| | | | | Right now even the "best case scenario" for north Florida is pretty bad. As Hurricane Matthew pummels the east coast at this hour, local TV stations and cable news channels are providing wall-to-wall coverage. Here's an in-depth look... | | If Matthew makes landfall, it'll be "the first major hurricane to hit the United States in 4,000 days." So TV crews heeded their own advice and got off the beach.
We won't be seeing many live shots from the Space Coast's barrier islands on Friday because crews moved to safer ground late in the day on Thursday. "We don't want to have our crews trapped," Alan Mason, the VP in charge of Bay News 9 and News 13, told me. "No story is worth getting hurt." But we will be seeing live pictures from unmanned cams that have been set up in locations that are susceptible to storm surge. And we will see aerial images of the aftermath. CNN, Fox and other news outlets have drone camera operators in the region... | | | This is when local TV shines | | We all know the worst of local TV. Days like Thursday and Friday represent local TV at its BEST, with broadcasters relaying life-saving information. "There's a special bond that develops, a special trust that develops between the meteorologist and the viewer," said Mike Clay, the chief meteorologist at Bay News 9.
This is why local TV will be alive forever and ever — because this is how the information has to get out," WOFL chief meteorologist Glenn Richards said. Here's my full story... | | | Think about what has changed in the last ten years... | | | When FL was impacted by four hurricanes in 2004, there was no Facebook, no YouTube, no Snapchat. This time around, journalists are harnessing social media to answer Q's from viewers and to reach people who may not be able to tune in. This will become especially important as power outages pile up on Friday... | | | All three nightly news anchors made it to Florida in time for Thursday night's newscasts. Scott Pelley was the furthest south, in West Palm Beach, which meant that he was soaking wet at 6:30pm... | | | Wall to wall live coverage overnight and into the morning | | On CNN, Don Lemon is live til 1am ET. Michael Holmes will co-anchor from Palm Bay overnight. "Early Start" will start even earlier than usual, at 3am. Chris Cuomo will co-anchor from Jacksonville starting at 5am... On MSNBC, Brian Williams is live til 1am. Ari Melber, Alex Witt, and Betty Nguyen with Bill Karins will anchor overnight. Lester Holt is in Melbourne for the duration... On Fox, Bill Hemmer anchored at 11pm. Eric Shawn and Heather Childers are anchoring til 4am, and then "Fox & Friends First" is starting early...
-- More: TVNewser has more info on the deployments... | | A few more notes from my story about local TV:
-- At many stations, staffers are working in 12-hour shifts. Offices have been converted to makeshift bedrooms...
-- Station managers expect widespread power outages. So broadcasters from Miami to Jacksonville have arranged for local radio stations to simulcast their coverage...
-- The silver lining: WTVJ meteorologist Ryan Phillips noted that there was "plenty of lead time" for Matthew, and a "consistent message across the board" about the dangers... | | | "I cannot overstate the danger of this storm" | | | National broadcasters have also been explicit about the threat posed by Matthew. Bryan Norcross delivered this blunt warning during the 3pm hour of The Weather Channel's coverage: "This is like NO storm in the record books. We are concerned about reports of people deciding to stay in areas under mandatory evacuation orders. This is a mistake. This is not hype. This is not hyperbole. And I am not kidding. I cannot overstate the danger of this storm. Central and north florida have never been hit by a hurricane this a strong. If you live in a Florida evacuation zone, you need to head for a safe spot NOW. Do not assume you can survive if you choose to stay. There will be overwhelming damage, and likely a heartbreaking loss of life. Based on everything we know, Matthew will make history. The Weather Channel does not want you to be part of that history." Video... | | | Drudge and the height of irresponsibility | | With that warning in mind, Matt Drudge's Thursday afternoon tweets were irresponsible. He wrote: "The deplorables are starting to wonder if govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew intensity to make exaggerated point on climate." Then he said the National Hurricane Center "has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims. Nassau ground observations DID NOT match statements! 165mph gusts? WHERE?"
