The trade barriers between the states. He says the current structure makes it hard for states with less power in Congress to get a fair deal or Congress that are sitting in to the gatekeeper positions and they are willing to give their all for the Dairy Compact that the servers are part of the country Mindy sense in order to compete in trade with foreign countries. It's important for u.s. Dairy Farmers to support each other Governor Ventura is defending defending his Autobiography on National Television as he begins the East Coast Swing of his book promotion to her on NBC's Today Show Ventura refuse this morning to apologize for the books accounts of youthful sex drug use and vandalism. He says he didn't live his life expecting to be a role model and that young people would rather he be honest and politically, correct. You also voiced his opposition to gun registration laws and said, he supports lost it would make it easier for train people to carry concealed weapons.Young people and adults will meet to talk about school violence tonight in Minnetonka the Farms being held in response to April high school shooting in Colorado and shootings at nine other US schools over the past two years the forms coordinator says young people want to help find Solutions and have some basic suggestions adults should listen to he says use organize tonight for him which begins at 6:30 at Minnetonka High School. They've invited elected officials and other community leaders, mostly cloudy skies continuing in Minnesota through tomorrow, at least right now. It's 49 degrees and cloudy in the Twin Cities. I'm Eric Jansen, Minnesota Public Radio 911Good morning, and welcome to mid-day on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten glad you could join us. WCCO-TV is celebrating its 50th birthday back in 1949. WTC MTV went on the are joining KSTP in the Brave New World of TV broadcasting in 1952. The call letters were changed WCCO in the rest as they say is history. WCCO-TV has gone on to build a reputation is one of the best local TV stations in the nation and they have a big party planned tomorrow at Peavey Plaza in Downtown Minneapolis given the celebration. We thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up on what's happening in the world of TV news where most people still get their news joining us. Today is wcco's lead. Anchor Don. Shelby Shelby has been at CCO for 21 years. He's one virtually every broadcast award there is to win and he's widely recognized as one of this Region's most thoughtful observers and broadcast journalism.Don Shelby is our guest this hour and we should invite you to join our conversation. If you've got a question or comment about TV news coverage give us a call or Twin City area number is 651-227-6006. 51227 6000 outside the Twin Cities. You can reach its toll free at 1-800. +242-282-865-1227. 6001. 800-242-2828. Shelby thank you for coming in. Today. I'm delighted to be here even as our computer World crashes around us. Now. You know what it feels like when the computer fails on the teleprompter. We've all become slaves to computers back in the days. Can you imagine what it was like 50 years ago in CCO TV first went on the Air One camera and and they broadcast from 3 in the afternoon to 9 at night. I took a half hour off for dinner. So it went to Black their computer failed and then I don't think we've been a problem for them.Riders back then. I'll have to ask, you know, since we're time by the what happens now, I'm sure I'm sure it occurs. Sometimes you're reading along doing the newscast things are looking good out there in TV Land and then plus well, there's a generation of people who would be an extreme trouble with the teleprompter breaking because they grew up with a teleprompter and and that's how they learned to read those of us a little longer in the tooth that grew up reading off of copy and I'm learning how to look up from time to time and then stared at the lens of a camera. So you have to call on some some some fairly ancient Talent with the thing goes down and but you can get through it as long as you've got your a script in front of you, but if you don't have your script and the teleprompter goes down then your true intelligence will come forward and then the public will know for certain that I had deep you really are. All right. So 50 years in the making here. Do you think in general TV and specifically?She always lived up to the potential that people saw for for television 50 years ago. Absolutely not the potential and television to my view is untapped unrealised. That is not to say that some wonderful things have not been done by television. It's revolutionized the way we understand ourselves the way we understand our world and I think a heavy emphasis on world. It has brought the world to us how we we live vicariously through the television set. We have come to know other cultures. We know more about our world today than ever before primarily due to to broadcast television, I think and I'm I'm very pleased with what we have done so far, but as ever armor Arrow pointed out a long long time ago that that the potential of this box of wires is Limitless.And I think we've just scratched the surface on on the capabilities of television and I think we've been misguided over a long. Of time that I think we've confused the fact that this is a a medium bike which entertainment has generally been offered that there is an urge even in journalism to try to make that amusing and entertaining and to try to capture the largest possible audience and I think we haven't looked at its full education potential its potential for solving problems that we seek the report on Gary that that's