Questions about Memphis,TN

[OnAirTalent]

Is it a good market to work in? What about to live in? How is the pay compared to other markets? Are the local newscasts/stations there worth watching and/or working for?

Thanks in advance...

[Spike]

Memphis will be destroyed by an earthquake. You won't want to be there when that happens.

[Seraph]

I certainly don't want that to happen. I avoid Tokyo because when Godzilla attacks, the whole city is going down.

[Spike]

Originally posted by Seraph:
I certainly don't want that to happen. I avoid Tokyo because when Godzilla attacks, the whole city is going down.Godzilla is just a movie. The New Madrid Seismic Zone is real.

http://www.datasync.com/~rsf1/nmsz3.jpg

[RollTide98]

Originally posted by OnAirTalent:
Is it a good market to work in? What about to live in? How is the pay compared to other markets? Are the local newscasts/stations there worth watching and/or working for?

Thanks in advance...Send me a PM.

[The Mockingbird]

If you're a reporter in Memphis, there's a good chance you'll get to do lots of fun crime liveshots.

There were 119 murders reported in Memphis, TN. in 2006.

[Spike]

Originally posted by The Mockingbird:
If you're a reporter in Memphis, there's a good chance you'll get to do lots of fun crime liveshots.
At least until it is destroyed in a great upheaval of the earth.

[newsguy24]

Memphis is a decent mid-size news town. It's very fast paced, with lots of crime related stories. The best place to work, in my opinion, is WREG (CBS) - it's also probably the best paying. WMC (NBC) used to be the tradition #1, but has slipped in recent books.

WHBQ (FOX) is currently an O&O, but is now up for sale so you may want to tread lightly.

You can skip WPTY (ABC) all together. They shouldn't even come to work.

[Signature on File]

All I know is Tom Hanks was heading there when his Fed X plane crashed in the ocean and he started talking to a soccer ball.

[Eeps Snorps Now]

Spike is absolutely correct.

The New Madrid Fault/Memphis story is one of the great American tragedies waiting to happen. It will not roll out slowly, as Katrina did, it will come with no warning, and depending on the time of day, will kill hundreds or thousands of people (the number of people being in high-rise buildings being the primary variable) and destroy billions of dollars of private and public property and infrastructure.

This is not a test or a movie or a punchline, folks. If you want a chance to report on one of the great stories of our time, Memphis would be the place to be...and hopefully your advance reporting on the threat will raise awareness of just how real the NMF and this city's precarious, non-earthquake-standard perch on flimsy Delta soil is.

St. Louis, further away and built on a much firmer foundation, is exposed. But Memphis is the next New Orleans, and odds are good the fault could cause a "big one" at any time.

[Spike]

http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/recenteqs/Maps/90-36.gif

[guesswhoiam]

Originally posted by Eeps Snorps Now:
Spike is absolutely correct.

The New Madrid Fault/Memphis story is one of the great American tragedies waiting to happen. It will not roll out slowly, as Katrina did, it will come with no warning, and depending on the time of day, will kill hundreds or thousands of people (the number of people being in high-rise buildings being the primary variable) and destroy billions of dollars of private and public property and infrastructure.

This is not a test or a movie or a punchline, folks. If you want a chance to report on one of the great stories of our time, Memphis would be the place to be...and hopefully your advance reporting on the threat will raise awareness of just how real the NMF and this city's precarious, non-earthquake-standard perch on flimsy Delta soil is.

St. Louis, further away and built on a much firmer foundation, is exposed. But Memphis is the next New Orleans, and odds are good the fault could cause a "big one" at any time.so, should one avoid moving to Nashville? since hubby has decided to take up housekeeping with the homecoming queen who wouldn't give him the time of day in high school, i'm thinking about just packing up and moving there, trying to find a non-tv job. would that be a bad move?

[Consider This]

Originally posted by guesswhoiam:

so, should one avoid moving to Nashville? since hubby has decided to take up housekeeping with the homecoming queen who wouldn't give him the time of day in high school, i'm thinking about just packing up and moving there, trying to find a non-tv job. would that be a bad move?You hoping to turn your life story into a hit country song?

[swimswithsharks]

Originally posted by newsguy24:
Memphis is a decent mid-size news town. It's very fast paced, with lots of crime related stories. The best place to work, in my opinion, is WREG (CBS) - it's also probably the best paying. WMC (NBC) used to be the tradition #1, but has slipped in recent books.

WHBQ (FOX) is currently an O&O, but is now up for sale so you may want to tread lightly.

