It Was A Good Run

Cue Boyz II Men because it's the end of the road for Amy Jacobson at WMAQ. After 10 years on Chicago TV, Amy Jacobson left (or was fired) from Channel 5 in the wake of what has to go down as the worst judgment call ever in television journalism history. It is likely that her career is over at this point. While not quite at the level of "Horace Grant got Joan Esposito pregnant" hysteria, this story is sufficiently well-known to permanently kill any credibility she once had.

Chicago Tribune hack Eric Zorn wrote an online column about how Amy Jacobson is being unfairly treated because she is a woman. Zorn's conclusion is that AJ was merely developing a source for a story and that if any male reporter did the same thing, this would be a non-story. The real issue here is not Jacobson's gender, but that AJ took her young children to swim in a pool with a murder suspect. Either she's a lousy mother, an unethical journalist or both.

Although his columns would seem to confirm this, I hope Zorn has never taken a journalism class. Relationships which create actual or perceived conflicts of interst are contrary to every canon of journalistic ethics. This should be obvious to Zorn, and it casts doubt on the integrity of everyone at the Tribune.

Oil and Water

We had a chance to see Bruce Wolf handle the sports on Friday night's 10pm broadcast of WMAQ's news. Although JFBW is thrilled to see Bruce back on TV, there are some obvious chemistry issues with his new teammates.

Warner Saunders reads the news off of the teleprompter like he is seeing it for the first time. It seems like he does not even understand the news and he often flubs his lines. I wonder if Saunders dozes off between takes because he frequently reads the news like he just woke up. In all seriousness, Saunders is about as bad as local news gets.

Marion Brooks has been filling in for the competent Allison Rosati. When Brooks is not testifying about her affair with then-married former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell in a federal corruption case, she is looking dazed and confused while reading her lines.

Not much to say about Brant Miller. This guy is more vanilla than cream soda. They could have a computer deliver the weather and it would be as interesting as Miller.

None of Bruce's 10pm teammates have any personality or ability to interact in any kind of entertaining or natural way. The requisite banter between newsreaders is unbearably painful as Bruce cracks jokes and the other people on set just don't get it. It's pretty awkward. Contrast this team with that of Barely Today. The BT team was fun and worked well together. The 10pm team is devoid of charisma and I look forward to Bruce making jokes at their expense.