Channel 2 Screws Up Yet Another Story

[Jeebus]

Last night a couple was murdered in their townhome on Floyd St @ Leverkuhn St. They reported the story as happening in the Heights, and again reported from "Southwest Houston".

Here's the link: KPRC Story

As a sidenote - what neighborhood would that actually be considered? Its too far east of Rice Military, just west of 6th Ward, and just north of River Oaks. Anyone?

[editor]

TV stations in Houston usually go with whatever designation the Keymap gives it. Though, this can occasionally (and often at KHOU) be overridden by a supervisor who decides it's somewhere else, sometimes wrongly (again, often at KHOU).

I know of one stormy morning when a supervisor at KHOU insisted that the station cover tornadoes hitting Beaumont instead of Fort Bend County because the supervisor believed Beaumont was closer.

[jm1fd]

As a sidenote - what neighborhood would that actually be considered? Its too far east of Rice Military, just west of 6th Ward, and just north of River Oaks. Anyone?

The area has the same feel as the rest of Rice Military...that's what I'd call it, since it is only a few blocks east of Shepherd. Failing that....maybe Jackson Hill...but I really don't think its big enough, or different enough from Rice Military to justify that.

[rps324]

I think that's the Brunner addition or something like that.

[Jeebus]

I've heard Jackson Hill used before. Thanks.

[Parrothead]

I just call that area the "Memorial Park/Westcott/Washington area"

[Watchful]

As a sidenote - what neighborhood would that actually be considered? Its too far east of Rice Military, just west of 6th Ward, and just north of River Oaks. Anyone?

Since RO is the most identifiable, if I had been the reporter I would have just said "murder in River Oaks"

[RedScare]

The area between 6th Ward and Rice Military used to be called West End. I'm not sure exactly what the boundaries were or whether they included Floyd.

[The Great Hizzy!]

The area between 6th Ward and Rice Military used to be called West End. I'm not sure exactly what the boundaries were or whether they included Floyd.

I still call it that.

[WestGrayGuy]

I believe that area is called Memorial Heights.

[MarthaG]

Last night a couple was murdered in their townhome on Floyd St @ Leverkuhn St. They reported the story as happening in the Heights, and again reported from "Southwest Houston".

Has anyone brought it to KPRC's attention that they screwed up the location so bad? They could figure if no one says anything about it, then no one really cares.

[jm1fd]

The area between 6th Ward and Rice Military used to be called West End. I'm not sure exactly what the boundaries were or whether they included Floyd.

The Rice Military Civic Club defines its boundaries as the area inside of Washington, Wescott, Shepherd, and Memorial....however, I would define it as Memorial, I-10, Heights & Wescott.

[Jeebus]

This is from the GHPA website:

Interestingly, the Rice Military subdivision, bounded by Buffalo Bayou, Westcott, Asbury, and the old Houston and Texas Central Railway, predates Camp Logan by nearly eight years. The neighborhood was created after land owned by J.S. and W.M. Rice was sold to Bankers Trust Co. on August 29, 1910. Within a few months, much of the Rice estate's remaining land holdings were sold, presumably in preparation for the groundbreaking of the new Rice Institute (now Rice University).

Heres the link: GHPA Website

But like you said jm1fd, the Rice Military Civic Club states the boundaries as:

The Rice Military Civic Club is bounded by Washington Avenue on the north, Memorial Drive on the south, Shepherd Street on the east, and Westcott on the west.

Here's the link: RMCC Website

So who's more correct? Also, where exactly is the Brunner Addition, and the "West End" located? And I still haven't gotten a straight answer about Floyd @ Leverkuhn either - about whether that's Memorial Heights, Jackson Hill, or just a nameless stretch of neighborhood.

[TJones]

According to the HAR website, that is Rice Military.

[four_flights_up]

Hi everyone,

This is my neighborhood. When we moved here a few years ago, we didn't know what to call it either, so I did some research...

It's officially called Magnolia Grove. Rice Military is to the west of us, and Memorial Heights to the east. There used to be a map of all the west end neighborhoods bordering Washington Avenue at www.theoldwestend.org but I haven't been able to access the site for a long time.

