Andrea isom reports from hell

**Vitalis** · November-13-12, 10:16 PM

I complain a lot about local media - there's certainly a lot to complain about. And although I fault Fox 2 News on a number of fronts, I still go there most nights as I defer sleep. My fatherly concern with this post is for my girl, Andrea Isom "on the eeedge."
All summer long I watched her take the lead murder story at 11:00 - night after night after night. While the camera fawned over the teddy bears and balloons and notes and candles [[grieving is certainly a growth industry in Detroit), Andrea told these individual horror stories from street level, interviewing the family members, and very professionally asking aloud - and rhetorically - when will the killing stop?
Then as summer became autumn she disappeared from the airwaves, for seemingly a good number of weeks. And unless I missed her story as to why she was gone, I will speculate here wildly and suggest that the wave of summer mayhem got to her, and her bosses at Fox 2 sent her away to a media rest home where other intrepid news hounds also go to unwind and flush their systems of all the urban bile that must build up.
Of course, Andrea is back on the eeedge and she looks fine, but what of the toll on her psyche? It must not be the career she thought it would be when she matriculated through her media courses at Ohio State - the Naked City has slapped her upside the head.

**iheartthed** · November-13-12, 10:38 PM

After what she did I'm surprised she still has a job.

**MidTownMs** · November-13-12, 11:48 PM

I used to watch Fox 2 News just to hear her say "On the Eddddddge"

**5speedz34** · November-14-12, 12:02 AM

I don't even know what she did, but in all seriousness why do people even watch the trash that is the local news? Especially Fox 2!

**Zacha341** · November-14-12, 06:56 AM

What specifically?

Originally Posted by iheartthed

After what she did I'm surprised she still has a job.

**MidTownMs** · November-14-12, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by 5speedz34

I don't even know what she did, but in all seriousness why do people even watch the trash that is the local news? Especially Fox 2!

Because sometimes we just want to watch trash.

**Honky Tonk** · November-14-12, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by 5speedz34

I don't even know what she did, but in all seriousness why do people even watch the trash that is the local news? Especially Fox 2!

I too became curious after coming across little tidbits of information. The closest thing I could find, without the usual racial overtones, was this thread from 2006.

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1165061362

**cla1945** · November-14-12, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by 5speedz34

I don't even know what she did, but in all seriousness why do people even watch the trash that is the local news? Especially Fox 2!

Whatever it is that you consider 'trash that is the local news", it's still happening, people living in the area of crime need to know what's going on and it keeps others aware of things. Isn't that what the news is all about?
That is, unless people are trying to look at Detroit through rose colored glasses.

How can newscasters keep it "nice" when "nice" isn't what's going on? This is what Detroit is all about these days. Murder after murder, [[sometimes two at a time, sometimes three at a time). Look at me wrong, I shoot...step on my shoes, I shoot, if your baby is with you, too bad. People need to be made aware of these things and the media, whether Fox 2, WXYZ, or CNN, that's what they do.

**Parkguy** · November-14-12, 11:16 AM

I was a media educator for years. Here's the thing about local TV news. Remember, it is a business. Any story that has video will make the newscast over a story that doesn't have video, and stories that don't have video are kept really short. It is cheaper to produce a story where all of the video comes from one or maybe two locations than one that requires multiple locations and multiple days. So it is much cheaper and more profitable to cover a story like a shooting or a wreck, where the video [[called b-roll, shots that run while someone describes what happened, for instance) can be shot quickly in one place, along with an opening and closing by the reporter at the scene, called a "stand-up." Grab a statement from an eyewitness or an opinion from someone who happens to be on the scene, maybe a statement from an officer or firefighter or rescue worker on the scene. Often, the story is edited in the van, voice-over reports added, and sent back to the station. Sometimes the reporter doesn't even show up until all of the b-roll and interviews have been shot under the direction of a producer.

Other kinds of stories take much more time and money. Things like economic development stories require lots of b-roll from the building site, interviews with city officials, interviews with developers, maybe interviews with retail tenants, and so on. That could take multiple days and lots of running around, and requires dedicating lots of expensive technical equipment and expensive labor to the job. That's why you don't see stories like that on local TV news.

