Update on Former Springfield Anchor

From NewsBlues and Collective Talent: Rachel Aram, a morning reporter at CBS-owned WFOR-4, was injured in a car accident in a station vehicle yesterday and had to be cut free by rescuers. Aram, who is pregnant, was in a Ford Explorer with photographer Brian Shannahan when they were sideswiped by another car on Sunrise Blvd in Fort Lauderdale. The WFOR vehicle then hit a cement pole. Aram was briefly trapped in the passenger side, and rescuers used the jaws of life to extricate her. Both were taken to Broward General Medical Center. Shannahan had minor injuries and was released. Aram underwent surgery on her ankle, was kept in ICU overnight, and has now moved to a private room. Her unborn baby was uninjured. The WFOR website made no mention of the crash or injuries. Ironically, Aram is scheduled to leave the station at the end of the November book and move to San Francisco, home to her fiance.

(Rachel used to work at KOLR/FOX. I ran into her just a few times out in the field, but I thought I'd post it if anyone was interested.)

Rowan Ford is Dead, Charges are Filed

Rowan Ford, dead at 9 years old

Please keep Rowan Ford's family in your thoughts and prayers.

As many people in the Ozarks already know, she was a 9-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by her stepfather and his friend last Saturday.

This is the most horrible crime against a child I can imagine.

It terrifies me to think that there are people out there who could carry out such a brutal act.

Even though it's nothing compared to those who knew and loved Rowan,

I have to say that it's pretty disturbing to cover...

I did not have to go out to any of the crime scenes, but it is pretty difficult and disturbing to read the things that allegedly happened to her...

It has been weighing heavily on my mind.

At the same time, it's exhausting.

We've all been working endless hours trying to get the latest information on the case, and work through our station's challenges. Believe it or not, KSPR was the first to go online with the arrest Friday night and we cut in on air earlier than anyone else. We were also the first to put the charges online... I know this because I did it from home Saturday morning, and I looked... (Thanks to Randy at The Turner Report for appearing to notice...I couldn't upload the PC statement, so I typed it out.)

However, being a new station has its challenges of growing an audience, and I understand that people have their own viewing habits.

Plus, I can truly say that there was some outstanding coverage by several media outlets.

Anyway, that's not the point.

I'm just saying this because it's horrible to cover, and at the same time we have a job to do that requires us to de-sensitize ourselves and work to be as fast and indepth as possible.

My personal thought is that news organizations should be required to bring in counselors for their staff when things like this happen. Law enforcement agencies do it for their officers because they see so much. Journalists are in many ways in the thick of it, too.

Anway, please do not forget Rowan.

She trusted someone, and he violated it in the worst way.

Her story cannot be something that's covered one week and forgotten the next.

And remember these men:

Christopher Collings (DOB: 02-04-1975)

David Spears (DOB: 11-04-1982)

Remember that they admitted to the crimes...

If they are telling the truth, remember these men in hopes that Rowan and her family will get justice. Right now they face first degree murder charges, forcible rape, and first degree statutory rape charges.

Authorities are also looking for other people of interest--basically David's friends.

Rowan's funeral will be on Wednesday in Neosho.

No time to blog!

God, are the days getting shorter?

If you really want a good read, you should check out some of the blogs from my coworkers. I just realized we are like the blogger station. Watch out interweb!!

First of all, there's Ron Davis and his Chatter blog. Need I say more? Ron is a pioneer in so many ways, and he always manages to find the most obscure facts about things. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he makes me laugh.

Next, there's Doc Larry. Larry will laugh at me when I say this, but it actually took me a couple of weeks to figure out who he was. I mean, I had read his blog, but I didn't know it was him...and here he was, the 1o pm producer. Ha! Good stuff...

Then there's Emily Rittman...she is a reporter and a person, too! That's the premise of her blog...she's so funny, and I really enjoy sitting by her. Most days she's chasing down criminals in the Ozarks, and I think you'll really see great things from her!

OMG! "It's Sweeps Week!"

If you've seen the movie Bruce Almighty, then you've heard "sweeps week" before!!! Of course, it's really like a month, and we won't be sending people to Niagara Falls...

