Albany Eye

Random Thoughts

2008-05-21T13:49:00.004-04:00

A local media figure -someone whose name you might recognize- said to me, "I thought you should have been fired for the Albany Eye thing."

"That's funny," I replied, "Because I thought I was going to be fired. You know what that tells me?" The local media figure stared at me. "That tells me that what we think is irrelevant."

FAQ

2008-04-27T16:35:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure anybody cares about Albany Eye any more, but for what it's worth, there's now an Albany Eye FAQ. That does it: there is now officially an FAQ for everything on the internet.

Blogs: Nothing But Trouble

2008-04-19T08:27:00.001-04:00

From Editor & Publisher:

NEW YORK A Washington Post staffer who had been blogging at a sports-themed Web site apparently lost his job after editors came across some profane-laden postings that also identified him as a Post scribe.

Out Of The Blue And Into The Black

2008-04-13T08:06:00.006-04:00

The insatiable urge to blog is a powerful force that will not be denied. This compulsion pushed me to have at it again with a new venture called Keyboard Krumbs. Ha ha...get it? Keyboard Krumbs? It's literally the stuff that falls from your keyboard when you turn it upside down, but metaphorically...oh, forget it.

Albany Eye it ain't, but some of you might like it anyway.

Metroland Readers' Picks 2008

2008-03-06T08:52:00.012-05:00

From Metroland, 3/6/08:

BEST LOCAL BLOG

1. Capital Confidential - Times Union.com
2. Table Hopping - Times Union.com
3. Albany Eye

We worried after Liz Benjamin's departure that Capital Confidential might take a turn for the worse, but Capital Confidential still keeps us informed about all the intrigue at the capitol. But Albany Eye? ALBANY EYE IS DEAD, PEOPLE. DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!

Dead, but apparently not forgotten. Albany Eye wishes to thank Metroland's readers for their continued support.

In a Jam

2006-12-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the tipster who passed along this pic of former Phish front man Trey Anastasio. Anastasio apparently had an unscheduled late-night photo shoot with police up in Whitehall early this morning. From the police report:

On 12/15/2006 at approximately 3:30am, Ernest J. Anastasio, was stopped for Failing to Keep Right. Subject was observed to be under the Influence of a Narcotic Substance after failing Field Testing. Anastasio was also found to have a Suspended Driver's License in the State of New York. Anastasio was also found to be in possession of an assorted amount of Prescription Medications, Hydrocodone, Percocet, and Xanax, being prescribed to another person. Anastasio was charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 3rd, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th, and DWI - Drugs.

Ernest is appearing at the Palace Theatre on December 29.

Bought and Paid For

2006-12-15T08:05:00.000-05:00

Paul Vandenburgh, who loves skewering Capital Region "fanny kissers", had his nose so far up the butt of Bellevue Hospital CEO Ann Sailes this morning that they must have needed a proctologist to remove him.

The WROW morning host was there supporting the hospital's day-long fundraiser aimed at fighting its proposed closure under the Berger Commission report. Vandenburgh's extended interview with Sailes was completely devoid of any tough questions. It's one thing to have a love fest remote with an advertiser, but to do so with with the subject of a news story is a sell out of the worst kind. For the record, we don't know whether the remote was paid for by Bellevue or donated by the station.

On the lighter side, Vandenburgh said to Sailes, "This place is notorious for making women comfortable when they really need it."

Bio 101

2006-12-15T04:51:00.000-05:00

Who hasn’t perused the anchor bios at the TV web sites, hunting for interesting tidbits about their favorite local newsie? At Albany Eye, we noticed that some of these bios are longer than others ----so naturally, we wondered if there might be some correlation between the length of one’s biography and other factors, such as one's sense of self-importance. The chart below shows the word count in the bios of the market's lead anchors:

The only thing not included in Liz's bio is a list of her Girl Scout merit badges.

We didn’t put weather guys on the chart, but you’ll be interested to learn that Steve LaPointe’s biography on the WRGB website clocks in at a whopping 687 words, making it longer than anyone else’s in the entire market. That’s compared to Bob Kovachick’s, which runs only 158. And Steve Caporizzo? 28 words. We wish to remind you that this is not a scientific study, but TV news ain't rocket science, is it?

Cue the Psycho Music

2006-12-14T13:38:00.000-05:00

Former WSTM Syracuse weekend anchor Maria Damiano was arrested on trespassing charges earlier this week when she was found allegedly lurking around the home of current WSTM weekend anchor Lisa Spitz. Police say that Spitz (who according to her online bio once worked at WNYT and hails from Niskayuna) is dating Damiano's former boyfriend, WSTM photog Alex Dunbar. Duuuuude...

Damiano told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "It's just a big misunderstanding. I was as surprised as anyone by the turn of events. It's unfortunate this happened, but we'll let the legal system take its course, and I'm sure it will all be cleared up." Not surprisingly, Damiano now works in public relations. Dunbar and Spitz both requested orders of protection.

WiFi 4U

2006-12-14T08:03:00.000-05:00

Tons of ink a few weeks ago for Albany FreeNet, the new wifi hotspots covering downtown and other parts of the city. At the press conference, head of Tech Valley Communications and former CEG regionalization guru Kevin O'Connor said, "This is truly fashioned in the model of free access. It's completely open and free Internet access." Yes, it's completely open and free ---but it limits users to one hour a day. Thanks for nothing.

Savvy wifi users know where O'Connor can stick Albany FreeNet, because there are loads of places you can get wireless access without paying for it. Just type in your zip code and run a search, or consult one of the directories like this one. Even Time Warner has a bunch of free local access points ---and they don't usually give anything away. The best place for free access? Head down to Charter One Bank at the corner of State and Pearl. You can grab a coffee at Starbucks, settle into one of those big cozy chairs, and choose from any number of free wireless connections. If you're lucky, the bank may get robbed again while you're there.

Lazy Wednesday

2006-12-13T07:39:00.000-05:00

They Axed For It
Shortly after judge Jeffrey Berry threw the book at Chris Porco, Mark McGuire threw the book at WNYT and WRGB. It only took minutes for McGuire to post to his blog, slamming the stations for dropping the ball on the biggest story of the year. He didn't accuse them of being incompetent, just greedy ---suggesting they wanted to avoid preempting Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil:

A sentencing for one of the most high-profile criminal cases ever to touch the Capital Region begged for these outlets to uphold its responsibility to the public and cut into its regular schedule and, yes, even profits.

They're Waiting For You at Bellevue
OK, everybody who's sick of hearing about Bellevue Hospital, please raise your hands.

The hospital is throwing another rally today in its full court press to avoid the closure recommended under the Berger Commission report. You've got to admit, it's a little hard for common folk to muster up much feeling for the place. Right of wrong, many people perceive Bellevue as a snooty, exclusive facility that caters to women who wouldn't be caught dead in an ordinary hospital. God forbid you end up in Albany Med or St. Clare's with all of those poor sick people, right?

Owning It
So it's official: WRGB now holds the keys to WCWN, AKA The Capital Region's CW. They've made it pretty clear that they're fixing to put up a 10pm news as soon as possible, but what should be interesting is who anchors that show. The CW is squarely targeted at young women; whether they'll take to the staidly uncomfortable anchor team of Liz Bishop and Greg Floyd is highly questionable. It could work if you think kids want to hear the news from their parents ---or depending on your perspective, their father and grandmother.

Are There No Workhouses?

2006-12-12T07:33:00.000-05:00

It was a big Christmas party for at-risk kids that included piles of presents, Disney characters, and fireworks over Congress Park. You couldn't dream up a warmer holiday story ---but CapitalNews 9's rosy report Sunday didn't mention what organizer David Silipigno's best known for: the collapse of National Finance Corporation.

It was a chilly day in December 1999 when Silipigno's National Finance shut their doors, leaving over 400 workers jobless just before Christmas. Silipigno was later convicted of federal wire fraud charges, and in recent years has been polishing his image by dumping money into charitable causes. Should National Finance be mentioned every time you do a story about this guy? I guess that's the price of being a convicted felon, isn't it?

It's anyone's guess why reporter Sumi Somaskanda didn't put David Silipigno into context by mentioning his history in the Capital Region. Either she was overwhelmed by good cheer ---or she and her producers were totally clueless.

Harvard on the Hudson

2006-12-11T06:17:00.000-05:00

Looks like we missed one thing on Friday: this holiday season you can "give the gift of learning" at Hudson Valley Community College. They're offering learning certificates this year that recipients can cash in for credit or non-credit courses. The down side is that you can't sign up people for specific courses, they have to do that themselves ---but wouldn't it be great to pick one for them? For example, imagine enrolling your boring friend in Mortuary Science 130, also known as Embalming I. I've heard that the kids in the major refer to that class as as "Strip and Dip." And what about your friend who works in TV news? It's never too late to take English 101. Again.

Albany Eye Holiday Gift Guide

2006-12-08T07:02:00.000-05:00

Stumped? Allow Albany Eye be your guide this holiday season to gifts that say...uh..."Here you go."

The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman Maybe you know John Hodgman as the Resident Expert on the Daily Show, or you've heard him on This American Life ---if not, you've surely seen him as "The PC" in those Mac ads, where he's a lot funnier and more likable than that obnoxious Mac guy. Library Journal calls this book a, "Handy desk reference for those needing a dose of nonsense."

