(originally posted Feb. 12, 2007)
This is the latest in a series of on-line comments about news coverage. I wrote a story last week that examined why the Anna Nicole Smith story received so much attention. Many readers felt compelled to pass along their own comments. I thought I would pass some of them along to you.
Miranda of Toledo believes that significant coverage of the model's death was unavoidable. She wrote that "truth is stranger than fiction and it doesn't get much stranger than this. So should you give it top billing? Absolutely!! Anything less would just be a product of people not wanting to believe that we are what we have become. Why fight it? Face it folks we are all obsessed. If you pretend you don't care about this story, you either live in a bubble or your nose is so high in the air that you can not see the TV."
Lisa agreed with Miranda. She added that "this was breaking news and I am one who has followed her through the ups & downs of her life. I'm not a person who watched her every move or her reality program but I am just a person with some interest in her affairs of life after her 2nd husband passed away and her battle to gain something from her marriage but lost to a greedy son as I saw it."
Anne from Montpelier added her two cents. She wrote that "she is/was an American icon. In years down the road, she will be looked at and thought of in nearly the same aspect as Marilyn Monroe! Regardless of what the important headlines were on Thursday, you and your stuff did a superb job in reporting what people want to hear!! Kuddo's to you and your staff!"
But, of course, not everyone agreed. Libby had enough of the story early and asked whether we "could&please leave coverage of this tragic loss of life to the entertainment sector? I didn't think an interview with an Anna Nicole look-alike was worth the time it took on the 6 o'clock news. How about giving that time to something that isn't going to be covered ad-nauseum everywhere else for the next several days?"
Fair enough. But it does demonstrate the difficulty we face. One viewer wants more of a particular story while another screams every time the same story is aired.
Now that the Anna Nicole Smith story is starting to fade, we'll be moving along to cover the incoming major winter storm. Of course, I fully expect to hear from some viewers that "it always snows in Ohio in the winter months. It's no big deal!" I hope that's the case! But based on the Storm Team predictions, I doubt it.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Winter's Big Blast
(originally posted Feb. 14, 2007)
What a blast!
The Big Blast is what we called the blizzard of 2007. The first blizzard in twenty-nine years caused major power disruptions, business cancellations and school closings. It also resulted in extra-effort coverage on 13abc.
This year's blizzard pales in comparison to the last one in 1978. The one back then resulted in deaths, stranded motorists and misery that went on for days. This one was a challenge but ended much more quickly.
Still, it was significant enough to cause authorities to close roads to all but emergency traffic. It also left its mark by creating traffic hassles and many accidents. Coverage was ramped up as the storm arrived. A 13abc news special replaced the "Ellen" show and another one-hour special aired in prime time. Special digital microwave equipment allowed us to present more live coverage than ever. Reporters brought the storm home from throughout the region. Four meteorologists used Live Doppler 13000 to show exactly where the snow was heaviest.
Some viewers thought the coverage was excessive. Our morning news was expanded to five and a half hours on Wednesday with our Noon news extended by 30 minutes. Linda wrote us to say she couldn't "believe&the "scare them silly" approach you use to talk about winter. Winter goes with the territory, so why don't you just report it, then put it to bed?" That's a fair question. Our mission is to provide thorough, responsible and accurate coverage. The 13abc Storm Team did not inflate expected storm totals which turned out to be correct. Nor did we tell viewers that this would be the worst storm ever. We did report that authorities were concerned that conditions would rapidly deteriorate causing hazardous travel, which also turned out to be true. The significance of a blizzard requires major coverage for us to meet our obligation to provide emergency information.
Other viewers, like Harold, complained that it was repetitive. He wrote that "my wife watch and enjoy your news program.....up to a point, and then we just have to turn it off. Your weather reporting in regards to this latest storm, get to be a bit to much. Repeat, repeat, repeat."
We thank Harold for his kind words about our news. We work hard to present fresh information. For example, this morning, police and emergency officials were interviewed live. A news briefing was presented live. Closings and delays were constantly updated. Traffic reports from Greg Jones continually brought forward new trouble spots and accident locations. In all, nearly 1,000 weather-related closings or cancellations were presented. Some elements were repeated for viewers that may have missed the original announcements or information. Still, it's clear we must do a better job of avoiding saying the same thing repeatedly or risk disappointing viewers like Harold.
