NewsGod: A Bill Bonds Diary by Susan Stewart

Does anybody remember this amazing article by Susan Stewart regarding Bill Bonds from WXYZ Television?  WXYZ was the major market star during the period when Bill Bonds anchored their news. And the story goes on in the article.

Susan Stewart writes:

First, let me say that I want to be objective about this.  But I can’t

I read the stories.  Sometimes I write them.  I know about the brawls, the drinking, the mysterious illnesses and missed opportunities, the on-air tantrums and family tragedies.  I have opinions.  After all, I’m a human being.

But then, so is Bill.

I approached the idea of watching the Channel 7 anchor every day for a month as a strictly scientific proposition.  I would not be swayed by Bonds’ reputation for excess, his overwhelming popularity as the “franchise player” of Detroit’s leading newscast, the poignancy of his life story or the rage he inspires.  I can control my opinions.  After all, I’m a journalist.

But then, so is Bill.

In my early days as a student of Bonds. I actually employed a point system.  A scale of 10.0.  Artistic and technical merit.

I didn’t work.  Bill almost always got 9.9s and 10s on technique — he’s Mr. Smooth — but he was all over the map on artistic merit.  And by the way, what is artistic merit?  Midway through my month with Bonds, I wasn’t even sure what the news was any more.

But we were in a war.  Maybe Mort Crim was getting red in the face, too, and opening Channel 4’s news with “Another Scud went blazing!” and “The business of war is death.”

Nah.

I watched Bill, and I watched some more.

And the story goes on in the article.  Read the full article in the Detroit Free Press’s archives by Clicking Here.