KNBC's Channel 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

KNBC's Channel 4 - Essay Example It was almost too fast to follow and once a subject was completed, the feeling was one of wanting to know more. But the next subject was being discussed by then. The top stories covered in the April 30 newscast were, first, the Hollywood fire reported originally on April 29 and completely contained and put out by 8 am on April 30. One building and four small businesses were destroyed. It was like a firecracker that fizzled, although the anchors did try to make it interesting by mentioning familiar sites nearby such as the Pantages and Capitol Theaters and the building's location at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. The name of the restaurant may have been given, but it was not repeated. It was said to be similar to the Brown Derby. Also, Lindsey Lohan was mentioned as celebrating her 21st birthday at the restaurant/nightclub known for its erotic dancers. Although there apparently was no specific charge of arson, according to the anchors, because of earlier suspicious fires that might be arson, an investigation was underway to determine if the fire was accidental. KNBC does have a Web site and the story was presented in far more detail with video and photographs (Crews Investigate). The name of the restaurant was given on the Web site-Basque Restaurant and Nightclub. The second story to be presented was the May 1 protest at McArthur Park at which it was thought 25,000 to 100,000 people might attend. Because of clashes between police, demonstrators and journalists the year before, a low profile was planned by police. Previous use of force by police in 2007 embarassed both police and city officials, and the officers were retrained for the present protest. The protest was against federal immigration laws, which the Latino population felt were dividing families and were unfair. This was followed by the border protest "Stop the Mexican Government," which was quickly noted on the broadcast but not discussed in detail. The coverage of the protest was continued on Moyer and Williams' evening broadcast on May 1 and dominated the news hour, even though only 10,000 protestors showed up, not the expected 100,000, and there were no major disturbances. Again, the story again brought to mind a fizzled firecracker. The team announced the death of a San Francisco surfer killed on Monday, the 28th of April by a grey shark when he bled to death from a thigh injury. The fact that the incident occurred in Mexico was stressed. The federal interest rate was the next topic of discussion, cut .25% , which, it was noted, weakens the dollar once again. The broadcasters further discussed the fact that the government says there is no recession, even though the rising price of food and gas and the plummeting housing market does not confirm this. Except for obvious but unspoken criticism of President Bush, Moyer and Williams' political coverage was balanced with McCain offering tax credits re health costs, Hillary Clinton credited with appealing to blue collar workers, and Michelle Obama making no comment about Rev. Wright. Obama claims 10 super deligates and Hillary only 6. The final story presented was on the firefight across 580 acres of the Sierra Madre