Yell It Like It Is
In today’s multi platform news world radio stations and television stations are watching their viewers and listeners following the trend of disappearing newspaper readers.
One has to wonder if GLOBAL TV and CKNW radio went too far last month.
By David Chesney
Editor/Publisher
November 18, 2016
They’re Still Calling It News
CRTC To Investigate CKNW radio for publicizing photos of dismembered body along roadside in Langley. The gruesome photos clearly showed body parts spread along the side of the road in the rural part of Langley. The RCMP believe the incident is tied directly to the latest outbreak of violence between rival crime groups.
On Tuesday November 1st, 2016, British Columbians watched in horror as news broke of a stabbing at Abbotsford Senior Secondary, a tragic event which claimed the life of 13-year-old student Letisha Reimer, and injuring another. As if that wasn’t disturbing enough, video soon surfaced thereafter of the stabbing. While most media outlets refrained from sharing the video out of respect for the families and at the request of the Abbotsford Police, Global BC chose to blatantly disrespect those wishes by both airing the horrific video on their evening news in addition to publishing it on their website. Jill Krop, news Director for Global BC, spoke out to CKNW’s Linda Steele and Drex on the station’s decision to air the video, citing “public interest,” “sensitivity” and “journalistic principles.”
However, there is absolutely no way in my mind to justify the publication of that video, and by choosing to air the video Jill Krop and the rest of the staff at Global BC are re-victimizing those directly affected by Tuesday’s incident. As such, we have created this petition calling for Jill Krop to immediately resign from Global BC. (click here to sign the petition)
Why doesn’t it surprise me the news media has sunk to this level? The listening and viewing audiences of radio and televsion news outlets have gone the way of the newsprint industry. Simply put, they have TUNED OUT. For this very reason News Directors have chosen to sink to the lowest common denominator – shock. Back in the day when I worked in and alongside the Vancouver media cabal CKNW was the Top Dog, and deservedly so. There was not a day that I didn’t drive by the courthouse in Vancouver and see at least two CKNW newscruisers and the same number of CKWX news cruisers inside the law courts keeping up to date on top of REAL – BREAKING NEWS. Those were the days. In my decade plus of promoting artists for CBS records here on the West Coast I was in and out of virtually every newspaper, radio and television outlet in the Lower Mainland. Every media outlet had a radio tuned to CKNW to keep on top of the news. After all CKNW had a legion of reporters on the streets. Nowadays they have a couple of news people and a host of interns hoping someone calls in with the news.
The last time I had a TV in the home (over 5 years ago) I actually saw CHRIS GAILUS on Global wrap up his newscast with a plea to their listeners “If you see any news call us, send us a video. Now to back up a bit this was not uncommon. CKNW proudly offered a cash bonus if you called in the best news tip to their newsroom, but remember this was only to augment their first class news operation. Not in place of news reporters. Old habits die hard. As the publisher of The White Rock Sun I subscribe to CKNW and WX1130 for their BREAKING NEWS alerts. This is how I actually saw the images of the body parts along the rural road in North Langley prior to common sense or negative listener response. I was shocked that the once mighty TOP DOG had sunk to publishing pictures taken from their EYE IN THE SKY traffic airplane reporter. There are no filters left on our media. In the day news directors were challenged with what stories would actually make it on to the evening newscast. But now with 24 hours news outlets the amount of content one needs to stay fresh is staggering. Now virtually anything goes to air with no research or background checks. We need it, and we need it now. The other aspect of today’s news organizations is the disclaimer of “Such and such other news outlet is reporting……” That sound you hear is of long gone news directors spinning in their graves. No self respecting news organization in days gone by would ever credit another new source. NEVER! If you watch the 6 o’clock news on any given day I challenge you to time out when the actual news is over. My unscientific market research leads me to believe somewhere between 5 after and 10 after the hours the News is over. Then it is a quick shoulder roll into, the Health Show, Sports, Weather, on and on and on.
But no news.
