Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Al Diamon
Blast from the Past
WABI-TV, Channel 5 in Bangor, fills the 90 minutes of its 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts with something unusual:
News.
I mean real news. No celebrity gossip. No blather about how they’ve got an exclusive. No crap.
Well, a little crap. There’s this awful cooking segment, occasional boring interviews with local thespians and charity fundraisers, and cliché-ridden sports commentary by George Hale (“There is nothing as magical as spring training”). But compared to every other station in Maine, WABI’s crap quotient is negligible. That’s not to say the newscasts don’t have occasional journalistic shortcomings – one-sided stories, incomplete stories, missed stories – but in general, this is as close as Maine comes to quality TV news.
Circa 1960.
There’s this time-warp feeling I get when watching WABI News, as if my TV is somehow receiving a signal that’s been bouncing around outer space for a few decades. Everything looks sort of pre-Beatles, from the set, which appears to have been constructed on a tight budget by a high school shop class, to the anchors, so stoic they could have been carved by a chainsaw artist. Live reports are rare and generally involve community events, rather than breaking news. Political news is almost nonexistent. Coverage of state government is decidedly sketchy. And the happy talk is weak and contrived, even by the low standards of TV news.
But when WABI does a story, it usually does a decent job. A March 4 piece about an Augusta workshop for young women to interest them in traditionally male trades was saved from being just another feel-good segment by the inclusion of figures showing how wages for males working fulltime exceed those for females, as well as some sharp sound bites. On March 3, Channel 5 got a local driving school to stage a demonstration of the dangers of text messaging while operating a motor vehicle.
Teen drivers, trying to type a single-word response, repeatedly failed to negotiate a simple course. The story was well-written, well-edited and effective. The station was late in picking up on the dispute between the Washington County sheriff and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency over a video of one of the agency’s officers engaging in questionable behavior. But once it caught up on Feb. 29, its coverage was thorough, concise and visually compelling.
WABI has some weaknesses. It’s coverage of the State House is anemic. A Feb. 28 segment on a legislative public hearing concerning a bill that would have the state take a more active role in regulating toxic chemicals in toys and other household products included lots of interviews with supporters, but neglected to mention the intense opposition from the chemical industry. To make matters worse, anchor Craig Colson closed out the piece by informing viewers of his opinion on the legislation. “Sounds like a good idea,” Colson editorialized.
On Feb. 29, Channel 5 devoted significant airtime to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association annual meeting, which focused on complaints about new federal regulations to protect right whales. The story presented the lobstering crowd’s position clearly, but never mentioned the opposing viewpoint. As with the toxic chemical piece, it appeared as if WABI’s reporter was unaware there even was another side to the issue.
That lack of awareness extends to local matters, as well. On Feb. 29, the station reported on a dispute between town officials in Clinton and some residents over use of the town sand and salt supply. The town manager had abruptly ended the long-standing practice of allowing homeowners to fill buckets with the stuff to use on their walks and driveways, claiming such activity violates the state Constitution. WABI had interviews with a couple of grumpy residents and a statement from the manager. But the story cried out for a more. Why not ask other towns about their policies? How about calling the Maine attorney general for a legal opinion? Or at least a local lawyer? With just a little extra effort, this could have been an informative segment, instead of just another report on some silly rural feud.
A March 4 interview with a local doctor on the recent increase in snowmobile fatalities had real potential. The physician talked about a Minnesota study of the effect of high speeds on sled accidents, a study that caused that state to impose speed limits. Would that fly in Maine? Anchor Catherine Pegram (the lamest interviewer this side of “207”) never asked. Nor did anyone think to find some snowmobilers and get their opinions.
WABI is not the place to go if you want to learn about the state budget crisis or the campaign for the U.S. Senate or efforts to expand protected habitat for threatened Canada lynx. But the station does a credible job on crime, accidents and events in central and eastern Maine. It finds plenty of airtime for positive stories on local businesses, the University of Maine and Bangor-area do-gooders. It even does a decent job of summarizing the top national stories of the day. It’s not slick (anchor Sharon Pelletier reads as if the Teleprompter were permanently on the fritz), but it’s usually competent.
At its best, Channel 5 is a throwback to an era when TV news programs actually broadcast news.
You could do worse.
— Filed March 5, 2008
Al Diamon can be e-mailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.
Posted on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 in Permalink
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