Raw, but c*nsored blabbing and blogging of a young journalista
and local news producer in Southern New England.
email topstorylive % at # gmail + dot = com

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Getting the hang of THIS Thursday

It's getting way too late for me to even think about going to IKEA in Stoughton. It's almost 4:00. I've no idea how far away Stoughton is but I'm sure I couldn't be back before 7:00. I'd better eat something before then too. I haven't had anything to eat, really, since yesterday's dinner.

Ah, the website says IKEA Stoughton is not open until November 9th. Jeesh.

But! There is an IKEA in New Haven. Hmm. That's still one hell of a drive.

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It's starting to get cold thanks to the blasting wind. I guess I'd better close the window. And it's starting to rain again. I love it. I am so happy the hot summer is over. I feel like I need rain to wash away the encrusted dirt of the past four-five months.

I'm going to have to shave today too.

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I get to / have to produce a show tomorrow because one of the other producers had a death in the family. Tch.

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Big doin's in the apartment this "week-end." I got the Bubba Keg. I ended up ordering a 34-ounce one off eBay. Washed it today finally. It's not the big 56-ounce Keg, and while it's designed to fit in a cupholder it will still have to ride shotgun in my passenger seat. But what fun it is already.

More Internet purchases are already coming in. I took some survey emailed out to news producers a month or so ago and in return I just received a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. I looked at my Wish List, and decided to get some of the more eccentric things off it, like the Simply Red CD that had that funky song on it which sounded like two other songs, including a Steely Dan song. So I got like 4 CDs, all used, from various places, and paid only $4.44 total. Not too bad.

Got a pair of new wallets when I was at Staples the other night, looking for the old-style Jabra EarBoom. The Jabras had apparently been purchased or clearanced, and only the new goofy looking ones were there. Hmph. Anyway, I got a good replacement for my single-fold business card carrier/wallet. This is by Wenger, the Swiss Army Knife people, and includes a little "jotter" notepad and place for a pen. The downside of course is that this creates a much thicker wallet. We'll see how long I keep this one. The best part, was that this wallet was on clearance... down from like $12-24 or something like that to $1.50. SOLD!

The other wallet is much thinner and even more of an impulse buy. It has little more than a picture ID pocket, a few pockets for credit cards with an elastic band over them keeping them in place, and a pouch in the middle. It isn't quite going to work for dollar bills -- you have to fold them in four -- but we'll see how long I keep *that.* Even though I probably won't try and take it back at this point.

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Still need to get a new can of shaving cream. Hopefully I'll find something that isn't an aerosol.

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Also last night at Target there was the worst screaming child EVER. This kid was in the center of the store, in Toddler's Clothing, with his mother and sister, and I was at the back, in the Men's department, and I swear his voice was carrying to the entire big-box building. I was at least 50 feet from him and there were big walls between the departments and between us. He went on for several minutes.

When some of his repertoire included "Put me down" I just about walked straight over and in my best loud-and-clear-reach-the-little-old-lady-in-row-Z voice said,

SO IS THIS YOUR CHILD OR ARE YOU KIDNAPPING HIM?"

and then to the child I might have said, gripping his arm firmly, "Listen, you. You are to be quiet and polite at once or someone you don't know will come make your life very unhappy. When you are out in public you are to behave. Once you get home to your room you can scream all you want."

But I lost my nerve. I just promptly wrapped up my shopping and left. As luck would have it the child and his mother and sister were checking out about the same time as me but I did not directly walk out with them.

Later I realized, well, unless the woman in charge of him would follow through on my threat, or punish him, rather than just letting him scream (supposedly learning that he can scream all he wants but he's not going to get his way or attention) that my threatening him would do no good whatsoever.

To say nothing of the concept that the mother and/or Target could perhaps try to call authorities on me for being a stranger threatening an innocent child.

And for those who are wondering, no, I've never had children of my own.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/29/2005 04:59:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Playing with computer programs

:: rogerebert.com :: Happy Endings: "'Happy Endings' maintains a certain level of intrigue, and occasionally bursts into life, especially when Gyllenhaal or Arnold is involved. I also like the way Mamie, the Kudrow character, becomes obsessed with Nicky's documentary; 'Final Cut Pro' becomes as addictive for her as a video game. "

Fun!

However, I'm told that a couple of the young-man characters get a little more than a bit R-rated... so watch out.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/29/2005 04:58:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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Martha: Goodbye

Martha tonight said, "I wish you good luck. Goodbye." to the latest gay man drama queen to be kicked off her version of "The Apprentice."

Tonight was pretty interesting there at the end. Jim and XXXXXXXX were both kind of at either end of the seesaw over the pariah that Dawn is becoming. Jim was very adamant to keep XXXXXXXX on the team, and even said "I love you," to him at one point. In the conference room, meeting with Martha at the end, while XXXXXXXX was "taking full responsiblity for the team's failure" Jim was all about "That is an insult, you did your best, how dare you quit" and Martha was even getting all up'n'it, telling people not to quit and getting incredulous in her muted way.

