When Will It End?

It happened again in Tampa today, in the dark of the early morning hours.

Not one, but two, Tampa Police officers were shot and killed. It began as a routine traffic stop, but for some reason the male passenger in the car pulled out a gun and took two young lives. Both a young 31 years old. One with four young sons. The other expecting his first child in a week. Now, those children have lost their dads forever.

Why? Why does this continue to happen? In Tampa alone, we have seen three of our officers die in the line of duty in the last year. It's senseless.

There will be those who will argue that it's our love of guns in this country that leads to this violence. (In fact, the U-S Supreme Court ruled yesterday that it is the right of everyone to have a gun in their home.) But it is not guns that kill people. It's people who kill people. That's the fundamental truth. The question is what leads so many to take the lives of others? Some will say it's fatherless upbringing - others will say it's the economy that deprives people of making a living - leading to anger and depravity. I say there has to be more to it than that.

It has to do with a basic respect for, and of, life. Where are we going wrong when we have people in our daily lives who care so little for the lives of others? What are we doing wrong? I wish I had the answer.

But I know this: When police officers are murdered, it is not just a crime against them - it is a crime against each and every one of us. It is a crime against society. When a police officer is killed, it is like a gun (or weapon) has been turned on each and every one of us.

When will it end? I wish I knew.

Bill Ratliff

It Has Been Quite A Year For Me

Today is June 25th, 2010. One year ago today I retired and ended my forty-one year broadcasting career. The last 37-years were in TV news and the last 27 of those were at WFLA-TV, in Tampa.

When I first retired, I was a little nervous about what I would do with my time. But to my surprise I realized I was totally burned out from getting to work before three a-m for years. So, for the first three months I did nothing but read novels - maybe about 20.

I did suffer a health issue soon after I retired, but the good news is I'm getting better. The better news is the last twelve months have been filled with family joy. My daughter, Shannon, and her husband, Josh, gave us our first grandchild in October. Then in January our son, Chet, married a wonderful young lady, Angie. Our family has expanded and it's great. Now, if I could just get all five of them to live next door to us.

Having this last full year off has given me a lot of time to think about my life and the one word that keeps cropping up is "grateful." Grateful for my wife, Linda, who has been my rock for more than 35-years. Grateful for my two wonderful children and how their lives have turned out. Grateful for a long and successful career, and grateful for all the friends who we have in our lives.

To all of you who are nearing retirement, I think you will enjoy it. It gives you a chance to exhale and relax. One friend (who retired early) told me a few weeks before I retired: "don't be afraid ". He was right.

Bill Ratliff

I Agree With Stu

If professional baseball - a.k.a. the Tampa Bay Rays - is going to survive in the Bay Area the team is going to have to move out of St. Petersburg. Owner Stuart Sternberg has laid down the gauntlet and I agree with him.

I know this opinion will not make my friends in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County happy, but the attendance records speak for themselves. As they say, the truth hurts, and ownership of this team cannot sustain itself if attendance remains the way it has over years.

We have a great team doing exciting things and only when the Yankees or Red Sox come to town do the attendance numbers soar. There are other teams in smaller markets that draw better than the Rays.

The problem is The Trop's location. It's just not convenient for folks in northern population areas to make the trip. I know some say it's the stadium that's the problem - poor design, etc. But it is air conditioned and that is a big plus. The real issue is, however, location, location, location. For people who don't live in St. Petersburg or south and central Pinellas, it is a pain to get there and get home.

What's the best location? My personal opinion is either Westshore or Channelside in Tampa. But even Toytown in Pinellas would be better than where the Trop is located.

Just think of this: The saying "build it and they will come" did not work for the Rays. But if you said "build it where it's easy to get to" then they will really come.

Bill Ratliff

Local TV Legacy Is Over - But Should It Be?

In my last blog, I talked about the sameness of local TV news. Local stations just don't separate themselves in content coverage and marketing. But there is another thing that is happening that I believe will also hurt them in the long run: the jettesing of so-called Legacy Anchors.

