Deggans' Nine Media Mistakes in '07: Part Two

4) The Hollywood Writer's Strike Hobbles a Lackluster Network TV Season -- At a time when network TV should be presenting its strongest product yet to counter cable and the YouTubes of the world, the industry offered a fall season so mediocre a sitcom culled from a car insurance commercial wasn't even the worst show. The strike by film and TV writers has only made things worse, ensuring that the medium drowns in reruns and reality TV long enough to turn the hardiest couch potatoes into websurfing Wii fanatics.

3) New School Racism -- Everybody's got an excuse. Don Imus gives to charity, Dog the Bounty Hunter considers himself an honorary black person, Isaiah Washington swears the videotaped press conference misquoted him and Ann Coulter simply blames liberal media bias. But each of these yahoos also proved that anti-black, anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-Jewish sentiment still rears its ugly head at the oddest moments in pop culture, though the public thankfully seems less tolerant than ever.

2) Opinions in Newscast Clothing Rules Cable -- If there was ever any doubt that punditizing disguised as news reporting has taken over cable news, the ascendancy of Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann this year clinched it. Forget about political ideology; polls show viewers increasingly unable or unwilling to separate news reporters from opinionators, regardless of political stripe.

1) Hillary's Cleavage, Obama's Pledge of Allegiance and Rudy's Cellphone Calls Take Too Much Media Oxygen -- As the presidential race narrows, there are more stories of substance, I'll grant you. But for too long in 2007, we were beset with stories about the presidential candidates which meant little or nothing, from Clinton's decolletage, to Giuliani's annoying habit of taking calls from his wife during speeches. Tired as the press corps may be of this two-year-and-counting presidential race, we are still electing the leader of the free world in 11 months or so. Let's get some news stories on deck which reflect that. 

Deggans' Nine Media Mistakes in '07: Part One

I was surprised as anyone to find I had written one of the most-viewed stories featured on Tampabay.com this year. Imagine my greater surprise when I realized the story in question wasn't about Don Imus, or media consolidation or Barack Obama's unique handling of race or the tragic deaths of local media luminaries: it was about shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge's wedding.

I'm happy for the honor, really. But this also underscores a serious concern: In an era where the St. Petersburg Times' most popular online stories involve unstoppable hiccups, an armless driver eluding police and Bubba, where is the future of serious news?

In that spirit, taking up where my post on the death of the local anchor king left off, here's my list of nine more media mistakes from 2007, split into two parts:

  9) Local Media Cutbacks -- The Tampa Tribune has laid off more than 70 people companywide; the Sarasota Herald-Tribune laid off more than 20 people before offering all its over-50 employees buyouts; the St. Petersburg Times closed its Citrus County bureau, moved its Largo edition from daily to twice weekly and slimmed its own workforce significantly. WFLA-Ch. 8 has used an automated production system to eliminate many of its technical workers and WTOG-Ch. 44 moved much of its operations to an out-of-town control facility. How long before every local media outlet finds itself doing less with less?

8) Sopranos Finale Ends HBO's Innovative Streak -- Forget about the debate over whether the Sopranos finale was any good or not (longtime blog readers know where I stand on the subject); the end of this legendary mob drama also caps HBO's long streak as TV's most innovative channel. While upstarts such as Showtime, AMC and FX brought the year's most compelling new series, HBO gave us a dreary take on modern sexuality and David Milch's worst series since Big Apple.

  7) Media frenzies Over Celebrities Behaving Badly -- Yes, this comes from the guy who argued Britney and Anna Nicole Smith were legitimate news stories. But cable TV news in particular has overgorged on these news tidbits, like a 400-pound guy who can't lay off the Big Macs. And the result is newscasts clogged with a lot of inconsequential gunk masquerading as hot reporting.

6) FCC Ignores Public Outcry Over Media Consolidation -- Even newspaper companies agree that the newly loosened rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission allowing media companies to own a TV station and newspaper in the same market probably won't help much. And despite no real data to the contrary and loads of pulbic hearings filled with average folks decrying the move FCC Chair Kevin Martin pushed it through, anyway.

5) Local News Deaths Amid Scandal -- It would have been a bad enough year locally if WFLA weather forecaster John Winter and former WTVT news anchor Hugh Smith had simply passed away. But both deaths -- which took away popular news figures admired by many locally -- also had the bitter whiff of scandal. Winter killed himself shortly after admitting an affair; Smith's 27-year career as a seminal local anchor was cut short by a second prostitution arrest -- something every local news outlet had to acknowledge in his obituary.

More to come in another post. In the meantime, feel free to post your own suggestions here.    

Best TV Theme Songs That Didn't Make My List

When I gathered with a bunch of experts at the Peabody Awards offices in the University of Georgia earlier this year to discuss the state of the TV industry, we dissected one topic that wasn't quite heady enough to make our final report.

The death of the TV theme song.

It was a notion which stuck with me for a while, so when we started talking in Floridian about how digital technology was killing off all these cool pop culture creations -- liner notes and album covers, for instance -- I thought again about how cool the greatest TV themes are and how producers' fear of viewers' itchy remote fingers have nearly killed off the form.

Here's the story I cobbled together for Floridian today on the whole issue, complete with my list of the coolest TV themes ever. If you think you know this stuff as well as we do, then check out our online quiz, and test your mettle.

