Wednesday, April 24, 2013

For TV news anchors, Missteps Land them in the national spotlight faster than good work


 

 

A young North Dakota news anchor is on a fast track to the national spotlight.  Less than a week after beginning his career in a very small market (that’s as it should be) A.J. Clemente has landed a spot on the Today show and will be a guest on Letterman as well. (That’s not as it should be.)

 

He got the seat on the couch next to Matt (that’s another story for another time) not because he got an exclusive interview with a world leader, or published an insightful best seller, but because on his opening night, his opening words to the audience were on the FCC’s banned list.  That’s right, he swore.

 

Know that he is not alone the anchor class—I know of at least one well paid anchor in a larger market  who has been known to rant during commercials, using some choice words to berate managers and his colleagues.  Only by the grace of God (or a good director in the control room) has his open microphone vitriol been kept inside the station walls and off the public airwaves.

 

A. J. was on air, though, and his choice of words went viral. He lost his job, which he should have, but who knows whether he will be able to parlay his 15 minutes of fame into a longer lasting role?  His classmates, meanwhile, will probably continue to work 12-14 hour days in small markets for years before they get a break and are able to land in medium markets, the likes of Omaha or Reno.  That’s as it should be. 

 

Anchoring the news may be living the dream but it’s also a responsibility.  Work hard, pay dues, earn the audience’s trust so when a big story happens such as the Boston Marathon bombing, good journalists are there for Americans.

 

Well, that’s as it should be but wasn’t last week when CNN’s John King screwed up, reporting some incorrect information as millions watched . There is more energy surrounding his “Boston blunder” than around some of the legitimately good work he did in the past.  

 

I don’t feel badly for young A.J.  or for the highly compensated and very experienced Mr. King.   I do feel sad however for KLAS anchor Paula Francis, a veteran of twenty plus years who has guided Las Vegas audiences with a calming influence through some of the biggest stories of the past quarter century.  Yesterday she had a rotten day, starting with a long and uncomfortable visit to the dentist and culminating with some hate mail that she had the misfortune of reading just before her newscast.  She broke down on air and had to leave the set.  That’s a first and only for this stellar journalist, and as the publicity swirls around this incident I hope her qualifications, skills and years of excellence are mentioned in the coverage as well.

 

She didn’t make a mistake.  King did, and at his experience level he can do better.  He will get that opportunity.  A.J. made a mistake and even as a rookie should know better.  The first lesson for those in broadcasting: never say anything in a studio-whether you think the mic is open or not – that you would not say in public.

There is a difference between famous and infamous.  The latter isn’t flattering Reading bad copy for years and years in newsrooms large and small, I found out that even a lot of experienced journalists did not know the difference.  A word to the likes of A.J.:  if you want to become a household word, try for the “f” word my friend – the other one.