This afternoon May 11, 2005 Knox County School Bus 150 that serves Karns Middle and Karns High School collided with a tree. WBIR covered the story with a reporter via cell phone, stating that the bus rolled and was down an embankment. The reporter stated that he was being held away from the scene and could not see the students. WATE covered the story in the same manner.

In typical male fashion I changed the channel to Comcast Channel 5 WVLT Volunteer TV. They had live helicopter shots, Eric Wadell on the scene, an interview with a young lady associated with the Karns Volunteer Fire Department. She reported that all students had been transported except one, this student would be transported soon, there appeared to be no life threatening injuries.

Channel 8 stayed with the story, I clicked back to WBIR to find Live at Five Host Russell Bivens playing chess with what appeared to be a young man about 7 years old. Then I clicked to WATE to find the weather guy telling us what the weather was like. All the while Channel 8 is live with the important news of the day. I stayed with Volunteer TV (CBS affiliate) Channel 8. Check the link on this post and see the photos, no other station in this town had anything close to this coverage.

Channel 8 recently began a media campaign entitled …It’s an East Tennessee kind of thing. ..They are exactly right, they know this community and they realized what those of us in East Tennessee needed to know at 4:30pm-5:30pm, are our kids ok.

Channel 8 scored big today. They scooped the two stations that supposedly have the higher ratings, the larger staffs and the larger salaries. Not only do they win my endorsement for their superior local coverage today and everyday. They now have earned the television link on this blog.