Sam Knowlton knows what you want, and we're gonna give it to you.
Photo: Sam Knowlton
Is KUJH-TV a blooper factory? I'd like to think so. Some days are just destined for mess ups. I can recall faulty camera moves, anchor slip ups and video problems all recorded on-air just this year. It is pretty much inevitable for
amateur journalists not to make mistakes on a consistent basis. Even the
professional news stations aren't perfect, and they make errors as well. But as far as being a
blooper factory, you just have to catch them at the right place at the right time.
Gretchen Wieland is wondering where the wacky winner of the week will come from.
Photo: Gretchen Wieland
Having experience in both on-camera and behind the scenes work, I've noticed the difficulties in television production (or the worst of both worlds if you will). Sometimes you just can't help but laugh at yourself and others. I crack myself up when I watch
blooper reels from newscasts. You feel for the person messing up, but on the other hand you know they would be pointing and laughing if the tables were turned. So, don't feel ashamed to laugh at me when I want to be
"one less woman, one less."
How about the Wieland's Wacky Winner of the Week segment or the Knowlton Knows Best? I'd watch this quirky stuff, probably comment on it and hang on the edge of my seat if I can see a water-skiing squirrel. We could ask our handful of loyal viewers what they think, so we can better understand what our audience wants. Until then, we'll just satisfy our hunger by watching our mistakes each and every day.
Steph's pro-blooper screed actually does make the point that we're showing the human side of the news by showing mistakes. This post merely extolls the entertainment value of bloopers. A less noble cause because many things are entertaining but we don't put them on the news. Sooooo, the need here is to raise the importance of entertainment to new levels. With the rise of comedy news, you could reason your way through that,
I'll concede a blooper segment will get people checking the site. But I would strive for other ways to gain traction, as I have said before. Yes, news is blow-dried and, yes, people make mistakes but I still hesitate to endorse you guys showing off your mistakes so early in your career. Is there a way to have viewers/ readers show off their bloopers instead? Stupid campus tricks, anyone?