Another thing Little Birdie asked: “What is KDKA Radio doing for its 90th Anniversary in November?” That is a truly wonderful question. I can imagine that some smart alec would answer that with, “by turning the transmitter off!” Not likely though. I would love to see it be hyped as much as possible. People will listen if they know that some of their old favorites (i.e. – Jack Bogut, Perry Marshall, Bob Logue, etc.) would stop by and recount their memories of being with the station. Truth be told, I have no knowledge of any anniversary plans, but I couldn’t imagine letting such a milestone go without some acknowlegement. Paging Marshall Adams… 

Using Social Media

Do you remember back in the early and mid-90s when WTAE-TV had “Feedback 4”? At the end of what was then called “WTAE 4 News”, voicemails would play over the end credits of the newscast. (For those of you too young to remember, YES, there were end credits to the news…) Usually it was a few people commenting or complaining about a news item from a recent newscast. The reel would almost always end with a caller who said, “I think yunz have da best news in tahn; better than them udder guys…” (I might be wrong, but I believe the number to call was 333-4444 which had also been used for the various live talkshows Channel 4 had throughout the years.)

Personally I found this annoying. After all, if the anchors weren’t meant to share their opinions on the stories they were reporting, why should we have to hear other peoples’ thoughts? Well, it was in the day before internet message boards and TV station websites where you can comment on just about anything. Now it’s all on Facebook. I’ve been following all three stations – WTAE, WPXI and KDKA – and that is the order in which you’ll find the intensity of the usage of Facebook by the stations. By now, you’ve probably noticed the laptops on the anchor desk on Channel 4.

But how much social networking is too much when it comes to interacting with your viewers during the newscasts? Should anchors be posting status updates during the commercials or weather forecasts? Is it merely a tool to see who is watching or is it really an attempt to recreate the old “Comment Line” from the WTAE of the 90s? I don’t have the answer, but I suspect that it lies somewhere within those questions. Oh and let us not forget the comments from the viewers who are watching TV and following along on their laptops. It often sparks Facebook debates making it exhaustive reading for a mere observer.

Um… yeah, we’re on Facebook too.

Oh, in case you didn’t notice by the icon on the right. You can become a “fan” or “like” or “whatever they do on Facebook now” PBRTV where we occasionally interact with our guests. You can “like” the site HERE.

If you’re a Twitter Twit, PBRTV is run by an occasional Twit… Click here to find that.

Summer time…

It’s been a slow summer around these parts radiowise. There really hasn’t been much to post and that could be a good thing! Given that this editor has had other web-based projects and a job to perform, the slowness has been helpful. If you’re concerned that we “don’t care anymore”, quit your worrying. When news breaks, we’ll be there. Action News i… oh never mind.

PS

Just a reminder… when leaving comments about people in the comment section of each story, try to exercise good taste when writing about them. 🙂 Thank you.

The Little Birdie that often brings information by the PBRTV World Headquarters, called again the other day. He said, “You don’t do enough commentary. You need to do more!” It’s too bad L.B. (that’s short for “Little Birdie”) doesn’t stick around long enough to write some commentary for me before he flies back to his home. I must admit that my time of late has been taken up with other projects among other things.

One thing L.B. asked was about the whereabouts of Scott Baker. After looking at my loaf of Jenny Lee Raisin Bread, I wanted to say he was back at the helm of his family’s bakery, but then I realized he was referring to the former WTAE-TV (4) anchor who was unceremoniously dumped following a noon newscast one day.  The former anchor can be found at www.breitbart.tv where he is co-founder and the co-host of “The B-Cast” with Liz Stephans. He apparently also frequents as a guest on Glenn Beck’s program, Fox & Friends and has been a keynote speaker for at least one local “Tea Party”. And yes, he’s still in Pittsburgh. You might remember this video from 4 years ago.

More after the jump…