Viewer's Voice

By: Allan Hoffman/Eyewitness News 9 | WNCT-On Your Side
Published: April 18, 2008

In our Viewer’s Voice this week, it was an odd situation. Most of the response we got to our coverage came last night.

We had two major stories to cover yesterday; one political, the other a huge fire.

Our viewers wanted to know why we covered both the way we did.

The fire that destroyed the old Imperial Tobacco warehouse in Greenville was tied in the minds of some of our viewers to the visit by presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Joe writes, “Why did the warehouse burning get more coverage than the visit and speech of Senator Obama?”

Well, it didn't. We gave a large portion of our newscast at six to the Senator’s visit to the east. Then, after six, since the fire literally changed the landscape of Greenville, we had to cover that. We included both at 11.

But Dalton complained he was not able to find the full speech on our website. He writes, “A day later and I still can't find any video of the event other than the coverage before the speech that aired on yesterday's 6pm newscast. This is extremely disappointing coverage.”

Well, that’s not entirely accurate. We actually streamed Obama's entire speech on our website as he gave it. We also had a comprehensive report on his visit with his sound at 11 and that report is still available on line.

And about the timing of the fire, one viewer wrote, “Isn’t it strange that the fire from the warehouse just happened to break out around the time that the Obama rally was going on? I think a full investigation should be done."

And another writer said, “People are buying up the property in this area for potential condo and housing and now all of a sudden an empty building in the area has been reduced to rubble. Wow, wish I owned that prime real estate!”

Well, writer, they are just beginning to investigate this fire and it's cause and we'll keep you up-to-date on how it goes.

Thanks to all of you who wrote to our Viewer’s Voice.