KSDK leading the way to healing

BY TRIPP FROHLICHSTEI// If there is some good that can be found out of all the bad related to Ferguson, part of it comes from Channel 5 (KSDK).

Apparently, it was the first local station to promote a healing effort in the community, well before the grand jury decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson.

The station launched its “STL Together” effort on August 25. Among other things, the station aired related stories, public service announcements (PSAs) and promoted the idea on social media.

It clearly garnered interest as the station received inquiries about the program from several national media outlets including NBC, ABC and CNN.

“Gone Girl” goes Local in Saint Louis

BY TRIPP FROHLICHSTEIN// St. Louisans who went to see the movie “Gone Girl” starring Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne may have noticed several shots of the media vans parked in front of Dunne’s house. Prominent among them was the Fox2/KPLR 11 van (all of the vans represented real local stations).

So how did that happen? According to Channel 2 spokesperson Suzi Mahe, a member of director David Fincher’s crew called the stations vice president of news Audrey Prywitch to ask permission to use the station logos in the film, set mostly in the Cape Girardeau area. As they talked, Prywitch, who loved the book, asked if they could do more. The crew member told her a live truck would be great. After checking with station general manager Spencer Koch and the engineering department, she discovered they had a disabled microwave truck being taken out of service. The film’s transportation division got the van to the Cape Girardeau area. “No money changed hands—-it was just good promotion.” said Mahe. Indeed it was.

Notes on Ferguson

BY TRIPP FROHLICHSTEIN// No wonder people get frustrated with the media. On a CBS network report, reporter Omar Villafranca reported that Clayton “bordered” Ferguson. After being called to his attention, he later tweeted he made a mistake. He wasn’t alone. Reuters apparently described The Loop in University City as being “downtown.”

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KMOV Channel 4 provided a great example of a worthless live shot on November 17 at 6pm. The story had Robin Smith reporting live on the Ferguson situation. But was she in Ferguson? No, she was standing out in front of the television station. While they did acknowledge she was downtown, it would have been more appropriate to simply have her report from inside the studio. This is the kind of gimmick that causes people to lose faith in local news. It is called being “live for live’s sake.” There was absolutely no reason for her live appearance outside other than for the dramatic affect.

Sloppy editing changes Sen. Feinstein’s message

By TRIPP FROHLICHSTEIN// Channel 5 did a disservice to viewers due to sloppy editing. Conservatives might even call it biased. California Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein appeared on Meet The Press discussing President Obama’s approach with ISIS.