Grumpy Editor

TV REPORTING FROM FIELD CAN BE RISKY

TV reporting in the field can be perilous sometimes, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

A reporter often faces hazards such as standing in the rain, wading through a flooded street, coping with a windy snowstorm and such.

 

Latest outside live standup event has WSAZ, Dunbar, West Virginia reporter Tori Yorgey getting knocked down after getting clipped by a car. While obviously shaken, she showed what a pro she is by getting up and continuing to report…on the weather.

 

Yorgey, working solo (as many others in TV), picked up her camera and said, “I am so glad I’m okay”  while comforting the woman driver who hit her.

 

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HIGH RATE OF BANK OFFICE CLOSURES.  U.S. banks closed 2,927 branches last year, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. It comes after 2020 set the previous high as the Covid pandemic accelerated digital adoption.

 

BABY PACIFIERS RECALLED.  Nearly 334,000 baby pacifiers are being recalled because they could pose a choking risk. A posting by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notes “the base of the silicone nipple has a fine slit that can cause the nipple to detach from the plastic shield, posing a choking hazard."

 

WOMAN TO HEAD L.A. FIRE DEPARTMENT.  The Los Angeles Fire Department selects a 22-year veteran --- deputy chief Kristin Crowley --- to become the first woman to lead one of the nation’s largest fire departments.

 

PET SNAKES LIVE IN HOME.  At least 124 snakes and a 49-year-old dead man are found inside his home in Charles County, Maryland.  The snakes, some identified as venomous, were in cages.

OUTER SPACE GEM SET FOR AUCTION.  A rare gem from outer space is set for a Sotheby’s auction next month.  The auction house expects the large 555.55-carat black diamond to sell for at least $6.8 million in Dubai.

 

TWO TATTOOS POPULAR.  Rasmussen Reports, in a national survey, finds 67 percent of American adults do not have tattoos, while 21 percent have two or more tattoos. 

 

 RARE OCTOPUS SEEN IN AUSTRALIA. Known for cape-like webs enclosing its tentacles, a rare blanket octopus is spotted in a “once in a lifetime” encounter off the Australian coast. 

 

 

 

Officials around the country are wondering why so many drivers are speeding these days.

 

Grumpy Editor has the answer:  TV commercials.

 

Just about every spot pitching cars shows the vehicles speeding on --- and off --- city and country roads.

 

The speeding is prompting cities and states to toughen enforcement.

 

As reported in The Wall Street Journal, Michael Hanson, director of Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety, declares:  “I am literally somewhat terrified by what could happen on the roads in Minnesota, and really across the country, if we don’t get a handle on some of this really dangerous driving.”

 

About 42,000 people died in car crashes last year, up eight percent from 2019, estimates the National Safety Council.

 

Law enforcement officials note an uptick in excessive speeding, with some vehicles going over 100 m.p.h. on highways.

 

 

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HOW STRANGE CAN HOLLYWOOD GET?  Last night’s Academy Awards, held at Los Angeles’ Union Station, the 82-year-old transit hub in downtown Los Angeles, saw few journalists and no bleachers where fans can cheer the nominees.  

 

HOME SALES SOAR.  New home sales jump 20.7 percent last month, the highest level since 2006, with the median sales price $330,800.

 

COYOTE SPOILS TV REPORTER'S LIVE SHOT.  A coyote came out of nowhere to spoil a Winston-Salem, N.C. TV reporter’s live shot for the 10 o’clock news --- on a story about coyote sightings.

FLUFFY CAT NABBED SMUGGLING NARCOTICS.  A drug-runner’s fluffy white cat is caught trying to smuggle narcotics into a prison in Panama.  The feline, carrying the contraband in a pouch tied around its neck, is stopped outside the Nueva Esperanza Prison in the province of Colon.

 TV AND MOVIES PRODUCT PLACEMENT GETS BOOST.  Product placements on TV and in movies get a boost as items now can be digitally added to scenes and closeups such as bottles or advertising signs.

FULL MOON AFFECTS MEN, SAY RESEARCHERS.  Researchers find a full moon leaves men stressed and sleepless.  They believe solar radiation reflected by a full moon could cause changes in brain activity and blood chemistry.

 

COFFEE DRINKERS MORE FOCUSED.  European scientists say three to five cups of coffee a day can make coffee drinkers more focused while also displaying greater memory and learning abilities.

