Larry Kane Trashes Local News So We Don’t Have To
Venerable Philadelphia newsman Larry Kane has worked in the business for close to 40 years. Though no longer an anchorman, he finally has the freedom to analyze and critique issues thanks to his CN8 show, The Voice of Reason, and a growing web presence thanks to his “Larry Kane Report” on LarryKane.com. Kane graciously spoke with the Daily Examiner about why local television news is dying, whether it even has a place in today’s society, and how aspiring anchorpeople should, ahem, behave once they climb behind the desk five nights a week.
The Daily Examiner: Has Philadelphia television news lost its relevancy? As a viewer, regardless of who’s doing the broadcast, I almost always feel dumber for having watched it. What do the stations have to improve?
Larry Kane: Local TV news in Philadelphia has lost hundreds of thousands of viewers in the last 15 years. The three newscasts at 11 combined have almost 30 percent fewer viewers. Channel 29’s audience hasn’t changed much. From my perspective, viewers have figured out what’s going on. The teases in prime time that try to lure viewers in with sensational fear and anxiety are actually a big turnoff. It is so simple. The stations are trying to get a bigger piece of a smaller pie. News directors are under pressure, so instead of just providing exciting and creative coverage, they resort to turning some of their content into a cross between Entertainment Tonight and Extra. The weather drama has turned a few stations into the “boys (or girls) who cried wolf.” The viewer gets it and, with the exception of real storm threats, is totally turned off.
The hidden news war in Philadelphia is not talked about — the battle to break news on the internet. With the internet doing so well, and the cable newsies getting bigger and bigger, people don’t need to watch local news like they did before. Breaking news on the internet IS the future.
In reality the TV news wars should be a battle to be relevant. Too many stations are interested so much in being first, that they are often wrong. I would rather be second and correct than first and wrong. Bad information can hurt people.
DE: What gives a news anchor “credibility”? What is the skill involved in reading the news?
LK: Credibility in a market like this has primarily to do with a combination of understanding of the news, superb writing, and getting involved in the community. The two premier anchors in this town right now, Larry Mendte and Jim Gardner, understand that, although Mendte is far more involved in community interests. On the other hand, Gardner is a great writer, and people know that he cares about the news. There are many nights when I know he’s uncomfortable reading some of the fluff they give him.
There is a skill in talking to people, rather than just reading. Both of these anchors have it.
DE: What sort of news is being overlooked on a nightly basis?
LK: The one area that is totally ignored, the story that is in the middle of the stations’ demographic interests, is education. I would hire an education reporter. After health, it is the number-one priority of young adults with children. A second area is politics. It’s hotter than ever, but it is given lip service. Just because a station sends a camera for a 20-second clip with no information attached, doesn’t mean it is covering news.
DE: Do you think Philadelphia’s news broadcasts need a complete overhaul? At this point, isn’t it backwards thinking for a producer to believe that they can spike their ratings by adding a prettier face, or more sports, or funnier weather guys? Yet, that seems to be the solution for a lot of networks.
LK: News talent is an overrated commodity. Yes, I said that. The history of Philadelphia TV news shows that anchors and reporters with the “goods,” credibility, clarity and good personality, are the biggest stars. Cecily [Tynan] and Kathy [Orr] are good-looking people, but it is simply not enough; the reason they are so good is their credibility. In the last four decades, one anchorwoman has stood above the rest, Lisa Thomas-Laury. She is very credible.
If good looks were the secret to success, I would never have had a chance. Incidentally, anchors who don’t get on the street and cover news usually fail.
DE: Which local station does the best job right now? Which is in the best position to become better in the future?
LK: I think that Channel 6 and 3 are doing a decent job, but not as good as they could. They certainly have the best on-air communicators. The future rests on good judgment, and I question some of the news judgments made every day. Channel 10 seems content, although its ratings are not as good as the others. TV stations are money trees. Channel 10 will continue to be content until NBC gets impatient, or somebody buys NBC.
Channel 6, because of fine hiring, may have insured its future, but the new and outstanding reporter-anchors are hampered by news management seeking to become too sensational.
DE: Why isn’t there a 24-hour local news station in this city?
LK: Good question. We could use it here. If done right, it would be a huge success, Frankly, if it wasn’t for CN8, which offers alternative broadcasts that are entertaining as well as informative, we might have a TV information gap. This, of course, is the plug zone. I am a broadcaster and consultant for CN8, so that is a plug. I admire the network’s creativity and commitment to get enlightening programming on the air.
