Personal Endorsements - Are They True?

A local radio host talks about her home's new roof and excitedly endorses the roofing company. A local talk show host gushes about his new HVAC system and sings their praises on the air. Those are personal endorsements and are advertising messages using the credibility of the local media personality to entice you to seek the advertiser's products or services based on your like or trust of the personality. 

How do you really know if those endorsements are true?

Recently Google and iHeartMedia (the nation's largest radio station owner) got into some hot water when it was revealed that IHM radio personalities were only reading advertising copy and had never seen, owned or even handled the item they were endorsing. 

From the Broadcastlaw Blog: 

"...media companies, including broadcasters, webcasters, podcasters and others, need to consider carefully their advertising production after the big penalties imposed on Google and iHeart for broadcast commercials where local DJs promoted the Pixel 4 phone. Promotions included statements that clearly implied that the announcers had used the phone, including statements that it was “my favorite camera” and “I’ve been taking studio-like photos” with the phone. But, according to the announcements of the settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and seven state attorneys general, the announcers had not in fact used the phone. Google will pay the states penalties of $9 million, and iHeart will pay about $400,000. Each will enter into consent orders with the FTC requiring 10-year recordkeeping and compliance plans to train employees, maintain records of advertising with endorsements, and reports to be filed periodically with the FTC."

So, how does one know if those you hear endorsements are true, or just an advertising ploy? 

Beats me.

You can read the Broadcastlaw Blog article here: 

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=21817ecf-febd-4d04-8ab6-4cf6d49633d1&utm_source=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed&utm_medium=HTML+email+-+Body+-+General+section&utm_campaign=Lexology+subscriber+daily+feed&utm_content=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed+2022-12-09&utm_term=

Did We View The Same Meeting?

Fort Wayne City Councilman Jason Arp's attempt at a political stunt died a quick death at the Council table. But, local media seems to have a difference of opinion on just how that happened. 

According to the kids at WANE 15:

WPTA 21Alive/Fort Wayne NBC also got it wrong: (there was no vote, kids)

Here's what the Journal Gazette reported (and what the Media Maven witnessed at the meeting):

Maybe, Robert's Rules of Order is not required reading at Ball State for the TV folks.

The WANE-15 story was updated to reflect the correct information. Bravo.

And for those who missed it, the original WANE TV story is posted below followed by the WPTA ABC21Alive/Fort Wayne NBC story (since the Maven has been accused of making this stuff up).

‘Totally inappropriate:’ City Council shoots down Arp

by: Clayton McMahan

Posted: Oct 25, 2022 / 04:53 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 25, 2022 / 11:10 PM EDT

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Fort Wayne City Council President Jason Arp announced plans to propose cuts to Mayor Tom Henry’s operating budget ahead of Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Arp’s statement said under the proposition, the budget would not be restored until “all of the information requests have been fulfilled.”

Although Mayor Henry recently answered a list of questions previously posed by Councilman Arp, Arp and WANE 15 have requested video evidence from the Oct. 8 crash, which still has not been released.

Mayor Henry responds to questions posed by Councilman Jason Arp

Here is Councilman Arp’s full statement regarding the city budget:

“At tonight’s Council meeting I am putting forth cuts to the Mayor’s operating budget.  As City Council President, I have been working with our attorneys and staff to ensure questions related to the incident that occurred October 8th have been answered.  Many of the questions we have asked were answered in a timely manner, however we have asked that the video evidence from the night of the event be preserved for Council’s review in order to conclude our inquiry into the matter.  We have been told that the video evidence will not be available until the case is closed upon sentencing.  While I have confidence that our request will be granted in a timely manner, I am requesting a cut of the Mayor’s Office operating budget. The budget would then be restored once all of the information requests have been fulfilled.  Budgetary action is one of the Council’s few means of recourse to ensure accountability.  We are hoping we will know the week of November 9th and that we will be able to promptly restore these budget items.”

At the meeting, City Council voted 8-1 to not move forward with Arp’s proposal to cut Mayor Henry’s operating budget.

Arp was the only one who voted in favor of the proposal.

Multiple councilmembers, including Geoff Paddock and Michelle Chambers, expressed their feelings on the proposal at the meeting and felt that it was not necessary.

“I will not support any effort that would hold the Mayor’s office or his staff or his operations hostage,” Paddock said.

Chambers said she would not support a proposal that would use the budget as a “weapon.”

“I don’t believe that it is our place to leverage and weaponize a budget to deal with a situation that is not related to the budget,” Chambers said.