PANDEMIC TRIGGERS MORE LAYOFFS OF TV STAFFERS

More TV staffers were caught in layoffs last week, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

ABC News was hit as part of major restructuring and job cuts across Walt Disney Co.

 

A report said layoffs were in the “low single digit” percentage of the news division's workforce that employs about 1,400.

 

Disney’s Television Group also eliminated positions in general entertainment divisions.

 

Radio Disney is ceasing operations.  ESPN cut jobs last month.  

 

The ABC action follows other network’s layoffs during the year at CBS News, NBC News and Fox News.

 

The pandemic exacerbates a volatile media environment, with a push toward streaming and digital.

 

 

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Koala breaks into home, climbs Christmas tree

 

KOALA WITH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.  Near Adelaide, southern Australia, a koala broke into a home and immediately climbed the Christmas tree.  The tree-climbing koala is an iconic animal, often called the koala “bear."

 

PEARL HARBOR ANNIVERSARY TODAY.  Today marks the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  It resulted in four battleships sunk, four others damaged.  Also sunk or damaged were three cruisers, three destroyers and a minelayer, while 188 aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 people were killed and 1,282 wounded, mostly Navy personnel.

 

NAVY LOSES ANOTHER SHIP.  The Navy will decommission the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard following heavy damage from a five-day fire in July near San Diego.  It would have cost up to $3.2 billion to rebuild the vessel.

 

PANDEMIC BOOSTS DAYTIME TV.  The pandemic is boosting daytime television.  Nielsen, the ratings and research firm, says daytime now is "a second prime time" as office workers and professionals are at home instead of the office --- sneaking in some viewing time.

 

ONLY SERVICE ANIMALS CAN FLY.  In a new ruling, dogs are the only service animals allowed to fly on passenger planes.  Emotional support animals are no longer considered service animals, which the Department of Transportation now defines solely as trained dogs.

 

PANDEMIC ELEVATES CREDIT CARD USE.  Many Americans, losing income in the pandemic, are falling deeper into debt and being forced to pay bills, rent or mortgage on credit cards, posing trouble ahead for the economy. 

 

FIRST RESCUE DOG WILL BE IN WHITE HOUSE.  President-elect Joe Biden’s adopted German Shepherd, Major, will be the first rescue dog to take up residence in the White House.  He will join Biden’s other dog, Champ.

 

CORONAVIRUS CHANGES APPEARANCE OF NEWSROOMS

 

The appearance of newsrooms is changing due to the coronavirus, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Over the years you’ve seen movies depict active newsrooms:  from clacking of typewriters to phones ringing to busy city desks.

 

Many metropolitan newspapers now have staffers working from their residences.

 

“Newsrooms don’t look or sound like that at the moment.  And they might never again,” says Tom Jones, senior media writer at the Poynter Report.

 

“These days, because of the coronavirus, most newsrooms are dining room tables and living room couches and spare bedrooms turned into local, one-person news bureaus,” he mentions, adding “as time goes by, and journalists have become accustomed to working at home and still putting out an excellent product, a question has emerged:

 

“Are newsrooms — the actual physical offices — even needed anymore?  We will soon find out.”

 

 

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NORTH KOREA MOVES AHEAD WITH NUCLEAR PROGRAM.  Over the weekend, North Korea says relations with the U.S. have “shifted into despair” and promises the regime would be moving ahead with its nuclear-weapons program.

 

MARINES SKIP STORMING BEACH.  While about 3,000 troops are taking part in one of the U.S. Navy’s largest maritime drills in the Baltic Sea, for the first time Marines won’t be conducting amphibious landings and storming the beach during the exercise because of coronavirus concerns.

 

GANNETT CLOSES TWO TEXAS NEWSPAPERS.  Gannett closes its Edinburg Review and Valley Town Crier newspapers at the southern tip of Texas, not far from the border with Mexico.

 

ACTION IN HOLLYWOOD GETS GREEN LIGHT.  Los Angeles health officials give Hollywood the green light to resume film and TV production...but action in front of cameras won't be starting soon.

 

HARPER'S BAZAAR GETS FIRST BLACK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.  Samira Nasr, a former Vanity Fair fashion director, is named editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, making her the first black editor-in-chief of a Hearst-owned publication.

OLDEST LIVING GREAT DANE HONORED.  Freddy, a Great Dane crowned the world’s tallest living dog by Guinness World Records in 2017, adds a new title as the oldest living Great Dane, reaching eight years.  He is over seven feet tall when standing on his hind legs at his home in the U.K.