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin If the person on your list requires something more serious, you can't go wrong with Abraham Lincoln. This is a lively account of Lincoln's leadership style and how he worked with those around him ---it's sort of like a management book, except it's interesting.

Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies Mark McGuire recently named a song from this disc as number one to be played at his funeral. The tune he picked is great, but far from the best on this album, which is like The Clash and The Pogues having a head on collision with The Clancy Brothers. You don't have to be Irish, but it will make you feel like you are.

Oxo Swivel Peeler Treat your favorite foodie to the world's greatest vegetable peeler. They only cost like six bucks, so buy a bunch of them for your friends. Give them a bag of carrots, too. They'll like this so much that they'll be looking for things to peel.

Estes Model Rockets These have somehow survived the purge of dangerous toys that people like NYPIRG have foist upon us in recent years. No boy (or girl) should experience childhood without the thrill of launching model rockets ---and for that matter, grown ups like them, too. A couple of tips: Be sure to buy more than one, because you're sure to lose one. Also, make sure you have launch supplies and lots of extra engines.

Department of Media Literacy

2006-12-07T05:41:00.000-05:00

Local community activist Daniel Van Riper criticised CapitalNews 9 in his ~~online rant~~ blog recently for an image they used of Albany 4th Ward Common Council member Barbara Smith. Van Riper said, "The baboons at News 9 did a stop action search through the videotapes until they found a weirdexpression while she was speaking. 'There, use that one,' said the head baboon." he accompanied his complaint with the illustration below:

Come on. Do you really think the people at CN9 would take the time to do that? And isn't news monkeys a kinder term? Dig a bit deeper and you'll find Van Riper's no great fan of local TV. In March he went on and on about being slighted byWNYT back in 2003:

I sincerely hope and pray that Ed Dague, the female creature, and the WNYT 13 camera crew who shined the light in my face all develop lingering incurable diseases and slowly die, crying and whimpering in pain. I want them to suffer horribly. That would make me laugh with joy.

At the time, Van Riper called the station to complain; of the person he spoke to atWNYT, he says, "I hope she dies."

Hump Day

2006-12-06T04:48:00.000-05:00

Happy To Be Here
I've always figured that if I get arrested, I'm going to smile in my mug shot. I mean what the hell, frowning isn't going to make things any better, is it? Apparently, Tracy Noble feels the same way. The Waterford woman was arrested this week and charged with "several Class B felonies", for her alleged sale and possession of cocaine. See the whole pic here, ---and remember to put on a happy face.

For The Man Who has Everything
Now this is what I call a Christmas present:

Upgradeable Albany AM station for sale. License, equipment, and engineering study for upgrade, all available now. Includes property and new solid state transmitter. $240k, owner will finance. 877-541-XXXX (NO BROKERS)

Sure, it'll cost you some money to keep the thing on the air, but imagine the possibilities. Oh, yeah...the ad also includes this line: NO cash flow.

Inaccessible
Cheers to the folks who want to improve the cable access channel in Albany. Jeers to the same people who say they'll feature:

City Council Meetings, news from City Library, Neighborhood Association meetings, Albany County Legislature proceedings, Election time local debates, city library news, cultural and educational programming.

Ughhhh. Maybe it's not such a great idea after all.

The One Thing You Can't Hide...

2006-12-05T06:37:00.000-05:00

My mother's in her seventies, and despite the fact that she's had a hip replacement and walks with a cane, she won't get one of those handicapped tags for her car. Why? She figures there are people worse off than her that need that space even more. People like the folks at FLY 92. An intrepid reader sent me some photos of one of their vehicles parked in a handicapped space at the Slingerlands Price Chopper on Saturday:

You can see the whole set of pictures here. There were no handicapped plates and no hang tag, but it's plenty easy to tell who owns that car, isn't it?

Sue Nigra: Curiously Irreplaceable

2006-12-04T06:13:00.000-05:00

Sue Nigra's been gone from WRGB since August, but the station hasn't yet managed to find someone suitable to fill her...uh...seat. In fact, they're still running this ad in the TU's online classifieds:

ANCHOR/REPORTER WRGB/CBS 6 in Albany, NY is looking for an anchor/reporter. Candidate will anchor our noon 5pm newscasts and will also report on a daily basis. The right candidate will have at least five years of experience. We're looking for a top-notch journalist and a great communicator with a desire to be part of the community. Four-year college degree preferred.

The listing is kind of surprising, considering the number of industry sites that post job openings and the power of word of mouth. Maybe they need to lower the bar a bit ---I mean really, now all of the sudden you need a "top-notch journalist"?

Veg Out

2006-12-02T09:54:00.000-05:00

Patricia Keelan of Waterford writes the Times Union:

I live in Waterford and pass the Halfmoon-Waterford firehouse every day. I was extremely upset when on Thanksgiving morning I had to run out to the store and read an insensitive sign outside the firehouse: "Do the turkeys know the end is near?" I did not find it amusing. Due to the display of callous indifference toward the suffering and death of animals, the message ruined what was the start of a beautiful day of giving thanks. For those of us who are vegetarian, or vegan, and detest the suffering and death inflicted on millions of turkeys at this time of the year, please find a more egalitarian and peaceful message to send not only to the residents of this community but others who pass this firehouse every day.

Might I suggest, "Do the vegetarians know what they're missing?"

Tow Jam

2006-12-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

Anyone who's ever had their car towed in Albany knows that the people who do the towing are class-A assholes ----and the biggest assholes of all are those at Joe's Osborne Street Garage. I've heard some amazing stories of their assholery, but this one takes the cake: they towed a school bus this week that accidentally parked in a private lot near the State Museum. 14 students from the Clifton-Fine High School in St. Lawrence county were stranded until they coughed up the $216 fee demanded by those swell folks at Joe's. School bus driver Anne Clement said, "I don't know how they thought the children would get back home if they had taken our bus."

If A Tree Falls On the Web...

2006-12-01T08:41:00.000-05:00

Mark McGuire's column today is about the "murky world of blogging," internet message boards, and web sites ---and the influence they have on the mainstream media. There's no shortage of discussions these days about all this unfiltered web content, but the local spin makes his story must read stuff. The central question, he writes, "If a mere allegation -- unsubstantiated even -- is causing impact in the public debate, isn't it a media outlet's duty to report on its existence?"

There are some roundabout references to to something you may have read here last Friday, but before you ask, this ain't Albany Eye he's talking about:

There's an Internet guy out there waging a very public crusade against a local radio host. There's been no story on this in the Times Union (and, as you noticed, no names here) -- prompting the Internet guy to wail that the paper is hushing up the story.

As we wrote last May, it's a stinky stew that simmers when angry people with too much time on their hands get computers.

Finally Friday

2006-12-01T06:01:00.000-05:00

When You're Not You're Not
The Albany Chamber has announced this year's Hot Ten, their list of the area's most influential leaders. Among those honored are Joe Bruno, George Pataki, Shirley Ann Jackson, and CEG head Kelly Lovell. The list also includes the chiefs of a couple of tech companies, nano-guru Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros, and the president of HVCC. I think it's great that the chamber takes the time ~~to engage in shameless ass kissing~~ to hail these worthy folks, don't you?

The Competition
Ad revenues down? It's stuff like this that's killing your bottom line these days.

What Happens in Vegas Stays In Vegas
We should be so lucky. WROW morning host Paul Vandenburgh spent twenty solid minutes yesterday complaining how cold it is in Las Vegas ---so cold, in fact, that the people out there all go around in "sleeveless coats." Sleeveless coats? I believe that back east they call those "vests." He went on to say that, "The people out here are baffled at how I pull this off every morning. They've never seen anything like it." Those sleeveless coat-wearing Nevadans are a perceptive bunch.

An Offer You Can't Refuse

2006-11-30T14:41:00.000-05:00

Organized crime figure Chris Columbo claims that he helped kill a story in the Times Union in the late 1990's for a mob associate. This according to federal prosecutors, who told the Daily News that Columbo said, "He had a hook in the newspaper." Columbo's price for helping edit the paper? 15 thousand clams ---that's mob talk for dollars. TU editor Rex Smith, who was not in charge of the paper during that period, told the News:

"I'd be shocked out of my socks that anyone at the Albany Times Union got money to downplay a story. I think this is idle boasting. It's hogwash."

Whether it be hogwash, balderdash, or bunkum, the paper is investigating.

The Sweepys

2006-11-30T06:48:00.000-05:00

Every ratings period, we're on the lookout for the story that goes above and beyond all others, taking local broadcast news to places it's never gone. It is for that extraordinary effort that we award The Sweepy. I am happy to announce that the winner of the November Sweepy is WRGB's expose titled Secret Society.

Secret Society was an hidden camera tour of local mens rooms where "Gay men, bisexual men, married men, and professional men do very private acts in public places." By private acts, they mean have sex, not take a crap. In the still frame below, one of the alleged bathroom perverts reaches out to grope a CBS 6 photog. Just wait until the next contract negotiations come along!

WRGB's Rene Marsh was the lucky reporter who got to pull bathroom duty on the story; she uttered the single best line of the whole month when she explained that, "Where they meet is jawdropping." Indeed. In the intro to part one, Greg Floyd intoned, "CBS 6 has learned there are some public restrooms in the malls that you might not want to let your children wander into alone." No. There might be sex crazed maniacs in there. Or a CBS 6 hidden camera. Watch part two here.

