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In honor of sweeps month, the Department of Burnt Ends looked into a frightening phenomenon. Cue the scary music and the ominous-sounding voice-over: Why did our local newscasts run the same investigative stories during a two-week period? In a story you'll only see here, we go undercover with our own sting operation.

First, some background. During the week of January 28, KCTV Channel 5, Fox 4 News and KSHB Channel 41 aired nearly identical stories that involved hidden cameras in hotel rooms. Honestly, the Department of Burnt Ends didn't catch the Fox 4 version. (How much TV can we watch?) But the others both included tilted-camera-angle footage of housekeepers ignoring dirty drinking glasses planted by the stations, followed by science-wonk types talking about bacteria. (Channel 41 added regular people gasping dramatically at the thought of such disgustingness.)

It kind of looked as though somebody was copying someone else's sweeps-time sting. But according to Channel 41 News Director Rick Iler, the story about dirty hotel-room glasses first made its way through TV news circles nationwide early last year. The stations didn't know they were running identical stories until Channel 5 and Channel 41 started running promos, Iler figures.

But then came a shocking coincidence (cue more frightening music). During the 10 p.m. newscasts on February 7, both Channel 5 and Channel 41 broke out the pixelation machines for their "Hot Nubile Teachers" stories. Turns out, some local teachers had posted to MySpace scantily clad pictures of themselves partying it up. Didn't they think of the children? Thankfully, Channel 5's Ash-har Quraishi and Channel 41's Aaron Keller thought of the children — on the same night.

Iler claims that the Channel 5 version wasn't local; he guesses someone there saw Channel 41's promo, pulled a version of the story from an affiliate and had Quraishi record a voice-over. Iler says he didn't know Channel 5 was running a similar piece until the night before both stories aired. "Absolutely no idea," he says. "We happened to watch and saw it in their topical promotion. We were like, hmm. OK, that's interesting."

Naturally, we wanted to get Channel 5's side of the story, so we called News Director Tracy Brogden Miller. When we reached her the day after the MySpace story ran, she asked the angle of our story, then said she had to clear any interviews with the station. She never got back to us, so we left a message on her voice mail four days later. No response.

So we took a page from the Channel 5 playbook: We got a camera crew (OK, a staffer with a digital camera) and ambushed her at her office. Here's the timeline, with approximate times.

First Attempt: Valentine's Day

1:50 p.m.: We spend $13.51 at SunFresh for a mixed bouquet of flowers and a balloon to lure Miller to the station's front desk.

2:00:03: Position hidden camera behind the bouquet.

2:00:40: Approach Channel 5's front door.

2:00:43: Try to figure out whether we need to be buzzed in.

2:02:50: Walk through unlocked door.

2:03: V-Day trinkets elicit an "Oh, yay!" from a young woman.

2:03:45: Miller is paged; we find out she's in Des Moines.

Second Attempt: February 15, Bearing the Same Gifts

9:31:15 a.m.: Discover that the front door's locked.

9:31:25: Get buzzed in.

9:31:40: Inform receptionist that, no, we don't have an appointment, but we have a surprise for Miller.

9:32:09: The nice receptionist calls Miller: "She didn't ask [your names], and I didn't want to spoil the surprise," the receptionist says.

9:32:50: Miller approaches; we introduce ourselves as Pitch staffers and ask if she has a few seconds to talk. We offer her the presents. She looks wary. We ask, "How do you respond to allegations that you copied the MySpace story from KSHB?"

9:34:04: Miller gives us the hand. "This is uncool. That's really uncool. Uncool," she says as she flees back upstairs.

9:34:11: "I'm sorry, Tracy. I thought they knew you," the receptionist calls after her.

9:34:14: "No," Miller responds

9:34:20: "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you folks to leave," the receptionist says.

Click here to watch a larger version of the video.

Write Your Comment show comments (22)

  1. Wow, you guys are real dickheads. I hope Channel 5 ambushes you for putting out a trashy rag.

    Comment by Jack — February 20, 2008 @ 02:16PM

  2. WTF, Jack? What's good for the goose...

    Comment by Josh — February 20, 2008 @ 03:34PM

  3. Next, would you interrupt Katie Horner's weather cast with entertainment programming?

    Comment by gus — February 20, 2008 @ 07:56PM

  4. The difference between any ambushes KCTV does and your ambush is that KCTV doesn't offer flowers or use other trickery to interview the subject. As the news director, said, it is indeed very uncool.

    What if a reporter from KCTV pulled the same trick and asked your editor, "How do you respond to the allegation that no one reads your newspaper and that it's merely a forum for uneducated opinion and defamation?" I don't think you editor would look any less shocked and uncomfortable than this woman did in your video.

    Comment by Tony — February 21, 2008 @ 11:19AM

  5. Way Cool!!! It seems only they feel that they have the right to surprise people and embarrass them on TV. She apparently didn't like it when the tables were turned on her!!! She should take that into account when pulling the same thing on unsupecting people.. Why isn't this on "The News Channels Too???????? Keep up the good work and keep trying like they do until you get to the truth and she admits her screw up!!!!

    Comment by paul — February 21, 2008 @ 11:29AM

  6. You can see in the video the exact moment when she realizes the "surprise".

    Comment by Bart — February 21, 2008 @ 12:51PM

  7. Channel 5 should investigate Jack for reading trashy publications.

    Comment by Stan K. — February 21, 2008 @ 12:54PM

  8. Tony - what a load of bullshit. Some unsuspecting dimwit walks out of their house or place of business only to have one of these douchebags and camera crew run up to their face and start demanding answers?

    And you get worked up about candies and flowers?

    This was a great way to point out to KCTV5 and the rest of the local "gotcha" hacks that turnabout is totally fair play.

