Grumpy Editor

IS HURRICANE STAND-UP ROUTINE NECESSARY IN TV NEWS REPORTING?

One of the weirdest routines in television news over the years is sending into hurricanes stand-up reporters with microphones in hands, braving heavy winds and downpours, and sometimes pounding surf.

Grumpy Editor asks:  Why?

The same, or better video, can be seen with a reporter in a dry, safe studio or in a nearby TV van utilizing a securely-mounted remote on-scene camera to capture the same, or better, footage.

Over the past few days with Hurricane Florence, TV viewers saw familiar faces --- including anchors --- bending with the wind and getting splashed with water as swaying trees and wild breakers are seen in the background.

Does this enhance coverage?

Sometimes the shots are exaggerated.

A prime example, Weather Channel 's Mike Seidel, reporting live from Wilmington, N.C., is seen struggling against a heavy wind in the rain. “This is about as nasty as it’s been,” voices Seidel, leaning with the wind ---- as the camera also captures two young men in shorts walking normally without wind problems behind him. 

The Weather Channel, in defending Seidel, says its reporter was "trying to maintain his footing on wet grass” while the two people in the background were walking on concrete.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

HOUSEHOLD INCOME UP.  Median household income grows to $61,372 last year, up 1.8 percent when adjusted for inflation, while people working full time year round increase by 2.4 million, according to latest census figures .

SIGNING BONUSES FOR SAILORS.  In efforts to retain sailors with desired leadership skills, the U.S. Navy is offering senior submarine officers. for example, as much as $180,000 in signing bonuses.

 

BEETLE TO GET SWATTED.  Volkswagen plans to halt production of its iconic Beetle next July.  The Beetle was developed in Nazi Germany in 1938 and became available in the U.S. 11 years later. 

 

BEWARE OF 2020.  The next financial crisis? J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. strategists, in creating a model, figure it will be in 2020 --- but less painful that former episodes.

iPHONE MORE COSTLY IF U.S. MADE.  If produced in the U.S., as President Donald Trump is urging, an iPhone would cost 20 percent more, tallies an analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

CALIFORNIA TO GO CARBON-FREE ROUTE.  California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signs into law for the Golden State to use only carbon-free electricity sources by 2045.  Thus, it joins Hawaii, the first state to go that route.

BURGLARY SHAKES UP ISLAND.  Gigha, a small island off the west coast of Scotland, sees its peace and tranquility broken by a $2,600 hotel storeroom burglary --- the first serious crime in two decades.

HIGHER PRICES SEEN CURBING SPENDING.  A Kiplinger Letter forecast notes business and consumer spending “could slow because of higher prices and heftier borrowing costs.”

BIG BOOK-BUYING DAY.  Veteran newsman-author Bob Woodward’s latest book, “Fear,” sells 750,000 copies the day after the book arrived in stores, reports Simon & Schuster.  The book deals with a dysfunctional White House.

FICTION READING SAGS.  The percentage of adults reading fiction drops to 41.8 percent last year from 45.2 percent in 2012, while poetry reading jumps to 11.7 percent  from 6.7 percent, reports the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

 

 

'EVENT' TAKES THE PLACE OF 'SALE' IN ADS

 

Event. 

Especially with Labor Day next Monday, that’s the word Grumpy Editor sees gaining use in TV commercials and in newspaper ads.

Used as a substitute for sale, event doesn’t quite zero in on the activity being touted since it means occurrence, happening or episode.  Yet, it’s a growing favorite, especially with car manufacturers and car dealers.  It’s also popular with retail stores.

What would happen if you heard “year-end automobile happening.” Or “visit our occurrence today.”  Or maybe “hurry to see our episode this week.”

Those pitches wouldn’t stir many shoppers.

So what happened to the vanished sale?

Unfortunately, sale has been laid to rest with many advertisers, although sometimes one sees “sales event."

Yet, sale remains more direct since it involves “the act of selling” or “a special disposal of goods.”

One advertiser manages to get “sell” (sort of) into a pitch by promoting “sellathon.”

But sale isn’t frowned on everywhere. 

Fortunately, signs continue to go up on front lawns of houses that still read: "For Sale.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

MUSK KEEPS TESLA PUBLIC.  Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, decides not to take the electric car company private after considering to do so earlier this month. He attributes the decision to the will of investors.