Big Time

2006-11-29T16:28:00.000-05:00

WTEN meteorologist Jeff Smith is leaving the station to do weekend mornings at WABC in New York. Smith holds the distinction of being the only weatherman in the market with a degree from an Ivy League school. Who are you going to believe? Someone with a diploma from Cornell, or a guy with a mail order "Certificate of Broadcast Meteorology" from Mississippi State University?

Why I Love Vermont

2006-11-29T07:01:00.000-05:00

Vermont isn't like another state, it's like another country. Where else can you buy a bunch of handguns without a permit in the morning and go get yourself a same sex marriage in the afternoon? Of all the Green Mountain State's idiosyncrasies, this may be the most interesting: you can be admitted to the bar in Vermont without ever graduating from college. I'm not talking about no law school, I'm talking about no undergraduate degree. The state is one of seven in the union that allow you to apprentice under a lawyer for a period of time, a practice known as "reading the law". After that, pass the bar exam and poof, you're a lawyer. It sounds odd, but some say that law school teaches you to take the bar exam, while an apprenticeship teaches you to be a lawer.

It's not going to get you a job at a huge law firm like White and Case, but even the best education can't guarantee that.

Rosebud...

2006-11-29T06:37:00.000-05:00

It's not every day that you get a chance to see one of the greatest movies ever made on a big screen. One of those days is today. The Palace Theatre's movie series is presenting Citizen Kane tonight at the grand old movie house ---and there's also a show this afternoon if you're the sort who sneaks out of work in the middle of the day.
The Palace has actually done a pretty good job of scheduling movies; while some of the choices may be obvious, they're obvious for a reason. Among the films featured in first half of 2007 are Rear Window, Some Like it Hot, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Schindler's List. Tonight's presentation of Citizen Kane is brought to you by Certified Angus Beef ---not the Times Union.

Time Wasting Central

2006-11-28T11:03:00.000-05:00

Tuesdays are the 3am of the soul, or something like that. Let's all stick it to the man and spend the day playing Office Max's Christmas Story inspired web game Don't Shoot Your Eye Out. Gather your co-workers, compete for the highest score ---and don't forget to hit the spacebar repeatedly for extra power.

Hey, WRGB!

2006-11-28T08:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, you. I see you over there on Balltown Road. Don't think for a minute you can hide from us, because we have some questions:

First of all, this banner has been up for like six weeks. Are you going to do this story or just talk about it?

Secondly: Has GM Bob Furlong decided again that his hard working employees don't deserve a Christmas party? Last year, Scroogey McFurlong cancelled the holiday celebration to save a few bucks for his masters at the ironically named Freedom Broadcasting. The least you can do for your employees this time of year is treat them to a meal and get them drunk, so give it up for the poor bastards who keep you in business, OK.

Third, are you guys going to taser Liz Bishop, or not? You've got ONE DAY left before sweeps ends, so it's time to shoot or get off the pot.

Geting Ink

2006-11-27T08:19:00.000-05:00

Well, we've finally gotten that Phil Bayly tattoo nailed down (ouch!). According to a story on the WNYT page of The Hubbub, Hubbard Broadcasting's in-house newsletter, the tattoo resides on the leg of studio cameraman Nick DeMartino. All we can say, is that's some wild sh*t. Tattoos, fortunately, aren't quite as permanent as they used to be. The Hubbub asked:

Would Nick DeMartino ever consider losing his anchor tattoo? "No," he said. "Phil Bayly will always rock."

In an email to Albany Eye, DeMartino said that the the tattoo was free and, "Worth it for the laughs I got." That's funny, because that's exactly what I tell people who ask me why I write this stuff.

Rumor Mill

2006-11-24T07:23:00.000-05:00

We really try not to print rumors here, but sometimes it's hard to resist. There have been loads of things people send in email that don't get published because they're impossible to verify. For example, am I supposed to believe that a local reporter worked as an exotic dancer? Without seeing some pictures? Please. Here are the most recent items, sanitized for the sake of journalistic ethics:

An area reporter was fired for plagiarizing this year's hackneyed story on the Equinox supper from last year's hackneyed story on the Equinox story.
A popular FM morning radio host who disappeared from his station's website has been canned.
A local weekend TV anchor is leaving after less than a year on the job.

I'd try calling people and confirming this stuff, but what the hell, I'm not Mark McGuire. Would you return a phone call to some dope who calls himself Albany Eye?

Attack Of The Killer Toys

2006-11-24T05:36:00.000-05:00

NYPIRG: The only thing they love more than jam bands and patchouli oil is ruining the Christmas fun of little children. What else could be behind their annual Trouble in Toyland report? Yes, some of the items they cite, such as toys with tiny pieces, toxic materials, and other obvious hazards are a problem, but Excessively Loud Toys? Come on, kids love loud annoying toys.

Another group on the dangerous toy bandwagon is the Boston based World Against Toys Causing Harm, who among this year's troubled toys list the Fear Factor Candy Challenge, which they describe as:

Pouches containing "spine-chilling spiders", "mystery meat", and a "buzzard buffet", pose a "candy challenge" to children asking: "Is fear a factor for you?" The grotesque buffet, available in the toy aisle, is based upon the television series which sometimes features contestants competing to eat as much as possible in the shortest time.

What do they think we did all day yesterday?

It Pays To Advertise

2006-11-23T05:20:00.000-05:00

From the Times Union:

ALBANY -- Six Capital Region women who allegedly used an Internet site and a local alternative weekly newspaper to solicit for prostitution were arrested this week by the Albany County Sheriff's Department.

I don't think they're talking about the PennySaver.

Download This

2006-11-23T05:06:00.000-05:00

Podcasting has opened up a whole distribution source for useless crap that nobody wants. This became crystal clear when we learned that the Albany Chamber is offering downloads of audio from recent events they've sponsored. On their website right now, you can listen to the inspirational speech that Jerry Jennings gave at the chamber breakfast on November 14. Give it a listen; it's totally awesome.

In a recent press release, Chamber president Lyn Taylor says, "This will be a fantastic resource for our members and the Tech Valley business community to enjoy our programs at a time and place convenient to them." Thank you Ms. Taylor. Your organization is now officially leading Tech Valley in the generation of stupid ideas.

Same Old Same Old

2006-11-22T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well, if it's almost Thanksgiving, so you can expect every local TV newsroom to be doing these stories:

Exit 24: There sure are a lot of people driving somewhere this holiday...

Airport: There sure are a lot of people flying today...

Equinox Dinner: There sure are a lot of people cooking turkeys tonight...

Black Friday Shopping: There sure are a lot of people shopping today...

I'm not saying that they're devoid of any original thought or that they're lazy, instead let us think of these hackneyed stories as a Thanksgiving tradition. You want to be the one to spoil a holiday tradition? Me neither.

Rut Ro...

2006-11-22T09:26:00.000-05:00

The helpful folks at Ag and Markets issued a handy press release today to remind New Yorkers of the importance of holiday food safety. It includes this important tip:

Thaw the turkey in the refrigerator at 45 degrees, not on the counter. Thawing at room temperature promotes bacteria growth. Be sure to allow 24 hours of defrosting for each five pounds of turkey.

So, what they're saying is that you should have started thawing that 20 pound turkey three days ago. Ooops.

Eat the Bird

2006-11-22T05:05:00.000-05:00

Saratoga Gaming and Raceway has been relentlessly hawking its Thanksgiving Day Feast buffet tomorrow. Hey, why not go to the Racino on Thanksgiving, right? In fact, why not bring the whole family for, "All the traditional turkey dinner fixins' and a $5 gaming voucher for only $17.95 per person!" Not that hungry? Then you can enjoy the $4.95 special in the food court, which includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. What more do you need?

Well, if you ask me, that's just plain wrong.

We're Americans and Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays, so if you want to celebrate Thanksgiving just as the Pilgrims did, you should not go to the stupid Racino...but to Turning Stone. At Turning Stone you will be the guest of the Native Americans, just as our forefathers were on that cold November day so many years ago. Enjoy the hospitality of these noble people, and be sure to stick around for the day's featured entertainment, The Vietnamese Concert. Plus, at Turning Stone, you can play a full range of table games, not just those stupid VLTs . Skip grandma's house tomorrow ---and take this opportunity to say thanks and give a little back to our first Thanksgiving hosts.

Worst Sweeps Disasters of All Time #22

2006-11-21T06:15:00.000-05:00

What could it be? Your ENG truck crashes on the way to a story? Your anchor gets arrested for DWI? How about this: a nude picture of your meteorologist shows up on MySpace ---the same meteorologist who earlier this year admitted he was a heroin addict. That's what went down at Roanoke's WSLS this past week, as weather nerd Jamey Singleton was canned after a full frontal pic (edited version shown here) of him popped up on the web and in the general manager's inbox.
Another WSLS meteorologist, Marc Lamarre, overdosed on heroin last February; he later left the station ---and both Lamarre and Singleton were named as witnesses in a federal drug investigation earlier this year. What the hell is wrong with these guys? Can't they do this sh*t in March or September? Better yet, how about July? Nobody looks at that book anyway.

What does this tell us? If those forecasts have you wondering is somebody's been smoking crack, you may be right.

JR's Back

2006-11-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

JR Gach, on his website and in an email to Albany Eye, has announced that he's returning to radio. According to a countdown clock on his site, the talk show host will be back on the air on Wednesday, January 3 at 3pm. What it doesn't say is where he'll be on the air.