the one that knows on me most everyday. We report on a non terrible problems domestic and global.And I don't think we ask ourselves a to any great degree. What role does the actual broadcasting of this information play in those problems. I use racism example, we have heard from from Minority communities for years that the portrayal of ethnic minorities on television had actually created a greater racist Consciousness in America that then if if television had never been invented, I don't know to what degree I believe in that but I do believe that there has been a problem over the over the years and how television portrays certain subject matters without regard to what effect that will have on the public and and there's never been a countervailing or counterbalancing approach to that. But at least it's been talked about it at least has been thought about in television and broadcaster circles and up, but I still wonderWhat role does a journalist have television or otherwise in seeking to solve the problems that that we constantly a complain about report about you think that's the journalist roll to solve the problems as opposed to just report on them, you know, not really and you know, I'm a purist when it comes to journalism on my hands off person. I believe that you you tell these facts and then then you let the public solve the problem how you say this is the way it is today and if you choose to take action than then certainly but what if you are a part of the problem what if you were creating some of the problems we've been accused for the past a 10 or 15 years of creating copycat mentality Littleton, Colorado and then the next day something else happens it is that can that be avoided I think some great the institutions of taking up a question and I think some haveChosen newspapers for example chosen to take that kind of information and bury it in the in the B section of newspapers because they Wonder to what degree they might be contributing to the problem. So I don't think we should be in the business of sobbing people's problems, but I think we should be in the business of solving the problems. We might be a participant in and creating are things in general getting better in the world broadcast journalism getting worse or are we all becoming kind of irrelevant as the internet Rose and in importance eventually, there will be some irrelevancy, but we're a long way from that buy. I do believe that the internet and and computer access and computer-generated information is going to be of the way it's done maybe 20 years from now right now. I think the television journalism is far better thanThe public perceives it far better than even the people within the business perceive it all one has to do is go back and look at the golden years as it were up television broadcast journalism, and and we would not be up all but I think we'd be shocked by how little was actually being done a how skewed the reports were in fact jingoistic. A lot of the reports were that there wasn't much access to information over season and they're certainly weren't many pictures stories were not being told all that. Well stores are being told in such a way Gary that that it was basically the public be damned. I will talk over your head. I will give you all of the information that is possible that I will tell you about the county budget and I'll take 7 minutes to do that and I will use the facts and figures I won't give you time to write it down. My responsibility is only to tell it to you not to put it in context not to try to help you understand it.Cutting grass, but I can talk to you about the Balkans 25 years ago. And my presumption would be much like Neil there is that you kept up with that information, you know quite a little bit about the Balkans already. I can start you in the middle ears ears today. I think we we try to make the greater range of subjects and and that is not to say that there aren't major failures and I buy spent a lot of my time looking at the failures. Shelby is with us WCCO-TV lead. Anchor WCCO is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and tomorrow. They have a a big celebration of HPV Plaza. We thought this would be a great opportunity to talk some about the TV news. And if you have a question or comment, here's the number to call 651-227-6065 12276 thousand if you're calling from outside, the Twin Cities one eight hundred two for two.282-865-1227 6001 802-422-8284 Scholars from St.Paul Janice quiet place compliment you I got always did like your your humor and your candidness than and honesty I'm so I just enjoy that compliment believe I think you would they all do a good job. Also a lot of the other station to but I of course you're kind of special, you know, but it's a lot of them do a nice job out there. I'm I'm very pleased but your station does a nice to home time job. I like it. The number 2 is what I'm wondering. It's why can't we have more you know positive reporting any and I'm not even though only on the television but I'm in the newspapers. It's really it's getting so depressing. I just like I got to turn it off. I can't look in the newspaper. I can't you know go on the TV. I don't want to hear any more of the negativity is like what?I can't wait. There must be some good news out there that things could be reported on I love that question Janice and thank you very much both for the nice things. You have to say about WCCO-TV in and about me. Thank you very much. It's a wonderful question. I hear it very often perhaps more than any other single question when we're out and about and when we answer our phones at the station that question is pre-eminent. Let me try to tackle a couple of different