Tuesday, February 26, 2008

In a small market such as the one I live in, competition can be fierce between the tv news stations. Every one is so close, and there tends to be so little hard news to cover, but they're still clamoring to gain a few rating points and get a little recognition from the public. Recently the local entertainment paper's user-rated 'best of' article came out. Anyone can write in votes for the best of everything from bars to car dealerships to local 'celebrities' hairstyles. We're number three, and with a sketchy past, will take a long time (if ever) to get past that but we revel in our victories. Our anchors are finally ON the 'best of' list, number three, but we didn't used to show up at all. And our website was number three, but not behind the other TV news station websites (so, we're the best tv news website, that's a victory!).

But, that's not what it's about, in the end. Despite the competition and the rivalry, we live in a small community where people go to church together and have friends at the other stations. And yesterday, a meterologist from the ABC affiliate in town died of a heart attack. He was always the most dramatic weather forecaster, and people either loved that about him or laughed at it and checked what the others were saying also, but he was definitely known, and loved. He'd been here forecasting the weather for almost seven years, a good run for a news personality (they always want to move up to bigger and better things!). The community mourns. You could see the grief during that station's newscast last night, though they carried on very well.

The thing that compounds this, is that it's not the first time this station has lost a well-loved meterologist. Back in 1994, a VERY popular meterologist, known for flipping his pointer during his forecast, died in a car accident during some crappy winter weather. I think he was coming back from Christmas with his family, if I remember correctly. I was only 14, and am quite sure I never paid much attention to the news, but I remember him and the talk and the tribute to him very well. I'm not sure if anyone at this station was there then, and a bit of me hopes not, as it doesn't seem fair for one station to have to deal with almost the exact same tragedy twice...

by yellowgirl at 9:20 AM |