The Larry Kane Report

This has been an extraordinary week in the business of local TV news.

The sad news comes first. Edie Huggins, a Channel Ten personality and beloved mentor to so many young people, died this week. Edie was and remains a special person to anyone who ever worked at Channel Ten, but even more to the viewers who watched her for over forty years. When I arrived here, the same year as Edie did, i couldn’t help but notice her electric personality on the air. She is appropriately perceived as breaking barriers for African-American woman. Edie’s appeal was as a dominant communicator who was a voice and a personality for the ages. During the 14 years that I worked at Channel Ten, and for the year’s since, Edie was loved in the newsroom for several reasons. She was a true professional who loved her community. And she served as a mentor and inspiration to so many young people. Channel Ten lost a part of its family this week, and the viewers lost a hard working and passionate advocate for them.

This week also saw the retirement of Robin Mackintosh from Channel Three. What a celebrated career!  In an age of musical chairs among personalities, controversy, and the diminishing power of local news, Robin stood out. First of all, he was a “reporter’s reporter,” a journalistic giant in the tradition of such talented reporters as that other retiree, Dick Sheeran. Robin was a workhorse. He knew the streets of our community like few others, and more than that, he had a reporter’s intuition that few could match. I had the pleasure of working with him for ten years at Channel 3, and enjoying many a conversation about family, the community and our sometimes chaotic business. What you don’t know about him was his fabulous sense of humor, and serious commitment to all things positive. I wish him and his family well.

Change happens in all of our lives. Sometimes it is part of a plan. Other times, it happens with sadness and important reflection on what is really important in life.

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Reliable sources in both political parties say that Joe Biden and Tom Ridge are still among the finalists for the VP slot of their respective parties.

Barack Obama’s comment that geography will be less important than the ability to govern, has spurred speculation that Biden , from one of the smaller states, but with one of the largest resume’s may have a real shot at number two. Tom Ridge has several problems, the most notable that he is a pro-choice Republican moderate. But, we understand, he has made the final cut because of his cross-appeal to Democrats and his intense loyalty to McCain.

The Olympics start in two weeks. Both sides will make their choices before that. The next 13 days will be fascinating in the battle for the White House.

Stars of the conventions. Watch for a lot of locals seeking high profiles at the Democratic and Republican Conventions.  The Dems start August 25th in Denver, and Ed Rendell, leader of a key battleground state, will be in the nation’s spotlight. Playing a lesser role will be a man with great national ambition, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. But the toast of the Obama convention will be Pennsyvania  Senator Bob Casey, who made a gutsy and pivotal decision during the Pa. primary in April. Casey, you understand,. will always be remembered by the Obama campaign for sticking his neck out. That will come in the form of high profile and high regard at the Convention.

On the Republican side, Arlen Specter, a good friend of McCain, will be treated with special care. Specter represents the moderate wing of the Republican party that basically runs things around here. He’s also a long time colleague of McCain and McCain’s alter-ego, Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman.

There’s a question in the news - how long will the Democratic membership of the Pa. House wait for an expected effort to change the Democratic leadership? The indictments in the alleged political scam by soms of the former powers of the Pa. House are under attack by press and the Republican party.  Is the summer lull before the storm?

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First the FCC. The Federal Appeals court in Philadelphia has thrown out the most ridiculous attempt at Big Brother government from the FCC - the fine against CBS for the nano second in the 2004 Super Bowl when Janet Jackson bared herself, or rather was “bared” by Justin Timberlake. First off - it was a stupid little event, but the geniuses at the FCC, controlled now by a party with a super idelogical agenda, decided to fine CBS millions.

Now, the court rebukes the FCC for this ridiculous fine. I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again -the FCC should be more concerned about the radio talkers who spawn racial hatred with their fiery commentary. THAT IS INDECENCY, REAL INDECENCY. AND IT SHOULD BE STOPPED.

The FIRST AMENDMENT does not protect free speech disguised to promote hatred against Americans. The next President should appoint members of the FCC who do not come aboard with any ideological agenda.

FEDERAL E-MAIL CASE-

This is a sad story. It is always sad when you know the people involved. The story makes you wonder about workplace woes, and how people allow their actions to get out of control. The story also makes you wonder if leaks to news organizations are ever verified. Gossip is gossip and the acquisition of harmless gossip seems to have different rules. But when legal cases are involved, when people’s lives and careers are on the line, shouldn’t news outfits require their reporters to appropriately confirm these stories? It makes you think about what peril  bad or illegally obtained information puts a news organization in. I worry about this. Because, unfortunately, as news people, we are often portrayed with a broad brush.

FILTHY TRAINS -

Does Septa clean its trains? I hope so because in the past several weeks, I have been riding on regional passenger trains that are filthy. I am not talking about specs of dirt on the floors. I am talking about dusty, dirty, stained trains that have filthy floors. THIS IS SEPTA’S BIG CHANCE - THE TRAINS ARE PACKED. THIS IS THE TIME FOR SEPTA TO SHINE. CLEAN IT UP!