AIRLINES CUT ROUTES. Because of rising fuel prices, American Airlines cuts some of its international routes, including Chicago to Shanghai.   American also will fly from Chicago to Tokyo three times a week rather than daily.  Meanwhile, in the wake of new U.S. sanctions on Iran, Air France and British Airways are shutting down flights to Tehran.

AIR FORCE CONSIDERS DRESS BLUES AGAIN.  The Air Force may follow suit with the Army by adopting a dress uniform that reflects its history. That means going to dress blues.

MACBOOK WAITING IN WINGS.  Apple is preparing to launch a low-cost MacBook this year, along with a pro-focused Mac mini desktop, notes Bloomberg.

MAERSK SAILS ARCTIC ROUE.  In a trial run, Maersk, the world's biggest container shipping company, sends its first freight vessel on an Arctic route, traveling over the top of Russia from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg.

GOING BACK TO OPEN-PLAN OFFICES.  In efforts to being less stressed and more active in the office, University of Arizona researchers find open-plan offices achieve almost a third more physical activity than their counterparts in private offices and 20 percent more than those sitting in cubicles.

SNAKE BITES PRINCIPAL.  A snake turns up in an Arkansas second-grade classroom and bites the principal, a former Arkansas State Parks employee who attempted to put wildlife experience to good use and capture the serpent, only to be bitten on the thumb. The nonvenomous snake later is released in the wild.

DATA BREACH HITS T-MOBILE.  T-Mobile reveals a data breach exposes personal details of about 2 million customers names, billing zip codes, email addresses, account numbers and account types.

McCLATCHY CUTS STAFF.  The McClatchy Co., publisher of dozens of newspapers, including The Miami Herald, The Sacamento Bee, The Kansas City Star, The Idaho Statesman, The Fresno Bee and The Charlotte Observer, is cutting about 3.5 percent of its staff.

TWO MINUTES OF TV COMMERCIALS PER HOUR TARGET OF FOX

Good news for TV watchers who grumble over heavy interruptions via abundant commercials cluttering programs:  Fox Network Group is aiming to slice its television spots time to only two minutes an hour, notes Grumpy Editor.

The goal to accomplish this is by 2020. Accomplishing this would be a significant change heartily welcomed by TV watchers. 

Current commercials per hour now average a little over 13 minutes on broadcast TV --- just short of one quarter hour, according to Nielsen.  On cable TV, it’s a bit more, 16 minutes.

To compensate for the revenue drop, it means charging more for advertisers to get messages beamed.

Inspiration for the reduction in ad pitches is attributed to ad-free streaming platforms such as  Amazon and Netflix.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

HIGH PRICE TAG FOR DOORS.  Doors to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's office are getting a $138,670 upgrade with installation set for summer.  The Interior Department says it is necessary to replace old doors that are in "disrepair" and attributes the high cost to the historical nature of the building while noting current doors from a hallway to the sixth floor office do not lock.

 

NAVY PLANS TO MODERNIZE SUPER HORNETS AIRCRAFT FLEET.  Boeing is being called on to modernize the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornets to extend their life by at least a decade and improve cockpit, communication and fuel systems.

 

MORE WOMEN READERS SOUGHT.  London-based The Economist, a weekly aiming to attract more readers, is targeting women — an underrepresented demographic in its audience. Less than 30 percent of its 1.4 million print and digital subscribers are women, finds the publisher. The publication started in 1843.

 

BAY STATE HATES GUNS, BUT PRODUCES THEM.   Massachusetts, which has strict gun-control laws and the lowest shooting-death rate, also accounts for one fourth of the 11.9 million guns produced each year, centered around Springfield.

 

EVENING NEWSCASTS TARGET TRUMP.  A Media Research Center analysis of ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts in January and February finds 10 times more negative comments about President Donald Trump than positive statements as the ongoing Russia investigation swamps all other topics.  In the study, MRC analysts looked at 505 evening news stories that mentioned the President or his administration and tallied out of 851 total minutes of airtime devoted to the administration, the networks spent almost one-fourth of it (204 minutes) on the Russia investigation, eclipsing other major topics such as the economy, immigration reform and the gun debate.

 

TOP CITIES FOR EARLY RISERS FOR WORK.  A Census Bureau survey from 2009 to 2015 to determine key locations of early risers finds top cities where commuters leave for work before 5 a.m. include:  Elkhart-Goshen, Indiana: 13.3 percent; Pascagoula, Mississippi: 11.9 percent; El Centro, California and Stockton-Lodi, California: 11 percent; Hammond, Louisiana: 10.9 percent, and Merced, California: 10.1 percent.