ways. First of all, there is no obligation on the part of a journalist to brighten your day that is not an obligation in in the custom and tradition of Journalism the job if it were clearly described would be to tell you what needs fixed or or if you use this metaphor sort of like a guard dog that that that you keep under the the steps of your house and it runs out and Barks at almost anything that does seem to come into the yard that could be an intruder could be thePostal person could be anything then the person inside house comes out and takes a look and decide whether that's something he or she should take action about has never been considered a part of a journalist job took to make you feel better about your world. However, this goes back to the thing that I was talking about about rectifying the problems you create and Janice you're you're not alone. I think the way we've approached a journalism that is just the facts ma'am. Just tell the facts and the facts are certainly true. There are many depressing things going on in our world that the the the aggregate result is.people who feel very badly about their lives people who feel that they live in it and a terribly violent world people who who feel just simply depressed as a result of watching the news well, If it is true that a journalist job is also to portray accurately in a balanced fair and accurate manner the world in which we live then therefore there must be an obligation. If we are falsely creating a sense that the world is a terrible place to be when we know better. Then do we have an obligation to balance it with news that we had thought in the past you would have taken care of yourself that is to say turn of the newspapers and television newscast to find out what's wrong. So it can be addressed and then fill your own life up with the wonderful Bounty of this country and of this world and that your family would be in good shape and that you would go on picnics and that you would go to sporting events and you would have a great time and you would also notice that there are things negative which need to be addressed in that would be the responsibility depressed it to fill in but for some reason in this generation Whether it's because we have so much access to to Broadcast News because it's around the clock and because news does focus on the negative as it probably should focus on the we get the impression that there is only negative out there with that is the impression and and it is to my view a wrong impression. It is a wrong conclusion about once life to think that it is bad then is there an obligation on our part to put some good news in there as well? Even to this point today a plane crashes in in Little Rock and people are killed. Is there an obligation in context on the part of the journalist to say all this plane crashed on this may sound silly to you, but I'm asking this rhetorically this plane crashed in Little Rock, but we would like to add that 10322 flight landed safely today. Is that an obligation on our part to say that is an obligation the next day to report what What a Wonder at airline travel actually is every time we reported a juvenile crime has escalated. Is it Our obligation than in context to say 99.9% of every school enrollment at today showed up for class it is it Our obligation in each story to balance it that way or do you balance it by going on and showing Kids cleaning up a garden as a volunteer work which I buy water from time-to-time weather that isn't just an awfully a slim effort at trying to balance the news but Janice your point is well-taken and it's something we think about all the time and we tried to put the the good news on it. And and you mentioned my humor up maybe that my own personal way of trying to let you know that the sun is still up in the sky but there are still things to smile out this despite the fact that were we have just told you about Littleton leave just told you about a tragic plane crash with just told you about the Balkans War but we turn to weather in lead. We have a joke with Paul Douglas then maybe that's just of a left-handed way of saying things are okay overall, even though we have these bad things to address that is the other the other side of the coin. I guess Janice points out the criticism you often hear this news business is just one. Horrible story after another but then you also got a criticism specially directed I think toward TV news or it's just all happy talk with a bunch of fluffy stories and let give me some give me some meat this isn't that interesting I had about two of you as well because there's not one public after Gary as you well know. There's not one view. They're not everyone is like Janis who who finds the the news appalling there is a middle group. I believe that if we divided into three there probably 20 groups, but if there are three groups of one is Janice Vice news completely. Destructive and and Hauling and and depressing there's a middle group that that finds it informative on one hand and has enough balance in it that the seams to to fill the bill, but they're not fully informed and they turned the newspapers and other radio as well to two. What might be called a citizen's obligation to self information then there's another group that you just mentioned believing that it is just all garbage that the television does a very surface job, even when the tackles the serious subjects and that the rest of the time it is just trying to win your favor by being the the happiest and funniest friendliest people on Earth. All of those are true that any one time and all of those are true to that given public. I run into people from time-to-time who will say, why aren't