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This Week's Issue

One of your biggest assets for surviving the downturn can be found in what some think is a luxury: your investigative unit.
Some of the most successful journalists have expanded their roles in these difficult times.

Veteran investigative reporter Chuck Goudie, of WLS-TV, Chicago, summed up the challenge: Today's investigative reporter must become indispensable to the news operation. Duane Pohlman of WEWS-TV, Cleveland says the three R's today are: Reform. Return. Reinvent. It's up to the reporters to make their own futures. Mark Greenblatt of KHOU-TV, Houston has found that rolling investigations give you new angles, help keep the heat on elected officials, and hopefully bring about change. Chris Halsne of KIRO-TV, Seattle, advocates having a mix of stories in the works, including one that can be ready to go on short notice. Maximizing followups is a way to appear on air more frequently. Stuart Watson of WCNC-TV, Charlotte believes investigative reporters should strive to become a resource in the newsroom, particularly on big stories. He also urges managers to be careful not to dilute the investigative brand.

There have been several good investigations recently warning viewers about potential problems as the summer travel season gets underway.

Summer days of fun and relaxation can be spoiled when people aren't prepared for threats and emergencies.
Many problems examined before by stations could easily resurface in the next couple of months. Here are important subjects reported in other years. These range from criminals selling youngsters to children to the Melanoma Mole Patrol.
Subscribers, you can access these items in our archives. The Rundown Archives contains material from nearly thirty years of reporting the latest in successful hometown television news.

Here are four important safety investigations:

Salvage yards leak toxic substances WBNS-TV, Columbus When environmental laws aren't enforced, hazardous materials can flow out and endanger the community. Runaway diesel engines KHOU-TV, Houston When trucks with diesel engines are left running, flammable vapors in an area can ignite causing a catastrophic explosion. Outdoor gas leaks: No policy for evacuation WABC-TV, New York Your natural gas suppliers should have strict guidelines on when people are ordered out of a leak area, whether the gas is being smelled inside or outside. Microwave fires WEWS-TV, Cleveland Ovens that were turned off, and not being used, have mysteriously caught fire.

State workers and pols are sitting on expensive chairs in Indiana.
There was strong viewer response as the investigative reporter Bob Segall at WTHR-TV found officials purchasing new furniture even though the state had a warehouse loaded with excess material. Taxpayers were so outraged over wasteful spending that a second story on state agencies purchasing promotional trinkets scored well.

"People have their antenna way up. There is so much scrutiny going on over their own spending that these stories struck a nerve. "People are angry about it. It garnered a lot of attention and a lot of talk."
	Jim Tellus President and General Manager WTHR-TV, Indianpolis

The TV news anchors of today must transition to the role of chief journalist, if they --- and your newscasts --- are to remain successful in the future.
That's the opinion of the consultants at AR&D, and a major premise of their new book, "Live. Local. Broken News. The Re-Engineering of Local TV."
Subscribers: Here are some strategies you could begin to implement now.

Highway Hazards And
Commuting Survival

Traffic headaches and dangers --- in the city and the suburbs --- are daily problems for many of your viewers. From speeding tickets to crazed drivers, there is a lot to contend with out on the highways.
Several stations have just produced projects on these issues.
Here are summaries of six reports on problems that motorists are coping with.

Here are three reports on covering infectious diseases that we hope will help you with your planning your continuing coverage:
Houston: Ground zero for the first U.S. flu death
Managers at KHOU-TV concentrated on providing people with as much information as quickly as possible on all platforms. The tone of the coverage was of the utmost importance.

Canada: Deadly SARS suddenly arrived from China
Crews were issued masks. News managers instituted safety policies to protect their staffers and the public. Here are the guidelines put in place by CBC for covering the story and protecting their people.

Louisiana: West Nile virus takes root
When the mosquito-borne virus first appeared, the challenges faced by newspeople in Louisiana were similar to those facing managers where swine flu is emerging today.

Subscribers, please print the full pdf version of this report from our archives. Thank you.

Here are stories relating to the economic downturn and housing problems that could be happening in your market.

Frauds claim they will arrange lower interest rates KING-TV, Seattle Buyers at hand, but banks stall KUSA-TV, Denver Bogus home warranty policies WSYR-TV, Syracuse Home inspectors miss shoddy work WCNC-TV, Charlotte More homeless families seeking shelter WFOR-TV, Miami

If people understand potential scams and their own rights, they may avoid major financial losses. Several stations' investigators have just produced reports explaining dangers.
These include:

Pay Me WAGA-TV, Atlanta There are employers who are stiffing workers, refusing to pay them. However, there are things a worker can do to get their boss to pay up. Zombie Debt KSDK-TV, St. Louis Old, long-forgotten obligations can sometimes be reactivated. Consumers are often unaware of the possibility. Debt Negotiators WPXI-TV, Pittsburgh They promise to negotiate successfully with a person's creditors. But are they really useful?