Then, of course, she said, "Women don't cry in business." Bitch. 8^)

So maybe her thing is "Goodbye." That's the only thing that's the same from last week.

It's like the anti-gimmick. Knowing her as we, the general public do, she probably doesn't want to become the punch line like "YOU'RE FIRED!" has. The entire show, what little I've seen of it (since I tuned in for the last ten minutes or so tonight) seems to be understated like her.

It's not even "YOU ARE THE WEAKEST LINK. GOODBYE!" Is it a disappointment?

You know, I'm going to have to find the show's web page and see if ALL the male contestants are gay. I mean, the one guy who had his own clothing business seemed pretty butch, but maybe it was just that he was Italian in heritage. (shrug)

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/29/2005 02:49:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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Hungry, and Crazy

Dammit. I'm hungry. It's almost 1 AM (and time for the rebroadcast of Fox 25 News at 10 -- not like I don't got no life or nuthin') and I am hungry.

Okay, I know I only had one real meal today. And made my stomach wait too long between my extensive workout and eating. But I simply CANNOT go to Tim Hortons and get a large BLT on a whole wheat Mini Baguette and a small, medium or large IceCap, maybe made with chocolate milk. Well, what the hell am I going to eat?

I grant I got up at noon instead of 7 or 9 am. But still. Hmm. I feel guilty.

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Watching the Late Late Show...
Alan Alda's on the West Wing? I am such a dumbass. I'm going to have to Netflix the entire series to back up and start over from the beginning... unless I rip it off from the buddy who DVRs it and burns the entire season to DVDs all the time.

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed sounds like Alda doing Augusten Burroughs! (Or maybe they just had weird childhoods and wrote memoirs about it.) Kewl!

Carl Reiner on the book, as quoted by Alda on the show: "You know, you're entitled to be a lot crazier than you are."

Personally, perhaps, I'm not as entitled to be as crazy as I am. You know? Probably not.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/29/2005 01:07:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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"Bitch" vs. strong (woman)

This is a copy of my lengthy comment at Open Door Policy:The Open Source Work Relationship: "Bitch" as a power word:

Sorry it's a long comment:

The good, or bad, thing about this business, is that some people who succeed can be regarded as bitchy or pushy.

My old boss, bless him, was both of these; as well as neither of these and a spoiled brat. He, like Steve Jobs, was all
I want my
I want my
I want my look and feel
especially when it came to the on-air product. He was FAMOUS for not tolerating certain errors -- at the top of his lungs.

Now that he is gone some have noticed that things are getting looser and going slack -- and all these yes-men and -women are in place, so a bit of anarchy is in order. The old rules that were never broken (or he'd come down hard on you) are now up for discussion.

Still, this sort of person gets things done. Sometimes done well. At least one of the people I work with, one of the best producers in the shop, is pushy and can be mouthy.

I'm often a bitch, in Safran's definition; I love to bitch about my coworkers' faults. But I'm ready to admit my own faults at the drop of a hat.

I could get a LOT better at being helpful and constructive in my complaining about problems in policy around the newsroom, and say "This is wrong and we need to change this". Sometimes I just scream it across the room as a psychopathic rant because I just want to be a drama queen and I'm not allowed to KILL people at random.

As for aggressively pursuing information, I kind of bitched the other day in the morning meeting about how a talk radio host, whom I'm starting to dislike/be bored with, was trying to make a mountain out of a molehill (specifically, why is the Governor getting a 24-hour-a-day state police detail, mainly, the adding of overnight guards at his home where before there were none). And one of my superiors said, "well, that's what journalists do," raise the question about changes in policy.

Knowing the demand the Beast has for us, the talk show host also has to come up with SOMETHING to put on the air. (shrug)

This also reminds me of a question I had in an interview for a job I didn't get: Did I have any problem with strong women? Probably thinking it a silly question, I said no. I was also asked about my most recent news director at the time, who was a bit of a strong woman. I liked her, even though she wanted what she wanted, but she was good at having high standards, but not having an iron fist. She could be frank in giving an order but not caustic.

The same with an anchor-reporter I didn't get much chance to work with before she left. I also liked her. She's the type of (classy? definitely brassy) woman who you expect to see running down the stairs in a phalanx of reporter-characters in a movie in high heels to get the murder suspect just acquitted on the air before anyone else. She could breathe fire at times, and she didn't think the news director liked her because she wasn't a yes-man/-woman. Hard to say, these days.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/29/2005 12:51:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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PATRIOT Act

Unfortunately we missed something on the air the other night, not even carrying it as a 20-second VO. On Monday, September 26th, 2005, at Roger Williams University, there was a forum on the USA PATRIOT Act, organized by the Rhode Island League of Women Voters.

Decent stuff to bring up. Sorry I missed it. But the article in the Bristol Phoenix has some great discussion of its own on the PATRIOT Act. The following is ripped off from last Thursday's article by Denise Kinney:

What is the Patriot Act?

In response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, the 107th Congress passed Patriot Act (HR 3162 RDS) six weeks later on Oct. 24 to "enhance domestic security." In short, the sweeping legislation expands the powers of law enforcement nationwide.