D.Chesney
Publisher/Editor
Email: ch************@te***.net
Original Post on the White Rock Sun HERE
Its amazing to see how many days a week Global starts their 5 or 6pm newscasts with “BREAKING NEWS” – usually something that they have already mentioned on their noon show or has been a story posted online for hours.
An even worse trend is the throwing of the story to their ‘live’ reporter doing a taped hit complete with delay and head nodding as if it were live. Since they just say “Back to you” at the end its endlessly recycled on BC1 as well.
Not to mention relying on the YouTube fad video of the day as being newsworthy (and promoting it half a dozen times during the hour before actually running all five seconds of it.
The fault for this lies 100% with the CRTC. They allowed the consolidation that has a handful of companies controlling the Canadian media. The bad judgement with regard to the video is a symptom of the disease of large corporate ownership. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump breaks up the likes of Comcast and makes the US media landscape more diverse. Conventional broadcasters were gutting their product by cutting staff and increasing ad inventory just as the internet was on the rise.
In order to assist a News Director who feel s/he must not broadcast video for any one of a dozen reasons, I think the critics should define what must not be shown.
News footage can be powerful, often much more powerful than sound or print and managing it well is an ongoing challenge.
A clear definition of what to prohibit would be very helpful to a News Director. And surely viewers are entitled to know what stories or story elements are not included in a program’s editorial policy.
Mr. Bell, if you and the so-called News Directors and talk show hosts need ‘policy direction’ in this respect, then you’re in the wrong job and industry. Always take the high road, and you never lose. Just because you’re in a competitive business like everyone else, sleaze reporting, strategies and tactics is nothing more then a race to the bottom, where TV and Radio, as stand-alone platforms are heading. Further, sleaze will not stave off this deterioration of your medium, neither will govt intervention. Only ‘good’ people inside an organization can do that and it appears Global/Corus lack those people in sufficient numbers. Obviously, I agreed with the author of the above Newspaper article.
In response to Cameron Bell’s suggestion that “critics” should define what must not be shown, wouldn’t it be better for the news organization to have a policy on what it will not show to a viewing audience? Does it have such a list? Or has the news business devolved to such a point that nothing is off the table; anything goes in order to dumb down a newscast to attract as many viewers as possible?
Cameron, you headed up a news organization that did great reporting and great investigative work but sadly, both are in short supply in television news today. The news team at BCTV dug into news stories and went after “news” like journalists used to. You and your successor operated a great news organization; one of the best.
Sadly, however, television news has declined over the years and today is in a sorry state with no relief in sight. Is it any wonder fewer and fewer people are watching?
I guess that with the shaw corus owned outlets scraping the underside of the bottom of the barrel Mr Bells weak defense of poor judgment isnt out of the norm .
Let’s face it , it’s dollars and cents. Much cheaper to show footage someone shot of a group of idiots wrestling each other in the traffic of Lougheed Highway than have experienced reporters out covering stories people care about.
Mr Bell, so if your comment “News footage can be powerful, often much more powerful than sound or print” holds true then what’s with the 6:00pm Global BC news show shadow broadcast on CKNW? That’s sound if I am not mistaken. Listeners cant see footage on the radio.
True, judgement is required to run any ‘news’ organization just as it is with any organization whether it be profit or non-profit in it’s mission statement. However, I agree with two people in the above list. The comments of Cameron Bell (no relation) are worthwhile as always and Obiwan laying the blame at the feet of the CRTC simply agrees with what I have said for years. The CRTC has created this failing industry from what was once a thriving broadcast community. Corporate greed has and will see many doors close on what should be successful enterprises.
Visual news on radio? Nah.
The really sad part is as tasteless as body parts and stabbings are it is what it is. (todd bertuzzi)
The MSM and especially shaw /corus have ruined two number one operations. If thats the fault of a governmnet regulator then the regulator should be held accountable. Chances are its the fault of cheap greedy ownership as well as a weak regulator.
Jill Krop has a job like the captain of the titanic or the challanger. doomed from the start.