We can safely say where it won't be. Gach previously worked at Clear Channel's WGY and Galaxy's WCRZ. That leaves several local radio operators who haven't had the JR experience, but there is also speculation that Gach may be going to satellite. Great. More quality radio that you need special equipment to hear. Let's hope not.

Sideways

2006-11-20T08:18:00.000-05:00

I don't care if you're putting turkey, turducken, goose, duck, or tofurkey on the table, if you want to be universally adored on Thanksgiving you can't go wrong with Albany Eye's Sweet Potato Crunch. This is guaranteed to be a hit with everyone around the table ---even the pickiest children. It's a rich, creamy souffle-like dish finished with a crunchy pecan topping. It's so good, you could almost have it for dessert. People will insist that you make it again, beg you for the recipe, fight for the leftovers, etc...

Cook's note: DO NOT DARE used canned sweet potatoes; you're making dinner for your loved ones, not the inmates down at Coxsackie.

The Friday File

2006-11-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

Engulf and Devour Announces Downsizing
On the same day they revealed an $18.7 merger deal, Clear Channel announced that they're dumping Fox 23 and 41 other TV stations around America. Nobody knows what the sale will mean for WXXA , except that certain general manager types might be looking for a new gig. Regarding their radio operations, the company also said it's unloading properties outside the top 100 markets; this should put to bed persistent rumors that WGY and other local CC stations were on the block. Thank goodness we will still enjoy Clear Channel radio in the foreseeable future.

Reference Department
Everybody loves the turducken. The Business Review did something on Hannaford's turducken launch yesterday, describing the fowl dish like this:

According to Wikipedia, a turducken is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken.

Wikipedia? Wikipedia!??!!So now we know where the Business Review researches its stories. It's one thing to use Wikipedia, but citing it as a source is pretty shaky.

Apologia
Yesterday we jokingly called FLY 92 "promotions staffer" Mark Patterson a loser ---actually, I believe we referred to him as, "loser cubed ---or loser to the tenth power". Well now I feel really bad, especially after getting this email from one of his co-workers:

I don’t mean to sound pompous, but obviously you didn’t make it in radio probably because you weren’t willing to sit outside a mall to help out a station promotion. We’ve all been in Mark’s shoes because all of us know we aren’t too good for that.

Yes, that's why I didn't make it in radio. That and my desire to move out of my mother's basement.

All Thumbs

2006-11-16T05:06:00.000-05:00

At the three-way intersection of Loser Street, Geek Avenue, and Nerd Boulevard, you'll find a crowd of folks waiting on line to buy a PlayStation 3. If you don't believe me, swing by Crossgates, where people are camped out (camped out!!) to buy the game system at Best Buy when it's released tomorrow. Not everybody's in line to satisfy their own adolescent urge to avoid reality. From the Times Union:

Mark Patterson, a promotions staffer with the WFLY (92.3) radio station, was waiting on line for PlayStation 3 -- but not for the same reason as everyone else. He and co-workers hope to give the system away to a radio station caller.

Whoa....that's like, loser cubed ---or loser to the tenth power or something. Follow all the action from the line at Mark McGuire's blog.

Special Delivery

2006-11-16T05:05:00.000-05:00

I got lots of email from people unhappy with all the tasering stuff, so just to prove I'm not heartless, I present the following:

Kudos to Troy record newspaper carrier Lisa Rysedorph for coming to the aid of one of her customers. Jeanne Freeman of Cohoes was injured after falling in her home in late September. She managed to crawl to the front door and signal for help by sticking a broomhandle through the mail slot. Rysedorph noticed something wasn't quite right an summoned help ---and then made entry to the home by kicking in the back door. Freeman told The Record, "She was my little guardian angel. I really believe that she saved my life."

Wow! And I can't get my Times Union carrier to even leave the paper on the front steps!

Get Stuffed

2006-11-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

Whooo-Hoooo! Free food alert! Get to Hannaford in East Greenbush or Niskayuna tomorrow between 1pm and 4pm and feast upon turducken! What's turducken? Imagine a boneless chicken stuffed inside a boneless duck stuffed inside a boneless turkey ---and then inside that stuff some stuffing. PR-Meister Mark Bardack invites the media to, "Interview customers and Hannaford spokespersons about the new festive fodder." Yeah, right, right... Where's the turducken?

Taserific!

2006-11-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

The readers have spoken.

By an overwhelming margin, Liz Bishop has come out on top of our sweeps tasering survey. As promised, we passed our results on to her boss at CBS 6, news director Beau Duffy:

Dear Mr. Duffy:
Albany Eye is pleased to inform you that Liz Bishop received the most votes in our recent survey, in which asked we asked readers to chose the local anchor or reporter they'd like to see tasered during sweeps. We at Albany Eye believe that this could provide a significant boost to your viewership during this important time and sincerely hope you will soon proceed with the tasering. Best of luck in the ratings war; we are looking forward to your report on the Capital Region's Ten Worst Roads.

The survey wasn't exactly scientific, and leaves us with more questions than answers. For example, Rodger Wyland's performance is impressive considering how much less time he is on the air than Liz Bishop. If we scored on a curve, it's very likely that he would have come out number one. Greg Floyd's results? It's difficult to conclude whether people like him or don't know who he is.

Thanks to everyone who voted, and to Liz Bishop, don't think of it as being shocked, think of it as taking one for the team.

Metroland Blah-g

2006-11-14T05:56:00.000-05:00

So, Metroland finally joined the 21st century and got itself a blog. So far, it seems to be extremely boring, except for their sniping at RPI student newspaper Polytechnic Online. The alt-weekly was upset about an Op-Ed piece which had the temerity to suggest that, "Metroland has virtually no audience on our campus." Thank God! I was wondering when someone would take on that confounded RPI student newspaper.

I'd say they could use some blogging lessons from their own Miriam Axel-Lute. Here's a recent posting from her corner of the blogosphere:

I need a tampon for a demonstration at the alternative menstrual products workshop at the Albany Skill Share (which is tomorrow! Come!), but I'd rather not buy a box for the purpose. Anyone local (or coming to the skill share though non-local) want to donate one to the cause?

Now THAT is some interesting blogging. Please send your tampons to Ms. Axel-Lute at Metroland, 419 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY 12210.

Mark Baker for Congress

2006-11-13T06:15:00.000-05:00

Local Republicans are freaking out over Sweeney ---and the big question now becomes who they'll run against Gillibrand in 2008. Here's an idea: how about Fox 23 morning news anchor Mark Baker? Baker has loads of campaign experience, having run for congress three times back in Illinois. He may be a newcomer, but what the hell, that didn't stop Hillary Clinton, did it? As far as we know, Baker hasn't beaten up his wife or anything, or showed up in drunken frat pictures, so he already has a big leg up on the guy Wonkette calls Slappin' John McSlappy Sweeney. As far as we know, the worst Baker has done is work as a news anchor, but we're guessing that voters can manage to look past that blemish on his resume.

The Sweet Smell of John Sweeney

2006-11-10T15:09:00.000-05:00

Nothing says success like John Sweeney. Local rag Success Magazine made the mistake of choosing Sweeney as cover boy for their November issue, presumably before all that wife beating stuff hit the papers last week. And just what the hell is Success Magazine? Publisher Tom Cronin told the Business Review:

"What we try to do within our articles is interview people and find out how it is they achieve their success and also how they went through the times of highs and lows and adversity to ensure their success."

And why Sweeney?

"I think he is a success story. The fact that he lost in politics is a product of what the nation sees as a problem with the war and personal issues (that Sweeney had) at the tail end."

Hmmmm. Maybe they should consider changing their name to Dumbass Magazine.

Shocking!

2006-11-10T05:25:00.000-05:00

Is there a better sweeps stunt than having your reporter shot with a taser gun? I think not. Video like this is priceless when it comes to winning the ratings war, so stop wasting money on all that research and show me one of your people being tasered. That's TV worth watching, my friends.

Just out of curiosity, Albany Eye would like to know who you'd like to see tasered during November sweeps, so be sure to take our exclusive survey in the column to the right We'll share our results with the winner's news director. Write in candidates are very welcome; just email me your picks!

EDITOR'S NOTE: The survey is now complete. Here are the results. Stop looking for it in the column to the right.

The Recycling Report

2006-11-09T08:43:00.000-05:00

Finally, someone's found a good use for The Saratogian:

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Dead fish wrapped in newspaper appeared at the doors of two Saratoga Springs homes around Election Day, Saratoga Springs Police reported Wednesday. Gerard Hawthorne, who lives at 58 Van Dam St., and Linda and Lewis Benton, of 29 Thoroughbred Lane, separately reported finding the fish, said Saratoga Springs Police Lt. Mike Chowske. Hawthorne and the Bentons are all members of Move Saratoga Forward, a group supporting the charter revision. They all believe the incidents are related to the recent debate around the charter revision, which divided residents in the city.

Location Location Location

2006-11-09T08:26:00.000-05:00

There are two things you need to know about billboards. First, people should be able to understand your message in an instant. They're driving past at 70 miles per hour, so keep it simple, stupid. The other is that placement is very important. High grades go to the swank Albany bar Noche for scoring on both points this month. Their new board on I-90 does a good job of communicating the drinkery's special style and atmosphere. As for placement, the billboard is just down the road from where Albany Police Detective Ken Wilcox crashed his car on the highway last April ---reportedly after an extended and well-publicized visit to the Broadway bar.

Pardon the poor quality of this picture; I was driving by at 70 MPH when I shot it.

