11/3/06
Just the other day I received an e-mail from a couple absolutely flabbergasted that I had e-mailed THEM. They were shocked because they never expected their suggestions and comments to elicit a response. Maybe they figured I was too busy, or worse yet, too important to respond to one person's comments. In fact, it's just the opposite. Communicating with viewers, hearing the good and the bad, is one of the most important things I do.
It shouldn't be any secret that we make our living trying to get you to watch our program. We know that our business, like all businesses, centers around service. Having the greatest product in the world doesn't do you a bit of good if you don't back it up with support. You HAVE to listen to what your customers have to say, and in fact you should relish it.
Which is why I've made a policy of reading and responding to every individual e-mail. Sometimes it's easy. The compliment department is always open, and it's not much of an effort to say thank you. Other times, you're faced with people who believe they can say anything about you simply because you're on TV. I've answered e-mails from viewers who can't understand how I ever got a job in the business. Over the years, they've hated everything, from my hair, to my voice, to my choice of ties.
But that's the subjective nature of what we do. In politics, you're a success if you please half the people, plus one. In baseball you're successful if you fail to get a hit two thirds of the time. In TV, all you have to do is get people to watch, even if they love to hate you.
So here's the open invitation. I've officially put a target on my back and it's up to you to take aim and fire. Ultimately, the shots you take will be taken to heart and maybe even put into action. No matter what you say, you'll hear back from me.
Steve Irvin
sirvin@abc15.com
11/2/06
I don't know about you, but I'll be very happy next Wednesday morning.
That's because, by late Tuesday night, all of the political advertisements will suddenly stop.
Call me nutty, but I've always been a big fan of TV commercials. Some of the funniest, most creative work in the business has come about in order to sell products.
But what we've witnessed this political season is certainly not funny, and only creative in the most insidious way.
At best, the thirty second messages which have aired on every commercial television station in our state have been a vitriolic collection of half truths, out-of-context accusations and plain lies. Were we to believe all of it, then every candidate is a corrupt tax dodger working sweetheart deals for their friends and business partners. Were we to believe all of it, they're all angels, selflessly working on behalf of the citizens of the state for the betterment of society.
What saddens me, above all else, is that it apparently works. The parties know, if you care at all, that eventually in the firmament of filth on the airwaves, they will find your hot button. Do you care about immigration, gay marriage, abortion, national security? Of course you do, and they spend millions knowing much of it will fly by, but some of it will lodge in your grey matter and it might just be enough for you to check their guy's box.
Ads move poll numbers and poll numbers are the only measure of a candidate gaining or losing ground. So the ads keep coming and in the final days before the election the campaigns play their trump cards. If there is a nuclear option, they take it.
The result is an electorate which is largely uninformed. Don't believe me? Ask yourself if you really understand all 19 propositions on our ballot. Could you name the candidates for Secretary of State? Who's your favorite for Corporation Commission? Could you name your State Senator or Representative?
If so, count yourself among the very few who go to their own time and trouble to truly research the ballot and make an informed choice.
If not, there's still time. Take some time this weekend to do a little research. We've created a special section right here on ABC15.com with a sample ballot and a voter guide. Know who you're voting for, what you're voting for and why.
Vote based on your own convictions and not some 30 second ad. And on Wednesday morning, you'll be happy too.
Steve Irvin
sirvin@abc15.com
11/1/06
I'm convinced that an enterprising student could do their Phd dissertation in sociology, simply by observing children on Halloween night. Ever since I became a homeowner, I've always enjoyed being the one to hand out candy on October 31st. It's fascinating. I always open the door and hold out a large bowl filled with goodies, just to see what the kids will do. Some of them start grabbing candy by the handful, and they keep grabbing it until you tell them to stop. Other children carefully pick one piece -- at which point I tell them they can have a "couple" -- then it's off to the races. Other children just stand there, waiting for instructions, at which point they do exactly as they're told.
I've often wondered if their candy grabbing habits foretell what they'll be like as adults. Will the free-for-all candy grabbers (who rarely say trick-or-treat) grow up to be selfish, opportunistic adults? Will the kids who wait for instructions be the ones who always do what they're told, even when it's time for action?
Personally, my hope lies with the kids who grab one, then go for the gusto once they're given the green light. These are the kids who seem most willing to change their method for the situation. These are kids who can adapt. They can be opportunistic on occasion, or rule followers, but mostly they're independent thinkers with a sense of right and wrong.
Or not. Someone will do a study, no doubt. But until then, I'll be wondering which category MY child fits.
I bring up this stuff because it's the type of random thought that creeps into your head when you're on vacation. Some might say it's the type of thought that pops up because of the natural observational curiosity that makes me a journalist.
