Reply
Sun 5 Sep, 2004 07:26 am
I've been watching the coverage of Hurricane Frances and a question arises.
What makes news producers think that it's better reporting if they have the reporter stand out IN the 70mph winds with their ponchos whipping about as they scream into their microphones???
"As you can see the winds are picking up here and the rain is nearly horizontal, Bill. My photographer, Allen is struggling to keep me in the shot and gggrablee bummmldderrm can wertorit later. " (Boink)
Don't these people have the sense to come in out of the rain?
Why do producers from all over the country send weather reporting teams down there too? The locals can't tell us what's going on? Does having 7,000 weather reporters in the storm really help anyone? *shrugs*
Yesterday, I saw Al Roker holding another reporter up. Looked like the other guy was going to fall down.
Don't the producers realize that their employees could get hit by a tree? or worse!
I turned off the TV a while ago. The constant site of rain, wind, gloom and doom was beginning to get on my nerves. If I want to see rain and wind, all I have to do is look out my window.
I was just thinking about this yesterday.
I think they hire special people to do live coverage of bad weather disasters. I imagine some people are not easily put off by large blowing debris of concrete or housing roofs zooming over their heads. Once they have gained this stardom, they probably move up a notch in their status as a weather person or photographer.
They remind me of that Al Franken SNL bit where he had the Sat dish on his head.
The sad thing is now I'm laughing so hard at the poor duff trying to report I don't listen to what she has to say.
Fishin' : What is up with that? Why would a station in Tennessee want a reporter to stand on the beach front in West Palm Beach and bellow into a mic?? It's puzzling.
It's a Darwinian thing, there are only so many slots for t.v. weatherpersons so this process reduces the eligible numbers.
Remember when the Weather Channel made its debut? The pundits were all gloomy and predicted disaster. Hah.
People love disasters--and when they can get vicarious front row seats with a wind-whipped reporter and a half-drowned photographer.... Season tickets for Hurricane Season right on the Fifty Yard Line.
All along the eastern seaboard, abstract ghouls and inquisitive members of Snowbird Families are tracking Frances with great glee.
The advertisers are making a bundle--and so are the networks.
Noddy, I think you are absolutely right on this one.
Dys
Dys, is that social darwinism and just plain old regular darwinism?
BBB
It's Republican Corporate-Thinking Darwinism.
Dys
Dys, ya gotta stop listening to Fred so much; he's makin ya too cynical.
http://www.cynicalparrot.com/
BBB
It wasn't thank long ago that Al Roker likely couldn't be blown away by hurricane force winds. I'm thankful that the storm dropped down to a category one but I heard this morning that people who were trapped in the storm 'cause they didn't evacuate were calling 911 for rescue. They were told, of course, that there's no way rescue could get to them now. Jeesh!
It looks to me like the high rainfall -- as much as 20 inches in some places could wreak more havoc than the wind.
I was watching coverage on Fox News. Shep Smith was laughing at this poor guy with a wind speed gauge trying to hold the gauge and the microphone and keep his pants up at the same time.
I also watched footage of this interview in the middle of a parking lot where the interviewee was literally picked up by the wind and flung a good 50 feet across the parking lot into a parked car. Thankfully, he sustained only minor injuries.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace