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@red: You are definitely right on that. "Mass" Media (i.e. National News Outlets) are mind numbing. I guess that's what they teach in journalism schools these days, which is basically embellishing everything. You can't find a good, unbiased, honest news channel. In a perfect world, that would be so, but too bad we don't live in a perfect world, eh? Local news is getting just as bad anymore. Anymore (if it hasn't always been) it's all about making the almighty $$$$, and no longer about the news. And if it is about the news - it's about who is the first to break the news - thus being more desirable to advertisers, which turns itself around to the subject of $$$$. That, in itself, is the competitive nature of TV News, but it's just getting downright ridiculous anymore. I don't watch the news for entertainment - I watch it for the news. It's like giving a small child some less than tasty cold medicine. The news outlets seem like they have to "mask the taste" and be as fun and entertaining as possible. Which is all good in well in a world like this - but where is professionalism?? Where is real news? It's long gone.
@Silk: I agree with you. WCHS does a much better job with Sports. They also cover WVU more than WSAZ does, which is what I like. WSAZ pretty much only covers Marshall, UK, and the rest of the SEC. And if Keith Morehouse does anything on WVU between his interviews with Donnie Jones, it's just a snippet. I mean, what happened??? They used to cover it a little bit more than they do now. I mean, I understand that people in the "Tri-State" like to see Patrick Patterson - but the whole SEC? Why? But I guess it's the same concept as to why I watch teams in the Ohio Valley Conference (for Southeast Missouri State U.), Missouri Valley Conference (Missouri State), Big East (WVU), and the Big 12 (U. of Missouri). So I guess I shouldn't gripe about that.
I would happily get my local news from somewhere else if I could, 3, 8, 13, anyone. A month or two here will have you yelling at the tv. I could write such a rant...don't get me started.
I kept saying and posting that we needed a second tv station. I'll be darned, the same station fired up a FOX channel, same people, different channel.
Are you saying WTAP doesn't meet your journalistic standards?
WSAZ has always covered KY to some extent seeing as how Huntington is right on the KY border and their market actually goes pretty far into KY. Hadn't really noticed increased coverage of UK but if there has been, it's probably because of Patrick Patterson being from Huntington and just trying to do a service to people who want updates on him. They still cover WVU from the times I've watched.
Regardless of how annoying you may find WSAZ, they are still the best in the state. And don't even get me started on how WV Media has RUINED WOWK. I can't hardly stand to watch them anymore.
Not sure how you would "know" they are the best in the State. Your opinion?
It could be that emphasis in the area is shifting to Kentucky for some reason. Are economic conditions the same in Greenup as they are in Cabell and Wayne? If not, that might explain it. I know Marshall is having a lot of trouble these days. This year's enrollment figures for the Huntington Campus are lower than in some time... 11,384 with a Full Time Equivalent of 9,713. And, that is in spite of offering ever lower tuitions to out-of-state students and going on the hook for millions for building facilities. As a Marshall alum, I am wondering if the school's problems are related to declines in the town, or is it vice versa? Adding new programs with a static or declining revenue base can't help the situation. That money has to be taken from somewhere else.
Yes, I made that statement based on my opinion of having watched several of the different newscasts from around the state. But if you'll notice, that opinion was reiterated by several people with the exception of local sports. Also it's not that odd that the best news stations would be found serving the two largest cities in the state. Looking at the WV broadcasters association website back this up as WSAZ, WOWK and WCHS won nearly all of the awards so it would almost have to be one of those 3. Again, in my opinion, WSAZ takes the top award. Didn't see where I claimed without a fact no doubt that they were the best. Something like that will always be based on opinion. Even if it were an award, it would still be someone's opinion.
And economic conditions are worse across the River in KY and in OH. Huntington is actually doing quite good with new restaurants and businesses opening and more plans for renovated and new buildings with condos for the upcoming year. I myself haven't really noticed any shift in what they cover with regards to news. It seems to me that they are covering what they always have.
And while MU's enrollment is smaller than it has been, it's not dramatically smaller. They've also said that applications for Fall 2009 are up from what they have been in the past. Out-of-state enrollment is up and they've had some increased freshmen enrollments the last couple of years. Adding new programs like the new Physical Therapy degree will help add to their numbers. The new rec center is quite a sight to behold and will likely help with recruitment too. MU and Huntington have seen some good growth with regards to infrastructure over the last couple of years and that is continuing as well. I have little doubt that enrollment and population growth will follow.
I myself was pretty concerned when I saw how much WVU's enrollment dropped for the Spring semester. They lost 3,500 students and only 1,200 of those were accounted for in fall graduation. 2,300 students lost from one semester to the next dropping their enrollment to 25,000. This economy may affect them more than expected. Also haven't heard if their fall 2009 applications were up or not. With applications increasing at some of the smaller schools in the state, people may be choosing to stay closer to home. We'll just have to wait and see.
