As people familar with the media business know, the network morning shows are the only segment of the network news business actually gaining viewers. They’re actually quite profitable … and therefore very, very competitive. Apparently the intense competition even extends to “friendly” softball matches.
Stories of dirty tricks abound. I’ve also reliably heard of instances where ABC and NBC producers, upon hearing a guest was booked with the competition, will have a co-worker call said guest and pretend to be the competition. “Bill? I’m sorry, we won’t be able to have you on tomorrow. Our plans have changed.” Five minutes later, original producer calls back. “Hey, Bill, are you sure we can’t have you on tomorrow?”
Also, I’m told there have been instances of producers “intercepting” other shows’ guests at the airport or wherever. A lot of folks are fuzzy about the difference between GMA and Today and won’t realize the limo is taking them to the wrong destination…
Anyway, in the morning-TV business, Atlanta kidnap victim Ashley Smith was an awful big “get.” And it looked for awhile Sunday like GMA had the exclusive. But then Smith and decided to appear on NBC’s Today and CBS’s Early Show as well. GMA, not wanting to lose their exclusive, sends a car to Smith’s home early this morning to try to take her to a different location so she won’t appear on the other two shows. Her attorney gets wind of this and cancels her appearance on GMA.
GMA producer freaks out and can be seen yelling into his cell phone during Today show broadcast, followed by a tall, bald man in a black trenchcoat:
Producer weaves back and forth across the shot as bald man obviously tries to get him out out of there:
Finally a uniformed police officer comes and physically removes GMA producer from the scene:
The whole video can be seen by clicking on the link on this MSNBC story. It’s pretty funny.
UPDATE: Mediabistro has a more detailed account here. Apparently the booker, Mike Nagel, was actually handcuffed! From Mediabistro:
UPDATE 2 (3/15/05): Yesterday I briefly thought that Brian Stelter had taken my screen grab from NBC and said so (for about 15 minutes) on this site. I was mistaken; it was just an odd coincidence involved. I have emailed my apologies and will be more careful about leaping to conclusions in future!
UPDATE 3 (3/16/05): A few more details. Apparently this was literally Nagel’s first assignment, and he didn’t realize he was in the live shot. Nobody at GMA wants to travel, so they use these newbies, and it finally came back to bite them.
Basically, the plan was Smith would do a pre-taped interview with Smith, and a live interview with GMA with her lawyer, who was to drive her to interview. Only she didn’t show on time. Booker calls Smith; she’s waiting on her lawyer. Nagel rushes over there, picks her up in his car, and drives her to interview. Lawyer shows up at Smith’s, finds she’s not there, and is furious — thinks GMA is trying to “steal” her. Goes to GMA — where Smith is all miked up and ready to do interview — and calls her on her cell phone, tells her to come outside. He’s like, you’re not doing this interview, let’s go over to NBC. Green booker freaks out and runs after them. Remember, he is under unbelievable pressure to deliver — especially on his first story! To have it slip away like that… But apparently, blame is on head of GMA booking department, for using a newbie on such an important story. Got her butt handed to her, my source sez.
UPDATE 4: A different source has no doubt Nagel knew NBC was live. Also claims he was indeed trying to steal Smith from CBS and NBC.
Further claims Nagel’s arrest was actually some kind of trumped-up kidnapping charge, having to do with said stealing attempt? (He was actually brought across the street for holding). Basically, source claims arrest was an effort to protect Smith from the aggressive bookers engaged in morning-show wars. Source approves of said attempt, noting poor woman has been through a lot.
Sorry for the conflicting accounts … but I was right about Nagel being green. Ithaca Class of 2004, baby.
the abc guy is hot!
Wow. I want to hire that producer. Hes hard core
That’s how I acted when the Senate passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention & Consumer Protection Act of 2005.
they did? i didn’t read about that in derek’s paper? shit …. i better move quick to ditch my credit card bills….
great catch!, Crooksandliars.com posted the video as well
your first big hit with other blogs derek. congrats! soon the attention your site is getting will garner some personal attention as well… good or bad? we’ll see….
To bad he could not be a MAN, acts like a spoiled 5 year old….. and makes me realize why I can’t stand ABC….
His being in the shot accomplished nothing what an IDIOT…..