Enacted "To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes," the Patriot Act has been applauded by supporters as a protector of the welfare of the nation and blasted by critics for excessive government interference.

Besides presenting their views in turn, the three panelists [scheduled to appear at the forum] -- U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente, Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Peter Margulies, professor of law at Roger Williams University, will comment on several sections in particular.

They are:

* Section 213: Which authorizes "sneak and peek" search warrants

* Section 215: Which authorizes the FBI to compel judges to issue warrants to seize library, medical, and business records without notifying the person involved

* Section: 505: Which authorizes the Justice Department to seize secretly and without judicial approval business and financial records and membership lists of organizations that use the Internet

* Section 802: Which defines "domestic terrorism" to include any act that is "dangerous to human life," and is intended to influence governmental policy. Protesters could be targeted under this section.

The League of Women Voters, at a glance

* A non-partisan organization founded in 1920 as an outgrowth of the Women's Suffragette movement.

* Purpose is to promote informed and active participation of citizens in government

* Organized on three levels, national, state and local

* Studies government issues and develops consensus at League meetings; testifies and lobbies to promote consensus positions.

* Sponsors candidate debates, informational meetings and forums

* Has taken the position that basic civil liberties must be preserved and protected, and is fighting against unnecessary infringements on the basic rights that uphold the democratic system of government.

This leads to this little Flash movie, which I wish I could record and transcribe because it would be great (re-)reading in addition to the viewing.

I didn't (haven't YET) fill out the form associated with the movie, even though I was creeped out.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/28/2005 01:16:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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Easy drug saves a life

This is how prevalent methamphetamine has gotten, apparently:

11Alive.com: Atlanta News - 'Unlikely Angel' Gave Nichols Meth:

Ashley Smith, the woman who says she persuaded suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols to release her by talking about her faith in God, discloses in a new book that she gave him methamphetamine during the hostage ordeal.
Smith did not share that detail with authorities after she talked her way out of captivity.
In her book, "Unlikely Angel," released Tuesday, the 27-year-old Smith says Nichols had her bound on her bed with masking tape and an extension cord. She says he asked for marijuana, but she did not have any, so she dug into her illegal stash of crystal meth instead.

Hmm. Where can I get some of this shit to ruin my life?

(Which, crystal meth or The Purpose Driven Life?) HA!

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/28/2005 01:05:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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What A Country!

[edited 01092006]

"What A Country!" -- Yakov Smirnoff

....who took the "Latka Gravas" joke and expanded upon it about twofold, but didn't bring any of the emotional/external baggage that Andy Kaufman did.

Ever hear of the tv network Great American Country, or GAC?

Me neither. Maybe it doesn't sell in the North where country music is all set with CMT (Country Music Television).
Where THE NASHVILLE NETWORK evolved into THE NATIONAL NETWORK, and then SpikeTV, somewhere along the line GAC fell into the groove. Maybe it's on FiOS. HA!

Well, the AP reports that the network, freshly snapped up by Scripps, home to Food Network, and several other homemaking nets, is moving from Denver to Nashville. This one network, supposedly, will bring 1,000 jobs to the city.

Are you sure? You have that many program producers and staff and whatnot in house? And they're not going to move with you?

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And you know what I heard tonight while driving home on 92 PRO FM courtesy of Kerry Collins? As presented: Actress Renee Zellweger dumped divorced country music star Kenny Chesney because he's supposedly bisexual and getting too much d*ck outside the home.

Why do we care?

Probably because somebody who's famous isn't allowed to hide the fact that they're gay from people who are gay, and people who are gay want the straight world to know that the famous people who are hiding it are hiding it. I think.

Free Lance-Star's "Dishing It" column

However, here's the deal.

The rumor that will try to stick: Renee wanted kids. Kenny did not. Renee did not realize this until well after signing the marriage certificate. Renee claims FRAUD as one of the reasons for divorce.

The rumor that's dirtiest that people will like better: Kenny wanted a fake marriage to a woman because he prefers men. Renee was either fooled into believing he was in love with her or needed a publicity boost of her own. Renee did not realize either that Kenny is oriented toward men or that Kenny was not in love with her until well after signing the marriage certificate. Renee claims FRAUD as one of the reasons for divorce.

>/stupidcelebritygossip<

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/28/2005 12:48:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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... bring an umbrella, and stay classy

It's raining outside as I type this. The raindrops are spattering on the window sill in my bedroom. It makes me want to close the window altogether but I daren't; I don't want it to heat up. I want it to cool off.

The Weather Man (2005)

I saw Nic Cage in front of a chroma wall today on TV (probably on "Inside Edition" or some syndicated tabloidy newsmagazine like it) during our noon rundown meeting and was like "HUH?" "The Weather Man" was the answer.

Then, was Bryant Gumbel one of the anchors I saw throwing to him?

I didn't want to interrupt the proceedings, and it's a good thing I didn't, but maybe the cow-orkers would be interested. Maybe, like with Anchorman, the station could try and arrange a midnight preview/showing... or, failing a freebie, sponsor a preview/showing?... or maybe just organize an outing, pay-your-own way.

