Dirty Dining: Gyros West

"Courtny Gerrish exposes Dirty Dining."



This week's target by TMJ4: Gyros West on Moreland Blvd. in Waukesha.

It was a return visit for the Dirty Dining Squad. Gerrish was there last year. Alas, this time around the restaurant had some of the same problems in the kitchen.

She said, "Some call their gyros the best in town, but inspectors found a cooler kept too warm. The temperature of the food inside could make people sick."

Gyro Meat - 64 degrees
Deli Turkey - 56 degrees
Raw Burger Patty - 51 degrees

Gerrish said, "Last year, inspectors found the same problem, a cooler at 59 degrees."

The owner, Leo Haidemenos, appeared on camera last year. Gerrish included a few seconds from last year's report, showing Haidemenos.

This year, he spoke with Gerrish by phone. He says everything has been cleaned up.

There were problems like raw burgers stored next to lettuce and tomatoes -- a cross contamination risk, sliced potatoes sitting out at the wrong temperature, no expiration dates on prepared food, and packaged bread on the ground.

Gerrish said, "The follow-up inspection report does show Gyros West has been cleaned up. We'll watch for the restaurant's next inspection to see if those same problems come up again."

The owner could easily avoid all this scrutiny by TMJ4.

Be a sponsor of TMJ4 or 620 WTMJ. Put an ad in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Very simple.

Dirty Dining: Chicago Sub

Chicago Sub on 37th and Burleigh is not a sponsor of any Journal Broadcast Group stations.

TMJ4's Courtny Gerrish wouldn't have targeted the place for Thursday's "Dirty Dining" segment if advertising dollars were involved.

You can be sure that no money is on the line. Chicago Sub won't threaten to pull out as a sponsor.

That's what bugs me about "Dirty Dining," this alleged "NEWS" feature. Journal Broadcast Group sponsors are protected.

Being a sponsor shouldn't impact what TMJ4 covers as "NEWS," but it does.

That's why the Brookfield Perkins with several health inspection violations was granted the special treatment it received.

That's wrong. I don't think TMJ4 should be selling favors.

Dirty Dining: Blue Ribbon Awards, June 11

On TMJ4's June 11 "Dirty Dining" feature, Courtny Gerrish handed out Blue Ribbon Awards -- again.

Maybe the segment should be renamed if cleanliness and a job well done is going to be the focus so often.

The restaurants selected for recognition: Chinese Chef on 78th and Appleton, and Glass Nickel Pizza Co., the Brookfield location.

It's interesting that a Chinese restaurant actually was highlighted for doing something right. Usually Gerrish likes to harass the ethnic establishments.

Glass Nickel Pizza Co. has locations in Madison, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, Oshkosh, and Green Bay, as well as Brookfield.

I've never heard or seen any ads for the place on Journal Broadcast Group operations, but I suppose the potential is high that Glass Nickel Pizza Co. will be a sponsor.

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.
_____________________

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.

Dirty Dining: TMJ4 Harassing Restaurant Employees

Last week, TMJ4's "Dirty Dining" wasn't about dirtiness in food service. Instead, clean restaurants were recognized with Blue Ribbon Awards.

This week, however, Courtny Gerrish was back doing her Mike Wallace routine, dragging a camera into the targeted restaurant and harassing an employee.

Once again, Gerrish's target was a small ethnic place.

From TMJ4:

A Puerto Rican restaurant in Walker's Point is written up by health inspectors for violations in the kitchen.

Quimera on 6th and National. A cooler in the kitchen was not keeping food cold enough. Owner Olga Ramirez told me it's been fixed. Inspectors also found a gallon of orange juice stored in the drink ice at the bar. Apparently a waitress left it there by mistake.

...Ramirez says everything's been cleaned up, and she's just waiting for the re inspection.

From the televised report:

COURTNY GERRISH: Is there someone I can talk to about the health inspection report?

EMPLOYEE (heard off camera): Health inspection?

GERRISH: Yeah, and the violations.

GERRISH (voice over): This employee was hiding from our camera. The owner was not available when we stopped by.