You can skip WPTY (ABC) all together. They shouldn't even come to work.News guy
I'm guessing you work in the market, so you should know that WMC took back the number 1 spot in May and kept it (by a convincing margin) in July

[Spike]

Originally posted by swimswithsharks:
News guy
I'm guessing you work in the market, so you should know that WMC took back the number 1 spot in May and kept it (by a convincing margin) in JulyIt won't matter when they're at the bottom of the Mississippi River.

[sportzfanatic]

Originally posted by Consider This:
Originally posted by guesswhoiam:

so, should one avoid moving to Nashville? since hubby has decided to take up housekeeping with the homecoming queen who wouldn't give him the time of day in high school, i'm thinking about just packing up and moving there, trying to find a non-tv job. would that be a bad move?Nashville is three hours away from Memphis, and worlds apart. You should be in good shape if you want to move there, both from crime and the earthquake threat.

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by swimswithsharks:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by newsguy24:
Memphis is a decent mid-size news town. It's very fast paced, with lots of crime related stories. The best place to work, in my opinion, is WREG (CBS) - it's also probably the best paying. WMC (NBC) used to be the tradition #1, but has slipped in recent books.

WHBQ (FOX) is currently an O&O, but is now up for sale so you may want to tread lightly.

You can skip WPTY (ABC) all together. They shouldn't even come to work.News guy
I'm guessing you work in the market, so you should know that WMC took back the number 1 spot in May and kept it (by a convincing margin) in July</font>[/QUOTE]Tracy Rogers is now ND at WMC. A sharp one and one of my favorite ND's I ever worked for! She'll continue to keep them up there for as long as she's there.

[ August 07, 2007, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Ranger Bob ]

[guesswhoiam]

Originally posted by Consider This:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by guesswhoiam:

so, should one avoid moving to Nashville? since hubby has decided to take up housekeeping with the homecoming queen who wouldn't give him the time of day in high school, i'm thinking about just packing up and moving there, trying to find a non-tv job. would that be a bad move?You hoping to turn your life story into a hit country song?</font>[/QUOTE]hey, a newly (though not yet legally) single girl has to earn a living somehow. ;)

[Tripe Face]

Originally posted by Spike:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by swimswithsharks:
News guy
I'm guessing you work in the market, so you should know that WMC took back the number 1 spot in May and kept it (by a convincing margin) in JulyIt won't matter when they're at the bottom of the Mississippi River.</font>[/QUOTE]Two different maps posted on here show NO earthquakes in the immediate Memphis area. I think you are scaring all those Elvis fans unnecessarily.

[mothball]

Memphis in a day:

Breakfast: The Blue Plate Cafe on Poplar. You'll probably have to wait in line. Bring a good friend or a newspaper to read. The servings are big, the wait staff is friendly, and the setting is cozy. And they will "special request" out the yang and not charge you extra -- even if it's something weird like a salsa omelet with slightly burnt flapjacks and honey.

Lunch: Golden India on Madison. Park behind the building -- there's a back entrance. Fantastic but small buffet covers all the basics -- plus the best samosa and chai you can find in the area. Don't expect to hear much English in the early afternoons.

Dinner: Texas de Brazil, for meat lovers. And I mean meat lovers. Might as well pop out the big bucks and stay at the Peabody or one of the other close-by hotels because you'll fall asleep from overeating otherwise on your way home. The lamb alone is worth the trip. Ain't cheap, but it is fabulous.

Things to do in Memphis when you aren't yet dead:

The bar scene at TJ Mulligan's on Quince is very much like Cheers some days. They won't know your name, since you're not from there, but they'll treat you like they do. Have the potato soup with your beer.

Watch the lesbian cross-dressers and the shiny girls at Peabody Place. When it comes to Saturday nights late, you go to the Place for one of four reasons:
1. You're a tourist and you don't know any better
2. You miss Dave & Busters and want to hang at Jillian's (the cool folks hang out in the bowling alley)
3. You're going to see a movie
4. You're there to dig all the chicks
And I do mean chicks -- every color, size, race -- all checking each other out, and not over envy.

Go see a basketball game.

Go shopping: great outlet shopping just out of town at exit 20 (Memphis will already be on the other side of exit 20 by next year at this rate). Wolfchase Galleria has probably the most stores. There's a damned lot of places to go shopping. Believe me.

Go to a concert on Mud Island. 'Nuff said.

Where not to stay overnight: Heartbreak Hotel. It's a rattrap sucking off the memory of Elvis. Sure -- go to Graceland -- but stay downtown or out west if you're overnighting it.

