Here are two silver linings (can there be two linings?) from Friday’s gas explosion in Springfield, Mass: 1) No one was killed, 2) NBC30’s Dianna Russini got the opportunity to report live from the scene for the Weekend Today Show.
Network Air Time for NBC 30's Russini
Hugh Zeitlin, Weekend Anchor on WSHM, CBS3 Springfield (sister station of WFSB), was also interviewed on WCBS NewsRadio88 in NYC regarding the same story.
It’s interesting that none of the local talent were used for network coverage up there. WSHM, WWLP and WWGB all had reporters there but the CT and Boston folks were tapped instead.
And by coverage I mean TELEVISED live reports, not radio. Nice that Zeitlin at least got a radio phoner, but it seems kind of silly that the talent that know that turf the best were passed over for larger market out-of-towners. WWLP’s Ryan Walsh was standing about thirty yards away when the blast happened and he was live on the air less than five minutes later. Why use a CT or Boston reporter who drove in hours later?
First of all, WVIT is an NBC O and O, so they are owned by the network, which means Today would use their own people.
Second, if I were the network, would I want to put some rookie from market 100 on the air, or someone in market 30?
plus springfield stations don’t have sat trucks.
anthony dilorenzo from foxct (also does fox boston on weekends) reported for fox news network