Nobody was killed in our area during this storm and disruptions were minimal. Perhaps advance warnings helped keep people off the highways and led to fewer accidents. I'd like to believe that our coverage was beneficial.
I'll end with a tribute to the photographers who braved the cold and snow to bring back video. We put one of them, Phil Antry, on the air with our anchors to narrate his video and explain what he witnessed first hand. And that led to email from Angie. "Phil Antry, your camera man was VERY entertaining and REAL. Seeing him once in a while is something our community would love to see. Just listening to the people who actually film makes your news 10x's more interesting."
Thanks, Angie. And thanks to you, too, Phil!
Your comments are always welcome at: brian.trauring@abc.com!
What a blast!
The Big Blast is what we called the blizzard of 2007. The first blizzard in twenty-nine years caused major power disruptions, business cancellations and school closings. It also resulted in extra-effort coverage on 13abc.
This year's blizzard pales in comparison to the last one in 1978. The one back then resulted in deaths, stranded motorists and misery that went on for days. This one was a challenge but ended much more quickly.
Still, it was significant enough to cause authorities to close roads to all but emergency traffic. It also left its mark by creating traffic hassles and many accidents. Coverage was ramped up as the storm arrived. A 13abc news special replaced the "Ellen" show and another one-hour special aired in prime time. Special digital microwave equipment allowed us to present more live coverage than ever. Reporters brought the storm home from throughout the region. Four meteorologists used Live Doppler 13000 to show exactly where the snow was heaviest.
Some viewers thought the coverage was excessive. Our morning news was expanded to five and a half hours on Wednesday with our Noon news extended by 30 minutes. Linda wrote us to say she couldn't "believe&the "scare them silly" approach you use to talk about winter. Winter goes with the territory, so why don't you just report it, then put it to bed?" That's a fair question. Our mission is to provide thorough, responsible and accurate coverage. The 13abc Storm Team did not inflate expected storm totals which turned out to be correct. Nor did we tell viewers that this would be the worst storm ever. We did report that authorities were concerned that conditions would rapidly deteriorate causing hazardous travel, which also turned out to be true. The significance of a blizzard requires major coverage for us to meet our obligation to provide emergency information.
Other viewers, like Harold, complained that it was repetitive. He wrote that "my wife watch and enjoy your news program.....up to a point, and then we just have to turn it off. Your weather reporting in regards to this latest storm, get to be a bit to much. Repeat, repeat, repeat."
We thank Harold for his kind words about our news. We work hard to present fresh information. For example, this morning, police and emergency officials were interviewed live. A news briefing was presented live. Closings and delays were constantly updated. Traffic reports from Greg Jones continually brought forward new trouble spots and accident locations. In all, nearly 1,000 weather-related closings or cancellations were presented. Some elements were repeated for viewers that may have missed the original announcements or information. Still, it's clear we must do a better job of avoiding saying the same thing repeatedly or risk disappointing viewers like Harold.
Nobody was killed in our area during this storm and disruptions were minimal. Perhaps advance warnings helped keep people off the highways and led to fewer accidents. I'd like to believe that our coverage was beneficial.
I'll end with a tribute to the photographers who braved the cold and snow to bring back video. We put one of them, Phil Antry, on the air with our anchors to narrate his video and explain what he witnessed first hand. And that led to email from Angie. "Phil Antry, your camera man was VERY entertaining and REAL. Seeing him once in a while is something our community would love to see. Just listening to the people who actually film makes your news 10x's more interesting."
Thanks, Angie. And thanks to you, too, Phil!
Your comments are always welcome at: brian.trauring@abc.com!
After winter's Big Blast
(originally posted Feb. 16, 2007)
As I write this edition of my on-line column about decision-making in the newsroom, the skies are bright blue and the sun is shining. But Jay Berschback is forecasting more weekend snow although nothing that would approach the blizzard conditions we experienced earlier in the week.
In my last "Open Window" I included viewer email that cautioned us not to repeat information or to scare people with our coverage of weather events. I explained that our mission is to provide accurate, credible and thorough coverage. We have also received email from viewers who shared very kind evaluations of our coverage of the Big Blast.
