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15 November 2007
The end of the Froot Loops Bureau?
Timesman Matt Bramanti calls our attention to this brief report on Chron.com from Wednesday morning:
The Wachovia bank in the 4400 block of North Freeway was robbed shortly after 9 a.m., according to police radio traffic.
The robber left the bank in a red Ford F-150 truck and was wearing a red and orange sweatshirt, the Houston Police Department reported.
Chron staffers listening to police traffic and doing their own reporting, instead of transcribing the morning's TV news reports over Froot Loops?
This seems like a big -- and (we hope) permanent -- improvement!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops Bureau?"> 11/15/07 08:45 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
18 December 2007
The return of the Froot Loops Bureau!
Cory Crow alerts us to this dispatch from the Chronicle's Kevin Moran, who apparently is manning the Froot Loops Desk (or should that be the Froot Loops Breakfast Nook?) this morning:
Inbound commuters should avoid the North Freeway this morning after a pickup truck caught fire near Interstate 10.
The fire was confirmed at 6:09 a.m. and traffic remained mired in the area after 7 a.m., according to Houston TranStar. Televised reports showed the pickup engulfed in flames and an attached trailer destroyed. Firefighters arrived at about 6:23 a.m. and quickly doused the blaze. Fire crews did not clear the scene until 7:35, according to TranStar.
Those televised reports go well with breakfast!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops Bureau!"> 12/18/07 08:35 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
23 January 2009
Chron Froot Loops Bureau comeback in '09?
The Houston Chronicle's Froot Loops bureau makes a rare appearance today:
Homicide detectives are still investigating an overnight shooting in which a resident of a north Houston apartment said he disarmed a burglar and killed him with his own gun.
The shooting occurred about 10 a.m. Thursday at the Worthington Apartments at 1350 Greens Parkway, KHOU Channel 11 reported.
We have missed the Froot Loops Bureau!
Here's the actual link to the KHOU story, since the Bureau apparently isn't a fan of hyperlinks.
UPDATE: Upon re-reading, we are confused. Was the shooting overnight, was the shooting at 10 a.m. Thursday, or was the shooting this morning?
Perhaps the Froot Loops staffer needs to have more coffee with the cereal.
UPDATE 2: On the KHOU video report, Rosa Flores says the break-in occurred about 10 o'clock last night, the owners got home at some point, and the struggle/shooting ensued then.
UPDATE 3: The Chron story has been updated to reflect a 10 pm shooting. It apparently has not been updated with a reporter verifying facts from police and witnesses and reporting those, instead of "reporting" the TV news.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops Bureau comeback in '09?"> 01/23/09 11:03 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
07 March 2008
Froot Loops Bureau helps out Chron sports section
We've wondered what happened to the Chronicle Froot Loops Bureau, which used to rewrite breaking local news seen on television in the mornings and post it to Chron.com.
It appears that the Froot Loops Bureau may have shifted to the sports section.
Yesterday, a reader passed along a New York Times story that reported the IRS was looking into a Houston-area gym as part of the Clemens steroid/HGH investigation. I furled the story, predicting that a Chron rewrite would probably appear shortly.
That prediction was only half-right. A version of the story by "Chronicle News Services" did indeed appear. However, the Froot Loops Bureau apparently couldn't even be bothered to rewrite it, instead changing a handful of words and otherwise directly ripping about half the story from the New York Times.
Weak.
At least the New York newspapers are keeping us up to speed on some of the local angles to this story. Now what is the name of the local Hearst daily again?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops Bureau helps out Chron sports section"> 03/07/08 05:33 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
09 July 2007
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (07-09-2007 edition)
The weekend is over, but the Chronicle city desk isn't quite back to full speed this morning. Fortunately, the Chron.com Froot Loops bureau has things covered:
A man was shot after he and an accomplice tried to steal building supplies from the home of State Rep. Boris Miles in southeast Houston on Sunday night, according to televised reports by KTRK (Channel 13)
Authorities gave a reporter this account: The representative was working at his home that is under construction on South MacGregor and Scott about 7:30 when he had a noise in the structure.
