TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" Corruption Update: Zaffiro's Pizza

Just before noon, I was listening to 620 WTMJ, a part of the Journal Broadcast Group.

I heard an ad that I never heard on the air before. It was for Zaffiro's Pizza, in Mequon.

What's the significance?

It's significant because the Zaffiro's on Farwell was featured on Courtny Gerrish's TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" segment on May 28.

Zaffiro's was NOT cited for a poor health inspection. Nooooooo. Of course not.

TMJ4, part of the Journal Broadcast Group, gave the restaurant a Blue Ribbon Award.

What a coinkydink!

At the time, I wrote:

The station recognizes clean establishments with awards, a framed certificate.

I think that's sort of weird. Shouldn't cleanliness and no health violations be the norm and not worthy of an award?

I don't know that special praise should be dished out for meeting expectations.

It makes perfect sense why a Zaffiro's location was chosen to be highlighted on the TMJ4 10:00 PM NEWSCAST and given a Blue Ribbon Award.

Zaffiro's in Mequon is an advertiser with the Journal Broadcast Group.

I know that the "Dirty Dining" feature is corrupted by advertising dollars and what TMJ4 deems newsworthy can be bought.

A place with a poor health inspection, like the Perkins in Brookfield, was granted special privileges by TMJ4 because it's a sponsor.

I wasn't aware that the Blue Ribbon Awards were tainted, too. Here's an instance of an advertiser being rewarded with some positive exposure on the NEWS.

Shameless.

The "Dirty Dining" feature is a joke. Actually, it's more of a disgrace than a joke.
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CLARIFICATION and UPDATE, June 8, 2009: The Zaffiro's location that received the Blue Ribbon Award is on Farwell.

According to an anonymous commenter, the ad that aired on 620 WTMJ was not for that Zaffiro's.

I'm not a fan of the Dirty Dining segment, but what you're writing is not true. The Blue Ribbon Award went to Zaffiro's on the East Side of Milwaukee. The commercial you heard was for the NEW Zaffiro's Pizzeria and Bar in Mequon at the North Shore Cinema.

Regarding the commercial, I disagree with the anonymous commenter. The restaurants are not treated as separate entities.

OK. The ad was for the NEW Zaffiro's, BUT it's not as if that Zaffiro's location has no connection whatsoever with the east side Zaffiro's.

IN FACT, THE AD SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS THE ORIGINAL ZAFFIRO'S AND NAMES THE OWNERS.

(The ad aired just before 2:00 PM, June 8, on 620 WTMJ.)

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Mequon location represents the Zaffiro's prototype for Marcus Investment. But it actually is the third restaurant in the Milwaukee area with the Zaffiro's name.

The original Zaffiro's Pizza opened in 1954, and is still operated by the Zaffiro family at 1724 N. Farwell Ave., near E. Brady St. David Marcus has frequently dined there, and thought of Zaffiro's when he was considering a way for Marcus Investments to get into the restaurant business.

"My goal was to find a restaurant concept that had a fanatic following," he said.

The Farwell Ave. Zaffiro's draws a lot of repeat customers partly because of its longevity, and its location on the densely populated east side, said co-owner Michael Zaffiro, whose father, Bobby, started the business.

But the biggest factor, he said, is the high quality of the restaurant's best-known product.

"It's a really good pizza. And we've never changed it," Zaffiro said about the pizza, which is known for its crispy crust. The restaurant's décor includes several awards from local publications for having the best pizza.

In 2007, when Marcus Theatres opened Majestic Cinemas in the Town of Brookfield, it included a Zaffiro's Pizza cafe, with a limited menu and a small number of seats, operated under a license granted by the Zaffiro family. Its success showed that the Zaffiro's concept could be reproduced consistently in other locations, Marcus said.

So Marcus Investments bought the Zaffiro's brand name and recipes from the Zaffiro family. The Mequon location is operated by Marcus Theatres under a license granted by Marcus Investments.

In my opinion, it's quite a coincidence that out of all the Milwaukee area restaurants that passed their health inspections, TMJ4 just happened to choose a Zaffiro's for a Blue Ribbon Award.

Granted, the distinction between the locations is there; but listeners and viewers, like myself, hear "Zaffiro's."

The benefit to a Journal Broadcast Group sponsor remains, regardless of the location. The restaurants have the same name, same brand, same recipes.

In the ad, there is a concerted effort to CONNECT the restaurants. That is undeniable.

I see the Blue Ribbon Award "NEWS" feature as a perk granted to a Journal Broadcast Group sponsor in this case.

There's no question that there's positive commercial promotion for Zaffiro's being sold to viewers as "NEWS" by TMJ4.