Frank Mickadeit Interviews Stephanie Edwards
With the Rose Parade having started, everyone wants to know where Stephanie Edwards is today, if the traffic for my Friday post about Stephanie is any indication.
Stephanie told the Orange County Register's Frank Mickadeit "Nothing is permanent in television and I have gotten over the shock" of being let go by KTLA Ch. 5 after over a quarter century.
Mickadeit suggests that if there is any justice in the world, Stephanie will be next year's Rose Parade Grand Marshal.
I think much of the country would be mystified by that selection, but as a Californian who has watched Stephanie on New Year's Day for years, I heartily second the motion. :)
The column provides contact info for both KTLA and Stephanie, if you'd like to drop either the station or Stephanie a line.
As for our family, we're not watching KTLA's Rose Parade coverage for the first time in memory. We are instead tuning in to HGTV today.
Happy New Year, Stephanie!
Update: John Mark Reynolds of Biola University weighs in: "Stephanie Edwards is Disneyland...Michaela [Pereira] is Magic Mountain trying to be California Adventure.
"The new host-ette combined a dollop of condescension at being forced into the whole ridiculous thing with a dullard’s sparkling rejoinders giving the watcher the weird feeling that he was being laughed at by his inferior...in short she managed to rain on our parade.
"KTLA should bring back Stephanie Edwards and lose the idea of a hip Rose Parade. Michaela is not cool, doesn’t like parades, and is hard to endure for hours."
posted by Laura @ 8:36 AM
7 Comments:
KTLA has ruined the Rose Parade experience by allowing such disgraceful treatment of Stephanie Edwards. Would Dick Clark have been treated like this? Who is the face of the parade to the THE WORLD? The KTLA management team?
Paul Klos - RSM, CA
I also read his article this morning. Interesting stuff. It will be interesting to see what happens to Bob next year. How was the coverage on HGTV?
Regarding your update. I went to and read his whole article. Wow! He minces no words.
As I said in a previous comment. What KTLA management does not "get" is that it was Stephanie and Bob that made the parade telecast number 1. Anyone can telecast the parade (commercials or no) but the commentators can make it or break it and for 25 years (or whatever it was) they built the audience and the #1 rating. I expect KTLA's broadcast will still be #1 because the choice is now drastically reduced. But I will be interested to see the ratings and if the numbers were down.
HGTV doesn't have cameras as well-positioned as KTLA, but it was at least commercial free and absent some of the silly coverage that you get on the "big 3" networks.
Laura
HGTV should grab Stephanie for 2008 and beyond!
BUZZZED.com
My brother watched HGTV for awhile but switched back to KTLA because they were missing so much. He also said what you said about poor camera position and too few of them. Too bad. I like the idea of making Stephanie Grand Marshall :)
I really miss Stephanie Edwards at the Rose Parade Broadcasts. I thought it was a gender discrimination thing.......that "mature" men are OK....... but not the maturing woman....
She was class and I'd love to see her back!
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