Sizing up the news

I haven't done one of these in a while, so let's compare today's noon newscasts. Here's how the first block shaped up...

WNEP

School reaction to Mia Diaz accident

Mia Diaz vigil

Atlas fire

Roadway job cuts

Dog attack

Alito hearings

Kidnapped journalist in Iraq

Ariel Sharon condition

North Korea meets with China

South Korea rejects U.S. beef

WBRE/WYOU

Church burglaries

Motel murder

Car arson

Drug treatment court

Crestwood talks

Mia Diaz vigil

Alito hearings

WNEP's news broadcasts can be described like a clown car (hold the Snedeker jokes). They pack plenty of stories into a short amount of time. And today? No surprise there. I wonder why there was so much coverage to the Mia Diaz story? Perhaps it's a way to add a human touch to the accident. That, or an excuse to use the existing video of her from a previous story. It was nice to see WNEP not lead a newscast with "FIRE!" or "MURDER!" or "CRASHES!"

"Pennsylvania Midday" lacked the traditional lead-off on a national story, which is good. I've previously questioned using national stories as a lead (unless it's major), because this is local news. WBRE/WYOU's stories are slightly longer than WNEP's, which can be a good thing. I hate watching an anchor throw a sentence at me and then move on to another story, as if my attention span is shorter than oh hey a chicken.

*rimshot*

I think both newscasts did something right today. WNEP held off on their so-called "crashwatch" content, and WBRE/WYOU kept NBC Newschannel's Brian Mooar at the end of the first block.