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TAKE YOUR PICK:
I'm Ron Burgundy. Stay classy, San Diego.
or
I'm Ron Burgundy. Go fuck yourself, San Diego!

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/26/2005 11:36:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Stabstabstab

Green Bay Press-Gazette - Man stabbed with serving fork, say neighbors

Bad taste:

BRAD, IN "THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW": "We must have taken the wrong fork in the road."
AUDIENCE MEMBER: "You took the salad fork!"

Fork you!

Tines for the memories....

All right. Maybe I won't get a serving fork so soon after all.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/26/2005 11:08:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Mmmmm

I decided to try getting a rotisserie chicken from Shaw's to see if it was cheap enough to make for a couple days' worth of meals, on a suggestion from a friend.

About midnight I got a hankering for a bit -- hadn't been to bed yet -- and pulled it out the fridge. I heated it up in the microwave to the package specifications. Then came the carving. I don't have a proper carving knife and fork, so I just took out one of my sharper longer knives and a regular large fork. I had to go find "How to Cook Everything" to look up the directions to carve a bird. I kind of had to adlib some bits, but that's typical with chicken from what I remember. (Right, Kel?)

I threw the bones back in the package and decided to take it out to the dumpster. Get rid of it straight away, so it didn't linger in my apartment attracting flies (even though it would have been closed).

Now... after having the first couple bits with just a dash of salt on... gotta figure out what else to flavor it with. It's quite decent on its own, but it needs just that little bit extra. Soy sauce? Lime juice? Garlic powder? I should get more spices.

Soy sauce
Lime juice
Peanut sauce
Perhaps a bit of the buffalo sauce that's been kicking around in the door of my fridge
Do I have any teriyaki marinade left over? It's rather thick, it'd have to be mixed with something.

You know what I should cook to put with it? Little cherry tomatoes, or regular size tomatoes, boiled to get the skin off, and with olive oil and roasted cloves of garlic. Friend of mine's brother-in-law is a catering chef; I'm stealing that from him. Delicious with chicken.

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In other Mmmmm news, I tried hazelnut iced coffee today. It needed a spot of milk. I ended tossing the last bit out. Sad, no? It was better when I tried a little hazelnut-flavored creamer in hot coffee over Labor Day in Ashland.

Hazelnut, whether it's a correct association or not, makes me think of a friend of ours with the middle name Barbesino. I remember him one day really SAVOURING (yes, with the British/Canadian U) a cup of Dunkin Donuts Hazelnut. Yummmm.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/23/2005 02:47:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
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Bubba Keg

One of the photogs at work used to have this behemoth of a coffee/travel mug; it was less MUG and more STEIN, or BARREL. It carried enough coffee/tea/Coke/water/beer???/juice/drink for his entire day without refilling (restroom facilities not included, but when you're a guy in the field, with no toilet in the live truck, you can usually just unzip and let fly where cameras fear to tread, right?).

Recently he came in with a replacement, entitled The Bubba Keg. It was about the same size, and blue in color (not chroma blue, not blue with a lot of red, not purplish-blue, and not sky blue -- this becomes more important later in the story). He has added a tall straw courtesy of On The Run.

Since then I have seen Bubba Kegs in my local Targets: a 20-something oz. version, a 34-ounce version (designed to fit in a car's cup holder, but is it too tall for my 97 Jetta's cup holder with the ashtray removed?) and the original 52-ounce version. All are black. However, there are also "hot" or "chroma" blue, or blue with a lot of purple in it, versions of the 52-ounce version.

In my infinite (ha!) wisdom I've gotten curious and decided I've gotta have one. I am consuming (...) a lot of coffee, water, soda, diet soda, caffeine free diet soda, and such like once again at work and elsewhere. There's also, according to the Bubba Keg legends out there on the Web, much more reason to get one.

Pour in a hot drink, it stays hot for 3 hours!
Pour in an iced drink, it stays cold and the ice stays frozen for 12 hours!

Well, maybe the ICE doesn't stay frozen but you get the idea.

"Why don't you just buy a Thermos? Or something along those lines from Aladdin, one of their big competitors?"

....Hmm.... probably novelty. And the appearance of great strength. It's steel, or steel-looking. And all the Bubba Keg products have a great feature: the handles are COMPLETE "D" handles, instead of just being partial. A complete D lets you hook it to, say, a backpack, with a carabiner or other hook.

Googling the Bubba Keg brings up various things -- many that are not related to what I'm looking for. We also learn that Molson in Canada makes a "bubba keg" of a beer can that's 5 litres of Molson -- the beer version of a box of wine, kinda. There's also a rapper out there named Bubba Sparxxx. But there's no serious way out there to buy a Bubba Keg that easily, beyond those few units at Target.

BubbaKeg.com is under construction. The maker, IN ZONE's official web page featuring the Bubba line, says they're available at various chain stores, like Wal-Mart, Sports Authority, and others.

