Lantern's Spotlight - Canadians, Aging, and Ron Burgundy: Chapter 3
Greetings, cyberspace!
It seems like an eternity since I started the three-part opus on getting older. Birthdays offer an opportunity for self-reflection, usually focused on change. Since the last time I made the effort to put fingers to keyboard for Lantern's Light, more than my age has changed.
While my wife and I were spared much of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, circumstances forced us to move from the New Orleans area and relocate to Atlanta. It us unlikely we will be returning to New Orleans anytime soon.
There are many stories to tell, and I feel fortunate that much of what I'm sharing will reflect the good in people. These stories will have to wait while I close my magnum opus on turning 37:
The Passing of Peter Jennings and the Death of the Anchorman
Jennings remained a background figure for me, mostly because I didn't learn that under his bland exterior was a dedicated, thorough professional. Not until the terrorist attacks of September 11th did I see his true "inner Anchorman" reveal itself. I remember watching him, deep into his 16-plus hour stint on air. He looked a little frayed around the edges - the perfect anchorman veneer cracked by his tired look. On the other hand Jennings' voice, demeanor, mannerisms, all revealed a professional news hound who realized an entire country was depending on him to be a mouthpiece for the select few that had the ability to learn was REALLY happening. It was his job to sort out the facts from the innuendo, rumor and terror that often accompany such world-changing events, all with no lead time or detailed fact-checking.The main reason the death of Peter Jennings on August 8th caught my attention was because we share the same birthday.
Really. That's it. I was never a big fan. I always thought it was odd that a Canadian national was reading American national news, for one thing. In fact after Walter Cronkite retired in 1981, I rarely became interested in a national-level anchor or news program again.
I think that's why I enjoy the movie Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy so much. It's not just for the performances or the satire - it's the memory of a by-gone time in broadcasting.
When I was a kid, I worshiped the news team from KTUL. "The News Guys" were the epitome of the 70's TV newsmen lampooned in Anchorman. In fact, this link has some old promos showing my favorite news trio of Bob Howard (anchor), Don Woods (weather) and Chris Lincoln (sports). These clips hearken back to a romantic time when local TV news was the bedrock of communities, and on-air personalities were seen as civic leaders and opinion makers. Even if you AREN'T from 1970's-era Tulsa, they're worth a look. You'll even note where like Ron Burgundy and his posse, they too eventually accepted YY chromisome owner Susan Silver into their on-air boy's club.
Despite KTUL being favorite local channel and news program, my single favorite newsman wasn't anchor Bob Howard but Jerry Webber - who originally began as sports commentator for NBC affiliate KTEW, and eventually became evening anchor after the station changed call letters to KJRH.
The thing about Webber was mostly his image. He just looked so NEAT and COOL. Like Ron Burgundy, his hair was perfect, his skin was flawless, and his outfits were sharp enough to cut glass. Even at three years old, my mother tells me I would shout out "Jer-we-weh-BAH" whenever Jerry's face hit the screen. On air he was smooth, polished, friendly and engaging. You almost believed he attended every high school game he reported on, or that he could have attended any of the colleges when he provided voice overs of footage.
By the time Webber became anchor, I began to notice a decline in the overall quality of the people under him. Oh, it wasn't anything I could put my finger on, but these other folks sharing Jerry's desk at KJRH, or the News Guys replacements at KTUL, just didn't seem to have the same "oomph" as their predecessors. My kneejerk thought is that the rise of national news contributed to the demise of local news teams, just as cable news outlets are making national news programs irrelevant.
In the race for ratings, raises and exposure, people in the media seemed willing to give up a lot to be "the next Ted Koppel" or "the new Dan Rather". When the venerable Cronkite retired, the field seemed wide open for a replacement who could provide that same level of trust - and anyone with experience in front of the camera thought he or she would be that person. These choices were made at the expense of stability in the local TV news organizations, which in turn creates the downward spiral of lost viewership, decreased ad revenue, cutbacks, consolidations, etc. Now every time I turn on the news in New Orleans, Atlanta, Tulsa, Las Vegas, or any market where I've spent more than a few days, the local news seems to be this homogeneous collection of racially balanced talking heads. Each one vapid and replaceable, each one looking for the next break to propel them into a larger market to make more money and get more famous.
And I put Mr. Peter Jennings in the category as well. At least I did before his death.