Miles, who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun, went to inspect the home when he discovered two men inside.
He opened fire at the suspects, after one of the men allegedly threw a knife at him.
One man was wounded and taken to the hospital. The other was arrested. No charges are expected against Miles.
Way to stay on top of the TV news there, guys!
UPDATE: Two hours after the Froot Loops story first posted, the Chronicle actually has replaced it with a version by reporter Kevin Moran. It's not clear why the Froot Loops versions of these stories continue to appear in the first place. All it does is make the Chron city desk look silly.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/09/07 07:34 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
29 January 2009
Chron Froot Loops update, 1/29/09 edition
The Chron.com Froot Loops Bureau posts this update today:
A 14-year-old Magnolia girl remains in critical condition today with injuries suffered after she jumped out of her parents’ car and was hit by a vehicle on the North Freeway, according to KHOU Channel 11.
The incident happened Wednesday night as the parents were driving their daughter to a Tomball hospital. They had picked her up after she had run away and was taken into custody by police, KHOU reported.
As the family drove on Interstate 45, the girl argued with her parents and suddenly jumped out of the car near the West Canino exit, police said.
[snip]
The teenager suffered severe head and internal injuries, and doctors at Memorial Hermann Hospital may have to amputate her legs, KHOU reported.
Here is a link to the KHOU-11 story, since hyperlinks and cereal apparently don't go well together.
UPDATE: And just like that *poof* the story is updated and the KHOU reference is gone.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops update, 1/29/09 edition"> 01/29/09 10:06 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
10 February 2009
Chron Froot Loops update, 02/10/09 edition
The Chron Froot Loops Bureau offers this update from KHOU-11 today:
A man who was shot to death by Houston police after refusing to drop a shotgun had sent a text message saying he planned to kill himself, police said today.
Police have not disclosed the name of the man, who was killed about 11 p.m. Monday at the Hammerly Oaks Apartments at 8791 Hammerly at Hollister, according to KHOU Channel 11.
Officers went to the address after being alerted that a man was wandering around the complex with a shotgun, KHOU reported.
Here is a link to the KHOU story (in case you prefer actual reporting to some guy rewriting what he saw on the TV while eating his cereal).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops update, 02/10/09 edition"> 02/10/09 12:22 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
27 April 2007
The return of Froot Loops!
We've been missing the Chron.com Froot Loop Bureau of late, so it was amusing to see this dispatch today:
A tanker truck exploded on the Interstate 10 exchange near downtown around midnight, according to reports this morning from KTRK (Channel 13) and KHOU (Channel 11).
Authorities gave reporters this account: A tanker carrying diesel fuel was traveling from the U.S. 59 South ramp to Interstate 10 eastbound when the driver lost control. The crash sparked an explosion, which shook homes nearby.
Just in case you missed that news on the television this morning, the Froot Loop Bureau has you covered!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops!"> 04/27/07 07:35 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
08 February 2007
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (02-07/02-08 edition)
(Chron.com Froot Loop Bureau, photo courtesy Matt Bramanti)
The Chron.com Froot Loop bureau has been hard at work watching the morning news with breakfast over the last couple of days!
The intrepid Chron.com Froot Loop desk effectively posted four rewrites of stories seen on KTRK-13 (here, here, here, and here).
The Chronicle's so-called partner television station KHOU-11 must be very impressed by that.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/08/07 09:22 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
15 May 2007
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (05-15-2007 edition)
The Chron.com Froot Loops Bureau was watching the TV news this morning:
A man is critical condition after he tried to stop a suspect from stealing his car from a gas station in southeast Houston this morning, according to televised reports by KTRK (Channel 13).
Authorities gave a reporter this account: The man walked into the gas station at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Reed with his car's engine running, While inside the store, he saw a man get inside his vehicle.
The car's owner ran out of the store and jumped on top of the vehicle to stop the suspect, but the thief began to drive off.
The man was dragged several blocks and finally fell of the car.
Paramedics found the man and rushed him to the hospital with severe head injures. He is listed in critical condition.
