The KTVU Namegate affair has taken a dramatic turn.
Several insiders in the know have told me that the Asiana Airliner pilot-name brouhaha might very well have been perpetrated by individuals from the local SF-TV competition. Or from a rogue KTVU staffer bent on revenge!
Even with the disclosure that an NTSB intern has been identified and relieved of his duties, the embarrassing incident still made it past KTVU news personnel on duty at the time of the Noon News newscast last Friday.
*Bullet Points:
1) The internal investigation is being run by Cox Atlanta. The Cox family does NOT like controversy, or to be embarrassed. This is a family owned company; there are NO stockholders. The family holds its pride close. Their internal security team usually consists of retired FBI and Secret Service. As one of America's richest families, they protect their own interests.
2) NO ONE at KTVU is safe. If COX feels management is lax, the GM or ND could be gone.
3) Probably 4 or 5 employees in the newsroom "touched" the story before air. They include the assignment desk; a writer; a producer; a graphic artist; and the anchor. It's possible the executive producer and/or news director saw it, too. That's a LOT of eyes missing the real story! All could be fired.
4) A leading candidate for the prank...other TV stations in the market. KTVU made LOTS of enemies with its over-the-top, self-serving promo touting its coverage of the plane crash (which WAS very good). But in doing so, they rubbed noses in the dirt at KGO, KPIX, KRON and KNTV. Any p-o'd person at one of those stations could have pulled the prank.
5) Whoever did this has insider knowledge of the "flow" of the KTVU newsroom (which is typical of any TV newsroom). The fact that the information came in as breaking news, so close to news time, tells you that the perpetrator knew the story might be rushed to air, with only a cursory review of the "facts!". The person who did this leveraged their knowledge of how a newsroom works on deadline. Well played.
**Developing...
*Exclusive
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It doesn't matter. Someone at KTVU wrote down those names and they got on air. 100% of the blame lies within the walls of 2 Jack London Square.
ReplyDeleteOkay, well if this is true I admit I am SHOCKED that four or five people could have touched this. Really am. But if your source is right then facts are facts. I wish I knew who the producer was. The regular noon producer--at least until recently I know he was...perhaps he recently stopped down or retired--has been doing that shift for maybe 17-20 years. He has/had an eagle eye and could find the tiniest mistakes, let alone something this egregious, so I can't imagine it could be him. Don't know who the writers are these days but they *used* to be very good, among the best in the business. But everyone is cutting back these days and KTVU is starting to look like KRON in terms of the wet-behind-the-ears reporters.
ReplyDeleteKTVU announces names of new SF Giants mid-season additions, all apparently from Asian leagues:
ReplyDeleteNo Hom Run
Hun-ta Pen Sux
Pan-da Fat
Go Po See
Lin Xi Cum
...
The pinnacle of your literary career in cyberspace. I bet ma and pa back home are real proud of you.
DeleteSleep well tonight. America needs more deep thinkers just like yourself.
that was so funny the way you followed up those racist puns with your own offering. Well done
DeletePerhaps they'd already changed it, but I did notice today that the noon sign-off was not "thank you for trusting KTVU" but "thank you for *choosing* KTVU", which is still asinine.
ReplyDeleteTori, wrong place wrong time, probably stays. Graphic person, out, should have flagged it. Teleprompter and/or script, out, same thing. Someone higher? Opportunity presents itself. Maybe the right heads will roll. Thank you for leaving KTVU.
They haven't been doing the "trust" tagline for a while. I noticed it a few weeks ago.
DeleteNot sure about other stations, but at KTVU the writer is the person who writes what's on the full screens. They don't have to send it to a graphics person. The writer simply clicks on the template in the computer system and fills it in. Not an excuse for what happened though.
DeleteYeah, in a modern TV plant, the prompter operator simply turns the dial. They are normally production assistants or interns who have no editorial control. There, most likely, was no graphic artist involved, either. KTVU uses Inews, which would have plug-ins to put text over blank full-screen templates.
DeleteI heard Asianas lawyer, Wi Sue Yu. Is really going for damages
ReplyDeletedamages? I think the hits on the reputation of Asiana airlines derived out of having pilots on a doomed flight who weren't professional enough to check their airspeed on approach to a major airport...out of telling passengers not to evacuate a burning plane...etc.
DeleteYou would have to prove they were damaged by a television station reporting the wrong names of pilots.
I'm thinking rule 11 sanctions.
"Graphic person, out, should have flagged it."
ReplyDeleteThat was my first thought. However, someone on the SFGate blog, said that the graphic operator DID see it, and called it to the attention of "the desk." But, "the desk," was satisfied with having had corroboration from the NTSB.
I don't know what is true. It will, likely, be known soon.
There is no graphic person. Writers do all the chirons these days.
DeleteA highly-placed manager at KTVU was leaving the company that very day. This person would have had all the clearances to have fabricated the "Sum Ting Wong, Wi Tu Lo" story and sent it all the way to the noon news broadcast. It may have been done as a "last day on the job" prank by someone that KTVU can't touch any more.
ReplyDeleteYes, Friday was technically Janice's last day as Associate News Director, but she hasn't been at KTVU since her departure was first announced. Her office has been cleaned out for at least a week. As much as she was disliked at the station, I highly doubt she'd purposely try to sabotage anyone.
DeleteNot saying it's her but why couldn't they touch her? You can sue anyone who maliciously acts against you.
DeletePoor Janice, she gets fired and blamed for one of the worst TV news blunders of all times in about one week. Sucks!
DeletePoor Janice! What are you smoking?? She was locked on the ND opening after Special Ed. It was her job to lose. That's exactly what happened due in part to her giant ego. As you know, Janice could be brutal...especially to writers. Do you think Janice cried during the pogrom of older KTVU reporters? First lawyer deposition is Miss Karma is a bitch. The Bay Area desperately needs the prospective of an Asian-American ND female. Too bad Janice didn't have the right stuff. Neither does the EP at KGO.... Ms. Yee. Ask the writers why she has the look and personality of "Cousin It" from the Adams Family!
DeleteFor KTVU to try to blame its negligence and sloppy work on sabotage by competitors, is ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteGetting closer but the NTSB confirming names at first changes everything. Their apology and claim it was an 'intern' doesn't help from my view. They are implicated as well and that is an official government entity. One which had to confirm the names in order for the process to move forward. Do not let them slide so easily.
ReplyDeleteTalk about being played? Look where its at now...subterfuge, conspiracy. Rabbit hole only gets deeper man...government involvement is a known known at this point.
Someone's meeting me later in a parking garage behind a pillar. He'll be wearing a trenchcoat and chain-smoking. He tells me in his "throaty" voice this goes very deep. I'd tell you more but then I'd have to kill you afterwards...
DeleteFor the last several years, Tory C has this look on her face that reads as if she has just received a non-acceptance letter for her son/daughter from UC. Her expression is that of total disdain. Her "new" hairdo makes her look like a disgruntled old lady. Replace her with Pam Cook.
ReplyDeleteThe only person that knows who started it is Roland. He took the call.
ReplyDelete