HOLD IT.  Not making coast-to-coast headlines is that folks who "have to go” while visiting Times Square in New York find few restrooms open to the public. Restaurants, bars and coffee shops where visitors could find relief in the past have shuttered restrooms to the public during the coronavirus. 

BANKS CONSIDER CLOSING SOME BRANCHES.  Banks are mulling closing some branches because customers are visiting them less frequently during the pandemic.

 

TRUMP FROWNS ON RENAMING MILITARY BASES.  President Donald Trump resists the push to rename 10 U.S. military bases named after Confederate officers.

 

TV'S 'COPS' DROPPED.  Following protests against police, “Cops,” after 33 seasons on television, is dropped by the Paramount Network.

CABLE CHANNEL WGN PLANS THREE-HOURS OF FACT-FILLED NEWS DEBUTING IN SUMMER

 

An alternative to the current cable news networks will debut this summer via Chicago-based cable channel WGN America, notes Grumpy Editor.

“News Nation,” slated for three hours nightly, promises just the facts without opinions — which many viewers will relish.

 

It means luring audiences from MSNBC, Fox News and CNN.

 

The new prime time offering will draw on the news operations of its parent company, Nexstar Media Group which boasts 110 local newsrooms and 5,400 journalists.

 

“I’ve heard so much about how news has become coastal, all with opinionated talk, all far left or far right, with no one covering news anymore in prime time,” says Sean Compton, executive vice president at WGN America, in a Wall Street Journal interview.  “Part of the problem is all this content is created in New York City or Washington, D.C.”

 

 

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HEMMER DEBUTS TODAY ON FOX NEWS.   Fox News' Bill Hemmer, starting today, takes over the news hour vacated by Shepard Smith late last year.  Hemmer, with Fox News since 2005, says he has no interest making opinion part of his job.

TRUMP, BLOOMBERG SLATE $10 MILLION SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS.  President Donald Trump and presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg both plan to run Feb. 2 Super Bowl 60-second commercials.  Those commercials each cost about $10 million.  The game airs a day before the Iowa caucuses.

WOMAN JOINS S.F. GIANTS COACHING STAFF.  The San Francisco Giants makes baseball history by hiring the first woman to a Major League Baseball full-time coaching staff.  Alyssa Nakken, a former Sacramento State softball player, will help round out a 13-person staff as a “major league assistant coach.”  

COWBOY HAT-TOPPED PIGEON DIES.  A Las Vegas pigeon rescue group says one of the birds — called Billie the Pidge — that had a cowboy hat glued to its head has died.  The rescue group figures fumes from the glue could have poisoned it.

CIGARETTE TOSSERS FACE HEAVY FINES.  Drivers in New South Wales, Australia face a penalty of up to $11,000 if they are caught tossing a lit cigarette from their cars during a total fire ban.  Fines also apply to passengers if they toss cigarettes. 

FOX DROPPED FROM STUDIO NAME.  Disney, which bought 20th Century Fox with other media operations last March, cuts the word "Fox" from the studio's name.  

STUDENT JOURNALISTS EYE CRIME STATISTICS.  The Florida Institute of Technology is undergoing scrutiny after student journalists at the school's student newspaper, The Crimson, exposes a discrepancy over crime statistics reported by the university.

HUNGRY DOG EATS AT SUBWAY.  A hungry dog called “Subway Sally" is gaining widespread coverage by daily patiently waiting for supper outside the doors of a Portales, New Mexico, Subway sandwich shop for the past year.  Staff is happy to feed her.

VULTURES ROOST IN RADIO TOWER.  Federal officials are seeking solutions to address the problem posed by about 300 vultures roosting on a Customs and Border Protection radio tower in Kingsville,Texas.

AMBASSADOR'S MUSTACHE BOTHERS SOUTH KOREANS.  Harry Harris, a retired navy admiral and U.S. ambassador in South Korea since 2018, upsets the country with a mustache.  To some South Koreans, it evokes memories of Japanese colonial rule over the country from 1910 until 1945.

 

 

LONG-RUNNING ‘NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT’ SIGNS OFF END OF MONTH

Dec. 27 marks the “closing bell” for TV’s long-running Nightly Business Report, learns Grumpy Editor.

 

The business news program has aired five nights a week since 1979.

