I’ve learned a lot working as a web producer at FOX40 news in Sacramento. I’ve learned that people who comment on our station’s Facebook page are crazier than people who call the newsroom. I’ve learned that driving through South Sacramento is like cruising through a funny farm. And I’ve learned that people, in the evenings, like stories about corpses and sex, and galleries of tragic things like Amy Winehouse or uncomfortable things like awkward family pet photos or “sexy” things like Comicon Babes.
My routine goes like this: I arrive around 3:30pm, and immediately scan KTLA and WPIX for weird stories. Anything disgusting will do the trick. You see, a major part of my job is getting clicks for the website, and I’ve learned what will do just that it in the evenings. A couple days ago, I saw a story titled, “Corpse Wakes up in a Morgue Refrigerator“, and knew I hit a gold mine. Sure enough, people began sharing it on Facebook, and it got a thousand or so clicks in a short time period. The next day I came to work, I was rewarded with this (check out items, 2, 4 and 6)
Sacramento seems to have a similar fascination with penises. The day the news broke about the woman who cut her husband’s penis off and put it in the garbage disposal (allegedly), our “Most Viewed/Emailed” list looked like this (check out items, 1,2 and 10)
Then, when I posted the story about the couple caught having sex in a public pool for 30 minutes, it stayed on our website under the “Most Viewed/Emailed” list for days. DAYS, people.
Soon, I will be leaving FOX40 to do reporting and producing for KGO 810 radio in San Francisco. I am very excited about my new adventure in life, but the FOX40 Facebook fans and website clickers may be disappointed by the lack of stories about corpses, sex and other morbid things. As a little going away gift, I left them these stories tonight:
Glendale Man Tries to Remove Hernia Using Butter Knife
Girl, 6, Accused of Trying to Drown Litter of Puppies
Children Find Human Head at Retired Doctor’s Home
I think people often get bored with bland stories about fires, murders and bank robberies, and are more likely to click on the strange. Makes sense, right? Some of these stories are so outrageous, they don’t even seem real.
I’ll miss trolling through our news partners’ website for disgusting, strange or awkward stories to put on in the evening hours of my shift. Maybe some nights you’ll see me, sending out odd stories on Twitter, reminiscing about my evenings at FOX40.
