Making News: Texas Style – Still Watching

OK, who am I kidding. I’ve become hooked on this damn show – Making News: Texas Style!

I really didn’t want it to happen. It just did. Some things are beyond your control.

Over the past few weeks I’ve written about the superficiality of the stories being covered and the people covering them. That’s still the case. What’s changed is, I now care about the people on the screen. All it took was three weeks of seeing them, flaws and all.

I feel really bad for Melissa Correa&#185, the extremely self conscious reporter desperately trying to lose weight on-the-air. She set herself up in a task that had little upside and lots of downside.

How embarrassing to do a ‘me-roll’ story on weight loss and lose none… or very little. You could see her desperation as she talked about the diet pills she was now taking and the cigarettes she’d like to stop smoking.

As it turned out, she did bail on the weight loss series! Long before the story was over, but after she had promised a payoff in on-air promos, she decided it just wasn’t working. Credit to Jose, the news director, for letting her walk away. not every news director would have made that ’employee friendly’ decision.

Michelle is as close to a mental breakdown as anyone I’ve ever watched on TV. It’s a combination of low self esteem and constant introspection. Was this really a good career choice for her? Can she survive much longer under the pressure?

Bill Warren, the ousted anchor is my second charity case. His bio doesn’t mention it, but I’ll bet he made his way from radio to TV. He’s got that ‘grown-up disk jockey’ persona (and matching voice). I’m not sure how else to describe it.

I feel bad because at age 62 he’s taking a major career step backward. It’s obvious there’s no real future for him outside this market… probably outside this station. His salary and prestige will continue to dwindle before his very eyes.

Bill Warren is living the career equivalent of staying married for the kids. It’s a shame because he seems like a nice guy, and probably a little too intelligent for the room.

What’s bothered me from Episode One is how little meat is in this show and how much time is spent recapping what’s happened and advancing what’s to come. Making News: Texas Style would have made a much better half hour show.

Last Monday, after the show aired, my website got a nice traffic boost. If you Google the show’s name, Making News: Texas Style, my entries come in second and third, right after the TV Guide Network itself.

That is more a comment on the show’s lack of publicity than my site’s great value in critical commentary. On the other hand, it was fun to hear from my fellow addicts.

&#185 – I originally wrote Michelle instead of Melissa. My error.

6 thoughts on “Making News: Texas Style – Still Watching”

  1. Glad you’re coming around! I thought last night’s episode was pretty heart-breaking. That story Bill told about the pumpjacks — you don’t get that on TV too often, a middle aged guy, just demoted and fearful for his future, reminiscing about his childhood in west Texas. Pretty neat.

    But I agree, it probably would’ve made more sense as a 30 minute show – I wonder if that’s because TV Guide is such an out-of-the way channel, and so ad-dependent, that they just figured they had to keep it an hour or else no one would ever find it…?

    Looking forward to Kara and that drug story next week. What do you think the odds are she thinks the whole thing is a joke? I’d like to think she’ll take some kind of stand, but I’m not betting on it….

  2. Just for the record (and to help your Google results), it’s “Melissa Correa,” not “Michelle.” You’re gonna give her a[nother] complex. 😉

  3. Ephedrin can kill you!!!

    As Melissa read the ingredients of her diet pills she said “25 miligrams of Ephedrin, so that’s like caffeint.” WHAT!!! Unless the whole staff has been under a rock they should know that Ephedrin is extremely dangerous, has been removed from the shelves of most stores, and is in the process of being banned. People have died from this drug which affects the valves of the heart. Someone clue this girl in or give her some info or better yet she should talk to her Dr. and read up on the drug. Comparing it to caffiene is ignorant and dangerous.

  4. Geoff,

    My wife and I watched it tonight for the first time. It looks like I may get hooked, too. I actually googled it and found this entry. Hilarious.

    Take care,

    Ryan Vaughan

    K8 StormTEAM

  5. As a former employee of KOSA-TV (17 years ago), I have tuned in from the beginning for a reality check. The only two folks I’ve seen so far that I personally worked with were Jay Hendrix and Mike Barker. Both are very nice professional guys to work with and know.

    No doubt this is a half hour show mercilessly stretched to one hour. Lets face it, it’s a slow news market. Videography is as plain as reality tv can get, white balance and color correction appear to be on a very limited budget.

    However, I’m drawn for no other reason than to remind me of my small market years in the business. Those young reporters have to get thick skins and a sense of direction if they are going to move up and battle the ego’s of television news.

    When is the next new episode? Seems like it’s been a stretch.

    John

    Sugar Land, TX

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