Think it’s easy to be a news or sports anchor? Think it’s just a matter of applying makeup, sitting in a chair and reading a teleprompter? Think again. Odds are, you’ve seen this bit of Indiana-based sportscasting. Stephen Colbert has referenced it at least twice, Will Smith once at the Oscars.
But if you’re a distracted news gathering grunt, careening from a gas leak in Snellville to a “mysterious package” in Carrollton to a court hearing that started an hour ago in Newnan, you may have overlooked this classic Youtube video. Happy holiday.
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Posted by Jim on July 1, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I’d seen bits of this, but had never actually played it from beginning to end…Dear God this was painful.
Posted by steve schwaid on July 1, 2009 at 5:29 pm
You have to feel bad for this kid. At some point early on in our careers it either happened to us or someone we worked with…very painful.
Posted by JasonC on July 1, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Wow, I remember having some bad shows in college, but it’s almost like this kid either can’t read or has never seen any of the copy or video before (with the exception of the ‘boom! goes the dynamite’ part). At least the video and GFX seemed to be alright.
Posted by Mr. Bear on July 1, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Ohhhh, that’s aching; been there, definitely have done that.
In retrospect, I view this as part of the natural selection process; I’m a print guy, all the way. May this young man find a fulfilling career, but perhaps in another form of the media. And, many a career was changed because of technical issues far beyond the control of the on-air talent.
Do I hear fireworks?
Posted by Element on July 2, 2009 at 1:35 am
A classic.
Posted by LBJ on July 2, 2009 at 9:37 am
I remember a few months after CNN signed on in 1980, there was a nice and attractive “video journalist” (aka entry level kid) who desperately wanted to do weather. The chief meterologist wanted to give her a break, so he trained her. Many of us were waiting to see how this was going to go, so we watched as she began wonderfully. A graphic didn’t appear the way she expected, so she stumbled, began to cry, and ran off the set. At least few were watching that first year…
Posted by Jolly Roger on July 2, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Whats this? just a re-post of a years old clip that already made its rounds on the Internet?
No insightful commentary on the state of local sports reporting?
No forecast as to when local sports will get the chop-chop? or its becoming “increasingly irrelevant?”
Doug, I’m unimpressed!
So, I’ll try my hand at it.
Does anyone even watch local news for sports coverage anymore? especially in Atlanta? At least in the smaller markets they cover the high schools, and colleges that otherwise wouldn’t make it on ESPN. Highlights (or lowlights) from the Braves/Falcons/Hawks/(or Dream) for two minutes doesn’t seem like something to get the sportsfan to watch your newscast.
But hey, if it airs after 0:21 it doesn’t matter to the meters anyways.
Posted by Element on July 2, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Come on. Brother’s on vacation!
But to answer your question, no. I have never watched a local sportscast. I could easily do without.
Posted by Local Sports Watcher on July 2, 2009 at 10:47 pm
“At least in the smaller markets they cover the high schools”
… Roger, have you ever seen a Friday night newscast in Atlanta? Dude, Atlanta is all over its high school sports. I give the stations credit for that. You can accuse the sports departments of a lot of things, but not covering high school sports is not one of them.
Put your hand in front of your face in front of a high school kid and see what (s)he does. I promise they’ll know what you’re talking about…even if you don’t.
Posted by Jolly Roger on July 3, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Sure, during football season, they cover a FEW of the big schools in Atlanta.
Covering every school is just a logistical nightmare in a larger market like Atlanta.
But rarely do they cover BASEBALL, Basketball, Girl’s sports, etc,.. When I watch the 2 minutes afforded to the “sportscast” on a normal night. its Braves, Falcons, Hawks, and maybe something national. Nothing a sportsfan wouldn’t get on ESPN.
This isn’t a dig at sports reporting in general. I just think that there needs to be some change to what I’m seeing. I can’t really see what any of the four locals offers in sports coverage that you can’t get somewhere else.
so, you say “Atlanta is all over h.s. sports”? Do you mean all 4 stations?
Which station(s) do you think does the best job at covering Atlanta local sports? I’m curious. Which station(s) does the worst job?
Posted by KJ4MPE on July 3, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Nice…I always enjoy watching this one.
He works a TV station in Texas now, if I am not mistaken.
Posted by Steve Barton on July 5, 2009 at 10:48 pm
To answer your question JR:
Fox 5 and 11 Alive are the destinations for HS football fans on Friday nights. Fox 5 will devote 20+ minutes of their 10-11 hour to prep pigskins. Fox 5 has an additional show on Saturday mornings, not sure if 11 Alive does that also.
CBS 46 got into the action during playoff times, but had zero some Friday nights during the season. WSB has embarassingly sparse coverage of HS football during the regular season (while presenting their little bits as if they were something more) but ramped it up some for the playoffs.