 

U.S. SET TO OVERTAKE RUSSIA IN OIL PRODUCTION.  Within five years the U.S. is aiming to overtake Russia as the world’s largest oil producer with 12.1 million barrels a day, predicts the International Energy Agency.

 

WORKPLACE DRUG TESTS FADING.  As the job market tightens and more states legalize marijuana, a growing number of American employers is dropping drug tests as hiring prerequisites, notes Bloomberg.  With employers accepting drug use more, testing is no longer worth the expense.

STORM REPORTING NOT EXACTLY LIKE 'SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN'

 

Grumpy Editor notes TV hurricane reporters, on camera fighting strong wind and rain, constantly remind viewers in the storm’s path that: “You shouldn’t be out here, but I am.”

It’s a bit different than the happy script and long-popular title song in the 1952 film, “Singin' in the Rain," starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds.

Instead of braving the risky elements in storms, often standing in knee-high water and dodging downed power lines, reporting on latest weather conditions and events could just as well be done --- perhaps even better ---  in the confines of a dry, safe and windless TV studio.

But standing out in the elements with microphone in hand is the way severe weather reporting has been conducted for years.  News editors figure that’s the way to go.

“Reporters out there make me sick!,” tweets an ABC viewer who was watching the network’s wet and wind-blown storm reporter in Naples, Florida describe the “suction” force of the gale. “Go home, be safe and stop grand standing,” adds the viewer.

Another mentions, "God Bless our intrepid reporters, but have you never heard the expression hadn't got enough sense to come in out of the rain?”

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

WEATHER COOLING IN CALIFORNIA?  California’s Sierra Nevada mountains experiences snowfall a month earlier than usual last week.  Snow plows had to be called.  But global warming (er, climate change) folks are silent on this meteorological development in the Sunshine State.

HOLLYWOOD AWARDS SHOWS GET POLITICAL.  TV viewers tune into awards shows to check out winners and be entertained, not to hear chatter reserved for political programs — which is a sure way to see audiences dwindle.

TOUGH TALK SHAKES UP SOME MEDIA.  President Donald Trump, in his United Nations speech, disturbs some in media after vowing to destroy North Korea should the communist country attack the U.S.  Trump referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man” and said he was  on a "suicide mission" in advancing the country's nuclear weapons development. Trump mentions the U.S.,“if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.” An example of media reaction: an Associated Press reporter says, “Rocket Man" may get headlines, but the president of the United States just threatened to eradicate a nation of 25 million people."

ARMY BRASS PUT IN SPOTLIGHT.  The U.S. Army plans a series of mental health, counseling and career management programs which it hopes will shape stronger, more ethical leaders, focusing more on building character than on berating bad conduct. The move comes as an effort to help deal with an embarrassing number of misconduct and behavior problems among senior officers. 

PC TO STRANGLE COMEDY?  Society's "stupidly politically correct" sensibilities will lead to the "death of comedy," veteran comedian Mel Brooks, tells BBC.  He adds that political correctness is becoming a stranglehold on comedians.  “It's not good for comedy. Comedy has to walk a thin line, take risks.”

BUDGET HITS ANOTHER COLLEGE NEWSPAPER.  University of Louisville campus newspaper, the Cardinal, will stop getting funds from the university by the end of next year’s spring semester.  The university blames the end of funding on the school's $48 million budget shortfall.

WORLD WAR I SUB LOCATED.  An intact German World War I submarine containing the bodies of 23 sailors is found in the North Sea off the coast of Belgium.  The UB II-type dive boat is described as 88 feet long, 20 feet wide and about 90 feet below the surface.

STUDY:  MAJOR TV NETWORKS GO DEEPLY NEGATIVE ON TRUMP COVERAGE

 

Nightly TV news broadcasts from June 1 to Aug. 31 were 91 percent negative in covering President Donald Trump and his administration, tallies the Media Research Center, notes Grumpy Editor.

MRC adds ABC's World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News presented just nine percent positive coverage of Trump and his administration.

This compares with 89 percent negative coverage by the three major networks in the first three months of the Trump presidency.

During the summer, MRC calculates 415 minutes of broadcast time was spent covering the investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, with 94 percent of that negative.