Today I actually deigned to try the Seekonk Wal-Mart. I had no REAL intention to buy one from the Walton empire, I just wanted to see how much I would save if I put my money in their wallet rather than buy one on the Internet. They had none, thank goodness. I even tried KMart and Sports Authority, and nothing. (About the time I arrived at Sports Authority tonight I realized, I'm a journalist, why couldn't I have had the sense to call all these places?)

Where the Bubba Kegs went: Wal-Mart used to have them, but rolled them back to clearance prices in August, according to a thread on The DIS Discussion Forums.

So my next move is on Froogle and eBay. Got any ideas for other places to try?

eBay reveals that there are four colors out there: lime green, hot pink/purple, sky blue, and neon orange, in the various sizes. Prices are very reasonable, until you bring the cost of SHIPPING into the picture. Including shipping, some prices can top $15. No thanks.

Do I want any of these colors? I would tend to prefer to stand out and not have blue -- because I really don't want to match my co-worker -- but ORANGE? Neon GREEN? Hot PINK? Hmm. There's no primary colors out there?

Pink would be just TOO gay. And wouldn't I get sick of neon green? Sky blue would be another blue to match the cow-orker, and would show dirt more, as would orange.

....I'll let you know what I pick once I've finished overthinking this. 8^)

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/21/2005 10:39:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Wrap-up of episode 1

I didn't get a) why Dawn was so vilified and b) why Jim had anything against him.

Everybody looked to Dawn because this was her area of expertise; the only thing that fucked with her was corporate/managerial meddling... of Jeff. Did anybody give her a chance to turn out something?

....I love how all these people are bitchy and unprofessional and talking over each other..... NOT....

"You just don't fit in.

Goodbye."

EEW! That's her catchphrase?

BOOOOOOOOOOO!

....The correct person went bye-bye. Though he would have made great television.

Maybe the "writing of a letter" is her gimmick.

Oooooooo! "Search Yahoo for Apprentice Book....." says the squeezed-credits promo, and "The Apprentice Martha Stewart Tie-In" pops up.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/21/2005 09:05:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Apprentice dish: episode 1

[edited 01092006]

Jeff the Project Manager is being a D*CK. Face it, creatives (like myself) don't go for EXECUTIVE DECISIONS and single-boss angling -- you must all come together to decide.

Yeah, it helps that Howie is wearing a green shirt.

Why is it that these big corporate hotshots, men who are like 45 years old, hold on to names like CHIP?! There's one, like a lawyer or something, that my company has worked with.

Aha! Matchstick's project manager's rhyming attacked! And rightfully so! RHYMING SOUNDS FORCED! especially when talking about putting Hansel and Gretel in the big city. Which is an idea I adore.

Okay, can I buy these books they wrote/created?! The profit can go to charity!!!!!!

The catchphrase in the running so far: "Please leave." or "Time to go home."

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/21/2005 08:43:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Martha's Catchphrase

Okay. I'm watching the premiere of "Martha Stewart: The Apprentice." The open as she walks thru the HQ looks a little staged. She's a great narrator but...

I'm thinking I don't have to watch the entire thing; I only want to see what the famous catchphrase is going to be.

Shawn, the TV Newscaster, looks way like Suze Orman.

Ha, "Sweet Dreams" meets "Money, Money, Money" for the theme music. Very nice. But I'm an Annie Lennox fan so I'm biased in favor of it.

Oh, these are two corporations, Matchstick vs. .... missed the other one 'cause I didn't know I was supposed to be watching it.

My idea for Martha's Catchphrase answer to "You're Fired!": either "You're Finished!" or "You're Done Here!" because she's not going to be smacking people verbally the way "You're Fired!" does, from what I've heard, she's going to be more toned down. As she should be to stay in character.

Actually, isn't Martha a better candidate for this sort of thing than the Trumpster?

Bethanny looks a teeny bit like Soledad O'Brien.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/21/2005 08:08:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Your employer's emergency plan

The AP's Alan Sayre, on Nola.com: NewsFlash - New Orleans TV outlets face tough challenges:

...after Katrina, the center [of the New Orleans television market] — Orleans Parish and its 480,000 residents — is largely a ghost town, while the immediate suburbs suffered heavy wind and flood damage of their own.

Businesses that advertise are flat on their backs and hundreds of thousands of viewers have evacuated far out of broadcast range. Many are not expected to return for at least months.

All of the major TV news outlets say they are committed to either getting back or staying on the air, but the companies largely say it's too early to tell what the long-term financial implications will be.

In many cases, reports the AP, (possibly thanks to the "hubbing" system of television station groups) NOLA's TV stations are using other facilities to put their newscasts on the air.

Does YOUR television station have a plan in place for alternate ways of staying in business? At a previous station I stumbled across the plan in a dusty looseleaf binder stuck at the bottom of a bookshelf of under-used books at the end of the assignment desk. You might want to ask your supervisor what's going to happen if The Big One comes creeping at your door -- use the local PBS station? Set up shop at the transmitter and everybody becomes infertile? Share services with a 10:00/9:00 news station you have partnership with? (of course, in this competitive day and age, does anybody have that sort of friendly partnership anymore beyond sharing pool camera tapes?)

