Brenda Takes to the Waters
Summary: Part of ongoing coverage of a fishing tournament here. Reporter: Brenda Waters, KDKA Channel 2 Airtime: 2 minutes, 11 seconds on July 30 Visuals: * Waters among the colorful fishing boats lined up outside Mellon Arena. * Fisherpersons venturing out into the green, murky waters of Pittsburgh. Highlights: * When anchor Patrice King Brown boasts, "Some of the best bass fishermen and -women in the world are in Pittsburgh this week. The ... Forrest Wood Cup fishing tournament began today, and the grand prize? One million dollars. The contestants are already reeling 'em in." * When Waters, outside Mellon Arena, gives us the details: "The weigh-in began at 5 o'clock straight up ... so that means the eliminations have already begun. ... [B]ut first, let me show you my fishing technique." * When Waters narrates, "At 7 a.m., the real fishermen and -women, the pros, headed out on the Three Rivers in search of a lucky spot. My first thought was to go looking for some of them to get some pointers. I was told by another fisherman, who was not in the competition, that that was a bad idea." * When a Michigan fisherman advises, "They're pretty intense. They're really concentrated on what they're doing, and if you get a little too close to their fishing area, they might get a little upset." * When Waters continues, "So I put on my green boots -- that's right, green -- walked along the shore, and found help." * When Waters' Michigan tutor tells her, "Keep your line in the water. Keep your bait in the water. You'll never get bit if your line is not in the water." * When Waters asserts, "Even I knew that. How 'bout a real lesson?" * When Waters, out of her boots and into her summer sandals, says, "Now, this is more my speed. There's no million-dollar prize money, but at least I don't have to wait for the fish to bite. In here, I bite the fish" -- and she walks into Penn Avenue Fish Company and orders some grilled salmon. * Nestled in a bright green fishing boat, Waters finishes her report: "Oh yeah, and check out this boat -- no movement here. I prefer a more grounded approach as I eat my fish." Waters chomps on the fish and says, "Mmm mmm mmm. So good. ... See, that's how you go fishing!" What We Learned: There's nothing fishy about this story. Unanswered Question: Did anyone catch a fabled Mon Monkey? An Allegheny whitefish? News Value: 7. The Forrest Wood Cup is among the more important events in the sport of fishing, and kudos to KDKA for giving it all the coverage it merited -- including a story about how two anglers saved a woman drowning in the Ohio River.