The Ratings are IN From the Feb. Book in Memphis and the Winners Are…..

Can you believe we’ve reached the end of February already.  Even with the extra day I’m still wondering “Where did the month go? “  And in my email I found all kinds of numbers from the TV stations.   Now before someone starts busting my chops, I’m sharing the numbers that I received from two stations.  [...]

Lazy Reporters, Conspiracy Theories at a Former NYTimes Station and I End Up Putting on Make-up for Memphis TV

I really need to be working on a project that needs my attention but I just can’t get psyched up for it so I’m writing this instead.  I know I’ve addressed this topic before but I ran across a couple of things on the ShopTalk Water Cooler that caught my attention.  One was a running [...]

Don’t You Know that All Those TV Folks Look Alike & What the Bookies Used to do Before the Internet

All people on local TV look alike.  And everyone on local TV knows each other.  That pretty much appears to be the general feeling of some viewers I’ve encountered over the more than 25 years I was involved in the local media and the three years since I’ve left the TV news business.  The most [...]

Hey Joe, Can You Score Me a Couple of Tickets to the Memphis/Tennessee Basketball Game

Ev’rybody’s got the fever
that is something you all know
Fever isn’t such a new thing
Fever started long ago
From the song “Fever” by Elvis Presley
It’s been a while since something this big has hit Memphis that has two sides squaring off separating into two camps.  No, I’m not talking about the big Yellow Fever outbreak [...]

The February Book In Memphis, Jane Fonda Drops the C-Word and Yahoos in the Background During the Apology

I ran into a former co-worker from WREG over the weekend and this person shared with me that this ratings book shows things are looking a bit tighter with chief rival WMC.  I was told that the mornings are still looking good for WREG and that WMC is still strong at 6pm but the 10pm [...]

What Do the Movies “Brokeback Mountain”, “Capote” and “Walk the Line” Have in Common?

What do the movies, Brokeback Mountain, Capote and Walk the Line have in common other than the fact they received nominations for Academy Awards two years ago? In our household, they were just viewed this past weekend.  My wife and I stopped going to movie theaters to watch films after we encountered a growing number [...]

The Organized Chaos Known as a Daily Newscast

I received a comment from the Tall TV Guy who had witnessed a TV news cast from behind the scenes thanks to a weatherman friend of his.  This was his observation.  “He invited us to observe a newscast from behind the scenes.  If people only knew what went on during it, especially at a bare [...]

Organized Protests Against TV and Weather People Who Think They Are Holding Wx Classes for Viewers

I’ve never been keen on the “herd” mentality.  I know there are those out there on radio and TV who have a lot of power and influence over certain portions of the masses and encourage them to think this way or that way.  Much to my amazement (or perhaps I shouldn’t be amazed) people follow [...]

How Do They Cover Stormy Weather in Other Countries?

By now, most folks here in the MidSouth and other parts of the country are starting to relax and get on with their lives after the severe weather that pounded the South earlier this week. I say most because those who lost family, friends, their homes, businesses, dorm rooms and other property are left [...]

Even I Got Out the Storm Survival Kit When Memphis Got Slammed by Storms

My wife and I had just picked up my old Nissan Pathfinder from the mechanic’s shop in Bartlett and we were driving back home about 4:45 Tuesday when the first wall of weather hit.  I knew it was bad when wind-driven rain reduced visibility so fast.  I could hear the tornado sirens wailing as we [...]