TV reporter Hummel quits ABC6 news ('They've lost track of the integrity')

Source: Providence (R.I.) Journal

Jim Hummel, an ABC6 news reporter for the past 13 years who is known for the “You Paid for It” investigative segments, resigned yesterday morning, saying he was disturbed by the sensational direction the station has been taking.

The former Providence Journal reporter’s departure comes 10 months after ABC6 was bought by Global Broadcasting of Southern New England. Hummel said there was pressure to sensationalize news and use slang –– such as “lowlife” and “thug” to describe defendants –– in an effort to increase ratings for the third-place local news station.

“You know, for 13 years I’ve been a cheerleader and ambassador for the station despite our struggling in the ratings, because I believed in the product,” Hummel said yesterday. “And I can’t say that anymore.”

Stephen Doerr, vice president and general manager at ABC6, ... said the changes were giving the station the fastest growing ratings in New England. When asked what the ratings were, Doerr said he could not produce the data at the moment. “We’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “We’re still in last place.”

While ABC6 needed to stand apart from Channels 10 and 12, Hummel said, it has pushed for sensationalism to get ratings. “They’re so focused on day-to-day ratings, they’ve lost track of the integrity of what we do,” he said.

Read more: http://www.projo.com/news/content/hummel_gone_07-31-08_M6B1UTD_v30.3cc98c7.html

Surely he can't expect to have ABC or Fox giving him a jingle.

News as entertainment... what a nightmare.

The VP and GM says they have fast growing ratings...

I guess dumbing down works. Nothing new about that.

News operations are complete bullshit now. We need media reform. News operations should not be required to make a profit.

These fucking people seem to forget that the public owns the airways. Or is that even true anymore??

An ABC-6 EXCLUSIVE!

... when WCVB was carrying the "Doctor" Laura Show.

I have not watched WCVB since.

But watch out for ABC Evening News. Makes me want to :puke:

Oh, wait. Maybe not. Then would just replace them with even more vacuous, botoxed buffoons. :grr:

I'm proud to say I've never seen any of those Katie segments.

dumbest persons on the planet.

Hummel did the right thing by leaving because the MSM, even on the local level, have lost touch with their bread and butter--THE AUDIENCE!!!!! Never mind the advertisers 'cause they're under the microscope as well.

I recall back in the day when the ratings sweeps period roll around, the stories were well intentioned, well informed, very helpful, and the wow! factor was minimal at best. Now, 20+ years later, anything goes, and it's terrible! I can't even watch the 10:00 news at night anymore without going into shock! Let's face it--the world is getting worse by the second and all the MSM cares about is the almighty dollar. I wonder how the bigwigs have to explain all of this evil to the The Almighty when the Rapture hits!

In any case, for local reporters to say enough is enough and walk away is certainly a sign of things to come. But knowing the media as it is now, all we can do is see how many higher ups fall on their swords when the shit hits the fan and in the wallet!

And I would imagine that the pressure of "ratings" and the '08 election --

will also swerve them further to the right -- with even a greater closeness

to the Cheney/Bush butt ---

Well that's too bad.

I had tended to give our long standing 3rd place news station credit for having the least 'sensational' and most straightforward news program in the area.

now, how they think they can become the 'sensationalist' channel when the local CBS/FOX (on ch 12) news team have a lock on that already. Every news teaser is about some tragedy, catastrophe, potential danger, missing blonde girl, whatever (rarely are any of these news items of local origin). I call them 'The panic channel' because if you believe their spin then you'd be afraid to leave your bunker.

damn corporate media.

Sounds nutty to me. The station is becoming more popular, the ratings are going up, WLNE is finally experiencing some success for the first time ever..... and this guy goes and jumps ship during the high point? I just don't understand some people. I really don't.

i.e., the former mayor of Providence, Vincent "Buddy" Cianci: http://www.pbn.com/stories/28020.html


Here's the winner of a GM, Stephen Doerr:
http://web.archive.org/web/20070117174326/

I must be ahead of the curb.

for the sake of integrity.

If you leave one at a time or even a few at a time, you can be replaced but if there was a mass movement all at once, that would make a serious statement which would be extraordinarily difficult for the corporate media to hide from the public.

The corporate media would be forced to address their betrayal of the American People's primary national security interest of actually being well informed about the critical issues of the day for a change.

Thanks for the thread, Newsjock.

to Jim Hummel, ABC6 news lowlife thug reporter, working here at ABC6 for the past 13 years. Goodbye Jim, we'll miss your scum-sucking reports...back to you Rachel.

I mean, if that's the target, they should go for it.

live. Real journalists are walking away from there jobs. What kind of people are replacing guys like Hummel?

amazing, prophetic film.

Fox News used it as a blueprint.

nearly always spin for "ratings sucked to begin with".

Say they went from a 10 to a 20 share. The spin? "We doubled our ratings! They're the fastest growing in New England!"

The truth: It's still a 20 share.