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Thursday, April 29, 2010

OPRAH, JANE VALEZ MITCHELL AND THE NANCY GRACE SHOW!



By Cyndi Caron


I’m going to be brutally honest here.  Families of missing loved ones have a better chance of winning their state lottery, or in receiving an all expense paid trip around the world, including flights and hotel stays, than they do of getting their missing family member on those shows. 


Why?  Because for one most of what is presented has been on schedule for weeks by the producers and writers as well as the already interruptions when breaking news happens such as the devastating Haiti earthquake.  Unless there is serious foul play involved, in which your local media is constantly portraying, and the surroundings of your missing loved one includes sensationalism, such as the spouse is a suspect who has been found to be committing adultery after your loved one goes missing and more so if children involved, along with your missing “Suzy” having a pristine background, it’s highly unlikely that her status will be aired. 
Unfortunately, it’s television.  The more scandal the better chance of your “story” being aired.


When is the last time you’ve seen a missing overweight runaway teen with acne, or a missing black male teenager portrayed on a nationally syndicated news or show?  Is physical beauty a necessary requirement to capture the attention of viewers?  Or as some African Americans will say “only white missing kids make it to those shows?” 


What about missing adults? Why aren’t they portrayed? Is it due to the wrong mentality that “adults have a right to go missing?”  Yes, nationally syndicated news agencies picked up on Ohio’s “missing mom” Tiffany Tehan, but that was only after it was realized she was spotted on video cameras weeks before with a mystery male. Yes, that story was indeed picked up due to the startling fact that missing mom was seemingly becoming a “runaway mom” leaving behind a church-going husband and her infant daughter. Personally, no adult has the right to go missing unless they are willing to notify their local police agency first. They have a right to leave, but to go missing? No.

So what are the criteria and how do families of missing get their loved ones on these shows?


Let’s start off with Nancy Grace’s show.  While at times her show can be quite interesting, it is nearly always about the same case over and again with “breaking news” that happened days or even weeks ago and already known from online readers.  While Nancy “gets to the matter” and nearly asks all the questions, that you the viewer want to know, her show is really not set up to portray multiple cases in an equal amount of airtime.  Shame because from those I’ve talked with would love to see each nightly episode featuring two new missing cases each eve with no carry over, unless real breaking news exists. This could then be announced in a brief comment prior to commercial interruptions.  Course, I’m neither an executive producer nor Nancy Grace’s producer so I will leave well enough said.  On a positive note, Nancy does have a great blog online that various cases and missing loved ones are portrayed.  There have been a time or two in which I’ve seen some of our LostNMissing loved ones’ banners posted and I welcome her staff to utilize any and as many as they like at any time.  Banners are not copyright and all we ask is that they are kept intact as designed when posted.


Jane’s show, which I find has a more variety of topics, along with entire teams of professionals who voice their opinions and present updated facts to a case, is also extremely difficult to reach as producers schedule either far in advance or very near or immediate to whatever has happened the day before.  It’s unfortunate as I feel her show is probably one of the most ideal to have a variety of missing loved ones portrayed.  I invite Jane’s show to go through our website and feel free to pick and choose as many missing loved one’s banners and flash on the screen before or after the show anytime.


Oh Oprah! I don’t know what to say other than its hard to explain to family members of missing loved ones that it is nearly impossible to reach Oprah or any of her producers.  Believe me, I’ve tried.  I think as a non runner I could win the Boston Marathon before I could achieve having a missing loved one portrayed on Oprah’s show.  It doesn’t matter that I personally beat Oprah, by one place, on the Ms. Twitterworld Contest.  I came in 16th and she in 17th place.  Even though she has over a million followers, to my 4300, you can bet I celebrated…a little anyhow. Did I really beat out Oprah on Twitter? I doubt it. For one, Oprah is so spread out far and wide with her many ventures that I really wonder if it’s Oprah tweeting anyhow.  It’s my guess that one of her hundreds of “assistants” represents her.  Or could it be that she was just “too kind” to tweet her followers to vote for her? Let the “little guy” win. Either way it doesn’t matter as it was merely a silly contest. 


What does matter is what are the true criteria that I can tell crying parents, in emotional turmoil, as to why nationally syndicated shows would rather use valuable airtime listing all the mistresses of Tiger Woods and Jessie James as opposed to listing even a handful of missing loved ones? Yes, even adults who are missing have distraught and grieving parents who beg for any airtime possible for their missing child.  Ask the parents of Jeramy Carl Burt, Brian Sullivan’s mom, or the family of missing Beverly Meadows.  They would give anything to have their loved ones portrayed.  Or the grandmother of 15 year old Peyton Borden, a young black male who bolted from an Illinois courthouse in the fall of 2009 after learning that he would have to go back and live with his father in Georgia, instead of residing with his maternal grandmother since his own mom was killed in a car accident when Peyton was only 8 years old, only to never be seen again!  Perhaps talking with the family of Thomas and Jimmy Zinza would be ideal.  Two brothers, both missing years apart.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Jimmy went missing in 1992 and could be living on the streets anywhere in the US and a nationally syndicated show could literally bring about recognition.  Thomas went missing, under strange circumstances from a hotel room in PA while traveling on business from Hawaii in 2008. Imagine the turmoil their family endures, it’s incomprehensible.