I don't like these tactics, ambushing employees. What's the point?

The fact is restaurant employees and owners have nothing to fear if their establishments advertise on TMJ4. The Journal Broadcast Group won't allow their sponsors to be ambushed. It won't stand to have TMJ4 plaster negative reports about their advertisers on the Internet.

For example, the poor health inspection report at the Brookfield Perkins, a TMJ4 sponsor, was no longer considered news by TMJ4. Its website was scrubbed.

Small places, ones that don't support TMJ4 with advertising dollars, aren't so lucky. They have reason to be concerned about becoming a "Dirty Dining" target if they have health violations.

Advertisers, of course, are let off the hook. They can relax.

This is no way to determine what's "news" and what is not.

Dirty Dining: Blue Ribbon Awards, May 28

It's been weeks since TMJ4's Courtny Gerrish bestowed Blue Ribbon Awards on area restaurants. 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.

Anyway...

And the Blue Ribbon Awards go to: Zaffiro's on Farwell and Mr. B's Steakhouse on Capitol Drive in Brookfield.

I don't think the Perkins in Brookfield, past TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" featured restaurant, ever got a Blue Ribbon Award. Maybe someday.

Dirty Dining: Bombay Sweets, Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

And this week's unlucky target of Courtny Gerrish's TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" segment is... Bombay Sweets.

It's an Indian restaurant, 19555 W. Bluemound Rd. in Waukesha. This follows TMJ4's pattern of choosing small ethnic establishments to highlight.

Bombay Sweets' buffet was a problem.

Hot food wasn't hot enough, and cold food wasn't cold enough.

The restaurant also had violations that involved cross-contamination risks. In addition, food was stored uncovered on the floor of a cooler. Employees in the kitchen were not wearing hairnets or caps.

When Gerrish showed up at the restaurant with her camera crew, employees wouldn't talk with her, claiming they didn't speak English well enough.

Gerrish said the language problems contradict information from the health inspectors.

This restaurant was on the verge of being fined due to its violations. When it was inspected, Bombay Sweets scored a 73. Waukesha County slaps restaurants with fines when they score less than 70.

Not good.

TMJ4 took no risk by reporting on Bombay Sweets in its "Dirty Dining" feature. Advertising revenue wasn't on the line. If it had been, the results of Bombay Sweets' inspection wouldn't be news.

That reminds me. Yesterday, I saw a Perkins commercial run on TMJ4's 10:00 PM newscast. I think it was yesterday. Maybe it was the day before. Maybe it was both. In any event, because Perkins is a TMJ4 sponsor, it had the leverage to make negative reports on the Brookfield location vanish from TMJ4's website.

Bombay Sweets can't count on the preferential treatment that sponsors like Perkins get.

And don't expect Gerrish to do an update on the violations at the Brookfield Perkins.

I'm sure TMJ4 wants all traces of that story to go away.

Dirty Dining: Sala da Pranzo, Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

Here we go again -- a TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" update.

The lucky restaurant this week was Sala da Pranzo near Downer Ave. by UWM.

There were the usual problems for which the restaurants are so often cited: mouse and rat droppings, employees handling food customers are about to eat with bare hands, no expiration dates on some foods, debris on the slicer, slimy soda guns, and a dirty, greasy floor.

Courtny Gerrish showed up with the camera crew during the busy lunch hour. Co-owner Teresa Balistreri didn't want to talk then, telling Gerrish to return later. They ended up talking on the phone.

If advertising dollars were at stake for TMJ4 or other media connected with Journal Broadcast Group, you can be sure that Sala da Pranzo would not have been featured.

When will these places learn that to avoid the bad publicity they have to advertise with TMJ4?

That's how the Brookfield Perkins did it.

Money decides the "news."

Dirty Dining: Red Dot, Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

"Dirty Dining" on TMJ4 -- a sign that the weekend is almost here.

You must be wondering which Milwaukee area restaurtant TMJ4 chose to target this week.

No?

Well, I'll tell you anyway. (I always do.)

Of course, you know it's not Perkins. That's a given.

