WSB-AM news personalities doing endorsements

[jal41]

WSB-AM's Kirk Mellish is now hawking stuff. I heard him hawking something (Scana Energy?) today when I tuned by. I don't listen much to know if this has been going on for a while, but it sounds bad (many people probably would disagree or care less).

I thought news personalities were forbidden from product endorsements for reasons of journalistic ethics (impartiality). Weather people are news personalities as well, even though they do analyitical activities (forecasting the weather) rather than information gathering (reporting).

IS WSB-AM in that bad of shape financially that they would resort to news people hawking products. Will we hear Scott Slade and the other reporters endorsing stuff soon? What would happen if TV weather personalities got in on the game, and Glenn Burns started endorsing Nothside Bank (where he is a board member), or Ken Cook started endorsing Just For Men, or Dagmar Midcap started endorsing Harley Davidson (oh wait...she has...another discussion for the TV board). If the weather guys did it, then the others would want in.

In conclusion...Kirk Mellish (when he is around) is noted by many to be the best in town. Endorsements deminish this creditbility. That is why the journalistic community does not do it. (WSB-TV was one of the pionners of this ethical concept in the early 1960's). Feel free to disagree, but this does not sound right.

 

[amitherightcaller]

I knew a guy who worked in the news dept at WSB-AM back in the 70s - he said that Elmo Ellis wouldn't let the on air news people do commercials that would run during newcasts because the listeners might confuse
it with being an endorsement and ultimately question the newscaster's integrity.

 

[taylorengineer]

Kirk has been doing endorsements for ages - this isn't new.
Could be he also does corporate meteorological work for businesses who need accurate weather forecasting - I've heard a small fortune can be made this way.
Hope he is saving his money.....rumors swirling around in the ether are that his contract will not get renewed next time it comes up.
The teddies think the Weather Channel is just as good.......and much cheaper.
BoyB should stop talkin' to his teddies........

 

[KarsonWithaK]

I've seen a TV weather guy here in Memphis (George Brown) in car dealership commercial and I believe he is their spokesperson.

K~

 

[FloydB]

This is nothing new and, in this economy, everybody needs endorsements! What's wrong with getting paid for a product endorsement? The personalities integrity shouldn't come into question, just like the station's integrity shouldn't come into question if one of their advertisers should come under heat. With that being said...

I do know of some people in the news department of the station I worked at in another market get fired because they ran a story tainting the reputation of one of the advertisers. The client got pissed, threatened to pull their ad dollars, so the story was pulled, a retraction and apology was read over six newscasts in two days, and the reporter and producer responsible for airing said story was terminated. This is just a case of "don't bite the hand that feeds you." Fair? Balanced? No, but we're not exactly in the "fair and balanced" business, are we? We're here to pimp products to consumers to entice them to buy stuff. Ads pay for our salaries, and if we can get (and are allowed by our employer) endorsement dollars, then why not? Is anybody gonna pay Kirk Mellish NOT to take endorsements? Most of them are in-house ads anyway, already approved by the station since they're buying from the station with the personality hired as the "production talent". In other words, they're not getting a check from the advertiser, they're getting a supplemental check from their employer.

 

[RichardWarner]

As for the previous post referring to Mr. Ellis, I was an "announcer/newsperson" on WSB in 1978-80 and had a commercial production shift for an hour every afternoon, complete with copywriter who monitored what I recorded and engineer who recorded the tracks on reel to reel. Then came back into the newsroom, wrote and delivered the 5-6pm newscast in 15 minute blocks alternating with Dave Foulk...and then hosted "Sound Off" from 6:15-7:30pm. My commercials aired throughout the day including the newscasts I anchored.

 

[fortt3]

WSB-AM's Kirk Mellish is now hawking stuff. I heard him hawking something (Scana Energy?) today when I tuned by. I don't listen much to know if this has been going on for a while, but it sounds bad (many people probably would disagree or care less).
<snip>
Will we hear Scott Slade and the other reporters endorsing stuff soon?

Scott is already promoting tankless water heaters, and Verizon too I think, but then Scott is the "host" of the Atlanta Morning News. He pretty much only introduces stuff and the actual news "anchors" (WSB's word), Bob Coxe & Marcy Williams, do the news. I doubt you'll hear them in commercials.

OK, so Kirk does commercials and that makes his weather forecasts less credible to you.

Similar to Kirk, Herb Emory also does commercials, a plumbing company I think. He is a "reporter" of the traffic, sometimes a "prognosticator" as well. so by your definition, his traffic reports have less credibility because he does commercials. And all of WSB's traffic reports should then be ignored because the last traffic person has to read off a 10 sec spot at the end.

So, the next time Kirk predicts a snowstorm or tornado conditions, or Herb issues a traffic red alert for the road that you will be getting on in a few minutes, what are you going to do --- NOT BELIEVE THEM? ???

Yeah, right! :

 

[RTibbs]

Captain Herb always provides extremely biased traffic reports based on his conflicts of interest.

He always identifies the make and model of a vehicle involed in a stall. That green Toyota is blocking the middle lane of i-175 at Delk Road I guess they should have shopped at Alan Vigil Ford. He never mentions a Ford vehicle broken down. One time he didn't identify a vehicle. I drove by a minute later and sure enough it was a Ford. It is completely insane that he behaves that way and should be ashamed of himself.

Kirk Mellish, same thing, very biased in his reports. He clearly has some kind of advertising deal with someone who benefits from low pressure systems because he does not berate them the same way he does high pressure systems.

The unethicalness in our radio reporters must end now.

Just more examples of why we need the Fairness Doctrine immediately. I really hope it is a priority no. 1 for the Obama administration.