Best hotel breakfast you don't have to pay extra for: Drury Inn.

Dumb thing to marvel at -- the strange building about a block off I-240 and Union downtown that appears to be three completely separate buildings built on top of each other. What the hell?

Another dumb thing -- the number of empty highrises (maybe they listened to Spike).

Most overlooked nice place to go -- Meeman-Shelby State Park -- very pretty. Very forest-y.

Warning for motorists: In Memphis, the shoulder is considered an acceptable passing lane.

[Spike]

Originally posted by Tripe Face:
Two different maps posted on here show NO earthquakes in the immediate Memphis area. I think you are scaring all those Elvis fans unnecessarily.Not at all. The quakes of 1811 and 1812, which were as strong as 7.9, actually changed the course of the Mississippi River, forming waterfalls and causing it to flow backward for a while. Boats that were on the river at the time were capsized by a wall of water coming at them from the wrong direction. The quake was so strong that it formed Reelfoot Lake, seen on the map, with water from the Mississippi. It was felt so far away that it rang church bells in Boston. Eyewitness accounts stated that terrain as far as a hundred miles away from the epicenter rose or fell fifty feet in places from the undulation of the shock waves.

The problem is the terrain. Earthquakes out west tend to be absorbed fairly quickly. But in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, the vibrations and their associated damage travel long distances in that kind of geological conditions. Memphis is within 50 miles of it and rests on sediment that will be jumping like popcorn.

Here's a picture that illustrates it:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cb/Charleston1895.gif

This is a comparison of an 1895 earthquake in the NMSZ with the 1994 Northridge quake. Red indicates areas of structural damage. Yellow indicates where the quakes were felt. See the difference? That's a 6.8 quake on the far north end of the NMSZ, and it reached all the way down to where Memphis would have been. What's being predicted now is another quake of the magnitude of the quakes of 1811 and 1812, which went MUCH further.

The only reason those quakes aren't a bigger part of history classes is that few people lived in that part of the country when it happened. There were no major cities there. But leave it to the stupidity of man to go right along behind the earthquake, not even ten years later, and build Memphis right in the destruction zone. WHEN the big one hits, Memphis will make New Orleans look like a block party.

[wxtips]

The aftershocks that followed the big quake in 1811 and into 1812 eventually caused the town of Little Prairie, MO to slough off into the river. I doubt anyone would like to see that happen again. This fault line is also very different than the San Andreas. It is actually buried much deeper in the earth and will create different shockwaves.

Anyhoo, I love Memphis, went to a small private school there for undergrad, know a few folks working in the market, and grew up on the fringes of the viewing area. PM me for details.

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by mothball:
The Blue Plate Cafe on Poplar. AMEN!!!!

[Spike]

Originally posted by wxtips:
This fault line is also very different than the San Andreas. It is actually buried much deeper in the earth and will create different shockwaves.This is true. In fact, the fault is the reason the Mississippi follows the route that it does. The fault created the valley that the river follows. Without the fault, there might have been no Mississippi River at all.

The reason there's such a problem at New Madrid in particular is that there's a huge volcanic rock some 50 miles long laying across the fault deep underground. Look at this picture again:

http://www.datasync.com/~rsf1/nmsz3.jpg

Notice the long tail of epicenters that snakes off from the northeast to the southwest and ends between Jonesboro and Memphis. That's the fault line. But then look at that mass of epicenters at the top of the picture, running roughly north to south under Reelfoot Lake. That's the location of that huge rock laying across the fault. As the fault moves, it causes that rock to twist, tumble and break.

If that rock weren't there, the fault would move relatively smoothly and not cause as much violent activity. But with that rock there, not only does it cause more stress, but the stresses move in unpredictable directions. That, coupled with sediment that is highly prone to liquifaction, transmits those tremors hundreds of miles without significantly weakening them.

And thus, Memphis is doomed. Enjoy it while you can.

[observer]

Memphis really holds the summer heat in well.

[Produce man]

Originally posted by Ranger Bob:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mothball:
The Blue Plate Cafe on Poplar. AMEN!!!!</font>[/QUOTE]+ Blues City Cafe on Beale!

[BrgrKing15]

Originally posted by Produce man:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Ranger Bob:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mothball:
The Blue Plate Cafe on Poplar. AMEN!!!!</font>[/QUOTE]+ Blues City Cafe on Beale!</font>[/QUOTE]GUS'S FRIED CHICKEN and CORKY'S BBQ!!!!

Corky's bbq ribs are the best.