Here, for the blog, are the coolest TV theme songs which didn't make my top 10 list:

1) The Wire: Down in the Hole -- For my top Ten list, this one went down to the wire; I basically had to choose between The Sopranos' percolating Woke Up This Morning and The Wire's bluesy lament, written by the music biz's master of stylish decay, Tom Waits. Though I had to go with the Jersey boys on this one -- I like my health too much, thank you -- I still have a soft spot for this muscular tune, which producers re-record every year to fit the season's theme. For the final season starting Jan. 6, Steve Earle, who also appears on camera as an earnest addiction counselor, does the honors. Extra credit: Hear Waits' version for Season 2 here.   

2) The Mission: Impossible Theme -- The slickest TV espionage theme for TV's slickest espionage show. The coolest thing about the '60s -- besides The Beatles, Black Power-era James Brown and the space program, of course -- was pop culture's fascination with spy stuff. And any series cool enough to feature Peter Graves, Greg Morris, Martin Landau, Leonard Nimoy, Steven Hill and Barbara Bain had to have a kickass theme. Thanks to Lalo Schifrin -- the man who also gave us scores for Dirty Harry, Cool Hand Luke and Bullitt -- they got one. Extra credit: Hear the update by U2 members Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. here.

3) Baretta: Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow -- I'm a sucker for Sammy Davis Jr., '70s showbiz hokum and faded Rat Pack cool, so this was one of my favorite TV themes growing up. Even by then, Robert Blake was a quirky, tough-talking crackpot with a self-destructive charm that lept through the screen. And Sammy's Vegas-ready tribute to the street cop's life was picture perfect for this odd mix of urban grit and showbiz-smooth. Extra credit: See the show's opening credit's here.

4) The Good Times Theme -- This was the first TV show which felt halfway realistic to a young kid  growing up in a poor corner of Gary, Ind. I didn't have a father at home, but I loved the idea of a being raised by man like James Evans -- proud, hardworking and a little bewildered by a world which always seemed to hand him the stick's short end. Good times, indeed. Extra credit: Hear the gospelized theme here; extra points if you can tell me the lyrics after "scratchin' and survivin.'" 

So, blogreaders, what are your favorites?

   

10th Biggest Media Problem of '07: The Death of the Big Anchor in Local TV News

I got an email a few days ago, noting the retirement of WFLA-Ch. 8 anchor Bob Hite and relatively small community impact from the death of top WTVT anchor Hugh Smith, asking the question: Has the era of the big anchor passed from local news?

Funny enough, I asked the same question in a story planned to run with my original story on Hite's retirement about a month ago. When he was arrested for DUI, our game plan changed and that story never saw the light of day. But I'm happy to resurrect it for the blog here, making it 10th on my list of Big Media Problems in 2007.

Indeed, when I asked that question of WTVT anchor John Wilson, one of the few big name anchors still working in the Tampa bay market, his answer was immediate: “The era of the big anchor is gone,” said Wilson, the top male anchor at competitor WTVT, with 25 years’ tenure anchoring at Tampa Bay area TV stations. “(Modern newscasts) are a mix of information and entertainment which makes it very difficult for us…it makes it more difficult for the news to be presented as news.”

Wilson outlined a local TV news environment drastically changed from the days in 1982 when he anchored evening newscasts at CBS affiliate WTSP-Ch. 10. WTVT now offers nine hours of newscasts daily, requiring a squad of anchors to host shows while reducing the impact any one person can have.
The explosion of cable channels offers viewers more alternatives than ever for news consumption and entertainment. And instead of trying to reach the widest audience possible, TV stations are focusing on segments of the audience advertisers find valuable, narrowing their focus, Wilson said.

“At (WTSP) I was a big part of the news process…to the point of sitting in news meetings by conference call when I wasn’t at the station,” he added. “But the expansion of the news has lessened the role of the anchor, because there’s so much more news and not enough of you.”

Wilson’s sentiment was echoed by Bright House vice president Elliott Wiser, who surveyed area viewers on attitudes about anchors while serving as general manager of the cable company’s 24-hour local newschannel, Bay News 9.

He found a station’s brand identity and reputation for news accuracy more often determined which newscast a viewer might choose.

“When you ask people to rank why they watch a station, these days the anchor isn’t even number one or number two,” said Wiser, who has always championed the idea of news content over anchor personality at Bay News 9. “The first place we saw this was the weather. Years ago, people looked for weathermen they trusted; now they’re watching for accuracy, reliability and technology.”

Officials at WTVT noted ratings in October showing their station with a slim lead among key newscast viewers in the early evening and CBS affiliate WTSP-Ch. 10 tied with WFLA at 11 p.m., as evidence that the ratings race is already tight. “Bob Hite’s retirement can only have a positive impact for us,” said Bob Linger, WTVT general manager.

At WFTS-Ch. 28, top anchor Brendan McLaughlin said the station hasn’t specifically strategized on how  to take advantage of Hite’s retirement. But it has broadcast advertisements touting him as the longest-running male anchor at 11 p.m. (which neatly avoids comparison to Wilson, whose newscasts air at 10 p.m.).

“Familiarity (with an anchor) breeds acceptance and a comfort level which works to the advantage of the station,” said McLaughlin “When Bob Hite fans pop their head up and decide to look around at other possibilities, it definitely creates an opportunity.”
 
   

Port St. Lucie Woman Wins Nearly $2-Million on ABC's Duel

The final winner on ABC's incomprehensible six-evening game show Duel turned out to be Port St. Lucie resident Ashlee Register, known as "The Nurse", who walked away with $1.795-million in winnings after tonight's hourlong finale.

Unfortunately, critics across the country have dismissed the game as too complex and too slow, taking extra time to bash the show's host, radio personality Mike Greenberg. Viewers have been lukewarm, though ratings have grown for the series as the week wore on. Register, who came out on top among 24 contestants who started the show last week, currently lives in Port St. Lucie and lived until 2 years old in Tallahassee.