you more like MacNeil Lehrer and my answer is that would be wonderful to be like me Lera to fulfill my own personal journalistic needs, but the fact is if you look at the ratings book and you see how few people actually watch MacNeil Lehrer you couldn't you couldn't keep the lights on at a commercial television station very long if you have that that Pew viewers, so what you try to do is mix and match your input. Story or two in there that has that MacNeil Lehrer death and and journalistic integrity. Then in order to keep people who are bored by MacNeil Lehrer type of reporting who who are those people not watching they're watching something else then give them something that that my uplift them something that celebrates The Human Condition. It is a difficult balance is a dilemma facing commercial broadcasting particularly television news because you're trying not only to get the most viewers you have to understand that those viewers are not the one single solid object there so many a different groups and then further when you break it down Gary into demographic issues. That is Advertiser saying we don't care if you have 10 million viewers, it doesn't matter to us yet. If you have three times the overall viewership of the next closest station, but you're 18 to 35 year. Women demographic is lower than the station that has fewer viewers. Overall. We think that the station has fewer viewers overall, but more of that women category is the number one station in town and we will spend more money. We will pay a premium in the advertising just to have our advertising on on that are to reach more of those women. So then what happens as marketers begin to develop a concept of news that would appeal primarily to that group of people and lots of research is done to try to make sure that that is a peeling tattoo only that group when you do that than that alienates of the another group and and so it is it is a tough dilemma the economics meeting with purity of the informed opinion of the people who have to deliver it. That's got at least one more call Iran your before we break for headline show Kelly. Thank you very much. I am not a TV Watcher. As a matter of fact, I've been called an NPR and NPR in a kind of an addict I listen only to NPR for my news and you have really liked to me a lot of to sort of what the forces are at that really motivates the TV commercial and so I have to say that I'm far more sympathetic as a result of listening for this half-hour but I did want to ask you as I see the comments that we're from the last caller about the negativity. It was really the reason that I called because it seemed like you know the type of the news being so negative is what I see when I do see the news on television but you've you've talked about that a lot and I and I have to say I do agree with your comments. I have a question. However, which is how much time do you normally spend on quote unquote your top stories. Do you do you have a recipe for how much time and how much I guess detailed information you give Cuz it seems in comparison to NPR that there is very little information given on TV. Kelly the the amount of information given to anyone story has to do with a couple of different Formula 1. How important is the story to the general public how many people does it affect and and how serious is it? For instance at the conclusion of a legislative session? We may do three stories that will take up 7 minutes that just deals with the legislative agenda not very exciting stuff. But it it affects every Minnesotan and it is so perhaps on that given day the the most important thing that that happened so we will throw a lot of resources at that at the same time. I will do team coverage on something like The Disappearance of Kathleen poor Year from Moose Lake. Now how important is that story Kelly to the lives of every Minnesotan, but at the same time we and every other station in town may put two reporters on it may go light may have satellite. Because the story not the information but the story and and I I describe story and in a traditional way the kinds of short stories that you read novels that you read interesting stories that you here Across The Back Fence the story becomes important as opposed to the facts that develop the story being important. So people are interested. It's something they might talk about the water fountain when I go to work they stop and get a cup of coffee and they safe to use. I wonder if they found Kathleen poyer that's not really important or Elemental in the individual lives of every listener, but it becomes a topic of conversation. And so that generates a lot of coverage that may be something we need to look at in commercial television. However, if we were to be the station that said, you know, Call Kathleen Poirier is a story that belongs in our newscast in and how police are doing. Let's move it down or maybe if no real big development happened today. Let's not even cut unless something breaks. What's not even covered by now. You probably made a fairly good journalistic decision. You probably made a horrible economic decision because now that you created the bus now that you have created the discussion people now use the remote controls to look around the channel to find the Kathleen for your story, even though it is not important to them in their life will be changed subjects really quickly. OJ Simpson was a story that had absolutely no importance in the lives of people daily, but because television created the buzz with the Bronco Chase. People were glued to it because it had elements of the story not the fax being important to you. But the story took on in people's lives and importance so that