From the Magnolia Grove Civic Club website:

"Magnolia Grove is a small neighborhood located along Buffalo Bayou between downtown Houston and Memorial Park. The neighborhood is bounded by Memorial Drive, Shepherd Ave, Washington Ave, and Waugh Ave."

[brucesw]

TV stations in Houston usually go with whatever designation the Keymap gives it.

I didn't know that. On the fold out grid in the Key Map, Downtown Houston is not dead center, it is in the SE quadrant. Thus something WNW of downtown can be described as SW Houston and something SSW of downtown, say, Rice, can be described as being in SE Houston. Counterintuitive to those of us who've lived here a long time, but not stupid. Perhaps the issue of stupidity should be taken up with the folks at Key Maps.

One of the things a reporter has to do is make a story understandable to the audience. A reference to Rice Military, Jackson Hill, Brunner or Magnolia Grove would have been meaningless to the overwhelming majority of Houstonians, probably over 99%, even if the reporter had ever heard of them.

Leverkuhn is one block east of Jackson Hill, 2 blocks west of Yale and 3 blocks west of Heights. The Heights State Bank, now Rockefeller's, was just a few doors east of Heights and Washington -- not a branch of Heights State Bank, the Heights State Bank; branch banking was against the law in TX. (Rockefeller's website calls the neighborhood Memorial Heights). The home office of Heights Savings was at Yale and Washington as I recall. I don't think of Washington as being in the Heights but maybe it wasn't so far off to describe the area as the Heights.

Damnable thread. Here I am coming to the defense of Channel 2 News .

As a long time Houstonian something like 'near west side' or 'just off Memorial and Waugh' would have been a better description.

[MiDTOWNeR]

One of the things a reporter has to do is make a story understandable to the audience. A reference to Rice Military, Jackson Hill, Brunner or Magnolia Grove would have been meaningless to the overwhelming majority of Houstonians, probably over 99%, even if the reporter had ever heard of them.

If the reporters would be better and more specific about identifying particular neighborhoods, it could help folks have a better/greater sense of community to where these neighborhoods would eventually be more easliy recognized.

When i tell folks I live in Midtown, many are like...is that near downtown or something? In other large cities that I lived in, areas liek this are much more easily recognized. It seems the only two neighborhoods many folks seem to know is that Montrose and The Heights are "inside the loop". And most dont even know there are 5(i think) areas in the Heights for that matter. Knowing The Heights is however suffiecient, but cmon, how about Near Town, Rice Military, Greater East End, Upper Kirby, etc... Most have no clue as to there existence let alone where they may be. It is shame that folks here do not have a greater sense of community in this town.

[editor]

I didn't know that. On the fold out grid in the Key Map, Downtown Houston is not dead center, it is in the SE quadrant.

I don't know about the current issue, but previous issues of the Keymap had an index in the back. You'd look up the street name and it would have the neighborhood next to it. This is what they used, not the actual map. That may have changed, though.

[brucesw]

I don't know about the current issue, but previous issues of the Keymap had an index in the back. You'd look up the street name and it would have the neighborhood next to it. This is what they used, not the actual map. That may have changed, though.

In the front these days. Floyd, Leverkuhn, Westcott, Asbury, Jackson Hill and Washington, even the 300 block, are listed as 'SWH.' Downtown has it's own code - 'DT,' or Main street would be listed as 'SEH.'

The driver undoubtedly had to look up Floyd and Leverkuhn to have any idea where to go.

Probably not many a city's downtown is in the exact geographical center of the city.

[brucesw]

If the reporters would be better and more specific about identifying particular neighborhoods, it could help folks have a better/greater sense of community to where these neighborhoods would eventually be more easliy recognized.

