Kevin Marshall's America » local media

Local media watch: they’re your source, if you dig deep enough

kevinmarshall — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:06:23 +0000

Just some of the stories today that impact your life:

The grand jury in Troy’s ballot fraud case is in its final stages.
Applications for unemployment in the region have hit a three-year low.
In light of controversies at Penn State and Syracuse, Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to introduce legislation that would designate more High School and higher ed personnel as mandated reporters of abuse.
Cuomo’s Ethics panel comes under fire after a Dem appointee got through that represented a legislator that threw hot coffee in an aide’s face, amongst other infractions.
Two convicted killers had hits out on witnesses in their trials in Schenectady.
The Justice Department has accused an Arizona sheriff of unlawfully detaining Latinos.

Big stories. Big news.

Top story on the Times Union website?

AWKWARD HOLIDAY PHOTOS! Also, hot late-breaking news: “super-cute” seal pup curls up on a couch in New Zealand, a story that went viral yesterday morning.

Oh, and the kicker? The slideshow they link to lets us know that they basically are just reproducing pictures from the site Awkward Family Photos, so it’s not even original content. Plus, the photos that they used in the slidewshow aren’t recent submissions. Some of them have been on that site for ages. Oh, and their link to Awkward Family Photos itself is broken because whoever wrote it failed to add that important “http://” at the end of the link.

Here’s the thing: there’s no shortage of very good, hard-working reporters working for local newspapers. But they are obscured and buried by an editorial staff that is woefully out of touch (their new printing press is sure to catapult them into the 20th Century) or, even worse, sacrificing the integrity and dignity of their brand for the sake of a few hundred more clicks from people who want anything but news from a news site.

Meanwhile, the only other outlet for local news has pop-unders and God knows what else at their site and has some embarrassingly severe issues with copy editing.

Guys, can I just get some fucking news? Please?

The Troy Record would like you to know that it’s POSSIBLE to shop in downtown Troy

kevinmarshall — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:13:04 +0000

I somehow missed this last Friday, but caught it when it was posted on Market Block Books’ blog.

Check out the bottom headline:

“It’s possible”

Now, the story itself is actually about Small Business Saturday, a promotion started by American Express to encourage people to visit small businesses in their hometowns. Pretty self-explanatory. Except you wouldn’t know it from the headline, which instead suggests that it’s “possible” to shop in Troy.

If I was interested in a woman and I asked my friend if I had a shot and he said “it’s possible,” most likely it’s just a nice way of saying “hahahahahaha no.”

Aside from the terrible connotation, it’s a poorly written headline and doesn’t even convey what the story inside is about.

Speaking of which, here’s the link to the story itself. An excerpt (WARNING – the Troy Record‘s website has pop-unders):

TROY — ’Twas two days after Thanksgiving and all through the town, shop owners were preparing for customers to pounce. OK, it’s not the classic holiday tale you’re used to, but it is in line with a new tradition that comes from an unlikely source.

TOWN AND POUNCE DO NOT RHYME.

Okay, I have to stop there, because if I run down this entire article I’ll simply go mad. Let’s just say that the headline was awful and put forth a very negative connotation and perception, didn’t jive with the article it was referencing, and the article itself was a mess.

Our local paper, ladies and gentlemen.

Anyway, I encourage all of you to come to downtown Troy for the Victorian Stroll this Sunday, December 4th. Businesses will be open and there’ll be no shortage of great events and sights to see.

Will you have a good time? It’s possible.

Wait, no, that sounds terrible. Right? It’ll DEFINITELY be a good time. Trust me.

See you downtown!

Reflections on Dan DiNicola: Critic, Columnist & Cultivator of the Arts

kevinmarshall — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:21:36 +0000

Dan DiNicola (credit: CBS6Albany.com; used with permission)

I was very sad to read yesterday the news of former television personality Dan DiNicola’s passing at the age of 68. See also: TU bogger Roger Green’s reflections on Dan (later in the post)

Like Roger, I can’t say I knew the man, but growing up in the Capital Region he was most definitely a presence.

For those who may be too young to remember him or are transplants to the area, Dan DiNicola was a local movie critic and entertainment reporter for WRGB. Unlike so many other critics I see and read (especially locally), DiNicola gave the impression that he not only knew what he was talking about but also carried with him a genuine love and interest in whatever he was covering.

As much of it was attributable to his abilities as an on-air talent as it was to his seemingly genuine nature. DiNicola had a very smooth, calm, and assertive air about him without coming across as smarmy. It’s a skill set most essayists – whether they be on radio, television, or online – seem to have lost. These days it’s all about taking an outrageous stance or exaggerating an emotional response for the sake of ramping up interest. Dan, like many others of his era, was much better than that. He had a presence and knew how to grab his audience’s attention without the aid of cheap, lowbrow hyperbole.

Off-camera, Dan was an avid supporter for the arts locally and a great mentor to many, including Glens Falls native Rachael Ray. He was also a beloved High School english teacher and three-time local Emmy winner.

Looking back, it seems as if my exposure to the arts was limited, and I can think of no other television personality that made such a sustained impression on me when it came to the local arts scene. As a child, local theater, film, and other forms of entertainment were synonymous with DiNicola.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he cultivated my interest in the very things I’m passionate about today, and for that I need to express my gratitude and thanks.