Channel 13 Should Be Ashamed of Themselves!

It's one thing to try to grab ratings by revealing shyster businesses and dirty restaurants, but it's quite another to go after a non profit organization because it is poor. That's what the interlopers from Milwaukee who own Channel 13 have been doing by bashing the Las Vegas Zoo in recent years. It's bad enough that we have a zoo that receives precious little support from the City of Las Vegas and none at all from the Casinos in town. But the misleading and inflammatory bilge spewed out by Darci Spears Channel 13 is just plain wrong. When we saw the recent hatchet job on the zoo on Channel 13, we decided to see for ourserlves just how horrible this place had to be. What we found was that the only thing horrible about the zoo was Darci Spears' depiction of it. First of all, its not a full fledged zoo...more like a 'Boutique Zoo' on a mere three acres of land on Rancho by the Texas Station Casino. We found an earnest, caring, and hard working zoo director in Pat Dingle, and a devoted staff. We found animals who are well fed only the best foods and lovingly cared for. We found that- while it's a meager zoo with limited resources, that it's a place that deserves the support of the community. Shame on Channel 13. Why not help this zoo? It needs money, it needs attention, it needs community support.

We are planning to do our part. We have adopted the zoo as our local charity and will provide services and fundraising for it. We are reaching out- one by one- to civic leaders to have them come with us to personally see the zoo and see for themselves the lies and misleading representations that Darci Spears and Channel 13 are making in hope of getting ratings.

Remember, these are the people who treated beloved, long time Las Vegas media institution Ron Futrell so horribly with a public shaming and humiliating firing after an incident caused by an opportunist that ended up being totally dismissed. They threw this guy in the trash in hopes of saving the money they owed him on his contract. Ron still suffers from this nasty treatment, and still has not been hired back in a media position two years later.

For decades, Channel 13 has been the least respected news organization, and the least watched newscasts in Las Vegas. Now, they are resorting to vapid sensationalism that is not in the best interests of our community. Las Vegas is a wonderful city. It deserves to have a zoo. Let's all take a positive stance on this and call on Mayor Goodman and the City of Las Vegas, as well as business leaders in town, and -of course- our citizens, to all support the fine efforts of Pat Dingle and the Las Vegas Zoo. It needs our help!

As for Channel 13.... ratings are still in the crapper....along with their corporate character. You can start helping the zoo by watching Channel 3, 5, or 8! All three of these channels care about Las Vegas.