Amelia and Frank
On 'CCO. Please!
Anchoring the news
On family stuff tease
The shallowest banter
About each other
Tell us of their
Being father and mother.

I'm sure they are nice
I'm sure they are cool
As a family. BUT!
Each looks like a fool
On the 10 p.m. news
Such personal stuff
Of their private lives
I've had quite enough!

Give us the news
The info we need
No kittens in trees
Irrelevant screed
Explain how our taxes
Have risen so high
Dig deep into crime
Tell why people die.

Amelia! Don't be cute.
Frank! Don't be funny.
Please tell us how the gov
Spends all our money.
If you'd like to chit
And you'd like to chat
Do it at home
And just bore your cat.

Funny!!!

If it wasn't Frank & Amelia, it would be Katie Couric, Paul Mager, or Joe Schmit. Haven't we had enough about all the celebrities? News people are in the business of reporting news, not making news.

All these self-indulging media folks can take a flying leap and see if anyone gives a #$%&!

I happened to catch the first 10 o'clock news with Frank on it and the sickly sweetness just turned my stomach. I've stuck with WCCO through a lot of weirdness and just plain silliness, but this might be right at the top. The strange incestuous community of newscasters in this city may have become too big of celebrities for their own good. The attempts by all the local affiliates to make themselves accessible to the community have turned against them in that the newscasters are just too personally connected to the viewer. A little side banter between Don Shelby and Paul Douglas is one thing. They've been around the scene long enough to garner some celebrity just by being a good journalist and a good meterologist respectively. Frank and Amelia's celebrity just seems so manufactured though. Amelia earned hers by being the current "cute one" on the 10 o'clock and Frank was nobody until he married her. It's not the first time that this kind of celebrity has been artificially created. Anyone who remembers late 80's-early 90's heartthrob Colleen Needles knows what I'm talking about.

When you live in a city without many true celebrities (short of the occasional Prince sighting) to call its own, but which has been thrust into the mass media market just as hard as any large city, this is the problem you run into. Celebrity news is unfortunately the most popular kind of news there is. And news companies have learned to increase their market share by having celebrities reporting on the celebrities, even if both titles are unearned.

In the end, I think this is something that the public at large is very quickly going to get tired of. Maybe we'll see some husband and wife cookoffs at the State Fair, but eventually this is just going to fade into the background and in 15 years we'll be joking about the husband and wife anchor team and wondering "where are they now?".

Here is an idea for 'CCO: have cameras following the couple around in their house, like the Jessica Simpson & Nick's reality TV show.

While watching network news or local news, I kinda prefer those weekend anchors or backup anchors. They work hard for their positions and they do a great or better job than the regulars. The regular anchors are often too full-of-themselves to make them worth watching.

Terry

Terry wrote:

While watching network news or local news, I kinda prefer those weekend anchors or backup anchors. They work hard for their positions and they do a great or better job than the regulars. The regular anchors are often too full-of-themselves to make them worth watching.

For the most part, I agree. I think that's where my preference for WCCO comes from. Don Shelby at the helm has just always seemed more down to earth than all the other top anchors. Paul Magers, until his departure, just seemed to be made of plastic. It's an unfortunate trend that 'CCO seems to be buying into the same news-as-celebrity movement as everyone else.

I've heard that Frank and Amelia's marriage is kind of a joke anyway. I've heard that she's a very nice person, but Frank simply married her for the celebrity. He doesn't really love her, and now she's kind of just dealing with it. Has anyone else heard this?

Not many people know that Frank changed his name after marrying Amelia.

Before the marriage, Frank's name was "Nobody".

Terry

Jackson wrote:

I've heard that Frank and Amelia's marriage is kind of a joke anyway. I've heard that she's a very nice person, but Frank simply married her for the celebrity. He doesn't really love her, and now she's kind of just dealing with it. Has anyone else heard this?

Eh I don't know about that. I mean, they've been married a while now and have one (or is it two) kids.

