Found this interesting tidbit here in the post-Jones era.
You may remember PJ Randhawa, who was a Race and Equity reporter for KING 5 for about 18 months before moving to Chi-town in June 23. I wish she could have done a series like that here, on why it is so hard to get a doctor's appointment:
"WMAQ, NBC 5 Chicago, the NBC-owned station, is airing a weeklong, five-part NBC 5 Responds: Doctor Deficit series led by PJ Randhawa, WMAQ’s consumer investigative reporter."
I think there's been a void in strong, showcased, consisten consumer reporting in Seattle since Jesse Jones was cut from KIRO, although the station still uses various reporters to tell occasional stories. KOMO is pushing Waste Watch and KING has its Investigators Team but not in the same genre. Not sure what 13 does, so fill me in.
This is not a new story as local stations around the country (WBZ-Boston, KHON-Honolulu, etc.) and a network or two have covered this before (NBC). From a local perspective, KING's Investigators team is essentially Dateline or 20/20 since most of their stories are mainly crime or fraud related. KOMO's Waste Watch is pretty much a Daniels-fronted segment to show his newsworthy usefulness when he is not trying to usurp Niko on sports. KIRO is essentially revisiting old pieces that Jones covered and treating them as new. FOX13 has The Spotlight with their primary evening male lead anchor David Rose being the local version of America's Most Wanted host John Walsh.
ReplyDeleteKIRO might not be treading a lot of new ground with their current investigative coverage, but Elle Thomas does seem to get very invested in the stories that she takes on, even to the point of getting gifts for her coworkers that relate to the story, as she recently did with her story on "ghost tapping".
DeleteGlad you still agree Niko is getting repeatedly undercut.
ReplyDeleteDisagree on Daniels undercutting Niko. They are a good pair. Daniels has the years of experience and inside connections with the political players behind the sports deals, and Niko is well liked by the coaches and players.
ReplyDeleteIts great to hear that PJ is doing well in Chicago! And good on WMAQ for tackling this important topic that directly impacts the health and wellbeing of viewers! I hope one of the Seattle stations will run a similar series taking a look at the issue here locally.
ReplyDeleteThe health and well-being of viewers? Watching TV news in itself is already unhealthy in itself and that also goes for those who have worked in TV news the last few years: low pay, ungodly hours, ownership changes, micromanagement, work-life balance, constant burnout, etc. How many times have I heard a new anchor or reporter when they arrive in town say they're excited to tell the stories impacting those in their hometown, only after a few years later say that they're leaving for a new chapter outside of TV news. There are a number of folks out there who don't want to burn bridges and say how they are thankful for this and that, but on the inside made them perhaps double-check their sanity. The only on-air people these days who seem to be "happy" are perhaps weather and sports.
DeleteI don't deny that watching TV news isn't the healthiest thing to do. It can increase one's stress levels, especially when the news is particularly negative. That being said, this topic is one that can reasonate with viewers, and let them feel like their concerns are at least being heard, which goes a long way towards helping people feel like they actually matter, which is a good thing for health and well-being.
DeleteI also don't deny that many people who have worked in TV news have endured and/or are enduring rough working conditions, and that their health and happiness have been negatively impacted as a direct result. Its not an easy business to be a part of.