The Day After

2006-11-08T06:20:00.000-05:00

Election Night is like Super Bowl Sunday for local TV news, and just as the biggest football game of the year doesn't always live up to the hype, last night's coverage was drearily similar and undistinguished. Everybody will say they won today, but the only station with any real edge was CapitalNews 9. They gave us the same thing everyone else did, except they were on all night long, providing results, live reports, and analysis. None ofthe stations can play the gravitas card either ---and even if they could, it would have been tough to beat CN9's Brian Taffe; hosting Capital Tonight has honed him into a skilled and seasoned anchor who can work (and think) without a prompter.

WAMC and WGY were solid, but WGY deserves special credit for the inspired pairing of Arnold Proskin and Libby Post in the punditry perch. As expected, they were colorful and interesting.

WROW? The highlight of Election Day was Paul Vandenburgh drooling over CapitalNews 9 anchor Julie Chapman yesterday morning. His lecherous verbal pawing was degrading and disgusting; the people at Time Warner should think twice before putting their anchor in a situation where she's treated like a piece of meat.

We Get Results

2006-11-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

I went to CapitalNews 9 this afternoon to catch the latest on this most exciting of election days. Did you know that Eliot Spitzer voted at 7am? 7am?!?! I can't wait for that guy to be governor.

Anyway, this ad for Comedy Central's election coverage was what popped up above the fold on CN9's web site ---brilliant placement, thanks to Google's all-knowing media robots, which read your mind to match advertising and web content. What I really like about this is how the 24 hour cable news network ends up running an ad urging people to tune away from tonight's election coverage. That's a really interesting marketing strategy, wouldn't you say?

You can help the folks at Time Warner pay the electric bill by clicking on those ads, but I suppose not watching their election coverage will be somewhat less helpful.

Give It a Pull For Me

2006-11-07T06:45:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to vote today.

I'm not going to try to tell you who to select or suggest that one candidate is better than another, but in case you live in the 20th Congressional District, I'd like you to take a long, hard look at the picture to the left and think of it while you're standing there in the polling booth.

Tie One On

2006-11-07T06:40:00.000-05:00

There are two people in New York State who wear bow ties. One of them is the goofball on this billboard along 787 ---and the other is Chris Callaghan. Well, nobody's perfect. Since I have a hard time imagining imperious, arrogant Alan Hevesi rubbing elbows with folks at the New York State Trappers Convention, the choice today seems pretty clear.

Can a Voter Get a Table Dance?

2006-11-06T05:46:00.000-05:00

What? You haven't seen this spot with Sweeney's wife? This was recorded on the same day the happy couple came out and denied everything, and I must say, Mrs. Sweeney's performance is not convincing. What you see here can best be compared to hostage videos coming out of Iraq, except the people in those are usually a bit more believable. I'm not saying anyone was holding a gun to her head; it would be more appropriate to say there were a pair of meaty hands pointed in her direction.

By the way, what's up with this confusion over Mrs. Sweeney's first name? Is is Gayle or Gaia? As somebody who's been around a bit, I must point out that Gaia sound suspiciously like a stripper name. I must further point out that Mrs. Sweeney bears a striking resemblance to an entertainer who performed at my bachelor party. Further yet, let me state that those red boxers with the yellow starfish on them were my all-time favorite pair of underwear, and I did not appreciate having them cut off of me with a pair of scissors.

Porco Redux

2006-11-06T05:15:00.000-05:00

I didn't watch the Porco 48 Hours Mystery episode for the same reason I didn't see Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ: I already knew how it ended.

Notes From The Irish Sports Page

2006-11-03T11:29:00.000-05:00

Who even knew that the Times Union had an obituary policy? Paul Grondahl today writes about how the family of 93-year-old Helen Sharpe had to wrangle with the ad department over the politically charged content of her obit. Here's what they submitted:

She left strict instructions that there be no schmaltzy sentimentality of mourning, urging that in lieu of expressions of grief people should send urgent messages to their legislators to force U.S. signing of the Kyoto Protocol, then vote in such a way as to send Bush a strong message of disgust with his policies and politics.

Sales made them change the message of disgust part to this:

...urging that in lieu of expressions of grief, people who wish to remember her continue to support the Kyoto Protocol and oppose the Bush Administration.

What I like about this whole thing is how the editorial side of the paper defied the sales side by getting her complete and unedited message printed anyway. Right on.

Should I suffer some unfortunate fate over the weekend. here's what I'd like in my obit:

Don't vote for wife beaters. The candidates, not the undergarments.

The Friday File

2006-11-03T06:15:00.000-05:00

Don Weeks He Ain't
From Mark McGuire's Point of Viewing blog:

WGY "Won’t say where former weekend and weekday host Ed Martin has gone. Sources within the industry say Martin was booted for using a low-grade vulgarity against a caller, a sign of the ridiculous if warranted sensibilities of stations scared blank-less of an FCC fine. WGY bosses won’t comment, saying it’s a personnel matter."

Actually, we read in a local broadcast message board that Martin called the listener an asshole. That's pretty low-grade, but it really is the only way to describe some people, isn't it? Someone on the message board also claims that Martin used the term blowjob during the same broadcast. We think that an asshole gets you a warning and a blowjob gets you a suspended. An asshole and a blowjob during the same show? That, my friend, will get you fired.

Stick It Where The Sun Don't Shine
If you've ever listened to Paul Vandenburgh and wondered what's up that guy's ass, now we know. The WROW morning host spent the better part of Wednesday morning talking about the colonoscopy he'd had the day before. Then on Thursday morning , Vandenburgh had it stuck up his wazoo by Capital OTB. When the WROW morning host showed up for his remote at the OTB Teletheatre, he couldn't get in ---and did the first 15 minutes of his show on the cell phone as he drove back to his Latham studio.

A Class Act
It looks like Dan DiNicola is leaving WRGB at the end of the year. We've always liked DiNicola, who knows how to tell a story far better than a lot of the people you see on local TV these days. Telling a good story is apparently less valuable than being cheap, young, and disposable.

Thank You Sir, May I Have Another?

2006-11-02T15:26:00.001-05:00

Months after the end of the trial, the Times Union continues to spank everyone silly on the Porco story. This time they've gotten a sneak peak at Saturday night's 48 Hours Mystery, the one that devotes an entire hour to our favorite ax murder. Mark McGuire went down and watched the thing today at CBS in Manhattan; WRGB had planned to air clips from the show tonight at 11, but the TU beat them to it by posting excerpts of the Chris Porco interview on their web site this afternoon:

Christopher Porco told a CBS reporter that his father's killers are still on the loose. "There is no doubt in my mind. I know they are out there. At this point, I have little confidence that they will ever be caught."

OK, OJ. Meanwhile, even after the TU has spilled the beans, CBS 6 continues to plug their Porco "exclusive" with this lame-ass tease:

Porco talks about everything from the yellow jeep to the timeline that convicted him, to the support of his mother. The revealing words can be heard for the first time on CBS6, Thursday night at 11:00.

Or not. Is it possible to bludgeon someone with a newspaper? That's pretty much what's happened on this story from day one.

Say Anything

2006-11-02T06:10:00.000-05:00

John Sweeney has employed what is known in legal circles as The Bart Simpson Defense:

I didn't do it! Nobody saw me do it! You can't prove anything!

Rather than come out all humble and honest about the ugly incident at their home last December, the Sweeneys launched into a mad fit of denial and obfuscation. The interesting thing here is that nobody doubts it's true. If you said that Mike McNulty did something unsavory like this, we'd all say, "No way! Not Mike!" But Sweeney? From the the Times Union:

"The period in question was a stressful period for our family," Sweeney said, adding that health problems may have produced symptoms that were present around the time of the police call. He did not describe the symptoms.

Maybe those symptoms include violent rage against your wife. Or maybe not. It seems more likely that in John Sweeney's view of the world, she was asking for it.

"Here it comes, are you ready?"

2006-11-01T06:28:00.000-05:00

The rumors about a violent altercation at the John Sweeney household last December have finally surfaced in the newspapers. For months, local TV and print newsrooms have been trying to get verification that the police visited the Sweeney place on December 2, 2005 ---this after reportedly receiving a call from a woman claiming that her husband was "knocking her around".

Today, the Daily News and the Times Union both have major stories about the incident, which the Sweeney camp has denounced as "a piece of campaign propaganda in the continued smear campaign against Congressman John Sweeney and his family." The Sweeney-ites went on to threaten legal action against any media outlet that "plans to run a story based on this unauthentic, false and concocted document." Among those jumping all over this today, is the Washington political blog Wonkette.

You can read the allegedly concocted document here.

Voters need to ask themselves this next Tuesday: Have the police ever been called to your house because you were having a fight with your wife? If so, John Sweeney may be your man.

Attack of the Angry Orthodontists!

2006-11-01T06:25:00.000-05:00

We made mention last week of the Halloween candy buy-back ~~scam~~ program being ~~perpetrated~~ conducted by the orthodontic practice of Drs. Decker, Sbuttoni, Boghosian, DiCerbo and Lawless. Apparently some other media picked up on this ---and not in a good way. Yesterday, the mouth mechanics fired off a nasty press release defending their efforts.

