[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: One Man Show

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
One Man Show
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1215821893.shtml


   As expected, today's muggy weather spawned some big thunderstorms,
   with significant tornado activity in Willmar. All four TV stations lit
   up around 7:30 pm with radar graphics and for once, understandably so.
   I of course hope everyone is safe and taking the appropriate
   precautions.
   Something's different tonight, way different: WCCO-TV. Maybe a lot
   more than Paul Douglas was cut recently in their weather operation.
   KSTP-TV is leading the way again, with the full A-team on duty - John
   Mason, Leah McLean, and Dave Dahl, the best weatherman in town. They
   have tornado video from Willmar, traffic camera shots including the
   Basilica block party. They talked with the reporter they dispatched
   enroute to Willmar. Channels 9 and 11 are doing about the same on a
   smaller scale.
   But what's on Channel 4, once mighty Scene Tonight Channel 4? Pure
   radar with weatherman Mike Fairborne narrating, never on camera. He
   has no pictures, no video, nobody to interview or even banter with.
   He's clearly ad-libbing. Nobody's getting him coffee, let alone any
   copy to read other than weather service alerts. Don Shelby, call your
   office.
   Channel 4 went back to the network about 8:05, rejoining a "NUMB3RS"
   rerun. Channel 5 just ended at 8:45, with the storm heading into
   Wisconsin. Channel 9 will stay on into their 9 o'clock news, I'm sure.
   Channel 11 is still going.
   Channel 4 came back on about 8:50, more narrated radar, for Wisconsin.
   Mike finally has a few still shots now, look like cell phone uploads.
   Channel 5 just popped back on at 8:55 and now at 9 pm, all four doing
   cleanup.
   Again, what has happened to WCCO, i.e., what has owner CBS done to
   WCCO? What they aired literally could have been sourced from a home
   computer with a good Internet connection. The fact that Fairborne
   never shows himself has me wondering if that isn't in fact what's
   going on.