Author Topic: Game show pre-emptions in Cincinnati (Read 7243 times)

Joe Mello · « **Reply #15 on:** January 28, 2009, 06:48:24 PM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'207130\' date=\'Jan 28 2009, 06:27 PM\']/"When Jim Cantore comes to your town, pack up the station wagon and run like hell."[/quote]
I lol'd.

I'm betting a lot of people would rather watch regularly scheduled programming right now, because that would mean their power came back on.

Count your lucky stars, henke, and sit the hell down.

/ObWeather: The University of Pittsburgh has cancelled classes 3 times for inclement weather. Ever.
//So goes legend.

TimK2003 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 28, 2009, 07:25:17 PM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'207127\' date=\'Jan 28 2009, 07:21 PM\']
[quote name=\'PYLdude\' post=\'207112\' date=\'Jan 28 2009, 04:54 PM\']
I thought Brian was on moderated status?
[/quote]
In all fairness (not that I'm defending his post), it was technically on-topic. Had it remained a simple preemption notice, and not a self-centered rant about not seeing game shows, it would be cool.
[/quote]

Just remember, Brian had a full 4-year scholarship to the University of ZHIFOS. He's gotta use what he learned from that institution on us every so often!!

NickS · « **Reply #17 on:** January 31, 2009, 10:11:57 AM »

[quote name=\'brianhenke\' post=\'207087\' date=\'Jan 28 2009, 10:33 AM\']
WKRC is pre-empting TPIR (and I presume, FF and WWTBAM were pre-empted as well) for coverage of a snowstorm and icestorm that has crippled the Cincinnati area. WKRC didn't move TPIR to its CinCW station.

They've been at it all morning (the other stations are - in fact, WLWT moved the Today show to its digital station). It's obvious to everyone here - it's snowing.

Brian
[/quote]

He deserves an interenet Skyline Chili colonic for this post.

Brian - you *sure* things other than TV aren't more important?

Tim L · « **Reply #18 on:** February 01, 2009, 08:02:01 AM »

I'd be one of the last people to defend Henke, but you ought to read the Cleveland.com Television and Radio Boards..There are constant complaints from people that thinks the weather gets played up too much on newscasts..and we are in the middle of "Lake Effect" and snow country..A lot of the complaints come from people supposedly "in the business"

DrBear · « **Reply #19 on:** February 01, 2009, 09:05:38 AM »

That's been an onrunning theme in the Milwaukee media as well.

Part of the problem is the coverage itself - warnings that a big snowfall is coming or that you should stay off the roads, yes, and constant ones.

But continuing coverage consisting of "well, we're over here on the west side and it's really coming down, how about at the airport?" "Well, as we mentioned five minutes ago, all the planes are still staying put..." No. We don't need to see you stanidng out in the snow with your fancy station-logo parka and telling us it's snowing. Repeatedly.

Bob Dylan would have made a great news director.

Don Howard · « **Reply #20 on:** February 01, 2009, 10:54:14 AM »

[quote name=\'DrBear\' post=\'207325\' date=\'Feb 1 2009, 09:05 AM\']
But continuing coverage consisting of "well, we're over here on the west side and it's really coming down, how about at the airport?" "Well, as we mentioned five minutes ago, all the planes are still staying put..." No. We don't need to see you stanidng out in the snow with your fancy station-logo parka and telling us it's snowing. Repeatedly.
[/quote]
It's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't.
You keep interrupting and you keep repeating or perhaps adding information which the news team had just been made aware of and you have the masses screaming to get back to regular programming.
Or you stop the dissemination of information and you run the risk of someone who may have just tuned in and not knowing that he or she needs to make preparations for a hazardous weather situation.
With those as the options, the choice made is to act on the side of caution, whether the audience is properly grateful for it or not. At least some lives could be saved as a result of this public service.
But......but......but....the show. The game. It'll possibly be the last show or game you ever watch if this information isn't made known to you. You're welcome.

NickS · « **Reply #21 on:** February 01, 2009, 12:03:26 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'207326\' date=\'Feb 1 2009, 09:54 AM\']
[quote name=\'DrBear\' post=\'207325\' date=\'Feb 1 2009, 09:05 AM\']
But continuing coverage consisting of "well, we're over here on the west side and it's really coming down, how about at the airport?" "Well, as we mentioned five minutes ago, all the planes are still staying put..." No. We don't need to see you stanidng out in the snow with your fancy station-logo parka and telling us it's snowing. Repeatedly.
[/quote]
It's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't.
You keep interrupting and you keep repeating or perhaps adding information which the news team had just been made aware of and you have the masses screaming to get back to regular programming.
Or you stop the dissemination of information and you run the risk of someone who may have just tuned in and not knowing that he or she needs to make preparations for a hazardous weather situation.
With those as the options, the choice made is to act on the side of caution, whether the audience is properly grateful for it or not. At least some lives could be saved as a result of this public service.
But......but......but....the show. The game. It'll possibly be the last show or game you ever watch if this information isn't made known to you. You're welcome.
[/quote]

While Bear makes a good point, Don just won the intarnets plus a case of Turtle Wax in my book.

