> I would like to take a moment to congratulate the staff of
> WMUR for a job well done in covering the flooding in the
> western and central parts of the Granite State. Despite
> obvious travel difficulties they were able to get
> information throughout the day to viewers from parts of the
> state that were hardest hit by the heavy rains over the past
> weekend. And thoughts and prayers go out to the families of
> the two young people who lost their lives in New Hampshire
> as a result of the flooding, as well as those who lost their
> homes and other property.
>
Well, yes and no.
First the good:
Kudos to the folks in the studio for the excellent job in passing along vital information. Great job on the scrolls, and on showing dedication to the citizens of New Hampshire. It's too bad that so many stations around the US do not share the level of dedication that WMUR gives to its viewers.
Now, the not so good:
The absolute lack of any pictures during the Sunday am news segments really handicapped the coverage. It seemed like someone was asleep at the switch on Saturday night and never sent any crews out where they needed to be in order to get some footage. So, the newsrooms folks were stuck with a few phone interviews. They even lacked much in the way of graphics.
The anchors in the studio did a masterful job in working without the usual aids, but they should not have been put in such a tough spot. For a long time, there was NO ONE in the field - at least not on air.
A live shot by one of the closed roads would have been helpful - at the minimum. Lacking this, the studio folks really had to "sing and dance" in order to keep things moving. Remember folks, it's TV....you've gotta get something on the air to keep people tuned in. Without any new video, it was tough to watch for very long. To be fair, the pics came later - but much later.
That being said, WMUR still is a first class operation and a great asset to the people of New Hampshire.
And, I add my thoughts and prayers to those who lost so much in the flooding over the weekend.