Off The Record?
Last Thursday, the Leadership Institute of Memphis threw a Media Day at
WREG-TV. The agenda featured panels of public figures and members of the
media reflecting on their relationship with one another. One powerhouse
panel consisted of dormant politico Harold Ford Sr.,
U of M prez Dr. V. Lane Rawlins, erstwhile billboard baron William B. Tanner,
and downtown developer Henry Turley. Much to the dismay of several members
of the press, however, the day's festivities were "off the record."
Nonetheless, Joe Cooper, the chief administrator for Tanner Enterprises,
was more than happy to go on the record with the fact that Tanner, who is
well-known for having chainsawed a tree or two in his time, presented those
in attendance with Virginia and white pine saplings, warning everyone that
they would need to get a permit before they planted them.
Trash Talk
"Thank you for not littering. We hope you enjoy your visit."
"Thank you, come back again."
"Thank you for helping us keep the environment clean."
"Thank you for dining with us, we look forward to serving you again."
"I'll hold the door open, you throw the waste in."
-- No, these aren't recommended pleasantries from some employee manual,
but the friendly repertoire of phrases spoken by the talking trash compactors
at Wolfchase Galleria.
Un-News
"Contrary to numerous reports, Grand Casino Tunica and the Tunica County
Sheriff's Department announced this morning that the casino was NOT robbed
last night / early this morning. NO crime of any kind took place in the
casino last night, and it is business as usual today." -- from a faxed
press release titled "NO ROBBERY at Grand Casino Tunica," sent
to the Flyer April 9th.
Camera-Shy Food Guys
We're seeing a trend among food reporters in this city. The forthcoming
May issue of Memphis magazine -- the Flyer's sister publication
-- includes stories on WMC-TV's Richard "Clean Up" Ransom and
Commercial Appeal taste-czar Fredric Koeppel. Koeppel's face is obscured
by a menu in the photo that accompanies his profile in order to preserve
the anonymity that allows him to review local eateries without them knowing
it. To that end, the CA stopped putting his picture atop his wine
column a few years ago, although -- as anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant
knows -- plenty of clipped mugshots of the K-Man can still be found taped
to cash registers and tacked up in wait stations all over the city. (NOTE:
If you are in need of such a picture of Mr. Koeppel, you can find one on
page 50.)
More surprising, however, is the fact that Ransom likewise refused to submit
to the camera's prying lens as a matter of station policy, furnishing a
standard publicity photo instead. And have you ever noticed that they never
actually show Ransom on screen while he's growling, "Clean up!"?
Now there's some food for thought.
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