[Hank Scorpio]

Originally posted by Signature on File:
All I know is Tom Hanks was heading there when his Fed X plane crashed in the ocean and he started talking to a soccer ball.Volleyball

[Produce man]

Originally posted by BrgrKing15:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Produce man:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Ranger Bob:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mothball:
The Blue Plate Cafe on Poplar. AMEN!!!!</font>[/QUOTE]+ Blues City Cafe on Beale!</font>[/QUOTE]GUS'S FRIED CHICKEN and CORKY'S BBQ!!!!

Corky's bbq ribs are the best.</font>[/QUOTE]You've got to have them at the Poplar location!

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by Produce man:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Ranger Bob:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mothball:
The Blue Plate Cafe on Poplar. AMEN!!!!</font>[/QUOTE]+ Blues City Cafe on Beale!</font>[/QUOTE]Oh yeah! Done that too!! and King's Palace, too...Corkey's too....Gus' is great, too...but I still slightly lean toward Prince's in Nashville for the fried chicken....sorry....it's close....but hey...if the Allman Bros used to steer their bus by there on the way in and out of town, you know it's awesome.

[ August 09, 2007, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: Ranger Bob ]

[mothball]

If you must visit a Hooters, skip the Getwell location at all costs. It's worth the extra gas to drive out to Germantown. Girls look better, and no one's going to steal your hubcaps/gas cap/windshield wipers/car/etc.

[MichaelPS]

Gonna disagree on Corky's. Pretty standard fare.

The Interstate, however, is the five star restaurant of bbq joints. Haven't been to Memphis in a few years. It's still around, I assume?

As for Gus'. The original, far from Memphis, was great until it burned. Never got a chance to eat at the one in town.

I still get cravings for the rolls at Buntyn's.

[ August 10, 2007, 08:25 AM: Message edited by: MichaelPS ]

[Eeps Snorps Now]

Originally posted by MichaelPS:


The Interstate, however, is the five star restaurant of bbq joints. Haven't been to Memphis in a few years. It's still around, I assume?

Amen on that, Michael. I don't live in Memphis but frequently travel through, and always "time" my passage through town around Jim Neely's Cathedral to Q. Ribs, burnt ends, the best chopped shoulder sandwich in creation, and man, that BBQ spaghetti as a side.

http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/PURSUITS/FOOD/9910/barbecue.ap/barbecue.ap.jpg

Thanks a lot, now I'm hungry and hundreds of miles away from Mecca...uh...Memphis. graemlins/icon_pray.gif

[Spike]

Originally posted by MichaelPS:
Haven't been to Memphis in a few years. It's still around, I assume?Memphis is still around. For now...

[Eeps Snorps Now]

Originally posted by Spike:
Memphis is still around. For now...

In truth, the best place to be when the NMF does claim Memphis is the Interstate. There are plenty of sturdy burglar bars on the doors and windows to help buttress the one-story building.

Even if you do cash in your chips, you will do so surrounded by Memphis' best commercially-available BBQ, thus already conveniently close to Heaven.

[ August 10, 2007, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: Eeps Snorps Now ]

[upandown]

Spike, that was impressive.

[foxravens]

People...people...

If you're talking ribs in Memphis and the word "Rendezvous" is not in heavy use, then you have a credibility problem.

[SpxGrunt]

Originally posted by foxravens:
People...people...

If you're talking ribs in Memphis and the word "Rendezvous" is not in heavy use, then you have a credibility problem.Agreed. I lived in that restaurant for a week when I was covering a tournament there.

[MichaelPS]

For dry rub, yes, the Rendezvous is up there, but it's still not the best, and before I wait three hours for ribs, I'll head to the BBQ Shop or the Interstate. The Rendezvous is where you take out of town guests so they'll get good bbq in a place that makes them feel like they've really discovered a Memphis secret. But it was never my first choice when I was there.

But then, my views on where to work in Memphis are also unconventional to many :)

Where I live now, Jim and Nicks or Dreamland will have to do.

[ August 12, 2007, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: MichaelPS ]

[Eeps Snorps Now]

There was a time, yes.

But the last few times I've been there (as recently as a few weeks ago) it was consistently...underwhelming. The Q wasn't just dry, it was dried OUT...and pretty well flavorless. The service was marginal, and I had the distinct impression of being in a tourist restaurant.

I wish it wasn't that way...i've been going to the Rendevous for decades, and it's always been the gold standard for dry ribs...but come on now, it's living on its reputation.

