The amateurs at KEYT

The shooting this week at the Santa Barbara postal facility in Goleta is the biggest news story in this area since last year's mudslides in La Conchita. Yet our ABC affiliate, KEYT-Channel 3, fell flat on their face during last night's 6:00pm newscast.

Anchor Debby Davidson read off the wrong telepromtper. Videotape for reporter Martha Bull's lead story didn't work, causing Bull to stumble into a babbling ad-lib that made me want to change the channel.

But I didn't...and boy, was I sorry.

For the next several minutes the Channel 3 news team showed how amateurs cover a major news story. Bad writing, piss poor on-camera performances (from both reporters AND anchors), and then - to add insult to injury - while anchor C.J. Ward was listing the names of the dead, the on-screen graphics changed from pictures of the deceased to an over-the-shoulder picture of another story.

I realize this is market #119, but please! A major story like this breaks only once in a while and the folks at KEYT couldn't rise to the challenge. Pitiful.