Here are some highlights; you can read the whole thing here:

RESPONSE TO MISREPRESENTATION OF OUR PREVIOUS NEWS RELEASE

Some D.J.s and TV personalities have given their personal opinions that our candy buy back program is just about money, I assume those personalities only have the ability to read certain lines in our press release and this press release is for them. Our practice does buy candy back from children in the area, but we don’t do it just to give them a monetary reward and remove the candy from them, it is to instill a feeling of giving up something you desire to help benefit others.

It is a sad day when the media contributes to ridiculing an event, which was designed to benefit others and help children learn about giving back to the community, and at the same time being rewarded for their sacrifice.

I think they should hunt down those "D.J.s and TV personalities" and wire their mouths shut.

Priceless

2006-10-31T05:05:00.000-05:00

Writers. They're overworked and underpaid --- unless they're John Grisham, or something like that.

For example, take the case of David Waage of Bolton Landing. Waage won an online contest MasterCard sponsored by writing the copy for a commercial in their Priceless campaign. It worked like this: entrants were to compose the voice over for a spot created by Stephen Gaghan, the writer/director who brought us the George Clooney film, Syriana. Waage's simple and elegant treatment charmed the judges so much that they awarded him the $1600 grand prize. OK, $1600 is nothing to sneeze at, but I'm sure that director Gaghan took home a hell of a lot more than $1600. And on the topic of writing, $1600 is a lot more than Gaghan deserved for writing the script for The Alamo, but that's another story. From the Post Star:

The win has given Waage a shot of confidence, renewing his enthusiasm for writing, which he once used at his school's paper. He'll try to send out some columns or articles, maybe find a new job, he said. "Who the heck knows?" he said.

Maybe he can apply to write a blog for the Times Union. In his own words, who the heck knows?

Get on the Bus, Gus

2006-10-30T08:52:00.000-05:00

Did I speak too soon when I called the Chamber's cab driver scheme the stupidest idea of the year? The Capital District Transportation Authority is struggling to seize the prize from the Chamber with its plan to paint the buses blue. From the Times Union:

It's part of a larger strategy called "branding," which the authority hopes will project a more distinctive, contemporary image for the 36-year-old regional transit system. Ultimately, CDTA officials hope branding will help boost ridership and make the system easier for newcomers to master.

Yeah. I think I'll leave the car at home tomorrow so I an ride on that blue bus.

Getting Schooled

2006-10-30T08:27:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we pointed out the Doane Stuart School ads showing kids with sweatshirts from top universities. The message is absolutely clear: send your kids here, and they'll get into the best schools. Fine. It's interesting to compare that approach to this ad from LaSalle Institute:

The headline offers you to Be Part of The Tradition of Excellence. Those are powerful words, tradition and excellence ---and when combined with the idea of being part of something bigger than yourself, it's is a potent message. Yeah, I'd like to put a Princeton sticker in the back window of my car, but I might be happier with a kid who believes in something more than getting into a prestige school.

Give Me a Hand

2006-10-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

What are people talking about? That's a question you'll frequently hear in newsroom meetings ---and it seems everybody this morning is ~~joking~~ talking about the sticky situation over at Macy's men's room at Colonie Center. From the Times Union:

Town police have arrested seven men on charges of public lewdness in the Macy's men's room at Colonie Center. Undercover officers followed the men inside and arrested them after they were seen masturbating, police said.

Yuck! CapitalNews 9 has had a firm hold on this story since it suddenly erupted yesterday afternoon. They asked Colonie Police Detective Lt. John Vanalstyne what drew men to that location:

"That's part of the investigation, but obviously they knew to go there. They were there for this reason. I don't know if it's out on the internet or something, but we're checking into however the means they knew how to go to this men's room on the second floor."

Ah yes, the internet. It's nothing but trouble.

Scam Alert!

2006-10-27T05:11:00.000-04:00

Check out this press release:

In an effort to promote a safe and healthy Halloween for children, Drs. Decker, Sbuttoni, Boghosian, DiCerbo and Lawless will buy back the candy from trick-or-treaters 16 years and younger the day after Halloween. We will pay children $1.00 for each pound of Halloween candy that they bring to our office.

A buck a pound? Give me a freakin' break. At an area supermarket, popular Halloween candy such as Kit-Kat bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Snickers, are priced at between $3.57 and $4.28 per pound. And consider this: a "fun size" Snickers, weighs about .6 ounce, so by that example, you'd have to hit more than 26 houses to score a pound of candy. Let's say your little tyke wants to earn $20 bucks to go to the movies or something. That's well over 500 houses!

Decker, Sbuttoni, Boghosian, DiCerbo and Lawless operate three of the busiest orthodontic offices in the Capital Region. These finely tuned dental factories are to braces what Henry Ford was to automobiles, squeezing out lovely smiles as they pump cash out of parental bank accounts. I think they can afford it, so kids, you should hold out for at least $3.00 a pound.

Don't Know Much About History

2006-10-26T08:20:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite movie quotes of all time is this John Belushi line from Animal House:

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

That's the first thing I thought of this morning when WROW's Paul Vandenburgh promised to talk about something he read in the TU. From the story:

An aging Carl Beninati fulfilled an old promise to himself by moving the remains of his long lost sibling, Marine Corps paratrooper Anthony Beninati, to the national cemetery from St. Paul's Cemetery in Mechanicville.

Vandenburgh explained that Beninati was killed during the war in 1948. 1948? Was he killed during the Arab-Israeli War? This is just another example of why Vandenburgh has the "number one morning news-talk show."

Life With Mikey

2006-10-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

I switched on WROW's Paul Vandenburgh this morning and he was going on about Mike Fox. Mike Fox this, and Mike Fox that, and then Mike Fox said such-and-such. It took me a couple of minutes, but then I understood that he was talking about Michael J. Fox, who is appearing in political ads this election season supporting Democrats who back stem cell research. I've never heard anyone refer to him as Mike, but maybe Vandenburgh is a friend of Fox's or something.

Right after the Mike-fest came this stunning statement:

You're listening to the number one rated morning news/talk program in the Capital District.

Vandenburgh repeated this about a hundred times in the next hour ---also pointing out that his is the number one AM morning show. Who can blame him? Beating WGY is a big deal, even if people are listening because the show is a train wreck, so bad that it makes irresistible listening.

In the Dark

2006-10-24T08:38:00.000-04:00

Carol DeMare's look back at the massive Northeast blackout of 1965 contains some excellent media anecdotes. Former WTEN reporter Bob Lawson, then working in local radio, recalls how he fed -by telephone- network news coverage to WTRY, the only area radio station that managed to stay on the air. And at the paper?

The Times Union devoted all seven stories on its front page to the blackout, with reporters and editors pecking away on typewriters in candlelight.

For you youngsters, a typewriter is a mechanical, device with a set of "keys" that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a document, usually paper.

October Surprise

2006-10-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

A day after John Spencer's crazy talk about Hillary, we get this from CapitalNews 9:

In the words of Austin Powers, you must admit, she is rather mannish.

Flash: Northway Expected Slow This Morning!

2006-10-23T08:24:00.000-04:00

Fox 23's new morning newscast is putting huge emphasis on traffic reporting ----Oh! I'm sorry, I meant traffic forecasting, as explained in this ad:

Isn't forecasting Capital Region traffic a little like forecasting the weather in San Diego? Just as it's going to be sunny and warm every day there, the Northway is going to slow down during rush hour. Every day. I promise. If you need a forecast to tell you that, you really need to pay a little closer attention. And regarding accidents, you can't exactly forecast those; that would make you a fortune teller.

At 5am this morning, traffic forecaster Kaitlyn Barto explained, "When the green arrows are in motion, traffic is traveling at the speed limit." Now that's some news: people driving at the speed limit. They must be tracking that with their four Doppler radars.

Asleep at the Wheel

2006-10-20T06:36:00.000-04:00

We at Albany Eye, while great advocates of drinking, are steadfastly opposed to operating motor vehicles while under the influence of alcohol. That is why we were so pleased to learn that Daily News writer Joe Mahoney was reportedly sleeping in his car when police arrested him early Thursday on DWI charges. Had he been driving while allegedly drunk, we might be inclined to suggest that he'd done something wrong. From the Times Union:

Mahoney, 52, of Manning Boulevard, had fallen asleep at the wheel in the middle of the lane, the Mazda SUV still in drive, according to police. An officer found him at 4:32 a.m.

The NY Post, under the headline SNOOZING NEWSIE IN DRUG BUST cites a broadcast report that police also found a small quantity of marijuana in the car. Sure, count on the Post to focus on the negative side of the story.

Odds n' Sods

2006-10-19T08:17:00.000-04:00

Funeral For a Friend
I'm a little worried about Mark McGuire. The TU media writer posted this in his Point of Viewing blog:

Need some help here
What songs would you like played at your wake or funeral (in the far, far future)? Looking for suggestions.
E-mail me at mmcguire@timesunion.com. Leave a contact number.

Is he writing a story or planning his own funeral? There may be a lot of Met fans who feel like killing themselves tomorrow, but either way, send him an email, won't you?

F-Bombs Away
I am shocked...SHOCKED...to hear that foul language being used in TV newsrooms. Boston ABC affiliate WCVB has banned newsroom cursing after this incident:

The station broke in to carry a live press conference on University of Vermont student Michelle Gardner-Quinn, whose body had been found 15 miles from campus. After the press conference, the station replayed an edited portion of it during its 5 p.m. newscast. During that segment, as the Burlington, Vt., police chief spoke, a WCVB producer could be heard shouting the "F" word in the background.