Repealing and replacing Obamacare and Trump's response to the Charlottesville riots last month each brought 97 percent negative coverage, adds MRC.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

BIG WIND ON OTHER SIDE OF U.S.  With broadcast and print media focusing on hurricane activity from Texas to the East Coast, overlooked is an unusual 100 m.p.h. wind and flooding from a thunderstorm that tore the roof off a historic building and damaged a half dozen other structures in Death Valley National Park. It also blew out windows of several park employees' vehicles.

POVERTY HITS CALIFORNIANS.  The U.S. Census Bureau says one in five Californians lives in poverty, highest rate in the country. It estimates 20.4 percent of Golden State residents lived below the poverty line in a three-year average, 2014 to 2016.

MILITARY PROVIDES HURRICANE AID.  The Pentagon reports it mobilized nearly 30,000 military personnel for recovery operations along Hurricane Irma’s path from the U.S. Virgin islands to north of Atlanta.

OPRAH JOINS 60 MINUTES.  Oprah Winfrey, one of TV’s best-known celebrity interviewers, next Sunday debuts on CBS’ 60 Minutes.  With the TV newsmagazine entering its 50th anniversary year, she will be reporting on America’s political divisions.

POLICE SEARCH FOR STOLEN PET PIG.  Cleveland police are looking for Spam, a 15-pound mini-pet pig that was taken during a home break-in. “It’s just sad somebody would do this,” says its owner who acquired the one-year-old mini pig when he was a piglet.  “He’s part of our family. Keep the electronics, but don’t take somebody’s pet.”

ADULTS GO TO BED WITH STUFFED ANIMALS.  Build-A-Bear Workshop, in a survey of 2,000 Americans, finds 40 percent of adults — many from childhood — take stuffed animals to bed with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big 3 TV networks nix Trump’s first 100 days commercial

Grumpy Editor notes the big three TV networks refuse to air a President Donald Trump commercial citing accomplishments of his administration’s first 100 days.

Those news outlets, along with CNN, contend a “fake news” graphic superimposed over news anchors’ faces as the reason not to air the spot.

ABC also maintains the commercial represents a personal attack.

Interestingly, leading up to last November’s elections when national and local politicians were beating up their rivals in commercials, TV stations just sat back and watched political campaigns’ advertising dollars roll in despite an abundance of assorted and unverified claims.

With CNN’s refusal to air the commercial, Trump supporters accuse the cable network of censorship for nixing the message spotlighting the president’s accomplishments in 100 days.

The Trump commercial reports “America has rarely seen such success” and lists a series of actions from Trump’s first 100 days in office.

“You wouldn’t know it from watching the news,” it continues, “America is winning and President Trump is making America great again.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Business magazines turn to focus on TV personalities:  Bloomberg Businessweek devotes five pages to Fox News' Sean Hannity (wihout interviewing him) while Fortune devotes a half page with "Five Questions for Larry King."  Example directed to King:  "How has the news business changed since you started?  King:  The change in TV has been unbelievable.  But what I did in the late '50s is what I'm doing now, just transmitted differently"...Variety reports FCC chairman Ajit Pai says his agency will be looking into complaints made against Stephen Colbert “for what some labeled a homophobic joke about President Donald Trump”…Gannett Co., Inc., publisher of newspapers coast to coast, eliminates a number of jobs at as many as 37 local newspapers around the country. Matt DeRienzo, executive director of LION Publishers, says, “Already-lean small town newsrooms were hit the hardest — papers such as the Times-Herald in Port Huron, Michigan, the Reporter-News in Abilene, Texas, the Daily Record in York, Pennsylvania, and the Sun-News in Las Cruces, New Mexico”…Sinclair Broadcast Group is close to finalizing a deal to acquire Tribune Media for almost $4 billion, according to Reuters…Ever tax-hunting California is eyeing collecting taxes from space transportation companies based on a formula factoring in how often a company launches spacecrafts out of the state and, most importantly, how far a commercial spacecraft travels from Golden State soil…Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez comes up with a sore right elbow.  So that places him on the disabled list for the first time in his 14-year major league career, or 1,774 games, the most among active players.

 

Hey, isn’t North Korea north of South Korea?

Despite North Korea dominating the news and talk out of Washington in recent days, most Americans are fuzzy as to where the communist nation is located.  That's the  finding of a Rasmussen Reports survey.

