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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Topping our news tonight,
another station’s rising starJasmine Trias and the star-making "American Idol" show have crossed over from pop culture to news, it can be argued.
It also can be argued that Americans' sense of news is on the shallow side of a puddle, but that's not important right now.
Trias is in town for a whirlwind tour before returning to Los Angeles and her next crack at Idoldom.
You can't throw a stick without hitting someone talking about the show, boding well for Fox Television Network affiliates such as KHON2 during this ratings month. The show concludes, not quite coincidentally, on May 26, the last day of the so-called "sweeps."
Jasmine Media Mania has put competing local TV stations' news departments in the position of having to cover one of the stars of a show on a rival network, as well as the show itself.
Honolulu's TV news directors agree the Trias story is a must-cover.
Tod Pritchard, of KITV, likened the Trias phenomenon to the Super Bowl, which must be covered no matter what station it's on, because that's what the audience wants.
"American Idol" was watched by about 37 percent of the population in the last rating period, and with Trias progressing this far in the show, it seems obvious that viewership will have increased, he said.
The impact of Trias and the show has spurred news stories by stations other than KHON.
Tauna Lange, news director of KHON sister-station KGMB, said Trias' success transcends pop culture as well as the stations' competition. It's about Hawaii's aloha and support for a local and soon-to-be national celebrity, if she's not already, Lange said.
KGMB and KHON are owned by Indiana-based Emmis Communications Corp. and share some video to maximize news photographers' time, but KGMB sends its own crews to cover most of its stories, she said.
Lange also avoids discussing planned stories with KHON. "We want to be No. 1," she said.
If KHON2 News Director Dan Dennison was in his colleagues' shoes, he also would be sending a crew out to cover Trias' tour, he said.
Ratings for the show are huge and Hawaii's votes for Trias reflect tremendous support for her, but Dennison cautions his staff against boosterism in its reporting on it all.
KHNL News Director Sue Levine declined comment.
At what point does a pop-culture event become news?
While unsure of the exact threshhold, "you know what it is when you get there," KITV's Pritchard said.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com