KevinBoie_FOX4's Blog

A FOX 4 staffer has a personal connection to a horrible story we're covering today about a minister accused of unthinkable crimes.

The man, who is a minister in Alabama and graduated from a Dallas high school, allegedly killed his wife, froze her body for years and terrorized his eight children -- raping at least one of them.

When I was working to put the story on the Web site, she saw the man's mug shot and the vague recognition quickly turned to shock as she realized the suspect had been a close friend of a relative.

When she said so, we were all gap-jawed, actually.

Personally, I've never had so close a connection to a potential criminal. What about you?

It's not easy coming up with new ways to tell similar stories day in and day out, so it's inevitable that you'll hear us deliver a cliché or two.

In the news biz, we have fun tracking the clichés du jour. In fact, one of our trade Web sites recently posted some current and timeless phrases that you've likely heard a million times.

I've listed a few of the worst offenders here -- most of which I hope to never hear or see again.

How do you feel about news clichés? Do they grate on your nerves like they do mine? What are some of the faves you love to hate?

"The rain did not dampen the spirits of..."
"As you can see behind me"
"Pain at the pump"
"Every parent's worst nightmare"
"Lucky to be alive"
"Speaks out"
"No stranger to…"
"Took to the streets"
"For more on this story, go to our Web site."
"Neighbors say they never expected this to happen in this quiet neighborhood."
"Gearing up"
"It happened again."
"It looks like a war zone."
"Shots rang out"
"Breathing a sigh of relief"
"Ignited a firestorm of controversy"
"Parents are up in arms"

Which local news Web site is best? We were put to the test in a new article in D magazine's CEO edition.

I had the pleasure of being featured in the article, which breaks down our market's four major TV news Web sites.

"This Just In! Web Fight" also rates the sites. Read the grade we got compared to our competitors and see if you agree (or disagree).

We're re-designing our site soon, but feel free to offer your suggestions on ways we can improve. (Or shower us with kudos and compliments.)

Read Article Here.

Did anyone see today's Good Day segments with reporter Krystle Gutierrez and her clone?

If you didn't, I thought I'd share because it's pretty amusing and the odds are probably one in a million.

As it turns out, the woman Krystle interviewed was wearing the same exact outfit, right down to the earrings.

Here's one of the clips. Enjoy!

The end of the year is fast approaching and that means it's time to reveal the top stories of 2007.

Think you know which news stories generated the most traffic to myfoxdfw.com? I'm sure some might surprise you.

Without any further a due. It's time to reveal this year's top 10. Drum roll please.

10.) Mom, Son Use BBQ Tools to Stop Suspected Child Rapist
Story Here

9.) Alleged Fetus in School Locker Turns Out to Be Fruit
Story lost in cyber space. Original story here.

8.) FOX 4 Chopper Makes Emergency Landing
Story Here

7.) Police: Denton Teacher Had Sex With 13-Year-Old Former Student
Story Here

6.) Woman Claims Made-In-China Flip-Flops Burned Feet
Story Here

5.) Racing Legend Recovering After Crash
Story Here

4.) Police Discover Large Marijuana Field in Southwest Dallas Sunday
(In the interest of full disclosure, this is actually a combo deal of a few similar stories that sort of became one big one.)
Story Here

3.) Video Shows Jet Ski Going Over Spillway
Story Here

2.) Mom Indicted for Selling Daughter
Story Here

1.) Patience Pays Off Big for Dallas iPhone Fan
Story Here

Well, there you have it. And here's to next year!

We members of the Web team have finally completed the move to our new home. Actually, we've been here for a while, but today we installed the last pieces of equipment that made our move completely, well complete.

We never solved the murder mystery that sullied this joyous occasion, but as you can see from the photo pasted below, the stain from the body is still on our carpet. And who has time to dwell on a little killing when you have a roomy new workspace complete with all the equipment you need to get the job done?

I use the word "roomy" loosely because while our desk accommodates all of our technology, there's little room for anything else -- like a box of tissues. You'll find those stuffed behind one of my monitors, along with a cacophonous pile of various office supplies, blank CDs, hand sanitizer and lotion, and my energy bars.

What about our bags, purses, umbrellas and other personal carry-ins, you ask? You'll find them at our feet, where we do the River Dance on them all day long. I'm fond of rolling over my man purse and jamming the strap between the wheels of my chair.
 
Hey -- it ain't easy finding room for 11 monitors, four PCs, five keyboards and mice, four phones, a DVR, tape decks, router and switcher -- not to mention four bodies and all the junk they carry around.

Speaking of bodies -- if there ever was a murder at the Web desk, and I'm not saying there was, we simply don't have the space to have left the evidence lying around.

Work continues as we prepare to move our Web desk to its new home. During my last update, some of you commented that the picture of the construction looked like a crime scene.

Well, do I have an titillating update for you! In the rubble, our Web producer extraordinaire, Alice, spotted what looks like a ... well, look at the pictures below and you be the judge. (Cue dramatic organ music.)

The first is just a general shot followed by Alice's shocking discovery. Please note Alice's fine manicure and hand modeling ability.

Saws are buzzing, hammers are pounding and screwdrivers are twisting. There's a big move on the way.

No, FOX 4 isn't relocating, but the Web desk is. Our current quarters are shall we say ... cramped. So, we're changing things around in the newsroom a bit to give us some more elbow room.

Some of the reporters had to vacate their desks at a moment's notice but their new digs are not bad and aside from some good-natured ribbing, they've been very cool about it.

Here's a picture of the mess so far.

Hello, friends. Network maintenance on our blogs is rescheduled for tonight beginning at 11 p.m. and will last for approximately 6 hours. Our tech team was not able to execute the fix on Thursday. Apologies! (Don;t kill the messenger.) During this time you will be unable to blog. Again, sorry about the inconvenience and thanks for your patience!

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