Welcome to East Coast TV News APRIL
27, 2005 (<|>)
— More headlines by 11 a.m. (links go active by Thurs.)
— Top News: Controversy in Carolina, turn that thing off
"You're not very bright, and you'll just
have to live with that."
-- S.C. Rep. John Graham Altman (R-Charleston) to WIS-10 reporter Kara Gormley during interview
-- S.C. Rep. John Graham Altman (R-Charleston) to WIS-10 reporter Kara Gormley during interview
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WIS-TV report launches controversy in Columbia
A
South Carolina legislator is under fire after questioning the
intelligence of WIS-10 reporter Kara Gormley for comparing the progress
of two bills through the state assembly. Gormley reported last
week
that cockfighting was on track to become 
a
felony in the state, while
almost all domestic violence cases remained misdemeanors after a
committee tabled a bill to strengthen penalties for that offense. "Does
that show that we are valuing a gamecock's life over a woman's life?"
Gormley asked Rep. John Graham Altman (R-Charleston). "You're really
not very bright," Altman replied, "and I realize you are not accustomed
to this, but I'm accustomed to reporters having a better sense of depth
of things, and your asking this question of me would indicate you can't
understand the answer." Altman, who has been known to say controversial
things in the past, said Gormley should not be making the
comparison
and also questioned why women ever return to abusive partners. Last
Thursday, after an antagonistic
live interview with MSNBC anchor Randy
Meier, Altman was heard saying, "I thought network news would be
smarter than that little girl in Columbia." The State newspaper also
obtained
a tape of the committee meeting where lawmakers killed the
domestic violence bill. They joked "pop her...pop her again" about
changing "women" to "people" in the bill's name, the Protect Our Women
In Every Relationship (POWER) Act. The attention generated by the Ch.
10 report, which led to follow-up stories, phone complaints, and a
student protest at the capital, could help pass a revised criminal
domestic violence bill in
the coming days. Altman apologized
to house colleagues yesterday, but some are calling for his resignation
or
censure.
BACK
TO TOPa
felony in the state, while
almost all domestic violence cases remained misdemeanors after a
committee tabled a bill to strengthen penalties for that offense. "Does
that show that we are valuing a gamecock's life over a woman's life?"
Gormley asked Rep. John Graham Altman (R-Charleston). "You're really
not very bright," Altman replied, "and I realize you are not accustomed
to this, but I'm accustomed to reporters having a better sense of depth
of things, and your asking this question of me would indicate you can't
understand the answer." Altman, who has been known to say controversial
things in the past, said Gormley should not be making the
comparison
and also questioned why women ever return to abusive partners. Last
Thursday, after an antagonistic
live interview with MSNBC anchor Randy
Meier, Altman was heard saying, "I thought network news would be
smarter than that little girl in Columbia." The State newspaper also
obtained
a tape of the committee meeting where lawmakers killed the
domestic violence bill. They joked "pop her...pop her again" about
changing "women" to "people" in the bill's name, the Protect Our Women
In Every Relationship (POWER) Act. The attention generated by the Ch.
10 report, which led to follow-up stories, phone complaints, and a
student protest at the capital, could help pass a revised criminal
domestic violence bill in
the coming days. Altman apologized
to house colleagues yesterday, but some are calling for his resignation
or
censure.Brooklyn residents sue WNBC for chopper crash
The
residents of two Brooklyn buildings that broke the fall of WNBC-4's
news helicopter when it crashed last year are
suing the station, according to the Daily News. Attorney Adam
Thompson is representing about fifty tenants in a pending lawsuit
against Ch. 4 over the May 2004 crash, the cause of which has not yet
been determined by the National Transportation Safety Board.
"Regardless of the cause, if a helicopter goes up, it should go down
and land safely," Thompson told the News. The suit claims the
helicopter was operated in a "careless and unsafe" manner. WCBS-2
reported last year that residents were getting the cold shoulder from
Ch. 4, which blamed operator Helinet for the crash. Andrew Torres, the
chopper reporter who was in the crash, has since returned to his duties
on the 5 p.m. newscast in a different helicopter."TV-Turnoff Week" promoted as sweeps begin
A
non-profit group that claims
television undermines
family li
fe and
promotes obesity and violence is
this week asking people to stop watching TV for seven days. The
TV-Turnoff Network is an organization "that encourages children and
adults to watch much less television in order to promote healthier
lives and
communities," according
to its website. Instead
of worrying about what is on television, the 11-year old group says it
focuses on the idea that "breaking free of TV is a fun, liberating, and
enriching experience." "Rather
than waiting for others to make 'better'
TV, we can turn it off and reclaim time for our families, our friends,
and for ourselves," the website states. This
year's week overlaps with the May sweeps
period, one of the key Nielsen ratings periods, which begins today. The
Washington-based group,
with only a few staffers, estimates it influenced over 7 million people
to join in its "TV-Turnoff
Week" last year.
BACK
TO TOPfe and
promotes obesity and violence is
this week asking people to stop watching TV for seven days. The
TV-Turnoff Network is an organization "that encourages children and
adults to watch much less television in order to promote healthier
lives and
communities," according
to its website. Instead
of worrying about what is on television, the 11-year old group says it
focuses on the idea that "breaking free of TV is a fun, liberating, and
enriching experience." "Rather
than waiting for others to make 'better'
TV, we can turn it off and reclaim time for our families, our friends,
and for ourselves," the website states. This
year's week overlaps with the May sweeps
period, one of the key Nielsen ratings periods, which begins today. The
Washington-based group,
with only a few staffers, estimates it influenced over 7 million people
to join in its "TV-Turnoff
Week" last year.
