TV Notes for June 3, 2012
WBRZ-TV wins eight media awards
The Louisiana Associated Press honored WBRZ-TV with eight awards during its awards luncheon on Saturday.
Among the honors WBRZ-TV won were first place for best newscast in the state, first place for best website, and chief forecaster Pat Shingleton won first place for best weathercast.
Sports director Michael Cauble and the sports staff also took second place in the best sportscast category.
Reporter Ashley Rodrigue and photojournalists Ken Brumfield and Jordan Peck won second place in the best in-depth series for “The Meth Effect.”
Third-place honors for “best spot news” went to reporters Michael Shingleton, Kristy Davis, Cauble and John Pastorek for “LSU Football Player’s Fight.” Dave Nussbaum, meteorologist for “2une In” and “News 2 at Noon,” won third place in the breaking weather category.
Photojournalist Chris Sasser won third place for “Swamp People” in the best videography category.
LPB goes to the zoo
Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo, the Alexandria Zoological Park, the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo in Monroe and the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans when “Zooisiana” premieres on WLPB, Channel 27 (cable Channel 12).
The show debuts at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, and also airs at 5:30 p.m. June 10.
Producer Donna LaFleur and videographer Rex Q. Fortenberry traveled the state this spring to capture footage of dashing ducks and a number of exotic and endangered species that viewers may have never heard of.
Now in its 42nd year, BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo is the home of hundreds of species. The zoo participates in Species Survival Plan to help preserve more than 50 endangered or threatened species.
The special looks at some of their captive breeding success stories, like the Black Rhino and Golden Lion Tamarins and new babies including the Lady Ross’s Turaco, a bird with a flaming red Mohawk, and a Red Kangaroo that just left its mother’s pouch.
It also follows veterinarian Dr. Gordon Pirie and LSU School of Veterinary Medicine students as they make their rounds treating the animals at the zoo. There is another stop at the new $2.2 million Realm of the Tiger Exhibit where viewers will see the daily Running of the Ducks.
A central Louisiana showpiece, the Alexandria Zoological Park is home to several native species that are threatened or endangered. The Louisiana Black Bear, Red Wolf and Louisiana Pine Snake are on exhibit, along with lesser-known, endangered wild animals from other countries such as the Anoa, the Indonesian animal often described as a midget water buffalo, and a playful weasel-like animal from Central America called a Tayra.
To make the lives of the animals as comfortable and fun as possible, the Zoological Park has what it calls an enrichment program that includes throwing a large quantity of ice on the ground so that the African Red River Hog can do belly flops and frolic. A major renovation in the oldest part of the zoo will be called Land of the Jaguar and eventually house a large number of South American species.
The Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo in Monroe works with other zoos across the country in managing animal collections and is a haven for discarded or seized animals such as Capuchin Monkeys, parrots and boa constrictors along with Brown Pelicans and Diamondback Terrapins that were coated with oil, injured and uprooted from their homes by the BP oil leak.
Its willingness to take animals for a short period of time and house older and less than perfect specimens has led to the zoo becoming the home of several rare species, including a Cape Buffalo, unusual for a zoo this size, a white alligator that calls Monroe his winter home; a pair of Agile Gibbons that did not fit in at other facilities; and a Hooded Crane with an imperfect beak, whose genes are so valuable that he’ll be moving to the breeding program at the National Zoo soon. The zoo is also the home of the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s mascot, a Red Shouldered Hawk named Capri, who makes special appearances in the Monroe area.
The final stop on the tour is the state’s oldest and largest zoo, the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. More than 750,000 people visit the zoo each year. Located on a 50-acre site in the city, the zoo houses more than 1,500 animals including many rare and exotic species.
The segment includes stops at the long-running Sea Lion Show and the zoo’s Special Survival Center where the center is working with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the Whooping Crane Reintroduction project to replenish the supply of the endangered species in the Louisiana wetlands.
WBRZ names apprentice
New Orleans native Jacob Krasnow is WBRZ-TV’s 2012 LSU apprentice.
A May graduate earning his bachelor of arts degree in mass communication with a concentration in broadcast journalism, along with a minor in film and media arts, Krasnow will begin his apprenticeship Monday.
WBRZ-TV selected Krasnow from a slate of candidates submitted to the station from LSU’s Manship School. The candidates must demonstrate a high potential for success and an interest in television, including having a great work ethic and a high grade-point average.
Krasnow previously worked as an associate sports producer for WWL-TV in New Orleans from August until January. He also served as a reporting intern and production assistant at WWL-TV from June 2010 to December 2010. While at LSU, he worked as a reporter, producer and anchor for LSU’s student-run television station, Tiger TV. He was a co-founding father of fraternity Phi Gamma Delta and a four-time LSU Dean’s List candidate.
WBRZ-TV established the apprenticeship in 1998 with LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication. By creating a one-year commitment between the station and the student, the program will give Krasnow the opportunity to establish a career path in the area of his choice. This format is designed to give the apprentice a broad overall experience in one or more departments in the station.
Dancer doc, class
Louisiana Public Broadcasting will air the documentary “Steven Caras: See Them Dance” at 8:30 p.m. Monday on WLPB, Channel 27 (cable Channel 12). The program follows the life of the former New York City Ballet dancer and famous dance photographer.
In connection with the show, Caras will teach a free master class at 4:30 p.m. Monday at The Dancer’s Workshop, home of Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, 10745 Linkwood Court.
Studios may send two advanced-level students ages 14 and older. Advance registration is required. Call Terri Crockett at (225) 767-4214 or email tcrockett@lpb.org.
Louisiana Public Broadcasting and WBRZ-TV provided information for this column. Television stations with news about programming, on-air reporters or personalities should fax information to (225) 388-0351 or email jbergeron@ theadvocate.com.