenge for now is staff attitude. This invasion of our working space has brought our greatest fears to the forefront. Our on-camera personalities have become (in the eyes of our viewers) community leaders. People model their behaviors after the behaviors we do in front of them. Any sort of uncontrolled fear in our on-camera folks will be communicated (consciously or unconsciously) to our viewers who may model it in their lives to their own detriment.

Anyway, that's where we are with this situation right now. I doubt that we as a TV station have seen the last of Mr. Sykes.

Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV
 
After the shooting deaths at WXLV when it was WJTM in the early 80's, I am surprised any one would design a studio in such a vulnerable way. I understand having the need for public accessibility for a small LP station in a small town fighting 3 medium and large owner news stations with weekly budgets bigger than your whole yearly budget, but if I worked there, I would be in fear of my safety. There are just too many crackpots in the world these days.

Isn't there an FCC rule that states all broadcast facilities must be secure at all times they are on the air so some crazy loon can't just walk in off the street and take over the station as is what appears to have almost happened here? I know you guys are fighting stations from two markets, but egging some redneck idiot along isn't smart IMHO. They have been known to carry out threats.

Plus, isn't getting into an on air pissing contests with officials tabloidy (is that even a word?) and not very professional and could be misconstrued as publicity stunts to garner attention of other media for free advertising or provide fodder for some competing group when license renewal comes up? Just asking.
 
I agree RF_Chaser. I would especially be nervous that this guy felt like you were harrassing his family. That's just too good an excuse to be violent.
 
rf_chaser said:
After the shooting deaths at WXLV when it was WJTM in the early 80's
Click to expand...

Actually, it was just one death. Ronnell Jackson exhibited some common symptoms of schizophrenia, thought he was being spied on through the TV, and went to 45's studios. He was berating the receptionist, when the sales manager, William N. Resimuller (sp? - station calls were changed to WNRW to honor him) tried to stop him. He was shot and killed for his trouble. Jackson abducted the receptionist and surrendered after a standoff with police in east Winston-Salem.

WXII also had some problems in the 80s, resulting in some warrants, as did WSJS radio.

There were some additional security recommendations made in the wake of 9-11.

It's hard to protect yourself in that situation. I used to work at a 1k daytimer that didn't lock the door and people would just walk down the hall and into the control room while you had the mic on. It was always a little scary.

Hopefully you guys will figure out a solution. Locks and intercom, with appropriate signs on the door seem to have been the traditional approach.
 
;D What was that station off Interstate 85 Business years ago that had chickens in the control room in a mobile home? I visited it one time with my friend Hal104..I think it was WGOS in High Point..Fellow named of John Brewer worked there..had the biggest adam's apple I had ever seen, except Grease!
 
allnews said:
rf_chaser said:
After the shooting deaths at WXLV when it was WJTM in the early 80's
Click to expand...

It's hard to protect yourself in that situation. I used to work at a 1k daytimer that didn't lock the door and people would just walk down the hall and into the control room while you had the mic on. It was always a little scary.

Hopefully you guys will figure out a solution. Locks and intercom, with appropriate signs on the door seem to have been the traditional approach.
Click to expand...

same here, I used to work at a 1kw daytimer and 3kw FM that used to keep the doors wide open....until the fax machine and the honey buns out the snack room got stolen one morning...LOL....come to think of it..I was working the FM that morning...which has a slight view of the lobby..if the windows werent covered up..thats when they fixed the ANCHIENT doorbell...nothing was more annoying then having the mic on..talking and RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING blaring across the air..LOL..the bell rang for as long as you pushed the button...and some people would hold their finger on it until you answered the door...
 
??? Where did these poster's go? Matt, How about an update on this situation? Has anything else transpired?
 
Really not much fallout from the incident. Our intruder resigned all of his volunteer committee appointments in city government, and did not run for city council. He's working fulltime, which cuts down on the time he has to do such activities.

Since he's dropped out of the public eye, Richard Moore [url]http://www.politicalsoup.tv [/url] isn't writing about him anymore, and our intruder Jeffrey Sykes [url]http://www.jeffreysykes.com [/url] has gone back to writing about football and national politics.

We are still locking the front door, ESPECIALLY when we are live in the studio. It's still an aggrivation, but we are living with it.

That's as much update as there is.

Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV
 
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