The Larry Kane Report

Imagine watching a news program without anchors. Shocking! Unbelievable! True.

The Tribune TV Station in Houston is dropping anchor, or I should say anchors. The result will be a cavalcade of videotaped reports. No ad-libs. No wisdom. No jokes. No Voice of Reason. Did I say that!!

It’s all about cost-cutting, but it is not a good move. Forget my proprietary interests here. What happens in Houston when a Hurricane hits, when an emergency strikes, and when a calm voice needs to keep people calm. Maybe it is all about the dehumanization of news. Don’t expect this dropping anchor trend to continue around the nation. It will not succeed. Why? Because people won’t watch it.

By the way, my show on the Comcast Network on this Sunday night and Wednesday at 5:30 covers  this subject. Some of the arguments may surprise you. One thing is certain – I have real “live” guests, including two professors and CBS3 Anchor Chris May. The program will have a host.

MESSAGE TO AMTRAK MANAGEMENT -

I like Amtrak. I like trains. I don’t like filth. Without going into grimy detail, most Amtrak trains, in whatever class, have a bathroom problem. There is no denying it. Does anyone clean up on these trains? These trains subsidized up by grants from the U.S. Government and very high fares. Now, I know what’s going to happen. Someone will read this, and the cleanup will begin. I hope it lasts. People paying good money deserve a clean environment. I don’t care what it takes. It must be fixed.

THE POLITICIANS AS COMEDIANS -  ALL FOR A GREAT CAUSE

Tuesday night at eight, most of the people running for local office will run for exits after an exhibition of comedy at Finnigan’s Wake at Third and Spring Garden. This marks 20 years that Daily News veteran columnist  Stu Bykofsky, is putting together a night of comedy from the best and maybe the brightest. Yes, the key candidates in the big races will go on stage and  make donkeys and elephants of themselves with sarcastic, and hopefully very funny comedy routines. The $75 admission goes to the Variety Club which helps a lot of children in many ways. For advance credit card orders, call at 215-735-0803. All the political stars will be there for their 5 minutes of comedic fame.

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Lower Merion school officials just don’t get it. Defensive in nature since the beginning of the Spygate scandal, they know say that a second lawsuit filed by a student whose privacy was allegedly invaded by a web camera, “is not the way to go”, considering action taken to prevent it from happening again.

First of all, anyone has the right to get justice for alleged improprieties. Lower Merion has always been a silk stocking district where nothing can ever go wrong. The Police Department in that community has a horrid history of dealing with candor with the media. I know this. I witnessed it. A call to Lower Merion police was like a call to some country trying to hide state secrets. So the reaction from the fumbling school district was no surprise. The township’s leaders are top flight. Some have extraordinary vision for their community. But it is time they took a look at the school system to find out why a great township has been embarrassed by a school administration that appears to have mishandled the spying, and certainly mishandled the aftermath.

A few months ago, on assignment in England, I was constantly asked, “Are you from Philadelphia? That’s where they use computer cameras to spy on students, right?”

Well, we all know it’s not that simple. But people sometimes read headlines, and they get images from reading those headlines. This is not good.

There’s another important factor here. Students are rarely taught the keys to communication in real-life experiences. The example set by the school district is not a good one.

The School Board might consider acting with more vigor to erase this negative imagery in what is one of the finer school districts in the region.

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I’ve felt, for months now, that the immigration debate is tearing the country apart. But it really came home to me during the taping of Voice of Reason, a two parter, that airs tonight and next Sunday night, July 25th, on the Comcast Network. We had a short interview with Pa. State Representative Daryl Metcalfe. Metcalfe is an exciter extraordinaire, suggesting that illegal immigrants in Pa. are responsible for most of the rapes and murders. The State Rep is wrong, but let’s face it, he represents a growing number of Americans, almost two thirds in most polls, that want similar laws to the tough anti-immigration law in Arizona.

Also on the show, WPHT Big Talker host Dom Giordano. Dom is much more reasonable than Metcalfe, but he knows there’s a big issue out there, and that many Americans want action. Facing off on other side, three immigration activists including Mary O’Callaghan, a former immigrant from Ireland, now a citizen and a well-known spokesperson  legal immigration. The only thing missing was cheese steak commander Joey Vento. He may join us next week. I’m told that watching Joey and Mary together is the championship of all debates on immigration.