Last night I saw a Perkins commercial on TMJ4. I'm sure I didn't see it during the 10:00PM news because I watched FOX 6 last night. The commercial may have aired during Jay Leno or Jimmy Fallon. I'm not sure, but I was reminded that TMJ4 gave the Brookfield Perkins very special treatment after Courtny Gerrish and those involved with the feature screwed up by highlighting the restaurant's health violations on a "Dirty Dining" segment.

TMJ4 doesn't want to slam its sponsors.

The TMJ4 news is corrupted by advertising dollars. Its "news" coverage can be bought.

Read more here.

Thursday's featured DIRTY establishment was Red Dot on Milwaukee's east side, 2498 N. Bartlett St.

As usual, the violations were disgusting -- mold growth in the soda holsters, improper cooling of food, old dried food debris on the meat slicer, cross-contamination risks, filth caked on the floor, etc.

Nasty stuff.

Bar manager Mike Rebers told Gerrish that all the problems were cleaned up the next day.

It's too bad for Red Dot that it doesn't advertise on TMJ4. If it did, TMJ4 never would have brought the violations to the public's attention.

Dirty Dining: Super No. 1 Chinese, Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

If it's Thursday, it's "Dirty Dining" night on TMJ4.

Even hyping the swine flu and panicking the public doesn't bump the "Dirty Dining" segment.

This week, Super No. 1 Chinese on 20th and Layton was Courtny Gerrish's target.

The violations were pretty bad.

Employees were also using a drill as a mixer.

That is not good.

Watch the report.



Naturally, Super No. 1 Chinese doesn't advertise on TMJ4.

On last night's segment, Gerrish did a follow-up on La Hacienda. The place still hasn't cleaned up its act, even after two more inspections and $230 in fines.

The health department is now working with La Hacienda training the owner and employees in health safety.

If this grocery story/deli has two more unsatisfactory inspections, it will be shut down.

The health department certainly is cutting La Hacienda a lot of slack. The public is at risk in the meantime.

Of course, TMJ4 has nothing to lose by shining the spotlight on La Hacienda and Super No. 1 Chinese to expose their health violations. No advertising dollars are on the line for TMJ4.

It was a different story with the Brookfield Perkins.

Gerrish never did a follow-up report on Perkins' violations. So much for keeping the public informed.

Dirty Dining: Best Buffet, Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

Courtny Gerrish has returned to form, targeting another ethnic restaurant for TMJ4's "Dirty Dining" feature.

The segment was even posted on the TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" web page in a timely fashion.

That, of course, means that Best Buffet has no leverage with the Journal Broadcast Group. It's not an advertiser. Doing the story and posting it on the website poses no problems for TMJ4.

It's not like the story on the Brookfield Perkins that TMJ4 scrubbed from its website. TMJ4 doesn't have to worry about losing ad revenue from Best Buffet.

Best Buffet, a Chinese restaurant on 85th and Brown Deer Road, had a load of violations.

Gerrish took the cameras to the place, wanting to question the owner about the violations. But there was a problem. The owner doesn't speak English.

So this was an even more one-sided segment than the usual "Dirty Dining" spots.

Gerrish did note that an employee called later to say that the restaurant's staff had corrected the sanitary issues and they were taking steps to take care of the other violations.

Why are these smaller ethnic places so often the subject of TMJ4's "Dirty Dining" feature?

It's not a coincidence. No advertising dollars are at stake.

The bottom line is money. This isn't news.

Dirty Dining: MORE Blue Ribbon Awards

For the second week in a row, TMJ4's "Dirty Dining" segment wasn't about dirty dining in the Milwaukee area.

Once again, Courtny Gerrish gave out Blue Ribbon Awards to two restaurants.

The first went to Meze Cafe & Lounge on Jefferson St. in Milwaukee.

The second went to Conway's Smokin' Bar & Grill on Wells St. in Milwaukee.

The Blue Ribbon Awards are sort of strange. Why would a newscast recognize restaurants for having health inspections with no violations?

Are dirty restaurants the norm, so the clean ones are newsworthy?

How are the award winners chosen?

Who chooses them?

Are restaurants with good inspections contacting Gerrish, asking to be featured?