But, it is the beginning of the rating period. November is a big month...I am working on sweeps stories, too, and hopefully, they won't go something like this:

Here are some sweeps-type news slugs--
"Teen Prostitutes"
"Dirty Doctors"
"Prison Sex"

And, hey, you've probably heard these lines before--
"It's 10 o'clock, do you know where your kids are?"
"Did you know your cereal can kill you?
"A KXYZ exclusive investigation tonight, take a look at this "shocking" video"

But here's something out of the box...look at how KCTV 5 in Kansas City is promoting its sweeps story...http://thedoctorisready.com/ (I really like it...)

So, here's your challenge...come up with more exciting sweeps headlines or story slugs...

A Naked Lady and Sushi

My friend Leah took this picture!

I just got back from a heck of a trip--from SGF to KC to Wichita to STL to SGF. Today was really the first day I had a breather...

But let me tell you what I did the other night!! I ate sushi off a naked lady.

What, you ask?

Jim semed very interested when I told him this.

I went to this place called Nara (in Kansas City) with Lucy since it was her last weekend before moving to D.C. Apparently, it was the restaurant's one year anniversary, and they were celebrating. The place kind of reminded me of Kai in downtown, only with a bigger bar feel.

Anyway, I was seated when I turned around and saw a boob. It was a lady getting undressed to lay on a table. She had a robe on, but it just popped out. Then this guy put some banana leaves all over her to cover her up...

Long story short, I ate the sushi. What can I say? It was there...but does anyone else see this as kind of weird? I mean, the last thing I want to do is go to a place to eat raw fish and see a naked boob. Brings a whole new outlook to ordering tuna. Yes, I said it.

Another Livin' 'Neath the Law with Jack McBrayer!!

Another webisode...I love this guy!

Another Hanguk Shikdong!!!

Springfield has another Korean Restaurant...I am so excited!! Unfortunately, I can't remember the name..."Golden - something"...it's sort of on the corner of Fort and Sunshine.

Another unfortunate thing...the location. Honestly, it's a little skanky on the outside...but you should never judge a book by its cover, right? Forget that it's right by an adult shop. Whatever.

I dragged Jim to it, and he had some reservations about it's outward appearance...however, when you walk inside, it's clean and spacious...and most importantly, the food is good.

We had bulgoki and japchae...I always get popular Korean dishes to gauge how good it is. I was very pleased. I will definitely go back. The prices were more than reasonable...and I want to go back for lunch--they have great specials, and they also have a couple of Chinese dishes for those less interested in eating Korean food. (Cashew chicken and rice $3.99)

And another good sign, there were quite a few customers inside...and Korean ones at that. That sounds silly, but my thoughts are always this: if you go to a Korean restaurant and find Korean people eating the food, it's usually worthy. Yes, that was a deep thought.

My Dash

I just bought a new phone and have no idea how to use it. I feel much like my mother in this way, since I had to have a one-on-one with her about how to text people...and she still won't do it.

But anyway, this is the T-Mobile Dash. It is very cool, and it is Windows based. When I figure it out, I bet it will be very awesome. The saleswoman told me that I could essentially write my stories on a word document with my phone and then email it back to myself by the time I get to the station. Kick ace. I doubt I ever need to do that, but if I did, it would be totally cool.

Here's my one complaint--why can't phones just be phones anymore? Am I that outdated? The only reason I bought a new phone was because my stupid Razr crapped out on me. I only wanted to spend like $50...and all the phones cost much more than that since my contract wasn't up...When did this start happening? BS.

NO NEWS

New Referral: Claire Addison My Prevo!

The Prevo family has now been able to send some pictures of their baby Claire! Claire was born on the 13th of July in Vietnam...she was a premature, but you can see she's grown quickly and is doing well!

The Prevo's hope to have Miss Claire home by Christmas!

Isn't she gorgeous?!

Stripper Terror!

OMG, this is so funny because it reminds me of my college days. My friend was turning 20 or 21, and we thought it would be funny to get her a stripper. It was a total surprise...there were about 30 of us all in this cramped apartment in Lawrence.

A cute, young cop stopped some of us in the parking lot, and one of my friends started saying stuff like, "I'm sorry we've been so bad officer!"...things like that...problem was that it ended up being a real cop who wanted someone to move their car. Embarassing...

But then, a fireman showed up at our door...and yes, his hose was out of control. Gross.