It tallies only 31 percent of adults think most Americans can locate North Korea on a map but 50 percent don’t think they could while 19 percent are not sure.

Police files take spotlight in current news coverage

Hey, is there any good news around?

Apparently not much, using Saturday morning’s edition of a newspaper, largest in its state, as an example of something to kick off the weekend with perhaps some indigestion along with morning coffee and a muffin, notes Grumpy Editor.

Most stories seem to originate from law enforcement agencies.

Front page gets right into it with one of three long pieces devoted to a local man “accused of trafficking teenager.”

Among other items in the opening pages: Mental evaluation for Fresno suspect; Prosecutors file charges in genital mutilation case; Man kills 2, injures 1 before shot dead at office; More than 100 men accused of seeking sex from minors; record homicides reached since 2011 cartel clashes; Violence leaves dozen dead in Venezuelan capital area; Stabbing suspect believed cartel was after him; Parking lot shooting injures one, arrest made; Blood-covered nude man hospitalized, critical; Officers, drivers injured in crash amid traffic stop; Victim of rollover crash identified; Teen, city settle lawsuit over molestation by cop.

Any good news in the edition?

Well, sort of.  On the religion page, top story is on “Taking steps to combat hatred.”

Ads contribute to gloom and doom, too.  A quarter page security screens pitch, for example, carries the headline, “Protect your home, protect your family.”  Included is an illustration of  a masked bad guy in black garb ready to swing a baseball bat.

Other newspapers --- and broadcast outlets --- also go heavy on crime these days.

Whatever happened to coverage of  Boy Scouts helping little old ladies?

Well, there’s always the weather forecast --- unless rain  is predicted.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Navy veterans are shaking their heads over the changes being made in submarines --- for women now serving on them.  Designers are giving women sailors more doors, washrooms, sleeping and bathing areas, plus with more privacy, along with lowering of some overhead valves and installing steps leading to triple-high bunk beds.  These will be incorporated in the upcoming USS New Jersey. But the ship is not scheduled to be delivered until 2021…Bill O'Reilly reportedly will receive up to a $25 million payout following his exit from Fox News...How strange is North Korea?  Otto Warmbier,who was a 21-year-old University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati, remains behind bars after being sentenced last year to 15 years of hard labor in a North Korea prison after he confessed to (ready for this?)--- trying to steal a propaganda banner...Tesla Inc., the electric car maker, discloses its billionaire Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk paid at least $593 million in income taxes last year…Sinclair Broadcast Group is adding 14 television stations via purchasing Bonten Media Group Holdings...A U.S. federal judge ordered Volkswagen to pay a $2.8 billion criminal fine in the rigging of diesel-powered vehicles case... IBM, once the darling of business editors in grabbing space in their sections, posts its 20^th straight quarter of falling revenue, despite a 12 percent gain from its new businesses…America's chief federal banking regulator admits the agency failed to act on numerous "red flags" at Wells Fargo that could have stopped the fake account scandal at the bank years earlier. It cites an overlooked key red flag In January 2010, when the regulator was aware of "700 cases of whistleblower complaints" about sales tactics”…Google is planning to introduce an ad-blocker on the mobile and desktop versions of its Chrome internet browser…University of Tennessee’s student-run newspaper, Daily Beacon, is cutting its print edition to twice weekly in the fall from five days a week during the past five decades…The number of out-of-work people collecting unemployment checks dropped to a 17-year low in April.

 

British insurance company Aviva’s annual Home Report surveys 2,004 people on how they handle relatively common tasks around the house and finds one in five not being able to change a light bulb.

Mainstream media members surprised by Trump's scolding

Big names in cable and TV news channels are still grumbling about last week's off-the-record meeting with Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York in which the president-elect criticized them for their election and post-election coverage, noted Grumpy Editor. 

A source told the New York Post that the "TV execs and anchors went in there thinking they would be discussing the access they would get to the Trump administration, but instead they got a Trump-style dressing-down.” 

Trump started with CNN chief Jeff Zucker and said, "I hate your network, everyone at CNN is a liar and you should be ashamed," added the source.

About three dozen people were in attendance --- and silenced.

Among attendees were NBC’s Deborah Turness, Lester Holt and Chuck Todd; ABC’s James Goldston, George Stephanopoulos, David Muir and Martha Raddatz; CBS’ Norah O’Donnell, John Dickerson, Charlie Rose, Christopher Isham and Gayle King; Fox News’ Bill Shine, Jack Abernethy, Jay Wallace and Suzanne Scott; MSNBC’s Phil Griffin, and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett and Zucker.

