I would, in a way, like to continue the conversation on pet peeves. I preface this note with what most of you know ... I don't do daily news and don't face this scenario in my own reporting. (Plus, the previous sentence gave me an oppotunity to use an ellipsis!) Tonight on ABC's evening news, Dean Reynolds reported on a serial killer of 25 years ago in Wichita and who may be resuming his killing. The soundbites were all of people in Wichita, or in one case, a Houston criminologist. Yet Dean Reynolds closes with "Dean Reynolds, Chicago." I understand Dean Reynolds is actually in Chicago, and to accurately reflect where he is, he is obligated to say Chicago. But for the general public, it seems rather disorienting for a story about killing in Kansas to end with Chicago. Dean Reynolds can't say he was in Wichita, but why can't he just drop the locator at the end?

H

H:

I agree! If the locator is nowhere close to any of the action in the story, he should just end it with "ABC News."
On the other hand, I know of networks that insist on the locator, even if you weren't within 100 miles of it. If you did the phoner, the location is where they want you to lock it out. I'm not especially happy with that.

bob

I can tell you that ABC News Radio has us lockout from wherever we're doing the story from.

If I'm in Chicago doing a story about Gary, Indiana, the lockout is still "Steve Scott, ABC News, Chicago."

If I'm in Gary, it's "SS, ABCN, Gary, Indiana."

Can't tell you why that is...but that's ABC's rule.

We never claim to be somewhere we're not.

ss

I would agree with H. If you are not in the location close without one. With the example H gave, I would be left thinking, "Why is this guy in Chicago?".

In a perfect world, us reporters will always report from the scene. We know bosses won't pay for it though.

In KC, if the reporter was in the newsroom after coming back, we just said "This is Scott Simon in the 24-hour KMBZ Newscenter."

ABC could change it's policy to say, "In the ABC Chicago News Bureau, this is Dean Reynolds."

Listers/viewers aren't that particular about orientation (unless you mispronounce the city's name!). They know reporters go out to cover a story, then go back and produce it.

Often times, the solution is better branding. The above lockout tells the viewer its a center where important news is produced, no matter the location.

Sez