 

[gravelgertie]

I think all us radio folks will basically prostitute ourselves for a buck ---- me included! What's the big deal, we all got to eat and, besides, many of us have several wives (ex of course)to keep up.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Stations generally limit their personalities to just several endorsements at a time in order to maintain some semblance of credibility. Some of WSB's personalities, such as Boortz, command a very high dollar amount, and the station itself requires a lengthy and expensive ad schedule from advertisers wanting an endorsement. What you're probably hearing with endorsers such as Belinda, Mark Arum and possibly even Mellish is advertisers who cannot afford the dollars required for a Boortz but want an endorsement, or spillover because the WSB personalities in high demand are already at the station's endorsement limit.

I don't see a problem with a newscaster doing an endorsement provided the endorsement isn't for a political candidate or issue.

Clark Howard, however, does not do endorsements for obvious reasons.

Keep in mind you call always get Jeff Davis to do a Champion!!!!! commercial for you.

 

[fortt3]

Off Topic, but since there was a mention of Jeff Davis ... has anyone noticed SB, I believe it's Jeff Davis, has a very Don Lafontaine/"In a world" - like promo?

Deep voice: IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES...
<clip of bit and pieces of news reports and weather warnings>
Deep voice: YOU NEED SOMEONE TO DEPEND ON
<more bits and pieces, etc, etc >
Deep voice: WSB NEWS TALK 750, DEPEND ON IT!

I think of Don everytime I hear it. He was one of a kind.

 

[taylorengineer]

Captain Herb always provides extremely biased traffic reports based on his conflicts of interest.

He always identifies the make and model of a vehicle involed in a stall. That green Toyota is blocking the middle lane of i-175 at Delk Road I guess they should have shopped at Alan Vigil Ford. He never mentions a Ford vehicle broken down. One time he didn't identify a vehicle. I drove by a minute later and sure enough it was a Ford. It is completely insane that he behaves that way and should be ashamed of himself.

Kirk Mellish, same thing, very biased in his reports. He clearly has some kind of advertising deal with someone who benefits from low pressure systems because he does not berate them the same way he does high pressure systems.

The unethicalness in our radio reporters must end now.

Just more examples of why we need the Fairness Doctrine immediately. I really hope it is a priority no. 1 for the Obama administration.

Speakin' of Obama......
Just when will radio get it's bailout money? Our engineering jacuzzi needs a new liner real bad......it's just plain embarrassing when other engineers come over with their hookers.
With a Federal rescue I could face my peers like a man again.........
BTW - how come our radio union didn't get us Viagra perscriptions like the UAW got for the GM boys??
There just ain't enough erections in radio now days........

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Off Topic, but since there was a mention of Jeff Davis ... has anyone noticed SB, I believe it's Jeff Davis, has a very Don Lafontaine/"In a world" - like promo?

Deep voice: IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES...
<clip of bit and pieces of news reports and weather warnings>
Deep voice: YOU NEED SOMEONE TO DEPEND ON
<more bits and pieces, etc, etc >
Deep voice: WSB NEWS TALK 750, DEPEND ON IT!

I think of Don everytime I hear it. He was one of a kind.

Different Jeff Davis. The one I was speaking of is GM of WMLB and WCFO. He was a formerly a top-billing salesperson at WGST and WSB. He does the Champion--I mean CHAMPION!!!!!--spots as well as others.

By the way RTibbs, look what number post this is.

 

[littlejohn]

>Speakin' of Obama......
>Just when will radio get it's bailout money? Our engineering jacuzzi needs a new liner real bad......it's just >plain embarrassing when other engineers come over with their hookers.

When Cox signed off on the 'ground improvements' for WSB, they never checked. But, you got to admit, the in-ground heated pool over by the shopping center is certainly an improvement. The walls are high enoiugh to allow skinny-dipping in the daytime, too.

 

[RTibbs]

Off Topic, but since there was a mention of Jeff Davis ... has anyone noticed SB, I believe it's Jeff Davis, has a very Don Lafontaine/"In a world" - like promo?

Deep voice: IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES...
<clip of bit and pieces of news reports and weather warnings>
Deep voice: YOU NEED SOMEONE TO DEPEND ON
<more bits and pieces, etc, etc >
Deep voice: WSB NEWS TALK 750, DEPEND ON IT!

I think of Don everytime I hear it. He was one of a kind.

Different Jeff Davis. The one I was speaking of is GM of WMLB and WCFO. He was a formerly a top-billing salesperson at WGST and WSB. He does the Champion--I mean CHAMPION!!!!!--spots as well as others.

By the way RTibbs, look what number post this is.

I kow I saw you the other day at 1499 and was going to tell you to post something else.

By the way I think your post is once again proof that other people besides Randy are allowed to be accurate in their posts. Congratulations I knew there had to be more than one accurate poster on this board.

 

[TheRealOtherNeil]

>Speakin' of Obama......
>Just when will radio get it's bailout money? Our engineering jacuzzi needs a new liner real bad......it's just >plain embarrassing when other engineers come over with their hookers.

When Cox signed off on the 'ground improvements' for WSB, they never checked. But, you got to admit, the in-ground heated pool over by the shopping center is certainly an improvement. The walls are high enoiugh to allow skinny-dipping in the daytime, too.

Neal Boortz skinny-dipping? I just threw up in my mouth.

 

[taylorengineer]

>Speakin' of Obama......
>Just when will radio get it's bailout money? Our engineering jacuzzi needs a new liner real bad......it's just >plain embarrassing when other engineers come over with their hookers.

When Cox signed off on the 'ground improvements' for WSB, they never checked. But, you got to admit, the in-ground heated pool over by the shopping center is certainly an improvement. The walls are high enoiugh to allow skinny-dipping in the daytime, too.

Neal Boortz skinny-dipping? I just threw up in my mouth.

Who said anything 'bout lettin' Boortz in?