Register outlasted Robert Elswick II (“The Used Car Salesman”) to become the final winner. Register won on one question in final game -- “Which of these weighs more: A. A gallon of water; B. A gallon of crude oil; C. A gallon of vegetable oil; D. They all weigh the same” (answer = A).

Here's ABC's bio on Register:

Age: 28
Occupation: RN - Cardiology
Hometown: Port St. Lucie, FL

Ashlee and her husband, Jeff, spent their recent honeymoon in the Bahamas with an unexpected guest -- Tropical Storm Noel. What was supposed to be a weekend of fun and sun ended up a nightmare. They were shut in their hotel room and did not see any sunlight until the morning of their flight home.

Ashlee and her husband do not have any children but they do have three "kids" -- a trio of Labrador retrievers. Ashlee says this family came together in a very "Brady Bunch" fashion. She had a chocolate and yellow lab and Jeff had a black lab. She says his love of dogs was one of the initial reasons why she began dating him.

In 3rd grade, Ashlee's house nearly caught on fire. Thankfully, the fire was put out without too much damage to the house and backyard. Ashlee will never forget this day because the random fire served as an introduction to her best friend, Sarah, who lived around the corner.

Here's how ABC describes Duel: "In a cutting edge format – combining trivia challenges like those on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” with the strategy played in the “World Series of Poker” -- 24 contestants are given the chance to duel against one another in a mental and intellectual showdown that combines nail-biting trivia fun with the unfortunate reality that, if someone gets one question wrong – just one question – that player loses the match. The top four contestants qualify to ‘duel’ for the guaranteed jackpot. Contestants in “Duel” have been chosen for their confidence and charisma, a love of trivia and an obsession for competition. These 24 people will become characters to root for (or against) during the six nights. Examples of contestants include The Marine Alligator Wrestler, The Lunch Lady, The Rocker, The Used Car Salesman, The Funeral Home Director, The Cab Driver, The Nurse and The Belly Dancer – the key being that not everything will be revealed about contestants’ backgrounds before they choose their opponents in a duel."

Harlan Ellison on Why Writers Shouldn't Work for Nothing

For those of you who don't know him, Harlan Ellison is a brilliant science fiction writer who is also one of the more irascible types working in the field. I always loved his work as an author, and he's also written for many of the cooler sci fi series on TV, including the original Star Trek, the New Twilight Zone, Babylon 5, Logan's Run, Tales from the Darkside, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

This clip, from an upcoming documentary on Harlan called Dreams With Sharp Teeth, is an amazing rant against people who want writers to work for nothing, something I heartily sympathize with, even though I myself provide a lot of stuff to my employers and readers for free, including this blog. (Ironically, the clip is on YouTube, which will distribute his comments far and wide without paying him).

Still, it's a great speech about why writer's should get paid for everything they do (fair warning: Harlan has quite the potty mouth). And a welcome explanation for those who wonder why Hollywood writers are striking in the first place. (my fave quote: "I don't take a piss without getting paid.")

Who Said Newsmen Can't Dance?

Fresh from his gig as a backup dancer for Karl Rove, sometimes Today show host David Gregory shows how to really get down during a performance by Mary J. Blige. Frankly, Blige and her band were kicking it so hard, I'd have been grooving in the studio, too.

Jessica Sierra on Celebrity Rehab: Unresolved Grief From Death of Addict Mom Emerges

Here's the tough question regarding VH1's bold new reality series Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew:

Is it puncturing the nation's fascination with big names dying from addiction, or wallowing in it?

That question kept surfacing while I watched the first two episodes of the show, mailed to TV critics today from the cable channel. And nowhere do those questions loom larger than in the section dealing with 22-year-old Tampa native and former American Idol Top 10 contender Jessica Sierra.

The show's first episode shows each celebrity arriving at the Pasadena Recovery Center, picking a room, surrendering their possessions for examination and meeting host Drew Pinsky -- a physician and self-described "addictionologist" -- for an entrance examination.

Sierra's moment comes halfway through the show, as she relates her struggles with addiction over footage taken of her partying in a club, drinking with a friend and vomiting into a toilet, presumably before she enters the facility.

"The assault happened because the guy spit on me," Sierra tells the camera, explaining her arrest in April for throwing a glass at a patron's head at the Hyde Park Cafe (she has also told police she wasn't sure if the man spit on her and the victim said Sierra told him she mistook him for someone else).

TMZ.com is also reporting that Sierra -- who is reportedly the subject of a sex tape due for release early next year -- is pregnant in jail.

"The possession happened cause…I had drugs on me," she said on camera. "I lost all my money. Some of  it, I partied away. My drug of choice was cocaine. It was just seven or eight months ago that I started doing drugs. I would go on binges for four or five days straight and crash for a couple of days..i woke up, roll over and go on for four or five days straight. I just had an operation, you’re not supposed to have an alcohol, but I did – got sick, threw up all night. I think everyone makes their own decisions. The reason I do it is to kind of get away from everything. When I come down from it is when I kind of realize and know that I’ve got to kind of face things."

During the show, a bedraggled Sierra is shown arriving at the California facility in a pink top and white skirt, a contrast to clips shown of her singing in the studio. Before long, she is telling Pinsky how her mother died of a drug overdose while she was auditioning for American Idol.

"“She left when I was three. My dad took us from her. She was prostituting and drugs and stuff like that – in and out of jail....That was the hard thing because the last thing I said to her was that I hated her. And then she died during the auditions for American idol. She was dead for five hours in the backyard of someone, some random person’s apartment  before they found her."