I’m sure I’m missing something here but I’ll take a risk with a comment contrary to most feelings expressed here. Given that the guy wasn’t arrested or charged and that he wasn’t doing anything illegal…just being a jerk…it appears that the New York police department was simply used to get a pretty video segment for the Today show.
There’s no law that prevents people from walking around in a public place that happens to be in a camera shot of some news crew. And, yet the police get called in to move the guy away. Why not arrest the bald guy in the black trench coat? From the video, at least, he’s the one interfering with someone lawfully talking on his cell phone in a public place. WTF?
I’ll be sure to call on New York’s finest to clear my shots when I go to the Big Apple to do some photographing.
[Of course, all the above ignores anything that might have happened off-camera.]
Actually, Nagel clearly was arrested. He was put in handcuffs.
That’s a mistake a lot of people make, including police reporters — not knowing the difference between being arrested and being charged. An arrest is simply a legal detention … when police say you’re not free to leave because they have probable cause you’ve committed a crime. (Other forms of legal detention include protective custody, when you’re not under suspicion of committing a crime but are so drunk or irrational you might hurt yourself).
I don’t know what exactly happened here, but a lot of times cops get mad simply because reporters are in the street. (Probably why NBC chose the background it did). It looks to me like the cops may have asked Nagel to leave and when he didn’t, he found himself in handcuffs.
Oh, and hey, this isn’t my first big break … I had my Instalanche before.
Just FYI, it’s Atlanta and not NY…dumb error on my part.
As you say, “It looks to me like the cops may have asked Nagel to leave.” I agree, but by what right do they have to ask him to leave? There is simply no law that says I can’t locate myself in a public place for the purpose of screwing up somebody’s camera shot.
If not, look out for me and my rent-an-off-duty-cop buddy on my next vacation. I’m finally coming home with some great pics!
by what right do they have to ask him to leave?
This is just a guess, but I imagine because he was a pedestrian in the street. I’d imagine NBC set it up so Smith was standing on the edge of the sidewalk.
If he was not committing a criminal offense by his presence or posing some danger to the public safety, the police had no lawful right to ask him to leave. If the request was to facilitate a media event, this was not a lawful police request since thel media has no greater right than anyone else to occupy a public locatiobn. The police officers who did so interfered with his civil right to lawfully be present on public property. If that is the case, then the police had no lawful right to use physical force, i.e, handcuffs. Their conduct was a criminal battery. It is the police who should be prosecuted along with anyone who solicited or encouraged them to commit the battery.
ABC and NBC are both jokes. Anybody who takes them seriously has a self-respect issue.
“If he was not committing a criminal offense by his presence…”
I imagine that Nagel was. It’s called jaywalking … and the police do enforce that law when there are crowds.
I knew this guy in college. He’s amazing, as is this whole story. Just amazing.
see i was right.. you hit it big with this derek. congrats!
have a new theory, i hope the USA media picks it up. I believe that Nichols “date raped” this woman who read the Bible to him. What I mean is this: he raped her inside her apartment, after taking a shower (naked) while she was on the floor of the bathroom, tied up. get it? he came out of the show, raped her, and then she became his angel. in other words, she didn’t want to die, she didn’t mind being raped if it meant she could live. that is why she gave the second press conference on CNN yesterday. She was raped by Nichols. and that is why she is so emotinally messed up right now. Look, friends, there is no God, there is no Jesus, and no angels. Nichols is in deep doodoo, the “angel’ who read the bible and a purpose driven life to him, chapter 33, she is in deep denial about what really happened. she will go on to become national hero, Bible thumper, richly rewarded, marry rich man, live happily unhappily ever after. she was raped, friends. what this story unfold.
and the dangers of the blogosphere show themselves again … any idiot sitting home in their bra and panties or their boxers can type in a theory/what they see as fact with no one filtering it for truth or fiction … or taste. Death to Blogs!
To: Mr. new theory.
From: everybody.
It would be eaiser for you to type correctly (i.e use of the shift key) if you took your finger out of your nose.
“and the dangers of the blogosphere show themselves again … any idiot sitting home in their bra and panties or their boxers can type in a theory/what they see as fact with no one filtering it for truth or fiction”
Some might also call that a perfect description of the MSM titans who earn an excessive amount of money for knowing very little about an awful lot.
they would never put something out there like this … and anonymously
[…] tip to Derek Rose, who has screen shots of the melee. Unbelievable. Posted in: Media Send to a Friend Printer […]