I could understand why. It's free advertising.

Maybe the names are picked out of a hat.

I wonder if the Brookfield Perkins, in TMJ4's spotlight on December 11, 2008, as a dirty "Dirty Dining" restaurant, has taken care of all its health violations yet. Will it ask to be recognized for cleanliness?

It's strange that TMJ4's "Dirty Dining" web page has been updated to include Blue Ribbon Award winners, but the recent Thursday segments featuring restaurants with violations haven't been posted.

Weird.

I think it's time for TMJ4 to ditch the feature altogether.

Dirty Dining: Blue Ribbon Awards

On Thursday, the TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" segment didn't feature a dirty restaurant.

This week, Courtny Gerrish bestowed Blue Ribbon Awards on two clean establishments.

It's all about clean dining this time around. A place known for its finger licking chicken and a popular family restaurant.

The Chancery on 27th and Layton. Our camera rolled on a very clean kitchen. Darla Mezera tells us, "I've worked here for 23 and a half years, and we take a lot of pride in our kitchen. The cleanliness, the sanitation."

The restaurant's latest health inspection turned up no violations. They get our first Blue Ribbon Award.

Over on 27th and North another Blue Ribbon winner. Gold Rush Chicken. The owners were happy to accept our award but didn't want to be on camera. Inspectors found a clean kitchen, and that's what we saw when we stopped by.

Gold Rush Chicken gets our second Blue Ribbon Award.

I wonder if the Brookfield Perkins deserves a Blue Ribbon Award. Did the restaurant clean up its act after it was cited with numerous violations?

Who knows?

I don't expect to see any Perkins featured on TMJ4. Being a sponsor, there's a conflict of interest. That gets messy.

Dirty Dining: La Hacienda, Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

This week's TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" NEWS:

Courtny Gerrish's target: A grocery store on Milwaukee's south side, La Hacienda, on South Cesar Chavez and National.

The target is relatively small and an ethnic place -- again.

I'm sure that 620 WTMJ and TMJ4 don't get any advertising revenue from La Hacienda.

If the store did advertise, it wouldn't be featured on "Dirty Dining." That's the way it works.

After the Brookfield Perkins "Dirty Dining" screw-up, I'm sure TMJ4 is extremely careful about which establishments they target.

Remember: What constitutes NEWS can be bought at TMJ4. Station advertisers have immunity.

Dirty Dining: Michigan Street Diner, Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

This week's TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" NEWS:

Courtny Gerrish's target: Michigan Street Diner, 220 E. Michigan St. in Milwaukee.

Yet another small establishment.

I'm sure that 620 WTMJ and TMJ4 don't get any advertising revenue from the Michigan Street Diner.

If the diner did advertise, it wouldn't be featured on "Dirty Dining."

I suspect that after the Brookfield Perkins "Dirty Dining" fiasco, TMJ4 is being extremely careful about which establishments they target.

Remember: What constitutes NEWS can be bought at TMJ4.
______________

UPDATE, March 29, 2009: The March 26, 2009, segment isn't posted on TMJ4's "Dirty Dining" web page.

That's a little strange because a special Friday edition of "Dirty Dining," Behin the Bar, has been posted.

We'll see if the Michigan Street Diner report shows up. It's probably just incompetence, or an effort to make the absence of the Brookfield Perkins story a bit more inconspicuous.

Dirty Dining: Parkview Cafe - Not a TMJ4 Sponsor

This week's TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" NEWS:

Courtny Gerrish's target: Parkview Cafe, 4871 N. Green Bay Ave. in Milwaukee.

Yet another small establishment.

The inspector found food sitting out at room temperature. Things like a pan of raw fish and a container of peeled potatoes on the kitchen floor. Things that could make you sick.

Raw meat was stored above ready to eat food in a cooler. If juice from that meat spills it could contaminate the food below. This is a repeat violation.

...When I told an employee why we stopped by she told me the owner "doesn't want to talk to us."

There was also a can of Raid on a shelf with food items. Parkview cafe was ordered to use only approved insecticides.

Look at the restaurant.



