Summary: Women participate in their own football training camp. Station: KDKA Channel 2 Reporter: Lynn Hayes-Freeland, “Live” When it Aired: July 29 Running Time: 1 minute, 50 seconds Visuals: * Women vigorously engaged in various football training exercises. Highlights: * When anchor Stephanie Watson begins, somewhat awkwardly, “Hundreds of Steelers fans hit the field today at St. Vincent College, but not to watch practice, but to actually play the game. And these weren’t just any fans, they were female fans.” * When Hayes-Freeland reports from Heinz Field, “These women were very serious about learning some of the finer points of running, kicking, passing, receiving — and they were learning these points from some of the legends of Steeler history and some of the bright spots in the Steelers’ future.” * When she adds, “Now the day started just after 8 o’clock this morning … the participants came from 16 different states, to work out with the players, and there were no breaks for the women today, working out in the heat and humidity.” * When Steelers great Dwight White remarks, “[T]hey all have the great attitude and we’re gonna try to teach them how to, you know, understand plays, and, uh … have them all in the beauty shop tomorrow morning.” * When a participant praises, “You can come every year and you still learn new stuff. You learn how to play football. And women are underrated as far as wanting to learn how to play football, and we want to know how it works.” What We Learned: That women playing football is a novelty, men playing football is a billion-dollar business. Unanswered Question: Why is Hayes-Freeland standing outside Heinz Field when the camp took place at St. Vincent College hours earlier? News Value: 1. Ah, yet another love letter from KDKA to the Steelers.
Bad Ink?
Summary: A health/consumer advisory on getting a tattoo in the state of Pennsylvania. Station: WPXI Channel 11 Reporter: Stacia Erdos When it Aired: July 26 Running Time: 2 minutes, 23 seconds Visuals: * A lightning-bolt tattoo that became infected. * Inside a local tattoo shop. Highlights: * When Erdos narrates, “Skin is the canvas for tattoo artists, and Americans seem to love it. A Harris Poll shows that 16 percent of all adults have at least one tattoo. While that needle can leave a pretty impression, if not handled properly, it can leave an ugly infection. That’s what [this man] says happened to him. Three days after getting this lightning-bolt tattoo … he ended up in the emergency room with a serious infection.” * When the visibly upset man says, “I have to pay out of my pocket to get this infection taken care of. … I’ve got four other tattoos on my body and I’ve never had a problem with one of them.” * When the man explains what he discovered after placing a call to the Allegheny County Health Department: “In the state of Pennsylvania, the tattoo parlors do not have to be licensed.” * When Erdos confirms, “That’s right. … That means you have to protect yourself when getting ink.” * Erdos’s introduction of a local artist: “Tim Azinger heads up the Pennsylvania Coalition of Professional Tattooists and Body Piercers. He’s also been tattooing for over a decade and follows a strict, sterile protocol.” * When Azinger describes part of his meticulous procedure: “All needles come pre-sterilized and pre-packaged individually, as do the tubes; anything that gets poured out here is disposed of even if I don’t use it.” * When Erdos adds, “Anything not pre-packaged and disposable gets sterilized in an autoclave.” * When Erdos explains, “Azinger says it’s also important to know a client’s medical history. Certain diseases and medications — even acne medicine — can cause problems.” * When anchor Peggy Finnegan follows up, “And the only local option for parlor inspections is the Allegheny County Health Department. If they get a complaint about a tattoo parlor, they will investigate to make sure there are no health concerns.” What We Learned: Do your tattoo homework! Unanswered Question: What are some of the most important questions to ask before getting a tattoo? News Value: 7. Good information about this expanding art form, with a solid local angle.
SPLASH!
Summary: Pittsburgh has a fun side! Station: WTAE Channel 4 Reporters: Jake Ploeger, Shannon Perrine When it Aired: July 28 Running Time: 50 seconds Visuals: A massive water-balloon fight in Market Square. Highlights: * When Ploeger begins, “There was a big fight in Pittsburgh’s Market Square today. The weapon of choice? Water balloons.” * When Perrine picks up, “Hundreds of people packed the Square to take turns hurling balloons at one another …. Ten thousand balloons in all. A couple of women … hatched the idea and put it into motion.” * When one of the female organizers says, “The importance is to really bring the community together and to show that Pittsburgh is doing something fun … and while we were [planning] this, everybody was saying, you know, ‘The city’s not gonna let you do this, ever.’ But look at what we’ve pulled off.” * When Perrine wraps, “About 300 water-balloon hurlers mixed it up today. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and a group called Picnic! put it all together. They want to do this every summer.” What We Learned: The world definitely needs more water-balloon fights. Unanswered Question: How about an event where we can throw water balloons at local politicians? News Value: 5. Neat. The event was for grownups only. Good thing — my kids would have whupped my ass.
