As you know, way back in December I posted about how the Mayor and his best buddy Jay went to a Green Bay game together;

I was also shown photos of the mayor attending a Greenbay game at Lambeau with the general manager of KELO-TV, Jay Huizenga. I guess it didn’t shock me too much

As you know, by reading the post, Jay said he doesn’t comment on his ‘personal life’. So I decided to ask his employer about his activities. This is the email I sent to Media General (December 30, 2014);

Courtney Guertin,
I have some concerns about one of your properties/news organizations.
KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, SD.
I have been a resident of Sioux Falls since 1991 moving here to attend technical school, I grew up in rural South Dakota and have watched KELO since I have been a child. I also follow state and city politics very keenly. I am very familiar with many local journalists and elected officials.
 Recently I was shown photos (I believe acquired from Facebook) of the General Manager of KELO, Jay Huizenga attending an NFL game at Lambeau field (Greenbay) with the mayor of our city, Mike Huether. There were also photos of the mayor attending the KELO-TV employee Christmas party and announcing at the party that it was ‘Jay Huizenga Day’ in Sioux Falls in celebration of Jay’s birthday.
Mr. Huether is an elected official and acts as a full-time city manager, he is not ceremonial, and acts under a strong mayor form of government and home rule charter. Recently he has been proud of getting a new Events Center in Sioux Falls built, KELO-TV is one of the naming sponsors.
Out of fairness, I asked (emailed) Mr. Huizenga why a GM of a news organization would attend a very public event like an NFL game with an elected official and invite him to the Christmas party. I questioned the journalistic integrity of such decisions.
Jay did respond to my email, telling me, “I don’t comment on my personal life.”
I’m not sure what Media General’s policies are on relationships between journalists/news managers and elected officials, but Jay seems to be implying he is ‘personal’ friends with the mayor, and since he is, it is OKAY to attend these events with him. This kind of relationship concerns me because it puts into question the purpose of the 4th Estate, and it’s duty to perform those duties with the highest ethical standards. I think journalists and news managers should avoid those kind of situations and not encourage them so there is no ‘appearance’ of conflicts of interest.
I thought you should be aware of the situation AND await your prompt response.
Thank You,
Scott L. Ehrisman

 

Courtney responds to me (January 7, 2015):

Scott,
I apologize for the delay in responding, I was out of the country. I will look into this with our Operations Mgmt Team.
Best regards,
Courtney Guertin
Director, Marketing & Communications
Media General
401-457-9501

 

I have not heard from them since, I even sent this email (February 11, 2015):

Courtney, do you have any updates about this?

Thanks
Scott
Apparently, Media General condones Jay’s behavior. Now back to scaring old people with weather reports! Carry ON!

20 Thoughts on “Media General (owner of KELO-TV) evade my inquiry

  1. Poly43 on March 3, 2015 at 6:28 pm said:

    kelo, like the argus, is held hostage by its advertisers. Just one of many cases in point. Last week everyone who reads this blog, or gets his or her views from blogs like this one were richly rewarded. It is called net neutrality. Much needed in view of where things were headed. Fast lanes??? There for anyone with enough money to poney up. Here is how kelo handled this very important issue. Three stories in the last six months???

    http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/midco-critical-of-fccs-net-neutrality-rules/?id=176690

    http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/thune-shares-insights-ahead-of-net-neutrality-vote/?id=176567

    http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/fcc-approves-net-neutrality-rules/?id=176618

    And nowhere was the truth spelled out. Example. I’m tied to a satellite contract for another 6 months. When that contract ends, so does having a $160 a month bill for the right to watch 300 different tv stations, only a handful of which are worth watching in the first place. I’ll get an antenna for local stations, and pay $9 a month for Netflix.

    Here’s the real story behind net neutrality.

    http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/02/what-net-neutrality-means-for-netflix-xbox-and-skype

    With this victory I’ll get Netflix and my favorite blogs without paying a kings ransom because these providers will not have to pay thru the teeth for a “fast” lane.

  2. Thank you, Scott, for the REAL exposure you give to SF politics etc. And, to Poly 43-I,m with you! We can thank the three Democrats on the FCC for voting for the people-not corporations can,t we?

  3. I have yet to read a blog or post by someone who has any clue about what is really happening with net neutrality or the shifting cost structures in regards to accessing entertainment content. That definitely included yours Poly.

  4. Winston on March 4, 2015 at 12:37 am said:

    When is their FCC license up for renewal? At that time, the FCC will invite pubic comment.

  5. OldSlewFoot on March 4, 2015 at 7:49 am said:

    The kings ransom is going to be the $5-7 of federal, state and local taxes that will added on to your internet service bill. It is well documented that this will raise around $11 billion in new taxes per year for governments.