including me everything that happened. I was watching Geraldo Rivera. I'm waiting. I'm trying to get inside the the OJ Simpson story because it became so fascinating but it was so unimportant. But do you know that CBS News this is this is Murrells house lead National newscasts with developments in the OJ Simpson court case. This is while the Balkans are smoldering. but because the story became the buzz it began to drive coverage and I think that we don't take clothes a close enough look, but what would happen if Devon the day that something sort of interesting broken the OJ Simpson case into other networks LED with OJ Simpson and CBS chose not to The remote controls would be clicking furiously to go watch someone else besides CVS. So if the buzz is Kathleen Poirier God bless her and I hope she's safe now because of the buzz or watching for Kathleen Poirier news. We don't have it in our newscat. There was a sense in the audience that we have failed to deliver the news that day. When in fact we might have made a decision that it said we're going to put a little more Balkans news in here or we're going to go a little deeper behind block e in Minneapolis, or we might try to do something that that informs people a little bit better on subjects that need attention and addressing but we have failed to give you the story. That is the current Topic at the at the water cooler. We look like we have failed to cover the news when we look like we failed to cover the news but tickly that which is topical they're not going to watch it. They're going to think we're not as good as the other stations. So it's very difficult to make high-quality journalistic decisions. When in this part of the twentieth century, it is almost always the story that drives viewership the story as opposed to the fact it's it's this dichotomy between what the public needs to know and what the public wants to know and traditionally journalist have tried to give people what they need to know your respect. Dave of the desire on the part of the public that means government news news about safety and then there have been research reports given to us over the years that told us frankly. It's at the number one don't report anything having to do with the government Consultants reports don't report anything having to do with the government, but people don't hear about that. That's just the opposite of what we should be doing. The government should be the lead story almost without question in every newscast because the government touches our lives in almost every way. But if we did that nobody would watch you don't get them into the 10th. You don't sell any advertising and then you start the Turning in your ear pressed card and having Furniture moved out from your of yore pressroom. WCCO-TV. Anchor Don Shelby is with us. This our WCCO is celebrating its 50th birthday big celebration tomorrow in East stop by today to talk about the TV news would like to join our conversation 651-227-6102 for 22828 gets more callers here in just a couple minutes. It may take two to tango. But at Minnesota Public Radio, we count our members one of the time and we're counting on you to make our goal of 87,000 members by June 30th. Your membership does matter to Minnesota Public Radio. You're invited to join our renew your membership us so we can count you as one of the 18,000 members still needed to help us meet to NPR's budget which closes on June 30th end of the month send in your payment today or call one 800-227-2811 or you can also sign up online at NPR. Org right now news headlines right now a good morning the Russian and European on voice to the Balkans have arrived in Belgrade for fresh talks with Yugoslavia is President. The two diplomats are presented a new cost of a peace plant Russian Envoy Viktor chernomyrdin is sounding very hopeful he says there's now a realistic chance the war will end Journal Milton says the peace plan includes the deployment of separate nato-led in Russian security forces in Costco after the fighting ends. It also calls for an end to the NATO bombing campaign. Once the West verify that you can solve it has started pulling its forces out of the province. Federal investigators at the scene of last night's American Airlines crash in Arkansas. Say the flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been removed from the plane. They'll be taking to Washington for analysis. No official word yet on what what may have caused the crash American says the jetliner pass to throw safety inspection just six weeks ago several sources say at least nine people died in the fire. We wreck the jet was carrying a hundred and forty-five when it skidded Off The Runway in a severe hail storm. It's taking nine years, but the Japanese government has decided to allow limited sale of the birth control pill approval comes a few months after an uproar over the government's quick decision to allow the sale of the male impotence drug, Viagra, Minnesota dfl Congressman David. Minge wants Congress to overhaul the dairy pricing system to help Midwestern Farmers, Mindy and other Regional lawmakers are trying to get Congress to disband the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact the compact gives 6 north eastern states the right to band together and raise consumer prices to help Dairy Farmers in their area. Maggie says that's hurting Minnesota Dairy Farmers. He says agreements that One region advantages over others amount to trade barriers between states. Well some sunshine creeping into the reason this afternoon, mostly sunny skies forecast in the west becoming partly sunny in eastern Minnesota this afternoon, it'll be a little bit warmer with hives from the middle