Column looks back before moving on
What a pleasure. What a pain.
As most columnists will attest, writing a column is both. And a privilege.
This one turns 100 today. As Mediaology hits the three-digit mark, its ink-stained wretch of an author feels reflective, so here are quick riffs on topics tackled in the previous 99:
Nina, Ron, Rikki and Jeff: Fairness is flexible. At KTNV-TV, Channel 13, Nina Radetich and Rikki Cheese survive their misadventures. Ron Futrell and Jeff Gradney do not. Never assume fairness in life. Just be grateful when you get it.
John Fredericks vs. tabloid coverage: Advocating for privacy is harder if your troubled poster child has unsettling emotional issues. That doesn't change the principle.
"Extreme" reporting: "Extreme" Amy Carabba shoves a camera at a groggy woman waking in her darkened bedroom, broadcast to a city of viewers. Advocating for privacy is easier if your poster child's embarrassment would make the "Jersey Shore" cast cringe.
Book it, Dan-O: Assessing new weeknight anchor Dan Ball, beware a balanced appraisal, pointing out both strengths and weaknesses. Viewers who like him question your intelligence, judgment and credibility. So do those who don't.
Alicia Jacobs stories, starring Alicia Jacobs: Talent plus hard work earn an "Extra" gig. So does a talent for self-promotion.
Guv-hunting: Stalking Jim Gibbons at an airport, Jonathan Humbert of KLAS-TV, Channel 8 queries about why, on the eve of legislative budget-slashing that had zip to do with his female companionship, he was with a woman not his wife from whom he'd already split. Oddly, the next story was not about the Kardashians.
Three strikes: Stand-alone sports segments canned at KVVU-TV, Channel 5. Lone protester? Maybe the 51s' ball boy.
LV1 undone: Cable channel shutters, ending outlet for thoughtful, analytical news. Because progress is overrated.
Overhauled: New managers arrive, staff departs, including Sophia Choi and Kendall Tenney at KSNV-TV, Channel 3. "Watching Out For You" axed. More fitting? "Watching Out For Your Own Butt."
Toothless: Lame FCC complaint filed by News-3 charges rivals sold news time to advertisers. Only thing advertised? News-3 overreaching for an edge.
Drama mamas: Ominous music! Shadowy visuals! Trimmed facts! Drew Karedes narrating as if needing oxygen! At Channel 13, stories aren't just aiming for Emmys. They're Oscar bait.
Story Angle: Nathan Baca aggressively questions Sharron Angle, then is lauded on national TV for doing what he's paid to do as if it's a journalistic anomaly. ... Reporting live from The Twilight Zone.
Early bird captures the Nielsens: "Wake-Up" Wagners jump to 4:30 a.m. start. Channel 8 leapfrogs back to begin at 4. Morning news soon to be anchored by Jimmy Fallon and Craig Ferguson.
Good evening, Jon-Boy: Jon Ralston's "Face to Face" joins News-3. While no "Jeopardy," it draws viewers in primary season. To meld into an early evening vibe, call it "Wheel of Political Fortune."
No "I" in "Team"?: Hilariously overwrought promos promise "Sparks Will Fly!" from the I-Team. Or are they the "A-Team"? Imagine George Knapp in a mohawk and medallions.
Speaking of pitying a fool ... this columnist will return for Mediaology 101.
Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.