DrBear · « **Reply #22 on:** February 01, 2009, 12:32:45 PM »

To clear up: I'm not saying IMPORTANT information shouldn't have priority: it should and I have no problems with clearing off the whole damn cable system for it.

But just to run marathon coverage of snow falling and people standing in it with no purpose other than to show your station REALLY CARES about the weather, so why don't you watch us at noon, 5, 6, 7 and 11...that's just hype and can easily be dumped.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #23 on:** February 01, 2009, 12:38:16 PM »

In less than a month, the point will be moot, as all households will have access to each station's digital sub-channels on which they can watch weather 24/7 or regular programming uninterrupted.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #24 on:** February 01, 2009, 01:05:19 PM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'207335\' date=\'Feb 1 2009, 12:38 PM\']
In less than a month, the point will be moot...
[/quote]
No no no! Four months! ;-)

Jay Temple · « **Reply #25 on:** February 01, 2009, 01:59:22 PM »

Nope, back to less than a month. Thank goodness. I couldn't take another four months of my stations telling me how long it's going to be.

To me, the question isn't whether they should warn you about dangerous weather. It's how they should do it. I say, screen crawl with at most a momentary interruption in the sound portion to get your attention.

TimK2003 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 01, 2009, 02:05:04 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'207326\' date=\'Feb 1 2009, 11:54 AM\']

It's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't.
You keep interrupting and you keep repeating or perhaps adding information which the news team had just been made aware of and you have the masses screaming to get back to regular programming.
Or you stop the dissemination of information and you run the risk of someone who may have just tuned in and not knowing that he or she needs to make preparations for a hazardous weather situation.
[/quote]

There's a big difference in program interruptions for winter weather vs. severe/tornadic/hurricane weather.

If you have a good meteorologist in your town, you'll have AT LEAST a 24 hour warning of potential heavy snow/ice/blizzard conditions. No real need in pre-empting programming for hours on end if the storm is in full progress (crawls & reduced screens can easily do the job by listing closures, delays and important contact numbers).

In the case of non-winter, severe weather, then yes, I can see preempting programming for several hours since monitoring approaching severe weather which can spawn tornadoes at any time is definitely deserving of constant coverage until the vast majority of the viewing area is out of the woods.

One other reason why TV stations have gone ape shiat over every little storm in recent years is that most radio stations gave up on reporting live weather due to automation or satellite-run programming, despite these same stations being the main lifeline to most residents once the power goes out.

I'm sure the majority of the "storm that wasn't" coverage blitzes will start to be on the decline as TV stations are cutting back their staff, leaving only the "yes, the storm did hit" pre-emptions to knock out regular programming. It's going to be tough for a station to have only their weather staff ad libbing on a blizzard for 4 hours straight if they have nobody to go live to in the elements.

It's nice to live out in Colorado where getting 24-36 inches of snow a pop on a regular basis doesn't even make the weather or news departments flinch. Their motto is "It's snowing again, you know the drill -- Deal With It!".

BrandonFG · « **Reply #27 on:** February 01, 2009, 02:06:50 PM »

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'207340\' date=\'Feb 1 2009, 01:59 PM\']
Nope, back to less than a month. Thank goodness. I couldn't take another four months of my stations telling me how long it's going to be.
[/quote]
Oh, I was making a joke about how it keeps going back and forth. Trust me, I would've jumped out a window if we had to deal with this another four months. In addition to the weather interruptions, I also get sweet 80-year-old grannies who need info on the digital revolution. This sketch is not too far off from the truth.

ObGameShow: I've been cussed out when our station preempts Wheel.

snowpeck · « **Reply #28 on:** February 01, 2009, 02:25:12 PM »

We get tons of phone calls at the station I work at when stuff gets pre-empted. There are apparently a LOT of Jeopardy fans around here. We got a bunch of calls when the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies pre-empted J!. I mean come on... not much we could do about that one. Just last week we had a problem with our delivery system and had to play an episode two days in a row... another onslaught of calls. Have never taken a call for Wheel though...

Greg

trainman · « **Reply #29 on:** February 01, 2009, 04:31:36 PM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'207335\' date=\'Feb 1 2009, 09:38 AM\']
In less than a month, the point will be moot, as all households will have access to each station's digital sub-channels on which they can watch weather 24/7 or regular programming uninterrupted.
[/quote]

I disagree with "moot" and "all" -- for example, the satellite providers don't carry the digital subchannels. And surely most stations aren't going to confine their weather bulletins to a subchannel (and aren't necessarily going to automatically move regular programming to a subchannel, either).