First of all, he only had one move. Secondly, he didn't wear any padding in the cre-otch, so everything was visible. Thirdly, he told us (while dancing) that he was a used sales car salesman during the day and stripping was his side job because it was SO fun.

It was horrible. I wish I could tell you more, but for the sake of decency, I won't. All I can say is the girls were running away from him and covering their faces. It was traumatic, and by the end of the hour, I wanted my money back.

Funny thing is, I'd do just about anything to have all my girlfriends together again, even though that was pretty tragic! This brings back memories!!

WHAT IS NEWS?!

Uh oh, it's late, and I've been thinking...call it a Jerry Maguire diatribe.

But I've been reading a lot of what people are writing in the local blogosphere about news, and I'm here to write something that's been weighing heavily on my mind.

We've all been subjected to some pretty bad news during our lifetime, but it doesn't have to always be that way.

One blogger questioned why my station did a story on speeding in neighborhoods when there were "fires/murders/suicides" going on. Huh?

First of all, in most cases fires/murders/suicides have little to do with the masses. That being said, there are always exceptions. But, for the most part, they have little to do with a wide audience. A jealous husband who murders his wife in Polk County has little to do with how you're going to live your life on the south side of Springfield. An abandoned warehouse fire in downtown Springfield has little to do with you if you live in Dallas County...and a suicide has little to do with you unless you know the person who died.

Again, all of these cases can be argued. And I promise you, no matter what, they will be covered by news organizations...STILL, is it really NEWS?

Let me tell you how most academics and journalists define news.

News can be summarized in 3 words: relevance, usefulness, and interest. The role of journalism is supposed to maintain civilization and democracy.

Within the broad standards of relevance, usefulness, and interest are more specific elements to determining what makes news. Most journalists will agree, they are as follows:

1. impact (how many people are affected)
2. conflict (recurring theme of storytelling, struggles between people, nations, or natural forces)
3. novelty (newsworthy just because it's bizarre--Springfield house sells on ebay for $1025)
4. prominence (names make news, period)
5. proximity (people concerned with what happens where they live)
6. timeliness (news is supposed to be new)

So, long story short: speeding in neighborhoods is more newsworthy than most fires/murders/suicides. Think about all the kids you've seen in the news who were hit and killed by speeding cars. Shouldn't someone try to protect our children?

And as far as the eBay story (that's the story of a Springfield house selling on eBay for $1025)...it's a novelty story. And, in the follow up, we did a story on the legalities of eBay--which also has a lot of impact with people in the Ozarks...more so than most fires/murders/suicides.

That being said, I'll have to cover a fire/murder/suicide in the future...and sooner than later.

By the way, if anyone has any suggestions on how to cure insomnia, that would be great.

A New Referral!!

The Prevo Family has announced some exciting news!

They just got their referral for Claire Addison My Prevo.
She was born July 13th in Vietnam.

She was premature and weighed about 4 1/2 pounds, but she is completely healthy.

Now, she weighs about 6 1/2 pounds and is great.

The Prevo's have officially accepted her referral today,

so hopefully Miss Claire will be in the Ozarks by Christmas!!

Yea!!

I'll try to have a picture on here soon...

if you want to send the couple warm wishes, you may do so here!

Livin' 'Neath the Law with Jack McBrayer

If you watch 30 Rock, you'll enjoy this clip from "Kenneth": Note, he may drop and F-Bomb.

Emmy Nominations are in!

The Emmy nominations were released on-line at 10pm Thursday night. Most of the nominations went to journalists working in St. Louis or Kansas City, but there were a few nods locally. They are as follows:

Newscast evenings, Markets 50+
Cara Connelly, Michelle Sherwood, Jeff Benscoter, Brian Vandenberg, KY3

General Assignment Within a 24-Hour Period
Dave Catanese, KY3
Ice Storm

Education/Schools
Angie Weidinger, KOLR
Tommie's Story

News Excellence
KY3

Congratulations and Good Luck!

A First in Korea: Domestic Adoptions Beat International

For the first time in Korean history, domestic adoptions have surpassed international adoptions.

Nearly 60 percent of all adoptions during the first half of this year were domestic, meaning that the children were placed in homes within Korea. The breakdown is 729 out of 1,223 Korean babies, to be exact. (That's far higher than the average 41 to 42 percent the country's seen in the last five years.)