Then of course, what are YOU going to do when The Big One hits your house? Head for work and camp out... or head for the hills?

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/17/2005 01:18:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Enough reality!

Associated Press reports at Newsday.com: TV Viewers Say Enough With Reality Shows:

Most people say they've had about enough of the reality shows and talk shows crowding the airwaves, an AP-TV Guide poll found.
They still have a big appetite for news programming -- a more traditional source of reality TV -- with almost three in four saying they're satisfied with the amount of news on TV or they want more.

MORE news? The market for television news is ALREADY oversaturated! CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg Information Television, CNN Headline News, ESPNEWS, and numerous other channels and shows are out there. What MORE do people want? The ability to see CNN International 24 hours a day instead of just the middle of the night? SkyNews from Europe? The BBC on a replay channel? Canadian news? News from around the country (everybody's 6 or 11 for the entire region in a rotating schedule, perhaps? See WPRI from yesterday at 4:30 PM, then WBZ at 5, then WGME at 5:30???)?

The all-news channels -- now including CNN Headline News, now that they've increased their live programming (instead of being a replay channel,* and then a story- or segment-replay channel) -- tend to focus on (satellite) interview segments with pundits blathering until some major live breaking news event happens that can be tuned in on satellite.

*Note: Has anybody come up with better terms than "news(cast) replay channel" or "news segment-replay channel" to describe what I'm specifically trying to say?

News(cast) replay channel: A cable channel, often available to subscribers of only one cable system, that broadcasts one local TV station's previous newscasts over and over until the next newscast goes live -- in a sense, the way CNN Headline News used to several years ago. Examples: The Rhode Island News Channel, whatever WMTW calls its 24 hour rebroadcast of News 8 on Channel 9, and Belo's various cable news channels, including NewsWatch on Channel 15 in New Orleans.

News segment-replay channel: A cable channel that broadcasts ever-changing newscasts around the clock that are sometimes live, but mostly taped. CNN Headline News was one of these until its recent overhaul; these days the Time Warner group of local cable news channels are the biggest ones (these include NY1, Capital News 9, News 14 Carolina, Bay News 9, and RNews).

** Note: Unsalted macadamia nuts are almost pointless.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/14/2005 07:04:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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ABC en espanol

I don't usually blog items that are in Broadcasting and Cable or its companion mag Multichannel News but I get semi-daily updates from them and their Hispanic Television Update Newsletter and other newsletters, and I thought this was cool:

ABC Adds Spanish to Entire Primetime Slate

...
The network is about to become the first big broadcast network in the States to supply its primetime lineup entirely in Spanish — using a combination of dubbing and closed-captioning — and it's doing so on day one of its new fall schedule, Sept. 19.

I can't decide if this idea is past due, just about timed right, or ahead of its time. Actually, it's definitely not ahead of its time.

Previously, George Lopez [starring the Latino comedian] was the only ABC series that aired in both English and Spanish-language versions.
...
Casting is currently underway for Spanish-speaking actors to voice the roles on [Desperate] Housewives and Lost.

Hmm. So does George Lopez dub himself or what?

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/14/2005 05:32:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Subterranean Homepage News

Hey, have I ever told you that Sheila Lennon at Subterranean Homepage News (i.e. the Projo) links to me along with dozens of other RI bloggers?

I feel like taking her out for a very cheap but fun lunch.

(You too, woneffe,, LLR, and all the rest. Sunidesus I see practically every day, so I'll have to think of something else. Maybe I'll just pop for her chips and queso one of these days. 8^D

(Mmmm.... Queso.....)

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/11/2005 08:36:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Bush, FEMA, government censorship continueth

Reuters' Deborah Zabarenko: Media groups: FEMA censoring death:

When U.S. officials asked the media not to take pictures of those killed by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, they were censoring a key part of the disaster story, free speech watchdogs said on Wednesday.

The move by the Federal Emergency Management Agency is in line with the Bush administration's ban on images of flag-draped U.S. military coffins returning from the Iraq war, media monitors said in separate telephone interviews.

"It's impossible for me to imagine how you report a story whose subject is death without allowing the public to see images of the subject of the story," said Larry Siems of the PEN American Center, an authors' group that defends free expression.

U.S. newspapers, television outlets, and Web sites have featured pictures of shrouded corpses and makeshift graves in New Orleans.

I will say this; I've seen more dead bodies in print since Katrina than in a long time. And to my knowledge I have only seen them in newspapers, not on television.

Also read the second page of the article, and the bit about "international equity," and shouldn't U.S. journalists show death and destruction elsewhere just the same as showing death and destruction in the U.S.?

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/11/2005 08:06:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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God, that commercial is so awful!

The Seattle P-I's Bill Virgin: No one makes ads bad on purpose -- or do they?:

After all, the number of bad ads seems so much larger than the number of amusing, entertaining or intelligent ads. No one could make that many bad ads, and ads that bad, without intending to -- could they?