I will close this with a challenge.  Which nationally syndicated show will make contact with LostNMissing to offer to portray one of the many missing loved ones that we represent who has never received their much needed national airtime? Will it be Oprah? Nancy Grace? Or the Jane Valez Mitchell show? Stay tuned as I will update in my next report.  My phone line is open.


Cynthia L. Caron 
President/Founder 
LostNMissing, Inc.
PH: 603.548.6548
www.lostnmissing.com


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10 comments:

  1. Cynthia, excellent points and well taken. It seems to always have been this way in the media at least as far back as I can see to when I became aware of it and that was in 1998 when my friend disappeared. She was from the wrong side of the tracks. I think it's in our DNA to always be interested in the beautiful young person that has disappeared and comes from a family that seems to be upstanding in the community and everything that goes with it.

    I don't see that changing and it has more to do with making a dollar. In the end it's always about that and what draws the viewer or the reader in. Sad but true.

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  2. 2000 children go missing everyday you would think that they could air something about these children instead of their Breaking News or Bombshell tonight as you said that had already aired weeks ago.Nothing new ever comes about on either Nancy Grace who is rude and interrupts her guests personally I cant stand her.
    As far as the case against Ronald Cummings cousin Nancy Grace well she got 15 years well here in Fl 15 years mean 6 and a half years.I know I was a victim of my ex tried to kill me he got 15 years for attempted murder and was out in 6 and a half with all the good time and time serve.

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  3. How about then mentioning the effort to Get NASA to assist police and find the missing..... Just mention it and let their viewers decide.........Click the name Find The Missing above this comment and you'll be taken to the website for that proposed solution...aND contact ALL the TV show and radio shows in yor local markets too AND ask them to contact me anf grant an interview to get more awareness about this......

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  4. The effort to get NASA to assist police and find the missing has been getting some attention.

    A TV show is interested in doing a segment presnting the system involved.

    CLICK On MY 'Find the Missing' above this post to be taken to the website which explains all...

    NASA's affilaite the U.S. Militray has the technology to take high resolution real time and archive photos AND VIDEOS and transmit them to a CENTRAL POINT TO BE VEIWED BY AND monitored and assessed.

    This technology can and should be adapted to be used by Police and Border Agents to Find Missing Children, Women and Men, and PROTECT OUR BORDERS.

    They have had this technology since the 1960's and we as taxpayers have paid for it. In those 50 years it can be assumed that they perfected it to amazing capabilites...

    The system could be access by one or two officers police and when called into action can dispatch units to the scenes of crimes within minutes and guide them to where the Suspects went and are at the present time.... Saving Lives and A big part of the 10 Billion spent on searches for the missing each year

    Nancy AND Jane Sit on TV and cry "We Must DO SOMETHING" yet they gave been presented with this info and have patently refused to even give it a mention and allow their viewers the freedom to decide to back it or not.... They are Not presenting ALL the alternatives...

    I have never heard one of them even offer any type of workable solution except for Jane to Babble "We should put cmaeras on EVERY street" My system is really much more effective and cost effective

    How many cases have their shows solved.... None... Rating Do Rule........

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  5. bill have u contacted levi page to have u on his show?

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  6. tINA yES HE SAID HE WOULD THEN BACKED OUT --- Go Figure

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  7. These shows dont want to see the technology which exists used because they would have far fewer STORIES TO REPORT ON Just click ON MY ID above "findthemissing" and you will be taken to the web page which will educate you about the technology and then Help Get the proposes system implemented.

    Or do Nothing like thesde TV host and ALLOW more to die and millions of families to endure the pain of dealing with a missing loved one. If they would just tell their viewers about thi and let the viewers decide, we'd be well on our way to dastically reducing missing children women and men and other crimes.

    Blog Radio host are of No use as they pander to certain audiences too.......... And Those that sensationalize the Stories and bend the facs are not what I am looking for to help tell America about OUR EFFORT....

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  8. Jane, since Casey says her father sexually molested her, why in the name of God, would she allow him to watch her give birth. All she has to say to the Doctor, a nurse, attendant, all she has to do is ask that he wait in the waiting room.
    She is a liar, (understated) also, I had heard a long time ago, not to long after this started that Tony Lazzaro, said he did not want children at that time. But she continued to be with him. She cares not whose life she ruins completely. Neither George or Lee are molesters. All disfuncional at times, yes aren't most family's? Molesters no. She isn't saving herself she is helping keep her life in hell on earth, forever. . Thank you. Barbara Martin bbmartin11@yahoo.com

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  9. sign the petition asking the media to do something more to find the Missing see http://sign.1sta.com ITS THE LEAST YOU CAN DO AND FROM MY EXPERIENCE that is all most people want to do -- THE LEAST, Until it is one of your loved ones missing....

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  10. Sad the TV hosts and show which are supposed to help find the missing are ONLY worried about ratings ----- AND showing off pics of their darling children --------

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