Thursday, December 5, 2013

Are You Kidding Me?

I've been a broadcaster since 1979, and for the most part, I'm proud of my profession.  As someone once said, we comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  We inform.  We can make lives better.

It's a given in the business.  We keep an eye on the competition.  In recent years, that included watching new media try to eat a slice of our pie.  However, there are times when we are our own worst enemies.

Submitted for your disapproval, KXMB in North Dakota.  It allowed talentless goof Will Ferrell to anchor a real newscast as character Ron Burgundy this past weekend.

I heard his co anchor, KXMB's Amber Schatz on the radio the other morning.  She said they didn't want Ferrell/Burgundy to go to far because they'd "lose their credibility."  Really!?  I have a newsflash for young Amber.  You lost all credibility the second you put that witless oaf on the set.

The stunt gave KXMB tons of free publicity.  Clips of the Burgundy newscast were on stations across the country and the internet.  Was it worth it?  Was it worth damaging your image for the attention you got from a silly stunt?

Sadly, there are a lot of people in the business who will say "yes."