Robert Riggs Is the Internet's New Sheriff

By Robert Wilonsky Fri., Feb. 20 2009 at 2:11 PM

Categories: Media

Robert Riggs

Couple weeks back, the chaps behind Bobby Goldstein's Cheaters announced that former KTVT'er Robert Riggs had hopped into bed with them as executive producer of new programming and development. And I did talk to Riggs that afternoon, though I never got around to posting the follow-up because, well, Uncle Barky posted his interview with Riggs, and I got otherwise sidetracked. Suffice it to say, Riggs had nothing good to say about his former profession.

"It's the body-bag report now -- car chases, car accidents, apartment fires, missing children and murder in the worst neighborhoods in the city, all because it's easy to cover," Riggs told Unfair Park. "The executives believe it's titillating. So the really talented people are being shown the door." Riggs also explained that he'd be producing some reality-TV programming for Goldstein: "crime, military subjects -- all high-adventure, action stuff."

Which I mention today only because over here you'll find Riggs and former WFAA-Channel 8'er Renay San Miguel, also late of CNN and the world of public relations, playing ex-colleague grab-ass as they chat about, among many other things, Riggs's first venture with Goldstein, the under-construction iaccuse.com. Says Riggs of the site where folks can hop on to complain about anything and anyone at any time, "It's still going to be the wild west of the Internet." That should be fun.

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We,, one thing you can say about Riggs; at least he's making a living at it instead of just posting snarky comments to a blog. Hey, wait a minute! That's me... and you... and you... and you too!
Toots, back at you. Lakewooder, it's a Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. Anonymous, that Alanis thing it funny, but after a while it started to bother me too. I mean it's hard enough to really define irony without this Canadian campaign of misinformation. I mean, her song is a collection of bummers and coincidences. Which come to think of it, would have made a great song name.
OK, so Riggs is the new looper of internet reporting... flowing robes, grace, long hitter? Hmmm... gunga, gunga lunga, gunga la-lunga.
Ignore, you are cool.
Ignore, I appreciate your alanis comment, she misuses the word and it bugged me and my gf at the time. Never really heard anyone else bothered by that. On the News front. I just got through paying a fine to my local constable. It took 2 hours. I got frustrated and complained that they seem to not show much regard for those that have to come pay. I got pulled out of line and forced to talk with the Judge. He thought I was crazy to express frustration, 1 in 50,000 he said. Well, I had picked at a raw scab. They are understaffed, and asked to cut two people. Seems like an easy choice for me, cut the patrol cops, there's a ton of them. But anyway, he asked who my county Commish is, I don't really know. I asked, was staffing an election issue? This all relates to news in that we have no discussion of these issues. Was there a debate? I asked if there was an alternative that he would've liked, he said "no." So, why do we have so many constables patrolling traffic? Is anyone else bothered by this? And, can we make this an election issue?
How on earth are they going to keep from allowing libel and slander?
By the way I agree with Riggs wholeheartedly about the ridiculousness of local newscasts. So he has that going for him, which is nice.
This is the guy who was going to set the public relations world on fire because no one else in the business knew what they were doing. He didn't last. Less talk, more action might be a good idea for Robert as he makes yet another career transition. I hope he isn't telling all the people who are already successful in the television syndication market that he is going to show them where they went wrong.
ignoreLander, I've always liked Robert Riggs but you're right... he does appear to be talking out of both sides of his mouth. Listening to his take/distaste of the newz-biz, you'd think his next venture would be geared toward something serious and thought provoking, but hey, I suppose old habits die hard, and as he knows all too well, if it bleeds, it leads.
Not just you, I was thinking of irony in the "might just be coincidentally stupid" way.
Is it irony that he decries "the body-bag report" in one breath, and talks about his involvement with "crime, military subjects -- all high-adventure, action stuff" in the next? Or is it just me? And I mean irony in the "incorrect but widely held Alanis Morissette" type way.