News folks at other stations in town are fuming over the way WCVB's Susan Wornick got first dibs on video from an interview with Tom Menino [2] at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. As one newsie at another station tells us (on condition of anonymity, natch), Channel 5 didn't score some great scoop - the mayor was just gracing them for its live coverage of the annual lighting of the Christmas tree [3] on the Common.
This newsperson says Channel 5 at first told other stations it had the video and said it would provide a copy as part of a "pool" arrangement - common with stories where stations share video due to limited space, for example, at courtroom hearings.
Which you can't do. Pool video has to be talked about ahead of time. Then they said the mayor's office was giving Channel 5 the exclusive for 6 p.m. and then other stations, the Globe and Herald could have it. 5 said the mayor's office was holding it back and the mayor's office said, "because of their partnership with Channel 5, and the tree lighting."
They been giving stuff to Channel 5 for a long time and screwing everyone else, but yesterday was the worse! The Globe was crediting WCBV last night for the video - not WCVB. Wonder if it's a error or deliberate.