TV news sticks to the script

Local TV station CBS 13, should get whatever the opposite of an Emmy is, for their coverage of the early days of Occupy Sacramento.

One particular segment “Some Occupy Sacramento Protestors Lash Out at Questions,” trotted out the same tired, and basically dishonest, angle that the occupiers don’t have a clear message. That thesis was paired with some clips of the CBS reporter, in suit and tie, getting into some mildly confrontational exchanges with a couple of young and raucous protesters.

Not everybody can be as well-spoken and incisive as the pros at CBS 13. That’s true of any crowd, be it a tea party gathering, Safe Ground march, rally for a new Kings arena or Columbus Day parade.

And yet, plenty of other journalists in this town found lots of people at Occupy Sacramento to be perfectly reasonable and articulate.

“It’s seems like it’s a little more organized in places like New York,” concluded one anchor. “It does. It really does,” agreed the other, on cue. Unlike Occupy Sacramento, CBS 13 stuck right to the script.

Compiled from Snog.

Bye-bye Bee subscription

Honestly, I thought I’d keep getting the print paper every morning, until the bitter end. But I guess you could say The Sacramento Bee made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

See, it just rolled out its new iPad edition. It looks pretty good, it’s searchable and easy enough to get around. Nice job, Bee. I thought it would be a great companion to my print subscription.

That’s what lots of magazines and other publications do. It’s a sweetener, thrown in to attract new subscribers, keep old ones and get everybody used to the (mostly) paperless world ahead.

The Bee’s made a different business decision. It charges $6 a month for its iPad edition, period. There’s no freebie, like with the New Yorker, Wired or other publications. Since my print subscription to the Bee is three times the cost of the digital version, it seemed like a good time to cut costs.

I’ve got to think that’s just what the Bee wanted. It already dramatically jacked up its single-issue street price and ramped up its subscription rate. It seems like it’s intentionally trying to get rid of the some of its print readers, or at least nudge them to cheaper digital alternatives.

I asked Bee spokesperson Pam Dinsmore if that was the idea, but she wouldn’t bite.

“We want to provide Bee subscribers with all the news and information they want, delivered the way they want. We will look at and consider all delivery options,” she explained.

I’m a little sad about not getting the paper anymore. I guess I can take some comfort knowing that the Bee didn’t really want me to anyway.

Compiled from Snog.