Police later found the vehicle at the 8400 block of Rockford and are checking the vehicle for fingerprints.
We haven't seen much from the Froot Loops Bureau in a while. It's good to know they're still keeping an eye on the television news as they enjoy their cereal in the morning.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/15/07 06:23 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
27 November 2007
Any particular mall in north Houston?
Chron.com has a breaking news story posted which is a bit light on some necessary info:
Houston police were responding to reports of shots being fired at a mall in north Houston.
Police were checking out a report today that shots were fired inside the mall after a burglary was called in to authorities. A portion of the mall has been closed off.
A SWAT team was on the scene. There's no immediate word on injuries.
How did the SWAT team know which mall to converge upon?
If the Froot Loops bureau had been open, Chron.com would have known what KHOU-11, KTRK-13, and KPRC-2 were able to report: The mall in question is Greenspoint.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/27/07 11:42 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (9)
06 June 2007
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (06-06-2007 edition)
The Chron.com Froot Loops bureau makes an appearance today:
Police are investigating three shootings that occurred early this morning across the Houston area, according to KTRK (Channel 13).
Authorities gave a reporter this account: The first shooting happened in east Houston. A man shot his wife in the knee at their home on Uvalde and Audrey. The woman was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police believe the shooting was accidental.
The second incident occurred in northwest Houston. A man found another man with a gunshot wound to his calf in a convenience store parking lot on Antoine and Breen.
The man was rushed to the hospital and police are still investigating how he got shot.
A third shooting sent one man to the hospital with three gunshot wounds in east Houston. Police said that a man found another individual breaking into his vehicle on Avenue H and Wayside and confronted the man with a gun.
A scuffle ensued and the vehicle's owner shot the man twice in the leg and once in the stomach. His condition was unknown.
Hmm, well, maybe after the Chronnies have their Froot Loops and check all the TV reports, they can follow up on these "unknowns" and do some actual journalism.
UPDATE: How about that link and one-liner from the Chron's Texas Politics blog? I don't think those folks are sitting around watching the Austin TV news and reporting on it. Actually, the merging of the Chron and Express-News bureaus in Austin really seems to have given the reporting a boost.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/06/07 06:11 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
29 October 2007
Worse than the Froot Loops Bureau
There is an interesting news brief posted on Chron.com at the moment:
A man walking along an east Houston road was fatally shot by the driver of a gray 4-door older model compact car early Sunday.
Alvin Decuier Jr., 18, was walking in the 5600 block of Mulvey near Sakowitz when he approached the car and briefly spoke with the occupants, witnesses told police.
A passenger in the car shot Decuier multiple times and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
To echo Matt Bramanti's question in the comments -- Was the man shot by the driver or the passenger of the car?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Froot Loops Bureau"> 10/29/07 10:49 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
16 June 2009
METRO adds a new trick to the Danger Train files
From KHOU-11 via the Houston Chronicle Froot Loops bureau comes this report on a train derailment in Houston:
A Metro light rail train derailed around 12:30 a.m. this morning near the intersection of Greenbriar and Braeswood, between the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park.
[snip]
The derailed train collided with a power pole and another rail car.
The toy train derailed?!
How does that even happen?
We're sure METRO will be entirely forthcoming with the details. *wink*
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/16/09 09:52 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
02 February 2007
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (cont'd)
The Chron.com Froot Loop bureau checks in again with the following coverage of the local television news beat this morning:
Two HPD officers were injured while trying to avoid a collision with a suspected drunk driver, according to televised reports this morning by KTRK (Channel 13).
The station gave this account. The cruiser was traveling on Westpark near Walnut Bend around 1 a.m. when another driver made a sudden left-hand turn. The officer swerved to avoid the car and crashed into the side of road.
The driver hurt his ankle, which may be broken, and the officer riding in the passenger seat injured his knees. Both were taken to the hospital.
The driver of the other vehicle failed a field sobriety test and was arrested.
The KTRK-13 story is available here.
What newspaper needs a robust city desk to cover local news, when all it takes is a television and some guy who can type while eating his Froot Loops in the morning?
