I just watched part of the NATAS Northwest presentation of Emmy awards for the Northwest region online. The ceremony had one running theme: small markets are awful. Host Pat Cashman took repeated jabs at small market TV. Markets 81 and higher were torn apart for having rat infested buildings, shoddy equipment, a lack of stories to cover… there was even a pre-recorded skit decrying the looks of talent (which got a huge roar of laughter from the beautiful Seattle crowd). There are at least 15 markets in the NATAS NW region – but the vast majority of the awards go to the Seattle folks. Even the relatively large Portland market only gets a few scraps. While Mr. Cashman and many of the folks in the Seattle audience look at their time in small market TV as a sort of jail sentence they had to serve to get to where they are now – many folks choose small markets across the country over large for a variety of reasons. As a former Seattleite, I can honestly say that bigger isn’t always better.
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Bigger isn’t always better, but bigger can usually afford to spend the money for the entry fees it takes to win these awards that ultimately mean nothing.
I’m on the NATAS Upper Midwest board (in Minneapolis) and that’s really a shame. At our awards last year, the biggest applause went to a guy from Des Moines who beat some of the heavy hitters in the Twin Cities in the writing category, and a weather guy from a small market who also won the top award.
WTF is Pat Cashman and why do I care?
But I guess if you’re in Seattle, you have to make fun of the small guys because everyone above you doesn’t think all that much of you either. (sorry Cory!)
@W – He’s a comic, was one of the main players for the long running ‘Almost Live’, a Seattle-based half-hour comedy show that ran on KING. You can find some of his sketches him on YouTube.
@Don – I hear ya. I made the mistake of entering the Emmys this year and have been bombarded with nothing but mailers and e-mails for NATAS get-togethers at the EMP or some other Seattle hotspot or whatever. NATAS NW is very much the cool clique of Seattle journalists.
You know what the sad part about it is? You and I both know from our time with Belo (Disclosure: Don works for Belo. I used to.) that all of those people laughing at the small markets, they all started out in Boise, Bend, Lewiston, Spokane, Kennewick, Yakima and Eugene just so they could launch their careers into Seattle and Portland. Tools.
That certainly is one way to grow your membership base..make fun of the people who don’t live where you do. Oh, wait….
“The cool clique of Seattle journalists” Is there such a thing as a cool clique of journalists?
As for mocking small towns, isn’t that half the fun of Colbert’s “Better Know a District.” Don’t take it personally. I’m sure Atlanta, Houston, Miami or Philly find it incredibly easy to mock the socks and sandals wearing Seattlelite.
@W I think he was some big songwriter when I was six.
Anyway, he’s a moron now with no real work I’m sure.