USENET Postings: KGTV Special News Reports (March 4, 2002)

From Joe St. Lucas:

Ok, it might be worthwhile to some, and you can call me a heartless 
bastard all you want, but pre-empting the only good shows on tv tonight
(February 27th) to have some "news special" on at 9 on channel 10 is just 
crap.  There's no news on this murder investigation that won't be able to 
wait until the standard time of 11 pm.


From John Oliver:

Blood and gore sells.  That actually has some slight redeeming value.
I get pissed when a good show is pre-empted by the Olympics or some
such nonsense... that crap was on often enough as it was.  Good
riddance for two years, I say...

*Now* who's the heartless bastard??? :-)


From Dave Lister:

Channel 10 thinks running a trial in the media is "hard news", so don't 
be surprised what they decide is worth an interruption. After all, they 
had a camera crew camped in Sabre Springs for weeks.


From Alan Pollock:

They also pre-empted World News at 6. 

Now that's just plain *ignorant* and there's no excuse for it, especially
since they'd already been reporting on the Van Damme thing for at least the
previous half-hour in the most repetitive, non-informational, speculative,
gaudy, tabloidish, time-wasing manner imaginable.

An *attempt* at lurid sensationalism. They didn't even get it right. If you're
going to do it, Do it. Be frankly, unabashedly sensationalist. Go the whole
hog. Entertain at least. Don't pretend it's hard news and that you're doing
the community a service by dragging it all out interminably, by speculating,
by guessing, by talking and talking and saying practically nothing, then
repeating it 25 times.

It was shameful, cheap, hokey and unprofessional. Unworthy of our city.

Total disrespect to the viewer And the family. One feels for them!

I guess somebody at KGTV's to blame, but they all played along and I'll bet a
few employees were wincing. Quietly, in the shadows apparently.

KGTV: click! Because that's one too many times.

Nex


From JKlompas:

Hell, they'd been on since 2 o'clock with their mind-numbingly bad reporters
and Hal and the useless bitches at the anchor desk repeating the same crap over
and over and over.

Ch 10 is the National Enquirer of local news.  How anybody can watch it is
beyond me.  

To their credit, Channel 39 went to regular programming at 6.


From Jim Harkins:

I agree.  Got home about 6, they had a special going on how a body had been
found.  Cooked dinner, for 30 minutes all I heard was 30 seconds of real
info, and 29 minutes 30 seconds of repeats and them saying "we're waiting
for the news conference at 6:30".  Okayyyyy.  As you have no f'n
information for me, how about showing me the national news?  

Don't take me wrong, I feel for the Van Dams.  But what's the point to this
kind of crap?  If you don't know anything don't blather like idiots.  

jim


From Bart Bailey:

Isn't this what San Diegans want, "leadership"?

I'm fortunate to live in a section of North Park that gives my outdoor antennas
a shot at LA.
Maybe if the local newscasters use both hands, they can dislodge their heads.
The Los Angeles stations provide better, concise, factual, and less cluttered
coverage of San Diego news than the locals do.
.....even with my challenged capacity in the Spanish language, I find the
Tijuana stations more informative.

Anybody remember the "good ole days" of KCST?


From Joe Crawford:

Local news tv is currently worse than useless. But it simply won't die.

Question to change the thread -- what local news sources are worthwhile, 
and why?

And more, what are the best local news sources you've ever seen (past 
and present, local and non-local) - and what made them good?

Just tossing it out there.


From Bart Bailey:

Assuming you mean coverage of local news.

Current:
KNX  - 1070 AM radio
A trunk tracking scanner configured to the SD Public Service system.
KCAL - ch9 TV
KTLA - ch5 TV

Past:
KCST - ch39 TV  When they had their helicopter.
The San Diego edition of the L A Times.
The San Diego Tribune. Before the Union's deteriorating influence.
The San Diego Reader prior to Holman's corruption.
The BBC when KPBS used to carry it all night.
KPFK - 90.7 FM  Before XLNC began jamming it 2 years ago.


From JKlompas:

KNSD HAS a helicopter.  Given the choices in local news, they seem to be the
best (but that's not saying much).  Good, solid reporters, no over-hyping the
news.

