Friday, September 02, 2005

KANYE, KYTV, KBR & KATRINA

NBC's broadcast concert for hurricane relief just ended. We didn't know Harry Connick, Jr., wasn't a very good singer.

For those who missed it, Kanye West strayed off the cue-card reservation and stunned NBC suits by saying, on live television:

"George Bush doesn't care about black people."

Expect a predictable uproar from white fundamentalists just looking for an opportunity to condemn the lawlessness in New Orleans. "See?" they'll say. "This is what we can expect from those people."

Some of them will take West's words and pin them on all black people. Most people are smart enough to see the error; white people, after all, have been saying stupid things for centuries, and we still cut them slack.
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Our recent blurb on KYTV's Jerry Jacob being in Picayune, Miss., drew a snide comment from a whiner known as "anonymous," who opined:
Glad to see you support them using food, water and other resources that people in N.O. could otherwise be using. I am so glad Springfield tv reporters are bringing us the same exact reports that national reporters are churning out all over the cable.
Anonymous' remarks drew a sharp retort from Brad Belote, executive producer of KYTV's news:
I take exception to this most recent comment that we were there doing "the same exact report that national reporters are churning out."

All the national coverage has been focused on New Orleans, Gulfport, and Biloxi.

I can show you a stack of e-mails from families across the country with loved ones in Picayune whose only source of hope has been our reporting. We've taken phone calls from all parts of the country telling us "Thank you for your reports." We were the only source for information on Picayune. We only wish we could have done more.

And how presumptuous to think we would take food and water away from those who need it most. Our staff stockpiled their car with food and water before they left. They knew resources would be limited and they prepared themselves.
Someone else suggested we give praise and glory to the crew with Jacob. We concur. Jacob posted their names: photographer Jim Van Dillen and satellite truck operator Jim Hankins. As JJ noted, "They gave their all."
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Finally, the tin-foilers among us will enjoy knowing that the Navy has hired Halliburton to "restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina." That's according to the Houston Chronicle; the paper also reports that Halliburton subsidiary KBR will "perform damage assessments at other naval installations in New Orleans as soon as it is safe to do so."
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For the 14,688th time this year, we wish Lou Ziegler was alive. He could tell us what it all means. And he would have loved covering this story.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

KY3 photographer Jim Van Dillen and satellite truck operator Jim Hankins made KY3's coverage in Mississippi happen. Many a mountain were moved by the two Jims.

Again, (in case you missed the earlier feedback) I know both would join me in encouraging everyone to stay focused on those who need help.
Please do what you can.
And do it quickly.

Anonymous said...

I too think KYTV did a fine job of covering an area that wasn't being covered. I might also add that those of us who had spent some time in NO also watched WWL,(who has the same reputation in NO that KYTV has here for best news coverage) even though they operate in temp studios 70 miles away had and still have had THE BEST coverage. I about crapped a brick when I heard the head of FEMA say that he didn't know squat about the Convention Center ... WWL had been showing the horrific footage for at least 24 hours. But I guess that's what you can expect from a horse lawyer.

Anonymous said...

I'll second the part about LZ, man. And the rest of it, too, while I'm at it.