DE: Does Alycia Lane have any shot whatsoever of keeping her job? Could CBS 3 possibly maintain any shred of this so-called “credibility” if they put her back on the air?
LK: That’s up to the station. I don’t think it is appropriate to comment on that without all the facts.
DE: How important should public image be for an anchorperson? Is there a way to make a human mistake outside of the office and not lose credibility? Were/are you conscious of your own public image? Did you ever refuse to be photographed?
LK: The public life of a person bringing you the news should be immaculate. I’ve always felt that. We all make mistakes; I certainly have. But like athletes and people who are looked up to, there is a responsibility to try and set a decent example.
I refused to be photographed bare-chested in a swimsuit years ago for Philadelphia magazine. It was a wise choice.
DE: Do you think the line between tabloid and truth is so blurred right now that there’s no going back?
LK: Perhaps. But the best news directors in the nation are going back to covering the news, and it works. I enjoy good, juicy features on TV news. They have a place in every newscast. But they should not be the essence of a newscast. Good entertainment and pop culture news is a diversion we all need. So is sports.
DE: Would you want to be an anchorman in today’s market?
LK: If I were Matt O’Donnell, sure! The truth is that I can now comment and analyze, whereas the anchor role confined my role to be objective reporter. And that’s the way it should be when you are anchoring the news and have so much influence.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:42 pm
why is larry considered an authority? aside from a couple of years in the 70s he never worked for a number one news organization, and consistantly lost viewers at each station he worked for.
December 31st, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Mike,
Re-read your history. Larry Kane is considered the dean of Philadelphia News Anchors. He coined phrase “The Big Story” on Action News which is still in use today. He was also the first anchor of the Action News Format when it was first introduced in the 70s.
He is the only newsman in the city to have worked for all 3 major stations. He knows all the major players in Philly.
Being a #1 station doesn’t make you the best. It means the most people watch you. Being the best station means covering the best stories which Larry always did.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Basically during my years (I’m 55 years-old), local news has gone from a fifteen minute reading of news wire copy from UPI and AP and a little film to sensationalistic, pandering on commercialism with too much dependence on special effects and an overdoes of teases to keep the viewer tuned-in, thus “dumbing down the audience” it serves. In the question of whether local news is relevant, or will be in the future? My answer is a firm yes. The internet is fine - however most of us will tune into the local newscast for basic “news, weather and sports” information, rather than going into a fuss to get online in looking for a credible news source. I would agree there is a great need for improvement in how news is disseminated - and the quality of the news being covered. That as much as a station would like to make their news team more friendly, there is a line between their credibility and lowering standards to increase their draw. During ratings period, too many stations opt for what is “racy” to the point of pandering sensationalism to bring up their numbers. I would hope the audience is smart enough to know when they are being “had” for ratings points. By no means does news have to be dull, but stations must experiment more in finding ways to increase their numbers and retain their credibility. One arguable area is increasing local news to one hour before primetime - not repeating news every half hour, but allowing additional information within that hour on each story. Having worked in news, I can’t tell you how much good stuff ended up on the cutting room floor, because it wouldn’t fit within the half hour news budget. Hopefully intelligence will prevail, and we will find ways to up the audiences’ intellect - and the rating numbers as well.
Andrew Boggs, MALL727net
January 1st, 2008 at 9:56 am
Kane, Mendte, Gardner, etc. These will be the last of a long line of trusted TV news sources. The Web will see to that.
No longer do we need to stay up til 11pm to catch news, weather and sports. With the Web, News is now a 24/7 business. Mr. Kane said it best: the INTERNET is where breaking news will be. Wireless connectivity speed that process.
To be sure, TV news will still be around in the future, but will certainly play the somewhat diminshed role of a ’summary’ and ‘best of’ general news aggregator/editor.
In addition, some bloggers will gain more trust than maninstream media. (Many old school media execs will certainly dismiss that prediction.)
Traditional News is slowly becoming a commodity.
Unless broadcasters take REAL action now, ubiquitous wireless broadband access will make it very difficult for local TV news to operate, with the same profit margins, in the very near future.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
I do agree with Larry Kane when he says that the “teases” are a big turnoff. However I also agree whenhe says that stations which are going back to the news can be successful.
I do believe however that the real loss of viewership can be attributed to CABLE TV. If you are not especially interested in the everyday stories such as fires,murders and auto accidents, shows that are more entertaining like SEINFIELD, FAMILY GUY or reuruns of Feature Films will easily lure tthem from TV News.