Television news anchors used to at least pretend to be impartial purveyors of news. Not any more. Now open cheerleading is just fine.
This is certainly not the first case of journalists dressing up in home team garb when talking about a game, but it is simply drives me crazy. Completely bonkers.
Friday, it started with “smack talk” between the morning anchors from Dallas-based WFAA (my former employer) and KHOU, their Houston sister-station to preview the Dallas Cowboys-Houston Texans game Sunday. Both stations are owned by Belo Corp.
The KHOU anchors were all wearing Texans jerseys, which prompted this question from KHOU anchor Vicente Arenas to the WFAA anchors: “Where’s your spirit?”
The WFAA anchors blew it off before maybe the truest statement from WFAA’s Alexa Conomos on the lack of them wearing Cowboys jerseys: “It wasn’t in the budget.”
At this point I’m not totally angry. My former employer, the great WFAA is still holding on to some sense of dignity. I should have known better.
The nonsensical smack talk continued.
Maybe it’s better this way. There is no doubt where the anchors stand or where they are told to stand and viewers have a good reason to change channels or just turn the TV off.