Linda O’Bryon, the program’s founding executive, recounts, "before NBR, viewers had to wait until the morning newspaper to find out how their stocks closed the day before. It seems almost quaint by today’s standards. The notion of a business news program delivering stock quotes, business news and analysis just two and a half hours after the closing market bell resonated with millions of viewers.”

She adds, “When we went national in 1981, 125 public stations carried the program.”  It soon moved to more than 250 stations.

“At its peak, we had bureaus in London, Tokyo, New York, Washington, Chicago and other centers,” says O’Bryon.  "Nightly Business Report" remained the most-watched daily business news program on television –-- broadcast or cable throughout that time.”

After several ownership changes, CNBC purchased the program in 2013.  

“Times have changed,” O’Bryon points out, “and there are many ways viewers can access business news, which is instantly available on smart phones along with several cable channels dedicated to business news around the clock.”

 

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U.S. ECONOMY CONTINUES UPSWING.  Government reports show a picture of a steadily growing U.S. economy, fueled by solid consumer spending.  The Commerce Department estimates the economy expanded at a moderate 2.1 percent annual rate in the summer.  In the July-September quarter, rise in gross domestic product (GDP) exceeds the government's initial estimate of 1.9 percent annual rate.  Spending is being supported by rising incomes and an unemployment rate near the lowest levels in a half century. 

PEARL HARBOR REMEMBERED.  Saturday marks the 78th anniversary of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  It resulted in four battleships sunk and four others damaged.  Also sunk or damaged were three cruisers, three destroyers, a minelayer and 188 aircraft, while 2,402 people were killed and 1,282 wounded.

SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL TIME SOLD.  Television commercial time during the Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2 is sold out, says Fox Corp.  For a 30-second commercial during the football game, advertisers are paying up to a lofty $5.6 million vs. $5.3 million a year ago on CBS.

'TRICKS' AIMED AT WRITERS.  Debuting on Wednesday is Writers' Tricks of the Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About the ABCs of Writing, Kindle edition. Written by Morgan St. James, author of 18 books, she says “every chapter is packed a little about a lot, sort of like the appetizer table at a writing buffet. From tips, techniques and tricks --- each chapter has something that can be used immediately, written in lively, entertaining prose, a valuable addition to any aspiring or published writer's bookshelf.”

ONE WAY TO BEAT HEAVY TRAFFIC.  A start-up is making plans to use aircraft to fly over heavy rush-hour traffic in Southern California.  Set to carry first passengers in January, a monthly charge starts at $1,250 or about $60 a day if used Mondays through Fridays.

COUPLE BUYS WAITRESS CAR.  A couple eating at a Denny’s restaurant in Galveston, Texas, hear that waitress Adrianna Edwards walks four hours to and from work. After finishing their meals, the anonymous couple returns with a 2011 Nissan Sentra and hands Edwards the keys. Now, Edwards has a 30-minute commute.

 

MORE AMERICANS BECOME HEAVY.  A Gallup poll finds 28 percent of Americans say they weigh 200 pounds or more, a four-point jump from an earlier poll to 2009.  Still, notes Gallup, fewer Americans  consider themselves overweight or obese.

 

ANOTHER CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER FOLDS. OC Weekly, covering Orange County in California to Long Beach with a circulation of 45,000, closes after 24 years in print. 

 

ANIMAL CRUELTY BECOMES FEDERAL FELONY.  President Donald Trump signs a bill that makes animal cruelty a federal felony, saying the measure would help us be "more responsible and humane stewards of our planet."

 

WANT TO BUY A MISSILE COMPLEX?  A former Titan II missile complex on 12.5 acres near Florence, Arizona, is for sale.  Price tag for the fixer-upper:  $395,000. 

$400 FAJITAS ON MENU.  Guard and Grace, a new Houston restaurant is selling fajitas, the popular Tex-Mex entree, for a hefty $400.  Owner and chef Troy Guard says the special fajitas include pounds of beef, all the sides, enchiladas and handmade tortillas with gold leaf. 

 

CRIME HEADLINES OFTEN INCLUDE 'VETERAN,' NOTES NEWSPAPER READER

Are news outlets giving veterans a slap, asks Grumpy Editor.

It seems whenever there are criminal acts by former soldiers, sailors and Marines, the person is identified in headlines and text as a veteran, observes a Nevada newspaper reader (a veteran) who points out the criminal veteran’s status has nothing to do with the story or the criminal act.

 

The reader adds, "I note suspects in many local and national crimes have Hispanic names,” yet he rarely sees the term “illegal” or “undocumented" linked to the perpetrator, especially in headlines.