Dr. Mark wrote to thank the 13abc staff for "their commitment to excellence, the community and viewers. As former Detroit station viewers, we have been charmed by your coverage. They are tireless in their scheduling additional newscasts when needed and are sophisticated enough to balance the daily news instead of simply looking for the worst in people."
Another Mark wrote in to say that "you are the only station in Toledo that properly covered the UT campus closing and opening at 11:30am. Thank you for getting it right---again."
Carol chimed in by saying that "Channel 13 reporters are doing a FANTASTIC job reporting to viewers the status of the current blizzard. Thanks to all your employees for their dedication to keeping your public informed."
Carol's email raises another point. In my last column, I singled out one of our photographers by name after he went on the air to narrate his video from Ottawa County. A few folks emailed to let me know that they felt strongly that all our photographers and live truck operators who worked in the cold needed to be recognized here by name. So---here they are!
Thanks to Chris Henderson, Todd Gaertner, Phil Antry, Gary Lance, Andre Grimes, Shane Gerome, Justin Billau, Brian Jagodzinski, Joe Tibbals, Kevin Beining, Brian Sobolewski, and Rich Gratop. Our live truck technicians who worked the storm included Jason Klocko, Jim Dussel, Adam Weintraub and Seyed Mirmajlessi.
These are the unrecognized people who are outside in the storm and risking personal safety and comfort to bring home the story of the Big Blast.
I hope you all have a very safe weekend!
As I write this edition of my on-line column about decision-making in the newsroom, the skies are bright blue and the sun is shining. But Jay Berschback is forecasting more weekend snow although nothing that would approach the blizzard conditions we experienced earlier in the week.
In my last "Open Window" I included viewer email that cautioned us not to repeat information or to scare people with our coverage of weather events. I explained that our mission is to provide accurate, credible and thorough coverage. We have also received email from viewers who shared very kind evaluations of our coverage of the Big Blast.
Dr. Mark wrote to thank the 13abc staff for "their commitment to excellence, the community and viewers. As former Detroit station viewers, we have been charmed by your coverage. They are tireless in their scheduling additional newscasts when needed and are sophisticated enough to balance the daily news instead of simply looking for the worst in people."
Another Mark wrote in to say that "you are the only station in Toledo that properly covered the UT campus closing and opening at 11:30am. Thank you for getting it right---again."
Carol chimed in by saying that "Channel 13 reporters are doing a FANTASTIC job reporting to viewers the status of the current blizzard. Thanks to all your employees for their dedication to keeping your public informed."
Carol's email raises another point. In my last column, I singled out one of our photographers by name after he went on the air to narrate his video from Ottawa County. A few folks emailed to let me know that they felt strongly that all our photographers and live truck operators who worked in the cold needed to be recognized here by name. So---here they are!
Thanks to Chris Henderson, Todd Gaertner, Phil Antry, Gary Lance, Andre Grimes, Shane Gerome, Justin Billau, Brian Jagodzinski, Joe Tibbals, Kevin Beining, Brian Sobolewski, and Rich Gratop. Our live truck technicians who worked the storm included Jason Klocko, Jim Dussel, Adam Weintraub and Seyed Mirmajlessi.
These are the unrecognized people who are outside in the storm and risking personal safety and comfort to bring home the story of the Big Blast.
I hope you all have a very safe weekend!
Deciding on news coverage of a funeral
(originally posted Feb. 27, 2007)
It doesn't happen often. It is a rare event that draws members of a community together in a common purpose. Too often it seems these events are tragic. The funeral of Toledo Police Detective Keith Dressel bonded the Toledo community in grief for a fallen hero.
The family of Detective Dressel allowed live coverage of the services primarily so that there would be a recorded history of the event for his family and so that those who could not attend in person would be able to watch them via television. Representatives of Toledo's stations met with those planning the services Friday to establish rules for broadcasting the event to the public. It was agreed that our station would provide two pool cameras inside the church. No reporters were allowed inside. A pool camera from another station would be set up at the cemetery. There were cameras allowed outside the church to show the precision of the honor guard, to record the somber strains from bagpipes playing, and to present impressive images of thousands of uniformed officers from throughout the nation unified in their tribute to Detective Dressel.