Last edited by tbailey1138; 03-01-2009 at 01:35 AM..
. . The news outlets seem like they have to "mask the taste" and be as fun and entertaining as possible. Which is all good in well in a world like this - but where is professionalism?? Where is real news? It's long gone.
This isn't technically West Virginia news, but it's just a great example of the dumbing-down we're subjected to across the board.
1) Says, ". . border that we now share with Mexico."
WTF? How'd that border get there?
2) After the senator from Texas says if the Federal Government won't protect the border then Texas will protect their border, and the organized crime there has bazookas, Newscaster Bob ultimately cuts the senator off and goes back to playing with himself.
Point being, if journalism actually existed, it wouldn't be so hard to get at the facts.
Last edited by red.ochre; 03-01-2009 at 03:46 AM..
Yes, I made that statement based on my opinion of having watched several of the different newscasts from around the state. But if you'll notice, that opinion was reiterated by several people with the exception of local sports. Also it's not that odd that the best news stations would be found serving the two largest cities in the state. Looking at the WV broadcasters association website back this up as WSAZ, WOWK and WCHS won nearly all of the awards so it would almost have to be one of those 3. Again, in my opinion, WSAZ takes the top award. Didn't see where I claimed without a fact no doubt that they were the best. Something like that will always be based on opinion. Even if it were an award, it would still be someone's opinion.
And economic conditions are worse across the River in KY and in OH. Huntington is actually doing quite good with new restaurants and businesses opening and more plans for renovated and new buildings with condos for the upcoming year. I myself haven't really noticed any shift in what they cover with regards to news. It seems to me that they are covering what they always have.
And while MU's enrollment is smaller than it has been, it's not dramatically smaller. They've also said that applications for Fall 2009 are up from what they have been in the past. Out-of-state enrollment is up and they've had some increased freshmen enrollments the last couple of years. Adding new programs like the new Physical Therapy degree will help add to their numbers. The new rec center is quite a sight to behold and will likely help with recruitment too. MU and Huntington have seen some good growth with regards to infrastructure over the last couple of years and that is continuing as well. I have little doubt that enrollment and population growth will follow.
I myself was pretty concerned when I saw how much WVU's enrollment dropped for the Spring semester. They lost 3,500 students and only 1,200 of those were accounted for in fall graduation. 2,300 students lost from one semester to the next dropping their enrollment to 25,000. This economy may affect them more than expected. Also haven't heard if their fall 2009 applications were up or not. With applications increasing at some of the smaller schools in the state, people may be choosing to stay closer to home. We'll just have to wait and see.
Tim, ... first of all West Virginia has NO large cities. None of the television media fits that mold. Like you, I have watched stations all over the state and seen little discernable difference. It is highly unlikely that many of the commenters have really watched all the stations serving the state. You can place faith in the so-called "awards" if you like. This old guy has been watching that stuff for quite some time, and basically what they are is a bunch of insiders giving each other props, often on a rotating basis. Most of the stations in West Virginia share markets with out-of-state stations. In the Northern Panhandle, North Central, and Eastern Panhandle they compete directly with stations from much larger cities than exist anywhere in West Virginia.
You are missing my point about what is happening at Marshall. I am an alumnus of that school, and have serious questions about how the current administration is operating it. They are adding programs, not on the basis of proven demand, but in hopes of creating it. Same with the construction and long term lease commitments... there is no guarantee that the funding will be there to cover these enormous expenses. And, you can only slice a pie so many ways. If your funding base is static, and you add something else that requires spending, you have to take that money from what you would normally spend on the other programs. The programs Marshall is adding are redundant and are adequately supplied by other schools in the state. If they added Optometry, for example, it might be a positive thing. Adding a third engineering school or a second physical therapy school doesn't make sense from a resource allocation point of view. Kopp not only shouldn't have gotten a pay raise... he should be refunding money. I think he has sold the community a bill of goods.
Marshall's instructors are among the worst paid in the country. They want to point the blame everywhere but where it belongs. How can they pay adequately if the modus operendi is to continually recruit students with ever cheaper tuition, and if in spite of that enrollment is dropping? It doesn't take a mental giant to see that this is a foolish endeavor. Enrollment has dropped for a series of years now. That can't be good for the school or for Huntington.
WVU and Marshall are very different types of schools. The vast majority of Marshall's students commute to class. Far and away most West Virginia students are from out of town. Having 1700 students out of more than 28,450 who don't return for the second semester is not at all unusual for such schools. That's around 6%. Kids get homesick, have boy and girlfriend problems, have academic issues. That's a pretty normal fluctuation. Don't be at all concerned about WVU. They already have more applications for next year than at any time in the past for this time of year. In fact, they want to gradually scale back enrollment by around 100 and keep it there until infrastructure improvements are made, and they want to become more selective... that's the goal. The goal is to focus less on growth from an enrollment perspective and more on growth from a research perspective and increased selectivity.
