BlogaBarbara

Santa Barbara Politics, Media & Culture

Saturday, March 08, 2008

KEYT and TKA: The Other Shoe Drops

When I asked the other day, Hey Travis, What Were Yout Thinking?, little did anyone know about the rather large, size 13 shoe he would drop this morning about "Blow-up dolls, pole dancing, 'non-Jew parking,' and other video escapades of KEYT employees". Here's a snippet:

The video, said to have been produced at KEYT and shown at a company party of employees, includes a "gag" about reserved parking spots at the station.
One sign reads: "Non-Jew parking."

Another part of the video includes a man dressed as a woman. He goes by the name of "Cathy," perhaps a reference to station manager Cathy Jacquemin.

"Cathy" is spotted in the men's restroom on her knees, wiping up the floor. She banters with on-air journalists, including entering the office of one she calls a "sports retard." She begins throwing out objects from his office, including a blow-up nude doll. The sports reporter shouts, "I'm not done with that yet."


Armstrong has been salivating for weeks to retaliate against KEYT and especially KEYT anchor Paula Lopez for becoming part of the "cabal" perhaps a year ago. What a lead up to yet another story that should be handled by the newsroom! Put a question here, another there, intimate further wrong doing and then say it is their fault it is published because they didn't call him back. Perhaps the most telling part of this planned attack is that it was timed to coincide with the world premiere of "Citizen McCaw".

Again, I have to ask -- why wasn't this dealt with in the newsroom? Maybe because he doesn't have the tape itself? Did he actually see it? An opinion piece is not the place to be breaking a story like this...

Assuming this tape exists, one has to figure there is an angry employee out there that gave it to Armstrong. What was the staff at KEYT thinking? I have to agree with TKA's question of them -- did they think it wouldn't get out? It's one thing to have some fun, it's another to make anti-semitic and sexual jokes in the workplace.

Expect some heads to roll on this one and TKA to have fodder for many more an editorial. I guess the film showing up on YouTube is next...he said as much himself and could we suppose he will make sure that happens?

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11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Even if true, who cares?

Yes, seems like they made a raunchy video of what would be highly insensitive if intended for anyone in public to see it. And, yes, quite naive to think a video on DVD would not get out.

But this was an internal joke by a commercial competitor of the News-Press.

Think about the source of this dropping shoe and the motivation here.

Besides, it all just creates more unit cohesion for KEYT and supports the growing Paula Lopez fan club, now a fully sanctioned chapter of The Cabal.

Someone in Storke Castle clearly has a problem with faux-Lesbian automotive erotica.

And TKA only dreams he has a size 13 shoe.

3/08/2008 9:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When will Blogabarbara post the mug shot picture of Travis Armstrong for his drunken driving arrest and conviction?

That received howls and shrieks during the Citizen McCaw film at Arlington Theater.

3/08/2008 9:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If Travis Armstrong's column is accurate, who are the lunatics who dreamed this thing up? And don't begin to focus on who let the video loose, it should never have been made, PERIOD. We are in the midst of a news crisis in Santa Barbara and you've just fed the beast responsible for it. Own up to it immediately, apologize and get rid of those responsible.

Unbelievable.

3/08/2008 10:25 AM  
Blogger Bill Carson said...

Wow. You're extreme dislike for Travis, and virtually anything he ever says, is becoming clearer and clearer. Will you ever be able to give him credit for a job well-done? His column about KEYT is completely justified, yet you find a way to couch it in the negative.

3/08/2008 12:29 PM  
Blogger johnsanroque said...

Reply to Bill Carson:

Sorry, I don’t disagree with you automatically—just when you’re wrong. You say that for Armstrong “this is a job well done”. Armstrong, and you evidently, have lost sight of the purpose of The News-Press or any decent newspaper. There’s not one person in this town who doesn’t know that Armstrong wrote this column to punish people he doesn’t like. That’s what he sees as the purpose of “his’ newspaper.

I assume that what Armstrong says is on the video is actually there. That’s an embarrassment for KEYT, but it’s people making fun of themselves. Armstrong not only publishes the details but asks for someone, anyone to put the tape on the web. He’s going to do that himself or see to it that it gets done, but wants to act as though he’s someone who doesn’t stoop that low. He’s a small, vindictive man in a position of power, and he uses his position to dirty up his enemies in any way he can. This is not journalism—it’s the petty stuff you expect from tabloids. Can the News-Press sink any further?

What KEYT evidently did is foolish and they will pay the price for it. It was not, however, malicious like the unfounded, unsourced, and intentionally destructive stuff by the News-Press on Jerry Roberts, more recently Paul Lopez, and many others. My guess is that Armstrong’s attacks on individuals he dislikes will eventually backfire when some of those people decide they will begin to play the game by using Armstrong’s rules.

I regret that you think he should get credit for this “job well done”. To me, it shows how far the News-Press has sunk and how devoid it is of journalistic direction and principle.

3/08/2008 3:29 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

You have to assume that anybody that Travis critizes must be in the right. Travis has lost any credibiltiy... and, I think it's fine for what they did... I'm a jew and maybe "Not a Jew Parking Spot" could be funny... the world is too uptight about being politically correct.

BTW, people last night were pointing out that Travis mainly has it out for women... could this have something to do with Travis's life?

3/08/2008 4:14 PM  
Blogger jqb said...

"clearer and clearer"? It's been quite clear for some time that the decent human beings in this town dislike TKA. Complaining about extreme dislike for TKA is like complaining about extreme dislike of Saddam Hussein or Jeffrey Dahmer.

"yet you find a way to couch it in the negative"

Being a TKA sort of person yourself, Bill, you don't actually point out any error in Sara's evaluation.

3/08/2008 4:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The 2000 seat theater was not sold out!

What a lie!

3/08/2008 8:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If everyone’s professional life was judged on the basis of moments of their personal life… then very few people, especial in this town, would have a job or be respected for the job they do. If this so called non-work related personal video exists; let’s chalk it up to a momentary lack of judgment. Some lack of judgment may result in a DUI and some lack of judgment may result in a video that, if made, wasn’t intended to be viewed by anyone except the people who made it and who were in it.

3/08/2008 10:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I worked at San Ysidro Ranch and did we used to have fun at ou Christmas banquets each year. We staged a show where we played rock stars etc., and it was all in good fun.

I think KEYT did the same, making fun of the tabloid aspect of the news these days, and so what.

If this is the best Travis can come up with, well congratulations Travis. Ding ding ding.

I want my paper back!!!!!

3/09/2008 11:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The 2000 seat theater was not sold out!

What a lie!

=========

So how many people do you think were there?

3/09/2008 4:16 PM  

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