One of my pet peeves when it comes to local news is when a local news station takes a national news story and tried to make it local. For example, taking the death of Michael Jackson and finding someone to interview who met him at one time. You know what I mean?
Today’s example comes from WSLS Channel 10 in Roanoke, VA: Suspected SC serial killer has ties to our area.
Quick setup, Patrick Burris is believed to have killed at least five people in South Carolina. His victims seem to have been chosen randomly. This man was one mean guy. I don’t think you will hear anyone interviewed saying, “He was always so quiet,” etc.
I read the article posted on WSLS’ website looking for the connection. Now, I usually scan articles quickly, so I was not surprised that I had to reread the article to find the connection. I think I found it:
Police were still piecing together details of his life. Records show he had lived in Rockingham County, N.C., a rural county near the Virginia border, since the late 1980s, but he also spent a lot of time behind bars.
I did some research and it seems Rockingham County IS in the WSLS market, barely. But after the DTV switch the WSLS has “coverage lost but still served by same network” in the county, (thanks FCC for that clear definition).
So, a bit of a stretch IMHO. Do you know of other examples of where local stations try to make a national story relevant to the area?
~voterblues
