The new WSAV News (phone, coastal, young)

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by CoastalGAGuy

Quick question for Newsboy - where did you see the listing for the WSAV news partnership programming on WGSA? I looked at next week's guide, and the 10pm weekday slots still read "Paid Programming."

They're running promos for it on-air now. Also, I ran into the station GM at the airport Tuesday night and she confirmed it.

[912]

WSAV is ok. NBC sucks. I wonder why Dave took a HUGE demotion to come back to Savannah? He must have done something really bad in Boston. Jesse Blanco...bless his heart, he's got a face for radio & just isn't that good a broadcaster.

Wanna get innovative with local TV? Start an I-team. An actual I-team that'll stick a mic in the faces of "community leaders" & demand answers. Lord knows Savannah needs that.

[DanielAvery]

Hire that lady (Leslie Conn?) who exposed all the various misdeeds of Rochelle Small-Toney and her pal, the ex-mayor. Granted, she might prefer the written word to the camera. I recall Don Logana wanted to christen himself an investigative reporter when he joined WTOC, doing his best to sensationalize the occasional shady contractor or telephone scam during a Sweeps period. All he did in my opinion was make himself look unnecessarily combative.

Here in the West Palm Beach, FL market we have one of those "investigative reporters" on WPTV (the same station that "inherited" Brian Entin from WTOC), but she seems more focused on exposing crooked landlords and Nigerian internet scams rather than doing exposes on local politicians. I think it's funny to see the commercials where she's walking around with this stern look on her face, waving a microphone as a cameraman follows her, when she looks like an overdressed soccer mom.

[CoastalGAGuy]

You have to walk a fine line in a mid to small sized television market. If you get too pushy, you're not likely to gain much traction with local powers that be. Of course, the job of "investigative reporter" is such a misnomer these days - there's always someone's butter on the bread of each person who seemingly claims the title. And, actually doing the job right requires some journalistic chops that, despite being taught in the better schools out there, never really seem to be applied on the job in the "real world."

[Newsboy]

In response to the query about why somebody would leave a big market like Boston or Miami to come "back" to little ol' Savannah:

I know the curmudgeons on here will cry "balderdash," but there is something to be said for being a big fish in a small pond. The competitiveness among people in the media in major markets is cutthroat nasty ... it's unnerving in fact. You're always having to watch your back. You're always trying to one-up the competition, stay ahead of your nemesis, keep on the good side of your manager, stay on the radar of your agent. Having to work under contracts and negotiate via agents SUCKS!


And if you get cut for no fault of your own (new management comes in and SLASH! Everybody is gone!) what do you do? There is a comfort level in markets like Savannah, which also happen to be pretty nice places to live and raise a family as well. The problem is, *some* people get complacent and stop being on their game. That's why I'm excited to see some new, fresh, obviously experienced talent coming into the market right now.

Speaking from personal experience, I worked in Atlanta, then Savannah and then went back to Atlanta ...and always regretted not just staying in Savannah.

Originally Posted by DanielAvery

Here in the West Palm Beach, FL market we have one of those "investigative reporters" on WPTV (the same station that "inherited" Brian Entin from WTOC) ...

Thanks Daniel, I wondered what happened to him ...

[DanielAvery]

When I moved here, one of the stations (I'm thinking the same WPTV) had Liz Flynn as a reporter, also, who was at WTOC as a reporter and weekend anchor. Jay Cashmere is one of WPTV's main anchormen, and I recall him as a reporter for one of the Savannah stations (I think WJCL) back around 2000 or so.

Both WTOC and WPTV are Raycom stations, so I'm sure it's no coincidence that I get to see familiar faces here.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Question for you, Lovin: When you are on SSI, which TV news stations do you watch, the ones from Savannah or the ones from Jacksonville? When I lived in Brunswick I got both ... because Glynn County is technically part of the Jax market.

Mostly Savannah.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by 912

WSAV is ok. NBC sucks. I wonder why Dave took a HUGE demotion to come back to Savannah? He must have done something really bad in Boston. Jesse Blanco...bless his heart, he's got a face for radio & just isn't that good a broadcaster.

Wanna get innovative with local TV? Start an I-team. An actual I-team that'll stick a mic in the faces of "community leaders" & demand answers. Lord knows Savannah needs that.

That would be fabulous.

[carolinajones2]

I can see Savannah stations from where I live and they are...okay. Newsboy, you are young and impressionable. Savannah is doing better than they used to, but WTOC still has their 80s ideal, WJCL (though looks better still has a way to go. The new black male anchor to me SUCKS) and WSAV follows the traditional Media General model which is similar across the board. Savannah is market 92 but still seems like a 100s to me. Other markets around the area are pretty slick, such as Jacksonville, Columbia, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by carolinajones2

I can see Savannah stations from where I live and they are...okay. Newsboy, you are young and impressionable. Savannah is doing better than they used to, but WTOC still has their 80s ideal, WJCL (though looks better still has a way to go. The new black male anchor to me SUCKS) and WSAV follows the traditional Media General model which is similar across the board. Savannah is market 92 but still seems like a 100s to me. Other markets around the area are pretty slick, such as Jacksonville, Columbia, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach.

Sweetie, I am NOT young ... nor impressionable. But thanks for the compliment!