Pinsky deduces that unresolved grief over her mother's death may be her biggest problem. In a later episode, she's shown dealing with a group therapy talk about mother issues by calling a friend and wishing for a drink, saying she'd even suck on an alcohol swab.

As it turns out, Sierra's appearance is one of the show's tamer introductions: porn star Mary Carey, who comes to the facility drunk, is asked by the staff to relinquish a number of sex toys and porn videos she brought to the facility (See her talk about it here. Bad sign: Carey says she still drinks wine). Crazy Town vocalist Seth "Shifty" Binzer shows up to the rehab facility with two beers in his backpack and former Taxi star Jeff Conaway is wheeled into the facility in a stupor -- eventually taken to a hospital by paramedics after he has a seizure.

Former wrestler Joanie "Chyna" Laurer, ex-Mrs. Sylvester Stallone Brigette Nielsen, Family Matters star turned porn actress Jaimee Foxworth and actor Daniel Baldwin round out the cast. And almost every participant has appeared on a previous reality show -- many of which have showcased their bad behavior while intoxicated.

Excepting Baldwin, every other participant is shown partying before they enter the rehab, with Conaway drinking wine and snorting a white powder he calls "pablum," Binzer appearing to freebase cocaine and Foxworth smoking several marijuana blunts. Pinsky said on CNN that the stars are actually using, taking cameras to show their partying as a lesson to viewers.

Since participating in the show, Sierra was arrested in Tampa Dec. 1 on misdemeanor charges of disorderly intoxication and obstructing an officer without violence, spewing racial epithets and offering to perform oral sex on an officer to avoid arrest. Rumors swirl that Pinsky himself may come to Tampa to help Sierra's recovery in early 2008.

But her arrest -- and subsequent drunken public appearances by other stars such as Carey -- have raised questions about how effective Pinsky's series really is. The first episode doesn't do much to answer that question. The show debuts at 10 p.m. on Jan. 10 on VH1.

Sports Director J.P. Peterson Leaving WFLA

He says it was a mutual decision, born of a desire to try new things and differences with WFLA-Ch. 8 management over how to cover sports in the Tampa Bay area.

But rumors that WFLA sports director J.P. Peterson would be leaving the NBC affiliate first surfaced Monday -- by Wednesday I had heard from four sources with different stories. WFLA finally issued a press release today confirming that the station was not renewing Peterson's contract, ending his eight-year career there on March 16.

Peterson, 44, denied talk that an argument over a recent live report sparked the departure, saying “these things don’t happen overnight. There were discussions…It’s a mutual agreement and everyone’s happy and we move forward.”

The anchor will continue to host his weekday noontime radio show for WHBO-1470 AM, finalizing negotiations to expand the show by an hour to 3 p.m. in 2008. He also has a new venture under development which he could not detail.

Recently, WFLA has removed sports updates from most weekday morning newscasts (they air Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays now), significantly shortened the Sunday Sports Extra show and cut back sports reports in the 11 p.m. newscasts. But WFLA general manager Mike Pumo insisted the station had not definitively decided to reduce its sports coverage.

“We’re looking at all options…we’re evaluating the entire spectrum of sports,” said Pumo, who  downplayed the fact that WFLA was announcing Peterson’s departure with no successor designated, leaving open the question of whether Number Two guy Dave Reynolds might get the top job.

“Anchors are changed all the time and J.P.’s going to be with us until mid-March," Pumo added. "Our commitment to sports will continue to be strong.”

Born in Florida, Peterson attended Florida State University and has previously worked at Fox Sports Net and local CW affiliate WTOG-Ch. 44, where he served as top sports anchor when it was a UPN affiliate.

In 2002, WFLA let go Peterson’s predecessor Chris Thomas, citing salary costs. Does this indicate WFLA has trouble keeping sports anchors?

“I won’t offer an opinion on that,” Peterson said, chuckling. “You won’t get  a quote out of me on that one.”

Here's the release WFLA posted a few hours ago:

Are TV Producers Using the Writers' Strike to Reboot the Industry?

One thing I've noticed about the impact so far of the Hollywood writer's strike: many of the things it's eliminating are institutions the big TV producers wanted to see gone, anyway.

Networks often complained about the winter TV press tour, the smaller January version of the big summer gathering in which the TV industry trots out previews of its midseason shows to journalists. Critics liked it because it got us to Los Angeles when shows were in production; networks hated it because it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars that they wanted to spend elsewhere.

Now it's gone, killed by uncertainty over whether big actors would cross WGA picketlines for press conferences and the networks' unwillingness to spend big money in the middle of a strike. How much do you want to bet bringing it back post-strike -- even with appearances by stars such as Heroes' Ali Larter (at right) -- will be a seriously uphill battle?

Another institution the TV producers hated: pilot season. At price tags of up to $2-million each, production companies might assemble over 100 pilot episodes for potential series for all the networks. Given that the total number of new network TV shows amounts to about 35 to 40 programs -- and studios must eat the costs of every pilot the network doesn't buy as a series -- it's easy to see why producers might not mind if the strike stretched into February, taking a big bite out of the season.

TV pilots are generally approved for production and cast early in the year, January and February, filmed in March and April and purchased by the networks in fall. With writers unable to finish or polish scripts,  a strike lasting into March could end the practice of all networks making their pilots at the same time -- a timetable producers have often said was concocted by agents trying to increase competition for actors' and writers' services, anyway.

The final institution TV producers have always hated: the upfront presentations. Once again, these are  glitzy, expensive displays -- this time, put-together for the benefit of advertisers who are purchasing spots early in a selling season called the "upfronts." Obviously, if a strike scuttles the pilot season, networks won't have to spend money on presentations since there will be few new scripted shows.

