DeRusha

Congrats to Taylor!

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:42:22 -0500

I’ll save my acceptance speech for later, but for now let me thank some people.

First let me thank the people who donated to the Holiday Fund Drive:

Rex Sorgatz

Jason DeRusha

Colin Kloecker

And let me also thank everyone who make this blog possible, including the primary and secondary sources online and in real life. Tomorrow I’ll thank you all by name, but for tonight, you make this link blog happen.

Thanks for this Taylor.

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:51:00 -0500

Thanks for this Taylor.

Testing this.

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:52:39 -0500

Testing this.

Test of Embed

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:38:37 -0600

New RSS Feed for DeRusha Blog

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:34:49 -0600

WCCO Has jumped into the blogging revolution with a REAL BLOG! Yes, you can comment, trackback, etc. Go to wcco.com/jasonblog to check it out.

And the new RSS Feed is: http://cbslocalblogs.prospero.com/dir-app/acx/ActiveContent.aspx?type=blog&fmt=rss&webtag=wcco_jasonblog

Bloggers Up In Arms; Shelby Off the Air; And My Error of Omission

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:53:00 -0600

Ugh. What a busy day. Between responding to a raging on-line discussion about a forum on New Media Ethics (including the flattering commentary of Chuck Olsen where he called me “our generation’s Dave Moore”) and trying to get tonight’s Good Question on the air, I haven’t had a second to breathe!

A couple notes. Don Shelby’s been off the air for a couple nights, he explains a bit about it when he called into his own radio show today. I’ll be filling in on WCCO from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, so listen in. We’ll take calls.

In today’s Good Question video e-mail, I take you into our Good Question morning meeting. I failed to convey the reality that we sort through 60-80 e-mails every day, to help us decide what we cover. I believe tomorrow we’re doing one of your Good Questions. Some of the questions come from inside the newsroom, some come from outside. I’m interested in upping the amount of questions that come from outside… so I’ll keep pushing for that! (As long as you keep sending in good questions.)

And many of you e-mailed in response to last night’s story on men versus women drivers. The point was repeatedly raised that men drive more, and so it follows that men get in more crashes. This is true. However, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, men die in fatal crashes at a rate of 2.5/100,000,000 miles driven; Females die at 1.7/100,000,000 miles driven. So when you strip out the differences in miles driven, men do die more often in crashes. It’s just not as dramatic as the numbers I used seemed to suggest. Of course, in the story, I thought we made it clear that there is no great answer to the question, as it’s hard to really isolate the issue to a male/female variable.

But for some of you, I missed the mark, and I certainly should have used the deaths per hundred-million miles stat, so sorry about that. And thanks for writing to share your thoughts. Oh, and “Why are your stories always so thin in factual information?” is not going to make air as a Good Question segment, but thanks for trying.

The Homosexual Lisp: Is it Real?

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:51:25 -0600

Last Thursday I did a story on accents and where they come from. While I was looking into the story, a friend of mine asked about the stereotypical “lisp” that is often associated with homosexual males.

Benjamin Munson is a professor at the University of Minnestoa, who’s extensively studied sexual preference and speech. So I shot the question off to him, and he gave an unbelievably detailed and interesting response. It was far too much to include in the broader story on accents, but I thought I’d share some of his comments here. If you’d like to read his entire response, he’s put it on his blog.

“Do gay men lisp, in the sense of producing misarticulated “s” sounds? The short answer is No. The long answer is even more interesting.

At least three studies report that the characteristics of “s” in some self identified gay men is in the opposite direction of what we would expect if the these talkers were producing a ‘lisped’ “s.” They were actually closer to the productions of a hyper-correct, carefully produced “s”. Let’s call this “clear s”. These production patterns are not the inevitable consequence of a person’s self-stated sexuality. Though there is a stronger tendency for gay-identified men to produce the “clear s” variant than heterosexual men, some gay-identified men don’t produce this variant, and some heterosexual men do.

Maybe the “lisp” stereotype arose as part of a broader popular-culture belief that gay men were somehow weaker, more ineffectual, and child-like—after all, children lisp. We can find some evidence for it by looking at portrayals of gay men in film, particularly in the middle of the last century. Gay male characters were often portrayed as weak and ineffective. Part of this portrayal was often a lisp. Perhaps the lisp was intended as a cue to the audience that they should view the character as child-like and weak. I emphasize that this is just one conjecture about the origin of this stereotype.”