  6. Thanks Scott. If only people would open their eyes and minds and see how this administration under home rule is running amuck. It is being run just the way a few governors have ended up in the pen

  7. Dan Daily on March 4, 2015 at 10:05 am said:

    Poly’s comments are my impression. Otherwise, CBS programming has become inferior. Stations fight for advertisers because dollars are going to other networks and cable stations. City advertising has become worth going after despite ethics concerns. KELO news lacks reporters. I’ve resorted to KSFY and this blog for local news.

  8. Poly43 on March 4, 2015 at 12:55 pm said:

    By all means lj, enlighten me as to why you oppose net neutrality as I presented it.

  9. Think4Yourself on March 4, 2015 at 1:43 pm said:

    Here is a link to “what is really happening with net neutrality” from John Oliver.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbOEoRrHyU

    or

    http://www.theopeninter.net/

    If you don’t like video.

  10. Poly43 on March 4, 2015 at 4:17 pm said:

    The John Oliver piece played a huge part in turning this thing around for the Joe Suxpacks of the world. His calling out to voice your opinion had such a huge impact that the head of the FCC had a mea culpa of sorts. The republicans like John thune can do nothing at this point but try to muddy the waters. Bottom line. This was huge victory for the little guy and a defeat for the corporate giants Comcast, Verizon, and time warner.

  11. Lets make it simple…. Just remember you were all for NN when your neighbors streaming porn and your streaming American Idol compete for the same bandwidth. I’ve been in this industry a very long time and worked with many different providers. You cannot migrate all the bandwidth that satellite/cable/direct fiber provides to a data network and not expect the cost of your internet to stay the same.

    This all about content providers like Viacom,CBS, Time Warner(parent company of HBO ie John Oliver show) attempting to sell direct to the customer but without paying for the delivery. AND what they’re not telling you is that you will have to pay someone to get to that content. AND they will be the first to point the finger at your data provider when their service doesn’t work. Hence your data bill will skyrocket just like your cable/satellite bill did.

    ANOTHER THING YOU DIDN”T KNOW is that many providers wanted some regulation of the data industry. All of them I have talked to wanted clear cut rules about contracts with content providers. This way they would not have to pick the winner and losers in the industry. If Hulu is $$$ a gigabit then Netflix would be the same.

    Someone has to pay for Payme Peyton Manning, and John Stewart to be on your TV. And you have to pay someone to get it to your TV. The advertising funded business model is nearly dead. So when you don’t give the satellite company the 3 dollars a month in markup for HBO you’ll have to pay for it in your internet bill. Wired data provider will adjust to IP TV distribution, but it will be EXPENSIVE.

    Without having Netflix,Amazon,Hulu chip in for a second tier, all data providers will introduce data usage caps just like cellular providers.

    BTW…It’s not a well kept secret that KELO will be ending “free” over the air broadcasting with the next 10 years. They’re getting paid by the cable and satellite companies per subscriber. You antenna folks are what they now refer to as freeloaders.

    Don’t believe ME, I don’t care. Just keep in mind the content providers are making this out to be a “big win” for a much different reason than you are.

  12. Blasphemo on March 5, 2015 at 10:58 am said:

    Kudos, Scott, for illuminating the dark corner the 4th Estate is sliding toward. It’s mission creep at its worst. Just a couple of generations ago journalism ethics would have prevented any media manager from crossing the line that Huizenga did. Very typical of contemporary corporate culture that higher ups at Media General cop the attitude of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, too. It’s shameful they’re ignoring an inquiry like yours. “A right not exercised is a right that is lost.”

  13. Poly43 on March 5, 2015 at 11:42 am said:

    Oh those poor, poor, poor providers. Last year Comcast spent $18,810,000.00 on lobbyists so they can buy people like thune. Second in lobbying to only Northrop Grumman. And they want an even bigger piece out of Joe Sixpack? Where will it end lj? Joe only has so many entertainment dollars.

    I don’t doubt for a minute what you say about kelo and scrambling their over the air signal. Is that why they’ll soon be rolling out the set top box evolution dms 2004uhds?

  14. Poly43 on March 5, 2015 at 12:40 pm said:

    BTW Scott, real good job holding people like this accountable. I’m still caught up a bit with lj.

    You antenna folks are what they now refer to as freeloaders.

    I’m not quite a antenna FREELOADER just yet, but when I am, kelo can KMA. Since when are those who choose access to tv by antenna considered freeloaders?

    And when I refer to the black box to be installed I’m talking about a box midcontinent will be installing because kelo, in all their righteous might, will be scrambling its signal. Then both the crooks in this scenario, kelo and midcontinent put the screws to Joe again. So what will we have. Another black box to deal with. Another remote to deal with. Another set of channels for hi def. For a lot of senior citizens, the move of kelo from 3 to 11.1 was hard. Now a move with a new black box, a new remote, and a new channel (603) will truly piss em off and will just bow out with the rest of us FREELOADERS.