I don't know what kind of home you came from, but being married for awhile and having kids doesn't mean anything. Especially if neither one of you wants to ruin you perfect public image. I heard it from a friend who works at a large MN newspaper who heard it from a co-worker. Anyway, I was just curious if anyone else could confirm the single, hearsay, report I heard.

It seems doubtful to me. People sometimes do get married and have kids as a form of PR. But we're talking about a local news anchor, not Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise here. I mean, it's one thing if this kind of PR is going to boost your career into the stratosphere. Co-anchor on the 10 o'clock news is probably not a position worth starting a family for.

-
Come on Jackson,

Don't start impugning Frank and Amelia based on gossip.

They seem like decent folk. I'm just saying, that I don't want to hear about their personal lives on the evening news, unless they want to take a try at Don Shelby's commentary and share some personal story and apply it to a bigger truth.

But there ought to be enough professionalism to give us the news, and give it straight, without the gloopy, personal glop.

And what d'ya mean, "being married for awhile and having kids doesn't mean anything."? My children mean the world to me.

Somewhere I've got a tape of Don Shelby singing a blues version of happy birthday (while playing the guitar) that he made for my grandfather. It's from the late 80's/early 90's or so. I should try to dig that out.

I have to agree about the sappy personal information getting annoying. But I personally think that Frank is just trying too hard. I am a banquet server and you would be surprised how often the local news anchors serve as emcee's. I have seen Frank a lot lately and someone needs to let him know that the black hair dye he is using does NOT look natural.

I don't even know what you're referring to, not being a tv news watcher. And don't get me going on Katie Couric! To use her name in the same sentence as "news" or "journalism" is a sacrilege to the profession.

Quote:

And don't get me going on Katie Couric! To use her name in the same sentence as "news" or "journalism" is a sacrilege to the profession.

Right on, Auntie Apathy!

These days, we need to reclassify "news" and "journalism" as sub-categories under entertainment. All the news shows are getting closer to being "Entertainment Tonight" show.

Terry

Frank Vascilero (not sure of the spelling) is married to Amelia Santinello. I believe they are both on the same news channel though not often at the same time. He has been speaking at a lot of charity events as of lately but his hair color is hideous.

Katie Couric should just be doing one thing. A stripper pole.

She used to do the hard-hitting news. When she started out, remember her famous interviews, her no-holds-barred "professional journalist" aura? She still had that brunette short haircut, and was still kind of 'plain' and not all glossy like she is now.

I thought, after the first few times she had that awful Steven Kujocaro aka 'Kujo' on "Today", that the two of them should just be twin sisters who ride off into the sunset to go catch a drag show, and then go clothes and makeup shopping together

bwoodsdesign wrote:

Katie Couric should just be doing one thing. A stripper pole.
...
I thought, after the first few times she had that awful Steven Kujocaro aka 'Kujo' on "Today", that the two of them should just be twin sisters who ride off into the sunset to go catch a drag show, and then go clothes and makeup shopping together

Funny!!!

After the initial hype, her program's rating is down at the bottom. I bet she has about 3 months left before she gets the boot. Then she would have wished that she stayed with the NBC's "Entertainment Today". It is bad that you can't tell what is entertainment and what is journalism. The cross-breeding of the two has made a lot of people following high-profiled "journalists" like they do for Hollywood stars.

Damn straight.

Actually my bad, it's Steven "Cojo" Cojocaru

Look at the pics and tell me honestly... could he and Couric have possibly been seperated at birth?? YOU DECIDE.
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/040318/tdy_lauer_cojo_040318.300w.jpg

http://www.wral.com/2006/0716/9524969.jpg

Look like twins to me!

Crap. Now we've pissed her off...

You can't blame Frank and Amelia for co-partnering on 'CCO, nor can you blame Katie Couric for bringing her "chipper wholesomeness" to CBS. Look to the management of both organizations who are singularly focused on demos -- High splash ways to create buzz to draw younger viewers who spend more money. 'CCO has always had lots of viewers, but they've
been -older- and -old- is no good when it comes to ad rates. Sad thing to see -- credible, established journalists all over the country pushed aside for gimmicks and fesh faces.