Creepy
The VERY DAY reports of the UAlbany rape case emerged, this appeared in the New York Times:

"The Duke situation has had a chilling effect," said Lee McElroy, the athletic director at the University at Albany, which is part of the State University of New York system. Mr. McElroy is also president of the national association of athletic directors. "ThereÂs no question athletic administrators everywhere, maybe even corporate executives everywhere, saw the lessons learned. Athletic administrators have been quick to change."

Porco Postponed

2006-10-18T06:11:00.000-04:00

What's 48 Hours Mystery going to do about their big Porco expose? The CBS show had planned to air the Porco edition on October 28, three days after Christopher Porco's sentencing. Now that Judge Jeffrey Berry has moved the sentencing to December 12, the producers are in a pickle.

It seems unlikely that 48 Hours will allow this thing to go on the air without the final chapter being told, but we'll see. And how's the Capital Region's most famous criminal doing? Terry Kindlon told the TU: "He's OK. You know Chris. He's pretty cool."

UPDATED: Mark McGuire reports in his blog that CBS has moved the Porco airdate to November 4. He says:

A CBS spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the original air date was tentative, while Nov. 4 is firm barring, unexpected developments.

Meanwhile someone posted this email at WNYT's Porco blog:

As of now, the program on the Porco case will either air on Saturday, November 4th or Saturday, January 6th. Depending how this, and another case that we are following, develop, will determine when we choose to air the program. Please check your local listings around both of these dates to be sure.

Thank you very much,
Lauren Clark
48 Hours
CBS News

Who's right? Who the hell knows; as the lady says, check your local listings.

That's A Fact, Jack

2006-10-18T06:07:00.000-04:00

I couldn't read this and not think of John Sweeney:

Bill Murray created a small sensation in the Scottish town of St. Andrews, joining Scandinavian students at a late-night party and even helping to wash the dishes, a newspaper reported Sunday.

There are some differences between this and Sweeney's frat party visit, of course. For one thing, Bill Murray is really funny. And Bill Murray got where he is by being talented and hard-working. And Bill Murray is cool. John Sweeney? Well...He could probably get you into DiCarlo's without having to pay the cover charge.

A Brief Respite

2006-10-17T08:11:00.000-04:00

Finally, something worth listening to on morning drive radio. It's intelligent, so we know it's not WROW. It's witty, so that rules out FLY-92. It's spontaneous, so it couldn't be WGY. There's no annoying music, so rule out WGNA. And it's fun, so that pretty much eliminates everyone else. What is it? It's the WAMC fund drive. This week, Alan Chartock is leading the station on a quest for $700 thousand dollars. That sounds like quite a hill to climb, but by the time they called it quits last night, on the first day of the drive, they'd already brought in more than $191,000.

What's interesting, is that the same thing that makes Howard Stern good radio makes the fund drive good radio. When you strip away the endless repetition of the phone number, what you get is smart people talking. No, there's no shortage of people talking on morning radio, but what's in short supply is the smart.

The Best Education Money Can Buy

2006-10-16T08:35:00.000-04:00

Stanford, Boston College, Dartmouth, NYU, Albany... Albany? That must be a sweatshirt for Albany College of Pharmacy in this full page ad for The Doane Stuart School, because nobody who sends their kids to Doane Stuart wants them going to UAlbany.

A full page in the TU's Sunday local section is no small shakes, is it? The exclusive private school is dumping loads of money into advertising as part of its "massive recruiting and fundraising campaign." They're determined to do whatever it takes to avoid a merger with Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls, two schools that are clearly inferior. After all, would you send your child to one of those places. I think not!

What's it cost to get your kid an education like that? I had a tough time finding the tuition listed on Doane Stuart's website, but as they say, if you have to ask the price...

Mystery Ink

2006-10-13T07:32:00.000-04:00

Several people sent me this picture, depicting a tattoo tribute to WNYT morning anchor Phil Bayly. It came anonymously and without any explanation, so I can't tell you if this is real ---but I can tell you that it's very, very strange.

Stupid Idea of the Year (So Far)

2006-10-12T08:01:00.000-04:00

The Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce is turning to the best and the brightest to spread the word about Tech Valley: the drivers of Capitaland Taxi. The effort is called Take Pride in Tech Valley, and according to the Chamber press release:

Each taxi cab driver in the program will welcome guests to Tech Valley when they enter the taxi, wear a Tech Valley pin provided by the Chamber, and share facts about the region to the guests during their drive.

And how will they make sure the drivers are hawking Tech Valley? The Chamber will spy on them:

The Chamber has also designed a mystery shopper program to acknowledge drivers that provide exceptional service to mystery shoppers.

Maybe you've noticed how articulate and witty the cab drivers are at the airport; if you haven't experienced their charm firsthand, imagine Noel Coward driving a cab. I just hope that when they tell visitors they're in Tech Valley, folks don't think they got off at the wrong airport.

Rosebud Radio

2006-10-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

Students at the College of St. Rose now have their own radio station. Don't hunt for it over on the left side of the dial, where you'll find other college stations, because this one can only be heard on the internet.

Even though they're not actually broadcasting, this is a good addition to the school's already strong communication department. This won't sound like some free form mess, where student DJs get on and play their favorite songs ---St. Rose is running a tightly formatted ship with an emphasis on college and community affairs, documentary style programming, and performances. From the press release:

The programming content will support the College's overall mission and goals of supporting student engagement, helping to develop a sense of community and serving as a community forum.

This is in marked contrast to Siena College's WVCR, whose overall mission is to ape commercial radio. Siena recently hired Darrin Kibbey to run WVCR; Kibbey, like station director John Kelly, used to work for Albany Broadcasting. Many people in the media community believe that Siena alumn and Albany Broadcasting owner Jim Morrell likes to keep a tight reign on WVCR, making sure they don't step on the toes of FLY-92 or his other wonderful radio stations.

Correction

2006-10-10T10:42:00.000-04:00

At Albany Eye, we appreciate when readers take the time to help fix our stupid mistakes ---like this morning when we spelled dysfunction wrong:

You so like to point out errors and misspellings of other...from the station that brought you Dysfunction (with a Y not an I) Junction. Or maybe you were just "dissing" Supernanny and there in lies the pun.

Jeffrey J. Whitson
V.P./General Manager
FOX23 WXXA-TV/DT

Whitson's email sig also contains this inspirational line, from which we all can learn a little something about doing our best:

"How will I exceed viewer and advertiser expectations today?"

I Don't Like Tuesdays

2006-10-10T08:16:00.000-04:00

Dysfunction Junction
Who's ever watched Supernanny? It's a guilty pleasure to be sure ---after all, who doesn't like seeing a family more messed up than your own? Anyway, if you'd like to be humiliated on national TV, here's your chance:

The Casting team of ABC's hit reality series "SUPERNANNY" is looking for families from New York's Capital Region for the new season of the show. Casting Producers from ABC launch their fall casting tour in Albany with WTEN at an open call in Colonie Center Mall on Saturday, October 21st, from 11am to 2pm.

Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need Nanny Jo pointing out my bad parenting habits. That's what my wife is for.

Struck Pig
I got several emails about this headline:

If that had happened in Schoharie County, nobody would have blinked an eye.

Starving Artist
WTEN reports that 20 year-old Kimberly Lynch of Albany was arrested and charged with attempted burglary early Monday morning. Lynch was apprehended at Albany High, where police believe she was stealing art supplies. Art supplies? We're not usually soft on crime, but an (alleged) artist (allegedly) stealing art supplies deserves a second chance.

Nott Mammorial

2006-10-09T09:57:00.000-04:00

From the folks at Union College:

On Monday afternoon, Oct. 9, a colossal pink ribbon weighing more than 50 pounds will be wrapped around the historic 16-sided Nott Memorial. The "Tie the Nott" event is being held in conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Just as lonely French trappers gazed out and saw something special in the mountains that came to be called the Grand Tetons, I suppose the dome of the Nott Memorial looks a little like a breast, right? Maybe more so if you're a shy, pimply-faced, freshman math major ---or if you've been out with John Sweeney.

Pledging Your Love

2006-10-06T06:51:00.000-04:00

When it comes to the WAMC fund drive, sex sells. In an on-air appeal for volunteers to answer calls, Alan Chartock mentions that numerous marriages have bloomed from relationships forged on the phone banks. I think he's suggesting that loin fireworks may erupt between the volunteers, but that's not strictly the case. For example, if you've never heard how RoundTable host Susan Arbetter met her husband, you really need to read this lovely story ---particularly if you're romantically minded.

Anyway, at Albany Eye, we're committed to helping you hook up, so here are some tips for meeting that special someone while volunteering at the fund drive:

Do not wear your Sweeney For Congress pin. Or your NRA hat.
Park the gas guzzling SUV a few blocks over, take your bike off the rack, and ride it to the station. Wheel it inside with you. If you're lucky, the car will be there when you return.
Gush over how pleased you are that the station is finally airing Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me.
Memorize the names of some decent books you can claim to have read. Do not include the DaVinci Code.
Bring some soy snacks. Practice eating them beforehand so you don't make a face or gag.
Do not discuss television shows.

Remember: Alan Chartock would make an exceptionally good wingman, so try to enlist his aid if you see someone interesting.

Two Years and 48 Hours

2006-10-05T06:50:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't heard, CBS has scheduled its Porco edition of 48 Hours for Saturday, October 28. That's days after Christopher Porco's scheduled sentencing on the 25th ---and just shy of Halloween, which seems oddly appropriate for some reason.