This is just a guess, but I don't think Parkview Cafe buys ad time on WTMJ radio or TV, like Perkins.

That means the Parkview Cafe story is on TMJ4's website to stay.

The Perkins in Brookfield had violations too, but TMJ4 chose to scrub its website of that story.

Things were happening at that Perkins that could make you sick, but informing the public about Perkins' violations was just too high a price for TMJ4 to pay.

Bottom line: $$$

This "Dirty Dining" feature is a joke. It's not news. It's a hit job, targeting places that don't have the leverage that comes with being a sponsor, like Perkins.

Dirty Dining and TMJ4 Sponsors

For TMJ4's Thursday 10:00 PM newscast, Courtny Gerrish made a return trip to a place previously featured on "Dirty Dining."

Alas, the place hasn't cleaned up its act. It still has a number of violations, like mouse droppings, a cooler not cold enough, rotted potatoes and onions on the floor, and the roof leaking over a food preparation area.

That's nauseating.

As of this posting, that report isn't up on the "Dirty Dining" web page yet, but I'm sure it will be soon.

(UPDATE, March 13, 2009: Dirty Dining: Lyle's Sandwich Shop - March 12, 2009)

Here's the story from Gerrish's first visit, aired on April 10, 2008.

Lyle's Sandwich Shop definitely doesn't buy advertising time on WTMJ radio or television.

It makes for a very safe target for Gerrish. No advertising dollars are at stake.

For example, even though Gerrish did a report on the violations at the Perkins in Brookfield and it was posted on the TMJ4 website, the story was quickly removed.

Why? Perkins is a WTMJ sponsor.

Here's what the page looked like before TMJ4 tried to make it disappear.



The "NEWS" on TMJ4 can be bought. Sleazy.

Courtny Gerrish, TMJ4 Dirty Dining, Perkins: CORRUPT

I have solved the TMJ4 Brookfield Perkins "Dirty Dining" mystery that I've been writing about since December 2008. My TV viewing and radio listening habits kept me from finding out the truth sooner.

The "NEWS" on TMJ4 can be bought.

Last night, I was watching the 10:00 PM news on TMJ4.

As usual, Thursday means Courtny Gerrish targets a restaurant for her "Dirty Dining" feature.

As usual, it was another small ethnic place. This time it was Indian Rasoi, 1692 N. Van Buren St. on Milwaukee's east side.

After detailing the restaurant's gross health code violations, Gerrish reported on Fong's Garden. On February 19, 2009, she targeted the Oconomowoc restaurant. The usual sorts of problems were cited. In the case of Fong's Garden, however, the community rallied to support the establishment.

Gerrish gave an update:

Fong's in Oconomowoc has cleaned up its violations and received a great follow up review from health inspectors. Following our report, the community rallied around Fong's, even starting a facebook page to support their local restaurant. The owner tells us he's determined to keep his restaurant safe to serve all those customers.

That's good.

Now, on to the Brookfield Perkins matter--

Here's where it gets interesting.

After the "Dirty Dining" segment, John Malan did the weather.

Blah, blah, blah. I'm not really paying attention.

Then comes some commercials.

Among them: Two Perkins commercials.

Yes, PERKINS IS A SPONSOR of the TMJ4 newscast.

I'm not sure of the exact airing time of the first commercial, but the second commercial ran at 10:24 PM.

Is this why the December 11, 2008, TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" report on the Brookfield Perkins, 585 N. Barker Rd., was removed from the "Dirty Dining" web page?

Is the fact that Perkins is a TMJ4 sponsor the reason that the TMJ4 website was thoroughly scrubbed of all traces of the "Dirty Dining" Perkins story?

I think it's certainly a very, very strong possibility.

Surely, Journal Broadcast Group sponsor Perkins would threaten to pull its ads if TMJ4 kept a story on its website that would steer customers away from the restaurant.

It all makes sense. It took me forever to notice that Perkins was a sponsor because I zone out during commercials. I usually mute the TV during commercial breaks.

So this is why TMJ4 gave Perkins the preferential treatment.