After the meeting, Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway said the gathering went well.

The following night at the annual dinner of the Committee to Protect Journalists, hosts included New Yorker editor David Remnick and CNN chief Zucker, both warning that the fight for press freedom has moved “close to home.”

Alan Murray, Fortune editor who attended the dinner, said, “How well the press can function in the era of Trump is one of many questions hanging over the months ahead.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

Now, about global warming --- or cooling:  While global warming folks continued to focus on warmer temperatures in the U.S., nothing was said about an unusual cold air mass in Japan where snow fell in Tokyo last week for the first time in November in 54 years. Meanwhile, Britain’s Daily Mail reported global average temperatures over land have plummeted by more than one degree Celsius since the middle of this year, the steepest fall on record. The news comes amid mounting evidence that the recent run of world record high temperatures is about to end, the paper added. The fall, revealed by NASA satellite measurements of the lower atmosphere, has been caused by the end of El Nino, the warming of surface waters in a vast area of the Pacific west of Central America.

The post-election stock market continued upward last week, reaching a new Dow Jones Industrial high of 19152.14 despite prognosticators, before Nov. 8, calling for a steep decline...Look for a boom in energy action as the Trump Administration sets its sights on job-building with offshore oil drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic...President Barack Obama last week shortened the sentences of 79 more prisoners, surpassing the 1,000 mark for commutations granted during his presidency…Univision Communications, the Spanish-language media giant, will lay off between 200 and 250 staffers and plans restructuring after it slipped into the red last quarter…Where is the Army?  U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Cooper Dayton, 42, was killed by an improvised explosive device in northern Syria, with no media outlet mentioning the veteran U.S. Navy member was far from sea --- on land with an explosive ordnance disposal mobile unit…President-elect Donald Trump named Fox News analyst K.T. McFarland as deputy national security adviser to serve under retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump's national security advisor...About 5.6 million existing homes changed hands last month, a 2 percent year-over-year rise to the highest figure since February 2007, reported the National Association of Realtors.

 

     The military newspaper Stars and Stripes revealed hundreds of veterans with terminal brain cancer and their families were close to being fast-tracked toward millions of dollars in government benefits and compensation, before a White House decision prevented it.

 

GOP convention TV coverage stressed gab, not speakers

What was touted as “complete GOP convention coverage” turned out to be mostly talkathons on TV news outlets, observed Grumpy Editor.

Some of the most interesting speakers in the Cleveland gathering were snubbed while TV hosts --- on both cable and over-the-air outlets --- chatted with each other as podium action was relegated to a split screen.

Networks’ convention booths saw up to nine people around a table offering comments as on-stage speakers were muted.

At times, only one of the three main TV cable channels aired speakers live.  CNN had an edge, presenting more live speakers than its talkative competitors. 

NBC, ABC and CBS also did much yakking among themselves.

For example, a stirring presentation by Laura Ingraham, radio talk show host, and often seen on Fox News where she also has filled in for Bill O’Reilly, was snubbed by all commercial TV outlets.  And that, strangely, also included Fox.

A surprise headline later on CNN’s web site:  Laura Ingraham rocks the GOP convention.

With live action on stage, some outlets ran film clips, did interviews on the floor and elsewhere, ran talkers comments from other channels --- while overlooking speakers that viewers sought.

Another interesting speaker, seen only on CNN, was Kimberlin Brown, an actress and owner of several small operations ranging from a design business to avocado farming.  As she cited overregulation “is killing small businesses,” other channels’ personalities were busy chatting, agreeing or disagreeing on political matters and GOP developments.

Brown declared Donald Trump is “the only man to get businesses and the country back on track.”

 

It’ll be interesting to see if the same treatment is carried out today when the Democrats start their convention in Philadelphia.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

Happy hours temporarily extended in Philadelphia. Philadelphia bars and eateries hosting the Democratic National Convention this week will be allowed to serve alcohol beyond the usual 2 a.m. cutoff.

 

Earlier food safety woes were still affecting Chipotle Mexican Grill as same-store sales missed expectations in the second quarter.

 

A female Middle East correspondent for The Wall Street Journal said she was detained for over an hour at Los Angeles International Airport as authorities also sought her two cellphones. Gerald Baker, Journal editor-in-chief, said he was “disturbed” by the action.

