April 5, 2007
By casting a wide net, we are confident something will stick for readers interested in media. In this week’s Media Watch, you can read about nearly every aspect of media in El Paso – print, radio, web and television. Let us know if we missed anything and send an email to npt@epmediagroup.com. Enjoy the read.
It looks like some people at El Diario forgot to do their homework and tried to copy from their El Paso Times classmates before the due date.
Sources tell Newspaper Tree that a new phone system, complete with caller ID, was recently installed at the El Paso Times. We know, we know - new phones are not juicy media gossip.
But, a couple of weeks into using this new system, a Times reporter received a phone call regarding a recent shooting. The caller ID identified the call as coming from "Diario de El Paso," but the caller identified herself as "Martha," the sister of a close friend of the shooting victim.
"Martha" asked the reporter if he had any information on the shooting and if he could share any details on the funeral arrangements for the victim.
The Times reporter sensed something was amiss; why wouldn’t "Martha" have this information if her brother was such a close friend of the victim? The reporter played along with "Martha" anyway, and asked for her home phone number so that he could call her with more information. "Martha" gave him a cell phone number, and she told him that she did not have a home phone because she was never at home. "I’m always at the movies," she said.
Being a responsible journalist, the reporter felt it was his duty to the movie-going public to tell "Martha" that it is rude to keep her cell phone on inside the theater. "Martha" then hung up.
This is not the first time a Diario spy was discovered behind enemy phone lines. Our sources also say that the El Paso Police Department once received a call from a man claiming to be Daniel Borunda, an El Paso Times Reporter. But, being responsible detectives, the police officers checked their caller ID. The name? Diario de El Paso.
El Paso Inc.
El Paso Inc.'s Book of Lists is coming out according to (see Tom Fenton’s publishers letter) and what a resourceful list it is! (Unless you’re competition that is!) Missing from the most recent El Paso Inc.’s list of Publishers was El Paso Media Group, and Publisher Keith Mahar was red hot mad. "Not only is El Paso Media Group an advertiser with El Paso Inc., but we publish El Paso Magazine and The El Pasoan!" screamed Mahar. Was this oversight intentional? After contacting the list rep Sigi Andujo, we were told it was a list of "Book Publishers," but the word "book" was accidentally left out. Debbie Friaire, the El Paso Inc. Advertising Director sent this email to Mahar, "Yes you are a publishers of three publications and there was no intention to leave you off this list. What was an over site (SIC) was the title of the list, it should have read Book Publishers. So unless you have published a book we do not know about than the only mistake we made was the title of the list." That’s funny, Pinata Publishing doesn’t publish books, they only publish magazines and theyr’e on the list. Gross oversight or intentional? You be the judge.
El Paso Times
Two brief briefs were posted at midnight Times blogs honored at awards ceremony and 3 Times staffers receive honorable mentions )on the first and second of April, announcing this year’s results for the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Awards. Why post these seemingly innocuous articles at the cloak of midnight, unless The El Paso Times didn’t want anyone to read them? The paper won three honorable mentions and a second place but was beat out in every category by just about every other daily paper in Texas, no matter the market size. The awards were given by the annual Texas Associated Press Managing Editors meeting in San Antonio.
We contacted Don Flores, Publisher at the El Paso Times, with several questions regarding the awards. There were two freaky things that happened when trying to contact Flores: 1) He answered his phone. I’m sorry but in 2007, no one answers there phone. And why does the publisher of a daily newspaper in a market like El Paso have this kind of time, and 2) Flores wouldn’t give our reporter a quote and instead deferred them to Armando Durazo, El Paso Times Assistant Managing Editor, who attended the awards ceremony.
Because Durazo replied with such brilliant answers, we felt if imperative to print the email in it’s entirety. Below is the email from Armando Durazo:
"To answer your questions:
Are the TAPME awards an industry standard you hold your newspaper up to?
1. Texas APME is not an industry standard that we use to guide the newspaper. The industry standard is what local readers say about their newspaper. Readers have a higher say in the direction of the newspaper than APME.
How do you feel being beaten by smaller papers?
2. We don't consider that we were beaten by smaller newspapers. There is strong and solid journalism being practiced at all levels and we celebrate those successes.
My research indicates this year was an improvement in terms of the quantity of awards given to the El Paso Times, is this a conscious effort on your part to raise the bar?
3. In fact, we received higher awards last year. We were recognized in various categories including star photographer of the year. In terms of raising the bar, we do on a daily basis."
We also tried to reach Keven Ann Willey for comment, the VP/Editorial Page Editor of The Dallas Morning News and this year’s President of TAPME Board Members, but didn’t hear back. Hopefully Willey would have helped construct the argument that The El Paso Times should care deeply about the results from this year’s TAPME awards. Getting beat by papers in Nagodoches and Marshall should be cause for alarm.
The Border Observer
It looks like the free weekly newspaper has been given a face lift. The paper is now stapled together, the paper size has been trimmed down and a full front page image that bleeds. (Of course most of the cover images are of bleeding people, various wounded victims of El Paso society, but the inside is diverse enough.) According to the Editor, Jaime Perez, "The response from readers has been phenomenal and El Diario executives have decided to improve the presentation and enhance promotion of the Border Observer. There has been some talk about glossy, bigger and daily but no official word yet."
You can pick up a copy of the Border Observer at Del Pueblo Press on Mills, and just about anywhere else in El Paso. Visit www.borderobserver.com and click on Where to Find it.
915hive.com
www.915hive.com is re-launched with a new look and added functionality. According to project director Daniel Lopez, "I encourage everyone to take ownership of this site. If there is something you would like to see or think we can do better, please let us know. We are here to serve you." We’re excited for the relaunch as the homepage will feature an RSS feed of Newspaper Tree headlines.
KFOX
Executive Producer Lauren Macias Cervantes is leaving KFOX in a few weeks to join the staff at Upper Rio Grande at Work. A talented and hardworking newsie, Macias is leaving KFOX after 7 years. The staff was informed last Tuesday of her departure and Shauna Ziegler, the 9 p.m. producer, will take over the duties as interim Executive Producer.
KTSM
Over at KTSM Television , Rob Dean is the acting News Director, he’s in from corporate. Zoltan Csyani’s last day was March 30th.
UNIVISION 26
According to David Candelaria, GM at Univision Zoltan Csanyi is the new News Director at Entravision. Zoltan’s first day was April 2nd.
No answer from Sito Negron yet on whether he’ll serve as the moderator between Karlsruher and Strelzin. Rumors are circulating that the moderator job might go to El Paso Magazine Editor, Lisa Degliantoni. "Candelaria asked me where I stand politically and I told him, if given the chance to talk about politics, I will bring up fashion every time. How people can’t scream about Steve Ortega’s hair is beyond me and I don’t think listeners want a moderator like that," says Degliantoni.
Paul Strelzin, despite a smack-talking session after Media Watch 3.15.2007, invited Lisa Degliantoni to host his show on April 27th from 7-9 a.m. and Candelaria has asked her to co-hosts Karlsruher’s show for an hour that same day. Be sure to tune in to some lively radio conversation, 1650 AM, KRHO.
Do you have any idea how many Deep Throats it takes to develop this column? Hundreds. We’ve got moles in every medium, so don’t run and hide, share the news and email us at npt@epmediagroup.com, we’d love to hear from you.