I call it boredom. Let's just say I'm glad to be back, and glad to be reading so many e-mails from viewers.
Look for some new developments on our program this month. Daphne Munro, our smart shopper, will be spending the entire month bringing you deals of the day. In the past, we've watched as viewers have bagged up hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for free, and received deep discounts on everything from spa treatments to restaurant meals. The word is out, and lots of businesses are lining up to offer great deals and get new customers into their stores.
Also, we've recently announced some new additions to our Daybreak family. Last week, we hired Rebecca Thomas (pictured to the left), a talented young anchor and reporter from Palm Springs. Rebecca will team up with me starting in mid-December. I've had a chance to meet her and get to know her through the interview process, and I have every confidence she'll be a great fit for this team.
Once again, thanks to all who've taken the time to read and write back. I've enjoyed reading them and I always write back.
Feel free to contact me at sirvin@abc15.com.
Steve Irvin
ABC 15 News
10/25/06
First off, a hearty thank you to all who've read and responded to our little Daybreak blog. After telling you about it on air for the first time Tuesday, many of you took the time to write to let me know what you think.
There were several who pointed out this is not a true blog. You're right. A true blog is more like an electronic bulletin board, where one person posts a message, another person responds or starts their own topic. Since we already have a "sound off" discussion forum on the website, we didn't want to confuse it with a similar vehicle.
Having said that, this is still meant to be interactive, and a chance to give you a voice in our programming. To that end, I read and respond to every e-mail, so feel free to send along a message. If you want your response to find a more public display, feel free to use that sound-off forum. Read through a few of the postings, and you'll find we let people say what they think (and for some of you, we have to be pretty thick-skinned).
Many of you e-mailed to thank us for providing a more complete story about Tracy Kornet. If you'd like to read it, just scroll down to the posting dated 10/20/06. Many of you also asked about Diane Arthur, our former Business Journal Reporter. Diane left us last month to take a job as a spokesperson for the rapidly-growing city of Surprise. It's a job with normal hours and a lot closer to home for her so, like Tracy, saying goodbye was bittersweet.
At least one person voiced an issue which often comes up in connection with breaking news--why do we break into programming with stories that don't seem that important? This is a question I hope to take up in greater detail in a future entry. For now, suffice it to say, pre-empting programming is never a decision we take lightly. We do so only when we feel the public's interest is served. Amber alerts are one example. Car chases, hazardous materials incidents, school lockdowns are some others. When we break in, we also pre-empt commercial time. Commercials pay the bills, folks, so it's always something we take seriously.
Finally, one couple wrote to ask us if we could do everything we could to keep photo radar on the Loop 101 and expand it statewide. They wrote us in the hope that another couple wouldn't have to suffer the tragedy they did. Five years ago, their daughter was killed by the driver of a speeding semi on I-10 in Avondale.
This is where our job gets difficult. Naturally we sympathize with this couple. As a parent, I can't imagine what it must be like to lose a child. As a journalist, I'm mindful of the fact that it's never my job to take sides. There are many who've praised the Loop 101 cameras; many others who've cursed them. As for saving lives, we just don't know. Researchers are still compiling the data, and comparing it with accident data prior to the cameras' installation.
I can promise you this: We'll follow this story closely, and we'll report the findings accurately, and we'll let you draw the conclusions.
By the way, I'll be taking the next few days off to celebrate the 11th anniversary of my 29th birthday. Do the math on this and you'll realize this is a biggy for me! Jon Du Pre will be filling in while I sleep in and play some golf. Thanks to all of you who read this blog-that-isn't-really-a-blog and keep the comments coming!
Steve Irvin
ABC 15 News
sirvin@abc15.com
10/24/06
Two years ago I did a story on what I called "one black box." The machine, manufactured in a cooperative effort between Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft was an attempt to integrate all your home entertainment appliances with your PC. The basic idea was you could put it all into one machine: your p.c., your dvd, your tivo, your home theater, etc. The one black box, at the time, cost about 1400 dollars and could be used, not only to control your tv and home entertainment, but control every other TV and entertainment appliance in your home through a wireless network, not to mention allowing you to surf the web through a wireless keyboard anywhere in the home.
The sense I had at the time, which lingers with me today, was that this box could put us out of business. It's not that people don't want TV news. We still produce a product which people desire and need. It's simply that this box could change the way our product is distributed.