Experts say the increase is largely attributed to a new law that encourages domestic adoptions over international. Korean society has been exposed to more adoption campaigns (the government has been making efforts to shake off the country's reputation as a "baby exporting' nation.) Korean couples living there are also getting tax incentives to adopt.

Overall, the Overseas Korean Foundation estimates nearly 157,145 children have been placed internationally during the last 50 years. Citizens of the U.S., France, Sweden, and Denmark have adopted the most Korean children.

Korean baseball: Can anyone explain this?!

glumbert.com - Hold your feet! Korean baseball gets strange

New Buzz About This Comedy Short Featuring Bill Murray!

The guys who put this together are Pete Karinen and Brian Sacca. They were just on ABC news for the comedy short...

It's about fact checkers who take their job way too seriously. Sort of reminded me of news for a brief second...

Your taxes don't always go to the state!

I don't know why this is amazing news, but I was pretty floored to see how many businesses keep the taxes you pay them.

For example, when you buy something at a business, you pay sales tax. The business collects that money. Some businesses don't pay the state.

Another example. You work for Company A. The Company withholds a certain amount of taxes that are supposed to go the state. Company A fails to pay the state.

The Department of Revenue says there are more than a thousand businesses doing this--I found more than 450 in Southwest Missouri who are delinquent...and we're not talking chump change. The DoR says these businesses don't just owe a buck here or there...the spokesperson says it's typically a lot of dough.

One restaurant in Springfield owner told me he owed the state $20,000 in taxes...he just got behind with the ice storm. He says that he'll be paid up by the end of the week.

Still, here's a basic breakdown of our sales tax: 3% goes to the general fund. 1% goes to education, the rest goes to things like conservation and highways.

How much has the state failed to collect from businesses, you ask? The DoR says $30 TO $50 million dollars!!

Anyway, I did the story last night on KSPR, but you can see who's not squared up with the state by clicking on the DoR's website youself. Kind of interesting stuff. I popped in one a business owner to ask him why he's on the list. He was a good sport, I'm surprised he didn't kick me out of his shop.

So, next time I go to a business, do I have to pay sales tax? I don't want them to pocket my money!

I Survived...my first night at KSPR!

It was great. Did you guys watch it?! I was very excited for us because it took a lot of work Sunday morning/afternoon/evening to get everything up and running...plus, being in a new newsroom altogether was pretty crazy.

We have a long way to go, but I was super excited that things went on smoothly, and we had a clean show. Now let's do it again tomorrow...

If you want to see my first story on KSPR. Click here. I think you might find it interesting...it's about why Springfield police can't solve certain crimes.

KSPR.com is now online!

We are now up and running!! Check us out. I think our website is the best in the market...it's very clean, but I'm partial. What do you think? http://www.kspr.com/

Be sure to watch us on Sunday night at 10pm!

Just Try It: Korean BBQ Beef (Awesome version)

I swear, everytime I make this, people go insane. I wish I could take credit for it, but a little, old Korean lady gave the recipe to me years ago.

It's basically the recipe for bulgogi (bull-go-gee)--a Korean favorite. I just call it Korean BBQ to avoid any kind of awkwardness.

1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin

4 T soy sauce

3 T sugar

5 T green onion or leek

1 T minced garlic

2 T sesame oil

2 T toasted, crushed sesame seed (optional)

2 T rice wine or cooking sherry (optional)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Slice the tenderloin in tiny shreds. (You can freeze it for a while and then it cuts better.) Mix thoroughly with all the ingredients listed above. Let marinate for a while (up to a day if you'd like, but sometimes I've done it for 30 minutes.)

Broil the beef mixture over a charcoal fire or pan fry quickly until browned.

**Also, you don't have to use beef tenderloin, but if you use a tougher meat, tenderize it with a mallet or something.** You can also go to the Korean market on Glenstone or Campbell and ask for "kalbi"--basically short ribs. That way you don't have to do any cutting.

4 days and counting...

I started my first day at "the new KSPR" today.

It was awesome!

I think a lot of people will like the changes that we're going to bring to the market. I'm not sure if I can talk about them yet, but we've set up some really cool agreements with other community leaders/magazines/professionals...

