Picky Picky (Vol. 5)
03/20/08 09:51 AM
By ED BARK
Some questions just gnaw at you. Maybe they're unanswerable, but it doesn't make them any less vexing or perplexing.
For our latest "Picky Picky," we're asking you to debate some of the biggest puzzlements in D-FW television.
The high-definition situation is one of them. Local newscasts on pathfinding WFAA8 have been in HD since Feb. 2nd of last year. NBC5 joined in, although very clumsily, on Sept. 7. But its out-of-studio pictures from the field are still in the old format. CBS11 then seamlessly transitioned to HD on Sept. 24th.
That leaves Fox4 in the dark ages. HD supposedly is in the budget for sometime this year. But the last official word, from station GM Kathy Saunders, was typically cryptic.
"When we do it, we'll do it right," she told unclebarky.com early last fall. Nike has a better approach: "Just do it."
Over at NBC5, the newscast ratings were stinko in the February sweeps. The Peacock suffered substantial year-to-year audience losses in all four major local news battlegrounds (6 a.m. and 5, 6 and 10 p.m.). It raises the question of 6 and 10 p.m. anchor Mike Snyder's longevity. He's been NBC5's man of the house since the early 1990s. Still, I've yet to find anyone who thinks he's good at what he does. If you're out there, here's your chance. Or is it just time for him to go -- not necessarily from the station, but to a less prominent role?
Meanwhile, CBS11 remains last in the increasingly important early morning race, but has made some headway in the past year. But was former WFAA8 anchor Scott Sams the right hire? Does he have enough of a following -- and can he build on it -- to take CBS11 to the promised land? In the near future at least, a mere third place finish would be semi-miraculous after years in the desert.
So there you have them -- three of D-FW television's bigger unanswered questions. We welcome your comments on which is the biggest:
A. Fox4's continued foot-dragging on the HD front
B. NBC5 anchor Mike Snyder's longevity as the station's point man
C. Scott Sams' ability to pull CBS11 out of last place in the early mornings