The reason is simple. The generation of adolescents and college students coming of age today has no concept of a world without the internet. They are used to being able to obtain any piece of information at any time by simple typing google.com. Websites like Youtube now have them accustomed to watching any piece of video anywhere in the world, any time they please. They can order movies, pizza, furniture, even groceries from their p.c. Everything is on-demand. Why should television news be any different?
Yet television stations are still centered around a model of bringing you a newscast at an appointed time. Network evening newscasts are accustomed to coming on during the dinner hour and telling you what's happened during the day. But network newscasts now have viewers who average more than sixty years of age, and many younger viewers complain there's little in the newscast they don't already know.
Television news operations like ours have already realized we have to adapt. ABC 15 has taken a big step forward in this effort by focusing many of our efforts on integrating our website into our coverage of every story. Go online, to abc15.com these days, and you'll find fresh video and stories filed exclusively for the website. For you, the viewer, it's a chance to get the content now, rather than later.
It's also a chance to learn more about a story. We can often answer our critics who argue our stories barely scratch the surface of important issues. The website allows us the time and space to provide detail which often isn't available in a traditional newscast.
Given the way technology is changing, I can imagine a day when you'll be able to watch our latest newscast at any time, and get more information on particular stories, all without ever leaving your couch. It's only a matter of time before everybody has one black box, or something like it, which blends their TV and internet experience. And if you don't get it, your kids will. In fact they'll expect it.
Steve Irvin
You can e-mail me at sirvin@abc15.com.
10/23/06
If you've seen our program, you already know one of our running jokes is that there's an actual band playing all the music on the show.
At various times, we've had the Daybreak Jazz Quintet, the Daybreak Chamber Orchestra, and for the certain promos, the Daybreak Tabernacle Choir. "Doc and the boys," as we like to call them, roll in every morning, sometimes from various gigs at Jazz clubs and gin joints all over the valley, then put on a pot of coffee and jam with the news of the day.
Music is pervasive in the program. We use it to get in and out of commercial breaks, top stories, and lately, something new.
One of our most avid watchers has begun to express her doubts about Doc and the Boys striking up the band during weather. This viewer, for her own protection, shall remain anonymous, but she tells me she actually goes to great lengths to turn down the sound during weather, just because she doesn't like the "elevator" music.
As you can imagine, Doc and the boys are pretty upset. First of all, they prefer the term "new age jazz" to elevator music. Secondly, they take great pains to make sure the music is appropriate for the weather forecast. Sunny and Nice gets a playful, upbeat little ditty. Rain gets a reflective melancholy blues. Monsoon storms are a heavy march in a minor key.
At the same time, I understand this viewer's sentiments. Sometimes, you just want the weather to be the weather, not the middle of the second act from "Rent." Attaching music to the forecast sometimes attaches emotions to it as well. Do we really want our mood dictated by the tone of the forecast -- just because Doc and the Boys had a late night? I think not.
In any case, rest assured there is no concerted effort to turn our daily news production into some sort of daily news musical. Andi will not be rehearsing a Traffic Tap Dance. Craig will not be singing an aria in the air. Adam Kress will not Be Bop his way through the business report. And I will continue to report the news in a soothing sober baritone. Besides, you don't want to hear me sing.
Steve Irvin
10/20/06
Hardly a day passes these days without an e-mail from a viewer asking "Where's Tracy?"
The short answer to that question is, Tracy Kornet is in Dallas.
It is a simple fact in this business, and any other, that people with experience and talent are almost always presented with opportunities. There's certainly no denying Tracy's talent or her experience, and so it would've been silly to deny her opportunity.
Rest assured, when Tracy was offered a job anchoring a primetime newscast in Dallas, we certainly tried to talk her out of it. But ultimately, when someone's given a career choice that works well for them and their family, you bid them a bittersweet goodbye.
In nearly two decades of anchoring and reporting television news, I can honestly say I've never laughed so much with anyone on the anchor desk. We were a divergent couple. I, the straight and narrow journalist, a guy who originally wanted to be a newspaper and non-fiction writer; Tracy, a host of a lifestyle show, not new to the news game, but also counting among her work experiences stints as Cinderella at Tokyo Disneyland, and a back-up singer to a Japanese pop star.
Somehow in the professional arranged marriage that is a co-anchor relationship, we hit it off. Off-camera during commerical breaks, we sang and danced, and engaged in the kind of silliness that can only come with getting up way too early in the morning. On camera, we focused on working together, unselfishly, to bring people the news in an engaging way. We occasionally leaned on each other, when one of us was having a bad day, and we occasionally poked fun at our particular quirks.
Three years later, when she announced she was leaving, it wasn't a shock. People like Tracy are talented for a reason. They constantly work to improve their skills, even after collecting endless accolades. It was hardly surprising that someone else would recognize that talent and invite her to take the next step in her career. So a few weeks ago, Daybreak staffers gathered in Kaley's cozy living room and toasted our friend and co-worker.
