People continue to react to this story that FTVLive first posted in our newsletter, “Live From the Bunker.”

Email:

Scott, I loved your piece about fighting for the lead story.  Doing so kept me paid more than most reporters in all the markets I worked in. It also helped me earn the respect of management.

But here’s another angle, something I learned later.  I found it better to own the big story.  Sometimes, the lead is the "big tell" but the "in-depth" deeper dive story helps you own the audience.  Quick example.  The lead can be an explosion at city hall.  The lead will show you what happened and how first responders, officials, and residents are reacting, etc.    But when you work to uncover the unanswered and unasked questions giving even more context to the lead each day, the audience gets more and learns more because of your journalism vs just reporting.

I agree with you, compete and fight to win in your newsroom and, most importantly, win the viewer.  I suggest winning the viewer will bring you eyeballs no matter where you are placed in the show.

Also focusing on winning the viewer kinda goes with serving the public interest.  Too many "so-called” reporters seemed to be more “all about me” instead of "all about serving" the community.

Just my thoughts from 42 years as a TV journalist.

Email:

Scott,

I agree with your comments about competition, but you're about a generation off on the cause. My 25 yr. old son grew up in the "everybody gets a trophy" age.

The problem today with Journalism is GroupThink. Guess what happens in J-School if you disagree with the prevailing take on major stories? Guess what happens in TV Newsrooms if you pursue investigations of sacred cows? THAT is the problem.

All the grads think alike. All the reporters, producers, and assignment editors think alike. And they are "led" by cloned news directors. 

What do you think would have happened if a network correspondent proposed, in October of 2020, investigating the scores of people who signed that bogus document about Hunter's laptop?

Or, do you still think the computer was stolen and that a president's family receiving millions is ok? Where's the competition to get to the bottom of that story?

Email:

You’re worth more to the station if you’re doing the lead story every night and coming up with lead stories—until the company gets into financial trouble and starts looking for big salaries to cut.  Then, you’re at the front of the line.  When you’re the best they have, you have to work twice as hard to make up for all the low-paid diversity hires who can barely write a sentence or find their shoes in the morning.  The reporters who do the ice cream stories last longer these days.  Their best work is dance videos, encouraged by their bosses.

Email:

Scott, why can’t you come to our station and be our News Director?

FTVLive Response:
Because your station doesn’t care about Journalism. They care about rapping the viewer’s wallet with retransmission money and pay-for-play ads in the newscasts.

Also, your station can’t afford me.

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