Legacy Anchors are those anchors who have been holding down the fort at their stations for twenty years or more. They have built a connection with their viewers over the years that only

time can create. But those anchors are now being tossed aside in the interest of a station's bottom line.

The problem is it's only a short-term solution to a financial problem that will surely correct itself in time. So, all those years stations spent thousands -maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars- promoting their frontline talent are being thrown out the door. It's like throwing the baby out with the bath water. What's really happening?

It's true, since the end of 2006 revenues at local TV stations have gone into the tank, but there is more to this than meets the eye. In the early 2000's, consultants began telling TV General Managers that research showed the content of their newscasts was proving to be more important than the people who deliver the news. GM's jumped on that. They saw it as an opportunity to shave costs - without any regard to to the long term ramifications. They are now seeing the impact of their financial axes. Stations - that had Legacy Anchors - that used to have top-rated newscasts are now looking at ratings that show they are number three, four or even worse.

People who watch local TV news - even casual viewers- usually choose their favorite newcasts based on those who bring them the news. It's a personal relationship between viewer and anchor(anchors). Like a strong marriage, it takes years to develop a relationship like that, but we all know financial pressure can ruin the best of marriages. That's what is happening now.

I have two good friends who are on the "talent" end of the business. One is in placement and the other is in coaching. They both say TV managers are making a mistake by ridding themselves of their Legacy Anchors. One says it costs too much money to create NEW legacies and the other says talent IS content. What they are both saying is that unloading highly-paid long term anchors may be a short term answer to a nagging revenue problem, but it will probably cost them more in the long run.

Bill Ratliff

The Sameness Of Local TV News

During the thirty-seven years I was in local TV news, I used to bristle at the criticism that it was overwhelmingly shallow and basically banal. I hated those people who would tell me they only watched PBS, and then proceed to tell me what they didn't like about what I reported the night before. But after being retired from the business for a year - and watching a lot of local TV news - I have to admit there is something lacking.

It goes beyond an overabundance of crime and fire coverage - which there is - it's a lack of investigative reporting and what I call "think" pieces. Those are the kind of stories that make people think about how their communities and lives would be better -or worse- if certain things would be done or eliminated.

But there is another problem facing local TV news operations that goes beyond content coverage alone. There is really no effort by TV stations in one single market to separate themselves from their competition. They are just not good at it. They all look the same. They all cover the same stories. To make it worse they market themselves the same way as other stations around the country -e.g.- "On Your Side", "Action News", etc. You could be in Tampa, Salt Lake City or Cincinnati and you'll see the same marketing approach. Why? Blame consultants. I'll have more on that in another blog.

The other problem is the financial woes TV stations have been dealing with since 2006, but that is starting to turn the corner. The question is will they have the commitment to hire the people they need to serve the communities that really depend on them.

Bill Ratliff

Back To The Blogging World

Hi folks. You don't know me, but I used to blog for the TV station I worked for before I retired a year ago. My family has been urging me to get back into it, so I'm taking the jump.

When you retire you have a lot more time to think about the world around you than when you're working, and boy has a lot taken place in the last 12 months. First, you need to know that I was in broadcasting for forty-one years - the last 37 years were in TV news. It's fair to say I'm a news junkie - politics are my passion.

It's hard to describe what we have all seen on the American political scene this last year, but I think you can say it has been earth shaking. Then again, maybe it hasn't been. The volume is just louder. The question is... does anybody listen to what the other person is saying? Are we really making progress in this country and what kind of country will we have in five, 10, or 20 years from now? I really don't think anyone has the answer. But I know this - unless we can at least agree on how we talk to each other - nothing will go forward. I have always told my kids "it's not what you say, but how you say it". I think that is a key to calming the waters right now.

So, as I go forward with this blog I will be pointing out what I see as examples of the absurdity of some of the things taking place right now. You may not agree, but that's okay. Let's just not scream at one another.

Bill Ratliff