Dylan Byers emails: There are hundreds of corpses in Haiti right now that can attest to the fact that this storm is very real and very dangerous. There are hurricane experts, like Norcross, stressing the danger to Floridians. We all know Drudge likes to traffic in conspiracy theories, but this one is really beyond the pale. Surprising as it may seem, there are many people who see him as a reliable source of information -- and he could be putting some of those people in danger... | | | It's not just the correspondents... | | | ...Who put themselves in harms way during a story like this: | | | Frank Pallotta tweeted that this picture of Lester Holt arriving in FL is a reminder that the men and women behind the camera are just as exposed, and sometimes more exposed, to the storm... | | | On "Thursday Night Football..." | | | The announcers on CBS's "Thursday Night Football" acknowledged the hurricane and urged viewers to text a donation to the Red Cross... | | | Happy 20th anniversary, Fox News Channel | | Friday marks the 20th anniversary of Fox News. The channel isn't holding a blowout birthday party or a day-long "best of Fox" broadcast though. The celebration is tempered, in part, by Roger Ailes' recent resignation and undeniable uncertainty about the future of the channel. The demands of campaign coverage and the sudden concerns about Hurricane Matthew are also factors.
Co-presidents Bill Shine and Jack Abernethy acknowledged the anniversary by sending a memo to staffers on Thursday. On Friday they'll address staffers inside the brand-new studio that is set to debut on election night. Fox's priority is on looking forward -- since Ailes looks so large over the past -- but the execs still want to give this 20th anniversary milestone its due...
-- As Mediaite's Josh Feldman notes here, Fox is "still dominant in the ratings over its cable news rivals and even breaking its own records…" | | | Kelly and Hannity say they are "friends" | | Dylan Byers reports: Megyn Kelly and Sean Hannity appear to have made up after a public spat over Donald Trump. On Thursday night both hosts tweeted a photo of themselves sitting together in the Fox News studios with their arms around one another. "We're Irish. It's complicated. #friends," the tweets read...
The key question: Does anyone believe this "resolution?"
-- More: Writing for CNN.com, Dean Obeidallah says "Megyn Kelly is right about Trump choosing Hannity over 'unsafe spaces...'" | | | Protest against Jesse Watters | | NYT's Liam Stack reports: "Elected officials and activists staged a protest outside the Manhattan HQ of Fox News on Thursday" over the Jesse Watters segment mocking Asian Americans. Inside Fox, there's a recognition about how bad this was... And curiosity about what Watters and Bill O'Reilly will say about it on the air... | | -- This is a must read via Time mag, explaining so much about the election: "The Truth Is Out There in 2016. Way Out There." (Time)
-- Fox's Harris Faulkner has settled her lawsuit with Hasbro over the toy hamster that bears her name... (CNNMoney)
-- Paul La Monica notes that Twitter's stock has plunged as takeover hopes have faded... (CNNMoney) | | | Trump trashes media during "town hall" | | Donald Trump's Thursday evening "town hall" with radio host Howie Carr wasn't really a practice run for Sunday's actual town hall debate. Jeremy Diamond and Maeve Reston have a full report here.