The destruction of ‘NW, which started the day Corus acquired it, is merely the most visible suicide on the media front. The infection can be found throughout the industry today. There is not a newsroom worthy of the name in Victoria either. As well, the small town I now live in has two radio stations, 1.5 newspapers none of which publishes anything remotely resembling “news” which has been found by reportorial skill. I have learned of a number of very interesting stories in the community which I have passed on to the local media. Any one of which would have made a province-wide story. They simply are not interested. Newsrooms? Community Calendars at best. It is interesting to see Cameron Bell entering the controversy, if I recall correctly he coined or at least perpetuated the phrase “if it bleeds, it leads”. Sleaze reporting has been with us for quite some time in BC.
I had to laugh (before turning off my radio) when the very first moments of the very first broadcast of Global News on CKNW (Nov. 14) had the newsman saying something like “the following video images may be disturbing to some viewers”…. Video images on the radio?? Seriously?
Now for certain, CKNW will not contradict Global, not present a differing interpretation of the news… diversity is dwindling.
Kind of odd, don’t you think, when one of the most celebrated news directors of his time (rhymes with hell) says: “The critics should define what should not be shown.”
Really ? What about policy, Mr Bell. Didn’t your BCTV newsroom have a policy (or ethics) at on what is newsworthy ?
What about you. Jill Krop.
If not, no wonder why I hated BCTV when it was still around. Not to mention the world ( in the eyes of Mr Rhymes with hell) stopped east and north of Chilliwack.
Ever heard of Prince George. Mister Bell?
Arrogance beyond belief ! Go back to your tourist station, Mr. Bell.
PS
When it comes to signing petitions over the years Ive found its NEVER a good idea to sign a petition regarding a private sector matter (Jill Krops job) or any matter that is covered by a collective agreement.
Governments and their policies and their elected officials are fair game for petitions.
I was never a fan of Fox. Like a lot of smug Canadians I thought our media was so much better balanced and fairer than American. I was wrong. I started watching Fox and now, since the U.S. election showed how completely biased all of the other networks are, it’s the only news I listen to. My friends, who only watched CNN, CBC, read local papers or listened to local radio stations, were completely shocked when Trump won the election. The only thing they heard were jokes and negative things about him and how Clinton was winning in a landslide. Then I would check out FOX’s website and see tens of thousands of people at his rallies all over the U.S.! It was the only network and website that would even mention them. Something had to be wrong. I will never look at CNN again, and that goes for all of the major networks and newspapers, since it looks like they’re all going to continue to misrepresent the news.
And CNN covered Trump 24/7 for almost a year and a half. Trump didn’t need to drop a dime on ads thanks to MSM like CNN.
Barry, everything said about Trump was anything but positive. CNN backed Hillary 100%, and they both lost.
Lets face it people want hard news and they want it fast and they want to hear whatever news caters to their thinking. And that’s why mainstream media is losing out along with their advertising dollars. Not sure about big city TV, but small town tv is holding on for dear life. They need to bring viewers back! Maybe that means taking the low road. Viewers will decide.
My recent suggestion that critics consider a list of criteria that people will not publish or broadcast was a poorly drafted effort to make a simple point. In my experience, complaints about stories, backed by demands for censorship were most successfully dealt with by asking the question I posed here.
If there is something you don’t think others should have the option of viewing, what is it? Can you define those elements that so offend you others must be protected from receiving.
Or can you create a list of stories you do not want reported? And why?
I regret that my intent was not as clear as my suggestion.
And on the second point – regarding radio/television simulcasting…
I believe there are ways to approach it that would enhance both the radio and television broadcasts. But, I would recommend trying it only when the plan to succeed on both mediums is clearly drawn, understood by staff and effectively implemented.
My thanks to the more charitable commenters.
Hope this generates more than unsigned snide beer-hall insults.
Cameron
CKNW is a disgusting news station. All they do all day long is BASH President Trump and PM hopeful Kevin O’Leary.
Never a PEEP of the murderous Clinton Crime Family for 30 years. The MSM is finished and will never make a comeback. Ever. Technology is routing it out and creating new and interesting ways to get the news out.
The DEATH of the MSM continues….