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WYTV’s trick play fooled only the viewers
Published:Friday, August 28, 2009
U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson has served in the U.S. House since January 2007, representing a decent portion of Mahoning County. But apparently he hasn’t made much of an impression on his fellow Democrats. During last week’s $500-a-plate Mahoning County Democratic Party fundraiser, Gov. Ted Strickland, who Wilson succeeded as Ohio’s 6th Congressional District representative, called him “Charlie Brown” while talking about various elected officials at the event. That came only a few minutes before Kenneth Carano, Strickland’s regional director for the Mahoning Valley, introduced Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti as “Congressman Traficanti.” Wilson of St. Clairsville, D-6th, laughed off the mistakes. The Sheridan Block Watch will hold a Youngstown school board candidates forum at 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 420 Clearmont Ave. There are five candidates seeking three seats on the board during the November general election. The candidates will answer questioned posed to them by Tracey Winbush and Jimma McWilson. skolnick@vindy.com |
I like and respect Stan Boney and believe he does a very good job as WYTV’s news anchor.
That’s what makes writing this column tough. But it has to be written.
The local ABC affiliate spent a lot of air time promoting a letter ex-U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. wrote to Boney.
WYTV touted it as the first time the former congressman, who’s been in a federal prison for more than seven years, made contact with anyone in the media.
Traficant makes that point in the first sentence of his letter to Boney.
“I want you to know that you are the only media figure I’ve responded to in over 7 years. The reason? I always thought you were fair, and I liked you!”
My initial thought was to be somewhat jealous of Boney.
Since being hauled off to prison, Traficant has denied all interview requests from journalists all over the world.
After all this time, Traficant, who’s to be released Wednesday, was going to tell his story to another journalist. [I’ve never believed it would be me, but I still have a competitive spirit about such things.]
That bit of jealousy quickly disappeared as I read the rest of the first page and the 14 that followed.
Boney had written to Traficant to ask questions about a book the anchor is writing on Cardinal Mooney High School football.
Traficant wrote page after page after page about high school football.
I wonder if Al Bundy or Jim Traficant wrote this letter? I realized it couldn’t be Bundy because there was no reference to scoring four touchdowns in one game when he played for Polk High School.
Traficant used some of the space to talk about college football including “a belly play into the short side” for a 1-yard gain.
Traficant didn’t write a single word on life in federal prison.
As for discussing it when he gets out, he wrote, “I do not plan to meet with any press when I get back! If, and when I do, I’ll give you the exclusive.”
So what does WYTV do with this letter that is perhaps only mildly interesting to viewers, excluding those who followed Mooney football about 50 years ago?
The station used a classic bait-and-switch tactic.
Rather than promote the letter as Traficant responding to Boney’s letter about Mooney football and barely anything else, WYTV ran commercial after commercial about the ex-congressman breaking his silence to the station.
They built up excitement and anticipation touting the Traficant letter and then didn’t come close to delivering the goods.
Instead of something interesting, viewers got two or three days of excerpts from Traficant reminiscing about high school football.
Honestly, I can’t remember because I stopped watching after the first day and reading the letter on the station’s Web site.
I felt I was ripped off more than anything else.
This was the big Traficant story?
Regardless of whether you love or admire Traficant or you think he’s an embarrassment to this area, there is a lot of interest in his Wednesday release from prison.
There have been and will be plenty of stories in this newspaper and on local TV stations as well as from national media outlets about Traficant.
You can determine the newsworthiness of what you read or watch.
This newspaper, and I personally, will be writing a lot about Traficant in coming days: his release, opinions about him from his friends and critics, and the Sept. 6 “Jim Traficant Appreciation Dinner.”
You can choose to read it, praise it, hate it, want more, want a lot less or ignore it.
But I can guarantee one thing: You won’t read about Traficant’s high school football games. That “story” has already been done.
Comments
Amen! The WYTV/WKBN Traficant letter story was an embarrassing and almost desperate attempt to grab viewers.
I would say "Shame on them," but these shells of formerly good TV stations clearly have no shame.
"So what does WYTV do with this letter that is perhaps only mildly interesting to viewers, excluding those who followed Mooney football about 50 years ago?"
So what's wrong with following Mooney Football ?
No doubt Jim is waiting for his old friend Bertram to contact him about doing a story .
I enjoyed it, although I cannot stand Mooney football!
Like lions on a dead elephant carcass.
"I felt I was ripped off more than anything else."
Really. Ripped off? By your logic I get ripped off every time I visit this website and expect to read something that doesn't conform to the bland regressive vessel that is the Mahoning Valley. Welcome to the club Mr. Pulitzer.
David - There is probably a lot less interest in Traficant than you believe. I suspect that the majority of local residents are far more concerned with paying their bills and hanging onto their jobs and homes. As for the content of the letter - it wouldn't surprise me if more people liked the fact that it was about football - and paid little attention to the fact that it was from Traficant.
Do you feel better David? Was this column a form of therapy after getting your butt handed to you?
Or does the sentence "But is has to be written." perhaps have two meanings?
Obviously Traficant -- like great bridge and chess players -- has near total recall of his chosen sport.
Neither Cafaro nor Sinclair 'remembered' giving Traficant untraceable cash bribes until AFTER being beaten up by the Federal prosecutors.
Detore and Okolo refused to fabricate memories for the DOJ -- at great cost to themselves and their families.
WKBN reported that: "Detore says Morford wanted him to recall overhearing Traficant ... directly request favors in exchange for political influence.”
http://www.wkbn.com/content/features/tra...
Traficant will have plenty to say to journalists after he becomes a free man next week.
But it would be ridiculous for anybody at the Vindicator to imagine that they would be first, given that Traficant almost certainly regards the Vindy -- which presumes his guilt -- with the same degree of contempt with which the Vindy obviously regards him.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. People who are so glammed up with this nonstory should be taken advantage of and shown something of substance. Everyone and their mother is interested in James Traficant and all the man wants when he gets out is to be left alone for a while. WYTV took advantage of all of the media junkies around here who are glued to this Traficant release story. Way to go WYTV. You did it in a subtle way, but you made the media junkies realize what they were doing searching for controversy, wasting their time. They should be more interested in positive things that came from the valley, like the success of a football program like Mooney's. Again, way to go WYTV and Stan Boney. Job well done.
P.S. I personally think that Traficant likes Stan so much due to the ever so popular hit Stan released called "Hang in there Youngstown ". JK.
Why did the same story get shown on Channel 27 with Dave Sess? It appeared as it the same letter was sent to Dave Sess. I also caught a piece of a similar story on 21 news ( at least I thought it was), so did Mr Traficant send 3 letters? I find it hard to believe that he didn't contact Michelle Nicks during his time in jail, she seemed to have a goor rapport with him, and she is camped outside the prison waiting for him.
Just another example of how the media will do anything to fill air time. I find it appalling and yes, even comical that in order to get the real story one has to visit all stations and forms of media and maybe somewhere in the middle is the 'real" story.