At the event, a questioner asked if John Harwood's report -- suggesting Trump might be peeved by Mike Pence upstaging him -- was true. Trump responded by attacking CNBC's Harwood, calling him "the worst moderator of all the debates we had." Trump also blasted CNN's John King. Harwood tweeted afterward: "As it happens, we both reported that people on his team think he wasn't thrilled Pence got better debate reviews & didn't always defend him..." | | | Quick reminder from Sopan Deb... | | | He tweets: "It's been 72 days since Trump held a presser. He took questions from a limited group 28 days ago. Clinton has taken Qs 9 times in 3 weeks..." | | | The debate "will go forward" | | | Via CNN's Steve Brusk: Despite the storm, a senior Commission on Presidential Debates official says Sunday's debate in St. Louis "will go forward as planned" Sunday... | | | Sunday on "Reliable Sources" | | | I'll be in St. Louis for the #Debate, joined by debate commission co-chairs Mike McCurry and Frank Fahrenkopf... | | | About that Clinton appearance on Steve Harvey's show... | | | Brian Lowry emails: The strangest campaign controversy of the past few days has to be the Washington Free Beacon's "scoop" (subsequently picked up by many other conservative web sites) about "The Steve Harvey Show" going over questions in advance for Hillary Clinton -- as if the revelation somehow impugned Harvey's journalistic integrity. The truth is, as icky as the practice might appear, that sort of advance prep is hardly scandalous behavior in the world of entertainment talk, where Clinton would be treated like any other celebrity... | | | "Rattled mayor lashes out at Post" | | | This is the cover of Friday's NYPost: | | | The NYT's David Goodman explains why: "For weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio has barely disguised his disgust for the coverage of his administration in the NYPost... The mayor took his disdain to a new level on Thursday, blatantly and pointedly ignoring the paper's City Hall bureau chief, Yoav Gonen, during a news conference, and belittling The Post while doing so. The conflict erupted in a petulant exchange, with Mr. Gonen furiously, and futilely, trying to attract the mayor's attention. Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, refused to call on him, explaining that he had "no use for a right-wing rag" while excoriating Mr. Gonen for a recent story he did not write." Read more... | | | "Keeping up with the Kardashians" production is on hold | | | Sandra Gonzalez reports: It's unclear when E!'s cameras will once again be keeping up with the Kardashians. Production on the E! network's reality hit starring the Kardashian family remains on hold days after Kim Kardashian West was robbed of over $10 million worth of jewelry while in Paris. "Kim's well-being is our core focus right now. No decision has been made as to when production will resume," an E! spokesperson told CNN... | | | *Temporarily. More from Sandra: "Double Dare" -- the messy Nickelodeon game show hit of decades past -- is coming back for one night only. The network announced Thursday it will air a commemorative half-hour special in honor of the show's 30th anniversary, featuring behind-the-scenes content, vintage footage, and a look at new games taped earlier this year. Host Marc Summers, co-host Robin Marella and announcer John Harvey are expected to appear... | | -- Chloe Melas emails: I had a chance to sit down with Harvey Weinstein, and he told me that Jay Z will produce The Weinstein Company's Richard Pryor biopic. He also revealed that despite reports that director Lee Daniels was out, he's very much in and will direct this project. Weinstein hopes to start shooting in early 2017...
-- More from Chloe: I also spoke with Jay Z at an event for his new docuseries with Weinstein and Spike TV about the story of Kalief Browder, the teenager who committed suicide after being thrown in Rikers for three years for a crime he didn¹t commit. Jay said he hopes this six-part docuseries, which premieres in January, will "inspire others" and "save lives..."
-- Lisa France emails: Clearly Fetty Wap has learned nothing from the Kardashian robbery story. The rapper showed up in a New Jersey court with a stack of cash he said amounted to $165K to pay for $360 in fines. He said he was guilty of "DWB-AR - Driving While Black and Rich..."
-- More from Lisa: After she made some comments about the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie divorce, singer Melissa Etheridge said she received a call from Jolie's "fixer," crisis management expert Judy Smith. Naturally Etheridge wrote a song about it and performed it on "Watch What Happens Live" Wednesday night. She even managed to work "Scandal" into the tune, given that Smith is the inspiration for Olivia Pope...
-- "Criminal Minds" aired Thomas Gibson's final episode and many fans of the popular CBS drama were not happy about it. Gibson was fired this summer after an on-set altercation with one of the show's writers... | | Tell us what you think... | | | What do you like about this newsletter? What do you dislike? Send your feedback to reliablesources@cnn.com. We appreciate every email. We'll be back tomorrow... | | | Get Reliable Sources, a comprehensive summary of the most important media news, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. | | | | | |
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