Jess 1110 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Obviously a death of significant international importance. Nelson Mandela was the driving force behind the end of Apartheid. Right now in Philly: KYW and WCAU carried the network special reports. WPVI has stayed local but carried the entirety of the South African president's speech, something the network reports didn't do, with credible coverage from Brian Taff and Alicia Vitarelli. Kudos to them. At least WPVI and WCAU led their 5pms with network-supplied obits. Both have drifted to other news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidwestTV 1174 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 KSHB cut off the last two minutes or so of Jeopardy! to start their news early and report on it. Viewers here have thrown a fit because there was a local contestant on the show today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5287 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 WLS had an in-house package put together in advance, made long-enough ago that it featured the station's old graphics. They stuck with Mandela coverage until the network came back a few minutes ago. On cable, Fusion is simulcasting ABC's digital special report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jterry 43 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Obviously awful even if expected news. On the coverage front...I'm seriously starting to think ABC News doesn't want Diane Sawyer handling special reports or extended coverage of anything these days. David Muir handled coverage yet again, with the promise that Diane would be on World News. Haven't seen her anchor a special report in a long, long time. Kind of important to have the primary anchor handle this coverage if they're actually there to do it, brief report or not. In Memphis, WREG was a few seconds late cutting to CBS for the initial report. WMC missed half of Obama's speech because they were in a commercial, and didn't go to NBC at all when they did go to it. Weather is a big issue with a winter storm expected tomorrow so there's been virtually no local coverage outside from the networks. Would have to think assuming the funeral is televised it receives extensive coverage on the networks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5287 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 On the coverage front...I'm seriously starting to think ABC News doesn't want Diane Sawyer handling special reports or extended coverage of anything these days. Bingo. I haven't seen Diane do any breaking news (pre-planned reports, notwithstanding) since Boston in April. I wonder if she's on some sort of unspoken probation after election night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journalist 894 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Toronto, Canada: CTV News made an decision to break into programming on the main CTV Network at 4:57 pm/ET to 5:00 pm/ET. CBC News also broke into programming at exactly 5:00 pm/ET to 5:05 pm/ET (local news begins right after), simulcasting CBC News Network with *gasp* Peter Mansbridge on the air at the main CBC network. No sign of Global or City breaking into programming however both CTV and CBC did use the "breaking news bulletin" for the coverage. May I also say how CBC alerted its viewers for the coverage to begin. No music, no lens flares. Just the CBC V/O, white CBC background and the "WE INTERRUPT YOUR PROGRAMMING FOR A BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN" text. Cut to CBC NN and that's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skbl17 188 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Atlanta: WSB, WAGA, and WGCL are sticking with local coverage. WXIA is broadcasting an NBC News Special Report. WUVG (Univision) and WKTB (Telemundo) were still broadcasting normal programming the last time I checked. International: SABC (South Africa Broadcasting Corporation)'s news website is down, likely due to demand. All of the other international websites (BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Australia's ABC, CNTV, etc.) and domestic news sites still work. CNN International is simulcasting CNN US's coverage; BBC World News, AJAM, AJE and CCTV News are all carrying coverage. ESPN was even broadcasting coverage of Nelson Mandela's death. Truly a tragic day. Rest in peace Mr. Mandela. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper550 268 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 You remember when we all thought he died last year? I guess that's when CNN made their graphics, because apparently... https://twitter.com/ManavAcharya/status/408718434898169856/photo/1 Whoops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jterry 43 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Bingo. I haven't seen Diane do any breaking news (pre-planned reports, notwithstanding) since Boston in April. I wonder if she's on some sort of unspoken probation after election night. It's bizarre, and the longer it continues the more telling it becomes. If ABC (and the other networks) do cover the Mandela funeral, is she not going to anchor that either? That would be a glaring absence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5287 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I was kinda surprised by this one, but ESPN had over a half hour of coverage, preempting the 5 ET block on the mothership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skbl17 188 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 You remember when we all thought he died last year? I guess that's when CNN made their graphics, because apparently... https://twitter.com/ManavAcharya/status/408718434898169856/photo/1 Whoops Wow, CNN just can't catch a break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToriElectra 291 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 RIP Nelson Mandela; you were a legend. As for ABC, just put David Muir in as anchor of World News already (though now I prefer CBS and Scott Pelley); Sawyer's done enough damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 Wow at ESPN doing coverage. You have to wonder if they're going to go through with the idea of having Ron Burgundy and Champ Kind do the 6pm SportsCenter today. I wonder what Weather Channel did - I was recording it for their extended coverage and my broke-ass local forecast machine when this news broke. For the president's speech, as far as I could tell all of the locals carried it as part of their newscasts. WPVI just teased the 6 as having Nelson Mandela's life "seen through decades of Action News coverage". That's gonna be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5287 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Wow at ESPN doing coverage. You have to wonder if they're going to go through with the idea of having Ron Burgundy and Champ Kind do the 6pm SportsCenter today. I wonder what Weather Channel did - I was recording it for their extended coverage and my broke-ass local forecast machine when this news broke. Burgundy and Kind were already dumped yesterday because of that one college football player possibly facing criminal charges. They announced that he wouldn't be this morning, but the two were still dumped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 Burgundy and Kind were already dumped yesterday because of that one college football player possibly facing criminal charges. They announced that he wouldn't be this morning, but the two were still dumped. I noticed right after I posted that. It was the right move. While I was okay with Ron Burgundy anchoring, ESPN does a lot of stuff that stretches