Anyway, the launch date is 9-9-07.

You'll see us on-air for the first time at 10pm.

Watch it or else!!

The station's got a lot of young, agressive reporters.

At the same time, we bring a lot of seasoned journalists to the table, too...starting with Joe and Christine...then behind the scenes with our news director, Brad Belote (formerly my executive producer at KY3) and Ron Davis...former print reporter, former editor of 417 magazine, the creator of the chatter blog, etc...

Anyway, aside from everything being new in my life, I went to the park during Labor Day.

It was, in a way, a first...

we rode our bikes to Aunt Martha's Pancake House,

ate,

and then took off for Nathaniel Greene Park.

When we got there, we played catch and fed the ducks.

We saw some weird looking ducks!

One tried to chase me, and it was scary.

Then, I almost killed Jim on the way back home because the bike ride no longer seemed like a good idea.

It was hot.

I had a headache.

It felt like we were 20 miles from home...and it was all uphill.

My head and my butt were really sore by the time we made it back to the Phelps Grove Park area, where we live...

and it wasn't pretty.

Larry Craig resigns, but his interview lives on

My Last Day at KY3...

...was sort of today...I mean, I work on Saturday morning, but today was my last day to really be in the KY3 newsroom.

Catch me on KSPR September 9th!

Mark your Calendars: Moon Festival!

Thuy Dam, So You Boutique and Bambu owner

My friend, Thuy Dam, owns So You Boutique, but she also owns the Vietnamese restaurant Bambu.

If you haven't eaten there yet, then you should...but definitely consider making a reservation there on September 25th. That's because Bambu is going to celebrate the Moon Festival!

Just like Thanksgiving and Christmas, The Lunar New Year and Moon Festival are the two major celebrations in Asian cultures. The Lunar New Year is more of a holiday for adults, and the Moon Festival is more for children, family reunions, and lovers.

When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. Children carry around beautiful lanterns and sing songs and poems. Lovers spend the romantic evening together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for a couple who can't be together, they can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour.

With the full moon, the legends, and poems, you can't help think that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Asians are so fond of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival occurs every year on the 15th day of the lunar calendar. This year it falls on September 25th.

Bambu will be sharing this celebration by offering a lantern contest for the kids and displaying the Dragon Dance. Kids can make their lanterns or buy their lanterns at Bambu or local Asian Markets such as Binh-Tay. The winning lantern will receive $50.00. Kids eat free with a paying adult. For more information, call 881-9881.

New everything! New job, new ring...what's next?

Very soon, you'll only find this pic on the wayback machine.

Well, I thought I was supposed to keep this a secret for a few more days, but since the News-Leader scooped me on my own news, then I guess I should tell.

Yes, I am leaving KY3.

Effective September.

I am going over to KSPR--Springfield 33 will be dead by then.

KSPR will have a new and improved look...

...with new graphics, a new website, and new people. New is relative, of course...some oldies are returning as newbies--Joe (KOLR-10) and Christine Daues (once Christine Bielawski, former KY3 city beat reporter) will anchor the nightly news...Kyle Bosch and Natalie Nunn will do the mornings...I will be on the weekends...
as mentioned, again, in eh, the News-Leader.

I will effectively have a social life again! For 4 1/2 years I have woken up at 5 a.m every Saturday and 6 a.m. on every Sunday. It will be a nice change.

So, why leave KY3? Why not?

There were new opportunities awaiting, and I couldn't resist. I have been longing a different schedule and a change of pace for some time now. I knew that I wasn't leaving Springfield any time soon, and this was the best opportunity for change. I had to ask special permission to leave, and I am very grateful for the opportunity.

Being apart of something new is exciting! It will be challenging, but KSPR has no where to go but up. We've got an outstanding news team, plus ABC programming is looking pretty good...

I will miss the KY3 newsroom, but in the end, I'm still working for the same company.

Some bloggers have been cynical about this, but realistically, it will benefit the viewers. KY3 and KSPR are owned/operated by the same company, but right now, the stations will work in two separate newsrooms and under two different news directors.

Competition will be better for the market.

Oh yeah, and I got engaged last Sunday.
The pictures of the ring and my fiance are above.

