Ads give traffic report a creepy vibe

There's Ed -- 'nuff said?

Not quite.

Not when an Ed Bernstein ad joined a Channel 8 traffic story to create one of last week's tackier newscast moments:

A "Chopper 8" dispatch on a fatal car crash near Fort Apache and Blue Diamond roads -- one person dead, another hospitalized -- that simultaneously reported breaking news of death and injury while serving as a billboard for a personal injury lawyer. (Phone number prominently displayed.)

Not to be indelicate, but: Dead? Call Ed.

Crime news doesn't flack criminal attorneys ("Arraigned? Call Lorraine"), fiscal stories don't advertise financial consultants ("In debt? Call Yvette") and kidnapping reports don't promote private investigators ("Gone? Call Don, Ron, John or LeBron").

Yet the space separating those hypothetical ad nightmares and the Bernstein sponsorship is about as thick as a thin slice of bologna. "We have an Ed Bernstein logo for our helicopter whether we're covering a traffic jam or a traffic accident," says news director Ron Comings. "It doesn't have any bearing on the story he's (pilot Ken Smith) reporting, nor do I think it compromises the quality of his report."

Probably true, yet the Ed arrangements with Channel 8 -- and also News-3 -- are the market's creepiest by pairing an injury lawyer's come-on with segments often circling over accidents. With Ed's (sizable) screen logo lurking as the choppers hover over the city, it seems like aerial ambulance chasing, with the stations steering the ambulance. Reporting from above while promoting someone who could benefit from a disaster below feels ... scuzzy. (Rather than, say, sponsorship by a burger joint.)

"It's not practical for us to constantly monitor and take it off based on the type of accident he might be covering," Comings adds.

Logistically, that's true. Contractually, ads accompany all traffic reports, be they tie-ups or tragedies. And Ed? Like any seller of a product, he's merely capitalizing on an advertising opportunity. Journalistic standards aren't his concern. Still, the cozy canoodling of news and ads continues to be a queasy combo, suggesting an independent news outfit might be peddling the services of a private business.

Such arrangements, though -- especially given cutthroat competition over ad dollars -- are a function of profit and even survival. As viewers duck traditional commercials via TiVo and DVRs, advertisers lure eyeballs anywhere they can, including inside the news. For stations, the infusion of cash can save jobs, including those in the newsroom, where the practice is accepted with heavy-sigh-and-eye-rolling resignation.

Speak to news pros privately and you'd find few who'd choose sponsorships -- commonly of traffic, weather and sports -- if allowed a choice. The practice makes most bristle, insisting -- usually, honestly -- that it doesn't impact coverage, but still fretting over perception. News folks are funny that way, considering the appearance of integrity -- that they are not anyone's advertising tool -- as critical as the reality.

Tricky to maintain when right there -- riding shotgun to the news -- is Ed.

'Nuff said.

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.