Sports trumps Saddam news...

[Mark Watson]

Donna Halper wrote:

> Oh speaking of one classy thing-- I thought it was nice that Channel 5 did 
> a tribute to Gary LaPierre.  I expected CBS4 (WBZ TV) to do it, of course, 
> but it was also nice to see competitors give Gary his proper respect as 
> somebody who has been on the air for a very very long time.

  Channel 5 anchor Susan Wornick closed the Noon news yesterday with video 
of Gary's last day, showing the crowd filled newsroom and Gary hugging his 
longtime morning sports reporter Gil Santos (who's been at WBZ since 1966) 
and Susan closed the story with a personal note about her first job in 
Boston news working at WBZ along with Gary and wishing him well on behalf of 
everyone at Channel 5. Very classy indeed.

   And notes of network coverage of another major story yesterday: the 
arrival of President Ford's casket at the Church in California just before 
3:30 PM. CNN, MSNBC & Fox News on cable had extended coverage before the 
arrival of the hearse & motorcade. Once the motorcade was approaching, CBS 
broke into the Sun Bowl college football game (with katie Couric anchoring) 
& ABC (Charles Gibson anchoring) interrupted "General Hospital" to show the 
arrival and prayers as the casket was carried in, but I don't know if NBC 
covered it live, as Channel 7 continued showing "Family Feud". I didn't 
think of checking the radio to see if WBZ, WRKO, WTKK, etc interrupted 
regular programming to carry this also.

Mark Watson