 

He notes that news outlets seldom identify criminals as white, black, Asian, Hispanic or Native American, so why veteran?

 

“Do the media believe that veterans are somehow tainted because of their military service?” he wonders.

 

 

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WILL DROUGHT TALK CONTINUE?  Precipitation over the last year (May 2018 to April) in the United States sets a record. An average of 36.2 inches fall over the Lower 48, the first time it tops 36 inches during a 12-month period in more than 120 years of record-keeping.

 

COIN MYSTERY.  Two coins, one minted in Madrid in 1660 and the other made around the 1200s, are found on the ground at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah. Their presence in the desert remains unexplained while other artifacts could remain in the area.

 

TYPO ON 46 MILLION BILLS.  An Australian radio station notices a typographical error on 46 million $50 bills printed by the Reserve Bank of Australia last year.  Seems "responsibility" is incorrectly spelled on about $1.6 billion worth of currency.

 

WALMART PAYS ABOVE MINIMUM WAGES.  Walmart, the nation’s largest employer, pays its U.S. store managers an average of $175,000 a year.  A company report says its one-million-plus U.S. workers earn more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, with the average wage for full-time hourly workers at $14.26.

 

MAJOR NEWSPAPER'S STAFF GONE WITH SALE.  The Times-Picayune, top newspaper in New Orleans --- founded in 1837 --- is sold to its major rival, the New Orleans Advocate. The deal results in the layoff of every member of the Times-Picayune staff.  But some of those may wind up at the Advocate.

BEVERLY HILLS PLANS BAN ON TOBACCO.  Beverly Hills, Calif., home to the rich and famous, may be the nation's first to outlaw the sale of tobacco products everywhere except a few cigar lounges and via concierge or room service in the city's luxury hotels. The Beverly Hills City Council is slated to vote on the measure May 21.

ALLIGATOR IN WOMAN'S PANTS.  A Florida woman pulls a small alligator out of her pants during a highway traffic stop in Punta Gorda. When an officer asks "Do you have anything else?" 42 striped mud turtles and one softshell turtle are found in the woman's vehicle.  Florida is home to more than a million gators, protected under state law.

WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOSTS POLITICAL TEAM.  Preparing for the 2020 elections, The Wall Street Journal is expanding its political team with the hiring of three reporters who will focus on national politics, the White House and Congress.

 

WAITER FINDS BIG CHECK ON TABLE.  Clearing off a table at Patsy’s Pizzeria in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood, a waiter finds an envelope containing a $424,000 cashier's check left behind by a customer. The restaurant's owner contacted the Daily News which helped locate the mystery woman, a 79-year-old retired social worker from Manhattan.  The waiter refused a tip for his efforts.

MORE MILLENNIALS LIVE AT HOME.  Zillow, a housing research firm, finds student loan debt, rising rents and stagnant wages result in more millennials living at home with their parents than at any other point this century.  It tallies 22% of millennial Americans are either staying home or returning to childhood bedrooms.

NEW REGULATIONS IN TV PITCHES.  In a move to improve transparency in health-care costs, new regulations will require TV pitches for prescription drugs to include list prices.  The disclosures will appear in TV commercials within a few months.  

REP. OMAR GRABS ATTENTION OF PRINT/BROADCAST MEDIA

With 535 members of Congress --- 100 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives --- one member gets heavy coverage just about every day, observes Grumpy Editor.

That’s Rep. Ilhan Omar, a far-left, first-term Democrat from Minnesota’s 5th congressional district.

 

In her latest controversial comments, as reported  by CNSNews, she blames the U.S. for the problems in Venezuela.

 

"A lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela,” says Omar.  “And we’ve sort of set the stage for where we’re arriving today. This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States."

In response, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says “for a member of Congress, who, frankly, one who sits on an important national security committee, to make a statement blaming America first in this way, it’s not only ignorant, it’s disgusting."

The problems in Venezuela, adds Pompeo, “have been years in the making. It has been a socialist regime, first with Chavez, now with Maduro.”

 

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WORKERS' EFFICIENCY JUMPS.   Labor Department reports U.S. workers’ efficiency increased over the past year at the best pace in nearly a decade, pointing to stronger wage growth and further economic expansion.

POLL SHOWS BEST DAYS AHEAD.  The latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds 54% of likely voters say America's best days are in the future --- the first time a majority of voters has expressed this sentiment since November 2006.