    Comment by Josh — February 21, 2008 @ 02:06PM

  9. Actually, Josh, I'm not "worked up" over flowers and candy.

    My point is that you can't say this "ambush" is the same as KCTV's "ambushes". KCTV... and every other TV station... doesn't lure its "victims" out of their workplace with flowers and candy. The vast majority of "ambushes" done by TV stations are done only after the reporter asks repeatedly for an interview... and usually, the "victims" are public (or high-profile) officials who've been involved in wrongdoing.

    Don't justify this "ambush" by pointing to the ones done by KCTV, because they are ENTIRELY different.

    I'm not saying KCTV is perfect or that they didn't steal that story... or even that a small number of its "ambushes" are not questionable, BUT there's simply no legitimate comparison between KCTV's behavior and what this Pitch girl did.

    Comment by Tony — February 22, 2008 @ 11:16AM

  10. josh, you're bending around a lot to justify your distatse for this case. The point of the piece seems to be to get us to think about channel 5's tactics. I hardly think the pitch reporter is endorsing these tactics or planning to use them in the future.

    Channel 5's ambush interviews are theatrical bullshit designed to look good on TV but not get any answers. This was, too, with one key difference. It actually made a point.

    Comment by gus — February 22, 2008 @ 11:32AM

  11. Oops. I addressed that to josh, when I meant to address it to Tony. Josh seems all right.

    And, Josh, would it have been more acceptable if the reporter would have camped outside the Channel 5 woman's house? This was sneaky, but it wasnt invasive.

    Comment by gus — February 22, 2008 @ 11:37AM

  12. It's called competition. You don't want your competition to have an exclusive!

    The hotel incident was probably one hotel guest that complained about it to both stations, it happens all the time. The MySpace was a local story...if they didn't both have the story, then they wouldn't be doing a good job of local news would they? I think you're just mad YOU didn't have the story.

    Comment by Mark — February 22, 2008 @ 12:01PM

  13. Tony, what, do you work for KCTV5?

    "KCTV... and every other TV station... doesn't lure its "victims" out of their workplace with flowers and candy. "

    "Lure" them? The Pitch came to their front door. If they hadn't have had a cover story, whats-her-nuts wouldn't ever have "graced" them with her presence.

    I take it you would have preferred that the Pitch staffers wait for her to leave, then follow her home and jump out and start haranguing her?

    Kinda like KCTV5 does? She is a public figure, yes? And this is a news story, yes? And KCTV5 has denied to speak to the Pitch before, yes?

    Did you think this out before you started bitching?

    Comment by Josh — February 22, 2008 @ 04:30PM

  14. I don't see any dishonesty at all in the "ambush" of this talking head. How many times have we seen "news crews" barging into a business place with cameras rolling? And they don't even offer a nice gift! What's good for the goose is INDEED good for this gander. Hope she spent her lunch hour thinking, "so THIS is how it feels...."

    And yes, please somebody interrupt Kater Hornie's severe weather (so-called) coverage and tell her to TAKE---COVER---NOW!!!!

    Comment by Ol' Gasbag — February 24, 2008 @ 07:54AM

  15. I was very happy to see this story done. The story focused on KCTV, but KSHB did use bad tactics to ambush one of the teachers. They had a hidden camera in the van, and never disclosed the fact that she was being recorded for television. They ran up to her after school with parents around. Others have said the reporters call for interviews in advance. Channel 41 never tried to contact her ahead of time. She was so shocked that she did not hear them identify themselves and was worried for a week that she had an actual stalker. The pitch story's tactics were not over exaggerated. Someone needs to call for a change in the trashy, cheap, and unintelligent news coverage this media market engages in.

    Comment by Jane — February 24, 2008 @ 07:54PM

  16. Tony blows.

    Comment by Miz Katie Horner — February 25, 2008 @ 02:40PM

  17. I don't know how many other commenters have a degree in journalism or commensurate experience but I do, and my opinion is that this reporter did exactly what these networks have done habitually. The story, which attempts to expose "wrongdoing" in the form of one network stealing ideas from another OR two networks working in concert with one another, would have been better served with a quote from one of the key players. When one of these networks ambush someone getting out of their car because the person did not return calls, are they not doing the same thing that is done here? Sure, the candy and flowers was duplicitious, but I have seen TV affiliates conduct themselves similarly. I can't see any reason to further demonize the Pitch team. Plus it was just funny to watch the news rep squirm.

    And the word "uncool" is probably the uncoolest word of the day.

    Comment by Darren — February 27, 2008 @ 09:40AM

  18. Looks like a lot of ringers from the station writing in here. Your ambush was hilarious and the "reporter" got everything she deserved.

    Comment by Howie — February 27, 2008 @ 11:54AM

  19. Thank you, Jack and Tony, for those insights. Let's get together before this afternoon's meeting, and I'll buy you lunch.

    P.S. Did you get in touch will Bill about that extra camera I wanted for the city council story?


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    Comment by Tracy — February 27, 2008 @ 05:37PM

  20. Totally COOL and right on point! Keep it up.

    Comment by Michael — February 29, 2008 @ 08:53AM

  21. Brilliant!!!

    The wanker has enough dead space between her ears to utter: "This is really uncool." To think she and nearly all other TV news folks have no compunction about screwing others with the same technique.

    Thanks for slipping this onto Utube for all to see and chuckle at 'uncool' comment as she's burning leg muscles trying to get her ass quickly up those stairs!

    Comment by KPR — March 6, 2008 @ 04:30PM

  22. She really did get what she deserved. She is a public figure as a news director of a local network. She's also an adult and a seasoned professional and should be able to handle the pressure. If it was me, I would have accepted the flowers. Then walked away smiling saying "I have no comment. Thanks for the gifts though!"

    Comment by Joe — March 10, 2008 @ 07:59PM

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