Since Peoria überblogger Billy Dennis won’t stoop to being interviewed by WHOI news, Laura Petelle (aka Eyebrows McGee) will be the guest blogger instead. Be sure to check out the live segment during the 5:00 news on channel 19 (channel 8 on Insight Cable). Discussions with Laura are always interesting.
Also, I’ve been rather impressed with WHOI’s news coverage lately (not just because of the Big Hollow story, either). They’ve been reporting on stories I don’t see in any other media. For example, not too long ago, they did investigative reporting on sex offenders living too close to District 150 schools, and just recently they investigated crime in Peoria’s parks.
If you can get around the fact that she is a lawyer, LP is O.K.
Several thoughts:
1. The lovely and talented Laura is a wonderful spokesperson for the Peoria Blogosphere. I’ll be sure to catch the show.
2. I simply didn’t like the format and chose to devote my time and energy elsewhere. I’m making spaghetti today.
3. I wasn’t a huge fan of the sex offenders story. I thought it pandered to fears, much like the sex offender registration law itself does. I don’t catch that station enough to have an opinion on the crime in Peoria’s parks story.
4. I remain of the opinion that it’s time for news organizations to stop treating bloggers as a novelty act.
Billy,
The first couple of times I had you on WCBU/WTVP it was about blogging. But since then, it has been to talk about what you blog about. You have to give things time.
You are never going to enact positive change by turning up your nose. You do it by going inside. Take advantage of your opportunities. Play the game, and in time, you will be able to help shape the agenda and direction.
1. Yes she is.
2. Spaghetti takes… 10 minutes?
3. I have no idea, didn’t see it.
4. We are a novelty act. That’s the point. Yes, news organizations seem to read the blogs, but 95% of Peorians (cue sound effect from the Greg & Dan show) don’t know what a blog is. I’ve been asked “I’ve heard about these blog things. How do I find one?”
Any publicity is good publicity.
I do have one criticism of HOI News — the “Click Your Pick” segment. This is an activity you’d do when giving grade-school kids a tour of the studio. “Hey kids! Help us decide which light and humorous human-interest story to put on at the end of the program!” Of course, maybe they’re going after the grade-school market with this feature. Get ’em hooked on HOI early, right?
Is Dennis dating McGee? he seems to drool all over himself in regards to anything with her.
CJ: I’m glad you said something. More than anything else, that “Click Your Pick” segment insults my intelligence. First, the choices of articles, from what I’ve seen, are insipid. Second, with the time they spend telling people about “Click Your Pick” every single night, they could run 2 out of the 3 choices they give viewers. Third: Do they REALLY think this qualifies as giving their watchers a choice, letting watchers vote for which lame-ass canned feature to run?
I’ve spent five years using Peoria Pundit to argue for quality journalism, and I’m not going to weaken my argument by endorsing with my appearance on their 5 p.m. show the kind of crappy, superficial stuff they are throwing on the airwaves at HOI. Feh.
And no, “any” publicity is NOT good publicity. I’m getting just about all the hits and site visits as I’m going to get running the kind of blog I want to run. I’m not going to get an more from appearing on HOI.
Emtronics — no, he’s not. And before you ask, he’s not dating me, either.
Billy — I think they should break out of the mold and can the whole humorous sign-off story. It’s a waste of time. Use that time for more news, sports highlights… anything but those canned segments they pull off the satellite.
That said, I don’t think they have a bad newscast overall. It’s a good alternative to the more formulaic newscasts on other stations.
Billy, this comment confuses me; “I’ve spent five years using Peoria Pundit to argue for quality journalism”. How do blogs about female and male anatomy make for quality journalism? Other than those posts, you generally do a decent job. Why do you degrade your blog like that?
ALL Bill does is rip stories off the mainstream media he hates so much and make snarky comments about them. Ooooohh. Just another guy with an opinion.
C.J. is doing what Bill claims he does by doing original reporting and beating the MSM.
Ryan:
1. I bow to no one in my admiration of C.J.
2. We’ve had this discussion before, so you know you know that PP is a blog ABOUT the mix of politics and the media and therefore is bound to include commentary on the media.
mdd: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Look at most successful blogs. They are a mix is serious and non-so-serious. Unlike television and newspapers, my space is not limited.