[Diplomat]

Originally posted by sportzfanatic:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Consider This:
Originally posted by guesswhoiam:

so, should one avoid moving to Nashville? since hubby has decided to take up housekeeping with the homecoming queen who wouldn't give him the time of day in high school, i'm thinking about just packing up and moving there, trying to find a non-tv job. would that be a bad move?Nashville is three hours away from Memphis, and worlds apart. You should be in good shape if you want to move there, both from crime and the earthquake threat.</font>[/QUOTE]Indeed.

[Spike]

Originally posted by Diplomat:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by sportzfanatic:
Nashville is three hours away from Memphis, and worlds apart. You should be in good shape if you want to move there, both from crime and the earthquake threat.Indeed.</font>[/QUOTE]The problem with Nashville is that it's full of Jesus freaks. Better dust off your Bible and be prepared to talk about Jesus wherever you go.

I would rather take my chances in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

[Diplomat]

Again, Spike prints his canard about Nashville. If he actually spent appreciable time here, he'd know it isn't true. I guess he just likes to play the victim. :rolleyes:

[OnAirTalent]

Come on now, you all. I come here asking about working in the market, what stations are best to work for there, etc. and 95% of the responses I get are about BBQ and earthquakes?!?

[Diplomat]

Originally posted by OnAirTalent:
Come on now, you all. I come here asking about working in the market, what stations are best to work for there, etc. and 95% of the responses I get are about BBQ and earthquakes?!?From what I know of the market, the NBC and CBS affiliates are the best to work for; the Fox station is OK. The ABC station should be avoided.

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by OnAirTalent:
Come on now, you all. I come here asking about working in the market, what stations are best to work for there, etc. and 95% of the responses I get are about BBQ and earthquakes?!?Actually, it's true! The BBQ in Memphis is indeed "to die for" (earthquakes). It's that good. It's worth the risk! Believe it! The CBS, NBC and Fox shops are all good. I don't know anything about the ABC, except their employees get great BBQ in Memphis.....

[Eeps Snorps Now]

Well, yeah, Memphis...that would be BBQ and earthquakes.

And the ducks at the Peabody. Don't forget the ducks. Imagine what Jim Neely could do with them babies.

[Marty McFly]

Hey Spike, WE GET IT. In a matter of hours, Memphis will cease to exist, falling prey to the deadly earthquakes. And now we all realize that you are all-knowing not only about television and accounting, but also about earthquakes and the like. :rolleyes:

[Spike]

Originally posted by Marty McFly:
And now we all realize that you are all-knowing not only about television and accounting, but also about earthquakes and the like. :rolleyes: I never claimed to be all-knowing.

I just know more than you.

[Marty McFly]

Setting the bar low, aren't we? :D

[Kimberly]

Great news town in terms of content.
I'm in a much larger Top 15 market now and my stories here are snoozers compared to what I covered in Memphis.
WMC & WREG are the best shops in town.
WHBQ does a respectable job...flashy new set and a good news director.
WPTY is the "newest" station but I hear they've been doing better in recent years.
I didn't like the city much but for experience in terms of news it's great.
And as some of the posters on here have indicated...the food in Memphis is awesome. Best bar b-que and southern cooking I've had anywhere.

[mothball]

Funny you posted that the day of the I-40 shutdown.

[AVandalay]

The one great thing about the Rendezvous is that you can have their ribs (and pork, beans, slaw, etc.) shipped overnight via FedEx. It's relatively inexpensive for everything that you get and since the ribs are flash frozen, preparation involves nothing more than throwing them on the grill or in the oven. And now my mouth is watering...

[foxravens]

Originally posted by Spike:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Marty McFly:
And now we all realize that you are all-knowing not only about television and accounting, but also about earthquakes and the like. :rolleyes: I never claimed to be all-knowing.

I just know more than you.</font>[/QUOTE]I LIKE this matchup!
Carry on, gentlemen...

[Produce man]

Corky's does that too! smile.gif

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by Kimberly:
WHBQ does a respectable job...flashy new set and a good news director.Is Ken Jobe still there? Great ND and a cool guy!

[Mr. Pratfall]

Are Mama's Family re-runs still a big draw in Memphis?

[newsguy24]

News guy
I'm guessing you work in the market, so you should know that WMC took back the number 1 spot in May and kept it (by a convincing margin) in July[/b]</font>Tracy Rogers is now ND at WMC. A sharp one and one of my favorite ND's I ever worked for! She'll continue to keep them up there for as long as she's there.

[ August 07, 2007, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Ranger Bob ][/QUOTE]

I don't, but I'm from there. Any yes, I had heard Tracey got WMC back to where they were. Good for them! If they weren't Raycom, I'd be closer to my parents.