Grey matters November 15, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Cut to the Chase.Tags: Television, Grey's Anatomy, Hollywood
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Over the course of this season, I’ve been involuntarily sucked into Grey’s Anatomy yet again.
It was against my will. But the ridiculousness seemed to dissolve, so I figured I’d entertain ABC. And then, they brought Denny back to life…kinda.
If I were a Hollywood writer/creator/producer/souvenir shop owner, I’d like to think I’d know better than to throw a tangible ghost story into what is supposed to be a realistic hospital drama. (No offense to ghost enthusiasts.)
Matt Roush agrees with me. Or, I agree with him, since he wrote his thing first. Let’s call the whole thing off.
Reporter woes August 21, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism.Tags: Television, Journalism, CNN.com, Jeanne Moos
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The life of an on-air reporter can be tough. Most people think of broadcast journalists as the pretty faces on TV. But it’s harder than it looks, especially in particular conditions.
CNN feature reporter extraordinaire Jeanne Moos knows this and lets us know about it.
I did a report on Ms. Moos in sophomore year — a paper I’m very proud of titled Making the Moost of It. It was an analysis of her work — what makes it successful following the CRAP model (color, repetition, and two other words I’ll let others let me know through comments).
But here’s another video from Ms. Moos. It won’t be the last from me.
A reporter’s true dedication August 14, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism.Tags: Journalism, Television
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She got shot while doing a report live on air. And she continues the report.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/08/14/vo.gerogia.journalist.shot.gerogiastatetv
Happier Times: a key to success June 24, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Cut to the Chase, Journalism, Philadelphia.Tags: Alycia Lane, Television, CBS3, Journalism, Larry Mendte
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But the big story tonight is…
Larry Kane coined a variation of that title phrase on WPVI’s Action News in the 1970s. Afterward, he moved on to KYW-TV in 1993 and retired 10 years later. His replacement?
Well…Marc Howard. He lasted at the 11 p.m. anchor desk for about eight months before moving to 4 p.m. His replacement(s)?
Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane.
It seemed like a beautiful partnership. Mendte, stolen from NBC10, and Lane, wanting cooler temps than Florida, began to liven up a recently rebranded station that had been sinking in the ratings.
I was one of those who “Made the Switch” with Mendte and meteorologist Kathy Orr. And I haven’t gone back since. CBS3 hasn’t given me reason to.
It’s all for the job. June 17, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Random Rubbish.Tags: CNN.com, Taser, Television
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It’s amazing what television news producers will do, all for the sake of entertainment. Because that’s why people watch videos from news channels online — not for actual news. Duh.
I have to give credit to Mr. Jim Spellman. He’s a brave man. A stupid, brave man.
Swimming to safety in a shocking way May 26, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Random Rubbish.Tags: Babies, CBS3, Journalism, Swimming, Television
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What would a weeknight in my life be without watching CBS3 Eyewitness News at 11? A night without a blog post.
In broadcast journalism classes, they say most people don’t watch the news on TV, they listen. The goal of a reporter is to make the audience look. Just like Susan Barnett did tonight, beginning her piece with a shocking “adult-supervised video.”
She opens with a video of a baby - the youngest of toddlers - falling into a pool with no visible parents (though, again, it is being supervised). And the baby stays afloat for five minutes thanks to classes that teach children from 6 months to 6 years old how to stay above water in those situations.
At first, I was OK, thinking the video was created artificially a la Finding Nemo. Nope. It’s real.
After expressing my shock verbally in my empty apartment, I continued to watch with my jaw opened. I was still angry that the toddler was struggling (although, he didn’t appear to be struggling) to stay above water.
The classes offered at local YMCAs (more information at cbs3.com) put parents at ease. They say the first thing they stress is to have supervision constantly with children poolside. But toddlers are tricky, so therefore, these classes are supposed to help.
It’s a shocking thought, an interesting concept and a well thought-out video. So much so that it needs to be shared. Definitely worth checking it out.
American Idol Recap: Some knockout… May 21, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Cut to the Chase, Random Rubbish.Tags: American Idol, David Archuleta, David Cook, Television
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If only the judges’ comments were enough.
More than 97.5 million votes were cast on Tuesday night for the season 7 winner of American Idol. And 12 million people separated the votes.
And the one who received 56 percent of the vote? David Cook.
David Archuleta’s continuous awkward smile never even left his face.
I was rooting for David A., and I was shocked when Ryan Seacrest coyly announced David C. as the winner. I thought it was a joke, but clearly not. That’d be one sick joke.
It is a well-deserved title; neither David C. or A. were in the bottom two or three throughout the entire competition. Even Simon Cowell said he honestly did not care who won because they both deserved it. That’s when you know you have a good competition.
It’s my personal belief that David C. didn’t really want to win — he didn’t want to be bound by the extensive contracts an Idol typically goes through. And, in my personal opinion, David C. would have had a much better chance at making it had he not won than David A.
Surely, someone will pick him up. But who’s David A.’s target audience? As my hip cousin pointed out, she doesn’t want him singing some ballad about love at the ripe age of 17 years old.
But it is what it is. Despite the corniness of the boxing theme, the season 7 finale was fantastic. The competition throughout the entire season (minus a select few, as in Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malubay and Chikezie) was fierce and unpredictable.
Seriously…who had Syesha in the top 3?
The personal highlight for me was seeing Philadelphia favorite Renaldo Lapuz perform with the USC marching band. That moment right there sold the night for me.
To quote Mr. Lapuz, we are bwothers fo-ever.
Best class ever. May 1, 2008
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Random Rubbish.Tags: Television, Temple University
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This is the infamous Television News Reporting class which had me holed up in the TECH Center’s video editing lab for hours this semester.
From L to R: LeAnne Matlach, me, Takako Sato, Prof. Fran Viola, Devin Clark, Amanda Geronikos, John Casey
Missing: Jen Campbell, Grace Reed, Trish Fleurimond, Audra Neff-Williams
Photographer: Andy Forgotch (nice framing, huh?)