  15. Blasphemo on March 5, 2015 at 4:46 pm said:

    Interesting – if not alarming – to contemplate local stations ceasing to provide a broadcast signal “free”. Under that scenario, however, what good are local affiliate stations to the big TV networks – ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX? The networks could simply provide their network signal directly to cable operators, and the local cable operators become the exclusive local ad sellers. The cable companies could insert the local advertising they sell into the local “avails” the networks make available between their programs during the broadcast day… thereby eliminating any need for the traditional local network affiliate station like KELO-TV. Never say never, but I’m not so sure network affiliate stations would cut their own throats like that.

  16. Comcast is the parent company of several different entities the greatest of them all is NBC and it’s subsidiaries like MSNBC.

    The antenna crowd was determined to be “freelaoders” when off air broadcaster were allowed to demand retransmission fees from providers. Which BTW John Thune has been fighting.
    http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/senators-propose-letting-cable-customers-decide-which-tv-stations-they-want-1201278805/

    Kelo will not be “scrambling” its off air broadcast. It will cease it’s off air broadcast. Kelo will then be able to pocket the FCC off air licensing fees. The “black box” you referred to is a converter that all the providers are migrating to. It will provide them a ad hoc solution for the skyrocketing demand in data. That ‘black box” changes 1 channel into 12.

    Nothing is free POLY. Want cheap entertainment….learn to whittle.

  17. Poly43 on March 6, 2015 at 7:27 am said:

    50 million Americans are currently “freeloaders”. Not because they are stealing the almighty airwaves signal with an antenna, but because they cannot afford the outrageous pricing schemes providers are asking. When conglomerates like cbs decide to abandon that signal in favor of cable, in the name of corporate greed, it could very well backfire on them. Do I care if cbs chooses greed? Not really. Nor do many other freeloaders I suspect.

    The black box? Soon it will be on every HDTV in the midco empire. Is it being deployed in the event cbs does go rogue, it will still be seen on channel 603? I can see no other reason since right now cable is just fine with cbs on 11-1. What happens if a customer refuses the black box? Will that customer still have full midco cabling packages minus CBS when they pull the plug?

  18. As I said it is not just midco and the “black box” is not because of just Kelo. It’s for folks like you who are switching to HULU in the attempt to cut expenses. Content is data wether it’s coming to your TV or PC. When everyone switches to content through your modem the black box is needed to increase data demands.

    As I said POLY… You didn’t know the full story. NET Nuet was not about making it better for Joe 6pack but the Tycoons of Hollywood and Sports.

  19. Poly43 on March 7, 2015 at 9:43 am said:

    lj, nothing personal, but your posts here read like a paid advertisement straight from midco. In spite of you telling us you are in Joe’s corner, I will continue to believe NN is keeping Joe from pay as you play fast lanes. I will continue to go with this version.

    http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

    Thanks for your side tho. It was interesting reading.

    I’m still concerned to some degree about the new black box midco will soon be deploying.
    Here is why. My elderly parents live in a large retirement community. My wife’s parents live in another retirement community. One common problem exists equally between the two places. TV’s. 99% of these folks, and there are tens of thousands of them, just want to watch “Let’s Make A Deal”, CNN, and the Hallmark channel. With a analog set, midco throws a black box at them with a whole new set of rules for use. They got a new flatscreen last year and turned the black box back in. Now they have HDTV and from habit continue to watch cbs on 3 instead of 11-1. NOW, they will get another black box, with another remote, and watch cbs on 603? A large segment of our tv watchers have no interest in streaming or data packets, or slow lanes and fast lanes. Can this segment of society opt out of the new black box and still watch let’s make a deal on cbs with just a cable hooked into the back of their HDTV?

    FWIW. I use midco for only Internet. Midco X-Stream 1. $48 a month. As soon as midco figures out a way to put a fee meter on my modem, I’ll be done with that too. When my direct tv contract is up I’ll go to freeloading as you call it. When all the networks go to cable and discontinue over the air signals? Well, I guess I’ll just deal with that issue when the time comes. Yeah….I understand too well the concept of nothing in life is free. On the other hand, my parents should not be paying 10% of their social security check just so they can watch let’s make a deal.

  20. Nope… Don’t work FOR midco. I work with all of them from time to time. I didn’t speak for Midco, I spoke from my knowledge in the industry. Midco Isn’t the only show in town. I don’t know what Midco’s policies are or will be for a opt out. What I do know is they are the only locally owned provider.

    Again, what YOU know is YOUR perceptions.

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