<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/styles.css" type="text/css"> </head> <body> <table width="775" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="140"> <tr> <td style="padding-left:30px" background="images/image1.jpg" class="logo">Newswriting.com<font size=2><p><b><I> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript1.2">  </SCRIPT> </b></I></td> </tr> </table> <table width="775" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#BFE1E7" width="200" valign="top"> <br> <table width="150" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" class="text"> <tr> <td><b><a href="index.html">Home</a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="about.htm">About</a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="groaners.htm">Groaners</a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="articles.htm">Articles</a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="tools.htm">Writing Tools</a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="resources.htm">Resources</a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="feedback.htm">Feedback</a></b></td> </tr><td><b><BR><BR><BR><BR> <a href=http://www.newswriting.com/contact.htm><IMG SRC="images/opinion.jpg" border=0></a><BR><BR><BR>  <center> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="google_window"> <table bgcolor="#BFE1E7"> <tr><td nowrap="nowrap" valign="top" align="left" height="32"> <br/> <label for="sbi" style="display: none">Enter your search terms</label> <input type="text" name="q" size="16" maxlength="255" value="" id="sbi"></input> </td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" align="center"> <label for="sbb" style="display: none">Submit search form</label> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Google Search" id="sbb"></input> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-7152362702940376"></input> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#000000;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:BFE1E7;LBGC:000000;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:333333;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en"></input> </td></tr></table> </form> </center>  <BR><BR><BR> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></table> </td> <td style="padding-left:25px; padding-right:25px; padding-top:25px; padding-bottom:25px" class="text" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><span class="title">Dear President-Elect Obama</span> <p><font face=arial> <BR> <BR><BR><b><I>By Abe Rosenberg</B></I><BR><BR> <BR> <BR> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><IMG SRC="images/Obama.jpg" align="right">Congratulations on your impressive and historic victory. As you prepare to take on the enormous tasks before you, it's worth taking a moment to consider the role the media will play in your administration.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">You've emerged from a long, grueling campaign in which whole sections of the press were, at different times, demonized, ridiculed, belittled, held up to mass anger, and, occasionally, kicked off the bus. </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">You are also succeeding a president and administration that routinely practiced secrecy and deception, while favoring “friendly” media, treating such “friends” as a virtual public relations arm of the White House. </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">The climate has been unhealthy, but you have the opportunity to change it, just as you promise to change the rancorous political climate in our country.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">I hope you'll take these recommendations to heart:</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><I><B>Play It Straight. </I></B> A secrecy-obsessed administration is a doomed administration. There can be no better way to begin to unite our country than by keeping its citizens fully informed. Your calls for service and sacrifice will be received enthusiastically only if the public fully understands what you intend to do, and how you intend to do it. We in the media are your vehicle to help you achieve this. It is part of our historic and constitutional mission. A free people must get their information from a free press. Tell us frankly and clearly what your plans are, and we will communicate the message.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><I><B>Expect And Accept Bumps. </I></B> Inevitably members of the media will criticize you and your policies. I hope you'll always remember that reporters who ask tough questions or expose deficiencies are not the enemy. They are doing their job and their patriotic duty. It may be tempting to blame us or accuse us of bias when things go badly. Every president has done it at one time or another. It's a bad habit too many politicians have cultivated. Break it.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><I><B>We're All The Same. Even When We're Not. </I></B> Please don't play media favorites. How embarrassing it was to hear the Secretary of State praise “my Fox guys. I love every one of them!” How ridiculous to learn that the Vice President insisted on viewing only one news network on all the TV's in his line of sight. How disturbing it was to read reports that journalists from two conservative newspapers were taken off your campaign plane because of “space limitations” while Ebony and Jet kept their seats. In a free society with a free press, no journalist deserves to be frozen out, nor do any of us want to “cozy up” to the government. Tolerance of all is essential, while a healthy, respectful distance is maintained Journalists and politicians are professionals. Let's keep the relationship professional as well.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">None of this will be easy because it goes against the grain. It's so different from what has become the norm. But if you really do mean to bring about positive change, this is a great place to start.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">Good luck, sir.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><B>Changes in New York</B></P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">Two stations where I used to work are going through some significant changes worth noting:</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><B>Not So Live At Five</B></P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">It's sad to see what's happening to<IMG SRC="images/wnbc.jpg" align="right"> WNBC-TV. Not that many years ago the Channel 4 news operation towered over its competitors. The best anchors. The best reporters on the street. The highest professionalism behind the scenes, from the writers to the techs and right up to top management. The most Emmys. Cutting edge stories. Serious investigative reporting. It was a privilege to contribute to it, and a joy to watch.</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">Today's WNBC is a shadow of its former self. Viewership is down. Good people on both sides of the camera have been let go. But instead of fixing what's broken, managers plan to build new structures on top of a crumbling foundation. Grandiose plans for multi-platform, 'round the clock “content” (not “news,” but “content”). Current employees are “invited to re-apply” for newly created positions (who are we kidding here? That's euphemistic camouflage for pulling workers out of their union and paying them less.) </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">The managers at WNBC are ignoring two rather large elephants in the room. First, if viewers have clearly rejected Channel 4's inferior product, why would they suddenly embrace it on a digital cable channel, or on the Web? Second, when in human history has it ever been the case, that you can motivate and improve your workforce by showing them disrespect, ignoring their years of experience, threatening their job security and demanding they start over, work harder and accept less pay?</P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><B>Back To Basics!</B></P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><IMG SRC="images/pix.jpg" align="right">While WNBC makes an ill-advised step forward, WPIX is taking a wise step backward, reprising its iconic “Circle-11” logo. This may seem like a small, even trivial thing. But it's not. New York knows that symbol and equates it with quality. The “Circle-11” sign was on the screen during PIX's best years. It is instantly recognizable and always welcome. It's a reminder of the good work of the good old days, like when Richard Hughes solemnly delivered station editorials with a large Circle-11 over his shoulder (we used to call him “Mister Elevenhead”). </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in"><BR><IMG SRC="images/hughes11.jpg" align="center"> </P> <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">Coincidentally or not, PIX didn't seem like PIX whenever the station fiddled with the logo (remember “11-Alive?” Eeeewwww.....) Shoe-horning the station's identity into a pre-fab “WB11” or “CW-11” just didn't work. Circle-11 proudly stood for independence, and now, it will again. Nice move.</P> <BR> <BR> <BR><BR><BR> <P><I>To read previous columns, visit the <a href="archive.htm">Archive.</I></P> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="775" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="30"> <tr> <td class="text" align="center" bgcolor="#D0ECF1">Copyright 2000-2008 Abe Rosenberg. All rights reserved.</td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>