In the news business, like show business, the show must go on. So we're now wrapping up the process of finding a replacement for Tracy. We've auditioned and interviewed about a dozen candidates, and it is, admittedly, an emotional process. We now realize we're not just looking for someone with the credentials to anchor news, but also someone who fits in with our family. While Tracy has big shoes to fill, she's also left a well-worn path for her successor to follow.
Steve Irvin
10/19/06
Maybe I'm just getting old, but the world seems to be moving faster these days. Seventeen years ago, when I first started anchoring, I did a morning news program which looked and sounded a lot like the 10:00 news from the night before. Maybe it was because I was anchoring in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a smaller town where there just wasn't as much news.
Or maybe it was just the way the world worked back then.
Fast forward nearly two decades and the morning news looks and sounds much different.These days, you'll likely miss some of the biggest stories of the day if you don't get to catch the news before you head out the door. In the last few months, we've brought you breaking coverage of major arrests in both serial killer cases in the valley and the arrest of Warren Jeffs. On Wednesday morning alone, we told you about the Dow hitting 12,000 for the first time, a new hike in Social Security payments, and yet another ATM robbery in the valley.
The reason why these stories break on Daybreak is pretty simple. By the time we get up in the valley, much of the world is already up and running.
At 5 a.m. in the valley, it's already 1:00 p.m. in London, 3:00 p.m. in Bagdhad, and 9:00 p.m. in Tokyo.The financial markets on the east coast open at 6:30 a.m. valley time. Most major government reports on the economy, as well as Government Accountability Reports come out by 9:00 a.m. eastern time (6:00 Arizona Time). We even have a president who is a notorious early riser and prefers to hold news conferences and make major nominations and appointments first thing in the morning.
We also have the technology to put it all on the air. We're constantly getting new video into the satellite center, and we're wired in at the anchor desk to monitor major websites and wire services. We have two ground crews with reporters and camera operators, as well as a chopper in the air which can respond anywhere in the valley in under 8 minutes.
All of this adds up to a news program which often hardly resembles the news from the night before, as "yesterday" stories are cycled out to make room for new items.
Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.When you're always busy, there's rarely time for a dull moment.
So what would you like us to cover? You can e-mail me at sirvin@abc15.com.
And if you want to stay up to date, check back with me in the morning.
Steve Irvin
10/18/06
There is an old saying about TV News: it's a lot like good pork sausage. Those who like it should not watch it being made.
There's also an old saying about technology: To err is human, but if you really want to mess things up, use a computer.
Tuesday at 4:00 a.m. was one of those occasions when the inexact science of television news and our general dependence on computers collided in what may have been a disastrous way.
First, a little lesson about how newsrooms work. Virtually every news organization in the country uses a computer system linked through a local network of workstations. Reporters write and file stories into a rundown, which is essentially a spreadsheet outline of a show. The rundown contains all the information vital to producing a television program: camera shots, anchor reads, taped stories, graphics, scripts, music, etc. It's also essential to timing a program. Everyone involved in putting the show on the air needs a rundown to understand their role.
That rundown is stored in a computer, and just after 4:00 a.m. Tuesday, the computer system crashed.
Now, the nice thing about working on a morning news program is, you're part of a small group. You become like family. You also don't have the support staff which might be available to fix catastrophic problems. After all, it's 4:00 a.m., and the computer guys won't be in until later.
Television news people are also used to working under pressure. Your workday can turn on a dime with a single breaking news story. So when the system crashed, and we lost all our data, no one panicked. We began to do it the old-fashioned way -- gathering together taped stories, and material we'd already prepared, and essentially preparing to go on the air without any scripted material. I'm not sure if the result would have looked more like Wayne's World, or World News, but it would've been interesting. It's been a long time since I had a strong desire for a typewriter.
As it was, we scrambled one of our engineers who reset our server, and we were able to access our rundown. Viewers tuning in at 5:00 a.m. were none-the-wiser. Still, for a while there at least, it felt like we were back on the farm, trying to make pork sausage in time for breakfast.
Steve Irvin
10/17/06
Over the weekend I had the pleasure of serving as the Master of Ceremonies at the annual Copa Ball. In its third year, the Copa Ball raises money for the Maricopa Health Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of Maricopa Integrated Health Systems. MIHS includes Maricopa Medical Center, which is our county hospital, and a truly extraordinary place.
I don't necessarily love throwing on a tuxedo and attending formal functions, but I do enjoy learning about the charity itself. In preparing for the emcee duties, I had a chance to do some reading and tour the hospital.