While I was familiar with Koppel and Rather, Jennings seemed to come from out of nowhere to take over "ABC World News Tonight" - when in fact he had anchored some years before and bowed out of his own volition citing inexperience. That's a classy, professional move that you're not likely to see today, and certainly more impressive than knowing his father helped 19 year old high school-dropout Peter with a job based only on daddy's connections with the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
Still, Peter was wise enough to hone his talent further as a field correspondent before coming back to the ABC anchor desk in 1983. There he established enough professional credibility to interview presidents, statesmen and gather 16 Emmy awards and other awards for journalism.
Really. That's it. I was never a big fan. I always thought it was odd that a Canadian national was reading American national news, for one thing. In fact after Walter Cronkite retired in 1981, I rarely became interested in a national-level anchor or news program again.
I think that's why I enjoy the movie Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy so much. It's not just for the performances or the satire - it's the memory of a by-gone time in broadcasting.
When I was a kid, I worshiped the news team from KTUL. "The News Guys" were the epitome of the 70's TV newsmen lampooned in Anchorman. In fact, this link has some old promos showing my favorite news trio of Bob Howard (anchor), Don Woods (weather) and Chris Lincoln (sports). These clips hearken back to a romantic time when local TV news was the bedrock of communities, and on-air personalities were seen as civic leaders and opinion makers. Even if you AREN'T from 1970's-era Tulsa, they're worth a look. You'll even note where like Ron Burgundy and his posse, they too eventually accepted YY chromisome owner Susan Silver into their on-air boy's club.
Despite KTUL being favorite local channel and news program, my single favorite newsman wasn't anchor Bob Howard but Jerry Webber - who originally began as sports commentator for NBC affiliate KTEW, and eventually became evening anchor after the station changed call letters to KJRH.
The thing about Webber was mostly his image. He just looked so NEAT and COOL. Like Ron Burgundy, his hair was perfect, his skin was flawless, and his outfits were sharp enough to cut glass. Even at three years old, my mother tells me I would shout out "Jer-we-weh-BAH" whenever Jerry's face hit the screen. On air he was smooth, polished, friendly and engaging. You almost believed he attended every high school game he reported on, or that he could have attended any of the colleges when he provided voice overs of footage.
By the time Webber became anchor, I began to notice a decline in the overall quality of the people under him. Oh, it wasn't anything I could put my finger on, but these other folks sharing Jerry's desk at KJRH, or the News Guys replacements at KTUL, just didn't seem to have the same "oomph" as their predecessors. My kneejerk thought is that the rise of national news contributed to the demise of local news teams, just as cable news outlets are making national news programs irrelevant.
In the race for ratings, raises and exposure, people in the media seemed willing to give up a lot to be "the next Ted Koppel" or "the new Dan Rather". When the venerable Cronkite retired, the field seemed wide open for a replacement who could provide that same level of trust - and anyone with experience in front of the camera thought he or she would be that person. These choices were made at the expense of stability in the local TV news organizations, which in turn creates the downward spiral of lost viewership, decreased ad revenue, cutbacks, consolidations, etc. Now every time I turn on the news in New Orleans, Atlanta, Tulsa, Las Vegas, or any market where I've spent more than a few days, the local news seems to be this homogeneous collection of racially balanced talking heads. Each one vapid and replaceable, each one looking for the next break to propel them into a larger market to make more money and get more famous.
And I put Mr. Peter Jennings in the category as well. At least I did before his death.
While I was familiar with Koppel and Rather, Jennings seemed to come from out of nowhere to take over "ABC World News Tonight" - when in fact he had anchored some years before and bowed out of his own volition citing inexperience. That's a classy, professional move that you're not likely to see today, and certainly more impressive than knowing his father helped 19 year old high school-dropout Peter with a job based only on daddy's connections with the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
Still, Peter was wise enough to hone his talent further as a field correspondent before coming back to the ABC anchor desk in 1983. There he established enough professional credibility to interview presidents, statesmen and gather 16 Emmy awards and other awards for journalism.
The loss of Jennings to lung cancer drives home the end of the news anchor in broadcast media. While the position will remain, its importance will be made irrelevant due to the rise of online news media. Combining the detail of print media with the broadcast speed of television, blogs such as this one have already changed the news medium. The ability to watch news clips online and DVR services like TiVo have further fractured the television landscape that used to make shows like "Happy Days" and "M.A.S.H." ratings hits of yesterday and classic programming of today. While I'm all for people learning at their own pace and pursuing their own interests, I still feel a loss knowing that we're giving up common ground in the process.
You stay classy, Peter Jennings. Your kind is already missed.
NEXT ENTRY - Hurricane Katrina stories begin with tales of amateur meteorology at home!
posted by The Green Lantern @ 12:18 PM
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