UPDATE: There's more Froot Loop coverage posted:
A third person has been killed this week after trying to cross a Houston freeway and being hit by a vehicle, according to a report this morning by KTRK (Channel 13).
Police gave reporters this account: Just after 6 a.m. today, a homeless man darted into the eastbound lanes of the North Loop, just before the Yale exit, where he was hit by an SUV.
The driver of that SUV was apparently a nurse, who stopped and attempted CPR on the victim until paramedics arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The KTRK-13 story is available here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/02/07 07:59 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
05 December 2007
Owning the (hyper)local story
Chron.com posts this breaking news:
Smoke could be seen above the buildings near the Majestic Theater at Main and Preston early this afternoon.
Firefighters were arriving at the scene around 12:40 p.m. Smoke could be seen coming from behind Deans Easy Credit and Clothing at 316 Main, according to one eyewitness. Diners at Mia Bella Trattoria were being evacuated.
No further information was immediately available.
That was posted at 1:23 pm.
I guess nobody was available to WALK the few blocks from the Chron building to the news scene, interview a public official, and call the information back into the mothership.
But it's nice to know the news team could see smoke out of their windows at 801 Texas Avenue!
Some days, we actually miss the Froot Loops recaps of TV reporters on the scene of breaking news.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/05/07 02:36 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
05 July 2007
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (07-05-2007 edition)
The Chron.com Froot Loops bureau has been watching KTRK-13 again this morning:
An infant was burned during a fireworks accident in Montgomery County late Wednesday night, according to televised reports this morning by KTRK (Channel 13).
Authorities gave a reporter this account: A woman was holding her 4-month-old daughter when she went outside to watch a neighbor set off fireworks on Val Verde and Goliad.
The object launched and hit the woman, and fell onto the baby who was wrapped in a blanket.
The girl was taken to the hospital. About 25 percent of the infant's body was burned.
So, if the Chronicle city desk is going to rely on KTRK for its online morning news coverage, doesn't that make KTRK Houston's actual leading information source?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/05/07 06:13 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (6)
26 June 2007
Breaking news you CAN get elsewhere (06-26-2007 edition)
The Chron.com Froot Loops bureau has been watching the TV news again this morning:
A tow truck driver was shot to death in southeast Houston late Monday night, according to televised reports by KTRK (Channel 13) and KHOU (Channel 11).
Authorities gave reporters this account: The driver was leaving a restaurant at Reed and Mallory after having dinner when he was approached by someone who shot him. The driver pressed the gas of his truck and plowed into a pole in the restaurant's parking lot, and died at the scene.
About 100 people who knew the victim gathered at the scene and were shocked to learn of his death.
Police plan to comb the victim's truck for evidence, but have no description of the suspect.
The driver was leaving a restaurant when he was approached by someone who shot him (according to the TV news, of course)?
That's some fine online city news desk the Chronicle is running these days.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/07 09:02 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
26 January 2009
Chron Austin bureau chief can't remember facts, opines regardless
Poor Clay Robison must be one tired guy.
He oversees the combined Chronicle/Express-News Austin Bureau.
He moonlights as a (lefty) editorialist once a week.
And a legislative session just got underway.
So, perhaps that explains this snippet from his latest opinion column:
Let’s see, now. Most of the Republican judges in Harris County who were on the ballot in November were ousted in heavy, straight-ticket Democratic voting. A few years ago, Dallas voters booted a bunch of Republican judges in similar fashion.So, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, files a bill to prohibit — guess what — straight ticket voting in judicial races.
It won’t pass.
But it reminds me that Republicans took over the courts in Harris County in 1994 in a similar straight ticket sweep that unseated many Democratic judges.
I don’t remember if any Democrat filed a similar bill then. If so, it obviously didn’t pass either.
That's about the laziest bit of journalism to appear in the Chronicle since... well, since somebody sat down over Froot Loops and (mis)reported a KHOU story a few mornings ago.
Over at Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Cory Crow gives the matter a more comprehensive treatment. We're betting he's not going to hear from the newspaper's invisible reader rep.
