Existing comment:
The Real Story:
Twiggy, the water-skiing squirrel, became a broadcast TV sensation in 1979 when WFTV-TV in Orlando, Fla., filmed her skiing on popsicle sticks attached to a motorized toy boat. TV newscasts in the 1970s injected heavy doses of upbeat human-interest stories and animal features into their reports, at the urging of ratings-savvy news consultants. At Chicago's WLS-TV, reporter Frank Mathie "interviewed" a chimpanzee and wrestled a bear. At KNXT-TV in Los Angeles, a reporter wearing a wet suit plunged into the water to "interview" a porpoise. Animal stories were not without their risks; WKYC-TV reporter Del Donahoo got 48 stitches after he was mauled by a lion while covering a lion-taming act ner Cleveland. |