Being a reporter in the newsroom, I don't know every detail of what our industry is facing. But I think I do know something about what people like watching. I realize ratings cannot be maintained without doing what it takes to pull in that core audience, but I suggest that local news stations strive for a balance. Weaving words and pictures together is something television relies on. Yet, too often what gets put on local newscasts are pictures of disastrous events, selected because of the emotional punch the images deliver and ease by which they can be gathered.
Words often seem to be irrelevant, sort of interchangeable except for the location each night.
Sadly, one fire story blends in with the next, when in reality there are very different and compelling stories to tell, stories about people and what will happen to them now. This kind of reporting takes longer, requires creativeness and perseverance, but in the end gives us, as reporters, greater satisfaction and gives our viewers the kind of news coverage they will long remember. Carolyn Mungo currently works as a reporter for KHOU, the CBS station in Houston.