Media Lynch Mob Delivers Own Brand of Parking Fine

Pity poor Carolina Reyes Santos.

Sure, it appears she may have commited a terrible crime. But the woman has suffered.

Worse than any fine or jail term, she was forced to face the media horde. No civilian should have to deal with such horror.

Last Wednesday, Santos was parking downtown when she was confronted by an inspector from the state Department of Motor Vehicles. She was accused of illegally using a disabled parking placard, a misdemeanor.

While she made her feeble excuses, the media converged. Photographers swirled around her, recording every moment. KNSD-TV (Channel 39) “Investigative Reporter” William LaJeunesse was on hand, investigating, asking tough questions.

This was a made-for-the-media event. The DMV had sent out press releases announcing that from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. five teams of DMV investigators would be checking placards, part of a new statewide crackdown.

For organizations like the DMV, staging a media event is far more effective than calling a press conference. Editors rarely turn down the invitations, especially if it means good visuals, an impossible-to-refuse come-on for television. The DMV could have simply announced the new crackdown, but the report probably would have been buried. Odds are, television wouldn’t even have shown up to the press conference.

But given a chance to videotape inspectors in action, nabbing criminals, every local television station and even a few newspapers were at the scene. Santos just happened to pick the wrong day to do something stupid. That night her face was splashed across television, looking guilty and upset, and she was pictured on the front page of the local section of the San Diego Union.

“If she didn’t use the placard she wouldn’t have been on television and in the newspapers,” said Gary Naylor, southern area commander for the DMV’s Bureau of Investigation. “She brought the attention and light on herself.”

To the DMV, the event was undoubtedly a success. The sweep netted seven people who were illegally using placards, but the coverage was the key. It created an awareness of the law. Literally, the DMV could not have bought such coverage.

The actual crackdown pales in comparison to the extent of the media coverage. Enforcement is mainly up to the city’s parking enforcement unit; for a few months the DMV will send out its own investigators for a few hours about once a week, Naylor said.

In such situations, the initial media splash is often as important--if not more important--than the actual campaign.

“I don’t think that is way off base,” DMV spokesman Bill Madison said. “I think it is important in the first part of an operation to have a heavy impact.”

More than anything, the incident illustrates how government agencies and politicians are becoming far more astute at dealing with the media, or maybe manipulating the media is more accurate.

The night after the placard crackdown, television and newspaper photographers focused on Mayor Maureen O’Connor, Police Chief Bob Burgreen and members of the City Council, who were dressed in shiny white jumpsuits, painting over graffiti in Logan Heights to publicize a new anti-graffiti campaign.

It was a wonderful symbolic gesture, leaving the impression that the officials are hard-working, hands-on types who care about the neighborhood. It was also a media event.

The mayor is an expert on media events. She has worked on a garbage truck and gone undercover with the homeless (accompanied by a reporter and a security guard), among other well-publicized stunts.

And as the cameras roll, the line blurs between real action and symbolic action. Watching the mayor haul garbage and paint fences has nothing to little to do with reality or news. But it sure makes for great pictures.

Apparently not all employees of KFMB radio agree with some of the station’s staffers who were quoted in this space on July 22, calling some employee seminars staged by KFMB management “weird” and “real ‘Stepford Wives’ material.” Forty-three staffers signed a protest letter to The Times penned by John S. Morgan of KFMB’s engineering department. The letter called the report “sleazy and outright lies.”

Staffers have been separated into “teams” and encouraged to share their feelings about their work environment. In addition to quoting unnamed staffers who questioned whether the seminars were just a ploy to increase productivity, the column also quoted General Manager Paul Palmer as saying the seminars, conducted in the context of budget cuts and a major turnover in lower management, are an attempt to “bring together a team with clear focus.”

In his letter, Morgan said the station is trying “to get away from the ‘me-ism’ mentality . . . putting great value on each and every employee beyond the paycheck level.” Employees at the station “feel more valuable and appreciated; not because we get a paycheck, but that our input carries weight and has effect on our daily work. In other words, we have power in our lives.”

Contacted last week, Morgan said he didn’t doubt that some people found the seminars “weird.” But he felt compelled to write the letter in order to emphasize that those people are in the minority.

“The vast majority feel great things are happening,” he said.

Longtime KKLQ (Q106) programmer Garry Wall is leaving Edens Broadcasting to start his own consulting firm. His first client: Q106. . . .

Give KUSI-TV (Channel 51) credit for truth in advertising. There’s no arguing with its claim to have the “fastest growing newscast in San Diego.” Heck, in a year it’s grown from nothing to having ratings rivaling those put up by reruns of the “Bob Newhart Show.” . . .

Good to see that KGTV (Channel 10) is airing commercials promoting its behind-the-scenes personnel, actually acknowledging that it takes more than pretty anchors to put together a newscast. . . .

Listening to Padres announcer Jerry Coleman, one thought continually comes to mind: This man actually managed the team for a year. . . .

Radio veteran Dean Goss and former traffic reporter Erin Garrett have been teamed to do mornings for KRMX-FM (94.9)

CRITIC’S CHOICE CHANNEL 8’S ‘ASSIGNMENT SAN DIEGO’

The latest edition of KFMB-TV’s (Channel 8) monthly news magazine show, “Assignment San Diego,” scheduled to air Wednesday at 8 p.m., represents the next step in the fledgling show’s evolution. The one-hour program has been something of a forgotten stepchild at Channel 8, given little resources and irregular air dates. Now the program staff will be working more closely with the newsroom, and will be hosted by Hal Clement and Susan Peters, the anchor team the station is heavily promoting.

The August edition will focus on Sheriff Jim Roache and the controversies that plague his department. There also will be features on San Diego’s foster care system and a visit with “The Wolfman of Julian,” a nature biologist attempting to educate people about wildlife conservation.