District Attorney Mary Lacy, center, is flanked by assistants as she talks to the media in Boulder, Colo., about the arrest of suspect John Mark Karr for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey during a news conference at the Justice Center last Thursday. (Reuters photo)
Last Wednesday, KETV reporter Brandi Petersen was just wrapping up a long day of reporting in Iowa on a business owner selling sweet corn on eBay when word came down of a possible arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.
Hours later, Petersen found herself driving to Colorado with photojournalist Justin Riviera to cover the story for KETV (Cox Channel 9) and other stations in the Hearst-Argyle Television group, which owns 25 television stations around the country and manages three others.
KETV was the only Omaha TV station to send a crew to cover the developments in Boulder. News Director Rose Ann Shannon said KETV management does not set boundaries on the area in which it covers stories.
"The JonBenet Ramsey murder has been one of the biggest stories of the last 10 years," Shannon said. "It is not unusual for us to travel 500 miles to cover a major story. As examples, we covered the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, Columbine (school shooting), the Oklahoma City tornado, fires in the (Nebraska) panhandle and the Anne Sluti (abduction) case that led investigators into Wyoming. If it's news and we think we can provide better coverage by sending our crew, we will do it."
For two-and-a-half days, Petersen, Riviera and satellite truck engineer Chad Mayer produced seven live reports for KETV and 25 live or "look live" custom reports for stations in markets such as Orlando, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Albuquerque and Honolulu.
Petersen, who packed a week's worth of clothing, said every day was different.
"Thursday, we interviewed University of Colorado Professor Michael Tracey about his communication with the suspect, and we talked to Boulder residents about their reactions to the arrest," the Papillion-LaVista and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate said. "Friday, we focused our report on the neighborhood where the Ramseys used to live and their reactions to the case.
"Saturday, we reported live from Boulder for First News Saturday for KETV, and wrapped up our trip with a story about the media frenzy surrounding the arrest."
Petersen estimates there were more than a dozen TV satellite trucks and 100 journalists at the Boulder courthouse during last Thursday's press conference.
"To see everything unfolding with my own eyes, to be in the thick of such a high-profile case, and to work amongst such well-respected journalists is something I'll never forget," she said.
2 comments:
This was all fine and dandy, but where was the local connection? This was something that should never have led off the top of the newscast, not when there were other, more important stories going on in Omaha at the time. I was sick of this case back in 1996 and I'm sick of it now. Please, just give us a break from it. Push it back to where it belongs, at the national level, not local. It has nothing to do with the price of high tea in Omaha. And lest you think I'm just singling out KETV, the other stations were just as guilty.
Cute how Rose implies that she sent the crew out to CO when in reality a VP at Hearst picked up the phone & ordered her to send a truck.
What 'better coverage' did BP send back that you couldn't have seen on ET?
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