Reason #25 To Love Philadelphia: Bill Baldini’s 1968 Five-Part Series On Some School

The Inquirer’s Michael Klein reports today that Bill Baldini of NBC 10 is retiring tomorrow.

The city’s longest-tenured newsman, Baldini had been with WCAU since 1964. He tells Klein about his favorite story:

Baldini, who was honored with a City Council resolution last year for more than 40 years of service, regards as the best story of his career a five-part series on Pennhurst School in Spring City. That was in 1968. “I peaked,” he jokes.

To be fair to Bill, NBC 10 hasn’t done a five-part series since… uh… well, probably since his 1968 series, so he never really had a chance to recapture that glory. So here’s a much-delayed honor about this five-part series we’ll never see about some school I’ve never heard of!

Inqlings | Bill Baldini signing off at NBC10 [Inquirer]

Shocking Admissions From Local TV Reporter

The man in the photo at right may have robbed a cub scout in Chichester, but he did do some good: He was directly responsible for the greatest news report since Jim Osman told us that someone had some “’splainin’ to do.”

The unidentified man was quite a piece of work, no doubt. Not only did he rob a cub scout who was selling popcorn outside of a Wawa, but security cameras show him walking in an our a bunch of times beforehand. Which means, of course, that he was casing a 7-year-old. I guess if you’re going to do it, you might as well go all out.

What you’re thinking now is: Okay, this is outrageous. And of course it is. And when there’s an easily outrageous story, the local TV news likes to act holier-than-thou over it. Why? What is the point? Whether it’s the Daily News Ronnie Polaneczky telling us that, hey, bringing a gun to a kids’ football game is wrong! Gee, thanks, Ann Landers. I didn’t know. What is the point of getting extremely outraged about something that’s so over the top that everyone knows it’s bad.

Anyway, NBC 10’s Bill Baldini files a report similar to the Daily News‘ coverage of the kids’ football game/gun mashup. There’s lots of “Can you BELIEVE that?” questions and lots of people responding with similar outrage. But his interview of the robbed cub scout — who, via donations, has made about $450, more than the $200 that was stolen, fortunately — is by far the best.

First, there’s this:

Bill Baldini (voiceover): “What an experience for a seven-year-old and his mother, who were just trying to do the right thing!”

Cub Scout Brennan Starr: “I feel bad that he took the money.”
Starr’s mother: “Annnnd… you want them to catch him.”
Starr: “And I want them to catch him.”

It even gets more touching.

“Did he scare you?… You feel alright about this now. But you were scared when it happened. Did you cry? I would have cried.”

So, if you want to rob Bill Baldini, he’s probably a bit of an easy target, since he’ll just break down and cry.

Cub Scout Robbed In Broad Daylight (Video!) [NBC 10]
Aug. 18: Just Wait Until The Candy Machine Goes Too Fast And Jim Osman Has To Start Putting Them In His Mouth

Mailman Attacker ‘Not God’

Yeah, I know, we already ragged on it yesterday, but NBC 10’s coverage of the mailman who was stabbed yesterday was absolutely fantastic.

That’s not a bad close there, albeit a little forced. Only problem is, the attacker won’t be spending her first day in jail, considering she’s previously served 11 years in prison for murder.

Stabber told postman: ‘This is the day you die’ [Daily News]
Yesterday: Motivated by 6-6-06?
Also yesterday:Postal Service Might As Well Give Up