Why is this debate so important? Because it is one of the great issues of the times. The Obama administration, citing Constitutional powers, has filed suit against the Arizona law. The Arizona Governor has labeled immigrants from Mexico as criminals. which is certainly a broad brush approach, wouldn’t you say? But the latest national surveys show about 20 percent of Americans seeking a tougher law than the one in Arizona. You may disagree or agree with that sentiment ,but understanding each sides point of view, is critical in this debate.

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Paul Gluck is a professor at Temple  University,  a broadcast executive with a storied career in Philadelphia, and a highly focused observer of the American scene. We are great friend, and last night, we both decided that we’ve had enough of fat-cat, ego-centric and alleged “stars” who show their phony-baloney view of life, and want the world to cry for them, and “suffer their pain,” even as hard-working people all around the country are trying to cope everyday with challenges.

Lindsay Lohan comes to mind. Poor Lindsay. She hasn’t been smart enough to get real help? Gimme a break. This millionaire mess of an actress is one of the worst examples of poor-human being, rich person in the world. And you know what, WE are part of the problem. It’s our industry that glorifies and glamorize the fast and the nasty, people like Lindsay and Paris Hilton, and Nicole Richie. And how about everybody’s hero, the venomous, hate-spewing, wife-beating , disgrace of an actor. Oh boy! Mel Gibson. Now there is a real giant of a human being!

We could go on forever about the rich malcontents and their super-selfish unfulfilled lives. But there are solutions.

Maybe Lindsay and Paris and all those pseudo-stars might try what millions of Americans do everyday – volunteer, counsel, mentor and care about others . I think these California judges should forget about those two-week prison terms. Instead, force these actor-infants to do real time, working with real people who need help. Maybe that will bring them back to earth. I doubt it, but you never know.

As for Lindsay Lohan:  enough of those courtroom tears. Get a life and get it fast, before you become yesterdays newspaper. That paper, with your faded headlines, might be used to wrap fish, a better use of newsprint than the garbage that you are disseminating to the people of America.

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Ringo Starr, the only Beatle born into difficult living conditions, celebrates his 70th birthday on Wednesday. That means I’m not that far behind! In many ways, Ringo’s non Beatles solo career, has been very productive and enormously unselfish. Years ago, Ringo created the All-Starr band allowing other fantastic artists to share the spotlight on a nationwide tour. The mix has worked well with a lot of great entertainers making their way back to the spotlight.

A few notes about Ringo. He was wonderful to travel with, always offering himself up for interviews, and making light of difficult situations. He was also quite an intellectual with his view of the world and politics. His early life was tortuous, not only the economic challenges, but several serious health crises that he had to face down.. I also believe , from my perspective, that Ringo’s contribution to the Beatles was enormous. He has  a magnetic stage personality and understanding of music unrivalled by any drummer of his, and his vocal hits over the years as a solo entertainer have been very impressive.

Happy Birthday to Ringo Starr!

THE STEELE CURTAIN -

There’s a real irony about Michael Steele. The GOP Chairman is a great speaker. But he has no filter on what he says. As of this writing, he is on his way out. It may not happen shortly, but it will happen. This is officially the era of loose lips, and extreme statements when it comes to politics. But Steele doesn’t know when to stop. When he made remarks about this bring the Obama war, it was denigrating to the Presidency and the military, much as it was when Democrats declared Iraq the Bush War a few years ago. The problem is simple: men and women are putting it all on the line to fight for the U.S. They don’t need a Michael Steele or a Stanley McChrystal to cheapen their mission with insults that are outrageously ill-timed.

PRIME TIME FOR JULY 4th – ADVICE FOR THE MAYOR

Mayor Nutter wants our Fourth of July program on Prime Time NATIONAL TV. He’s right. But to make that happen, he’s got to move fast. There are any number of Cable and broadcast networks that would consider doing  package. But a show like that needs a tremendous amount of planning,  more stars, and a show that will attract audience with special features. Planning for such a broadcast should start right now. Recruiting for entertainment should be made in conjunction with entertainment networks.  The location would  remain the same, but a second stage should be established at Independence Hall, where it all began.

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