The Inbox...

Here are some of the stories that have you guys weighing in.

Here’s emails about this Emmy story.

I can second that... (and so glad you've been ringing this bell for years now)

Just read your record Emmy entry story, and your friend who told you he hit skip a short time into watching an entry is 100 percent true.

I was roped into "judging" Emmys years ago and was handed a stack of tapes.

I was all in on the first few, but by the 5th or 6th my mind started to wander.  Some of these were clearly not Emmy worthy.  So they got a skip and a score and I moved on.

The last time I entered a story was the last time the station paid for it and that was long ago.  The funny thing an Emmy isn't a true test of the best of the best, but the "best" of those who paid to be considered.

Then there are those who have won Emmys and tell you they keep them in the bathroom, or use them as door stops or in storage.  Mixed messages.

Email:

You're right about the EMMYs. I got 12 of them during a 20 year career in TV news. I moved into a smaller place a few years ago and had no room for them. They're now resting comfortably in the San Diego landfill.

Email:

True.  Larger markets always have more entries, because they have more money. Great stories and talent in small markets are constantly shut out (not always) but most of the time.  I was at one Emmy dinner where a University public TV station in the region won 21 times during the evening. I can't imagine what they spent on entry fees but they probably paid for the entire Emmy dinner, including the little gold glitter things on the table. 

Here’s a Journalist giving their take on this story from FTVLive:

The story on the behind the scenes look at how Scripps puts together their newscasts gave me flashbacks to my time as a producer and how these "editorial" meetings were usually the biggest fucking waste of time.  Most days the assignment manager or assistant news director would ask the reporters what they had and there would be silence.  Either they had nothing or they were too afraid to speak up over fear people would think their ideas were stupid.  The worst part of that video was when someone said, "what do you like?"  I remember getting asked that question and cringing every time because it was usually slim pickings.  I usually left those meetings with a stomach ache and not much confidence in how the rest of the day was going to go..  The best days were when management was too busy to attend a sit-down meeting so we would just huddle around the assignment desk for a few minutes and decide on things quickly.  Those were the most productive days.

Here is a former KUTV that is weighing on my WRAL hiring his former News Director.

I'm a former KUTV employee who crossed over to KSL.

I can tell you 99.9% of KUTV employees will not miss Mike Friedrich. The toxic newsroom environment he created has directly contributed to the mass exodus away from KUTV. He is a heavy handed, erratic, and uncompromising leader. Many will remember his furious shouting echoing throughout the newsroom as he chastised his subordinates. If KUTV is an outhouse, he's the guy using it ahead of you with lousy aim and bad manners.

I don't know if you'll use this for anything, but I think it's important to provide some context for WHY people keep jumping over to KSL.