Feeding Fluffy, Part I
Summary: Is pricey food better for your pet? This minute-and-a-half promo for an even longer piece won't tell you. Station: KDKA Channel 2 Reporter: David Highfield, "Live" When it Aired: Nov. 9 Running Time: 1 minute, 24 seconds Visuals: * Inside the KDKA newsroom, where Highfield stands in front of a desk bearing a PC -- and nine bags of dog food. * A frenzied, panting, curly-haired little black dog. Highlights: * When anchor Stephanie Watson previews Highfield's preview: "Of course you want to feed your dog food that's good for him, but does that mean you have to break the bank?" * When Highfield rifles through assorted bags of dog food, saying, "Yeah, just look at some of the choices that we have lined up here. Purina Dog Chow. Look at this one -- Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. Over here we have Science Diet Adult Original. And then look at this -- Raw Frozen Diet for Dogs and Cats." He asks, "So how do you know what's worth the price? Well, we went to two experts -- two local vets -- and asked them to sort out fact from fiction. ... And finally, a growing trend in what people are feeding their dogs that has both of our experts warning people." * When a veterinarian cautions, "The dogs may do just fine, but my fear is that those dogs could transmit salmonella and E. coli to people." * When Highfield signs off (at least for now), "Well, we're gonna tell you exactly what he's talking about, plus everything else we found out that is coming up in my special report." What We Learned: The Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise is totally out of control. Unanswered Question: Can't KDKA afford better snacks for its staff? News Value: 3. There will always be many choices in the dog-food aisle of life. Don't spend too much time there.
Feeding Fluffy, Part II
Summary: Just in case you missed their 1,112 teasers -- is pricey food better for your pet? Station: KDKA Channel 2 Reporter: David Highfield When It Aired: Nov. 9 Running Time: 4 minutes, 20 seconds Visuals: * Pampered pooches lapping up bowls of food. * A dog wearing a Steelers bandanna. Highlights: * When anchor Kristine Sorensen stands in the foreground of a giant screen that asks "Worth the Cost?" which features an illustration of a sign for Route 65 and a winding road behind it. She says, "There are so many choices when it comes to what you feed your dog, it can be really confusing. And are the more pricey foods really better? David Highfield is live with a special." * When Highfield narrates, "If you had a dog as cute as Gaston, of course, you'd want him to have the very best food. Funny thing is, he doesn't like the pricey stuff." Gee -- could that be because he's a dog? * When Gaston's owner says, "He didn't eat at all. He would leave it in his bowl. And when I tried this [cheaper brand], he ate it all, right away." * When a Point Breeze vet divulges, "When we talk about food, we specifically tell people to buy the most expensive food they can afford." * After discussions on several types of foods and their benefits and drawbacks, when the vet says, "Generic [dog] foods are the one place where I tell you to kind of stay away from that. Unless you are so poor that that's all you can afford." * When Highfield explains, "On the other end of the price scale, some people feed their dogs raw meat. It might be good for the dog, but it could put your family's health at risk" because of the risk of salmonella and E. coli. * When Highfield ends, "As always, the best advice is to talk to your vet about what is best for your particular dog." What We Learned: It's a dog-eat-dog-food world. Unanswered Question: If "cute" dogs deserve the best, what should we feed ugly dogs? News Value: 4. All this hullabaloo, and the advice is "buy what you can afford"? Most likely that's what pet owners do anyway. I'd love to see Highfield do a similar story on what to feed your kids.
News Clip of the Week: This one also courtesy of KDKA, which promos an upcoming story about the exciting life of our mayor and his spouse. The voice of KDKA blares, "Politics bore you? Well, we're about to spice things up with an all-access pass into the real life of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. See what secrets he's giving up." During the story, the Ravenstahls make the disclosure we've all be waiting for: "We're boring."
