You know the cliche: Life’s not fair? Well for Dennis Williams, the ex-Sports Director of WIVB Channel 4, life isn’t fair.

A month ago, Dennis Williams’ contract was up and WIVB decided not to renew it. This was not because of anything that he did not didn’t do but because there was someone out there on the market that they would rather have.

It’s like in sports when you are the quarterback of a successful football team and one off-season there is a better quarterback with a better profile that is more marketable suddenly becomes available. The team is probably going to go with the better player even if he will cost more and even if the team is already in good shape.
That is exactly what Channel 4 did when John Murphy left WKBW Channel 7 after he refused to take a pay cut. John Murphy is the voice of the Buffalo Bills, marketable, well respected, and very well known in the area. So Channel 4 decided to go with Murphy and part ways with Williams just like that.

Channel 4 has nothing against Williams they just felt Murphy was better for their station at this point in time. It just wasn’t right the way they let Williams go so suddenly without much of an explanation or a chance for him to let it sink in. It must have been a shock for him.

I was able to speak to Williams a few weeks after he left Channel 4 and I could tell that he wasn’t happy with how things ended.

Williams is a very talented sports director and he did direct the best sports coverage in the area. I am sure that he will land on his feet but he will probably have to leave the area to get a job and that is a shame. Recently Williams has kept his part-time job on WGR 550 radio.

WKBW-TV announced a partnership with Time Warner Cable on Thursday, April 17 to provide WNY with more local sports coverage in the future. Both stations will be able to expand their coverage as they share resources such as “Super 7 Athlete of the Week” and “High School Sports Roundup”.

Channel 7 decided to make this move as WNY sports fans have a high interest in local college and high school sports which is what Time Warner Sports Net Channel 13 is all about. This can do nothing but help the Channel 7 sports department as they are the lowest rated sports departments out of the three stations in WNY.

You can read the full story and video interview by going to Channel 7’s website at wkbw.com.

There will be a tv taping on Tuesday, April 22 at 12:30 p.m. Ashley Hassett will be hosting the taping. If anyone is interested in being on camera or running a camera or producing or if you just want to watch and see what the tv studio is all about then come on by. All communication and non-communication students are welcome.

Next year the tv studio will be brand new with new equipment and renovations so any interested students should stop by Tuesday to get a feel for the tv studio as we look forward to a brand new studio next year.

I was driving into Medaille on Friday, April 4 at 10 a.m. and I turned on the radio and landed on Z 101.1. A song came on the air and it was “It’s been a while” by Staind and I knew it had the F-word and the S-word in it and I figured that they would play the edited version but when they played the unedited version instead it just through me for a loop. I have never heard either word on the radio in my life.

Z101.1 is a station that is broadcast out of Canada, a country that does not have the FCC, but it is also broadcast out of the United sates as well and we have rules about such words on the air. When I put on the radio I expect certain things and I don’t know how well this will sit with me. I will probably forget about it in a few days but I am just thinking about the children that hear these words on the radio and imitate their favorite bands or celebrities.

Just because you may be able to get away with something , doesn’t make it right.

Matthew Kushner

Communication Senior

Are you interested in sports reporting? Would you like to learn how to interview college and professional athletes? Would you like to cover a Buffalo Bisons game at Dunn Tire Park and learn the ropes of a sports reporter?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then send an email to mattykwmcb@yahoo.com explaining what kind of sports reporting that you want to get into and exactly what you want to learn.

Matty K

WMCB Sports Director

Mattykwmcb@yahoo.com

Here’s a chance to win a $50 gift card from Target. Submit your best audio or video demo tape, aircheck, news story, sportscast, or interview according to the guidelines below by Monday, March 10, 2008.

We’re looking for audition tapes, test tapes, shows or clips from shows, and anything you would consider sending to a prospective employer to show them what you’ve got. As long as at least 6 entries in each category (video and audio) are received by that date, we will vote for the best entry in order to a winner!

One entry per student is allowed. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 12.

By submitting an entry, you agree that it may be posted on this web site (medaillecommunication.com) and other web sites. Entries that do not follow these guidelines will not be counted.

• Video files should be posted to youtube, facebook, or a video-sharing web site and the link emailed to webmaster@medaille.edu.
• Audio files should be emailed in mp3 format to webmaster@medaille.edu.
• Include your name, major, class year and something interesting about your life with your entry. Read the rest…

Did you watch the Grammy’s last night. I caught a little bit. How are award shows related to communication?

There is a concept called “masking” in nonverbal communication. Basically it means that you “mask” (hide) your true emotions when you’re in a situation where it’s not socially appropriate to show how you really feel. (Meetings at work, meeting people that you may have passed judgment on, etc.). There’s also an theory about micro-expressions. That’s the split second where are true emotions show through before we mask them.

Any show where there’s a competition and clear winner and loser are announced is where we can see real life examples of these nonverbal concepts. Did you see any masking last night? Fake happiness? A moment of disappoint before the smile?  While we’re on it, how to the expression of genuine emotions of the winners show up nonverbally?

I’ve got the Super Bowl on the television, and I’m really just waiting for House to come on at 10. In between the football and sports commentary, Fox is showing the so-called “super bowl ads” during this most-watched event of the year .

What were your favorites? Why were they notable? View them all on myspace.com.

Edited to add: (After intermittently watching the whole game, my favorites were Will Ferrell for Bud Light and the E*Trade Talking Baby.)

I enjoy watching Lost, mainly because so few shows today leave everything so mysterious and suspenseful. Watching Wednesday night’s rebroadcast of the previous season’s final episode treated viewers to something that I predict will become commonplace in the coming years: “enhanced” television, with a crawl along the bottom of the screen providing a running commentary of facts, recaps, internet speculation and teasers for the coming season.

Why haven’t TV networks done this before? With the current writer’s strike in Hollywood I can understand that the writing talent needed to produce that content isn’t available, but once that ends, I would definitely be more inclined to watch an enhanced program.

Which television programs would you like to see enhanced in the same way that Lost was this week?

Don Imus is back on the airwaves. Is he doing the right thing? Has he really learned from his mistake? Tell us what you think!!