Bob's Angry Rants

There seems to be a trend now of sending reporters out to do live reports just for the sake of having a live report at a non-studio location. For example, the other day, I was watching the KTVU morning news and they were discussing San Francisco's bid to be the U.S. Olympics site candidate (which they lost). So then they cut to Kim Yonenaka (one of their reporters) for a live report and she's standing outside one of the San Francisco International Airport terminals saying basically "The delegates just left San Francisco a couple of hours ago to make the final pitch to the US Olympics Committee." So what the hell was she doing there? What is added to the newscast by having a shot of the airport where people departed from? If had gotten there in time to have a shot of people checking their luggage, it still would have been pointless, but this was even worse.

This seems to be the pattern for KTVU Morning News. Something happens the night or day before and they send Kim Yonenaka or some other reporter there at the butt-crack of dawn for a live report the next morning after everyone actually involved in the event has gone home. I have seen this reporter standing in empty parking lots, outside of closed buildings and other similar situations. Nothing is happening at 6:00 in the morning except for traffic accidents! Often these reports are prefaced by choice phrases like, "In just a few hours, this building will be bustling with activity." Well, then do your live on-site report in a couple of hours! Don't waste my time showing off the fact that you have a van with some camera equipment in it.

Just in case anyone who works in television news ever reads this: STOP DOING THIS! You are wasting time and money sending this poor woman all over the Bay Area to do reports from locations that have NO REAL SIGNIFICANCE. I know that you think that it isn't impressive to have a report done from the studio, but it also isn't impressive to have a report broadcast from an empty, poorly lit parking lot WHERE NOTHING IS HAPPENING!

This is Robert, live from my desk at work (another place where nothing is happening).