This has got to be one of the all-time great media pranks…Or maybe the all-time worst.
In case you missed it—it’s priceless—in a sick sorta way.
It went down last Friday when KTVU-TV2 (San Francisco / Oakland) info babe Tori Campbell reported the names of the four pilots on the ill-fated Asiana flight 214 that crash landed on July 6 at SFO.
Obviously Campbell had not pre-read—nor understood—the news copy because what she freely announced to viewers in the 6th largest media market in the U.S. as fact, turned out to be the ultimate prank.
Here’s what Campbell read live on the air from the TelePrompter:
“We have just learned the names of the four pilots who were aboard the flight. They were Captain SUM TING WRONG, WI TU LO, HO LEE FUK and BANG DING OW.
“The NTSB has confirmed these are the names of the pilots on board flight 214 when it crashed. We are working to determine exactly what role each of them played during the landing on Saturday.”
Howard Stern couldn’t have masterminded a worse prank.Was it hilarious? Sure, but in the end it was more sad.
And how many people in that newsroom saw the copy before it was read over the airwaves? A copywriter? An editor? The TelePrompter operator? Hopefully, even the anchor who should have checked the script before reading it live on the air.
I’m probably giving too much credit here.
Check it for yourselves here. It’s even more bizzare when you hear Campbell actually deliver the lines with a straight face.
By the way, Asiana Airlines plans to sue the TV station over what the Korean carrier calls a “racially discriminatory report.”
Could something this stupid happen in market # 31—Kansas City?
One staffer at station K*** said that the chances were slim.
That the standards and cross checks set by their editors would’ve caught the prank. However, another newsie at a competing station told me (also off the record) that with today’s hiring of young, inexpensive, just out of J-school talent, it wouldn’t surprise him.
Obviously that was not the case with Campbell.
Which begs the question, which Kansas City anchor would be the most likely fall to a sucker punch like this one?
OMG I laughed my azz off.
Just look at our local news. The script imposed over the picture has all types of misspellings, grammatical errors and such.
The Star often has incidents located at addresses which not only don’t exist but are often impossible.
Today’s professors in journalism school are apt to have never written a book, magazine article or worked for a newspaper. Even fewer have had a job in electronic journalism. Basically they are capped-teeth-and-hairdos.
KYW hired a local guy for their morning news. Movie star good looks but more hair gel than brains. In an effort to give him a mature, sophisticated look, they gave him a pair of glasses.
To make sure there were no reflection issues, they had no lenses.
So right in the heart of the morning news, Jerry Penacoli rubs his eye. Put his finger right through where the lens would be in a closeup.
He did move on to soap operas.
Query? Why not identify the tv station since they have been sued by the airlines?
Correction: Wi Tu Lo’s name is actually Wei Tu Lo.
This is hilarious, my hat is tipped to the eroding values of today’s media.
Good play sir, good play.
I know Late Breaking is a great news line… but this is really late.
This story happened 4 days ago.. and now it’s news on here?
I like the site, I like the insight into KC, but the internet is supposed to allow you to be timely.
What’s going on lately? Vacation month?
I know it’s not politically correct to admit, but when I heard this on the talk show I was listening to, they insisted on playing it over and over. I had to pull off the side of the road; I was laughing so hard I was crying and couldn’t see through the tears.
I couldn’t believe it was possibly real, but who knew? You can’t make up crap like that, no one would believe it.
Anyone remember when Curtis McClinton was doing weekend sports on KMBC after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl?
He was reporting a golf tournament which Chi Chi Rodriguez was leading. His pronunciation was later immortalized by Les Nessman on WKRP in Cinncinati.
I kid you not.
Correction: Ho Lee Fuk’s name is actually Ho Ree Fuk.
Sorry for the inconvenience, movie at 11.
We called Chinese restraunts as kids, ordered creme of sum Yung guy. They weren’t amused. The asians have no sense of humor.
I understand that lawyer Mi Su Yu is bringing a defamation suit against the station.
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