So last week, I promised to do a write up on KOMO’s mobile TV experiment. Better late than never. The first thing I had to do after picking up the Elgato MyDTV kit at KOMO a couple weeks ago was to charge the dongle and download the ap onto my iPhone. The ap is easy […]
The Boy and Pandora
March 20, 2013 by
I traditionally refer to my first son as, “the boy” sometimes. He’s not a boy any more, but like many of the other names he has – it will probably stick for a long time. So the boy posted about Pandora the other day, and I commented. Was I slightly sarcastic. Who. Moi? The point […]
Facebook as a legal document?
March 15, 2013 by
Having spent nearly a quarter century as on-the-street reporter, I admit I have spent more than my fair share of time being exposed to the down side of humanity. One of the sad little facts I have learned is that the graveyards are filled with people, mostly women, with restraining orders. Another case occurred yesterday […]
WARNING: This is a very long, secret record
March 11, 2013 by
See, you’re interested. There’s something about a secret document, or a secret proceeding that piques the curiosity. As well it should, especially when we’re talking about the workings of the government we all pay for. As long as there are government officials dumb enough to try to cover up their bad acts, and crooks willing […]
A good scanner away from digital nirvana
March 7, 2013 by
Down here in 1998, I mean Pierce County, the News Tribune is rolling out its tablet-based edition. It joins the nascent mobile ap, and a robust web site. The News Tribune and other papers are finally getting some pricing power for online content – meaning enough people are accessing the paper digitally to justify the […]
Scanner duty and breaking news then and now
February 25, 2013 by
Back in my first TV job, I used to pull “scanner duty” once a week, and then about every fourth or fifth weekend. Scanner duty meant bringing home a station car loaded with gear, and keeping a police and fire scanner at your side overnight.scanner Scanner duty also brought a lot of pressure. Miss a […]
Tracy Vedder slams into the limits of journalism
February 22, 2013 by
I have a great deal of respect for Tracy Vedder. Without her work, we wouldn’t know about the problems with the 520 floating bridge replacement project. She is a proven, award-winning reporter who has done a lot of good – in no small part thanks to the high level of of KOMO’s commitment for living […]
Out of my skull for POV
February 21, 2013 by
Taking a Betacam and swooshing it around to dramatize a crime scene or ride down a slide was a cutting edge story telling device in 1985. POV as it’s called, for Point of View, was all the rage. It is still a very effective storytelling and video production technique. When used judiciously, it can put […]
Is reporting life and death?
December 7, 2012 by
The answer is yes, it can be. The nurse victimized by the prank phone call to the hospital tending to the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy killed herself. Now the Australian radio hosts are taking heat for putting her over the edge. Certainly they were not “reporting” by any stretch of the imagination – but the […]
Seattle Times’ “Research”
October 19, 2012 by
During my several years of graduate school, I was “fortunate” enough to take a bunch of classes that all focused on statistical analysis and research design. This of course was the prep work required to complete a thesis, and go onto a PhD and become a diligent researcher in the social sciences – namely media […]
So it will never happen again
October 16, 2012 by
“So it will never happen again.” If I hear that again, there’s a good chance I’ll be taking hostages. News Directors all have their pet annoyances when it comes to writing. Not that I should I ever be daft enough to sink to the level of news director, but if I were, one of my […]
Teleprompter hate
October 10, 2012 by
Why so much hate? How can a simple electronic device become a symbol for all that is disingenuous, dishonest and dishonorable. What am I talking about? A laptop, mirror and frame called a teleprompter. Among the items featured in the gallery of horribles in this anti-Obama display in Morgan Hill, California is the lowly teleprompter […]
Overweight Anchor Hits Back
October 3, 2012 by
I have known two wonderful female anchors who were fired for being too heavy. They knew it was a problem, and management made no bones about telling them that they had better make a change or they would take action. However you feel about it, things like this are just reality in television news. I’m […]
Speculating about Paul Deanno’s departue
August 9, 2012 by
There’s no way to prove this, but just yesterday morning I was watching the KOMO AM news and thinking to myself about the strong talent they have on that show with Paul Deanno and Peggy Bunker – and how it would be hard to keep them happy in their jobs, but how great it would […]
Sorry HBO, there is very little news in a newsroom
July 6, 2012 by
I finally got a chance to see HBO’s The Newsroom. As is the case I’m sure with doctors and police officers who watch programs about their lines of work, I found much of the program laughable. But we’re grown ups here, so there has to be some recognition that the goal of this program isn’t […]
All in on sunburns
June 25, 2012 by
If you want to make a story go away, own your mistake – or at least throw somebody else under the bus if you are rendered unable to act intelligently. It’s that simple. Really, it is. Despite that, institutional ego and a misplaced sense of self-protection is so, so very strong – organizations frequently impale […]