sixties to Middle 70s Fargo is now reporting sunny skies and 63° St. Cloud cloudy and 51° International Falls partly. Sunny 52 degrees in the Twin Cities also partly sunny now 54°, I'm Eric Jansen now back to Gary eichten with midday. Thank you. All right. It is about 23 minutes before noon reminder that programming NPR supported by the Minnesota inventors Congress and inventors convention in Redwood Falls open to all June 11th through the 13th information at 1 800 invent one Don Shelby WCCO TV news. Anchor is our guest this hour or talk about TV news. Lots of callers on the line with questions and comments and Ron your next. Ron yes, good afternoon. You're on here. How are you, sir? Just fine. I have two points. I wanted to make quickly you've touched on him a couple of times have danced around that is what what ultimately Drive is what gets on the news and how the news is presented. And unfortunately that engine is the public and it is as you said you're to whether not you keep the lights on in the doors open with a notch have any Watchers if you have a news broadcast that it's strictly business read it off straight face. No smiley face. No happy stories. I Canna think people are going to stay away in droves, but unfortunately like the newspaper. That's probably what a lot of us, you know thirst for have to look at that what the listeners demands and I think I think it's reasonable to say that that a news broadcast is consist of and shaped by what the There's demand they know who's watching. They know how many people they take ratings. And and that's where it's nice for journalists to say, you know, we strive to deliver the heart news and get the good story. You know that either. But bottom line is what goes out over the years what the public wants absolutely public down the Primrose Lane there. I think there's a way to do that. You know that goes back to my original issue Gary about the trying to find ways to rectify the problems. We might have been a participant in creating in and one of the things I think that would I hope I go right along with what Ron is saying is my hope is that journalist could could band together and perhaps go to the legislature. Let's say or us or the school board or the Department of Education and work toward what I might call A. Level of citizenship participating citizenship among those people who call themselves television viewers are doulas users. I think that that we've lost something over a. Of time does not a political statement, but just a mistake and I believe a fact that the concept of citizenship and and that is the obligation on the public to be informed of Jefferson called the informed opinion. The basis of that Liberty was the essential understanding that in order to be free citizens. We had we had to have access to and a responsibility and obligation to Redan and know what was going on in our country so that we could make good decisions at The Ballot Box essential fundamental constitutional democracy. I think we've lost some of that in the educational process. So what if we is journalist got together back to buy a public who agreed with us, and we went to the to the school systems and said begin teaching at k All the way through 12 elements of citizenship that is the obligation on the part of individuals to self information and to seek information that will make them better citizens than what you do there in the next generation is create a Market Force the right now. Yes, Ron is Right. A lot of what we put on television is driven by the need to be popular in that is we find out what the people would like to know and we give that to them and then we smuggling things they need to know. Okay, that's the correct way of doing try not to disappoint those people who tune to us to find out what they want to know. We'll give him that stuff and then we'll put on when we can a tendon and responsibly so that which we understand who custom and tradition they they must know what if we created an entire generation who would drive the market that is they would watch these television shows critically and when things were put on that were not important to them things like that that That use their time as they set for half an hour in front of a television screen and and took notes and said that's not important. That's not important that waste my time. That's designed to get me to like you and and this group of Stetson said do a better job of informing us with important news. We must know then is a Market Force it would respond because that would become a large audience and then we would begin to match the needs of that audience. We would chase that audience in the same fashion. We are currently chasing and television stations across the country are chasing another audience right now. Ron is exactly right. It comes down to the public Detroit won't change making sports utility vehicles which by my view even though I own one. Is bad public policy sports utility vehicles are bad. But the most popular vehicle going right now and people are spending millions and billions of dollars buying these things, even though they tear up the road and I hurt people and they used too much gas a much better piece of public policy would be an efficient car that that gets a hundred miles to the gallon and and does not tear up the road. So it doesn't is safe and self-contained and you don't kill people when you get into accidents and and and that would be a good piece of public policy, but Detroit's not going to a sua sponte go out and start making these these vehicles without a market but if the market existed if the public got to go unsaid stop it with these big cars that that that does suck down gasoline