The broadcast of the services lasted for five and a half hours. Our goal was to make certain that our broadcast of the funeral was presented with the dignity that Detective Dressel, his family, friends and fellow officers deserved.
Here is a sample of email from a viewer who wished to remain unidentified:
"I want to commend you, as well as the other local stations, for the extensive coverage of Detective Dressel's death and funeral. I really appreciated your compassion and professionalism in delivering such a difficult story. My heart aches for the family, friends and the Toledo Police Department. I have a renewed appreciation for the men and women that protect our city. Thank you for giving the public the opportunity to be a part of this hero's farewell."
Naturally, not every viewer took this same point of view. A relative few were disappointed that their favorite entertainment programs were pre-empted. Others wrote us to say they felt the coverage was excessive. While we understand that disruption of a show can be irritating, we stand by our decision to present continuous coverage. A Toledo Police Officer had not been shot and killed in the line of duty since 1970. Toledo's police chief, Michael Navarre, aptly said during his tribute to Detective Dressel, "there is nothing to prepare for that moment---a moment I pray will never be repeated."
We thank all those who were involved in the Monday's services and for allowing our station the privilege of making the services available to the public. And we echo the police chief's prayer while sending our heartfelt sympathies to friends and family members.
It doesn't happen often. It is a rare event that draws members of a community together in a common purpose. Too often it seems these events are tragic. The funeral of Toledo Police Detective Keith Dressel bonded the Toledo community in grief for a fallen hero.
The family of Detective Dressel allowed live coverage of the services primarily so that there would be a recorded history of the event for his family and so that those who could not attend in person would be able to watch them via television. Representatives of Toledo's stations met with those planning the services Friday to establish rules for broadcasting the event to the public. It was agreed that our station would provide two pool cameras inside the church. No reporters were allowed inside. A pool camera from another station would be set up at the cemetery. There were cameras allowed outside the church to show the precision of the honor guard, to record the somber strains from bagpipes playing, and to present impressive images of thousands of uniformed officers from throughout the nation unified in their tribute to Detective Dressel.
The broadcast of the services lasted for five and a half hours. Our goal was to make certain that our broadcast of the funeral was presented with the dignity that Detective Dressel, his family, friends and fellow officers deserved.
Here is a sample of email from a viewer who wished to remain unidentified:
"I want to commend you, as well as the other local stations, for the extensive coverage of Detective Dressel's death and funeral. I really appreciated your compassion and professionalism in delivering such a difficult story. My heart aches for the family, friends and the Toledo Police Department. I have a renewed appreciation for the men and women that protect our city. Thank you for giving the public the opportunity to be a part of this hero's farewell."
Naturally, not every viewer took this same point of view. A relative few were disappointed that their favorite entertainment programs were pre-empted. Others wrote us to say they felt the coverage was excessive. While we understand that disruption of a show can be irritating, we stand by our decision to present continuous coverage. A Toledo Police Officer had not been shot and killed in the line of duty since 1970. Toledo's police chief, Michael Navarre, aptly said during his tribute to Detective Dressel, "there is nothing to prepare for that moment---a moment I pray will never be repeated."
We thank all those who were involved in the Monday's services and for allowing our station the privilege of making the services available to the public. And we echo the police chief's prayer while sending our heartfelt sympathies to friends and family members.
Opening the Window to News Decision-Making
One of the things we journalists really like to do is shine a light into dark corners. We want to see for ourselves what takes place so we can better report to you on such matters.
But we aren’t very good at turning the light on ourselves. The transparency we desire in others doesn’t always apply to news organizations.
It occurred to me that it might be interesting to provide an inside look at the process of how we cover news. And so this is the result of an effort to open the window and invite others to see how decisions are made at 13abc Action News.
Much of what I intend to write about will be generated in response to viewer email. We hear from our viewers every day. As you would expect, some have very legitimate concerns and others do not. But we do read and try to respond to observations made by those who take the time and trouble to write.
