Will the OC Register nose-picker please desist at once?

From LA Observed:

Anyone who has watched the regular KOCE reports from the Register newsroom in Orange County knows it's hard enough to get print schlubs to give good television. It's even more challenging to do a quality show when one of the newspaper's editors all but moons the camera in the background. Now, it's been a difficult week at the Register's "content center," with running layoffs hacking at morale. But the news director of KOCE doesn't see the humor in some guy picking his nose on camera. His memo fingering the perp as a repeat offender, and warning the Register of consequences, is below:

Dear Colleagues,

We had an incident occur with a Register employee that is frankly inappropriate and unacceptable.

During an interview, which will air tonight, with Register reporter John Gittelsohn another Register employee walked over to the interview area, intentionally stood behind John, faced the camera, picked his nose, and wiped it on his shirt.

Unfortunately, this was part of our live-to-tape 30 minute broadcast which airs tonight at 6:30 for all to see. It is also scheduled to be posted on the Register website after it airs on Real Orange. I have attached a video still image for you to see right now.

I've spoken with Register Broadcast Engineer Don Nebel about this individual. Don has stated that when the lights for the camera go on and we begin interview segments, this individual makes it a point to be loud, disruptive, and perform antics for the camera. Don has "waived him off" on numerous occasions, however he continues to disrupt our segments and has now escalated his attempts to embarrass both KOCE and the Register.

We cannot continue to conduct interviews from the Register newsroom, with this employee present. I do not want to cancel the next 4 segments we have scheduled this week at the Register, nor do I want to ask Register reporters to take valuable time out of their day to travel to our studio to avoid this disruptive employee. But I will have to do one or the other, until I can be assured that this employee is no longer going to be a problem.

Michael Taylor
News Director, KOCE-TV

I don't know the picker, but my Register sources say his name is C.P. Smith — and that he has offered to take one of the buyouts. (And had been accepted.) * Update: Smith is the Register's page one editor, its former rock critic, and the husband of L.A. Times deputy editor Sherry Stern.

 

Sounds like management has a bone to pick with the guy.

 

I don't see why they're picking on this guy.

 

Pick on someone your own size!

 

I hate these fucking cameras.

I remember fondly when the National Post installed one in the sports department -- but for the entire newsroom to use when they were interviewed by whatever cable wonk.

Bad idea.

We weren't just being dicks. It was annoying as hell to listen to someone shouting into their earpiece while we're trying to write on deadline. (We didn't have the fancy glass partition that seems to be in vogue these days.)

Nose picking. Fake fights. An automotive journalist (dweeb) swearing on live TV after taking a NERF football to the side of the head.

I had to do it once, and I made sure I looked like I just got out of bed, hair everywhere, grotty Fu Manchu, wrinkled Hawaiian shirt, taking sips out of a coffee mug.

Never got asked again. And eventually, the camera got moved to business.

If I wanted to be on TV, I'd wear pancake. I don't.

Rock on, C.P. Smith, rock on.

 

I don't know, that looks like a scratch to me.

 

It's always nice to dress up on camera...

 

Jones=Nick Nolte

 

Sherry Stern, what a lucky gal. She went digging for gold there.

 

Jones readies himself for the next book tour.

 

Looks like there's more to be mined, too.

 

Booger Man strikes again.

;D