Ben continued with a thought that really applies to why Minnesotans have a similar accent, why Bostonians speak the same, frankly, why any group starts to sound similar to each other:

Some groups can use one particular variety of a sound to show—either intentionally or unintentionally—that they are members of a particular social group, and another group can use a different variant. The question of sexuality and “s” isn’t unique here.

Interesting stuff, and something to think about over the weekend. Thanks Ben.

Note to Governor: Lay off The Coffee

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:18:06 -0600

As I drove in to work this morning, I was listening to “Good Morning Minnesota”, the Governor’s radio program on WCCO-AM. All the sudden, the show went off the air. It had to be silent for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then it popped back in, and 10 minutes later, the Governor said he spilled coffee on a console in the radio station, and he wasn’t able to take phone calls any more.

Reporter Sue Turner just confirmed to me that in fact, the Governor did spill coffee (it wasn’t a radio bit). But the coffee not only messed up the phone system, the coffee spill knocked the Governor’s show right off the air.

Awesome. Just awesome. When I worked in radio in Milwaukee (at Soft Favorites, the new 103. 7), I knocked our radio station off the air several times, while trying to take transmitter readings (the up button advanced the digital readout, the down button powered down the transmitter). But coffee? Spilled coffee? Perfect.

(reposted from WCCO DeBlog)

How The McCain Story Blew Up: Good Question

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:27:53 -0600

At the heart of tonight’s Good Question is an issue of blame. Who is to blame for focusing the dialogue on sex and scandal? The media or the public? Jane Kirtley told me today: “If the public really weren’t interested in that, I can pretty much guarantee the media would not be pursuing that line of inquiry.”

You should judge for yourself:

Read the original New York Times story.

Here’s the Washington Post story, which originally didn’t mention any insinuation of an affair.

The Columbia Journalism Review has 5 questions for the NYTimes.

There’s some speculation that the reason the New York Times published today, is that they knew The New Republic was going to run this story on why the NY Times was holding the McCain story.

Locally, Brian Lambert blogs about the McMania.

And for those fascinated by journalism, thePoytner Institute has posted resources for journalists covering the story.

E-mail me your thoughts, I’ll share some of them here tomorrow.

(Repost from DeBlog)

Twitter For Breaking News

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:03:25 -0600

This morning while I was trying to line up tonight’s Good Question expert, I logged onto Twitter, where a friend had posted about breaking news, a fire in downtown Minneapolis.

He thought KARE was live streaming pictures of the fire. I pointed him to the WCCO.com livestream (we’re pretty aggressive about getting live breaking news on the Web). He then wrote this suggesting we have an emergency breaking news feed on Twitter.

Greg asked, we responded. You can follow WCCOBreaking on Twitter here. We’re just starting it, so it’ll be an experiment of sorts. But we’ll send out alerts there when there’s big stuff going on, so you can come over to the website to see what’s happening.

CNN has a similar Twitter feed, I find it helpful. They only send out alerts when it’s really important, so they don’t overwhelm me with dumb alerts. Not to pump up my own employer, but our general manager here is pretty smart about television just being one platform for us to distribute our message. So I like that we’re experimenting with different things.

Hey, one bonus of being on Twitter and following me: I often post our Good Question topics there, looking for people who might want to share thoughts. And those comments make it into TV stories. So it’s another way for your voice to be heard.

Lunar Eclipse... of my heart!

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:03:00 -0600

OK, not of my heart. But, I, like the rest of the free world, was looking at the lunar eclipse last night. It was awesome.

I snapped a couple pictures from my back porch:

If you’re a photo geek, there are more than 17,000 photos tagged with “lunar eclipse” at Flickr.com right now. The site was a little slow last night, as all of us uploaded our shots.

My dad called me during the eclipse, quite happy that after 33 years, finally I was geeked to see an eclipse. He was amused that Seth wasn’t really into it. (my son did ask me if the moon was coming back.)

For more great pictures, check out the wcco.com slideshow of your lunar eclipse shots.

(Reposted from WCCO-TV DeBlog)

Digital TV Resources

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:02:00 -0600

It’s one of the biggest things you guys are asking me about. The transition to digital television is one year away. If you get cable or satellite, you’re good to go. Don’t worry about this. But if you have any TVs that get over-the-air broadcasts (TVs that use an antenna), you’ll need to take some action.

You can buy a new TV, but you don’t have to. You can buy a converter box (it’s like a set-top cable box) for around $50. Wal-Mart is selling them, as is Best Buy.