The administrators of the Peabody Awards at the University of Georgia have have announced their 68th annual winners.

Failing the Children: Deadly Mistakes

NOAH Housing Program Investigation

Crossfire: Water, Power and Politics

Subscribers, please print the entire report from our archives. Thank you.

School districts should be focused on invested the money they have available into improving the education they are offering. There are controversies about how officials are spending taxpayers' funds.
In Phoenix, KPNX-TV devoted much of a 5 p.m. newscast to the current education funding crisis there. Vice President/News Director Mark Casey explained to us how they brought the project to air.
In Pittsburgh, WPXI-TV discovered expensive fuel contracts for school buses. Officials had locked in when the prices were much higher last year.
In St. Louis, KSDK-TV examined claims that a major firm contracted with school districts and then marked up office supplies.
In Tampa, WFTS-TV found about half of the children receiving the free or low cost federal food programs aren't eligible.

Subscribers: Please continue this story in our archives. Thank you.

People want to know that if they donate to a charity the money will go to help someone in need.

In Charlotte, the 990 tax forms that nonprofits are required to file with the government were analyzed by reporter Jim Bradley of WSOC- TV.
He discovered that the leaders of 11 nonprofit agencies had salaries in excess of $100,000.
"The point was this: if they can afford to pay their people so much money, do they really need to receive money from United Way donations, and could that money be better used elsewhere?" says Kim Holt, Senior Executive Producer, Special Projects.

In Louisville, WHAS-TV investigated a "church" that tells the public it is helping the homeless. Reporter Adam Walser found that the much of the donated money is used for something else. Subscribers, you can access the full story here online.

A plane crashed into a ravine near a runway in Denver. Firefighters were there very quickly and put out the fire. 115 people were onboard. Roughly 40 of them were injured. It was more than a half hour before the first ambulance arrived at the gate.
The ambulance problem had been investigated for months by news team members at KMGH-TV. Then the plane crashed, and the response weakness became more obvious.

"We had a real event, and we were lucky that nobody died. We were lucky that no one was severely injured. We were lucky that the plane crashed right next to the fire station at the airport. They got there and quickly put the fire out. "What it did was to test the system --- and the system failed."
	Jeff Harris News Director KMGH-TV, Denver

Eliminating repetition must be a priority as stations re-invent themselves this year.
"What we have learned from our viewers is that repetition is our biggest enemy right now. Local viewers are not engaged in our product when stories or information is repeated," says Deborah Collura, Vice President News, Post-Newsweek Stations.

The problem of repetition is more than just running the same package twice or a package in one show and a VO/SOT in another.
Larry Rickel, President and CEO of The Broadcast Image Group, believes that you are competing against all other possible sources of information. If a person thinks they know it already, they're gone.

One station that has an aggressive anti-repetition approach is WJXT-TV in Jacksonville. An independent, its staff produces eight hours of news a day. Vice President/News Director Maureen Ruddy-Baker explained to us how they do it.

Subscribers: You can print the pdf of the full 10- page article from our archives. Thank you.

Every station is at a different stage when it comes to re-engineering its news operation.
Most agree that those who will come out of the downturn the strongest are doing more than just cutting costs. They are developing a long-term strategy for success.
Here is how news managers in several markets are working on the transition with their staffs. In this edition, we hear from:
--- Adrienne Roark, News Director, WFOR-TV, Miami.
--- Mike Goldrick, News Director, WHEC-TV, Rochester.
--- Pat Livingston, Corporate News Director, Barrington Broadcasting Group

In response to job losses and the down economy, news managers at WNDU-TV, South Bend, have developed a regular franchise to help viewers take charge of their personal finances.
		Take Charge Thursday with detailed information on a specific financial topic is available every Thursday during the news block from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
"We began looking for what we could do to lift spirits and talk about positive things. "We wanted something that would empower people and would be tied into a specific day of the week," says News Director C.J. Beutein. Subscribers, for the full explanation of how they produce this franchise, please print your issue from our archives. Thank you.

The Place to Be: Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of Television Roger Mudd
		One of television's top political reporters --- perhaps the top political reporter --- shared the inside experiences of covering many major stories. Roger Mudd was a lead correspondent on campaigns and Capitol Hill during the 60s and 70s. He was also the prime substitute anchor for the network.
His memoir, based on his own notes and extensive interviews, tells of his 20 years in the CBS News Washington bureau. His story provides many, many important insights for anyone interested in a career in television news. There are the details of newsgathering and bringing stories to air. There are specifics about getting along with management and competing with rivals. Reporting on President Kennedy's murder Television news team members had to keep functioning despite their shock and grief, they had to find out what happened, confirm, and avoid rumors and making mistakes. Here are the recollections of three journalists who covered the tragedy.

