TV party tonight!
I'm told that WTVD, channel 11, is supposed to be broadcasting the Durham Pace Car program story i mentioned earlier in the week, tonight at 11 pm. Nothing that i can find on the website confirms this, but i'll try to stay up as late as i can and watch.
Cause nothing is real until you see it on TV.
WTVD is on channel 6 on Time-Warner cable system in Durham.
UPDATE - OK, so WTVD, the ABC affiliate, just ran their story on the PACE car program.
first reactions: It would have been nice if they had identified Cora Cole-McFadden as a Durham city councilperson. In fact, it's unthinkable that they didn't. Actually, i don't think they ID'd anybody who was on camera. That was me with the glasses and greying beard, if you're wondering.
The story also had a lot of mixed messages. On the one hand, everybody interviewed, including myself, were talking about the need to slow people down, especially on the surface streets in our town. The anchors, though, were only focused on the inconvenience of getting stuck behind a driver who is actually obeying the limit, and what a problem that is for the busy lifestyle.
Tough shit, people. Worried about being late for work? Get up ten minutes earlier.
It would also have been nice to include some background material on the number of accidents, including those involving pedestrians, caused by speeding, the number of requests that the Durham city government gets for traffic calming measures in neighborhoods around town, the amount of money that is actually available to meet those requests, etc.
And wasn't it just a bit ironic that a couple of stories before the PACE Car story, we learned that a single vehicle accident in Oakland has closed down a major overpass/off ramp of the Bay Bridge, which is going to cause major havoc to the entire Bay Area transportation system with unknown economic consequences, and a price tag of "tens of millions" of dollars to repair the damage. Initial reports indicate that excessive speed was a contributing, if not major, cause of the accident.
Ha ha ha. Drivers going the speed limit. They're such a problem.
UPDATE 2: I'm reminded via private correspondence that one of the major stories on tonight's newscast was a live report from the "Garden of Hope" at Wakefield High School, which was dedicated earlier on Sunday. The garden memorializes the eight young Wakefield students who have died over the past two years in traffic accidents.
Ha ha ha. Drivers going the speed limit. We're such a problem.
Almost as big a problem as clueless local news anchors.
UPDATE 3: A coworker tells me that WTVD reran the piece a couple of times on this morning's newscast. It apparently is being re-edited with each new appearance. Word is that the morning anchors were not as obnoxious as those on the Sunday night 11 pm show. Meanwhile, want to bet that they're covering this incident without a hint of irony?
Cause nothing is real until you see it on TV.
WTVD is on channel 6 on Time-Warner cable system in Durham.
UPDATE - OK, so WTVD, the ABC affiliate, just ran their story on the PACE car program.
first reactions: It would have been nice if they had identified Cora Cole-McFadden as a Durham city councilperson. In fact, it's unthinkable that they didn't. Actually, i don't think they ID'd anybody who was on camera. That was me with the glasses and greying beard, if you're wondering.
The story also had a lot of mixed messages. On the one hand, everybody interviewed, including myself, were talking about the need to slow people down, especially on the surface streets in our town. The anchors, though, were only focused on the inconvenience of getting stuck behind a driver who is actually obeying the limit, and what a problem that is for the busy lifestyle.
Tough shit, people. Worried about being late for work? Get up ten minutes earlier.
It would also have been nice to include some background material on the number of accidents, including those involving pedestrians, caused by speeding, the number of requests that the Durham city government gets for traffic calming measures in neighborhoods around town, the amount of money that is actually available to meet those requests, etc.
And wasn't it just a bit ironic that a couple of stories before the PACE Car story, we learned that a single vehicle accident in Oakland has closed down a major overpass/off ramp of the Bay Bridge, which is going to cause major havoc to the entire Bay Area transportation system with unknown economic consequences, and a price tag of "tens of millions" of dollars to repair the damage. Initial reports indicate that excessive speed was a contributing, if not major, cause of the accident.
Ha ha ha. Drivers going the speed limit. They're such a problem.
UPDATE 2: I'm reminded via private correspondence that one of the major stories on tonight's newscast was a live report from the "Garden of Hope" at Wakefield High School, which was dedicated earlier on Sunday. The garden memorializes the eight young Wakefield students who have died over the past two years in traffic accidents.
Ha ha ha. Drivers going the speed limit. We're such a problem.
Almost as big a problem as clueless local news anchors.
UPDATE 3: A coworker tells me that WTVD reran the piece a couple of times on this morning's newscast. It apparently is being re-edited with each new appearance. Word is that the morning anchors were not as obnoxious as those on the Sunday night 11 pm show. Meanwhile, want to bet that they're covering this incident without a hint of irony?
Labels: local media, Traffic calming
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2 Comments:
How aggravating of 'TVDs anchors. Maybe they're taking their slogan ("Make Every Minute Count") too literally when it comes to morning drive time. We already know they think Roxboro is a "major thoroughfare"....
By
Unknown, at 7:33 AM
...and the staff at TVD also thinks Geer St. is spelled "Geere."
I found the piece more than irritating. I thought it cast Pace Car drivers as the Bad Guys, making life miserable for the poor speeders who are only trying to get to work. The fact that they chose Hwy 98 as their "experiment" was disingenous--the Pace Car program is designed primarily to slow traffic down on neighborhood streets. I wish they had had some footage of someone speeding up E. Markham at 50 miles and hour, slamming on his brakes for the speed bump, and speeding on again.
They also failed to mention the fatalities on Broad, Duke (Gregson?), and Guess Road due to speeders. And those are just the ones I know about.
By
Anonymous, at 9:20 AM
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