The federal government is sending out $40 coupons to people, you can get up to two of them. Apply for a coupon here.

We’re going to keep updating you over the next year at WCCO.com/digital, so you can check back for more information and all the information there.

More questions answered at DTVAnswers.com (set up by broadcasters)

There’s tons of information at the federal government’s Digital TV page.

We tried to answer why WCCO isn’t in high-definition TV in our story tonight (Benjamin’s video question is in beautiful Hi-Def right here). It’s complicated, but basically, it costs a ton of money and takes a ton of time to transition ALL our equipment to hi-def. Not just studio cameras, switchers, tape players, editing machines. We have to upgrade our cameras for out in the field, live trucks and helicopter. And WCCO has three transmitters: the metro transmitter here, KCCO in Alexandria, and KCCW in Walker. We cover 59 counties (another metro station only covers 20-some counties). That costs money to upgrade each transmitter. The metro is ready, the outlying stations are not.

Related: In USA Today there’s a story on Why reality shows aren’t in Hi-Def.

Do you want to send a video or regular Good Question? Put down the remote and send it in!

Why Isn't WCCO News in Hi-Def? Good Question

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:32:01 -0600

Monday, Feb. 18, 2008 — 10:38 a.m.

Tonight’s Good Question has me taking on the bigwigs at WCCO. Benjamin sent in a video question in hi-def, asking why we’re not Hi-Def. It’s pretty funny stuff, but the question is one I get a fair amount.

So I was a little surprised when our managers said, “Sure” when I suggested we answer the question for GQ. I presume the main answer is that it’s expensive to transition, but there must be more to it than that. So I’m about to interview our GM and ask her the tough questions. You won’t want to miss this one at 10!

First, Happy Valentine’s Day to my wife, Alyssa. She’s amazing.Second, today’s a...

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:50:00 -0600

First, Happy Valentine’s Day to my wife, Alyssa. She’s amazing.

Second, today’s a big day for our own Lisa Kiava. She got engaged on Valentine’s Day. Her husband Tim was working on a TV show that was doing a segment on Valentine’s Day, so he decided to propose. He was going to surprise Lisa in a hot air balloon, but it was too windy. So he got her on the most popular morning radio show in Louisville, and proposed on the air. She was in studio under the ruse that the DJ wanted to do a “Meet the reporter” segment. Very funny.

Alison Lorge is working on a slideshow, that may or may not be called “WCCO Smells.” She’s been asking everyone what kind of cologne or perfume they wear. Look for that in the slideshow section of wcco.com. My cologne should be no surprise to any of you: Very Sexy.

Last night’s story on chocolate was fun, you can find that here.

And last year, Ben Tracy answered whether this is a Hallmark holiday, you can find that story here.

Why We Check The Facts

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:53:16 -0600

For tonight’s Good Question, we’re talking about pets (because of the Westminster Dog Show). Why do we feel drawn to animals?

Out in the field, I talked with a guy who told me that Burnsville had 60,000 residents, and 60,000 licensed dogs. That sounded remarkable to me, and I was tempted to put it in my story. But I thought, maybe I’d better double check that. According to Burnsville Animal Control, historically they have about 600 - 1000 licensed dogs. 600… 60,000… hey, what’s the difference!

The story is pretty interesting tonight… I learned three new things about why we’re into pets… so check it out at 10.

Thoughts On Online Obsession

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:52:45 -0600

I asked for thoughts on spending time online, and got some great answers on my Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages.

Erica said, she’s “totally addicted to the internet, not that there’s anything wrong with that.” She added,Just had a conversation… yesterday about applying 12 Steps to the internet. I am powerless!”

Paul twittered that his wife thinks he has a problem, and “It’s more about her thoughts of ‘when’ I should disconnect. ‘Honey, we had a live stream of your labor’…I don’t see a problem.” (he did broadcast the birth of their child via live streaming on the Internet)

Alan sent me a Twitter reply ”Yep, I work from home so I need the Internet to work but my home computer is close and hard to resist when a tweet or email dings.”