It could be that WVU's growth will ultimately benefit Marshall. As West Virginia continues to experience more applications and holds enrollment steady, becoming more selective means there will be more students available for Marshall. It could indirectly help solve Marshall's enrollment problem and aid Huntington as well. One can only hope.
Last edited by CTMountaineer; 03-01-2009 at 05:08 AM..
Tim, ... first of all West Virginia has NO large cities. None of the television media fits that mold.
I made no claim that WV had what most refer to as large cities. I only refered to the stations serving the two largest cities in the state. When you look at the market served by those stations, it's the second largest market east of the Mississippi. Sounds like a significant media market to me.
You can place faith in the so-called "awards" if you like.
Those "awards" seem to match pretty well with most peoples perception of quality. Most awards have an aspect of who you know in them anyway. I'll remember this next time you tout "awards" though.
And I agree that if WVU does cap enrollment, that could very well help Marshall. But I think part of the problem with Marshall's enrollment is that they don't have ENOUGH of the degrees that are in demand and that people want. Physical Therapy is one of those along with occupational therapy, law school, dentistry, pharmacy and even architecture. These programs have a proven demand as there is a shortage throughout our state (with the exception of lawyers). They are finding their niche even with degrees that other schools have as the engineering school is set up to help the mining and rail industries. And the new dorms and Rec Center didn't cost MU or the state a dime. When you can get someone else to build something sorely needed and then let it pay for itself, that sounds smart to me. That allows you to save that $80 million and put it toward other things like new degree programs and teacher salaries.
I made no claim that WV had what most refer to as large cities. I only refered to the stations serving the two largest cities in the state. When you look at the market served by those stations, it's the second largest market east of the Mississippi. Sounds like a significant media market to me.
Those "awards" seem to match pretty well with most peoples perception of quality. Most awards have an aspect of who you know in them anyway. I'll remember this next time you tout "awards" though.
And I agree that if WVU does cap enrollment, that could very well help Marshall. But I think part of the problem with Marshall's enrollment is that they don't have ENOUGH of the degrees that are in demand and that people want. Physical Therapy is one of those along with occupational therapy, law school, dentistry, pharmacy and even architecture. These programs have a proven demand as there is a shortage throughout our state (with the exception of lawyers). They are finding their niche even with degrees that other schools have as the engineering school is set up to help the mining and rail industries. And the new dorms and Rec Center didn't cost MU or the state a dime. When you can get someone else to build something sorely needed and then let it pay for itself, that sounds smart to me. That allows you to save that $80 million and put it toward other things like new degree programs and teacher salaries.
Sorry we are getting off topic guys.
Tim
Tim, ... the second largest market in this case simply means there is nothing else of significance close to it, it doesn't mean there are any people there. The State is one collection of small towns... some smaller than others and some becoming smaller all the time. Only those in proximity to the medium to large Pittsburgh/Washington areas have any real connection to urbanity. Here in the NYC area, there are hundreds of small towns larger than anything in West Virginia. But, I think we are on the same page as to media awards. Unfortunately, none of the television media in the State is of good quality, and that's anywhere in the State.
If you were correct about these new programs being what is needed to produce enrollment at Marshall, then why is enrollment continuing to drop in spite of them? The better students will continue to go to the better established and better funded programs. And, money siphoned off existing programs to pay for the new ones dillutes the quality of existing programs, making prospective students less likely to enroll in those fields. Just last week there was some kind of protest at Marshall about how Kopp got a big pay raise and the classified staff is practically on welfare because of all the money he is throwing at this stuff. People at the school are so anxious to hear something positive they will believe any crap that bozo throws at them.
I'll tell you something else about his recent forrays too. He is threatening to start offering undergraduate classes at the Graduate Center in Institute. If he is so stupid as to do that, you won't believe the reaction that comes out of that one. You have to remember, there are some fields in which Marshall has been allowed to maintain a monopoly... Adult Education, Vocational and Technical Education as examples. The State's other institutions have not infringed on that, and Marshall offers classes all over the State in those areas. With his brazen move at direct competition, Kopp risks retaliatory action which could cause serious damage to Marshall in the long run. He is putting the entire higher education community in an adversarial position with regard to the school. Institute is the location of West Virginia State, and it is closer to Charleston whose students go to Montgomery for engineering training. WVU Tech, like Marshall, is having enrollment problems. Going in direct competition with them would cause them harm.
Marshall needs to be building things in response to demonstated demand... not on the basis of a lick and a promise. And, they need to make sure it is that demand that provides funding for new programs... not robbing Peter to pay Paul. Then, if and only if demand presents itself, they should be building offerings not already present in the State's public institutions. And, they should be building enrollment on the basis of quality, not by making out of state tuition cheaper and cheaper for more and more people until more people come along for the freebies. More people paying less money = lower quality, overworked personnel, and underpaid instructors and support staff.
Last edited by CTMountaineer; 03-01-2009 at 10:41 AM..
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