NBC Nightly News does fair story on Y2K preparation

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

NBC Nightly Snooze (sorry :) just did a pretty fair story on Y2K prep which did *not* make fun of the concept, nor tag it as "survivalists" or "religious nuts" or "Armageddon" or etc. Those of you who get NBC at 7pm Eastern, or live in later time zones, will want to see this. You might consider taping it for friends. It is the first in a series of stories on Y2K in their "In Depth" segment. Interestingly, the key personal example which started the story was a respected local businesswoman (restaurant owner) who has five *months* worth of food stored.

FYI to all.

-- Drew Parkhill (y2k@cbn.org), February 23, 1999

Answers

Drew,

Overall, I thought it was pretty good. There was the hidden "doomsayers" namecalling at one point ... but pretty good.

tim

-- tim daniels (tim@commonsense.com), February 23, 1999.


I read someplace that the head of NBC news was being asked to resign for "sitting on" the Clinton/Broderick rape story until after the impeachment "trial". Now NBC seems to be fairly honest about Y2K.

Odd that a mainstream US media outlet would be so responsible...

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@Anonymous.com), February 23, 1999.


I happened to catch the program and thought it was well delivered.

I work in the same town as the business/businesswomen. Some of the locals don't think too much of her (ie crazy) - they are DGI in a big way. She's very low key about things and her business isn't really anything fancy. The folks I work with aren't convinced anything is going to happen. I keep trying to raise the awareness without getting labeled myself. The safest course so far has been to share 'mainstream' news articles and encourage folks in the 'appropriate' direction.

j

-- j (hemwat@bellsouth.net), February 23, 1999.


Hi Drew. Thanks for the heads up.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), February 23, 1999.

Hey, Rob,

Another good example of a Y2K failure- it's at

http://www.cbn.org/y2k/insights.asp?file=990223c.htm

(sorry, I don't have time to hyperlink it).

I've decided not to try to turn your examples list into a separate document. It would take too long, & I don't have time. So I'll probably just post a link to the thread this weekend.

-- Drew Parkhill/CBN News (y2k@cbn.org), February 23, 1999.



Just saw the NBC segment. Good reporting. The tide has turned. Obviously Greenspan's happy-face declaration was met simply with Americans determined to take their money anyway. 5 months of preparation -- they presented that in a favorable light. Lehman's is going bonkers with many orders. Showed normal people shopping in their store. More & more news reports showing, inch by inch, more & more preps in less & less ridiculed slant. We're certain those who saw tonight's segment will take Y2K more seriously and think about starting to stock up, if they haven't started already.

Tomorrow night, a look at Russia & Y2K & missiles.

Thanks for posting, Drew, we wouldn't have seen it without your thread title.

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), February 23, 1999.


Drew: I posted it to the thread - and thanks for the update too.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), February 23, 1999.

Thanks for the update and the reviews. 'Wish I'd seen the story. Too busy working on taxes (yuck) to turn on the tube.

Refreshing news considering the last report by Soledad O'Brian (with the planes won't fall out of the sky quote).

I still have purses older than Soledad O'Brian, but it's nice to know that other NBC correspondents get a grip. Just curious. . .was the correspondent over 40, or "cloned hair" and capped teeth? Glasses? Nerdy looking? Who was it? Thanks again. 'Night y'all

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), February 23, 1999.


I just watched it. Thought it was very good. No happy faces tonight. Things are looking serious.

Not a quote but close,,,Rep. Horn said a manageable problem has/is turning into a crisis.

Of course, Koskinin, said there will be no rick tot he public.

Gallup poll said more then one half of those survied thought Y2k would effect them personally. 65% would get bank statements 31% would have cash on hand 26% would stock up on food 45% of It Professionals would withdraw savings/cash

Hope to get a link

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), February 23, 1999.


I watched it with my husband and mother tonight and I felt the information was well delivered, but the percentages may be in question (here we go again with polls). My question is, why are they delivering this message now? I'm not into conspiracy theories, but I have my innerds telling me I smell a rat......

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), February 23, 1999.


I caught it too and kept trying to get back onto the forum but kept getting "connection to server could not be made" message. Anyhow here is transcript of coverage:

QUOTE...

Tom Brokaw: And the century begins. In cities around the world will the big celebrations suddenly go dark Is fear of possible chaos from computer failures well founded or is this a lot of overkill? The race is on. The race to be ready for what is now commonly called Y2K, Year 2000. Tonight we begin a series of reports starting with NBC's Jim Arbala (forgive the misspell of Jim's last name??) INDEPTH.

Jim Arbala: Vicky Crosby is ready. Self-sufficient in case her worse fears about the Year 2000 come true.

Vicky Crosby: I think that we will be thrown back to 1929 so fast it'll make our heads swell.

Jim Arbala: A respected restaurant owner in her North Florida home town, Crosby, is not an alarmist predicting armageddon. She's a mom responsible for her mother, husband, daughter and grand-daughter, who now has a house filled with a 5 month supply of food, water, and firewood.

Vicky Crosby: What if I'm not a loony? What if I am right? Is your family going to survive?

Jim Arbala: She's not alone. A December gallop poll says that more than half of America believes that change in millennia and possible computer failures around the world, the so-called Y2K crisis will cause them personal problems. How's the nation preparing. 65% say they'll order bank statements. 31% say they'll withdraw large amounts of cash. 47% say they'll avoid flying. 26% say they'll stockpile food and water. And 17% say they plan on buying a generator or wood stove for light and heat.

Leahman store owner/representative: Most of these are sold out.

Jim Arbala: ??? Leahman central Ohio hardware store has become Y2K headquarters. Hand-crank radios, wood-stoves, butter churns, flour mills, gas refrigerators. Water pumps all tradiontally stocked here for 45 years as a service to the surrounding Armish community pledged to a simple life without electricity, but who now can't get a basic wood-stove delivered because Y2K doom-sayers are literally buying out their store.

Leahman sales person: We are so busy and inundated with Y2K orders.

Leahman store owner/representative: It just tears me up to be here all these years. We've given excellent service and now all of a sudden we can't do it anymore.

Jim Arbala: Leahman says some are panicked beyond reason. Ordering products they don't even know how to operate.

Leahman store owner/representative: We had one guy that bought a ton of grain. A ton - that's a lot of grain.

Jim Arbala: The advice here is basics, light, heat, food, water. And the caution don't buy anything that will be of no use and could look foolish come March of 2000. And perhaps the best advice is to have some ready cash on hand. Why? Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, said today there's no chance of a bank collapse. But a survey to be released next month shows that 32% of 900 banks checked are not ready for the Y2K deadline. Another warns that 45% of the people who know computers best, technology professionals, say they plan to withdraw 2 to 6 weeks worth of cash in December, 1999.

????: Some people think that your money is going to be gone forever. It's not. It's going to be inaccessible in some cases. But for most people that's bad enough.

Jim Arbala: And as for Vicky Crosby and her Florida stockpile. She says it's proof she's not crazy just prepared. Jim Arbala NBC NEWS Kidron, Ohio.

END QUOTE....

By the way has anyone been watching the FOX News 5 coverage each morning this week on Y2K? I heard about it this morning when I was asked if I had seen anything. I wasn't even aware of it. Has anyone been watching? A report would be welcomed.

-- Anon (anon@abc.com), February 24, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