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The Seattle ARC keeps leaking credibility


Well, I decided to give ARC Seattle another shot, the CW entry clone of KOMO News.   Worse than ever after almost 11 months.  For some reason it still has one set at 7 and the other at 8 and 9.  The show is entirely done on a two shot or solo shots, but no cut shots at all when the two anchors are bantering together.  Really hurts the pace of conversations.

It is three-hours and I spun thru it, barely surviving massively rehashed news and canned faux news segments with hired guns. There is no mission for this show, it is just mish mash of content, including KOMO anchors forced to do Zoom-type interviews with these paid experts with no full disclosure.  There is no editorial control, even though some of the information offered can be useful.  Unfortunately it is more like propaganda.

To wit:

Interview with a VISA executive standing next to the company logo talking about consumer fraud with the company's produced graphics and b-roll

Another consumer fraud nterview with a paid anchor from the AFFIRM tech company (compnay logo also on screen) and also with the company's produced graphics and b-roll

Yet another consumer fraud interview with the president of the Financial Technology Association with company produced grahics and b-roll

Interview with the show's control room producer who doesn't have her microphone on. Nice.

A nice handout gamer video from some company called Dexerto about China robots

Paid travel/cruise expert intervidw with handout logo video from Norweigen Cruise Lines, for which the expert is obviously fronting, though the connection was never made fully clear.

One redeeming social value has all-purpose Theron Zahn dressed in a Santa hat and ugly holiday sweater doing multiple live shots pushing the KOMO Toy Drive.

I feel especially sorry for Steve McCarron who is a good newsman getting stuck on this show.  Not a match at all for his talents as a reporter.

Disappointing show, period.


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