start making this and we the owners of sports utility vehicles will get rid of them start buying these smaller less expensive cars that Detroit would respond by building those things. It is too much to ask in a in a market economy for a commercial Enterprise to stop earning money to do something that experimental we might be bi presumption the right thing to do. What about earning less money making money to be sure maybe making a lot of money but making less than you you could is there that's a very touchy issue. I've got to be careful about what I say because these these companies that these media companies do make a huge amount of money with huge profit margins and and certainly I suppose you could make a moral argument that you can earn less money. You can earn less money. I don't know whether you would get through to anyone who who owns stock in that company. I don't know that you will get through to anyone who is employed by that company because when you say Gary make less money that means I'm employed as you were people doesn't because it's in that the most expensive part of an operation is the employee Bass so if you have somebody make less money than then you're going to put some people out of business and I don't think anybody wants to do that. It is absolutely worth discussion as a practical person. I don't think you're going to get an audience when you walk in the door and say I'd like to propose that you do a little better job according to my likes, but I want you to make a lot less money in the process Christian your question place last Thursday of about two to three hundred people who were protesting the NATO bombing in Yugoslavia. And also a protest thing. We're right outside wcco's off Susan Peavey Plaza just generally protesting the way the media has been covering the bombing. And the thing that I've been constantly disappointed by is that there's absolutely no media coverage of any of the antiwar protests have been going on and I'm wondering first of all why there's absolutely no coverage and the local media and secondly whether there's any plans to cover the the June 5th. Protest in DC against the war. Thanks. A couple of thought responses to that. I I have been on the air and and broadcasting. But I want to guess here Christian five of five separate stories of protest against the war most of those at the very beginning of the the assault over Kosovo. I have a little problem with with demonstrations. I'm I buy was in the business during the Vietnam war erupt and there were demonstrations daily and you can fill a newscast with demonstrations. And and sometimes I remember being called by people that in in groups demonstrating this or that and saying we're going to demonstrate at this time of day. Can you come out and we would look at our schedule and say we don't have anybody available at that time. They said well, then we'll change the time and then that would look at the time-table that's not going to work either then they'll say we will move it a day and then then we'd say well that's not helping at civil. What's the use of protesting meaning that really a protest isn't a protest any longer unless it is on television was it is covered. I think the anti-war sentiment is is growing. I heard yesterday the national Press Club Pat Buchanan take a fairly strong stand against the against the war effort against the note the struggles in Kosovo in the American effort with Nate. As the as the voice for A dissension continues to grow I believe that the they'll be more and more coverage. But there is no obligation on the part of journalist to cover everything that moves to cover every protest and sometimes of the the the protest seem to only be handled in a very hungry. So I would say poor journalistic light that there is a protest that's what could cut the guest covered you going to show up at people carrying signs walking around in circles chatting and it takes up the 22nd tribune news Cassidy mobile move on to something else. All it does is acknowledge that there is protest Christian know has a point. I think there is a growing voice right now in America that says enough is enough particular Wesley what they call collateral damage to the humans and I think that we'll probably see more and more that coverage and June 5th certainly will be covered as a as a national event. ACO may not go but it will be covered and we'll be on our air down. What do you make of a frequently heard criticism reflected here in part on the one hand news media is often criticized for being a just a mouthpiece for the establishment supposing this case of Bill administration's War policy on the other hand. There's a there's a large number of people who regularly criticized media coverage of a bunch of liberal elitist. People out of touch with with the average Joe and Jane are all of those true. I'm sure they're all true and they're all not true at the same time that based on your point of view and your perception. I think that they've Maurice took them to the light when he would come back from looking at the call sheets and after having made some comments regarding the administration on the same comment sheet and often times one call after the other one would say Dave Moore is obviously a liberal-leaning leftist Democrats. The next line would be I wish you would stop with his conservative a republican diatribe and and and as long as he was getting both of those he felt that he was right in the middle and felt it is his communication was fairly straight. I think that there are people out there who who who believed that the news media is generally left-leaning. Probably mostly Democrat and I think surveys by by the Society of professional