Missing the Point
To the Editor:
Contrary to the assertions made in your editorial on the storm cleanup [May 21st issue], most suburban residents don’t object to annexation because of the perceived problems of the city of Memphis; instead they object because Memphis chooses to annex territory without the consent of the property owners affected. Perhaps you have forgotten the key fact that all cities, like all states and all nations, are not ends in themselves, driven (often into the ground) only by the egos of their leaders; instead, they are solely a means to an end: promoting the safety and welfare of citizens.
The challenge for Memphis is to prove that its citizens, not multinational corporations, billboard magnates, potential gaming operators, fly-by-night sports franchise owners, and property developers, come first. Judging from both the surrounding municipalities and Memphis’ peers across the nation, Memphis has failed to make a case that it has an end other than its own self-aggrandizement. When it does so, I’ll be the first one in line to petition the Memphis City Council for annexation – by referendum.
Chris Lawrence
e-mail (Shelby County)
The TV News Biz
To the Editor:
Your article on Bill Applegate, the new general manager at WMC [cover story, May 21st issue], was timely. He will fit right in with the other local TV stations (excepting Channel 24) who do a lousy job of covering local news, especially politics.
I recently sent faxes to all the local media about a press conference where independent candidate Charles Burch would announce his withdrawal from the county commission race and support Irma Merrill, a moderate Democrat. Every local station had reporters downtown to cover the ADAPT protest in the same area as our press conference, but only Channel 24 covered this important local story which could affect the county commission for the next four years. …
To their credit, The Cordova Beacon, The Commercial Appeal, and The Memphis Flyer all covered it.
Since I spent 10 years in the newspaper business and have taught several introductory journalism courses … I’ll be happy to give Channel 5, Channel 13, and Channel 3 (where “local” news comes first? ha ha) a refresher course in what constitutes news.
Paula F. Casey
Memphis
To the Editor:
It was with relish and sadness that I read the fine article on the arrival of Bill Applegate, thus ushering in a not-so-great era at the WMC family of stations. After spending 10 years there, I was one of the “lucky” ones and was allowed to leave with my dignity intact. WMC’s demise has been coming for quite a while – since the sale of the stations by Scripps-Howard, first to Bert Ellis, and now to Raycom Media. Raycom, under the leadership of John Hayes, doesn’t have one clue how to run a TV station, let alone compete with the likes of Clear Channel and the New York Times Broadcast Group. …
The arrival of Applegate is probably the worst thing that ever could have happened to the all-but-demoralized staffers remaining at Channel 5. No doubt both Channels 3 and 24 are licking their chops over the pending chaos at TV 5. And if reports about Applegate’s management practices are correct, Scott Leslie won’t be the last TV 5 employee to have the rug pulled out from under him. If I were Ken Jobe, I would be looking over my shoulder, as the new GM will no doubt be up to his old tricks.
Nick Canterucci
e-mail (Memphis)
The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 687, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at memflyer@aol.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.
Editor’s NoteEva Mills Baker, 89, mother of senior editor Jackson Baker, passed away last week in Topeka, Kansas. Our most sincere sympathy goes out to Jackson and his family. The Memphis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists recently announced the winners of the 1997 Mid-South Professional Journalism Competition. The Memphis Flyer received eight awards, including two Awards of Distinguished Journalism (first place). Flyer winners included Jackson Baker, Phil Campbell, Michael Finger, Jacqueline Marino, Mike Niblock, and Bruce VanWyngarden. Two of our colleagues have excellent work in the June issue of Memphis. John Branston’s “Ghost Story: A Father’s Day Remembrance” is must reading for fathers and sons everywhere. And Jacqueline Marino’s cover story about a Memphis surgeon’s journey to post-war Bosnia, “The Realm of the Blue Children,” is the kind of honest, riveting reporting Flyer readers have come to expect from her. A couple of clarifications from our “Kiddin’ Around” supplement
last week: First, while a character known as Lamb Chop will appear
at the “Mr. Chuck Music Picnic,” Shari Lewis was never scheduled
to attend the event at the Children’s Museum of Memphis on Saturday,
June 6th. Second, while artist/teacher Lane Wilkins’ programs
are funded and sponsored by a number of local organizations, “Upstairs
Beale” is financed by John Montague, owner of the Memphis Music
Hall of Fame, where the exhibit is housed. |
– Dennis Freeland