It's possible that Brenda Serio didn't know about the Perkins account when she sent me this e-mail about the Perkins story being removed from the "Dirty Dining" web page:

from: Brenda Serio <bserio@journalbroadcastgroup.com>
to: Mary <freedomeden@gmail.com>
date: Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 4:57 PM
subject: RE: Dirty Dining


The news assignment desk is working on putting it back on the dirty dining web site. They weren’t aware that is had been taken off. Thank you.

It's also possible that she was just flat-out lying at the time. I hope that's not the case. I hope she discovered later the reason that the Perkins story was removed and would not be returned to the page.

The fact that Perkins is a sponsor would explain why the follow-up e-mail I sent to Serio was ignored.

It would explain why e-mail messages to Courtny Gerrish and Steve Wexler, Executive Vice President for Television and Radio Operations, Vice President & General Manager, WTMJ-TV, went unanswered.

It's all about money. Perkins is a sponsor so TMJ4 and Journal Broadcast Group personnel completely clammed up when questioned about the inexplicable disappearance of the "Dirty Dining" Brookfield Perkins story.

This is a blatant violation of the station's journalistic integrity. Rather than keep the "NEWS" story on its website, TMJ4 caved.

It's a sort of pay-to-play. It's definitely a CORRUPTION of the NEWS.

What a racket!

This also explains why the "Dirty Dining" segments nearly always hit small operations. They, of course, aren't going to be buying any advertising time on TMJ4. They're safe to hammer.

Here's the truth: Advertise on WTMJ TV or radio and you won't have to worry about being the subject of one of Gerrish's "Dirty Dining" reports.

"Dirty Dining" really is dirty. CORRUPT.

Case closed.

Courtny Gerrish, TMJ4 Dirty Dining, Brookfield Perkins

Time for my weekly TMJ4 "Dirty Dining" update.

(These weeks really fly by.)

Courtny Gerrish's February 26, 2009, "Dirty Dining" installment spared restaurants bad publicity this week.

It was a Blue Ribbon Award day.

Owners and staff of restaurants with problem reports could breathe a sigh of relief this week.

From the February 26 "Dirty Dining" installment:

Milwaukee: One restaurant sent us a letter, with its clean report. The other Blue Ribbon winner hasn't had a bad inspection since it opened.

Contemporary American cuisine is served up at Tess one block west of Oakland on Bartlett. "People describe the atmosphere was bistro. A small restaurant. Something you might find in the San Francisco area," owner Mitchell Wakefield tells me.

Wakefield sent me a copy of his clean health inspection to recognize his employees' hard work.

Tess gets our first Blue Ribbon Award.

Courtny Gerrish reads her mail and answers it?

Really?

Blue Ribbon winner number two went to The Bay Street Pub on Milwaukee's south side.

[It] hasn't had a bad inspection since it opened five years ago. "Patrons notice it, and we just keep it clean," said owner Mark Paschal.

At this place you drink a majority of the menu, but they do serve up pizza's, Black Angus cheeseburgers and regular bar fare. Paschal and Bay Street Pub get our second Blue Ribbon Award. "We'll put it up on the wall. Thank you very much."

Very nice.

The Brookfield Perkins didn't get a Blue Ribbon Award. No, it was featured as a dirty "Dirty Dining" establishment. Gerrish did a story on that restaurant in December. The written report and the video were posted on the TMJ4 web page, then quickly and inexplicably removed.

Perkins didn't suffer the degree of bad publicity that other TMJ4 targets have because someone involved with the "Dirty Dining" feature scrubbed the TMJ4 website of all traces of the Perkins story.

When asked for an explanation, Gerrish and others at TMJ4 and the Journal Broadcast Group refused to respond. Well, there was one response, from Brenda Serio, but it contained utterly false information.

It's funny. At the end of Gerrish's report on Thursday night, she concluded with this:

Have a restaurant you want me to check out? You can send me an e-mail by going to our website.

I have a restaurant I'd like Gerrish to check out.

She should do a return visit to the Perkins in Brookfield, 585 N. Barker Rd., to see if the place has cleaned up its act since her December 11, 2008 report revealed this:

An employee was cracking eggs and then touching customer's food, all without changing gloves. A cross contamination risk. When we stopped by the manager wasn't talking. "You don't want to comment?" "Not really."

