"We Are Marshall": The Premiere Coverage

So if you live in the Huntington area, the most exciting thing on TV last night was the coverage of the “We Are Marshall” premiere.

As any broadcast journalist will tell you, nothing gets the adrenaline going like a live broadcast of breaking news. And I could feel that adrenaline coming through my TV screen.

Since I have friends at both WOWK and WSAZ, I don’t want to favor one station over the other, but I do want to recognize Spencer Adkins for his great work on the green carpet. My heart went out to him when he was forced to pass Matthew McConaughey down the line to go to a commercial. But he did get him back, snagging one of the night’s best interviews in the process.
I also want to send out kudos to WOWK (and their West Virginia Media partners) for ending their telecast with the names of those who died in the plane crash—including the flight crew. It was a real class act.

And speaking of class acts, what about Matthew Fox walking the carpet with Red Dawson, and then going back down the carpet to talk to fans?

In the opposite category, I have to mention how horrified I was at the reporter who picked up mementoes left at the Spring Hill Cemetery memorial during a pre-taped story. Those articles were left for loved ones, not for TV reporters to play with.

That disrespectful act aside, let me pass on my kudos to everyone who worked so hard to bring us all of the action—and kudos to the hard-working staff of “The Herald-Dispatch” who I know put in a lot of hours to give us the coverage you see today…