“You’re the best person I’ve ever had to lay off.”
Ouch.
In the fall of 1990, I got to hear those nice, in a way, but lousy in most others and not very unexpected words, over the phone, from a United Press International colleague in Los Angeles, directed to me, the last UPI (wire service) reporter in Portland, and next to last in the state.
I had stuck with them through thick, thin and one bankruptcy (there were more later), always enjoying the thrill of competing with the mighty (far bigger, and as a non-profit ‘cooperative,’ far more profitable) Associated Press – and winning our share of those important journalistic battles.
And so, I – like so many these troubled times – have a commiserating feeling what the folks at KOHD are going through, having given it their best shot, ever since their oh-so-badly timed debut in the fall of 2007 – just as the bubble began to burst – to today’s announcement that they won’t be doing full newscasts any more – at least for now.
But after five years at KTVZ, I knew what the reaction would be from my colleagues – not of glee or joy for a vanquished foe. No way. Instead, a sadness that one might feel in the Olympics, for example, when a worthy competitor isn’t able to finish the race. This isn’t “winning,” it’s … not losing, and they are definitely not the same.
Anyone who spends any time around me knows that when it comes to the news, I’m a very competitive guy. And KOHD has given us great competition, and that’s something not to dismiss lightly.
Good competition makes you stronger, keeps you on your toes, your ear to the scanner, fingers to the keyboard, wanting to out-tweet, out-write, do better than the other folks. Work the sources, double-check the scripts, get it first but get it right. (A favorite saying from my UPI days.) Savoring the wins, fretting over the losses, but also pleased when we can say, ‘Yeah, they had THAT, but we had THIS!” Trying to make sure we gave as good as we got.
I ran into Matt McDonald at Freddie’s a week or two ago, and told him what I’ll tell you: They did a great job, and deserved better ratings than they got. Sure, I grrrrrit my teeth over those who today don’t just mourn their loss, but use it as another excuse to trash us as ‘not local enough,’ or worse yet, inaccurate – ‘dems fighting words,’ to me! I know that’s not true, but if the online world and all those amazing anonymous comments from our ‘guests’ have taught me anything, it’s that one has to have a far thicker skin to deal with those who seemingly live to vent and trash.
But seriously, we had to hustle like hell not to have our heads handed to us on a platter by the guys and gals up the street. Their writing, video, and of course brand-new technology were top-notch.
If this area (and the nation, for that matter) had kept growing with a boom, as we did for years before, their other biggest problem – folks’ habits, and resistance to change – would have been less of a problem, as the region’s turnover kept the influx going. But word of actual school enrollment decreases – unheard of for many a year – shows that the growth, if not stopped, has definitely plateaued. Making it even harder to gather new viewers.
So as we watch them hang on with cut-ins and mini-newscasts, I’m not naive enough to think that means we have the road ahead to ourselves. The economy WILL get better, and this area will have more than one TV station with full newscasts – if not tomorrow, then soon. I hope.
In the meantime, I just wanted to publicly thank all of the KOHD gang, past, present and future, for giving us the tough race to tell each day’s news the best that the viewers deserved, and for giving Central Oregonians a choice that was worthy of their time and interest. As someone who no doubt has watched them perhaps more than they watch themselves – to make sure we weren’t getting scooped – I wish all of them the very best in their future endeavors, and salute them as worthy competitors, and comrades in the very tough, challenging business of small-market TV news.
Leave it to Barney 