PC: Train footage for FOX T.V. special (fwd)

[alcoman <alcoman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Please dont respond to all if you have any comments....for once someone
wants to do a "railroads are not the evil ones" piece

William J. Enser         Co-Network Admin - Technical Support 
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Home Page:http://alcoman.railfan.net                                   

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 13:10:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: Blue Moon Network Administrator <root -AT- net.bluemoon.net>
To: NYC-Railroad -AT- onelist.com
Cc: Will Enser <alcoman -AT- net.bluemoon.net>
Subject: Train footage for FOX T.V. special (fwd)


I received this from Rich LaRose who is doing a FOX special on railroad safety
and technology. My comments to a skeptic from the EL mail list follow Rich's
letter.

If anyone wishes to assist Rich please make sure any reply goes to his email
address at kaosent -AT- earthlink.net as well as to this list or myself.

J. Henry Priebe Jr.       Blue Moon President & Network Administrator
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Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 16:27:39 +0000
From: Rich LaRose <kaosent -AT- earthlink.net>
To: root -AT- net.bluemoon.net
Subject: Train footage for FOX T.V. special



To whom it may concern:

I am working on a FOX Network special featuring train wrecks, airing
nationwide May 25th. We are looking for "caught on tape" video footage of
train collisions, trains hitting cars, spilling cargo, derailing, etc. We
will pay for this footage. Please e-mail me, at: kaosent -AT- earthlink.net.

Thanks!

Rich  


<<<<

More information in my reply to a skeptic:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 11:55:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: Blue Moon Network Administrator <root -AT- net.bluemoon.net>
To: erielack -AT- internexus.net
Subject: Re: (erielack) Train footage for FOX T.V. special (fwd)

On Wed, 28 Apr 1999 Gary_Merrifield -AT- NOTES.UP.COM wrote:

> 
> 
> I suggest that no one provide these media hacks any assistance by providing
> them info, footage etc.  They can go $hit in thier hats.  The line between
> "mainstream" media and tabloid journalism fadded away years ago, and the
> masses are too busy to think for themselves anymore, so the media
> spoonfeeds everyone soundbites and snippets to keep thier ratings up and
> please the stockholders.  The media will be a key ingredient in the
> ruination of this country if left to run in thier current mode.  I suggest
> everyone ignore them if requested for info or footage.  Beyond that do what
> you want, but I am much happier reading the drudge site online or the wall
> street journal.  I will not be a factor in thier ratings war, insist on
> thinking for myself and have lowered my stress an blood pressure by tuning
> out the media.
> Regards everyone !!

I spoke with Rich LaRose on the phone yesterday.

Apparently the focus of this piece is not on disaster sensationalism or
industry smearing, but on safety and the technological advances of railroading
in this century. He assured me that this will be a serious piece including
public awareness of what responsibilities the general public bears for rail
safety such as not running grade crossing signals. We discussed a number of
related topics and I got the distinct impression that he was sincere about
portraying the rail transporation industry in a positive light.

He also spoke with a friend of mine yesterday and left my friend with the same
impression. 

Rich has been in touch with Operation Lifesaver organizations all over the
country and I gave him contact information for our local rep here as well.

He agreed that the media as of late has not acted as responsibly as they should
have and agreed that rail transportation is still by far the safest and most
efficient way to move people and goods from point A to point B and that he
would like to see more people using trains, both passenger and freight.

I was almost stunned by his take on the issues and while I'll always be
skeptical of the media in general I have great hopes that this will be an all
around positive piece for the railroads. I have no love for the media in
general and FOX in particular due to a disagreement in the past (another long
story), but I have a good feeling about this piece.

As an added bonus I managed to ram home the point that in most cases
serious railfans are an asset to the railroads while railroads have 
increasingly been hostile to railfans, often treating us as nothing less than
a criminal element and at best, an insurance risk. He thought that was a really
interesting point and worthy of discussion. I have always envisioned a sort of
partnership between serious railfans and railroads to the benefit of both and
thought that only really big problem with that has been communication. he
appeared to think that was a worthy enough concept for mention in the piece,
but we'll have to see what shakes out in the end.

I'll remain somewhat skeptical until I see the finished product which
supposedly will air nationally on May 25, but I truly have high hopes for
this one, both for railroads and railfans alike.

J. Henry Priebe Jr.       Blue Moon President & Network Administrator
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And, as an addendum, Mike Delvecchio (of Carstens RR publications fame) is also
lending a hand to Rich with sources and information after seeing my original
post to tje EL mail list.

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