Is there a word in the news business that is more overused or abused than, "exclusive?"
How often have you seen a news outlet claiming to have an "exclusive" interview with someone and then flipped the channel to find that very same person being interviewed on another network?
The appearance of actor Randy Quaid and his wife in Superior Court yesterday, where they were taken into custody on outstanding warrants for failing to appear, had the News-Press and a gossip website competing for bragging rights. A breaking news update on newspress.com made it a point to say that, "The News-Press had the only camera and reporting staff in the courtroom for today's hearing." Meanwhile, over on Radaronline.com, that website was claiming the story on the Quaids showing up in court was their "exclusive" although they seem to have lifted quite a bit from the News-Press article.
Nevertheless, by all accounts, Judge Frank Ochoa sounded like he was pretty well fed up with the antics of the actor and his wife who, at an earlier appearance in court, had brought a Golden Globe statue to the hearing with them. Evidently, the judge was in no mood for shenanigans or excuses.
If Ochoa only had been as tough with Heather Hulsey, as he was with the Quaids.
You would think with their own people in the middle of this story they would have been the first to report it, but it was KSBY and not KEYT who was the first TV station to break the news of a KEYT news van rolling over on the 101 after a rear tire blew out. The accident occurred late Monday afternoon.
As far as I can determine, KEYT didn't mention the accident on their 5 pm newscast Monday until 25 minutes past the hour when anchor Joe Gehl reported that senior reporter John Palminteri and his cameraman Oscar Flores were okay. By the 11 pm newscast, KEYT finally had video footage of the accident scene.
Flores was driving the van when the blow-out occurred. The occupants had to kick out the windshield of the van in order to extricate themselves.
Both Palminteri and Flores, who suffered cuts to his face, were taken to the hospital as a precaution but both have been released and are reportedly doing fine.
At most TV stations they say, "Roll the video!" At KEYT it's, "Roll the video van."
This past weekend, UCSB Alumni held their 4th Annual All Gaucho Reunion. One of the events held on Saturday was a panel discussion moderated by Sociology professor emeriti Dick Flacks titled, "Reflecting on Rebellion: Isla Vista 40 Years Later." At that same time across campus at a different venue the "Alumni Vintners Tasting" was taking place where attendees could sample a variety of wines produced by UCSB grads.
40 years since the I.V. riots and they still can't get the proletariat and the bourgeoisie together in the same room?
