ERS NEWS. The Enterprise Report

OPINION

LA BABE WARS:

KNBC LAUNCHES FIRST STRIKE

KCAL/KCBS RESPONDS WITH SHARON TAY!

SHE'S BACK IN THE ANCHOR SEAT
THAT SEAT IS GETTING HOT!

(December 11th, 2007 9:30AM PST)

BY ERS NEWS

Last week ERS reported on what we thought was a major escalation in the never ending "babe wars" here in Los Angeles in local TV News. Turns out we may have got it only partly right, we may have missed a much bigger story unfolding right before our eyes. ERS is on guard, our faithful readers can rest assured!

KNBC-TV had recently hired Elita Loresca as a new weathercaster. Loresca was named "sexiest" weathercaster in America by men's magazine FHM. Her arrival in LA from Miami in late October at LA's Channel 4 signaled what Pentagon planners would affectionately call "escalating the conflict" in strategic terms.

tay wet

Now comes word that Sharon Tay, another in a long line of LA iconic "babe-casters" is back. Tay's past work in Los Angeles is somewhat legendary (I think you know what we're getting at... not in the way say Edward R. Murrow or John Chancellor might appreciate!) ERS spotted Tay in the KCBS-TV anchor chair this past Sunday evening (12/9/07). ERS doesn't know whether it was a tryout of sorts, or she was just filling in for someone. We will have to make some calls... oh on second thought, why bother! We enjoyed watching Ms. Tay, and I don't think we're off base by saying we're fairly certain, that her good looks may have had something to do with her sitting there. We're not sure if she has replaced recently departed and longtime "elder" anchorwoman Linda Alvarez or not. Only thing we know for sure is that Tay sure cannot be mistaken for Alvarez, even on a bad night!

Tay, who worked previously in LA for KTLA, has also done here own past spreads, touting her journalist "talents and assets". Posing for men's magazine "Razer" in years past. She had disappeared from LA and headed east to "anchor" an MSNBC show on Hollywood, but that show was booted off the air and she returned early this year and began working for KCBS/KCAL as a reporter.

ERS turned up some amazing public statements from Tay when she was last in LA several years ago. In an article published on a local web site called "Goldsea: Asian American Profiles", Tay had this to say about how it really works in local TV news in LA. We give her credit for at least being honest with her viewers. ERS only wonders why she isn't the GM or News Director of a local TV operation. This is Tay's take on how the local TV news business works and how she fits into it: "My career depends on whether I'm covering the kind of story that will sell, and that is based on shock value." If you want more on Tay waxing eloquently about how broadcast journalism works in Los Angeles, we don't want to ruin it for you, read the entire article, we here at ERS News can take only so much!

In honor of her recent return to the LA news scene, ERS wanted to give our readers the pleasure of seeing what they may be missing if they aren't tuning into Tay's work on KCBS/KCAL. Take a look at our picture gallery below and let us know what you think, or better yet let KCBS/KCAL know whether you think Sharon Tay should be sitting in the anchor chair, more often than not. At ERS, we just report it, you decide! (Oops.. that one is already taken!)

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OPINION

BROADCAST BABE
WARS HEATING UP!
THERE’S A NEW “BABE” IN TOWN

MEET ELITA LORESCA

THE SEXIST WEATHERCASTER IN AMERICA!

(December 5th, 2007 9:30AM PST)

BY ERS NEWS

Here in Los Angeles the use of “hot babes” to generate short-term ratings and bring in the “eyeballs” as the news executives like to call it is nothing new. The practice is as old as “live, local and late breaking” or “team coverage” or the oldest one in the book, “breaking news.” Which as most everybody knows is used most these days for something that happened a couple of hours ago! These tried and true programming gimmicks in local TV news are to be expected. The world of news isn’t what it use to be. Yes, long ago beauty queens became so called journalists with either no experience or what most would call on the job training. The laundry list of past examples is too ma ny to list here.

Although the practice of bringing in the “talent” has risen to new heights recently, having models, former actresses, and even the occasional soft porn star make the jump to the world of “broadcast journalism” seems to be an escalating “babe-war” that has been taking place in recent years. ERS believes this new “babes-race” was launched in the last 5-7 years when the notion of hiring attractive women to bring in the male viewers took a turn towards the racy and hyper-sexual. From our perspective; there is no looking back now.

In Los Angeles, where the “babe” factor has always been a key ingredient in the local news scene, the escalatation seems to be most noticable. No doubt, men who watch local news can‚t really argue with the practice, unless of course they might be actually tuning into the local news for news. Which as the ratings in recent years have shown that although a “hot babe” will get you more “eyeb alls” in the short term, the viewers are abandoning local TV news in droves.

Here is LA in late October of this year, a new “weather-babe” came to town. This one is named Elita Loresa and although we know she has all the “serious weathercaster” credentials she needs, we also know that a 50 year old fat guy (and for sure no 50 year old woman was on the list as well) was not seriously in the running for the job opening when LA’s KNBC-TV was filling this opening! You can get all the background you need on Ms. Loresa on the local KNBC affiliate website (embed link) what you won’t see there, we’ll show you here.

Elita came to LA from Miami, where she was able to forecast everything from Hurricanes to sunshine, she also found time to tell FHM magazine how she really likes to shed her clothes in the hot steamy sun of South Florida and prefers "short shorts and bikinis". Can we blame her, its humid and sticky down there; here in LA we have the “dry heat.” We’ll have to w ait and see how that part of her experience works out. In addition, she found time to pose for a few “steamy” shots we think may (just may) has played a part in her being brought into the LA babe wars! This is what a government spokesman would probably call an “escalation of hostilities” between rival LA TV stations. All we can say is, coming soon “ladies night” and wet t-shirt news. You scoff! ? Well when we’re proven right in 10 years you can Google this story and say we told you so.

Back in LA, the reigning babe of the weather is Jackie Johnson, the local talent over at KCAL-TV. She even has her own dedicated fansite where her admirers follow her every wardrobe change each day. She must have a pretty good clothing allowance from what we here at ERS have seen. Otherwise, she’s one must be spending a good portion of her salary on keeping her fans happy with her ever changing fashion sense. Johnson was even named Playboy's "sexiest meteorologist " in 2003. Part of the prize was an pictorial, which Johnson declined.

As for the new “babe” in town Elita Loresca, no hard feelings, we wish you the best, but if Playboy comes along and makes you an offer, I bet they’ll be able to beat the offer KNBC made you. If we were your agent, we would advise you to take the money and run. You’ll be able to buy a lot more of those short shorts you like so much. Good luck!

P.S. - Note to Mayor Villaraigosa: for a weathercaster to date a politican is OK! No ethical or credibility concerns that we can think of!

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