Producers seem to be using the strike to reboot the TV industry and slough off practices they've long wanted to eliminate. And they're settled in for a long haul, boasting January schedules packed with reality and stockpiled series. Some of these changes will make for better programming; others will just make it easier for them to make more money.

Personally, I was hoping the strike might eliminate at least one tiresome awards ceremony, the People's Choice Awards. But even CBS has said reports of its cancellation are exaggerated, I remain hopeful the Writer's Guild will shut it all down with a picket line aggressive enough to shame even Jamie Lynn Spears from crossing.

FCC Chair Kevin Martin Makes Congress and the Public Do His Job

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin gave everyone something to complain about Tuesday.  

In relaxing "cross-ownership" rules, allowing a company to own a TV station and a newspaper in the nation's top 20 markets under certain conditions, he upset foes of media consolidation -- who fear the trend is just the tip of an iceberg eventually allowing cross ownership in every market. Passing the measure with votes from the commission's two Republican members, Martin also ticked off members of the newspaper industry, who said the change was too small to help substantially.

In passing a cap preventing any one cable company from controlling more than 30 percent of the nation's cable subscribers, he upset conservatives who oppose government stepping in to regulate a largely unregulated industry. Joining with the commission's two Democrats for this measure, Martin also upset executives at Comcast Communications, the only company close to the 30 percent mark with 27 percent of the nation's cable subscribers in their folds.

More importantly, in failing to build a public consensus for these changes -- especially the elimination of the cross-ownership ban -- Martin virtually guaranteed a nastly public fight over the rules, with little actual data presented to justify his moves.

Already, 25 senators have announced their opposition to the cross ownership rule change, public interest groups are planning to sue, and advocacy groups are gearing up public pressure to push legislators into overriding an expected presidential veto. All this for a rule change which currently benefits a handful of companies, including one of the nation's largest media conglomerates, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

Times reporter Christina Rexrode reports that there's likely little impact to the change in the Tampa- St. Petersburg market (currently the nation's 13th largest market): Media General's ownership to WFLA-Ch. 8 and the Tampa Tribune has always been allowed because it predates the 1975 banning such newspaper/TV "cross ownerships." (MG does have cross-ownership waivers for four markets, presumably under the top 20 threshhold, including Panama City).

While I suspect Times management wouldn't mind the having the regulatory ability to purchase a TV station, it's hard to imagine such a scenario given our current financial challenges.

As I noted in an earlier post, Martin has cast this move as an effort to save the newspaper industry; the FCC's press release on the cross ownership decision notes "permitting cross ownership can preserve the viability of newspapers by allowing them to share their operational costs across multiple platforms."

But Tribune Co., one of the best known media companies with cross ownership arrangements in major markets such as Los Angeles and Chicago, is struggling financially. Other companies, such as Belo co. have announced plans to separate their TV and newspaper companies, earning praise and support from Wall Street investors. Even longtime newspaper analyst John Morton told the Los Angeles Times Tuesday "isuspect you're not going to see a big rush of newspaper companies trying to buy TV stations."

So Martin disregarded significant public and congressional sentiment to pass a rule relaxation that even the industry which benefits from it likely won't use much. (though the L.A. Times reports the FCC also granted 42 cross ownership waivers, which this bold rule relaxation obscures) And rather than help the nation sort through he mess, he creates a situation sure to spark lawsuits, retaliatory legislation and protests.

Makes you wonder why they bothered holding those public hearings across the country, including here in Tampa, earlier this year. Doesn't make much sense to take public comment if you're not going to heed it.

 

My New Favorite Blooper: TV Host Yukes on Air

What I really like about this clip is that the host hops right back on screen after she lets go and tries to explain why it happened. As if anyone could pay attention to anything else coming out of her mouth.

Check it out for yourself:

Hugh Smith Remembrances Continue

It's almost a litmus test, separating old Florida from new.

Do you remember Hugh Smith?

A look at earlier postings on the blog shows many of you out there do remember Smith, the legendary Cronkite-like anchor who died Sunday morning of cancer. And while I'm not drowning in vitriol for mentioning the prostitution arrest which ended his career -- my colleague Walt Belcher seems to be taking the brunt for that -- I have already gotten a call from a reader who felt I didn't need to mention the issue in today's print edition.

(My defense: Smith left the air so long ago, even many people who were here don't remember what he did or how his career ended. Also, I remain a bit amazed at how the community still rallied around him. Any other man convicted of having sex with an underage teenager would be serving serious jail time, especially these days).

At any rate, here's a few more memories from people who knew him that didn't fit in my story.

Roy Leep, former WTVT anchor who remained friends with Smith after his arrest and 1991 resignation: "I told Hugh (when he was arrested) if there was anything I could do, I would do it. So his attorney asked me to walk into court (for the arraignment) with him. I walked in and walked out with him and I was ready to testify for him, but they never asked me. But I never really discussed it with him. To me, it was water over the dam. I don't think you'll find any of us without a flaw."

Leslie Spencer, Publix executive and former WTVT anchor: "He was the consummate newsman. He hired me right out of college and I worked extremely hard to prove that decision was a good one. He also promoted me to newscaster, and that made me the first full time woman newscaster in the area. And i have to thank him for that."

Frank Robertson, WTVT anchor who eventually succeeded Smith at the station's top male anchor: "When  I was hired, it was clear to him there was a transition in mind. But he was very gracious about the whole process -- particularly when he didn't have to be. He was old school...loved covering politics. To me, he was always a gentlemen and a good guy."

