Most powerful radio station in the world coming toFitchburg???????

[Scott Fybush]

On 10/24/2011 4:50 PM, Gary's Ice Cream wrote:
> Another article appeared in todays Lowell Sun (a longer article than is on
> the website)...they still insist on 500 megawatts....either the reporter is
> a complete idiot or they are expecting Divine Intervention.
>

I don't buy into the "complete idiot" theory. I've been that "complete 
idiot" on other stories. It would be great to think that a 
general-assignment reporter can learn everything there is to know about 
every subject area he or she might cover in the course of a day, and it 
would be even greater to think that there are still well-staffed copy 
desks and editors to backstop a reporter who's on unfamiliar terrain.

But the reality these days is that the reporter who wrote this story was 
probably writing three or four or six other stories on completely 
different topics that day - and very likely shooting and editing video 
to go with several of those.

We can call her (him?) a "complete idiot" - but has anyone bothered to 
reach out to the reporter or editor involved and gently, concisely 
explain that whatever the press release might have said, FM power is 
measured in "watts" and not "megawatts"?

As a general-assignment reporter, I've always appreciated getting 
clarifications about stories in which I've gotten details wrong. I 
haven't always appreciated being called a "complete idiot," especially 
when the fault really lies with extreme cost-cutting at the corporate 
level more than with any individual reporter.

s