So, the end of the KTSC (Knox Tourism and Sports Corporation) has come. It has been reported that Liza Zenni Executive Director of the Knoxville Arts & Cultural Alliance along with Caesar Stair the President of the KACA and others were instrumental in getting the Gloria Ray salary out there. So, they were the spark that lit the fire and the controversy of a lazy board of directors was the gasoline that consumed the issue.
WBIR was supposedly saying they broke the story on Gloria Ray’s salary. Actually, Mike Donila over at the News Sentinel identified on his blog Screams From The Porch who first identified the salary. Check out his post, here. Yes, it was Shock And Awe. Anyhoo!
I was checking out the Knox Arts & Cultural Alliance website this afternoon, here and lo and behold, WBIR’s News Director Bill Shory is on the board of directors. I wonder why and how some little ole’ blog beat the straight from the heart folk. Did WBIR news reports reveal that their big bad News Director served on the board? Where, When and How are the Arts and Cultural Alliance Board meetings conducted and recorded?
In my opinion, the last news organization in Knoxville capable of breaking a hard news story involving corruption, scandal, or over reaching would be the WBIR news team. Sure, they'll fall all over UT athletics and the corresponding issues that roll out from that sideshow, they'll flop people out to natural disasters to get a human side of mother nature's wrath, and they'll float plenty of warm and fuzzies through the local newscasts, however, hard nosed journalistic instincts and being a watchdog of local government, WBIR ain't even near the top of the page.
Perhaps its a business decision, maybe it's a sign of the high turnover rate in their general assignment reporters over there (new folks to the community don't get a very good roadmap from their news heads, not sure of the difference between M town and J town, usually say Maryville like its a wedding town, and htey are usually of the opinion that Knoxville is the 6th or 8th largest city in Tennessee.
For hard news and investigative television journalism, take a pass on Channel 10.
Poady–Good points EXCEPT…WBIR and KNS are afraid to go after Pilot Oil, anyone named Haslam and the Knox Chamber
Good point Anonymous!!