MMC is, by its own description, a safety net, treating people from a wide variety of backgrounds and often, people without health insurance or the ability to pay. It's also the place where many go for specialized care they couldn't receive anywhere else. It's home to the Arizona Burn Center, the only burn unit in the region. It's a level one trauma center, treating the most seriously injured in emergency care. It has a top-notch neo-natal intensive care unit, and pediatric care unit. It's also one of the premier centers for training doctors in the country.
The hospital itself is also 40 years old and looks it. It's a labyrinth created from the original hospital and a series of add-ons and renovations. Patients are still occasionally housed 4 to a room and have to head down the hallway to use the bathroom.
In the past few years MMC officials have been lobbying for a new hospital. The plan has been to build it downtown where it would be close to the new University of Arizona medical school and the ASU downtown campus.
It wouldn't come cheap -- the estimated cost is about 500 million dollars. And getting it built would be a delicate political dance likely involving city, county and state government officials, U of A, ASU, not to mention coordination with other hospitals which might view the new facility as competition.Taxpayers might not be too anxious to help, having already approved light rail, a downtown ASU campus, a new medical school, not to mention that big football stadium in Glendale.
The cheaper alternative would be to renovate the medical center, but that likely involves reducing the capacity of the hospital itself, and shutting down huge portions of the current facility in the process to remove asbestos. And it would still be expensive.
Coming up with answers in this difficult scenario is one reason I'm glad I'm a journalist. It's not an easy process. I CAN tell you what I know about the people of Maricopa Medical Center. They are dedicated to providing the best quality care in any facility -- old or new.
The organizers of this year's Copa Ball have already asked if they could pencil me in to emcee next year. I'd be glad to do it. I don't relish putting on the tux, but it would be hard to come up with a better cause.
Steve Irvin
ABC 15 News
10/16/06
I could take a small Hawaiian vacation if I only had a dollar for each time I've been asked when I get up in the morning. It's a natural question to ask, especially when you see someone on live television at 5:00 a.m., and occasionally, earlier.
The answer--and you don't have to send me a dollar--is 2:30 in the morning. I'm out the door of my house by 3:30 and I'm at my desk by 4:00 a.m.
I don't think I knew what I was getting into when I started doing the morning show at ABC 15. I came here from Nashville, where I anchored a 5:00 p.m. show and reported in the field for the 10:00 news. Do the math on this and you realize I basically get up these days at about the same time I used to go to bed. I thought there would be an adjustment period, perhaps a few days or few weeks. But days and weeks turned into months and even years. It takes that long to re-set your body clock, especially if you've never done it before, and there are more than a few people who give up the process, or vow never to do it again. I once had a radio personality tell me he'd rather be homeless than work an early morning shift again!
I've been at it for four years now, and I can safely say I truly enjoy it. Have I completely adjusted? As much as I'm going to, I think. There are still days when I equate the alarm clock with the devil himself, but for the most part, I find my energy level is highest in the morning and, even on my off days, I'm still up early working out or taking the time to get things done. On weekends, I'm rarely in bed later than 9:00.
There are advantages to the shift. My golf game has improved significantly, playing relatively un-crowded courses on weekday afternoons. The gym is rarely crowded at 2:00 p.m. I have the freedom to take long lunches (for me, it's dinner). I run errands when everyone else is working.
Best of all, I get to see my son. Working an evening shift in Nashville, I actually dreaded those rare occasions when I had a chance to stop by the house for dinner. Not because it wasn't fun, but because it was a reminder of what I was missing. When you work from 1:30 in the afternoon until 10:30 at night, you sleep more, but you never have a chance to see your children.
Obviously, there are disadvantages: I don't take too many evenings "out." Still, I wouldn't have it any other way. There's a certain feel to the morning show, a camraderie shared with a group of people working the same shift, knowing we're some of the first people who greet you on a new day.
Whenever I'm stopped on the street, people inevitably say the same thing: "I really love your show. You guys really seem to have a good time."
That's usually followed by, "Say, by the way, what time do you get up in the morning?"
By the way, if you're reading this, I've managed to hold your attention through most of my very first blog entry on ABC15.com. We intend this to be a daily feature on our website, a "behind-the-scenes" look, if you will. I'll use it to answer those frequently asked questions (like when we get up in the morning), as well as to talk about the issues of the day, and respond to your comments and questions. It's meant to open a dialogue with you, the viewer. I'll need your help to make it work.
Let me know what's on your mind, and what you'd like to know. You can e-mail me at sirvin@abc15.com.
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