 

Citing lagging demand for some products, General Mills will be cutting 1,400 jobs, part of a year-long effort to slice expenses.

 

Who was on lookout? Britain’s HMS Ambush, the Royal Navy’s most advanced nuclear submarine, smacked into a commercial ship off Gibraltar.

 

Another example of deteriorating U.S. military equipment --- on a larger scale. The USS Gerald R. Ford, a $12.9 billion aircraft carrier, has some reliability issues with onboard systems, delaying delivery that was originally set for September, 2014.

 

So how are airlines doing? There’s some confusion. A story on Friday cited terrorism fears, plunging airfares and currency swings affecting results. Another story the next day reported planes are full, jet fuel remains much cheaper than a year ago and the U.S.’s four biggest carriers collectively reported a $3.9 billion second quarter profit.

 

An estimated 32.2 million people watched Donald Trump deliver his GOP nomination acceptance speech Thursday night, topping the 30.3 million who viewed Mitt Romney’s 2012 address, tallied the Nielsen Co.

 

Associated Press reported the Pentagon revised its Law of War guidelines to remove wording that could permit U.S. military commanders to treat war correspondents as “unprivileged belligerents” if they think the journalists are sympathizing or cooperating with enemy forces.

 

Dallas-headquartered Comerica Inc., a financial services company, said it will lay off about 800 Michigan workers as it closes 40 branches in that state, following a 23 percent profit decline in its last quarter.

 

Taylor Terrell, morning news anchor at 41NBC News in Macon, Ga., died Thursday after she fell from the peak of a waterfall in North Carolina.

It happened in the evening before her 25th birthday.

With focus on EgyptAir crash, downed B-52 unnoticed

CNN, MSNBC and Fox News were so busy with wall-to-wall coverage of a Paris to Cairo EgyptAir jetliner that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday that news editors, including those on major newspapers coast-to-coast, overlooked another crash on the same day involving a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, observed Grumpy Editor.

Fortunately, all seven crew members on a training mission made it out safely when their vintage B-52 crashed on Guam shortly after takeoff, sending a large ball of orange flame and black smoke skyward.

The bomber, half a football field in length, was deployed to Guam from Minot, N.D., as part of the military's continuous bomber presence in the Pacific.  Crew members were with the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron.

It was one of a few dozen remaining B-52s in service out of 744 built by Boeing.  The first one flew in April, 1952 --- during the Korean War --- designed to be capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of weapons with a combat range of about 8,800 miles without aerial refueling.

Last B-52 was built in 1962.

But lately, as with other U.S. military aircraft --- detailed recently, by the way, in a Fox News report that also mentioned chopped military budgets --- parts have been difficult to find, so ground crews have been forced to cannibalize other aircraft to keep remaining models flying.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Forget earthquakes:  Southern California may not have enough energy to make it through the summer because of a shortage of natural gas, the Los Angeles Times reported…Good PR to attract staffers:   Practichem, a Raleigh, N.C., startup scientific instruments maker, sought to attract top talent by giving prospective employees a leased new Tesla Model 3…Where your tax money goes:  Not widely reported, the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted $746,827 to the University of Kentucky in a program called “Smart Shopping” that is directed at “improving the shopping practices of adolescents with the ultimate goal of increasing fruit and vegetable intake”…A New York magazine article labeled Fox News as "a right-wing network" --- with no mention on which way other TV channels lean and if they are "fair and balanced"...Ninety percent of a random national sample of 504 Native Americans in a Washington Post poll said the Washington Redskins name doesn't bother them…Global warming?  In northern Maine, 3.4 inches of snow were recorded last week, setting a record for the most snow in mid-May.  Northern Vermont also got a dusting of the white stuff…Look for more stock market gyrations when the Federal Reserve, in connection with its June 14-15 meeting, mentions an interest rate boost is likely.  If no hike occurs, there’s always the July meeting...When you gotta go:  A TV reporter for a Phoenix station couldn’t wait and defecated on private property in Goodyear, Ariz. He was arrested and no longer works for the TV station...Chew on this:  National Hamburger Day is May 28.

Headlines in the “gee, no kidding department”---

From Bloomberg: New York’s Chances for a Hot Summer Soar Through August

From the New York Times:  Hillary Clinton Says Donald Trump Is Not Qualified to Be President