Ms. Couric is a bit long in the tooth to have any 'chipper wholesomeness' left. And anyone who thinks that is what it is, is mistaken to begin with. It's actually 'glossy sleaziness'.

Cav wrote:

Sad thing to see -- credible, established journalists all over the country pushed aside for gimmicks and fesh faces.

You are right, it is sad to see. But when I got to be 30 I didn't care who the news came from anymore, so long as it was not spun around, thrown in at an angle, op-ed stuff and entertainment gossip/garbage packaged as news, etc. etc. etc.

I don't care if he/she is 34 years old and will go on maternity leave in 2 months, or they are 92 years old and have teeth missing.

Just give me the objective, plain, unbiased news report.

Can't wait to see what 'CCO, KSTP and the others serve up the next two months. October is a sweeps month, followed by November, which is even bigger. Remember the "shocking" expose on naked maids you can hire to clean your house? What about the "exclusive" look at how college hockey players drink booze?

Anyone have any other favorites?

Boy, you guys just don't recognize journalistic talent! Frank Vascellero and Amelia Santaniello are excellent newscasters. Don Shelby was so right when he stated that Channel 11 made a mistake in letting Frank go (if you don't trust his journalistic judgment, whose do you?) I personally think Frank Vascellero should be on national TV; he's top-notch, one of the best. He asks thought-provoking questions, reaches out to the audience, has a great sense of humor and is incredibly likable. He was great on Channel 11's morning program and the nightly news and is great on WCCO now.

Frank and Amelia are NOT syrupy sweet. In fact, they dare to tease each other and even employ playful sarcasm BECAUSE they are married and can get away with it. Their jokes are great. When Frank was being massaged by the nun who gives massages to the Twins and claimed, "God bless you sister, I haven't had this great of a message since I got married," and Amelia quipped, "Enjoy it while you can, Frank!," it was a real kick.

But they are duly serious and appropriate when they report the hard news also. If they didn't do a good job, I doubt WCCO would keep them on.

As for WCCO's "woes," they are now the Number One-rated newscast in the Twin Cities the last I heard. We should ALL have such "woes."

CCO is number one because Magers left town, KSTP switches anchors every 2 months and KARE brought in a no-name from out of town.
The Frank/Amelia thing is simply filling a void and is propelled by the novelty of a husband/wife team here in Mnpls., St. Paul. They will not be the long term driver of 'CCO's success. People will get sick of the "Oh Frank, Oh Amelia" banter and their T.M.I. cutsieness.
Shelby is the driver of the station's success -- he's a proven journalist with credibility. Frank and Amelia are not.

Talking Heads only have as much credibility as news sources as the people who watch them give them. If we don't want them to be partially entertaining, we shouldn't be discussing how they crack jokes. If we don't want them to be viewed as celebrities, we shouldn't be writing cute little poems on their personal lives on the Internet.

We are only making a negative self-serving prophecy here. And all it does is reinforce the media's desire to create Infotainment and carry that on to the next generation of journalism.

I am surprised and get the feeling that the "poster" doesn't like the husband and wife anchor team on WCCO - evening news. I think it rather unique...and sends a positive message to working couples everywhere. Yeah, we are all different people at our jobs...BUT...accolades to those of you who can make it work...strong enough...savvy enough...and open enough...to realize that...and perhaps, who knows, it could make a relationship stronger, sexier, more intimate than ever before! Don't give up on them...give 'em a shot!!

You know, I don't often watch WCCO's news...I tend to go to NBC for that. However, I don't understand why it's such a problem to simply be nice people on television and to add in personal anecdotes. The news is always filled with violence and painful things. Can't we have a little bit of sweet in the mix of all that sour?

By the way, I miss Katie Couric on the Today Show--Meredith isn't the same.

.
I haven't had a lot of time to watch the news lately, busy getting ready for winter. But when I've watched the 10 p.m. news, it's been Don Shelby and Amelia S. What happened to Frank?

Talking with a marriage counselor, maybe?