When the TV Consultants Make Their Mark

Many news executives would argue that the TV consultants have done more harm than good to local TV news.

You can blame the consultants for why Reporters do live shots when it is clear no live shot is needed. Or the fact that almost every story is “breaking news.”

But, it’s not just local news that the consultants have put their mitts into.

Look at last night’s CBS Evening News and see.

CBS called the Tennessee Kroger shooting “breaking news” in leading Its newscast with the story at 6:30 EST. The shooting was four hours old at that point.

But here where it gets really head-shaking.

CBS Correspondent Jeff Pegues reported on the shooting and it included him doing a live shot.

But, we wasn’t standing in front of the Kroger store where the shooting happened.

Nope, he was standing on a sidewalk, and it wasn’t a sidewalk in Tennessee, it was a 10 hour drive away in Washington, DC.

So why the hell is the CBS Reporter doing a live shot on an hours old story and a 10 hour drive from the scene?

TV consultants….that’s why.