Stay tuned.

Cara Connelly Makes Her Debut at WBNS

Cara has left Springfield and is already doing great stories in Columbus, Ohio. Her new station is WBNS, the CBS affiliate.

To see her first story on-air click here. It's a story about a Delaware County Commissioner's mobile phone usage.

Cara says things are going really well. It's a great place and the people are nice. I miss her!! And it's already different in the KY3 newsroom with out her.

At least 200 dead, missing in North Korean floods

A lamp stands on the flooded bank of the Taedong-gang River in Pyongyang Tuesday.

By most accounts, at least 200 people are dead or missing since downpours started August 7th.

Here's what the flooding has done, according to the country's official news agency:

• damaged or destroyed more than 30,000 homes for more than 63,000 families.
• ruined tens of thousands of acres of farmland
• destroyed at least 800 public buildings
• destroyed more than 540 bridges and sections of railways

Experts say the North Koreans may have made this flooding worse for themselves because of decades of deforestation. Apparently, the energy-starved residents have used every scrap of wood from the countryside to cook food or heat homes through the bitter winters, leaving large areas of the country vulnerable to flooding and landslides.

And if you remember, serious flooding helped trigger a famine in the mid 1990s. It's guessed that nearly two million North Koreans died from starvation. A decade later the country is still unable to feed all of its 23 million people and depends heavily on outside food aid.

At this time, the inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is still a-go for August 28 to 30th in Pyongyang.

American Defector in North Korea Pt. 1

This is an interesting story of a US man who defected to North Korea in the 1960s. Instead of being killed by the NKs, he wound up being a superstar of sorts. He is the subject of a new documentary. Check it out.

American Defector to North Korea Pt. 2

Part two. Shows more about Joe Dresnok's son and the isolated country.

JUST TRY IT: Cucumber Kimchi (Awesome version)

**SCROLL DOWN FOR THE RECIPE**

I was looking through my blog archives (yes, I said archives), and I noticed that kimchi got a lot of responses...

So here goes a cucumber kimchi recipe that I recently tried and enjoyed. It's really easy to make, and it's not the stuffed cucumber kind. I think you'll like it. Much more similar to the kind of cucumber kimchi you'll get if you eat at Soo's Korean Restaurant, which by the way, is one of my favorite places to eat in Springfield. Oh, and the exact recipe comes from a book called Flavors of Korea.

Oh yeah, and ode to Gregory Holman (if you ever watch his blog, he always puts recipes on-line followed by *awesome version*)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper powder or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

2 medium seedless cucumbers, peeled an cut lengthwise into thin, 4-inch long slices

1 medium white onion, cut in half, then cut into thin slices

Instructions:

In a large jar, thoroughly mix together the salt, vinegar, sugar, and Korean red pepper powder. Add the cucumber and onion slices, then mix. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Bam! Done! Eat it with some sticky rice, and you'll feel awesome. It's refreshing and healthy. Kimchi kicks!

H-O-T-T

Dude, Dave Snider's freakin' hot..in case you didn't know.

This is the a pic from the most recent GO Magazine.

Is he playing air guitar?! What does his wife, Mary Helen, think of that?!

Google me!

I am so excited. Who does't google themselves? If you google my name, it now surpasses my KY3 bio page. This is fairly recent...which seems like a pretty good thing...

Class is finished!!

I am finally finished teaching my summer course at Missouri State. It was truly a neat experience, though I'm not sure I'd do it again.

In case you didn't know, I taught Intro to Journalism this summer, and it was much tougher than I thought it would be. Four days a week...for more than an hour...

Some students were really into journalism, and I think that's refreshing...Others told me they took this class because it was a requirement to take "cooler classes". Sweet.

Most of my students wanted to be print journalists so I didn't have much of an opportunity teaching what I know best. However, I think they'll find that they'll have to deal with video at some point in their careers.

Anyway, I had a few great writers and a lot of potential great writers. It's inspiring to say the least.

Cara Connelly Says Goodbye

KSPR and KYTV

FCC OKs SCHURZ DUOPOLY IN SPRINGFIELD, MO

TVNEWSDAY, Jul. 31, 4:07 PM ET

Upon the consummation of a $20.6 million, three-way deal, Schurz will run the market's ABC and NBC affiliates in tandem. In approving the deal, the FCC dismissed opposition from market rivals.
By Harry A. Jessell

The FCC today approved a three-way deal that will, in effect, give Schurz Communications an ABC-NBC duopoly in Springfield, Mo. (DMA 76).

