ANCHOR GAMES: Heed viewers who appreciate the likes of Emery King
/- Originally published in the Detroit Free Press on March 21, 2005 [here]
The outcry following Channel 4's unceremonious decision not to renew King's contract prompted the station to seek a meeting with the 19-year veteran this week to see what can be worked out, which could range from a new deal to a more amicable parting, meaning a financial settlement.
It also amounted to notice that local TV news may be underestimating its viewers. Could it be that their attention span is not as short as the pace of newscasts plays to? Is it possible that they value a familiar face with experience delivering important local stories? Any chance that viewers prefer being talked to over being hollered at, want to know the whole story instead of just a headline and visual, and don't fly into a dancing panic every time the weather changes? Maybe they don't like being teased every two minutes to stay tuned, or alerted about "breaking news" every time a store gets robbed.
In addition to nearly two decades of reporting and anchor duties for Channel 4, King is a former NBC White House correspondent and one of the few local TV journalists sufficiently smart about and wired into local politics to legitimately claim it as a beat. On the air, he has been a straightforward, tell-it-like-it-is reporter, more in the network mold than the over-the-top or in-your-face style of other local TV people. Do nice guys only do weather?
Based on community response to his ouster, King's appeal transcended racial lines, which in this community is not an easy thing to do. King was among the major players in a New Detroit Inc. effort begun last year to encourage conversations between blacks and whites in this, the nation's most racially polarized region.
If WDIV ultimately decides to replace King, who was the station's 5:30 p.m. anchor, the want ad could read: Top-notch journalists need not apply. We had one and didn't like him.
When, or if, the station ever gets around to offering an explanation for its decision to dump King, it is likely to have something to do with "moving in a new direction." If only that were true for local TV news.