Mike Clark, developer of the Big 13 tribute site and a technical employee at WTVT in the '70s: "Hugh was a towering figure...he could be intimidating, but he could also be endearing. I kept my distance...but when I was in the hospital with appendicitis, he came and visited me. How many big anchors would take time to do that?"

Warren Elly, longtime reporter at WTVT: "Hugh Smith had a strong impact on my life. I remember trying to decide whether to take a job in Baltimore, or here in Tampa. Then I met Hugh Smith. That was 25 years ago, and I will always be grateful that I was able to give Hugh my thanks personally before he passed away. He was a newsman's newsman, and he set very high standards for truth and fairness. Those demands made all of us better, and the television station's dominance during his tenure was proof of that. Good bye Boss, thanks so much for believing in me and giving me the chance that changed my life."

Mason Dixon, radio personality who hired Smith to do news after he left WTVT in 1991: "He was the consummate newsman; he shows up for work at 3 a.m and he's in  coat and tie. To do a newsbreak at 5:30 a.m.! It took awhile before we got him to get in there in his shirt sleeves. He didn't like to ad lib so much...he was very much about the preparation. We treated him with respect and he did a great job for us."

Leep (at left) saw Smith in February, but declined to visit him once he went into hospice care: "I could tell his mind wasn't what it used to be, even when we talked...I chose to remember him as he was. We had a good talk before he went in and that's how I chose to remember him."

Late Night TV Remains the Canary in the Coalmine for Hollywood Writers' Strike

Just as it was the first area of showbiz to feel the sting of the writers strike, late night TV is the first to present a substantive response to the long-term work stoppage, with David Letterman seeking to cut an individual deal for his Late Show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien have agreed to come back to new episodes without writers on Jan. 2.

Letterman's people say the host, who has been paying assorted salary and production expenses for both shows out of his own pocket for weeks, now must act to stop the bleeding and get back to work -- hopefully without violating the strike. Leno and O'Brien, both of whom don't own their shows (though they have also been shelling out some dough to pay staffers) emphasized the need to keep their production staffers at work while trying to show support for the WGA.

As usual, it's Leno who may wind up looking the worst here. First, he fed press accounts that he was going to force NBC to use guest hosts by refusing to appear during the strike; then he seemed to resist paying his staffers once NBC planned to lay them off, relenting only when press about other hosts' generosity made him look bad; now he's admitting that he's going back to work without writers, while Letterman spends much more money and effort trying to avoid that scenario.

That's the interesting thing about tough times. They really bring out people's character in unexpected ways.

Here's the official releases from Leno and Conan O'Brien

STATEMENT FROM JAY LENO REGARDING THE JANUARY 2 RETURN OF "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO"

    "This has been a very difficult six weeks for everybody affected by the writers strike.  I was, like most people, hoping for a quick resolution when this began.  I remained positive during the talks and while they were still at the table discussing a solution "The Tonight Show" remained dark in support of our writing staff.  Now that the talks have broken down and there are no further negotiations scheduled I feel it's my responsibility to get my 100 non-writing staff, which were laid off, back to work.  We fully support our writers and I think they understand my decision."

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" is from Big Dog Productions in association with Universal Media Studios.  Debbie Vickers is the executive producer.

STATEMENT FROM CONAN O'BRIEN

     "For the past seven weeks of the writers' strike, I have been and continue to be an ardent supporter of the WGA and their cause.  My career in television started as a WGA member and my subsequent career as a performer has only been possible because of the creativity and integrity of my writing staff.   Since the strike began, I have stayed off the air in support of the striking writers while, at the same time, doing everything I could to take care of the 80 non-writing staff members on Late Night. 

     Unfortunately, now with the New Year upon us, I am left with a difficult decision.  Either go back to work and keep my staff employed or stay dark and allow 80 people, many of whom have worked for me for fourteen years, to lose their jobs.  If my show were entirely scripted I would have no choice.  But the truth is that shows like mine are hybrids, with both written and non-written content.  An unwritten version of Late Night, though not desirable, is possible – and no one has to be fired. 

     So, it is only after a great deal of thought that I have decided to go back on the air on January 2nd.  I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers and I'll do the best version of Late Night I can under the circumstances.  Of course, my show will not be as good.  In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible.  My sincerest hope is that all of my writers are back soon, working under a contract that provides them everything they deserve."

Former Local TV Anchor Hugh Smith Dies

Former WTVT-Ch. 13 anchor Hugh Smith died Sunday at the hospice unit of the Palms of  Pasadena Hospital of complications resulting from melanoma. He was 73 years old.

Over a 27-year career at WTVT, Smith served as the lead anchor and news director of the station when it dominated local ratings so decisively, its broadcasts attracted up to 40 percent of the audience.

Together with weather forecaster Roy Leep and sports director Andy Hardy (and "Salty" Sol Fleischman before Hardy), Smith formed a trusted, highly-popular anchor team at WTVT, which was then a CBS affiliate. Photos courtesy of the Big 13 tribute Web site; Smith biography/interview accessible here.

Hired at WTVT in 1963, Smith lodged many firsts, including appearing in the local TV news' first color broadcasts and delivering the area's first live report from a helicopter.

But the advent of faster-paced, more emotional news reporting edged out his Walter Cronkite-inspired, just-the-facts approach. His TV news career ended in 1991 when he resigned after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from a 15-year-old prostitute, his second prostitution-related arrest in nine years.

Friends and former colleagues preferred to remember the consummate newsman with a caring side, who worked at the TV station from 10 a.m. to midnight in his prime. Word of Smith's illness spread through the local TV news ranks over the past few weeks, as the former anchor's adopted son Ward kept friends and family updated through emails on his father's condition.