Today, for instance, a viewer was concerned that her school was not receiving the appropriate amount of attention. In fact, she insisted that her school was constantly ignored even in our school closing announcements. After researching the matter, I found that her school was featured prominently in our “Quick Look” segment (part of the school closings system) and furnished her with the specific information. She also wondered if her school would be featured on our “Cool Schools” report at 5:00pm. The short answer is not immediately because we can’t include every school in February. But I promised to try and work the school in at a future date which I hope she finds is a good-faith gesture. She was also invited to submit ideas and events from her school to be considered for future coverage. While some of her specifics were wrong, she has a perception that her school has been ignored. We must take that perception seriously and make an effort to change it.
Other email received today includes compliments about our investigative story about those who park in handicapped parking spaces. Many viewers feel this is an important subject and one that makes their blood boil. They don’t like to see people cheat at the expense of those who have a legitimate reason to use the spaces.
I wish that everyone would be happy with how we report the news. Naturally, that’s not always the case. For example, some feel we aren’t tough enough in questioning local leaders about decisions. We try to walk the line between asking tough questions and being respectful of those we cover. But the bottom line is that we work for you. We shouldn’t be too cozy with elected officials and those in positions to exercise power. We are especially aware that some people might feel that we’re too soft when it comes to covering Toledo’s mayor (a former commentator on our station). But if you look at the record you will find that 13abc has consistently reported on a number of controversies involving the mayor and his administration. And that’s as it should be.
Part of our job is to hold the powerful accountable for their actions.
In the future, I’ll address how our staff decides what stories should be covered during a typical day. This space will also be devoted to difficult decisions and especially how we try to avoid making mistakes during live breaking news coverage. And I plan to tackle complaints about TV weather coverage.
I hope you enjoy reading about our decision-making and find it informative. Of course, it will be a little difficult to open the window too wide until we get a little more used to it. Feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts or your story ideas. My address is: brian.trauring@abc.com.
But we aren’t very good at turning the light on ourselves. The transparency we desire in others doesn’t always apply to news organizations.
It occurred to me that it might be interesting to provide an inside look at the process of how we cover news. And so this is the result of an effort to open the window and invite others to see how decisions are made at 13abc Action News.
Much of what I intend to write about will be generated in response to viewer email. We hear from our viewers every day. As you would expect, some have very legitimate concerns and others do not. But we do read and try to respond to observations made by those who take the time and trouble to write.
Today, for instance, a viewer was concerned that her school was not receiving the appropriate amount of attention. In fact, she insisted that her school was constantly ignored even in our school closing announcements. After researching the matter, I found that her school was featured prominently in our “Quick Look” segment (part of the school closings system) and furnished her with the specific information. She also wondered if her school would be featured on our “Cool Schools” report at 5:00pm. The short answer is not immediately because we can’t include every school in February. But I promised to try and work the school in at a future date which I hope she finds is a good-faith gesture. She was also invited to submit ideas and events from her school to be considered for future coverage. While some of her specifics were wrong, she has a perception that her school has been ignored. We must take that perception seriously and make an effort to change it.
Other email received today includes compliments about our investigative story about those who park in handicapped parking spaces. Many viewers feel this is an important subject and one that makes their blood boil. They don’t like to see people cheat at the expense of those who have a legitimate reason to use the spaces.
I wish that everyone would be happy with how we report the news. Naturally, that’s not always the case. For example, some feel we aren’t tough enough in questioning local leaders about decisions. We try to walk the line between asking tough questions and being respectful of those we cover. But the bottom line is that we work for you. We shouldn’t be too cozy with elected officials and those in positions to exercise power. We are especially aware that some people might feel that we’re too soft when it comes to covering Toledo’s mayor (a former commentator on our station). But if you look at the record you will find that 13abc has consistently reported on a number of controversies involving the mayor and his administration. And that’s as it should be.
Part of our job is to hold the powerful accountable for their actions.
In the future, I’ll address how our staff decides what stories should be covered during a typical day. This space will also be devoted to difficult decisions and especially how we try to avoid making mistakes during live breaking news coverage. And I plan to tackle complaints about TV weather coverage.
I hope you enjoy reading about our decision-making and find it informative. Of course, it will be a little difficult to open the window too wide until we get a little more used to it. Feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts or your story ideas. My address is: brian.trauring@abc.com.
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