In any case, we'll suggest once again that Robison shouldn't be writing opinion columns and running the news bureau. Maybe if he stepped away from one of the jobs, he could actually do the other one well.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/09 10:00 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
11 July 2007
Don't worry, trust METRO (or not)
KHOU-11's Jason Whitely reports that a private firm hired by the Texas Medical Center has found worrisome stray current levels related to METRO's Main Street light-rail line:
In an eight page executive summary of a report prepared by Corrpro for the Texas Medical Center, and reviewed by 11 News, experts discovered worrisome levels of stray current in the foundation walls of the Meyer Building, part of Texas Children’s Hospital, and the Thermal Energy Corporation’s piping system, which supplies water to the all of the hospitals and medical buildings.
Corrpro said these two facilities “had stray current effects sufficient to warrant continued surveillance to detect and respond to possible increases.”
Electricity can corrode the steel rebar enveloped in concrete which is used in foundations and over time could eventually compromise structures.
Inconsequential effects of the leaking current from the light rail line were found at Methodist Hospital, UT Medical School, St. Luke’s Medical Tower, Memorial Hermann Professional Building, Fannin Holcombe Garage, Ben Taub Hospital and Parking Lot E of the Meyer Building.
No stray current was detected in other areas at Texas Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hermann Hospital and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Prevention Center.
Over time, corrosion experts said, all of these facilities could see stray current levels increase.
“Transit system rail stray currents tend to increase as the system ages,” the report stated. Corrpro said the Texas Medical Center “should expect to continue a monitoring program for the life of the rail system.”
METRO's response, as reported by Whitely, is that only a few testing locations had stray current issues that warranted any concern whatsoever.
Previously, METRO's PR representative had assured that the problem posed no more concern than a nine-volt battery, an assessment apparently not shared by the professional engineers hired by the Medical Center to perform independent testing.
UPDATE: The Chronicle posts a catch-up story by Rad Sallee on the topic. The Froot Loops editor must have departed for the day, letting the actual news staff swing into action.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/11/07 12:20 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (9)
09 January 2007
More breaking coverage you CAN get elsewhere
Was the new Chron city desk editor enjoying the morning TV news with his Froot Loops again today?
It sure seems like it from this brief report that was posted on Chron.com this morning:
Several vehicles were vandalized at a parking of a Montrose club overnight, according to televised reports this morning.
Windows were smashed and tires were slashed at EJ's, located on Ralph and Westheimer.
Police are investigating the crime.
Hmm, if Houston's Leading Information Source pilfers its news from the television, is it really Houston's Leading Information Source?
Anyway, online readers of the Chronicle missed the important details found in this KPRC-2 reporting:
Dozens of patrons of a gay club found their vehicles vandalized in a parking lot Tuesday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
The vehicles were parked behind EJ's in the 2500 block of Ralph Street near Westheimer Road at about 2:20 a.m.
Customers said about 28 vehicles were damaged. Some of the vehicles' tires were slashed and some had smashed windows or windshields.
"I have two flat tires and a damaged windshield," victim Andre Wagner said.
Some of the men said they believe they were the victims of a hate crime.
"I really honestly do think this was a hate crime and that people are tired of the gays parking on their lot," victim Ronnie Siebert said. "It's really sad what has happened here tonight."
There's nothing like getting scooped by Channel 2 on basic local reporting.
UPDATE: There's more! Here's another recent report cribbed from local TV news reporting:
A man was shot in the face during a carjacking attempt in Houston early this morning, according to televised reports.
And another:
A pickup driver who fled an accident was killed after he and his passenger tried to run across Interstate 610 Sunday night, according to televised reports this morning.
That Chron city desk sure has things covered! Readers should probably hope that their cable TV subscription doesn't get cut, though.
UPDATE (01-10-2007): And another this morning:
A man was shot Tuesday night after he tried to stop two men from stealing a woman's purse in north Houston, according to televised reports this morning.
Does the Chronicle city desk even bother to check with HPD in the mornings, or do they just watch the television news and write up what they see?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/09/07 08:40 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
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