"He was at the helm during the zenith of Ch. 13's broadcast success," said Leep, who last remembered speaking with Hugh Smith in February and remained friends with the anchor after his departure from WTVT. "He was highly professional...looked at every jot and tittle of the newscast. He was a fella who stayed on a story from beginning to end, with high standards."

According to Smith's email, his father was diagnosed with stage four melanoma in February and underwent chemotherapy treatments at Moffitt Cancer Center. He entered the hospice two weeks ago, according to Ward Smith. 

Ward Smith declined to comment in detail on his father's death, beyond suggesting that those who wish to commemorate his father make a donation to the hospice of the Florida Suncoast.

Why Isn't Kiefer Getting Paris-Level Coverage? And Media Band Battle Audio

I'm embarrassed to admit that a colleague noticed this before I did.

But here we are, 12 days into Kiefer Sutherland's 48-day sentence for drunk driving, and I've got a simple question: Where is the media?

When Paris Hilton hit the slammer, the media responded with helicopters, continuous cable news coverage, swarms of paparazzi and endless streams of speculation on What It All Means. But do a search on the terms "Kiefer Sutherland" and "jail" on Google News, and the most recent articles you'll see beyond superficial name checking were gossipy items from last Wednesday and Thursday noting that the 24 star is on laundry duty and gets about 100 pieces of fan mail each day.

Nevermind that he's the Emmy-winning star of one of the highest-rated dramas on television. Or that the network which airs 24, though desperate for original material due to the Hollywood writer's strike, hasn't yet scheduled the series for broadcast. Or that he's serving a sentence twice as long at the 23 days Hilton eventually spent in the clink.

Apparently, the struggle of one real Hollywood star to overcome his drinking can't compare with the tribulations of a party-hearty heiress whose biggest acheivements to date have been a self-mocking reality show, a  sex tape released by a former boyfriend and a guest spot on The O.C.

It's a collective media yawn matched only by the non-coverage given Jodie Foster, who finally publicly mentioned last week the 54-year-old woman she has been living with for 14 years, obliquely confirming that, yep, she's gay. (which makes me wonder, how does Entertainment Weekly do a whole cover story on her months ago and not get close to this fact?)

As '80s TV icon Michael J. Fox recently noted in Esquire "I have such empathy for all these young women. I was there, and I did all that crap. We'd rip it up, y'know? And we never got busted on any of that stuff."

Happy as I am to avoid the kind of coverage we saw when Paris went to jail, I'm sad to see the media upholding such a significant double standard; Why should Kiefer get a pass when Paris didn't?

Media Band Battle Audio: Plug Your Ears and Drink Something Strong

 

If I had any sense I'd leave this alone. But a podcasting company has put streaming audio of the recent set by the Times group for the Battle of the Media Bands competition, and I promised them I'd link it here.

My only excuse for the vocals is that the monitors weren't the best, and I had exhausted my voice by chatting with a ton of people before the show started -- hazards of being the last band to play on a four-band bill. I have no excuses, however, for the lack of bass guitar in the mix. thanks to Chuck Palm and the Internet Podcasting Network for recording the audio and putting it online.

Hey, it was for charity and we had one rehearsal. Still sounds better than Paris Hilton. I think.   

Creative Loafing Takes Mainstream Media-Size Hits for Downsizing

When I interviewed Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason a few months ago, I told him that his own unique brand of corporate speak was not going to allay critics concerned that the Tampa company's purchase of the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper alternative weeklies meant a more corporate environment.

Now, in the wake of criticism over the company's decision to lay off some of the paper's most impactful investigative journalists in four newsroom layoffs at the Reader, and news that five newsroom position will be cut in Washington, Eason is facing new charges of corporatism. The reductions reminded me of the time years ago that his company's local paper (then called the Weekly Planet) eliminated a good portion of its reporting staff to save costs.

It may not be such a good sign that a memo on the layoffs which Eason asked be kept "inside the family" was leaked to Poynter's media-focused blog Romenesko within days. Noting that it is easy to blame CEOs for making fiscally necessary staff cuts -- something quite a few alternative newspapers have done as mainstream newspapers cut staff in recent years -- Eason's memo reads like the kind of corporate-speak that alt newspapers sprung up to fight.

We all know newspapers are facing challenging times. But Creative Loafing must also be careful of playing into critics' assumptions that their approach may degrade the two storied alternative newspapers they took over.

Here's Eason's memo, fresh from Romenesko's web site --

"Friends –

Please keep this note within the family. I wanted to check in with everyone on the company and what I'm seeing out there in the world of journalism, media and the economy. I want to thank everyone for the tremendous work that has gone on within the company since the merger. There has been an enormous amount of things to get done – integration of systems, shared services, bringing together of cultures, etc. – and I'm very pleased with the progress that has been made. There is no question in my mind that we’re on the right track with regards to the future. We've still got some projects left in this integration but the staffing decisions, where to place certain services, etc. are behind us for the most part. We all still have to perform in our jobs but the structural parts are done.

Our little company is in the news today in the New York Times as representative of the ills of journalism in the modern age. The references are to some painful cuts that both Erik Wemple and Alison True have had to make to bring the Reader and City Paper into profitability. These decisions were not made lightly and I believe Erik and Alison have made them with the future in mind for all of us and are as committed to serious journalism as they ever were, as is this company. We’ve also had people leave in Atlanta and have eliminated a few unfilled positions in our other markets.

