Channel 8 Pats Self on Back in Self-Promoting Reports

Four months after KFMB-TV (Channel 8) cameras videotaped a street peddler selling cocaine to “undercover” reporter Mitch Duncan as he sat in his car, Duncan revisited the site in front of a downtown hotel notorious for harboring drug dealers.

This time, Duncan--gasp!--got out of his Mercedes.

Billed as a follow-up to the November story, Duncan again attempted to buy drugs. But something went wrong, and the deal went sour.

Duncan seemed hardly able to disguise his glee. “You recognize me don’t you?” he shouted at the dealer, who scurried back into the hotel.

The piece, which aired Tuesday, made for cute video. The entertainment value far exceeded the news value, but it was the type of TV news feature that is fun to watch.

The next night, though, Duncan’s adventures, along with video shot weeks earlier inside the hotel, were again leading the Channel 8 newscasts. City Atty. John Witt, it turned out, had chosen that day to issue a contempt citation against the owners of the hotel for failing to clean up the place.

“We took a hard look, now the city is taking a hard look,” Duncan proclaimed Wednesday night, implying a cause-and-effect relationship between the Channel 8 stories and the city attorney’s decision to move ahead. The next night, Duncan cast aside subtlety, as well as modesty. Duncan told Channel 8 viewers that the city’s decision to move to close the hotel was “a direct result of our undercover investigation of drug sales there.”

That’s impressive. Duncan puts on a leather jacket and attempts to buy cocaine, err . . . goes undercover, and the mighty forces of the city swing into action to smite the evil-doers.

Impressive, but not true, at least according to the city attorney. Witt said Channel 8’s series in no way prompted the city’s involvement. He acknowledged that the timing of the actions may not have been “pure coincidence,” but he said his office had been following the hotel situation for several weeks and they were planning to act regardless of Channel 8’s coverage.

“It was a longtime, ongoing situation, and we moved ahead on it,” Witt said. “I can’t say I wasn’t aware that Channel 8 (was doing a story), but I can’t say it was a motivating factor either.”

Duncan and Channel 8 News Director Jim Holtzman didn’t return calls seeking an explanation of the discrepancy.

In many ways, the story had all the elements of a TV news spectacular. It was self-promotional, as Channel 8 relentlessly patted itself on the back. And, like most good television news stories, it was immediately blown out of proportion, as the news became big news on Channel 8 simply because Channel 8 was covering it.

The fact that Witt is running for reelection and could be using Channel 8 for a little free publicity simply puts a bow on the whole package.

On the other hand, initiative and aggressiveness are so lacking in local TV news that any example of enterprising reporting is worth sending up a flare for. At least Channel 8 was out there. Unfortunately, the value of the reports on the hotel and two other decrepit buildings was too easily lost in the station’s zeal to dramatize events.

“Were you not frightened?” gushed anchorwoman Susan Peters after the first segment aired.

Duncan, whose suburban demeanor belies the fact that he simply isn’t smarmy enough for this type of television work, took the high road.

“Could you hear my voice?” Duncan said, referring to the high notes he was hitting during his conversation with the dealer. “I’m not that good an actor.”

Well, KGTV (Channel 10) has settled this nagging question about which Democratic presidential candidate San Diegans will support. Using the highly scientific and completely reliable “telepoll” method, Channel 10 has determined that San Diegans overwhelmingly support, drum roll please . . . Jerry Brown.

And San Diegans don’t just like the only presidential candidate to date Linda Ronstadt (presumably), they love him, according to the Channel 10 phone poll. Of the 19,000 calls the station received last week, Brown received 62% of the votes; Bill Clinton, 27%; and Paul Tsongas, 11%.

These phone polls, which allow people to call toll-free numbers (as many times as they want) to register their votes, are used by Channel 10, KNSD-TV (Channel 39), KSDO-AM (1130) and dozens of other radio and television stations, but rarely are they as perceptive as Channel 10’s “Super Tuesday” poll. Who would have guessed that conservative, monolithic San Diego was actually a bastion of liberal Democratic politics?

Of course, it is possible that these polls are completely worthless, unscientific exercises that simply poll people willing to make phone calls, and do nothing more than create the illusion that a station is interacting with the community.

Producers of Channel 39’s “Ross Hedgecock Report” have decided to play along with the latest prank by the KFMB-FM (B100) morning team of Jeff Elliott and Jerry St. James, who last week told listeners they would pay anyone who mentioned Jeff and Jer during the Hedgecock show. At first, Channel 39 tried to bleep the Jeff and Jer fans, particularly when someone tried to plug the radio show during a discussion of babies addicted to drugs. But the Hedgecock show can use some publicity, too. “We have decided to ride with this and have some fun with it,” producer Steve Corman said. . . .

Channel 8 News Director Jim Holtzman is reportedly looking for a teaching position. As is his habit, Holtzman didn’t return calls to confirm or deny. If it’s true, maybe Holtzman will teach a class on media relations. . . .

That’s Russ T. Nailz on XTRA-FM (91X) doing the best George Bush impersonation this side of Dana Carvey. . . .

Channel 10’s Herb Cawthorne is definitely improving as an anchorman, but his shrill “Perspective” commentaries still occasionally reek of hypocrisy. Last week he went off on congressmen involved in “Rubbergate,” the check-bouncing scandal. A worthy topic, but those who remember that Cawthorne has left two different Urban League posts amid allegations of financial impropriety may question if Cawthorne is the one to be talking about “phoniness that’s insulting.” . . .

CRITIC’S CHOICE

MEDIA HEAVYWEIGHTS AT COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE

The San Diego Communications Council has brought together an impressive lineup of media heavy hitters for the 1992 edition of its annual conference, “Global Communications: Expanding in a Shrinking World.” The two-day conference, which opens today at the La Jolla Marriott, will focus on technological and policy changes around the world. Highlights include a speech by Reese Schonfield, the founding president of CNN, tonight at 7 after dinner, and a luncheon address Tuesday by Alfred Sikes, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Big names indeed, but at $395 per person for the entire conference, $100 for the dinner only, the event is for hard-core media types only.