Mayor Henry released a statement after the meeting concluded:

Fort Wayne continues to experience growth and success, and tonight’s passage by City Council of the budget for 2023 demonstrates we’re positioned for even better days ahead for our community. Fiscal discipline is critical as we work together to meet the needs, wants and desires of residents, neighborhoods and businesses. We’re looking forward to a productive 2023 with initiatives planned for every quadrant that will make a lasting and meaningful difference. Next year will bring record investments for neighborhood infrastructure and a continued commitment to public safety and our parks. By working together, we’ll be able to continue the positive momentum that we’ve built in Fort Wayne as a point of destination to live, work and play.

The WPTA ABC21Alive/Fort Wayne's NBC Story:

By Alex Null

Published: Oct. 25, 2022 at 11:42 PM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - Late Tuesday afternoon, City Council president Jason Arp released a statement saying he proposed budget cuts for the mayor’s office, because, he says, more evidence from the mayor’s recent crash and OWI arrest needs to come out. Namely, police body camera video.

Arp recently penned a letter to the city attorney, asking that several questions be answered that primarily had to do with whether taxpayers would have to foot the bill for damages caused by the crash.

The mayor later said he would pay for all damages involved.

Read Arp’s statement, in full, below:

“At tonight’s Council meeting I am putting forth cuts to the Mayor’s operating budget. As City Council President, I have been working with our attorneys and staff to ensure questions related to the incident that occurred October 8th have been answered. Many of the questions we have asked were answered in a timely manner, however we have asked that the video evidence from the night of the event be preserved for Council’s review in order to conclude our inquiry into the matter. We have been told that the video evidence will not be available until the case is closed upon sentencing.

While I have confidence that our request will be granted in a timely manner, I am requesting a cut of the Mayor’s Office operating budget. The budget would then be restored once all of the information requests have been fulfilled. Budgetary action is one of the Council’s few means of recourse to ensure accountability. We are hoping we will know the week of November 9th and that we will be able to promptly restore these budget items.”

- Councilman Arp

The mayor’s sentencing date is set for November 7th.

City council discussed and voted on Arp’s proposal Tuesday evening, with most council members voting against it. They said budget cuts normally take place while approving budgets, and this move was not necessary.

“For me, the budget cut to cut the mayor’s entire budget was not appropriate.,” Democratic Councilwoman Michelle Chambers said. “I felt like that was being used as a weapon to achieve some answers to questions that have been answered already. I don’t believe it is our place to leverage and weaponize a budget to deal with a situation that is not related to the budget.”

Chambers also said for any council member to ask for the police body cam video is inappropriate, because it’s not their responsibility to do so. Fellow democratic councilman Geoff Paddock said he agreed.

“I did disagree with his cuts tonight. I think obviously a majority of us did, feeling it was not appropriate to go through line item by line item on the mayor’s budget, particularly when there is no rhyme or reason to that,” Paddock said.

Council did approve the overall city budget for next year at the meeting. Following the vote, a statement from Mayor Tom Henry was released, and says in full:

“Fort Wayne continues to experience growth and success, and tonight’s passage by City Council of the budget for 2023 demonstrates we’re positioned for even better days ahead for our community. Fiscal discipline is critical as we work together to meet the needs, wants and desires of residents, neighborhoods and businesses. We’re looking forward to a productive 2023 with initiatives planned for every quadrant that will make a lasting and meaningful difference.

Next year will bring record investments for neighborhood infrastructure and a continued commitment to public safety and our parks. By working together, we’ll be able to continue the positive momentum that we’ve built in Fort Wayne as a point of destination to live, work and play.”

- Mayor Tom Henry

Copyright 2022 WPTA. All rights reserved.

Media and Politicians: Confusion Compounded

Around 5pm yesterday (8/23) many folks got a BREAKING NEWS ALERT from WPTA ABC21/Fort Wayne's NBC news, breathlessly reporting that the Allen County Commissioners had eliminated SE Fort Wayne as a potential location for the new Allen County Jail. 

Well, not quite. Here's what happened: 

During a Zoom call/meeting with a WPTA ABC21/Fort Wayne's NBC reporter, Allen County Commissioner Nelson Peters explained that due to much consternation (pressure) from the community, the Commissioners were looking at two other locations for the facility. In his measured and reserved voice, Commissioner Peters seemed to indicate that the SE Fort Wayne location was "off the table". Commissioner Peters did not say it was "off the table" exactly, as his comments were not precise. 

That's where the problem began. IF the intrepid WPTA ABC21/Fort Wayne's NBC reporter had asked for a clarification, (Commissioner Peters is a politician skilled at mincing and parsing words) or even asked the specific question "so, the Southeast Fort Wayne location is "off the table" WPTA ABC21/Fort Wayne's NBC might not have ended up with egg on their face. Instead, they took their interpretation of Commissioner Peter's words and ran with them. 