DEMOCRATS IN PA. HOUSE -

It is clearly time for Pa. House Democrats to shake up their leadership. The criminal charges pending against some state lawmakers for using tax money, and the failure to deal with this mess early on, suggests that the leadership should be changed. Is their any guts in Harrisburg? Will other, honest lawmakers, be tainted by this scandal?

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No, it is not what you think it’s going to be about. I do not comment on the current wave of local news headlines. I know some of these people, and I’m not going to judge. But what I will judge is what happens on air. And KTLA reporter Eric Spillman takes the cake this week. He was forced to apologize on air after trying to dehumanize people waiting in line to buy the new I-Phone in Burbank California. He was stunned when his “live” interview turned into a fairly intelligent put-down by a man he interviewed. When Eric asked him what was more important, people or machines, the I-Phone fan said, “That’s a jackass question… that’s journalism?” That’s not the end of the story. The episode was seen round the world on the internet, and Eric was forced to apologize, and he did not look happy. Her are the online comments of broadcasting legend Tom Petner, Editor/Senior Producer ShopTalk/TVSPY.com:

…”have you ever run across a story…video that makes you angry?

Here’s one piece that did the trick for me. KTLA reporter Eric Spillman makes fun of the folks standing in line for the new iPhone. I’m not an IPhone user or wannabe, but this guy is really over-the-top and demeans the people standing in line. They’re captive by the camera and the ‘live’ circumstances. What an embarrassment! What a guy! “

Tom is a Philadelphia native and one of the guys who helped us make Action News number one back in 1971. His fantastic website is WWW.TVSPY.COM

Back to the culprit: I’ve seen this guy Spillman at KTLA work on serious stories. He’s good, but this kind of “stunt journalism” is what gives the whole business a “stink.” It makes people turn more and more away from local news to get the important news that we all need in troubled times. I have no problem with fun and exciting news coverage. We need relief, but Eric didn’t realize that he was thumbing his nose at viewers with his attempt to be”creative” and funny. Well, it was an insult to viewers. Viewers get the stations that are trying to rip them off with misleading headlines and news that we don’t use. Viewers are a lot smarter than Eric, and the people who let him get away with this nonsense.

Our business has problems, not just TV. Some newspapers let their columnists run rampant without checking facts. Ditto for some national magazines.

We have “screamers” on local TV. I mean “screamers.” They scream so loud that they can wake up the neighborhood. We have local stations that treat politics like it doesn’t mean anything. I mean ten seconds of video doesn’t tell you what’s happening in the battle for the White House.

So the problem with local news are the problems IN local news - attempts to stand out that fail -a lack of respect for viewers, and an attitude that just because we are in the news business, we are somewhat superior to the rest of the population.

Eric Spillman became a household word on You Tube. But he has a lot of work to do to understand that people are much more sensitive to stunts than he thinks. At least he apologized.
Yet, in many places, there are people in the business who care, and they shine through the dark light of the malcontents who would rather exaggerate and scare the hell out of people than simply report the news.

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SUGGESTION TO OBAMA AND McCAIN - Get together and decide to issue a joint statement, possibly with the President, letting the Iranians know that there may be differences in approach, but that Americans, and the candidates are united on two fronts: preventing Iran from getting the bomb, and defending the rest of the Midde East fron Iranian blackmail. NOW WOULDN’T THAT BE A MESSAGE TO WAKE UP THE IRANIAN EXTREMISTS WHO THINK THAT THEY CAN PLAY WAR AND MIND GAMES AGAINST US DURING A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN?????? C’mon guys - put your differences aside and send a REAL MESSAGE. This could be a special moment in both of your careers. It’s a no-brainer.

Are Americans whiners? John McCain says of course not. He didn’t say it. Phil Gramm, ex -Senator and McCain economic adviser SAID IT, saying Americans complain too much about the bad economy.McCain was forced to renounce Gramm, On the other side, Jesse Jackson jested into a microphone that he would like to do damage to Barack Obama’s mid section because of Obama’s comments that some black men need to be more responsible to their families. Jackson apologized. Obama accepted. But Jackson’s son. a popular Congressman,  repudiated his father.
This is a hard edge campaign and the candidates are finding that their own supporters can do real damage or, in Jackson’s case, think about it.

Watch the situation in Harrisburg carefully. The initial arrests are described to us as the “tip of the iceberg.” Look for even bigger names and more shocking revelations. This investigation will also cover ground never covered before - state bonuses for more than just “political” work.

Back in Philadelphia, Friday’s accident, fatal, and paralyzing on I-95 , was reportedly caused by an aggressive and drunk driver. How often do we hear this ugly combination? How often do we drive with “crazies” on our backs?  I’ll say it again - people behind the wheel can be just as  dangerous as people with loaded guns.  Philadelphia has a real problem, because speed is rarely enforced.

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