LaPierre on the loose...on the beach?

[Dan C]

Regarding the concern about Gary LaPierre doing his news from his Florida
home...

I see nothing wrong with it.  I'm sure he has access to all the resources he
needs to be kept up to date.  Today's technology makes that easily possible.
He's not the first person to do his work from his home.  When I was at WTSN
our sports director, Jock MacKenzie, always did the sports from his home in
the morning.  We provided him with all the wire scores, made sure he had a
list of cuts for use in the reports  (he let us know what one he wanted to
use and when he wanted them), and he made the necessary phone calls and did
whatever else he had to do to be prepared.  The line was studio quality, so
there was no problem on that end.
As to WBZ's not disclosing it on the air; that's their choice.  With Jock we
did let people know where he was, in fact it became the subject of on-air
banter and jokes...insinuating he was doing it next to his pool, sipping on
a cold one (summertime, obviously).
I don't see it as that big of a deal so long as the quality and quantity
remains first rate.
In fact, as I sat in my newsroom in Portland this morning, watching the
streaks of frost fill the window, I was a bit envious.  :)


Dan Cole