Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

While the devastation of Hurricane Katrina brought many a New Orleanian fleeing to the Azalea City, it seems the destruction will be drawing one of Mobile’s media leaders back to the Big Easy.

After two-and-a-half years heading WALA, Mobile’s FOX affiliate and its sister station, WPBG, the WB affiliate, Vanessa Oubre is heading back to New Orleans. She will take over as general manager of WVUE FOX 8.

“I’m going home,” Oubre said. “I decided my family has been displaced since the hurricane, and it’s time to start to rebuild.”

Oubre worked at WVUE before coming to Mobile. She says she called her former employers with Emmis Broadcasting to see if it would be possible for her to take the open general manager position with WVUE, and they agreed. Oubre still owns a home in New Orleans and has family there.

“My house had five-and-a-half feet of water on the first floor. It’s really hard to rebuild when you’re not there,” she said.

Oubre said no replacement has been chosen yet at WALA. She says LIN-TV, the station’s new operator, is interviewing within the company. Should no candidate emerge from internal interviews, then a nationwide search would ensue, she said. If no replacement is selected by Oubre’s last day, Feb. 28, Ed Munson of LIN-TV will serve as interim general manager.

“I have mixed feelings,” Oubre said of leaving Mobile. “I have a great staff. But for personal reasons, I need to go home and rebuild my house. This is part of our effort to help rebuild New Orleans.”

Speeders (and viewers) beware

Looks like the February sweeps are here and that can mean only one thing – WPMI’s Brian Johnson is out chasing speeders around in the street again with his “Speed Patrol” series.

For those who haven’t seen it, the Channel 15 reporter is making a splash by standing on the side of local roadways with a speed gun, hollering at and confronting motorists traveling above the posted speed limit. Speaking of the limit, Johnson’s antics are clearly over it.

In the latest installment, Johnson says he was responding to a woman’s complaints along Shores Acres Drive where speeding is apparently rampant.

Not only does Johnson confront speeders, he even attempts to elicit apologies from them for violating the law. At one point he even chases after a truck, hollering to no one in particular to get the license number. Later, that driver’s husband, a motorcycle-driving dude wearing a helmet comes back and confronts Johnson about hollering at his wife.

It all makes for such wonderfully watchable television. Whether it’s actually journalism or not is debatable. Maybe during the next sweeps period Johnson will get in a fight with someone who doesn’t think his act is so cute.

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

Archives