A yearlong viewer economic survival project has been launched by Hearst-Argyle.   Project Economy will appear throughout 2009 on air and online.
"The emphasis will be on localism, and our objective is to serve as the local source in our markets for economic news and information," says Brian Bracco, Senior V. P. News for Hearst-Argyle.

Subscribers please print out the article in our archives. Thank you.
Or if you prefer to have it e-mailed to you, as many subscribers do, please let us know.

Book is a valuable tool for staff development Don't Get Distracted: Stay Focused on Your Core Product An updated edition of a valuable newsroom resource has just been published. Delivering viewer- centered information is the focus of The Producing Strategy, Version 2.0, by veteran consultant Larry Rickel and longtime successful anchor Ed Sardella. Their premise: everyone in the newsroom is a producer. We must all be involved in strong storytelling and making the newscast a special experience for the viewer. Don't abandon your power base while upgrading your new media, says Rickel. As broadcasters move onto new platforms, it is more important than ever to stay focused on the role the TV newscast plays in your four-screen strategy. Rickel and Sardella explain their theories, and the value of their book. Advancing The Story: Broadcast Journalism In A Multimedia World Broadcast journalism is a good starting point for multimedia storytelling. Two broadcast veterans explain how a person with television skills can expand their abilities an excel in the new media. Debora Halpern Wenger and Deborah Potter offer specific techniques and strategies for maximizing the advantages of each platform.

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The Rundown has reported weekly on local television news, programming, and community service projects since 1981. This material now fills a massive hard copy archive of 7,000 pages --- easily the largest record of hometown television's activities.  Key articles are available in our online archives.

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Rundown Archives

Free 45-page Report

Hostage Crises:
Do You Let Gunmen Control Your Air?

When an upset, armed individual is threatening to kill someone, the police commanders supervising the emergency response and the news executives in charge of covering the confrontation have many sensitive decisions.  
Here's how broadcast executives have dealt with these dangerous emergencies.

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Terrorism Threat: Manhole Covers Left Unlocked
Underground cables carrying electricity and computer data --- the lifelines for America's cities --- are exposed. WABC-TV's Jim Hoffer discovered that Con Ed has not locked its manhole covers --- despite Homeland Security recommendations.

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Attack On America
At first it appeared to be a terrible aviation accident at the World Trade Center.  It turned out to be much more.  Here is how it was covered by the news teams on the scene.

Security gaps are many
Long before, and then after, the terrorist attacks of September, 2001, several television stations conducted investigations into lax security at airports and other major public facilities. Most of these reports were prepared after the 2001 attacks. In some cases, the broadcasters were credited with helping to make positive changes.

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A Young Kennedy Dies
When John Kennedy, Jr. and his wife vanished off Massachusetts, hometown TV stations provided long hours of coverage, serving viewers anxious for any news of the president's son.

The Crash of Flight 191:
Tragedy at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport
The news crews had close access to the scene.  They were searching for accurate information, but had to be very careful about what they showed.

Winter Weather Hampers Rescue at Denver Crash
A Continental jet flipped and broke apart on a snowy runway at Stapleton Airport. The blizzard-like conditions which may have contributed to the accident made coverage particularly difficult.

Media In Montoursville: 
Trying To Be Very Sensitive  
When TWA Flight 800 exploded in 1996, more than 20 victims were from one small town in Pennsylvania.  Newspeople tried to be sensitive to the grieving relatives, friends and townspeople.  At the same time, the reporters and photographers were dealing with their own feelings of sadness and shock.

The White Bronco Chase
Accused of murder, O.J. Simpson travelled  along the highways of Los Angeles, and one of the largest television audiences ever watched it live.

Murders at School:
San Diego Shootings
Accurate information was difficult to obtain.  Students were interviewed with care.  

Oklahoma City Explosion: Covering the Terror
That this could happen in America's heartland was unthinkable.  Even more astounding was the news that Americans had unleashed this violence on fellow Americans, murdering more than 150 innocent men, women and children.

Two reporters, four stories, one big award
The judges awarded a Peabody to the investigative unit of WFAA-TV, Dallas, for the overall quality of its work. The station won for four separate stories submitted by investigative reporters Brett Shipp and Byron Harris.
The Peabodys do not recognize categories, nor are there a set number of awards given each year. Although the entries were submitted separately, Executive News Director Michael Valentine said it was the caliber of the work by the unit as a whole that made it a winner.

Students drinking contaminated water
Youngsters are being exposed to lead every day in Los Angeles. The surprising source --- the drinking fountains at their schools -- - was revealed by KNBC-TV's Joel Grover.

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