And If PP is somehow less than what it should be because I have lots of commentary rather than original reporting, what does it say about you both, since you spend so much time reading ever single word that appears in Peoria Pundit?
You remind me of those people who complain about the lack of quality television, but never seem to miss an episode of “Wings.”
@Emtronics: “Is Dennis dating McGee?”
That’s tasteless and I’m married.
@Everybody: Thanks for your kind comments and I had a really good time at WHOI. I love getting to sit in the studio during newscasts, so that alone was a treat for me!
Billy….are you implying “Wings” wasn’t quality T.V.?
McGee: Yes that was tasteless. I didn’t know what I was thinking and trying to be funny. It wasn’t funny and for that I apologize. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, or Billy’s for that matter. I wish there was a delete button on these posts, but there isn’t. Sometimes you eat foot and I ate a mouthful. My posting days are done.
Billy, I sure don’t read every post you make. I do enjoy the ever more rare original posts about something going on in the city (other than the pointless stories about the PJStar or Gateway Media) and could care less about your links to other blogs.
You have made numerous rants about how D150 and China blocks your blog. It’s time for you to figure out why.
Thank you, Emtronics.
Emtronics wasn’t kidding. He took his blog down. Again.
Huh? Tasteless?? EM: It wasn’t so bad, geez!
Did Emtronics delete his whole blog? I can’t seem to get to it?
Well,
It does appear that the Emtronics is NO MORE. Gosh, what the hell happened?
JB
Yes I took my blog down. I may revamp, change the name and do some serious blogging but not under Emtronics. After the tongue lashing I took from Billy for posting here about him and McGee, he told me I had a 7th grade mentality for that post and yet he went and called me a chicken shit which the last time I was called that, I was in the 7th grade. Yes it pissed me off because the post should have been taken has sarcasm. Anyone who has read Billy’s blog knows he sides with any woman. After reading my comment, I thought that yes it was tasteless but then so are so many other comments posted on blogs locally around here. I posted a retraction here to McGee but Billy demanded I write a full page email to McGee basically getting on my knees for forgiveness. I say horseshit to that. McGee is a highly intelligent and educated woman and if she thought my little paraphrase was tasteless, then fine, she can get over it and move on. This again is Billy’s way to come to the aid of any woman. Billy could have sent me an email explaining his displeasure with my post but he didn’t. Instead he chose to jump down my throat on his chat room. My blog had my real name and my email address posted right on it and if McGee was that hurt, she could have fired off an email. I’m a big boy and Billy even told me when I first started to blog that you have to have thick skin. I guess that only applies to everyone else if you don’t piss off one of his friends.
CJ: Sorry to make a long post on your site about all this but when I went to Billy’s chat room hoping to learn about the council meeting Tuesday night, I didn’t expect to get slammed by Mr. Dennis nor did I expect you to side with him. By your post here, I thought you got it and knew what I meant. I guess you didn’t. I have to wonder what would have happened if I went to the council meeting. Would you two have beaten me up for a post? Do you do that to others that post? This goes to show you that if you have the money, you can get a degree and I guess if the 3 Stooges had the money, they too can get a Journalism Degree and call themselves a reporter. I do not hold a degree in journalism but I know good journalism when I see it, and all I see over at the Pundits, as “mdd†posted is posts about female and male anatomy, the horrors of Gateway, and no WiFi. Billy just because you make a little cash from the long loading ads and hit almost all the council meetings doesn’t make you a good journalist. So as for my apology to you, Billy, you can KMA. Good day! Again CJ, sorry for the long rant on your site.
BTW, I didn’t think the TV interview with McGee was all that great. The horrors!
Emtronics: You say “…nor did I expect you to side with him.” What are you talking about? I sided with you, dummy. Remember? I said I thought you meant the comment in jest and was not offended by it. I said Billy was being too harsh. I said Billy should have e-mailed you. I said I thought Billy was assuming Eyebrows was offended when she hadn’t actually said she was. The only thing I did say was that if she was indeed offended, then you should apologize.
CJ: again I’m sorry about that. I thought you got it. McGee never contacted me in any way about my comment. I don’t know what got into Billy’s crawl but I guess it’s that 7th grade journalism mentality.
Perhaps the comment hit too close to reality, like Jimmy Carter’s confession in Playboy……about lusting in his heart.
Matthew 5:28:
But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
🙂