Why did WTOL kick Michael Miller out of their Studios?

Can you be more specific about the circumstances?

No - thus the question.

Mike was to have been on the air to promote the Free Press CD which benefits Make a Wish and was apparently blocked by concerns about WTOL "media partner" The Blade.

This was posted on The Free Press facebook page -

"Hi, I'm CJ Hoyt, the News Director at WTOL 11. We are ecstatic that Chrys Peterson appears on the Make-a-Wish CD. We look forward to promoting this CD in our newscasts, on our website and through social media. Jerry will also be featuring the CD in a segment of Leading Edge next week. WTOL has a long relationship with Make-a-Wish and numerous charitable organizations throughout Northwest Ohio and we value those relationships and the benefits they bring to our community. However, we also value our partnership with the Toledo Blade. And it is our station policy to not promote a direct competitor of our valued partner. I, alone, made the decision not to use you in our Leading Edge segment. But that won't stop us from finding lots of ways from promoting this worthy cause. If anyone has any questions about how our newsroom operates, they are always welcome to reach out to me directly. My phone number is 419-248-1108 and my email address is cjhoyt@wtol.com. Thanks"

Wow

The Blade has a long-standing relationship with WTOL. A very good reason not to watch it. The Blade's shadowy hand reaches throughout our city. All the jokey talking heads at that TV station are in JRB's pocket as far as I'm concerned.

Bye bye, WTOL. Won't be watching your newscasts again if you are obviously supporting censorship and, in effect, monopolies. I wonder what else WTOL won't cover because The Blade doesn't want them to cover it or JR has a personal rift with someone or an organization. I hope there is a boycott of WTOL as a result.

I guess I would ask Mr Hoyt "Who determined TFP to be a direct competitor?"

I don't see what the big controversy is here. WTOL is promoting the CD, which benefits a worthy cause. They just chose not to have Miller on to promote it because he competes with one of their partners. If the real goal of Miller is to promote Make a Wish and not the TFP, he shouldn't care if he was on air or not.

Also, WTOL is "ecstatic" about Chrys Peterson's involvement with the cd? They need to get more excitement in their life.

It goes both ways, Ace. If WTOL was truly "ecstatic" (gag me with a spoon) about the CD and raising money for Make A Wish, then they shouldn't care if a partner's competitor helps them promote the CD.

As for your final statement above.... um, exactly. LOL

The real question, Ace_Face, is why a TV news director would have any say in a worthy cause benefit and would exclude someone because he is from a competing company. Doesn't that seem a little crazy? Especially since it was the TFP that got the thing started according to the TPF. "Holiday Wishes: CD to benefit Make-A-Wish... a benefit CD project organized by Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller and sponsored by General Motors Co. and Panera Bread." http://www.toledofreepress.com/2011/11/22/holiday-wishes-cd-to-benefit-make-a-wish/

It is insane that The Blade can exercise that kind of power over these affairs. Insane, but true... only in Toledo!

I would add this: if WTOL can't report something good about an entity that competes with its "partner company", i.e., The Blade, then you can't believe anything that comes out of that station because it won't give you the whole truth.

I think that the whole WTOL News Team has been on a real downward slide for sometime.

So the news director is in charge of promotions? And he used the TFP's facebook site to say he doesn't want to promote the TFP? I might need a disclaimer every time WTOL is using the news team but is promoting or I won't know when they are doing actual news.

"I don't see what the big controversy is here. WTOL is promoting the CD, which benefits a worthy cause. They just chose not to have Miller on ..."

WTOL did choose to interview Miller, but at the last moment, WTOL for some reason decided that Miller was prohibited from being on their program. That's the so-called controversy. Why did WTOL initially think it was OK for Miller to be on WTOL, and then later say it was not OK?

WTOL must be on life support. I thought Miller was being interviewed to promote a benefit CD. If promoting a benefit music CD somehow jeopardizes a TV station's partnership with another media org , then the TV station must be in serious trouble. Or the TV station has no spine, which is probably a more accurate description.

Currently, Chrys Peterson is displayed on the front page of the Toledo Free Press website. Hopefully, that doesn't damage the all-important Toledo media landscape.

the blade frequently makes advertising partners sign non-compete (with the free press) paper work. it's scary but true. you want their support? you can't work with the TFP.

my question is about this idea of WTOL having non compete agreements with advertisers... do they only run commercials from one car company? only run ads from one fast food joint? of course not.

the blade has way way way too much input as to what WTOL is doing, and that is FRIGHTENING to me. another reason to turn the TV off, fire up the web for news and continue boycotting the blade.

Interesting development. Last I knew, WSPD , which is no friend of The Blade, also has a partnership to share audio from WTOL. Is that "partnership" doomed as well? What say CJ?

Good one!