Inspectors had issues with food temperature. Meatloaf and sausage were at 45 degrees. Rice was kept at 47 degrees. The safe cold temperature is 41. Also, inspectors found a cooler as warm as 47 degrees, and Hash browns were sitting out at room temperature.

Children's drink cups used as scoops, sitting in food. Perkins was ordered to use a scoop with a handle, so employees don't put their hands in the food. Also, there were open bags of flour stored on the floor. Dry goods must be sealed in a container and kept off the floor.

For some unknown reason, TMJ4 doesn't want the public to have access to this report that aired at 10:00 PM on December 11, 2008. TMJ4 doesn't want the public to have access to this report, posted on its website for a few short days before being taken down.

For some bizarre reason, Gerrish and others in positions of responsibility at TMJ4 will not discuss why the story was pulled. It's weird beyond words.

Apparently, they feel they aren't obligated to answer legitimate questions from viewers. They're above that I guess. They aren't willing to explain their actions or take responsibility. No one is holding them accountable for their actions.

They just want to be the ones to ask the questions and do exposés.

When it comes to giving answers, they follow a different standard. It's unfortunate.

Courtny Gerrish and TMJ4 "Dirty Dining"

This week, Courtny Gerrish targeted an Oconomowoc restaurant for her "Dirty Dining" feature on TMJ4.

Just after midnight, I saw that the segment on Fong's Garden was already posted on the TMJ4 web page, along with video.

(Note: TMJ4 did NOT return its December 11, 2008, "Dirty Dining" report about the Brookfield Perkins to the web page. It's been over two months since the story was posted and then removed. It's been about a month and half since TMJ4 said it was putting the Perkins story back.)

The violations at Fong's Garden were like those found at many of the other restaurants featured by Gerrish -- food kept at the wrong temperature, residue on surfaces and in containers, poor hand-washing by employees, and no soap.

Fong's Garden also had a cross-contamination risk because "bowls used to scoop dry good[s] were being left in the food." The restaurant was ordered to use scoops with handles.

That reminds me of a violation at the Brookfield Perkins.

Children's drink cups used as scoops, sitting in food. Perkins was ordered to use a scoop with a handle, so employees don't put their hands in the food.

Yes, that's very similar to the use of bowls as scoops at Fong's Garden.

I'd provide a link to the TMJ4 story on Perkins if I could, but as I said, TMJ4 pulled the story off its website.

More information on that here, plus links to all previous posts on the matter.

There was something interesting about the February 19 "Dirty Dining" installment.

Fong's Garden on Main Street in Oconomowoc. It's an "all you can eat" buffet. One couple claims the egg rolls made them sick. When inspectors went in, they found egg rolls sitting out at room temperature.

...The health department never positively linked the egg rolls to the customer's illness. The restaurant had no comment about the complaint.

Did this couple contact Courtny Gerrish or someone at TMJ4 about conditions at the restaurant and the egg rolls they believe made them sick?

Did the couple directly contact health inspectors?

Did TMJ4 contact health inspectors after being tipped off by the couple?

I'd be surprised if the couple contacted TMJ4 and then they received a response from the station.

That would be very uncharacteristic of TMJ4 personnel.

I know that Courtny Gerrish doesn't respond to e-mail posing legitimate questions in a respectful manner, at least not when the e-mail is about the Brookfield Perkins story.

TMJ4 GM Steve Wexler doesn't respond on that topic either.

To be fair, Brenda Serio, programming, did reply once to me. However, her message about the news assigment desk working on putting the deleted Brookfield Perkins story back on the "Dirty Dining" web page was completely false.

In any event, the couple are probably pleased that the health violations at Fong's Garden were highlighted on the TMJ4 newscast and are linked on its website. It's a warning to others.

Too bad TMJ4 doesn't see fit to inform the public on the violations it reported on at the Brookfield Perkins.

Too bad Courtny Gerrish and Steve Wexler don't answer their e-mail. That's bad public relations.