Live from New York, it's Saturday night during a hurricane!

WTF, Weather Channel?!?! (You too, every other televised or video-streamed media source!) You have cameras situated in a place where we can see the roof shingles and piers being blown far and wide, massive flooding, surging water, trees being blown down... that's a great thing that these events can be shown to us folks out here watching it on TV. It's important to do that, I think.

By WHY do you keep sticking a person out there in the middle of it? Are you betting that the viewers are going to enjoy seeing some poor schmuck getting the hell beat out of him because he's enduring the full force of a hurricane? Are you going to keep doing that until one of them is killed? Or are you secretly hoping for that because you'd get a ratings bump?

Maybe you could send a drone camera out there, or if that's not exciting enough you could get one of those human-shaped robots and send it out there dressed in a raincoat? Then it could be the robot yelling into its built-in mic, "STAY INSIDE! I'M IN THE STREET BUT STAY OUT OF THE STREET! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"

Jon Stewart did a sketch on something similar during the recent post-storm flooding. Brilliant as usual.

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Really folks, please DO stay safe, evacuate, or whatever has been advised for your area. Don't be like that guy on TV with the park bench hurtling straight at his head.

[UPDATE: Virginia streaker flashes dick on Weather Channel]

Weather watching

Well, we didn't exactly blow away in the remnants of Hurricane Ike. I hear tell there was some rain in certain parts of town, but not in our backyard. There were a few clouds and a nice breeze - that's it. Sat and watched the devastation happening live on MSNBC, CNN and the Weather Channel. It bothers me that they put live humans out there in harm's way well beyond the time when they should be sheltered. But there they are, standing in water in the driving rain and wind. How about using an inanimate object -- a mannequin in a raincoat, a scarecrow with a flood gauge? That would take away the drama and reality-TV aspect of it, wouldn't it? The danger creates drama. I blogged this back right before Katrina hit, and I may have coined the term "Disastertainment" (which I am surprised someone else didn't also come up with and start using. I think it's a good word for it. Colbert?). And of course they have their special graphics and music for each disaster.

There was one reporter standing on the beach (forgot which channel) who wanted the camera turned on some washed up debris (a few feet from where he was standing) where there was a BIG snake coiled. The anchor informed him that it was a rattlesnake. Then he said "wait, there's another critter of some kind... I think it's a porcupine," and I'm thinking "not likely a porcupine." They showed it on camera where the anchor confirmed that it was a rat trying to use a piece of wood as a raft. The reporter responded with "OK, looks like these animals are trying to find some shelter and maybe we should do the same." They are saying no deaths in Galveston itself, but there were so many houses that simply were washed out to sea... well, I hope they are right.

Lots of activities in Austin were postponed, including the big UT-Arkansas football game, which they rescheduled for ACL weekend (Sep 27) -- so if you have a spare room/closet/doghouse to rent out, you can probably do it that day, as there aren't enough hotel rooms available in town (plus we are hosting many evacuees from Ike, some of which are using hotels and might be doing that for awhile). I was wondering how a hotel deals with a situation like that... what if you show up on the 27th and the hotel has already given the rooms to evacuees who got there first and are still using them? Do they make them leave? Or are you out of luck? I can't remember what happened when Katrina and Rita hit.

Disastertainment

I have developed a morbid fascination with watching the Weather Channel endanger the lives of weather correspondants by placing them outside in a hurricane, as close to harm's way as is technically possible for broadcast, then letting us watch while they wade through water swimming with human waste, bacteria, water moccasins, fire ants, alligators, submerged cars and metal awnings... watching their faces being stung with pelting sideways rain in hundred mile an hour winds while uprooted trees blow by in the background. Wheeeee!

Now is this really necessary? I doubt it. The rest of the storm footage gives us a pretty good idea what it would be like being there. It's just done for dramatic effect, and I think the technique works. It's hard to look away when you can see how dangerous it is for that poor schmuck taking the worst of it, and I also wonder how those starchy anchor-people would like their nice hair and suits messed up a little.

It's reality TV, and nothing but.

Please don't think I am being flippant in any way about the actual disastrous events. I have been through hurricanes, floods, etc. and feel terrible for the people suffering though this. I am only commenting on the media's approach to reporting on it. It seems that tragedy coverage is presented with entertainment elements that may not be strictly necessary, and only there for the "Gotcha!" effect. This goes for CNN and the rest of them too.

addendum Wed. 8-21: Man, this thing has turned out so much worse than it appeared when I posted this the first time Tuesday morning. That was before the levees broke and the rest of the aftermath began to be reported. Now I'm really glued to the TV newsfeeds unfortunately. (It still bugs me that they design special logos and music bumpers to go with each big news story, but I guess that's the way of the world. [sigh])
- Hurricane Katrina -