A recent article in the Delmar Spotlight offered some interesting details about the production ----including an account of an elaborate shoot on Brockley Drive that included some taping inside the former Porco home. The producers also interviewed the convicted murderer in late August:

The only people allowed in the room with Porco were a correction officer, attorney Laurie Shanks, and the CBS TV crew. Producers would not reveal what Christopher Porco had to say during the 30-minute interview. Porco reportedly requested to be allowed to wear a suit jacket and even asked for hair gel for the interview but was denied both requests. Instead, he was interviewed in his yellow jailhouse clothes.

The Spotlight's Jim Cuozzo asked Albany County Sheriff James Campbell to describe his best known prisoner: "He mostly reads and keeps to himself," said Campbell. "He gets a lot of mail from young females from the Delmar area."

To Catch a Creep

2006-10-04T22:27:00.000-04:00

Yes, President Bush's better half is in town stumping for Sweeney ---but for me, the real star today is NBC's Chris Hansen. He's here to talk about Dateline's hugely popular To Catch a Predator stories. That's where they trick a creepy guy into showing up for a meeting with a child he met online. Media watchers (and competitors) have talked the Predator stories to death; others condemn them for going way over the top:

"To Catch a Predator" is monstrously exploitative -a Television Age Roman coliseum where freakish criminals are publicly humiliated for bloodsport and ratings. Granted, these are bad men, and it's a good thing they are being stopped, hopefully, from hurting actual children. But they can be stopped -and are stopped all the time by local police stings -without parading them across our television screens for titillated and enraged audiences to gawk at between commercial breaks.

I say parade away.

Brain Lag

2006-10-03T08:50:00.000-04:00

If you think WROW's Paul Vandenburgh is a little fuzzy minded now and then, you should hear him this week. The morning talk host has been doing his show from the Vegas area, and his brain hasn't quite caught up with the three hour time difference his mouth is experiencing. Take this morning, for example:

Whitney Houston needs to be fixed. Once she gets fixed, she'll be OK. I think if Whitney Houston is fixed, she can be big again.

Wow. I hate Whitney Houston, but I've never called for her sterilization ---besides, she already has kids, so it's too late.

Congressional Corner

2006-10-03T08:49:00.000-04:00

Thank God we have a congressman who believes in traditional values. I'd much rather have Sweeney drinking with teenagers than sending them creepy instant messages, wouldn't you?

This can only help him in November.

Cover Girl

2006-10-02T08:39:00.000-04:00

Here's what was looking up at me from the front porch Saturday morning, a prominent shot of TU writer Kristi Gustafson plugging her piece on relationships. I have no problem with this, which is clearly aimed at boosting single issue sales among men. Guys are so uncomplicated that it just might work, regardless of what she's writing about. Women, on the other hand, are not so easy ---in fact, it could have just the opposite effect. After all, what are they going to do, put huge pictures of Fred LeBrun or Mark McGuire on the front page? Scary.

And what about Kristi and relationships?

I can't imagine dating someone who didn't like golf and/or Dave Matthews Band as those, um, obsessions basically dominate my life for a good six months out of the year. But I'd be even less attracted to someone who pretended to like these things. I'd rather a guy admit straight up he's never heard "The Stone" or he thought a slice was what you ordered from the pizza parlor on the corner, rather than something that haunts so many golfers.

There you go, boys. The golf lessons you can get anywhere, but to establish your Dave Matthews credibility, you'll need to get on the web and find some bootlegs. Best of luck from Albany Eye.

Quote of the Week

2006-09-29T08:32:00.000-04:00

Fox 23 news director Gene Ross explains his secret plan for morning news domination to the TU's Mark McGuire:

"We're going to loosen up the format as we go along. What we're talking about is doing something more like radio."

You mean it's going to suck?

Honorable Mention: John Faso suggesting that Eliot Spitzer will "force gay marriage down the throats of New Yorkers." Seventh graders everywhere loved that one.

Girl of the North Country

2006-09-29T05:28:00.000-04:00

Are you one of those people who can't stand her incessant jabbering? Does the word Yummo make you cringe? Would you pay $40 a day to make her disappear? Then you probably won't want to watch Rachael Ray's new syndicated show.

There's no question that Ray is a polarizing figure, and this does nothing to find any middle ground. The producers have created the perfect platform for her exuberant personality; it's a relentless hour of energy that delivers the goods for people who enjoy Ray, and will leave those who don't like her wanting to slash their wrists.

As long as they can keep the energy level up, it's sure to work. For women she's the fun best friend who can always make them laugh. And imagine her helping out with your party. Men would like her at the party, too ---except they want her out back on the deck slamming shots of tequila.

One note: I wouldn't try the viewer tip that showed a woman using her washing machine as a salad spinner. I don't know about you, but I put all sorts of nasty stuff in my washing machine.

Mmmm...Crunchy

2006-09-28T06:54:00.000-04:00

It's time for Fright Fest at the Great Escape, and this year's event will offer a shot at some must-have video:

New for 2006, Fright Fest guests will have an opportunity to move straight to the front of the line by consuming a creepy, crawling Madagascar Hissing cockroach! This challenge will take place for one hour, each day, during The Great Escape's Fright Fest opening weekend (Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1).

If you can't wait until the weekend, during today's media event at the park, there will be a demonstration of "Proper techniques for handling and eating insects/cockroaches (One live demonstration will be provided)." Or you could just head down to a certain very old and famous downtown eatery on lower State Street.

My, Oh Mai

2006-09-28T06:52:00.000-04:00

Well, it looked like former WTEN morning anchor Mai Shiozaki had landed a nice gig in a nice town. She was hired by Madison, Wisconsin ABC affiliate WKOW to helm their morning news ---but four days into her new job, before even going on the air, she resigned from the station.

Some of you may recall that Shiozaki was arrested for shoplifting in the Boston area in 2005; the charges were later dismissed. Did the story have something to do with what happened? Your guess is as good as mine, but it didn't help that the incident was mentioned in a story about Shiozaki's hiring in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Before Mai arrived, news director Al Zobel said, "She's a pro and she's smart. I'm really happy to get her at our station." A week later? "It's a very unfortunate situation for all concerned."

The Veal Deal

2006-09-27T06:59:00.000-04:00

A reader pointed this out from yesterday's TU; it gets my vote for strangest correction of the year:

An illustration of a deer in the By The Numbers column in Sunday's CQ section depicted the wrong kind of animal. The drawing, accompanying an item about the cholesterol content of veal brains, should have been a calf.

By the way, if you're watching your cholesterol, lay off the veal brains.

Whirly Cam!

2006-09-27T05:53:00.000-04:00

What the hell is up with those St. Peter's Hospital spots? I'm talking about the ones with the nervous camera that never stops its slow clockwise gyrations ---all for no apparent reason. I guess it's to make the people talking about their heart trouble and emergency room visits seem more exciting. Maybe next time someone's telling me about their medical woes, I'll move my head around like the camera and see if their story starts getting interesting.

If you ask me, this stuff is just annoying. Not to get all film schooly with you, but if you want camera movement, subtle dollying or trucking makes a shot interesting without it becoming distracting, which is what you get with all this trendy, irrelevant nonsense.

I wonder if the hospital is seeing patients who were made nauseous by watching their commercials?

Shiny Happy People

2006-09-26T06:50:00.000-04:00

We were told that Fox 23 Daybreak would be a different kind of morning show, but in fact it's a morning show very much like every other local morning news show. Did I say very much? I meant exactly like every other morning news show. Except for having a traffic reporter (like CapitalNews 9) it's essentially the same formula as what you'll find everywhere else.

If anything stands out, it's anchors Diane Lee and Mark Baker. They're an an attractive pair, especially when compared to the Mailey/O'Brien frightshow over at CBS 6. Those two guys really have faces made for radio. Lee and Baker put on a pretty good show and they've got the skills to make it slick and watchable ---which is to say that their happy talk at the end of the show was a lot less forced than what you see elsewhere. How's that for a benchmark?

Insiders say that the audience for morning news is growing; now that the pie is being sliced into smaller pieces it had better be.

Of Moose And Men

2006-09-25T08:32:00.000-04:00

A while ago, some brainiac figured out a way for news content like AP wire stories to be posted automatically to web sites. That's great, but then when nobody bothers looking at the stuff, you get strange mistakes like this one from WRGB:
This is what happens when two minutes after filing a story, some editor at AP notices that they've got the wrong number of moose (mooses?) and shoots out another version. The newspaper doesn't print both stories and the radio stations don't read both on the air, but the web-bot in the server? It doesn't know the difference and posts them both to the web site, making you appear very, very stupid. Automatic is good; automatic without editing, not so great.

I See Dead People

2006-09-22T05:55:00.000-04:00

We can't spell Times Union without U!

The Times Union Reader Network has been hard at work consulting the paper on difficult editorial decisions. Rex Smith yesterday explained how TURN members convinced the TU to publish that photo of Michael Thompson, deceased victim of last week's Route 50 car v. pedestrian accident. Smith wrote:

By an overwhelming margin, those who responded to our e-mailed question about these photos Wednesday urged us to publish them.

Yeah, no kidding. Hey, readers: who wants to see the dead guy??? Anyway, I predict we'll read more about this in his Saturday column.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story erroneously suggested that the Times Union Reader Network is seldom mentioned in the paper or noted in any of its stories. My bad!