Breaking the Big
Story
28 Years After the Murder
The continuing popularity of programs about solving crimes shows the level of public
interest in knowing what happened and who did it.
In Chicago, WLS-TV investigators just broke the story behind a mystery that has lasted for
three decades.
A rich woman, a crooked boyfriend
Investigative reporter Chuck Goudie revealed the identities of the 10 people who
federal law enforcement agents now believe were involved in the plot to kill the heir to
the Brach Candy fortune, Helen Brach.
It is the tale of rich women, expensive show horses, a boyfriend who was a con man, a
crooked cop, and mob hit men.
Mrs. Brach collected show horses. She discovered that she had been swindled by her
boyfriend. He had sold her lame horses, claiming they were champions. She vanished before
she could blow the whistle on him.
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Georgia's Forgotten Children:
Station Focuses on Foster Care
Often the problems in a state's foster care system are covered one by one --- when
there is a tragic story of a helpless child who has fallen through the cracks, and is
victimized by the persons who are supposed to be caring for him or her.
Managers at one station have designed a community service project aimed at improving the
lives of the "forgotten children."
It's time to fix the system
In Atlanta, WSB-TV has put the weight of the station behind a yearlong program to focus
attention on children lost in the state's foster care system. One goal is to motivate
viewers to get involved in finding solutions.
"The plight of these children is severe here. Many kids are languishing in the
system, and are moving from home to home to home multiple times," says News Director
Jennifer Rigby.
"We feel that if the community really knows the seriousness of the problem, if we can
shine a light on it, people will care enough to get involved," she says.
The news department has done many stories on problems with the system. Children have
died while in state custody.
"Those are the cases that get the most attention. We are taking a different tack on
this," Rigby explains.
| "We are explaining that the need for foster
parents is extreme. The people who do this are making a huge difference in the lives of
these children." |
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Jennifer Rigby
News Director, WSB-TV |
The project will show people how they can get involved and make a
difference.
Not everyone has to be a foster parent.
"That is a big commitment, and is too much for some people. But they may still want
to help," she says.
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Get the Most From
Your Research Questionnaire
With audiences continuing to shrink and fragment even further, it is more important
than ever to have top quality research. You must know as much as you can about your loyal
viewers and your potential audience.
Management consultant Tom Dolan, President of Dolan Media Management, offers this advice
on fine-tuning your research questionnaires in order to get the most out of your research
dollars. Here are some thoughts as you prepare for research projects this spring or
summer.
A winning strategy starts with research
There is a dramatic need for research in today's marketplace.
"Research is critical for stations to operate in this fragmented universe," says
Tom Dolan, President of Dolan Media Management.
"The need to provide unique content is there more than ever, because the universe of
news viewers keeps shrinking. You are not just competing against the station across the
street," he says.
You are competing against all other sources available online and on cable.
"They are finding some local news either irrelevant or not engaging, or they've heard
it all before," he says.
"Market instincts are important, but you need baseline personality and content
research to get you up and rolling, so you can compare where you are now versus where you
were two years ago," says Dolan. Research dollars may be hard to come by, but this is
a must this year. He feels research is the only true way to determine what has value for
the viewer.
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"It is really critical data. You base your
whole strategy off of this.
"You're taking two departments --- News and Marketing --- in a specific direction for
probably two years on the basis of this information." |
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Tom Dolan
Dolan Media Management |
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In Our Story Archives
Do you yield
your air to rioting prisoners --- or risk the lives of hostages?
Rioting inmates held five guards hostage, and threatened their lives unless the stations
allowed the inmates to air their grievances on live television.
"We had to decide: do you risk the precedent that is going to be set by yielding to
extortion? Do you risk the lives of the hostages being held by the inmates?"
said Mike Kettenring, President and General Manager of WSMV-TV, Nashville.
Prison Riot:
When Television Is Part Of The Story
It was a dangerous, constantly changing event.
Rioting inmates are, of course, far from stable. But, more importantly, there were many
questions about the competence of the state officials. They appeared to have had little
understanding of television --- an element that is often crucial if there is to be a
settlement.
Police Want
To Ban Live Coverage At Scene
California police and their political allies pressed to have law enforcement decide when
television could report live in a hostage crisis or in a tense situation where a suspect
is barricaded inside a building. In the 1996 legislative session, the idea was shelved. It
could always return.
Did Police Lie ---
Or Misspeak in Miami Beach?
Police asked for an embargo on live coverage and said there was no reason to think that
serial killer Andrew Cunanan was in a surrounded houseboat. There was a body. It was
Cunanan. |
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