SEXUAL ASSAULT IN MILITARY RISES.  The Defense ‘s Department’s 2018 report on sexual assault in the military finds 20,500 servicewomen experienced sexual assault within the past year, up 38% from 14,900 in fiscal year 2016.

SNAKE WITH EXTRA EYE.  Northern Australia wildlife authorities discover a three-eyed snake found on a highway.  Nicknamed Monty Python, the baby carpet python died weeks after it was found .  The snake's third eye was on top of its head.

WORSHIPERS FADE.  Gallup finds the percentage of Americans who belong to a church, synagogue or mosque is at an all-time low, averaging 50% in 2018. The past 20 years have seen an acceleration in the drop-off, with a 20-percentage-point decline since 1999 and more than half of that change occurring since the start of the current decade, adds Gallup.

HISPANIC UNEMPLOYMENT HITS RECORD LOW.  National seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for Hispanics and Latinos in the U.S. labor force falls to a record low of 4.2% in April, finds the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Last month, unemployment rate for Hispanics and Latinos, age 16 and up, was 4.2%, down from 4.7% in March.

IT'S TUITION OR DINNER.  A survey by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice indicates 45% of student respondents from over 100 institutions say they have been food insecure in the past 30 days.  Paying off student loans is taking much of their funds.

SINCLAIR BUYS SPORTS NETWORKS.  Sinclair Broadcast Group, in a deal valued at $10.6 billion, plans to buy 21 regional sports networks from Walt Disney Co.

KELLOGG SALES SINK.  Kellogg Co., with lofty prices for cereal boxes, reports first quarter North America earnings decline 36.5% on weaker demand.

 

 

NBC SITS ON 'RUSSIA' EXCLUSIVE GOING AIRBORNE

Imagine this:  A major broadcast network grabs an exclusive in reporting (on the web) that the Senate Intelligence Committee has found no material evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, notes Grumpy Editor.

But in the two following days, the news does not yet go airborne.

 

Under a Washington dateline, NBC’s Ken Dilanian wrote, “After two years and 200 interviews, the Senate Intelligence Committee is approaching the end of its investigation into the 2016 election, having uncovered no direct evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to both Democrats and Republicans on the committee.”

 

Bill D'Agostino, a research analyst for Media Research Center's News Analysis Division, points out “yet none of the three major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) have given it even a single second of coverage in their evening newscasts.  Considering these networks have given the Russia probe a massive 2,202 minutes of airtime, their silence on this major development is deafening."

 

He adds, “MRC analysts examining all coverage on ABC’s World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News and the NBC Nightly News found that those 2,202 minutes spent on the Russia investigation accounted for nearly 19 percent of all Trump-related reporting between January 21, 2017 and February 10, 2019.”

Through Sunday, meanwhile, media continue to report special counsel Robert Mueller is close to wrapping up his investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and the Russian government.  Example:  CNN's Reliable Sources with Brian Seltzer Sunday kept the investigation alive with a segment on "Russia Mueller Probe Rolls on."

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PIECE OF AMERICANA FADES.  Minor league baseball stadium for the Hartford Yard Goats, a Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, says fans will not be buying peanuts or Cracker Jack (made famous in the lyrics of the famous, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game") to make the venue safer for people with food allergies.

NO FEDERAL TAXES FOR AMAZON.  Amazon, which doubled its profits and made more than $11 billion in 2018, won't pay any federal income taxes for the second year in a row, reports the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 

 

SNOW FALLS LOWER IN HAWAII.  While snow usually falls in Hawaii a few times a year in winter on the state's highest peak, Mauna Kea --- the dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, rising 13,803 in feet --- the white stuff is rarely seen at elevations below 9,000 to 10,000 feet.  But that's what happened on Maui's 10,000-foot Haleakala that received a rare thick dusting of snow that accumulated at 6,200 feet in Polipoli State Recreation Area.   

CHICAGO RANKS AS MOST CORRUPT.  Information from the Justice Department ranks the Chicago metropolitan area  as the most corrupt U.S. city.  Meanwhile, Los Angeles tops the list of the most public corruption convictions in America, based on the number of federal corruption convictions between 1976 and 2017. 

 

STOP THE PRESSES.  Grabbing space in U.S. newspapers was the earth-shaking report from Toronto about a 19-year old woman who tossed two chairs from a 45th floor balcony onto a busy street in front of her condo building's entrance.  No one was injured. 