I love Nina’s e-mail via MySpace: “Honestly, I never thought I’d ‘waste’ my time online. Scratch that, it’s not a waste, it’s an addiction. 10 minutes becomes one hour, then it’s three hours, and before I know it, sometimes it’s bedtime! Ha! I YouTube old shows and watch them. It’s great. Anything from Smurfs, Baywatch (when the storyline was about Matt and Summer) and of course Felicity! I LOVE Felicity. Some generous fans have uploaded all four seasons. I finally finished it! LOVE it and want to watch it again. :)”

My friend Taylor sent me this fascinating assessment of the issue: it compares checking e-mail to playing the slots or training a dog. I think that’s true. In my case, I check e-mail somewhat obsessively. But I think it’s more a habit than an addiction. A bad habit. But I have to keep answering your good questions. I should turn over some space in the blog to my wife, to have her write about my online obsession.

Drop me an e-mail with your thoughts. If you can squeeze it in with all your other on-line commitments.

Help Me Answer Monday's Good Question

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:28:20 -0600

Monday, Feb. 11, 2008 — 11:24 a.m.

Tonight, we’re answering a viewer’s good question about Internet use. Kelly Thomas wrote, “Why do I always have to check my email?” and “Why are sites like Facebook or MySpace so addictive?”

It’s a great question. I compulsively check my e-mail at home. I wonder if it’s how my brain is wired. So I want your stories. E-mail me your stories of online overuse. Does it drive your husband or wife crazy? Do you check work e-mail while you’re on vacation? Do you feel like you spend more time with your Blackberry than your spouse?

E-mail me, and we’ll put it on TV. (Or, send a video clip.)

(repost from DeBlog)

Outstanding Achievement In Press Release

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:50:43 -0600

I wanted to draw your attention to this press release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. I’ve never met Detective Tim Harris, but I can assure you we’d get along.

The release is titled: “Elvis is in the building!” (that stolen Elvis painting wasn’t really stolen. Someone thought it was put out as garbage, so they “saved” it.)

It includes references to “Return to Sender,” “Hound Dog”, and ends brilliantly: “Thank you, thank you very much.”

Tim Harris, I love you tender(ly).

(from deblog)

Super Tuesday: Caucuses Don't Work

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:49:59 -0600

Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008 — 9:45 a.m.

Not to say, “I told you so,” but, well, I kinda told you so. Last week when we asked the Good Question, “Why Do We Caucus?”, we pointed out many of the flaws with the caucus system. Today, many people are talking about the need to get a primary started in Minnesota, including the Star Tribune editorial page.

Last night, my wife and I were at the Town Talk Diner in Minneapolis, and a guy came in who was turned away from voting because he showed up at 8:04 p.m. On our news last night, I saw pictures of traffic jams and heard of voters who couldn’t vote because there were too many people in line. At some precincts, they ran out of ballots, and people voted using torn off pieces of paper.

That’s plain nutty. Hopefully the parties and the legislators can get together and find a better way to vote, where everyone who wants to cast a ballot is allowed to cast a ballot.

(from deblog)

Why I can't take Part in Super Tuesday

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:51:45 -0600

Primaries are difficult things for reporters, as taking part in an activity that is essentially about a political party opens us up to attacks that we’re liberal or conservative. Say I showed up at a caucus in my Maple Grove neighborhood. Not that I’m a huge celebrity, but odds are, someone would recognize me. And they might tell a friend. Who might tell another friend of a different political persuasion. Who might write a blog entry about it. Which might get linked by some journalism Web site. Which would get me in trouble.

Follow that?

In Denver, there’s been controversy over a supposed ban on caucusing set out by the editor of the Rocky Mountain News [via]. Here’s what the editor wrote: “If you participate in a caucus, you are doing so in a personal capacity, and cannot hold yourself out during the caucus as an employee of the Rocky Mountain News. Further, if you participate in the caucus, within 48 hours you must notify the newspaper management so it can make future political coverage decisions and protect the integrity of the newspaper.” The Tacoma News Tribune is asking its news staff to stay away from caucuses and primaries.

It’s tricky. Just because I’m a journalist, doesn’t mean that I have to stop being a citizen. But it does mean I have to put my job as a journalist before any desire I might have to take part in a party activity. And that’s really what a caucus is.

At WCCO, there’s no official policy (that I know of) and there’s been no official memo about it. If it were a primary election where you could go privately and express your choice, I think it’d be different. Frankly, I’d participate, especially because in Minnesota, you don’t have to register to be a member of the party to take part. But a caucus is so public; I think it’s wise for those of us on the air to stay away. That’s what I’ll be doing tonight.

It’s strange: as a political science major at at Marquette University, I’m so into the electoral process. It’s odd to not be participating. But it’s a small sacrifice, so I can keep doing my job.

(Reposted from DeBlog)