journalists do indicate that most of the people in the in the business have some connection to to democratic party principles. However, I think that there has been no lack of criticism of of the Clinton Administration as a Democratic party operation in and I think that it was the news media to of For Better or For Worse would not let go of the Monica Lewinsky story what it was because of the story or because the news media happy directly driven by the White House Press Corps felt that the behavior with Monica Lewinsky was Elemental to the character nature the leadership of the man and wanted to keep this on the on the front burner, so I think it it became too obvious. If it became too obvious that it was an embarrassment to the to the public that there was a real bias being shown on critical issue. Then then the public wouldn't tolerate it for for 15 minutes before some serious action was taken Michelle your comment Place University of Minnesota and five years ago or so on Mike Alex and I were the subject of a u t reporting segments called. Hey you where the problem is in Athens. It was a time story and it has kind of a local question because you guys are the hometown team or whatever but it was a man story with slanted and by us. I mean all land grant universities use graduate what happened afterwards with that. We tried to call repeatedly, especially the young man who is on camera and I'm call write letters and then some people actually went down to see CEO offices. One response and I know we were hung up and I was wondering if maybe more interactivity between subject and a reporter themselves or at least the organization might be politically a good idea and all the Warfare. Michelle there's nothing I hate hearing more than someone who's been the subject of the story trying to call and get access to a television station in newspaper who just turned away will not be talked to will not be heard out. I spend a lot of my day on the phone just talking to people like you it's I think it's the right thing to do. I think it's a smart thing to do because a lot of times Michelle people just want to be her doubt. They just want someone to listen to their side of the story. The reporter on that story was Tom Steward who is off now doing the other work documentary work for the Discovery Channel and I do remember the story quite well. I I I know that you had issues with us some of the elements of the story but I even though all land-grant schools do use teaching assistants. I think it came as a surprise to a lot of people In the community not familiar with the operations of colleges that a lot of the courses were not being taught by professors and students were led to believe in parents were led to believe that they would go in the class and it would be taught by one of the great professors at the University of Minnesota when in fact they were being taught by teaching assistants and in many cases of Professor never made one showing in the in the class. I thought that was a worthwhile story to say that although I do understand that there were many elements of it that you disagreed with and I wish that that you had some access at some point to somebody who would listen to you. Unfortunately television unlike newspapers is it deals almost in ephemera what we put on the air goes away almost immediately and we're on to the next thing that this is not an excuse. It is a statement of fact and it comes with something when apology we don't stay long on a on a certain subject. We don't have What many people working at the television station it's a sort of the image rate to make it seem like we've got lots and lots of people but the person who did that story that day was off doing something else the next day soon as that story are he was off working on another story. He doesn't have an assistant. He doesn't have a secretary and so I buy can't make excuses for why you were not called back and why you were not heard out. I hate it when I hear that. I know that it is not too unusual though for that to happen while we have a new general manager name Chan McDaniel. She if she's with me today. I know that she would want to talk to you personally, even though she did cyst this wasn't under her watch but this is a person who who calls back everyone personally herself every viewer that calls her she speaks to personally she believes in that kind of Faith Outreach and I think of things are a little bit different today if if you were to have your oxgord today, I think that you would get some some audience with a j Manager John Shelby we're out of time here. But before we run young aspiring down shall be still a good business to get into TV business if they're willing to have some courage. I have a daughter who just graduated from the Indiana University School of Journalism, and I don't want her if she doesn't want to going into television unless she is got the backbone to try to keep it going right the market pressures are immense to try to turn television into something other than a journalistic institution, and they're going to be people with great courage people with the with the understanding of long long history of understanding the importance of Journalism in this Society who are willing to fight the the tough battles when Market pressures begin to impinge on the rise of the public. Thank you, sir for coming and thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk. Happy birthday. Thank you, Don Shelby WCCO TV news. Anchor WCCO-TV is celebrating its 50th birthday of Celebration on PD Plaza tomorrow 5 minutes now before 12. This is midday on Minnesota Public Radio. And here is The Writer's Almanac for Wednesday the 2nd of June 1999.