Commissioner Peter's "announcement" was music to the ears of many who had been fighting the placement of a new jail in SE Fort Wayne. Councilman at-large Glynn Hines repeated Commissioner Peters "announcement" during closing comments at Tuesday's City Council meeting, taking joy and encouragement that Fort Wayne's often ignored Southeast side would not be further stigmatized by being awarded another undesirable institution. (Remember the toxic landfill?)

They joy of a victory was short-lived, however.  According to a person inside the building on Butler Road, Mr. Peters called to complain that he had been "misquoted" and demanded that the story be "corrected" to say that while two other locations were being considered, the proposed SE site was, indeed, not "off the table". Scripts were then revised, web pages updated and WPTA ABC21/Fort Wayne's NBC went into full Cover-Your-Ass mode. 

For a textbook case of ass-covering, here's the REVISED story from the kids out on Butler Road.

https://www.wpta21.com/2022/08/23/allen-co-commissioner-new-jail-will-no-longer-be-built-southeast-side/

By comparison, WANE-15's Dirk Rowley had no problem deciphering and understanding Commissioner Peters comments. Readers will note that the WPTA ABC21/Fort Wayne's NBC story still has material differences compared to the WANE-15 story. It would appear that Dirk and WANE-15 got it right. 

https://www.wane.com/top-stories/peters-no-possible-allen-county-jail-sites-off-the-table/

Kudos for WANE-15

The Maven wants to officially recognize WANE-15 for a news story that got results for people being screwed-over and for putting the questionable actions of Fort Wayne City Utilities in an unpleasant spotlight. 

Here's the story:
https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/city-shuts-down-water-in-trailer-park-over-missed-payments/

As a side note, shame on Fort Wayne City Utilities for their heavy-handed tactic in this story. 

Confusing Numbers

Introducing this story today, the WANE-15 anchor stated: "according to Apartmentlist.com, rent has risen by 10% in Fort Wayne..."

But that's not what WANE-15 reported back in March, when a 40% increase in rent was referred to as "doubling". Leaving the faulty TV reporter math aside, viewers might be confused to what the "real" number is. 

The real answer is "it depends". 

It depends on what "expert" the media uses as a source, and often many numerical and statistical observations suffer from the curse of "apples" and "oranges". 

In the end, these "explanations" and analytical exercises do little to help those affected understand or solve the problems they face.  

Some Old Guy That Used To Work Here or something...

Full disclosure: Charly Butcher was not only a friend of the Maven, but over the years he was also a valued source for stories about the local media in general, and his own station, in particular. 

So, it was rather disappointing that when WOWO officially announced the recipient of the 2022 Charly Butcher Student of Integrity Scholarship...WOWO misspelled Charly's name. Charley, instead of Charly.

The gaffe not only appeared in the headline of the story, but throughout the body copy of the story on the WOWO website. 

The Maven acknowledges that the writer of the story probably joined WOWO after Charly's untimely death, and never had the pleasure of knowing and working with him. But still. This is the guy who helped restore WOWO's image and return the station to a position of prominence in the market. The least you could do is spell the man's name correctly. 

The original story from the WOWO website is below:

• Local News

2022 Charley Butcher Scholarship recipient announced

By

 Ian Randall

 -

May 19, 2022

 

Photo supplied/Sarah Butcher

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Mary Jones was named the 2022 Charley Butcher Scholarship Student of Integrity and will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

Jones will graduate from Adams Central High School and will be a freshman at the University of Saint Francis and plans to study communications. She is also a state delegate for the Indiana FFA, role model for Drugs Free Adams County and chapter officer for the Business Professionals of America.

The Charley Butcher Scholarship is awarded as part of the BBB of Northern Indiana’s Students of Integrity. It is named after the legendary WOWO broadcaster who died in 2018. It is awarded to a student in either communications or education, as Charley was a supporter of both fields.

Sarah Butcher, Charley’s widow, was at the presentation and is pictured with Jones above.

How Is This Acceptable?

Really? 
While we all know and accept the fact that the WPTA ABC21 website is notoriously stale, how can anyone at WPTA ABC21 or their red-headed step-child, Fort Waynes NBC, find this acceptable?

While every other media outlet reported, correctly, that this accident happened in the 3300 block of Brooklyn Avenue early Saturday morning, WPTA ABC21 and cut-and-paste Fort Wayne's NBC continue to insist that the accident occurred in the 330 block of Broadway?  Even after being chastised by viewers on their Facebook page, the error remains. 

