The surprising, even shocking news came in two pieces.
1) Comcast, the Philadelphia-based new ownership of NBC, is not renewing the contract of 30-year WNBC-Ch. 4 news anchor and beloved face of New York, Sue Simmons.
Whoa! Why, those no good, just-off-the-train sons of guns! Have they no respect for the industry? For this city? Who do they think they are? Better question: Where do they think they are?
2) Simmons’ contract has been reported to be $5 million per year.
Whoa! Again.
Gee, that’s a lot of money — a ridiculous amount of money — to pay anyone to read the news, to send it to the weather, to send it to commercials, to send it to sports, to say stay tuned for whatever’s next. A whole lot of money, enough to defy dollars and sense.
It would seem to most reasonable viewers — including those devoted to Simmons, among them, those sweating rent— that someone could do what Simmons does for, say, $4 million per. Or even a whole lot less.
If we were to put familiarity and sentiment aside — or at least give them the same standing as practicality — we’re left with the other side of the story: $5 million a year. As a matter of practicality, that’s crazy, no?
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Hell Frozen Over: With only two days left, it has been an unusually mild winter here. Well, not everywhere here. On Ch. 7 Eyewitness News anchors, this has been one of the most frightening, run-for-your-lives! winters ever, worse than last year’s, but likely not as bad as what we can expect from Ch. 7 News, next year.
It’s a matter of self-evidence that WABC-Ch. 7 is eager to lead its newscasts with local weather. Thus, to lead with a call for weather that’s hardly newsworthy doesn’t cut it. So the hysterical and near-hysterical treatment of local weather has become the station’s news standard.
Pulling a neighborhood fire alarm for no good reason is a crime. Ch. 7 News spent another winter pulling false weather alarms, targeting millions from all neighborhoods.
It should, however, be noted, that Ch. 7’s weather forecasters, in refuting the staged panic antics of the news anchors, guarded and maintained their credibility and integrity. They didn’t play along. We’re left to consider whether that might be a firing offense.
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Ellen DeGeneres’ “Ellen” show, seen here weekdays on Ch. 4, recently included a charming segment with female rap sensation Nicki Minaj. She was joined by her “biggest fan,” a precocious 8-year-old girl, who performed one of Minaj’s rap songs and claimed to know all of her songs.
It was a cute and cuddly session, with Minaj sweetly embracing the girl and promising to take her on a shopping trip, right after the show.
But there was an awkward issue at hand, one left unaddressed but, to those who know better, well worth the wonder: If that little girl knows all the words to Minaj’s songs, then she must know lyrics including:
“F- – – king fab bitch,” “Check this motherf- – – ker out,” “This is Mega N- – – -r,” “N- – – -r said he didn’t have a pole for my ho” and “N- – – -rs better have my money by sundown.” One Minaj song includes a chorus chant, “You’re the f- – -king best,” not to mention her songs titled, “Stupid Ho” and “N.-.-.-.-.S.”
Isn’t that cute?