The second story on WTMJ 4's 10 p.m. newscast Tuesday night was a somewhat informative report about a delay in flu shots this season. The third story was about gunshots fired near a South Side school. Also newsworthy.

The lead story was about a man who skipped out on a Brookfield salon without paying his bill for body waxing.

"Even a Brazilian," reported an exasperated Courtny Gerrish, who filed her report live from the scene.

Oh, the humanity!

Granted, it was a funny human interest story. But newsworthy? Not so much. Lead story on the biggest station in the state? It's hard to even dignify this with a blog -- but I'll try. (Side note: I feel like Surly Blogger McGee these days, but I couldn't help myself this time -- I promise to write something upbeat very soon.)

Mike Jacobs, the likeable anchor now running the show since Mike Gousha's departure, set up the newscast:

"He spent the day at a Brookfield spa, and then got away scott free -- free of stress, free of tension, free of body hair," said Jacobs.

And we wonder why Gousha left the station?

To be fair, I myself wrote a short brief (pardon the pun) about a Marquette underwear thief Monday, but it was hardly the lead story that day on OnMilwaukee.com, and I didn't spend the previous hour teasing it on "Law and Order's" commercial breaks, as did Channel 4.

Between John Mercure's seemingly daily Internet porn investigations and bizarre stories like this one about hairless thief, it would appear that tabloid "journalism" is now running rampant over at Journal Broadcast Group, and it's a shame.

Don't get me wrong, "news of the weird" is always fun stuff, and I like it as much or more than the next guy. But it has its time and its place, and it should never come before serious topics like public health or violence in schools on a station that tells us they're the best at delivering serious news we can use.

Or maybe they're not even trying to do hard news anymore. At any rate, I could use a little clarifcation on what it means to "Touch Today's TMJ4," because lately, it seems more like "A Current Affair" than local news.

6 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 20, 2006 at 4:29 p.m. (report)

JBG Woes said: I couldn't agree more that TMJ4 has gone downhill. They have no talent and no message. Times are tough at JBG.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 19, 2006 at 11:11 a.m. (report)

carrie said: i've stopped watching ch.4 news since mike gousha left. everyone annnoys me especially vince vitrano!!!

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 18, 2006 at 8:43 a.m. (report)

Patrick F said: there's talks of a second nuclear test in North Korea, but we'll worry about that soon as we nab that crazy Salon Bandit.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 18, 2006 at 8:33 a.m. (report)

Viewer said: Don't watch. Get your news online like normal Americans.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 18, 2006 at 8:05 a.m. (report)

Buddy Lee said: Good points Andy - It's pretty apparent why Mike Gousha decided to "spend more time with his family". Touch THIS, tmj4!

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