Joe Moakley coverage

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

Well, as might be expected, WBZ Radio continued its thorough coverage of 
Joe Moakley health, as the popular congressman lost his battle with cancer 
today, around 3.30 pm.  (I knew something had taken a bad turn when the 
wire service story moved up from about 4th position in the newscast to the 
top story over the weekend...)  When the passing of Cong. Moakley was 
announced, it did not take long for all our local TV stations to devote 
large portions of their newscasts to remembrances of him; just to get a 
national perspective, I switched over to CNN Headline News.  It was 5.30 
pm, yet they were carrying the story as a crawl at the bottom of the 
screen, and when they did air it, their third story, it was so obviously 
inserted into the newscast that anyone who didn't know before their news is 
taped must certainly know now.  I mean, okay, I know they used to tape some 
overnight casts, and I know today is a holiday, but in the "old days," a 
big story (like the death of a long-term and very influential member of 
congress) would have deserved at least a live look back at his career, as 
opposed to a 25 second announcement shoe-horned into the 5.30 cast.  What 
is going on at CNN these days?  Ted Turner must be spinning in his grave-- 
oh wait, Ted's not dead yet, although this would possibly have caused him 
to have a massive coronary.