THE END OF THE NIGHT WATCH
People who write and produce morning news programs start their "day" around 11:30 PM, just as the evening crews finish. They are truly the Night Watch of modern civilization.
Broadcasts are always looking for something to give the program an advantage, a reason to watch and to build loyalty. A hybrid commodity in that mix is the traffic report-personality with helpful information for morning rush hour drivers.
As a News Director I made sure our helicopter was up, that traffic cam's were feeding good images, I hired a popular radio personality who sparkled on television, and invested heavily in interactive screens and software that gave Julie a stunning visual display of traffic, maps and the ability to zoom in and out of specific locales and etc. And then you add that to the mix of news, weather, features and other personalities.
Well, out of this world comes the lad we offer as our Weekender Video entertainment. I sent this video off to former colleagues and other news executives. Responses were wide ranging and funny. What do you think? Would you like this to be part of your Friday morning traffic report?
Enjoy.
What would Walter Cronkite, or David Brinkley say?
Have a great first weekend of the new year.
See you down the trail.