The simple economic fact is that a large part of the print newspaper industry’s profitability has been tied to highly lucrative classified advertising and this has been used to support journalism for the past 50 years. Unfortunately, the classifieds models are shifting and this is rocking the economics of papers all across the world. (One bright spot in the past 4 months has been the stabilizing of classifieds at the Reader!) The display business has been strong but is getting hurt a bit right now by the effects of the housing slowdown - this will pass. While it is easy to blame mean and nasty CEOs for trimming budgets, the fact is that our journalism, advertising and our content needs to be and are being re-conceived. We need to continue to build new web/mobile products, reshape our organization, and order our spending and investment decisions so that we build our Web businesses more rapidly while also ensuring the sustainability of our newspapers. We also have to use the creativity and entrepreneurship that is within the company and our industry to forge the new models for journalism and local publishing."

For more, click here to read the rest on Romenesko's site.

WTMP Finds a New, High Profile Home on Fowler Ave.

When New York-based investment firm D.B. Zwirn confirmed plans to lease longtime black-owned Tampa radio station WTMP-1150 AM, along with eight other radio stations controlled by the Cherry family, media watchers grew concerned.

After all, a white-owned investment firm from New York City was taking control of Tampa's heritage radio station -- focused on black issues and the black community for more than 50 years. Would the new owners keep the station focused on the black community? Would they invest in the station or use it as a piggy bank?

According to the station's new manager Chris McMurray, the answer at least one of those questions is yes. McMurray says the station will move from its current headquarters to a street-level retail space at 1251 East Fowler Ave. -- spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to create a new studio easily accesible to the public. It's the same tactic Zwirn took in Youngstown, Ohio, when the company bought a string of stations there.

"We have no visibility here...Who sees you here? Who knows you're here?" said McMurray of WTMP's current offices, a cramped space along an out-of-the-way stretch of Washington Blvd. in Tampa. "To me, that's what radio is -- it's in the middle of a community."

McMurray expects WTMP will be moved into the space owned by co-tenant J&B Carpet Store by February. She could not say whether the company would implement a similar plan at any of the eight other Cherry-owned stations Zwirn was leasing to own.

 

Tampa Man Asks Bravo to Make Him a Supermodel

As I've said earlier, I always cringe when I see a local name in the running for one of these reality competition shows. Just means I'll have to spend precious hours monitoring a show I would otherwise leave to the good folks at Television Without Pity and Reality Blurred.

Still, news that Tampa 23-year-old Jathniel will be competing in Bravo's latest fashion-related reality train wreck Make Me a Supermodel isn't all bad. If he turns out to be a pain, we can always show up at his gig in the Armani Exchange and heckle him (according to Bravo, he's also an aspiring actor who is close to his family, especially his dad). There's three other aspirants from Florida; two from Miami and one from Ft. Lauderdale.

All the fun starts Jan. 2, when Bravo begins airing the show hosted by Tyson Beckford and Niki Taylor,  whittling 24 aspiring models down to 14 finalists who will compete for $100,000 and a contract with a high powered New York agency. Expect the competition to include challenges such as handling a photo shoot after a night out partying with Lindsay and Paris and the always messy binge and purge relay.

See what the writer's strike has reduced us to? (h/t to Zoolander).

Golden Globes TV Nominees: Flawed, But Still Cooler Than Emmy

It took FX forever and a day to pick up the show for the next season, and viewers didn't really take to it, either. But bravura performances by Ted Danson and Glenn Close helped make FX's Damages the most-nominated TV show in the 2008 Golden Globes contest, tied with HBO's film about a British Lord who shocks the nation by befriending a killer, Longford.

Not exactly the choices I would have made, but nobody expects the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to know American TV very well. Indeed, the perennial surprise about the Globes' TV component is how well they smoke out some early success worth noting.

This year, that distinction goes to HBO's Big Love, which resurrected itself creatively big time this year, largely without popular notice (This year, the Globes singled out the show and star Bill Paxton). Critically acclaimed freshman series Pushing Daisies (ABC), Californication (Showtime)and Mad Men (AMC) also did well, scoring nominations for both stars and the show.

But the list of snubs is significant, starting with HBO's The Sopranos. Despite shuttering the series with a provocative finale, the Globes bestowed just one nomination -- for female lead Edie Falco. That's the same number of nominations as Medium and Samantha Who?

Also off the list -- perennially -- is Battlestar Galactica, HBO's The Wire, FX's The Shield and Rescue Me and Dexter -- which should have gotten a best drama nomination to go with star Michael C. Hall's best actor nod (Grey's Anatomy could easily take a break)   

See what you think -- here's the rest of this year's TV nominees:

Pushing Deggans: How to Respond When the Media Critic Gets Critiqued?

For a guy who spends his days criticizing others, I get remarkably little criticism myself (not counting some of the bigger pains who occasionally post comments on this blog).

So it was a little odd to stumble on this criticism of my work, posted on the local blog Pushing Rope. Starting with an offhand comment I posted on the Creative Loafing blog disputing use of the term censorship to describe blacking out a few four-letter words in a police report displayed online of Jessica Sierra's arrest, Rope blogmaster Michael Hussey goes on to accuse me of going soft on the newspaper's initial decision to pass on publishing a rumor about Mark Foley.

He wrote: "Deggans is a media critic that never sees fault with his employer. Case in point is the Times handling of sitting on the Mark Foley story."

     What I wrote then: "It's enough of a judgment call that I don't blame our reporters for deciding not to run the story -- though I wish we had gotten to the bottom of this before other media outlets did.

The Times' government and politics editor filed a long-ish blog post Saturday explaining why we never wrote a story on Foley's milder emails to a page last year, even though we learned of them back then. Of course, it's easy t