Even the often-forgotten WFFT 55 got it right...

Why make a big stink about this? One word: credibility. Not only the credibility of their news operation, but if these lapses in quality are accepted by WPTA ABC 21's ownership and management, one has to wonder if they could be trusted in the other areas of their business. If you are an advertiser, you certainly should check your billing statements and proof of performance statements.

If you feel a need to vent, the WPTA ABC21 ownership information is posted in their Public File, which the FCC requires them to post online. Here's the link:

https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/tv-profile/WPTA

 

 

Check Your Date, J-G

The Maven knows that the Journal-Gazette is operating with a minimal staff and on a razor-thin budget. 

But there's really no excuse for this. 

PS kids. It's February. 

Groundhog Day Storm 2022

 As many of us dig out from the seemingly endless snowfall of the past two days, the Maven would like to offer kudos to local media weather teams for concise and hype-free coverage. 

From beginning to end, viewers were told what to expect, and local media continued to adjust their information to match the ever-changing conditions that combined to give us our latest storm. That's one reason why the 13 inches of snow in Fort Wayne fell right in the middle of the final predictions of 10-15 inches.

Not once did the Maven hear the phrase "the storm of the century" or "a storm of historic proportions". Good job. 

And kudos, also, to WANE-15's Greg Shoup for calling out those charlatan weather forecasters on Facebook and other social media for creating misleading and down-right false "forecasts" of snow and doom. One of the biggest offenders on Saturday was predicting snow totals of nearly 30 inches for Fort Wayne. 

Thank you, also, to the management of WANE-15, WPTA ABC21 (and red-headed step-child Fort Wayne's NBC), and WFFT for committing people and resources to keep your viewers informed. 

They Don't Teach That At Ball State

It's become apparent to the Maven that Physics and Thermodynamics are not part of the Journalism curriculum at Ball State University. 

Why else would an otherwise intelligent WANE-15 reporter insist that the windows of a minivan, parked next to a burning home would have been "blown out" by an explosion which triggered a house fire without first blowing down the walls of the house?

Look closely at the photo (provided by a viewer) showing the home engulfed in a raging fire. Notice, also, that the minivan windows are intact. 

The second photo, taken after the fire was extinguished, and the fire scene secured, clearly show the windows in the minivan are broken, missing. 

The Maven asked a retired firefighter if he could provide an explanation. His response was that the minivan windows, more than likely, melted and cracked due to the prolonged heat of the fire. He also indicated that, while there may have been an explosion, if it were powerful enough to blow the windows out of a minivan, it would also have been powerful enough to splinter the wood-frame house into a billion toothpicks, as well. 

This is the second news story from the kids in the WANE-15 news room that has leaned toward conjecture and relied less on facts. 

While a news story my abhor a vacuum, it would be better for all if you don't have facts, then don't rely on your Ball State education to qualify you as an expert in Physics and Thermodynamics in order to advance a theory of what happened. 

Thanks to Maven reader "Dave", for the tip about this story. 

Where Are The PIOs?

Tuesday night, January 25, two men were shot just after 10:00 pm. in the vicinity of South Calhoun.
Just where on South Calhoun, appears to be a point of contention. 

According to the kids in the million-dollar WANE-15 newsroom, the incident happened in the 2700 block of South Calhoun. 

Meanwhile, Brien's crew at WPTA ABC21 agrees and reports the shooting in the 2700 block of South Calhoun. 

However, down the hall from WPTA ABC21, Fort Wayne's NBC folks report the gunfire in the 2800 block of South Calhoun. 

And the ever-accurate Journal Gazette places the shooting in the 2500 block of South Calhoun. 

So, the Maven has to ask "which is it"?

In fairness to the news gathering folks, it should be noted that not one of the stories the Maven read quoted a police source, so absent official word from the authorities, the kids in the newsrooms appear to have done the best jobs they could given the absence of FWPD PIO representatives. 

Maybe the real question should be: was it too cold for the FWPD PIOs  to work, but it was OK for the reporters and reporter-ettes to endure the sub-zero weather?

Tone Deaf or Trying To Be Cute?

Is this an attempt at being "cute"? Or is the writer tone deaf to the issues of guns and gun violence. 

Or both?

Check the highlighted excerpts. What's your conclusion?

The use of the phrases "taking another shot" and "shot down" could have been replaced with a number of better phrases to accomplish the same meaning. 

No matter what side of the issue the audience may embrace, the debate surrounding firearms and gun violence is a serious one and the Maven believes the use of "creative or innovative copy writing (AKA being cute) does not serve the audience well

And as for the phrase "people downtown" is ambiguous. Really ambiguous.