When i tell folks I live in Midtown, many are like...is that near downtown or something? In other large cities that I lived in, areas liek this are much more easily recognized. It seems the only two neighborhoods many folks seem to know is that Montrose and The Heights are "inside the loop". And most dont even know there are 5(i think) areas in the Heights for that matter. Knowing The Heights is however suffiecient, but cmon, how about Near Town, Rice Military, Greater East End, Upper Kirby, etc... Most have no clue as to there existence let alone where they may be. It is shame that folks here do not have a greater sense of community in this town.

My guess is the overwhelming majority of Houstonians, if asked to locate Rice Military, would place it down near the University; Magnolia Grove either on the East side or up in Montgomery Co. The readership of this board is much, much, much better clued in on these sorts of things than the populace at large. My guess is the news organizations would reject the notion they have any responsibility to inform the populace of the historical names of neighborhoods. Those TV reporters come and go pretty frequently, anyway.

[KimberlySayWhat]

Speaking of channel 2, what happened to Cynthia Hunt?

[HoustonMidtown]

Speaking of channel 2, what happened to Cynthia Hunt?

....and the traffic guy - Don Armstrong ?

[editor]

Speaking of channel 2, what happened to Cynthia Hunt?

Cynthia Hunt's Web Site

You'd be surprised how many Houston TV personalities have their own web sites. Most are password-protected so only their friends can fawn over them.

....and the traffic guy - Don Armstrong ?

I think Don isn't a KPRC employee. He's employed by Metro Traffic and just appears in their studio, like Darby Douglas on KHOU. If he's off KPRC it's likely a Metro issue.

[KimberlySayWhat]

Thanks, but I didn't see anything regarding her whereabouts at channel 2. I don't want to e-mail her.

[RedScare]

That's what is so great about this forum. We now who the four people who watch Channel 2 News are.

[HoustonMidtown]

That's what is so great about this forum. We now who the four people who watch Channel 2 News are.

LOL.....

[cwrm4]

Just saw this and realized that I knew, from a consulting gig several years ago, the guy that was murdered. Totally shocking...he was a super nice, laid back, unassuming fellow.

I am surprised that this crime hasn't gotten more coverage...did they ever even catch the perp? (Or did he already go back to New Orleans...)

Makes me wonder if the townhome realtor robots in that area are working hard to keep coverage of this covered up...

[MarthaG]

The Heights State Bank, now Rockefeller's, was just a few doors east of Heights and Washington -- not a branch of Heights State Bank, the Heights State Bank; branch banking was against the law in TX. (Rockefeller's website calls the neighborhood Memorial Heights). The home office of Heights Savings was at Yale and Washington as I recall. I don't think of Washington as being in the Heights but maybe it wasn't so far off to describe the area as the Heights.

Happy New Year everyone...

The Home Office for Heights Savings was located on Yale at 19th St. I know this as my mother worked for HSA for 12 years. There was another bank at Washington and Yale, but not a Heights Savings.

[MiDTOWNeR]

My guess is the news organizations would reject the notion they have any responsibility to inform the populace of the historical names of neighborhoods.

I never said anything about there being an OBLIGATION to inform based on the historical names of neighborhoods. Puh-Leeze.

But using names locally accepted/known or even lesser known names to pinpoint locations helps build a better sense of community and adds a more metropolitan feel to the area, for both the residents who may or may not know the area personally and to those who may just be catching the news while on a brief stay. Folks are quite concerned about Houston's image...lets add a positive cosmopolitan feel to this town by referring to actual neighborhoods instead of "SW Houston". And if the area is not as well known, using it's name will help build it's identity.

Considering the size of the area, the local news seems quite small townish, bland and generic. They can at least make it seem as though they give a darn about this town let alone know *something* about it and its individual communities...even if they don't.

It's all about perception.

[nmainguy]

It seems most of 2's news writers have little knowledge of Houston in general-maybe they are all new to Houston.

The news readers have even less knowledge.

Example from 2News the other morning-Buffalo Speedway and 610S is in SW Houston.

I guess technicly if you drew a N-S line and an E-W line on the map, you might be able to ekk out that intersection in SW Houston.

All in all, the news readers on local TV sound clueless because the writers are clueless as well.

"Hey! Shara! Don't try to grow a brain, just read the prompter [sheesh]"