DIRTY MONEY.  The typical Manhattan ATM is more bacteria-ridden than a wide range of other heavily-used objects, including a subway pole and the handle of a public toilet at Penn Station, reports the New York Post.

TRUST IN NEWS MEDIA FADES, SURVEY FINDS

A new survey finds trust in news media is going downhill, notes Grumpy Editor.

First off, for comparison, an older Gallup poll in asking about “the mass media, such as newspapers, TV, and radio” finds while 72 percent of Americans trusted the media in 1976, that went down to 32 percent in 2016.

Newer data comes from Simmons Research which describes itself as a leading source of cross-channel consumer intelligence, measures consumer psychographics, preferences, attitudes and media behaviors.

Simmons two months ago surveyed 2,009 Americans, asking them whether or not they trusted 38 different news organizations.

The chart, below, answers that question.

Leading the list is The Wall Street Journal, grabbing 57.7 percent in trust.

It is followed by ABC News, CBS News, BBC News (getting British into the act), Forbes and NBC News.

At the bottom is Daily Caller, with 22.5 percent.

A gloomy finding by Simmons:  13 percent of Americans say they find none of these news outlets trustworthy.  

 

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OTHERS DO IT, ADMITS N.Y. TIMES.  Noted in a much-covered New York Times story, topped with three bylines, on Donald Trump’s wealth as a self-made billionaire — and taxes, or lack of:  “The wealthiest Americans rarely pay anthing close to full freight.  The Trump tax maneuvers met with little resistance from the IRS, the Times found.”

 

TOY CHAIN MAY REAPPEAR.  Toys R Us, which liquidated its U.S. assets earlier this year, may be making a comeback.  An investor group, made up of secured lenders, says its scrapping plans for an auction of the toy outfit, believing it stands a better chance on its investment by reviving the chain.

 

TRONC BECOMES TRIBUNE AGAIN.  Owner of the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News and others, is changing its name back to Tribune Publishing Co. from Tronc Inc. effective tomorrow.  Tribune switched its 150-year old name in June, 2016, in favor of Tronc, a contraction of  Tribune Online Content.

 

BOOKSELLER MULLS BUYOUT OFFERS.  Barnes & Noble’s board of directors is reviewing the bookseller’s future after several parties express interest in acquiring it.

 

STORM-BATTERED U.S. FLAG SELLS.  A U.S. flag, shredded on live television last month as Hurricane Florence hit Wilmington, N.C., is bought at an E Bay auction for $10,900.   The unidentified person with the winning bid competed with two dozen others.

 

AMONG FIRST SUPREME COURT ARGUMENTS IN NEW TERM.  Missed by media in focusing on other Supreme Court activities is its split over a potential habitat for endangered dusky gopher frogs in Louisiana timberland.

 

AND ON IT GOES.  North Korea warns Washington that ending the Korean War — still open since 1953 — shouldn’t be seen as a bargaining chip in denuclearization talks.  Meanwhile, a South Korean official says North Korea is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons.

 

NAVY SHIP SWITCHES VISIT TO SINGAPORE.  The USS Wasp, earlier denied a normally routine Hong Kong port visit by the Chinese in Beijing, makes a stop in Singapore.

 

AMAZON’S PAY RAISE INCLUDES CATCH.  Widely-covered news that Amazon increases its minimum wage to $15 an hour came with a catch:  the company is dumping monthly bonuses and stock awards for hourly workers.  Meanwhile, Reuters reports FedEx is offering retirement-age pilots between $40,000 and $110,000 to keep flying through the holiday shipping season, rather than retiring, indicating how FedEx is being strained by pilot shortages and rising cargo demand. At the same time, UPS is trying to recruit hundreds more pilots.

 

 

CHINA’S POLLUTION TRIGGERS DEATHS.  Air pollution in China causes, on average, 1.1 million premature deaths a year, according to a study from the University of Hong Kong, reveals South China Morning Post.  Researchers say pollution could be wiping $38 billion from the Chinese economy each year, due to those premature deaths and impacts on food production.   

 

AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY?  California Gov. Jerry Brown signs into law making the Golden State first in the nation to require publicly-traded California-based companies to have at least one woman on their boards.  The new law will ramp that up to three women by the end of 2021, depending on the board size. 

 

HAT’S OFF NEXT TIME.  Television reporter James Bunner, of NBC affiliate KTTC in Austin, Minn., is fired for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat while covering President Donald Trump's rally in Rochester, Minn.