News on the Long Weekend

Radio News from British Columbia

Postby Jack Bennest » Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:06 am

Listened to Andy this morning on WX

turned to NW for the news at 9am


Rock 101 boys interviewing mayor of tofino?
boil water in Ok Falls - lot of listners there
Big fire east of manning park - old news here
and my favorite - the gator guy dies - could we put his
feet in the cement with a crock

hey i have an idea ask madryga why he is growing a beard



hmmm nothing happening in the big city?
no reporters out at the cop shop?
no council reports from friday?
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Postby Mike Cleaver » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:49 am

Top Dog: Don't you know Vancouver shuts down at noon on Thursdays before a holiday weekend?
It's noon Fridays on a regular weekend.
Just try getting someone on the phone or to do an on-air or on-camera interview on the weekend, including police or fire people.
I remeber being astonished when I started working in this city that when you called the cop shop, you heard a recording!
"Thank you for calling the Vancouver Police Department. If your call is urgent....." etc.
I was waiting to hear "Press one if you've been shot. Press two if you've been stabbed.
And now, almost any information must come through a "media spokesperson."
I think Howard Chow gets more face time on tv than most of the anchors.
But they don't work weekends and after 5pm.
You have to page someone who is on call and hope they'll respond.
On the weekend, everything is voicemail or a recorded message that their office hours are 9 -5 Monday through Friday, not including holidays.
I've actually been scolded by some "media spokespeople" for disturbing their weekend or evening.
Manning the weekend desk at my current position, monitoring police, fire, ambulance and a host of other frequencies, there's not a lot of real news going on.
Last night, for example, between 6:30 and 11pm, a call about smoke in the cockpit of a commercial airliner landing at YVR, which scrambled everyone but turned out to be nothing more than the smell of smoke.
Then there was a single vehicle roll-over in Richmond.
Don't forget, media outlets too get holidays and staffing levels are not those of weekdays.
At least the death of the "Crocodile Hunter" was something new.
Mike Cleaver Broadcast Services
Engineering, News, Voice work and Consulting
Vancouver, BC, Canada

54 years experience at some of Canada's Premier Broadcasting Stations
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Postby cart_machine » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:04 am

Top Dog wrote: hmmm nothing happening in the big city?
no reporters out at the cop shop?
no council reports from friday?

Council news from Friday? On a Monday? Sounds like a CKOO newscast, TD, not the big city.

Mike Cleaver's right about local police, though there's generally someone on call to talk about incidents (accidents, shootings, etc.). The days of Garrett sitting down over a drink with the cops and coaxing a story on the QT are long over.

cArtie.
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Postby Jack Bennest » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:19 am

I lub it when I have defend my honour - lol


council packages were dropped off in the media room at city hall at about
5pm

the evening beater would pick it up and analysis next week's council and do at least
four stories and use the info on leads for good "fill" stories over the weekend

Mike - there is a saying there is nothing going on if you say so - but we all know there is much going on - it just hasn't been released yet

Reporters used the weekend to do the contacting with people they couldn't get to on a regular day and yes many of the stories were "fill" but they got files going that were checked for many months sometimes.

So there is no media room at the cop shop, the court house anymore?

A beater must be resourceful and it was quite the journey on some weekends competing again the 'Eppster' at CJOR who phoned each cabinet minster and coaxed a story out of each.
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