In greenlighting the deal, the agency rejected the opposition from two market rivals, Equity Broadcasting and Koplar Communications.

As it announced almost a year ago, Schurz, the owner of KYTV, the NBC affiliate in Springfield, is teaming with Bill Perkin, a local former broadcaster, to purchase KSPR, the market's ABC affiliate, from Piedmont Television for $20.6 million.

Under terms of the deal, Schurz would acquire the stations assets; Perkin, the license and intellectual properties. Through side deals with Perkin, Schurz would manage the station and operate it in tandem with KYTV. Although Perkin is putting up nearly half the money, Schurz is guaranteeing his financing and holds an option to buy him out.

Equity, owner of KWBM, Springfield’s MNT affiliate, and Koplar, which holds a permit to build a new station in the market, had urged the FCC to block the deal. They argued that Schurz, not Perkin, will control KSPR in violation of the FCC’s own small-market duopoly ban. Equity and Koplar also pointed out that the Shurz duopoly would actually be the second virtual duopoly in the market.

Nexstar already has a CBS-Fox duopoly, they said. It owns KSFX, the Fox affiliate, and operates KOLR, the CBS affiliate, through its “alter ego, Mission Broadcasting,” Equity said. In approving the deal, the FCC said Shurz-Perkin arrangement is consistent with previously approved deals.
“Based on the limitations that the various agreements ... put on [Schurz] with respect to the operations of KSPR and the requirements those agreements impose on Perkin and the incentives they create for his active involvement, we find that the allegations [that Schurz] will exercise de facto control over KSPR in violation of our multiple ownership rules are unfounded,” the FCC said.

Cheers

Cara Connelly's last day is fast approaching. Here's a picture of her going away party at Ophelia's a couple of days ago. More to come.

Here's your propaganda video of the day

A little piece of heaven to start your day...from the North Korean government.

KC is calling...

Kiplinger named Kansas City one of the best cities for mid-level professionals.

Criteria? The 3 Ts--technology, talent, and tolerance...this boils down to presence of high-tech workers and businesses, the talent level of the workforce and the tolerance for all types of people. A fourth factor is economic growth.

This is nice news for me because I live and work around a bunch of St. Louis natives. I grew up in the KC viewing area, went to school at KU, interned and worked in Kansas City, lived on the Plaza...KC is a great place, and since my boyfriend is from St. Louis, this poses a problem. :)

Cara Connelly's last day

Keep your eyes on the boob tube: KY3's Cara Connelly will say goodbye to the Ozarks on August 1st. Sad.

Carrie Beason

I saw Carrie Beason and Big Mo play last night...(I've heard her music before but never saw her play.) You should really check her out if you haven't yet! She's married to my former co-worker, Tony Beason. Ring a bell, eh? Plus, my current co-worker Rob West, KY3 photographer, just joined her band to play bass.

Anyway, if you like good music, find out when she's playing next.

Jerry Jacob saves people, loses equipment

Former KY3 anchor Jerry Jacob is learning combat medic training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. He's doing really well! "All of our casualties survived," he says. "Though I somehow misplaced five rifles."

Who needs rifles?

Anyway, here are some pictures...

JJ says: "What the patient in this photo is saying is:

'Um, doc, I have a bullet in my arm. Why are you taking off my pants?'"

Anchorwoman in Tyler, TX

Too bad this doesn't have the video of her dancing in the background of somebody's liveshot. Bummer.

TV News Sinks to an All New Low

Lauren Jones

Fox is causing controversy with one of its latest reality shows by transporting a beauty queen into small-market television news.

Lauren Jones, former Miss New York, and "Barker Beauty" from The Price is Right, is currently working in Tyler, Texas, as a reporter for KYTX. It's all apart of the network's reality show "Anchorwoman". Jones has no education or experience in journalism...and on her second day, ruined a real reporter's live shot by dancing in the background.

