Get Tanked and Give Thanks!
Summary: The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is now the second-biggest party day of the year -- and the best evidence here in da 'Burgh is right dahn Sahsside! Reporter: Ari Hait, WTAE Channel 4 Airtime: 2 minutes, 2 seconds on Nov. 24 Highlights: * When anchor Andrew Stockey announces, "Live right now, as the Thanksgiving celebration kicks into overdrive, Channel 4 Action News reporter Ari Hait with a warning you need to know as these parties begin." * When Hait struggles to speak over the rowdy throng: "Yeah, they've definitely begun down here on the South Side. I know it's hard to imagine looking at this crowd, but the bar owners down here tell me that it is actually a little quieter than they expected so far tonight. But they also tell me ... they expect things to really pick up over the next couple of hours." * Hait's pre-recorded (and thus audible) segment, "On a normal Wednesday night, most bars in the South Side are fairly empty. This is not a normal Wednesday night." * When a guy wearing a chain as thick as a rope says, "It's one of those nights where we are expecting to get a little crazy. It's a drinking night, everybody knows that." * When Hait offers, "In fact, the night before Thanksgiving is fast becoming known as the second-biggest party night of the year. New Year's Eve is first." * When Hait recommends, "And the South Side is a good place to do that, because it seems everybody is here." * When Miller Lite Girl No. 1 astutely observes, "It's insane. I don't recommend driving, that's for sure." * When Hait jumps in: "That is good advice. And that is where this guy comes in. [He] is with Pear Transportation Company. They come pick you up at the bar and drive you and your car home. On a normal Wednesday, they don't even bother to open. Tonight, they're swamped." * When Miller Lite Girl No. 2 makes an observation to rival that of Miller Lite Girl No. 1: "It's a holiday. Everybody's off work, everybody's off school. So what else is there to do before Thanksgiving? Have a couple." What We Learned: Judging by the guy behind Hait, we must eat, drink and be hairy. Unanswered Question: Exactly how many drinks are "a couple"? News Value: 2. Well, OK: Hait took his life into his hands by reporting on location, so let's give him a "3." Speaking of "3," I bet this story thrilled District 3 City Councilor Bruce Kraus, who's been actively campaigning against this crap. You can check out his plan on the City's website. Kraus optimistically calls it, "Inviting, Safe and Cohesive: A Proposal for the Management of the South Side Using Responsible Hospitality Practices."
