Monday, July 30, 2007

Chicago ABC Channel 7 Uses State-Paid Video

If anyone ever complains about McHenry County Blog’s willingness to allow others to take photographs for publication--like this one from McHenry County Democrats--please keep the following in mind.

Chicago’s ABC Channel 7 used videotape paid for by you and me on Monday night during its six o’clock broadcast.

The story was about an $82 million subsidy granted an electric generating plant’s investors. The story said the plant would pump emissions underground.

I’ve heard of small Downstate stations running Illinois Information Service video, but this is the first time I have seen it on a Chicago station.

This appears to be the Association Press story that was read while the Governor Rod Blagojevich was seen signing the bill and passing out ceremonial pens.

From McHenry County Blog, where you can read how the comment section of Northwest Herald articles has turned into a place to test campaign themes.

10 comments:

Anonymous,  9:09 PM  

Channel 7 ABC is the best News Station in Chicago. I fail to find anything to sweat on this post.

Anonymous,  9:54 PM  

Why in the name of all that is good in the world must you post this stuff here?

McHenry County Blog. Heard of it? Use it. Spare us.

Anonymous,  10:13 PM  

Cal, re the FOIA costs of $.80/page you were talking about over on MCB, why not FOIA their copier bills?

Or request PDF on CD'S?

Anonymous,  8:50 AM  

What do you expect from a Mickey Mouse outfit (after all, the station is owned by Disney)? If Channel 7 is the best station in town, heaven help us all. Can Bob McBride (the infamous Channel 2 anchor of the early 70s who drew unflattering comparisions to Ted Baxter) make a comeback?

Anonymous,  7:32 AM  

Cal and others-

This story is much ado about nothing. It shows how little you know about IIS and the way that media works.

First of all, IIS was created long before Rod took office and it has provided video, photo and audio (radio) clips to the media for well over 30 years. Over the time media outlets throughout the state have used their services frequently.

Secondly, it is common practice for media relations professionals (both in Government and the private sector) to provide video, photo and audio to the media. When you watch the news, read the paper or listen to the radio its a very safe bet that some of the content was provided by the organization the story is about.

Kudos, YES KUDOS, to ABC7 for giving that acknowledgment, many people don't. That acknowledgment is not to stroke the ego of the source of the material but to provide full disclosure to the public. Just because you saw this for the first time does not mean that ABC7 is now turning into some type of puppet for the administration, it just means you saw a disclosure that I have seen ABC7 and other outlets make for sometime.

Anonymous,  7:58 AM  

FutureGen is a national-level story, it is almost as big a project in it's own way as the Supercollider was. IIS pool footage from state-related events is provided to any station that wants it. The thing to watch is how the station uses the footage: does it just run the stuff without adding it's own details and other views on the story, or is the footage just one part of a balanced report? I've never considered Andy Shaw to be a Blago stooge. If they ran nothing but Blago blathering on, you'd have an issue, Cal. Not this time.

Anonymous,  8:43 AM  

"Downstate" is not a proper noun. In fact, it's not a noun at all. It's an adjective describing a part of Illinois that is downstate from Chicago. Can we please stop treating the rest of Illinois as if it were another state?

Anonymous,  11:11 PM  

Anon 8:43 makes a valid point. This is the State of Illinois, not the Illinois civil war. This ridiculous north of I80/downstate dialogue is getting old. Anyone out there intelligent enough to put this aside and help make the state as a whole stronger? I hope so or we're all in trouble!

Unknown 7:01 AM  

Shame on you Windy City. This is right out of Hitler's Mein Comp to get propaganda's feeds from the minster of information.

And yes, the US department of AG has information service also.

This is very handy for media consolidation.

Anonymous,  12:21 AM  

Cal:
Thuirsday nite, again we see IIS video for Blago at a news conference in Quincy about bridge inspections....in frontof the newest bridge in the state......no sense there. More state supplied video of gov who could care two-cents about infrastructure until it became a good news byte this week.....

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