KYTX president Phil Hurley thinks the idea will allow viewers to sample the station's product, but as one might imagine, there are some loud critics, including the Society of Professional Journalists, the Poynter Institute, and serious journalists in the Tyler area. "Being a responsible journalist is not that easy, not that laughable, not that cosmetic, not that superficial," says Christine Tatum, national president of SPJ. "We're seeing this blur of the lines between news and entertainment, and it's just getting worse and worse."

Jones will be working in the newsroom for four weeks. The show is scheduled to air on August 21st.

See the full story here.

**My personal thoughts: HUH?! I am so embarassed for real journalists who try to do solid work. I am also saddened for those viewers who have to actually watch that trainwreck.**

KY3's Cara Connelly Turns in Resignation

For the last five years, Cara Connelly has been in our homes telling us the news. She started at KY3 as the weekend anchor, moved up to the mornings, and eventually landed the 5 o'clock slot...

Well, now my good friend is taking on another position at WBNS-10, Central Ohio's #1 station. It is the CBS affiliate, so she may actually have some watchable TV shows leading into one of her newscasts! Ha!

We will miss Cara. The tides are changing again. In the last 4 1/2 years since I've been here, we've had a lot of people come in and out of our doors...and I'll be sad to see her go.

Please wish her luck! Either email her at cconnelly@ky3.com or leave your comments here. She will likely be leaving in a few weeks!!

Askinosie Chocolate Opens in Springfield

Paul sings Nessun Dorma

Failure to pay parking tickets could get you the boot

The city council could vote on this Monday night. I'm following this story because the move comes from a KY3 investigation we did back in November.

Essentially, we found that you don't have to pay your parking tickets because the city doesn't have adequate procedures to enforce the law. Some people had racked up more than a dozen unpaid parking tickets in the last 2 1/2 or 3 years. However, we couldn't check the previous years because the city throws out anything older.

Anyway, I know people don't really want to get booted, but on the flip side, do people want their tax payer dollars go to city-paid employees, who essentially don't see their work pay off?

Please feel free to discuss...I don't have an opinion on the boots, but I do think taxpayers would probably like to see the city do away with some waste.

MissouriStateYOU

I started a blog called missouristateyou for a journalism class I'm teaching this summer! Feel free to go on there to influence the minds of our future journalists. Next week they'll start posting some of their stories, so I'm very excited about it. If you check now, you'll see Dave Catanese's HOT LIST when it comes to blogs. To Be Continued...

Michelle vs. Michelle

Look, I'm kind of embarassed to say this, but it's been bothering me. I am not Michelle Kwan. I know, I know, I have the grace and body of a national figure skating champion...so it's a little confusing...

Seriously, though. I have had two incidents in 3 days when someone called me Michelle Kwan.

First, it was Saturday. Bless the Masons, but one of them called me MK. Then today during my story, a man I interviewed also called me MK. What is going on???

I'm considering changing my name to something less confusing, maybe Kristi??

To be continued...

Mama Jams!!! Hilarious, but note...LANGUAGE

Korean Cowboy Gangsters

Destination I do!

When you're trying to find a place for your wedding...

you must think:

location, location, location.

Michelle and Jim

Well, I just got back from the most awesome wedding ever! The weather was beautiful, the food was fabulous, and most importantly, the bride and groom were lovesick...

oh yeah, and it was in the Dominican Republic!!

It was my first time to attend a destination wedding...before this, I had only dreamed of being cool enough to get invited to one! ha! Why?

1) you actually get to hang out with the bride and groom
2) you actually get to meet EVERYONE at the wedding
3) you get a little vacation out of it, too

We stayed at the Iberostar Costa Dorada,

where we swam, laid around, ate, and swam, laid around, ate some more.

Nothing like a blue Hawaii to cool down

Check out "07" in the back! Only a European man could pull this off...

Thanks to Mike and Lauren for letting me be apart of their whirlwind wedding weekend!

Michael and Lauren

The Landlord--I love this. It gets funnier the more you watch

**In need of ADOPTIVE FAMILIES**

I am working on a great project. I need adoptive families, of all sizes, from any country. I am especially interested in meeting adult adoptees. This project entails photographs and sharing your personal experiences. I only need 12 adoptive families.

If you're interested, please send me an email at michellemsherwood@yahoo.com

adventure race

adventure race part deux

Pictures from the wedding!