Tuned In: Local newscasts fixated on Bambi
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Oh, deer.
On Monday, I first saw a report about a deer stuck in the Highland Park Reservoir while watching KDKA. It was the seventh story reported at 5 p.m.
While replaying other newscasts, the same story popped up on WPXI at 5:15 p.m. I rolled my eyes and wondered if WTAE, which seems to love endangered animal stories more than any other local station, led its 5 p.m. news with the deer story. And lo and behold, WTAE did.
This was the kind of story that once would have been a newscast kicker, airing in the last five minutes, but in this age of dumbed-down, give-viewers-what-they-want-not-what-they-need breaking news, it's mutated into a lead story. Yes, it's pretty pathetic, but so is the lack of creativity we're seeing this sweeps month.
WPXI has a new consumer reporter, Robin Taylor, but too often she's telling the same old stories in the same old way. A restaurant report featured the same rat-a-tat-tat listing of age-old restaurant violations ("rodent droppings," "no hot water," "unsafe temperatures") as when Becky Thompson did these reports before her departure in 2006.
Channel 11 did have a worthwhile report on inaccurate gas pumps. Ms. Taylor showed viewers how pumps are tested for accuracy, and while I'm sure it's been done somewhere before, it didn't feel quite as tired as many stories have seemed:
• 10 ways to save you cash on auto insurance (Michelle Wright, WTAE).
• Ways to boost your metabolism (Alison "Some of Them Might Surprise You" Morris, KDKA).
• How to stop telemarketers (Robin Taylor, WPXI).
There may be some value in reruns. KDKA's David Highfield reported on "beach bargains" and it's possible there are some new wrinkles there; same with Rick Earle's WPXI report on the Top 10 speed traps in the area, which can change over time. But it sure feels like local stations are running on creative fumes.
As is usually the case, WTAE has the most interesting, newsworthy investigations. Jim Parsons reported on the bizarre rules that govern parking tickets in the City of Pittsburgh and how little is done to collect unpaid fines.
First Published May 14, 2010 12:00 am