KUSI could be decent if they got rid of that wuss Alan Frio, Ted Dawson (god,
if he isn't a pedophile) and Paul Rudy.  I lost all respect for Paul Bloom with
his coverage of the van Dam case.  That fawning was nauseating.  Their weekend
news is a joke with anchors befitting small-town middle America.

KFMB is a joke-firing all of the experienced reporters and replacing them with
modern-day "journalists". All it takes is a news conference on a big case to
show what idiots these kids are-All stations not just Ch 8.

KGTV used to be the aboslute worst until XETV started their news coverage.  I
never thought I'd see worse coverage than KGTV.
While we're at it...who the hell hired Kim Edwards for TV???  She makes me
physically ill every time I see her.  She's got a great face for radio.  K.
Hunt looks like a prostitute.  They haven't treated sports seriously since Al
Coupee left.  The guy now is almost passible but that lez on the weekends is a
joke.

It's sad when you have to turn to LA to get decent news.

All stations should take a cue from KNX and KTLA.  Their "suits" seem to
realize that SD news is shit since they seem to have expanded their coverage
of San Diego.  KNX has always had a stringer here but the reports seem to be
more frequent.


From Brian:

All local coverage is lame, they all focus on the latest fire, theft,
crash or other horror.  Wheres the talk about issues that affect the
whoile community, as opposed to a very small number of people, you know
taxes, electricity, energy, housing availability?  This is why I use the
net, talkradio, and national cable channels for news coverage.


From Bart Bailey:

JKlompas wrote:

> >>Question to change the thread -- what local news sources are worthwhile,
> >> and why?
>
> >KCST - ch39 TV  When they had their helicopter.
>
> KNSD HAS a helicopter.  Given the choices in local news, they seem to be the
> best (but that's not saying much).  Good, solid reporters, no over-hyping the
> news.

I was referring more to the spirit of their past reporting during the time between
acquisition of the bird and change to KNSD.
I agree that they are the easiest to watch, that is, until Katie Couric's visage
shows up.

> KUSI could be decent if they got rid of that wuss Alan Frio, Ted Dawson (god,
> if he isn't a pedophile) and Paul Rudy.  I lost all respect for Paul Bloom with
> his coverage of the van Dam case.  That fawning was nauseating.  Their weekend
> news is a joke with anchors befitting small-town middle America.

I think the KUSI ax should begin with the DiBono/Plante team, they're absolutely
disgusting.
Even more so that that obnoxious Rob Luck.
Stan Miller is OK,
Susan Lennon is refreshingly professional, probably will bail out after the kid to
a larger market.
Shame that they couldn't keep Holly Herbert.

> KFMB is a joke-firing all of the experienced reporters and replacing them with
> modern-day "journalists".

I hope you don't classify "Tortner" as any kind of journalist these days.
He was very good after arrival here from TX,
but since his return from LA,
is just a chortling fool that can only be a negative influence on Barbara Lee

> All it takes is a news conference on a big case to
> show what idiots these kids are-All stations not just Ch 8.
>
> KGTV used to be the aboslute worst until XETV started their news coverage.

That's the "Fox Six" attitude, as they call it.
Yep, a real waste of air time.

> I
> never thought I'd see worse coverage than KGTV.
> While we're at it...who the hell hired Kim Edwards for TV???  She makes me
> physically ill every time I see her.  She's got a great face for radio.  K.
> Hunt looks like a prostitute.

In spite of the 647b look, I have to credit Himberly with a good journalistic
style, then maybe it's because she is showcased next to that crossed eyed xtian with the
electrodes.

> They haven't treated sports seriously since Al
> Coupee left.

Don't forget the all time best sportscaster 10 ever had, Eddie Alexander.
Who cares what he did off camera.

In a balancing plug for KGTV,
I have to say one of the friendlier personalities in this market is their WX guy,
James Qui¤ones.

>
> It's sad when you have to turn to LA to get decent news.

Yes it is.


From Inky:

I lost ALL my faith in the news media last march at Santana.  I never saw such 
disregard for human feelings in my entire life as they exhibited towards 
students and parents.  All in the name of reporting this "human tragedy".  And 
they came across on tv as so sympathetic to the feelings, but when you were 
actually there, it was something else altogether.  Something sick...