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WTIC-TV "News" sinks to new low

KML0224

KML0224

WTIC-DT sunk to a new low with their 10 pm "news" on Thursday night. There a strike looming at Stop & Shop supermarket which will affect thousands of people, including my own brother. There's the troubled economy. There was the shooting on the grounds of the Pentagon. What does WTIC do? They lead off with a puff piece related to American Idol, because of some local involvement, from what I'm told. I don't watch that piece of s--- karaoke contest, as I was told about this second hand. Here's a copy of the complaint e-mail I sent to WTIC through ctnow.com this morning:

Shame on you! You choose to lead off your 10 pm news with "American Idol". Hello? That's ENTERTAINMENT, not news. Shouldn't you be leading off with the potential Stop &Shop strike? (My brother works for them.) What about the state's economy or something that actually affects people trying to get by? Who's to blame for this? Your news director? Tribune's cross-ownership monopoly? You people have just lost a viewer at 10 pm. Simply pathetic.

Just plain awful! :mad:
 
KML, I agree 100%!! News is news and it should be first things first.

Look, I am a realist and I understand that there are pressures to promote Idol show during the newscast. The justification is, I suppose, that "people" are talking about it so it must be news. That said, it belongs as an end bracket story after sports at about 10:28 pm. Not as a headline.

Given all of the legitimate news stories you've listed - particularly the Pentagon story - it was absolutely inappropriate to lead with Idol nonsense. Who is the News Director over there anyway? Some 22 year old woman?
 
Yes Marc, I heard about that. Channel 3 did it the right way. Dennis House mentioned that last night and then went to the Stop & Shop saga right after that.

BRNout? I liked your news director idea! Ha ha! It would be sad if you were right!
 
KML-224 said:
BRNout? I liked your news director idea! Ha ha! It would be sad if you were right!
Click to expand...
:D

Well, it occurred to me that there's another suspect in this caper: the evening news producer. The ND could be a guy with gray hair and lots of experience (for all I know), but he's also in his nice big house with the kids by the time the 10:00 newscast is prepared.

It's the news producer who's in charge of prioritizing the stories, IIRC. So, there could be our 22 year old chick - straight out of school. Perhaps in her little world, the voting on Idol is far more important and exciting than that booooooring business of looming strikes (AA flight attendants too), Pentagon shootings, health care debates and nukes in Iran.
 
Why does their newscast look so bad... they are in HD now yet the video still looks soft and out of focus.

Whats high definition about that?
 
I thought WTIC's ND was gone, or leaving soon? Wouldn't be surprised if they replaced him with some 20-year old college dropout.
 
scottg said:
Why does their newscast look so bad... they are in HD now yet the video still looks soft and out of focus.

Whats high definition about that?
Click to expand...

Are they doing 16:9 SD instead of HD?
 
The only HD they have is the studio stuff and any field footage they shot. Half of the time, they'll stretch a video clip which was obviously 4:3 to start with, making it look awful. Why don't they put up the pillarboxes on the side in those cases like WVIT-DT does during segments of their newscast?
 
Well these idiots did it again. Putting entertainment above things that actually matter and affect people. Stretching the truth about their news cast being all HD, which it isn't and this crap. Do I blame their news director, Tribune, FOX or all the above? :mad:
 
MarcB said:
Blame FOX.
Click to expand...

Why blame FOX? They don't own the station, nor do they have any say in what stories are run or are not run on the local newscasts at WTIC-TV. Blame the news producer, news director, station manager or even blame Tribune and Randy Michaels. All are in the chain of command at the station and ultimately have some culpability as to what the newscasts look like.

But to blame FOX for this makes about as much sense as blaming Obama for it. ::)
 
People with half a brain dont watch local TV news anymore. Connecticut TV is such a "look-at-me" concoction full of semi-literate jokesters (Scott Haney...for starters, many more tho). I cant even believe some of these people actually went to college. Proof there is a university for everyone....
 
MarcB said:
BRNout said:
Why blame FOX? They don't own the station, nor do they have any say in what stories are run or are not run on the local newscasts at WTIC-TV.
Click to expand...

FOX wants IDOL Coverage on all affiliate newscasts. Just like a few years ago they were threatening to pull affiliation agreements with stations that didn't air local news.
Click to expand...

That's fine for their O&O's, but they have no editorial control over the news at a Tribune station. Face it, management at your local Fox affiliate made a decision to put programming promotion ahead of news. They are far from unique in that regard, but let's at least place the blame where it resides.
 
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