In some cases, badness does appear to be intentional. Consider a local example, the radio ads for Renton car dealership Good Chevrolet in which a bombastic nitwit bellows a stream of nonsense, summing it up with a heartfelt "yippie yi yo ki yay." Such ads could only be written with the philosophy that "any attention is good attention," and as far as it goes the thinking is valid -- we did remember the name of the sponsor, after all.

Whether an ad that unpleasant would motivate anyone to actually buy from that dealership is another matter.

Yeah, I say there's worth in BAD ads. Consider:

"Oh, my GOD, that commercial is so awful!!!!!!"
"What was it FOR anyway?"

"Did you see that commercial with the dancing dwarf?"
"What does that have to do with steel-belted radial tires?"

"Oh, jeez, here comes that stupid commercial again."
"Oh, I HATE that."

Could we make the case that certain news stories are the same way -- it may be STUPID, i.e. "oh, my god, why did we have that piece of sh*t on the air?" but it GETS PEOPLE TALKING.

......Oooh, I'm hungry. What's for dinner?

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/11/2005 07:59:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Writers vs. producers (for reality and others), PLUS: definition of Prepro

Tom Reynolds writes in a commentary for the LA Times, posted at calendarlive.com: Even bad TV has to have writers:

...The networks first tried to claim that the action on reality shows was completely spontaneous and unscripted. When that argument failed dismally, they qualified it by saying that writing on a reality show - which involves plotting out story lines, editing interviews and inventing dialogue - isn't the same as writing for a scripted series.

In fact, they argued, it isn't writing at all, and therefore the WGA has no jurisdiction. This is why reality TV writers are given job titles such as story editor, story producer, post-producer or associate producer. I've been a reality show writer on and off for five years, and I firmly believe that the networks' denial that there are writers on reality shows is more than just a way to thwart the Writers Guild's unionizing efforts.

If Tom worked in local television news, his thesis would be equally correct: PRODUCERS ARE WRITERS. Every day when I write my newscasts I am writing at least 60-80% of the content (the rest comes from other writers like associate producers, executive producers, the occasional anchor/writer, reporters, and other departments like sports and weather).

Still, I also get the idea that in markets like Boston and New York and LA that "line" producers are more producers and less writers, that they don't write as much for their own shows because they do more "prepro"* and perhaps put more thought into the "stacking" or ordering of the show's items.

But even something like "prepro" requires writing; the anchor or announcer must SAY something. The font/super/Chyron/character generated text on screen must SAY something. "Prepro" may include the collaboration of a graphic designer, a Chyron/CG operator, a technical director, supervisors, reporters, and writers, as well as the producer himself. (Patrick, aren't you happy I didn't say him- or herself??

In a sense -- and tell me if I'm going too far here -- you could say that making any creative choice for the on-air content of a television program constitutes a writing credit.

No?

So therefore -- any reality show contestant, even if she's told how to act or what to do by a director/producer/writer -- is helping to WRITE the content by creating the content. Coming up with statements for the camera like "I'm so shocked at what John is doing and I'm going to get him out of the house if I have to die trying" -- unless you are parroting someone else's words, THAT'S WRITING! (You are writing the story of your own life every day with every act and interaction. ....)

And shouldn't the actor who comes up with a really good line -- thru adlibbing, improvising around the script -- get a mention or few extra bucks here or there?

....Yeah, I really AM going too far with this.

*prepro: pre-produced graphics or animation to illustrate a concept on a television newscast, or to enliven the story. Can include graphics, video, music, narration/anchor voice over; can be "dropped in" to a reporter package after it is fed in via microwave, satellite or fiber transmission. Usually done as a specially ordered/produced item for a particular story or day, and may only air once or twice. It differs from standard "open animations" like "TOP LOCAL STORY," "TODAY'S BIG STORY," "FOX 12'S MOST WANTED," "HOT VIDEO," "BREAKING NEWS," "DEVELOPING STORY," and the like, which some people refer to as "franchises" or "brands."

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/11/2005 07:50:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Compelling Katrina

New York Post's Adam Buckman:

Who needs "Survivor" when you have Katrina?

Suddenly, the so-called reality of shows like "Survivor" is looking a lot less real, thanks to the wall-to-wall coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the resulting flood that destroyed New Orleans.

In other words, who gives a sh*t about eating cow eyes on Fear Factor when you have to live in 90-degree weather alongside decomposing bodies and no sanitary facilities?

To those reality producers I say HA!... and to the ones that might know me, I say HA! HA! HA!

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/11/2005 07:21:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Delta employee fired for blogging sues airline

USA Today & the Associated Press report:

ATLANTA (AP) — A former Delta Air Lines flight attendant who says she was fired weeks after she posted photos of herself in uniform on her Internet blog has filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit against the airline.

Ellen Simonetti, whose job was based in Atlanta but lives in Austin, filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, saying that male colleagues with potentially insensitive material on their blogs have gone unpunished.

The case could plow fresh legal ground on whether a company can take action against an employee for operating a blog. Simonetti was featured in a recent People magazine article that mentioned workers who were fired for blog content.

No male Delta employees with blogs have been disciplined, according to the lawsuit.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/09/2005 01:59:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Reblogger/J-Soft problems

A blogger on Blogger Forum.com says Reblogger is down.