Newspapers have a different model. One reporter can get info quickly, sometimes by telephone, and if a photographer is needed, one can be sent out for a few quick shots, then can rush off to the next job. And now, "convergence journalism" means that the reporter also serves as the photographer and even videographer for the web.

Don't even get me going about cable news. That isn't even news at all. The so-called anchor will describe a story to set the stage for the "experts," who spend the next half-hour giving their opinion. That is not news.

**gthomas** · November-14-12, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by MidTownMs

I used to watch Fox 2 News just to hear her say "On the Eddddddge"

YEssssss! Me too.

**Scottathew** · November-14-12, 03:23 PM

I can't stand her. And she's a drunk driver that went the wrong way on a freeway.

**downtownguy** · November-14-12, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by MidTownMs

Originally Posted by 5speedz34
I don't even know what she did, but in all seriousness why do people even watch the trash that is the local news? Especially Fox 2!

Because sometimes we just want to watch trash.

I find your comment ironic after reading the posts you made on another thread about the Heidelberg Project. One person's junk is another person's treasure, and vice versa.

**5speedz34** · November-14-12, 11:52 PM

It isn't news though, it's only packaged to look that way. What are they informing you of? Not much if at all. Watch the first 5 stories I can guarantee they will be all negative, violent, and if "bleeds it leads." It's the non-stop cycle of fear-based journalism that does nothing but reinforce stereotypes, division, and us-versus-them mindset. Instead of focusing on reporting on community groups fighting crime or other ways we are solving our problems the "news" would just rather show another person killed or crippled by crime in Detroit.

Wait, I spoke to soon. They are great for school closings, LOL.

**Honky Tonk** · November-15-12, 07:41 AM

Originally Posted by MidTownMs

Because sometimes we just want to watch trash.

Most do, some don't.

**313WX** · November-15-12, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by 5speedz34

I don't even know what she did, but in all seriousness why do people even watch the trash that is the local news? Especially Fox 2!

WJBK sets the bar for local news trash, quite frankly.

WXYZ has the best local newscast, in comparison to 3 horrible newscasts.

**Detwa** · November-15-12, 08:17 AM

Ha, I love Andrea, I used to stay up just to see her hair. She's toned it down now, almost boring. She doesn't seem to do her "on the edddddge" thing either and my son and I lived for that!

Fox 2 seems to have a thing for drunk drivers. There was also Roop Raj and someone else whose name I forgot after I started typing!

**MidTownMs** · November-15-12, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Detwa

Ha, I love Andrea, I used to stay up just to see her hair. She's toned it down now, almost boring. She doesn't seem to do her "on the edddddge" thing either and my son and I lived for that!

Fox 2 seems to have a thing for drunk drivers. There was also Roop Raj and someone else whose name I forgot after I started typing!

News at 11. Roop gets looped. Sorry I'm feeling kinda loopy..

**Cincinnati_Kid** · November-15-12, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

What specifically?

I also recall a few years back she was arrested for driving the wrong way on a freeway ramp I believe.[[don't know if she was intoxicated) Shocked she was able to keep her job behind that one.

**dtowncitylover** · November-15-12, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

WJBK sets the bar for local news trash, quite frankly.

WXYZ has the best local newscast, in comparison to 3 horrible newscasts.

I prefer WDIV because the newscast, no matter whose anchoring or reporting, seem to have a connection. WXYZ sometimes seem like stone. Many of their talents are new and haven't got that flow yet. But I digress...

**MikeM** · November-15-12, 01:15 PM

I prefer WMYD because they don't have gimmicky BS segments like "Ruth to the Rescue", "Ask Florine", "Problem Solvers", "Call to Action", "Hall of Shame", "Style File", etc.

**313WX** · November-15-12, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

I prefer WDIV because the newscast, no matter whose anchoring or reporting, seem to have a connection. WXYZ sometimes seem like stone. Many of their talents are new and haven't got that flow yet. But I digress...

WDIV has the best chemistry amongst its team, but the newscasts themselves have way too much filler crap.