Tired of this biased bullshit because of media conglomerates and monopolies. Watched a segment from SNL recently where they did "Weekend Update" and had "The Devil" on who was hearing about the Penn State scandal. Satan is so disgusted that he quits and says he'll go back to his old job - customer service at Time Warner Cable. Keep in mind that NBC got bought by COMCAST CABLE, whom coincidentally have ranked worse for customer support than Time Warner Cable. Cheap, lame-ass pot-shot at a competitor by a monopolistic entity that was totally unnecessary.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/weekend-update-the-devil-on-penn-state/1368181

In other related news, Tina Shaerban, Lisa Rantala, Cristy Gimbel, and Colleen Wells are pretty ladies.

umm.. this blocking of Miller may be related to something ongoing btw the Blade and the Free Press..the latest being a lawsuit by the Blade which includes allegations against the publisher and Michael Miller...
http://www.toledofreepress.com/2011/10/28/was-it-something-i-said/
http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2011/10/21/Blade-s-parent-company-sues-ex-manager-for-contract-breach.html

this issue reaffirms my belief that while journalism has ethical standards...it is still up to us readers to carefully evaluate what we read and hear..to not only consider the source or reporter or publisher..but also gather as much information as possible about news sources..and make responsible choices

the only ethical standards in journalism these days are "it's okay to make money" and "don't sting the frog".

This surprises anyone? JRB and company have been running Toledo [into the ground] for decades.

When was the last time the daily rag or any of the local TV outlets - but especially WTOL - did any type of legitimate investigative reporting with facts and figures as opposed to a bunch of "he said, she said" innuendo?

I haven't wasted my time with any of the above for years. They have zero credibility with me.

When was the last time the daily rag or any of the local TV outlets - but especially WTOL - did any type of legitimate investigative reporting with facts and figures as opposed to a bunch of "he said, she said" innuendo?

If you do actual investigation, you don't get invited to the cool-people-in-power social events and parties. Or have them buy you a drink at the bar. You become a persona-non-grata. Or in this case, Michael Miller.

The Blade may have some good writers; not going to fault them. However, the vast majority of TV folks are narcissists and do not have the stones to push any elected leaders and other officials on important stories (especially corruption). So, what we essentially have is a politician stenography service. The next time any one of our local TV journalists actually says in a story that they filed a FOIA request (that's Freedom Of Information Act request) in order to get the details on a story, it will be the first I've ever seen it here.

No journalist anywhere should be in black tie or ballgown hob-nobbing with the people they are supposed to be covering. It is the very definition of selling out. Locally, I can't find a good example to link to here, but it galls me when every year in DC they have that White House Correspondents dinner with the President (who gives a "funny" speech) and lots of other politicians. How can you possibly be entirely critical of people you party with? You're supposed to be covering these people, exposing their dealings, making government more open and reporting what you see to those who need to know--not eating rubber chicken and listen to the President give a bunch of lame jokes.

Good points, oldhometown, about journalism standards.

And why the hob-nobbing? Wondering if it somehow is connected with advertising dollars. Or is it just a way to make it look like the newscasters have an "in" when it comes to Toledo movers/shakers?? Or a way to make us like the newscasters so we'll select their station for the news?
Have to admit I'm a bit clueless on this matter..

Again, thank you for the insights oldhometown

The above are all really good points. I stopped watching WTOL when I began getting sick of their empty camaraderie with each other, jokey, laughy BS. THEN I discovered they were affiliated with The Blade. It was all over for me at that point. Empty-headed crap is what they are peddling without integrity.

OldHomeTown: One does not file FOIA requests in Ohio. One files under the Ohio Sunshine Law. If you ever heard a reporter say the filed a FOIA (which is a federal law), you heard an reporter who really didn't know his eyeballs from his elbows.

Journalism in general needs another Hunter S. Thompson to kick it on it's ear again.

If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people - including me - would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.
Hunter S. Thompson

and a bonus cause Disco sucks... "I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes."

WTOL and other stations have "media partners" so their reporters do not have to do any real work. What is interesting is that WTOL will totally give credit to The Blade when it reports on a story originated from THAT paper, but will totally rip off its smaller, community based "media partners." When they report on a breaking news story out of the suburbs, they NEVER give credit to the "partner" they used.

One does not file FOIA requests in Ohio. One files under the Ohio Sunshine Law.

Thanks for the correction. Got so worked up on my rant that the distinction flew out the window.

Basic point remains the same--TV reporters are hired for looks, not brains...and certainly not for great investigative skills.

I understand that, for the most part, the "pretty faces" we see aren't the ones doing the investigative grunt work. My point is that neither the Blah or the local network affiliates have ANYONE doing any real investigative work.

How many semi major/major city papers do you know of that run stories about the number of dogs euthanized at the local pound on the front page - above the fold? And don't misunderstand, there's not a bigger dog lover on the planet than I. I just find it amazing that with everything going on in the world today that our local so called news outlets can't find anything more important to report.

Then again, if the public doesn't demand it, it will never get it. So, I guess it could simply be that the folks in this area are satisfied with what's offered up as news.

This is an absolute shame. WTOL is showing that money comes first and unfortunately is showing that it's journalistic ethics may also be suffering as well.

It's a shame because I've known Chrys Petersen for years and consider her a friend and a great journalist and her program director has put her in the middle of a paper baron's quest for more control.