Aha, so that's it, not Javascript problems and crud.

Perhaps I will indeed turn on Blogger's commenting function. Hmph.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/06/2005 11:07:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Outed Latino gets some justice, but not a lot

San Francisco Chronicle's Wyatt Buchanan, in Spanish-language radio show must pay for on-air gay prank from a few weeks ago:

[45-year-old Roberto] Hernandez was driving to work in October 2002 when he received a phone call from a man who said that his name was Juan and that he met Hernandez at a San Francisco gay bar. The caller gave Hernandez his phone number and then announced that the conversation was being broadcast live on the "Raul Brindis and Pepito Show," based in Houston.

Hernandez worked for the local station that broadcasted the show, KSOL, [of San Francisco] and sold advertising for the program. He said he was disappointed with the outcome and was so depressed that he could no longer work.

KLTN, the show's originating radio station's contact information from radio-locator.com:

3102 OAK LAWN AVENUE
SUITE 215
Dallas, TX 75219

Phone: 713-407-1415
Fax: 713-407-1400
Raul Brindis y Pepito on-air studio number:

(unknown)

Email Raul Brindis y Pepito at confesiones@correo.univision.com.

Hernandez was awarded $250,000 and nearly $20,000 in economic damages because of the emotional distress that led to seven months of unemployment after quitting his job. He was awarded no punitive damages.

Hernandez said he was most disappointed that Brindis was not punished for his homophobic prank.

The arbitration settlement states Brindis was "warned and never repeated the conduct," though Hernandez's attorneys say the host was only disciplined over broadcasting conversations without consent.

Hernandez's colleague who gave Brindis the cell phone number was fired.

Other links related to the case:

A forum entry at RadioRevista.com, talking of the FCC fine for Univision Radio.

A Google cached item from InsideBayArea.com (The Argus), by Lupita Figueiredo, including

Making fun of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Latinos is not rare at Spanish languageradio [sic] stations. Imitating what is perceived as a "gay" voice is normal and funny to announcers and listeners.

"We have a generation of announcers lacking of knowledge and respect to diversity and tolerance," said veteran Spanish radio announcer Carlos De Marty.

Here's a copy of an earlier article about the situation.

Poplicks.com blog entry

Forum on the topics/SF Chronicle articles at Free Republic

Also see the entries about "jotos" and "maricon" at GLAAD's Language and Reference Guide to Help Cover the Latino/a LGBT Communities.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/06/2005 10:44:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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WPDX-TV: KGW shifts their 10pm "b-side" news, and more

PDX Media Watch gives me more info on something I just noticed this week while perusing the paper version of the TV Click: KGW has killed off their 10pm newscast on Pax.

PDX Media Watch says the Belo-Portland 10pm newscast will hop over to KWBP. Has Portland's WB ever had a newscast of any sort? I know for a while they were doing some sort of live 5-minute weather update at 11pm weekdays featuring some funkily-dressed weather girl (leopard prints, leather and the like).

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NWCN has improved their set; for a while their anchors, which appeared to be solo no matter what newscast they were doing, seemed like they were stuck in a closet due to budget cuts. The channel is still just repackaging packages from KING/KONG, KGW, KREM, and the occasional Belo-Idaho station. Then again, Idaho is no longer really covered by NorthWest Cable News... because Belo-Idaho stations now have a replay channel for their local newscasts.

NWCN had, on Thursday afternoon, 10 minutes of Katrina coverage straight out of the gate (including at least one piece on local response). Then, weather. Then, Boeing strikes. Then, some sort of feature. Where are the local VOs? There must be at least 5-10 local VOs from Portland and Seattle that could interest the other cities. What's going on? And is it really necessary to have bureaus and reporters for the channel? Why not just use all looklives from the affiliates and CNN?

To have so few (local) stories in the only half hour I'm going to get for several hours -- unless I wait for the next live half hour newscast -- is just not seeming worth it to me. Maybe I need to take a look at what NECN's doing these days and compare it.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/05/2005 07:28:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Blowing their brains

AFP: NOLA Mayor: Suicides among New Orleans police, firefighters

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/05/2005 07:01:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Apologies to Dad and Richard E. Grant

(bandwidth courtesy Mom & Dad, despite all the nasty things I write about them here)

All right, as previously reported incorrectly in these pages, it was NOT Chris Langham who stars in "Posh Nosh," it was Richard E. Grant. It was Chris Langham who DIRECTED and was a script editor.

Arabella Weir apparently came up with the idea for the series and was a writer.

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TopStoryLive has logged 4,413 hits to date, perhaps 1,000 of which could easily be me by accident. I've also discovered there's no way to comment on my mother's computer, because apparently their version of Internet Explorer, with or without JavaScript, doesn't show the comment link. Hmm.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/05/2005 06:17:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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Katrina

(on loc: Ashland, OR) Unbelievable what's happened to New Orleans. Will it ever recover as a tourist destination?

--

Mobile Email from a Cingular Wireless Customer http://www.cingular.com

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 9/01/2005 06:06:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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