the boundaries of journalistic ethics. WPVI had Vernon Odom do a very good obit. Same with WCAU, which had Renee Chenault-Fattah doing it. Wow, CNN just can't catch a break. Sadly, I'm not surprised that made it to air, given CNN's tendency to goof up on, well, everything lately. But also remember that these obits, and even likely the graphics, were probably prepared months, maybe a couple years, in advance. So this I can at least understand. ------ Via TVNewser, NBC and ABC are going an hour tonight. Anderson Cooper will anchor all of CNN primetime along with Blitzer, Christiane Amanpour, and Robyn Curnow in Johannesburg. Al-Jazeera America will be in Breaking News mode live until midnight. BBC, understandably, is likely wall to wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanewsguy 509 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 KSAT just broke in during Katie with the ABC report. At 4 they quickly said "Nelson Mandela has died as you just saw in that special report. We'll have more at 5:30". They haven't mentioned him since. Good on them for leaving it to the network and not overhyping like most of the other networks/stations have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronQ 260 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 During Obama's speech on Mandela's death in the Charlotte market: -WCNC went to a NBC News special report -WBTV and WSOC provided local coverage -WJZY went to a FOX News special report -WCCB does nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 KSAT just broke in during Katie with the ABC report. At 4 they quickly said "Nelson Mandela has died as you just saw in that special report. We'll have more at 5:30". They haven't mentioned him since. Good on them for leaving it to the network and not overhyping like most of the other networks/stations have. You realize this is the death of a person who made a significant impact on world history, right? I wouldn't call local coverage of this "overhyping" anything. In fact, I'd find it baffling that they didn't mention him after the special report. Our locals didn't let that story dominate their entire newscasts, but it led them, as it should. His death is a major global event. Now, I'm consciously avoiding the cable news channels, so I don't know how overboard they're going, but I think the coverage is totally warranted. This is akin to what will happen when George H.W. Bush goes, or when Queen Elizabeth II goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
News 9 Viewer 100 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Wow, CNN just can't catch a break. I'm going to piss some people off by saying this, but I don't care. CNN doesn't deserve a break. They dug themselves into their own ****hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5287 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 This is akin to what will happen when George H.W. Bush goes, or when Queen Elizabeth II goes. Jimmy Carter's going to live forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanewsguy 509 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 You realize this is the death of a person who made a significant impact on world history, right? I wouldn't call local coverage of this "overhyping" anything. In fact, I'd find it baffling that they didn't mention him after the special report. Our locals didn't let that story dominate their entire newscasts, but it led them, as it should. His death is a major global event. Now, I'm consciously avoiding the cable news channels, so I don't know how overboard they're going, but I think the coverage is totally warranted. This is akin to what will happen when George H.W. Bush goes, or when Queen Elizabeth II goes. Yes I understand that. It is definitely the top story of the day. But it should not consume the whole newscast. A package or two is fine. I've said this once I'll say it again, local news should cover the local news. Leave it to the networks to cover the domestic and world news, they serve a national and worldwide audience. WOAI also did not lead with it, they went straight to their top local story, the weather. I'm sure your stations in Philly missed a lot of local news they could've covered to cover this. KSAT did it right IMO. A lot will disagree, but that's fine since this is my opinion and I'm sticking with it. Just run a PKG, boom covered. No need to drag on and on and on. Like ABC, they did not need to spend the amount of time they did on him. 5-7 minutes is good, not 30 to convey the message that he passed away. We get it. You do not need to interview others to reflect on him. Other news is going on as well and the news does not stop because Nelson Mandela passed away. It's unfortunate and horrible news indeed, but other news is going on. Thankfully the SA stations get it. And if I can predict KABB, it will not be their top story, it will either be in the B block or about 20 minutes into their hourlong newscast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5287 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Holy crap, Bernard Shaw is on CNN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvnewsjunkie 6 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 found this on vimeo. it looks like it was made last year as it uses the old world news graphics http://vimeo.com/37423849 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5287 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 found this on vimeo. it looks like it was made last year as it uses the old world news graphics http://vimeo.com/37423849 I was looking for that ALL EVENING! I was on the wrong Vimeo account. The open used this afternoon was the same, just with the current special report graphics leading off...of course the date was changed, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 I had a long rebuttal posted, but then I saw the beginning of Action News tonight. They devoted the first five or so minutes to Mandela's death. All of it was handled by Jim Gardner. His narration, his interview of Ed Rendell in the newsroom. But then he ended it with a reference to his October vacation in South Africa. He had traveled to Robin Island, which was the prison Mandela was kept in for 16 years. His cell has been untouched since he was freed. Pictures from this visit were aired, including pictures of that cell, of the exterior of the prison. I know I praise Jim Gardner a lot here, but this was something truly extraordinary, and I was extremely moved. That was easily, out of all of the coverage, out of all of the networks, including the BBC, the most powerful piece I've seen on this today. And that's why I think important world news stories have a place leading the local news. The phrase "I gotta hear it from Jim" is trite, but sometimes you want to hear the story coming out of the mouth of someone you trust. That might be Scott Pelley. That might be Brian Williams. It might, god forbid, be Wolf Blitzer. But I bet there's an equal amount of people who would name Gardner, or Bill Ritter, or Ron Magers, or even someone like Chris May or Jessica Dean. And maybe that local perspective isn't interesting to you, but I was intrigued during Renee Chenault-Fattah's piece on the 5 that mentioned Philadelphians Leon Sullivan and Bill Gray as instrumental in defunding South African interests during apartheid and applying the economic pressure that resulted in its end. News, when delivered at its best, can be the most educational thing in the world. I'm gonna end this with one thing: Dammit, I wish Peter were here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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