Selective Protection?

Wonder how much trouble WANE TV will have keeping the advertising contract with the local Budweiser distributorship? The Maven is quite sure the suits at AALCO Distributing have been chewing some ass at WANE TV and their corporate home office.  

One would think that WANE TV is making a pretty gutsy decision to portray a well-spending advertiser in a rather embarrassing light. 

Quite a difference from how WANE TV bent over backwards to protect Piere's Entertainment Complex/Knife-&-Gun-Club during the most recent fatal shooting in their parking lot a few months ago. While every other media outlet in the city named Piere's by name, WANE TV never did, instead their stories indicated the shooting took place in "a parking lot in the 5600 block of St. Joe Road".  

If you don't remember, the Maven can direct you to this.......

http://fwmediamaven.blogspot.com/2015/03/its-not-what-15-finds-out-its-what-15.html

So, why the change is policy? Either WANE TV is playing favorites, or they are approaching the level of the WOWO news room for ineptitude and stupidity. 

Fort Wayne Phil...Excellent Music, Lousy Spellers

Uh, you folks need to take your social media output just as seriously as your traditional advertising. 

And please don't blame the intern. 

Do As I Say, Not As I Do....

Don't Text and Drive!

Unless you're the news media, then you can do as you damn well please.

Jeffrey Lute posted a video on his Facebook page of a 21Alive employee driving and texting. While these two screen grabs don't do it justice, Mr. Lute's video clearly shows the pretty blonde woman looking down, texting, and then realizes she's been caught.

Busted.....

See the video here:

https://www.facebook.com/jlute/videos/10153193258824277/

These are the things that give General Managers indigestion.

Flaming Bottles and Lip Gloss......

The kids in the WOWO news room never disappoint.

First it was a "flaming bottle" that was thrown into a home. Kayla called it that because that's what the police press release called it.

The next day, Kylie updates the story, and the incendiary device is now called a "fire bomb". The Maven is unsure why the change was made...perhaps Kylie has a background with bombs and such. 

Of course, it wouldn't be a WOWO news story without a noticeable spelling error. Uh, kids, it should the "through" not "threw" the window. 

As the Maven mentioned earlier, the kids in the WOWO news room never disappoint. 

The Journal Gazette Alleges.....

Even the Journal Gazette can't seem to grasp the proper use of the word "allege". Almost any crime story written by local TV typists will improperly and repeatedly misuse the word. Those clerks have been told, at one time or another, that the word has magic powers to insulate them from libel/slander. As the Maven has repeatedly and indignantly harped, it does not. It only makes the story sound as if it were written by an 8 year-old. (Apologies to all 8 year-olds). 

The last paragraph of Ms Green's story illustrates either an epic misunderstanding of basic English, or the auto-correct function on her iPhone/iPad may have tried to assist her in writing the story while she was enduring the hubbub and commotion of Starbucks that day. 

The story mentions court documents. Court documents are quite different compared to regular documents because they carry ramifications under the law. A court document may state, imply, illustrate, demonstrate, or a combination of functions because they are based on a fact. They cannot "allege" something because allegations are not based on facts, either in the Law, or in everyday common sense and application.

The Maven awards the Journal Gazette and typist Ms Green with a "One Face Palm" for the effort. 

A Waste of Good Newsprint and Good Ink....

This has to be the bullshit story of the year for the News Sentinel. 

In essence, the story quotes some engineer as saying the that to avoid flooding, stay out of the flood zones. Whoa, call the neighbors, wake the kids, how much did the City pay to learn this Earth-shattering fact? You know they did......

The Maven is amazed that this story even found it's way into print. It's like saying "to prevent electrocution, don't run across a golf course waving a 9 iron over your head during a thunderstorm."

There is a news story here, but Bob Caylor and his friends and the News Sentinel won't dare pursue it, out of fear the City will cut off journalistic access to the paper's reporters and the publisher and editors won't get those coveted holiday party invitations they've become so used to over the years. 

A real reporter might want to see if Christopher B. Burke Engineering, who employs this "flooding genius" was one of the contributors to the mayor's last election campaign. It's an easily-searched public record. Someone might also be enterprising enough to see if the same firm holds any city contracts for things like sewer work? that, too, is easy to find out. But, alas, in this day and age of lazy media, that might take some real work. 

Instead, readers are treated to a bullshit story that draws a conclusion that any 6th grader could figure out.....want to stay dry, stay away from where it floods. The Maven isn't sure why this story exists, except to, perhaps, stroke the ego of a campaign contributor by manufacturing a news story to make the contributor appear to be a genius. Looks like the afternoon paper is doing a favor for the City, but has failed miserably. 

This should answer, once and for all, the question the Maven hears so often. "Why do we hire out of town consultants all the time when we have qualified people in town to do the work"? The short answer is that the locals won't pay the bribe, er, fee, er, won't cough up the $1,000, $2,000 or $5,000 campaign contribution to the sitting office holders in the City's pay for play scheme. This is nothing new, it's been a part of politics here and everywhere for a hundred years. 

And remember kids, if you want to avoid flooding, stay away from the flood. 

Scaring The Daylights Out Of The Audience....

When you can't influence your audience with good journalism and solid reporting.....

You cry "wolf" and create "straw man" catastrophes based on opinion and innuendo, all designed to create panic and drive profits. 

This is not responsible journalism. This is panic-inducing, trashy, and down-right embarrassing.  

Fort Wayne has enough problems and issues. We don't need a desperate TV station to create another imaginary boogie man.....