Bus Service
Summary: Former Steelers running back Jerome "The Bus" Bettis opens a new local restaurant with much ado. Station: KDKA Channel 2 Reporter: Lynne Hayes-Freeland When it Aired: June 5 Running Time: 2 minutes, 55 seconds Visuals: * Hayes-Freeland on the North Side, outside the new Grille 36, milling about in the gathering crowd. * Assorted shots of the inside of Bettis' eatery. Highlights: * Hayes-Freeland standing on the red carpet outside, where she announces, as though it were a Hollywood premiere: "Jerome is expected here just about any minute. ... He invited about 500 of his close friends. ... It's expected to be a very exciting evening and then it's open to the public after tonight's private, invitation-only affair. Interesting enough, we had a sneak preview today of not only what's inside, but also the menu." * When Bettis boasts he has "the best patio experience in Pittsburgh." * When Hayes-Freeland reports, "All the [separate indoor] areas have been influenced by Bettis himself. But the menu may be where he's had the biggest impact." * When Brandon King, the executive chef, describes a house specialty: "[T]hat is our Italian burger ... topped with a fried egg. I've noticed everything in this town has fried eggs on it." * When Hayes-Freeland ballyhoos, "And I am told that his favorite thing on the menu is a steak. It's a huge steak. You can pretty much guess how many ounces it is. You know what number he wore, that's how big the steak is." What We Learned: With everything having fried eggs on it -- why we are the ketchup capital of the world! Unanswered Question: Does this mean Bettis has officially entered the ranks of Rod Woodson and Louis Lipps? News Value: 2. Let's just hope the steak isn't as overdone as the media hype for Bettis' opening.
Greens With Envy
Summary: Did you know that Oakmont Country Club is not in Oakmont? Station: WTAE Channel 4 Reporter: Andrew Stockey When it Aired: June 5 Running Time: 1 minute, 49 seconds Visuals: * Stockey standing outside the gates of the Oakmont Country Club. * A camera panning a street banner that reads, "Plum Borough is proud to be the home of the Oakmont Country Club, Site of the 2007 U.S. Open." Highlights: * When Stockey pronounces, "Next week, the Oakmont Country Club welcomes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the greatest golfers in the world to contest for the United States Open. But if any of those players are making travel arrangements to come to the Open, they better not tell their travel agent they want to go to Oakmont, Pennsylvania -- because Oakmont Country Club isn't in Oakmont." * When Plum Borough Mayor Richard Hrivnak informs us, "About 97 percent of the course ... is in Plum Borough, and I think that is a fact that most people don't really know." * When Stockey concurs: "It's true. Every time Tiger putts at Oakmont, he's really putting in Plum Borough. Look at the red line on this map. No question the entire course is located in Plum Borough. There is an Oakmont portion of the Oakmont Country Club. It's the maintenance shed. Still, the world believes this year's championship course is located in Oakmont." * When Stockey riddles us this: "But if the course is in Plum, why does Oakmont get all the credit? [This club historian] says there was a time when Oakmont Country Club was entirely in Oakmont." * When the "historian" proffers, "Somewhere I was able to verify -- not by specific -- somewhere in the early '50s, there was an annexation situation came up and that's how all of a sudden Oakmont ended up in Plum Borough. So, the club had nothing to do with it." * Stockey's consolation: "Plum doesn't exactly get shut out of the entire U.S. Open business. ... [T]hey do get the tax revenues from the country club, and one day a year the borough is allowed to have the golf course to itself. They would just like to have the name recognition as well. In Plum Borough, at the Oakmont Country Club, Andrew Stockey, Channel 4 Action News." What We Learned: Plum Borough needs to work on its Wikipedia page! Unanswered Question: Why does Plum Borough get only one lousy day on the course? News Value: 5. If you can overlook the short-on-specifics historian, this story has a lot going for it: no fires, no crashes and no shootings!
The Wheelmobile Has Arrived!
Summary: Hold on to your vowels, 'Burghers: The Wheel of Fortune game show-mobile has come to town and wants you to be a contestant! Station: WPXI Channel 11 Reporter: Stacia Erdos When it Aired: June 7 Running Time: 1 minute, 30 seconds Visuals: * The "Wheelmobile" in all its godawful yellow glory, with mythically proportioned images of Pat and Vanna plastered on the side. Highlights: * When Erdos excitedly announces, "If you watch The Wheel and play along, this is your chance to make it to the big show. The Wheelmobile rolled into Station Square today, where this weekend, thousands of people are expected to show up to demonstrate their puzzle-solving savvy. ... [C]ontestants will be randomly selected from 'the drum of dreams.'" * When a "traveling host" describes what the show is looking for: "People who make quick decisions. People who speak in a loud, clear voice. But what we're really lookin' for is that natural enthusiasm and energy. Those contestants that jump out of your TV screen and you want to root 'em on to win over $100,000." * When Erdos ends, "All right, if you shine this weekend, you'll be invited back to a final audition here in Pittsburgh. Incidentally, don't expect to see Pat and Vanna: We're told they'll be here in Pittsburgh in spirit only this weekend." What We Learned: _t's t_ _ ear_y t_ te__. Unanswered Question: And just who says there's no excitement in this town? News Value: 1. Just what Pittsburgh needs: more gamblers!
