May 28, 2006 09:44 am
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I doubt that Terre Haute’s mention on the Daily Show left a lasting impression on many folks outside of Indiana, but as a “Hautean” I’m always thrilled when I hear our town mentioned (and pronounced correctly!) by the national media. And there is some truth to the saying, “Any publicity is good publicity.” Besides, I think the spoof was more about local news and weather forecasters in general (Terre Haute just happened to offer a perfect example!).
I did think the commercial was a bit silly and overly dramatic, but I wouldn’t have expected the Daily Show to point it out (after all, there are crazier things going on in the world today). I wonder how the footage ever made it to Jon Stewart in the first place.
— Barbara Adderley
Indianapolis
Here in Wichita, I haven’t heard any locals speaking about the Jon Stewart show. In Wichita, Terre Haute’s image is mostly defined by ISU’s athletic teams. “Terre Haute” regularly shows up in the Wichita Eagle’s datelines when the WSU Shockers are playing ISU at home. ISU’s conference win at the WSU track got some coverage as well. The Sycamore athletes are great ambassadors for Terre Haute.
— Mickey Hines
Wichita, Kan.
Residents of Terre Haute should be proud that it is drawing attention for such a benign incident. In fact, with all of the crime and craziness that is going on in the world, Hauteans (current and former) should be pleased that our hometown can bring amusement to others. As far as I’m concerned, In fact, it is refreshing to have people outside Terre Haute talking about something other than “the smell.”
Since moving to Indianapolis a few years ago, I’ve missed the local stories and the neighborly feel of the news. When Jon Stewart made comments about the weather commercial on “The Daily Show,” I was not only amused but pleased that my hometown could laugh at itself for something that really is quite funny. There are so many worse things that could draw attention to a city, I think we were just called out on a little bit of a dramatic weather commercial and we should just appreciate the humor in it.
(I graduated from Terre Haute South in 2000 and my family recently moved out of Terre Haute for my father’s job.)
— Kerry Stakeman
Indianapolis
I was HAPPY to see the segment about the competing weather teams on “The Daily Show” because, living so far away from Indiana, I never hear anything about Terre Haute at all. I didn’t even care that he was making fun of our news channel. I was just happy to see Terre Haute on the national news for something other than Timothy McVeigh’s execution. Come on: weather teams slandering each other is really funny!
— Kristine Langley,
Omaha, Neb.
Enjoy the publicity generated by Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show.” At least the publicity is not as bad as the [Saturday Evening Post] article in [1961] about “Sin City.” Later, Steve Martin made fun of Terre Haute. The city took advantage of the notoriety and invited Steve to visit. Perhaps, you should invite Jon Stewart to come to Terre Haute and learn of its correct pronunciation — not Terre “Hut.”
— Gary Keegan
(1962 Wiley High School grad)
Sun City Center, Fla.
I thought that both Jon Stewart segments were completely hilarious (especially the second one)! A weather attack ad? That’s just so absurd. Duane Lammers should’ve thought twice before spouting off about Stewart, considering he did basically ruin Tucker Carlson’s career a while back! You have to give credit to the show’s research staff for discovering that ad.
It was really nice to hear about my hometown all the way out here in Arizona.
— Ryan Ralston
Tucson, Ariz.
I think it was a good story on his show. It shows that Terre Haute really has nothing to talk about but small, petty concerns. I have spoke to the [Tribune-Star] before about my thoughts on the city’s operation. The city is ran by a few select families, and they control what happens or doesn’t happen. The select families have the close-knit group of people that bow to their every need.
It is sad to say this story on the Jon Stewart show really allowed everyone to see what the city really shows of itself. The [WTWO] commercial was allowed to be aired and seen by residents, and I am sure other Terre Haute folks feel not only the commercial was lame, but the Jon Stewart story was amusing. I am glad that Terre Haute made a story; it brings out the dirt the city needs.
Does the TV station really feel that 15 years extra experience made that much of a difference, especially to run a commercial ad? I have no negative feelings towards Jon Stewart for running this bit. It was quite funny, and honestly if the manager at WTWO feels that bad to say what he did, too bad. Discard and move on. … I am sure more stories from the town of Terre Haute will make news in the future that show just how simple life is there.
— Kevin Hudson
Indianapolis
I’m not only a former Terre Hautean, I also worked at WTHI-TV. The Daily Show didn’t make the city look stupid, it made WTWO look ridiculous. Just because their weather team has more combined years of experience, it doesn’t actually make them BETTER. The promotions department should come up with a stronger argument before they start blowing their own horn. And those promos were so over-the-top dramatic, no wonder someone mocked them. After reading Duane Lammers response, I think maybe WTWO management is in the dreaded Doppler dead zone.
— Kay Cesinger
Highland
Jon was the only person on TV that has pronounced “Terre Haute” correctly in 36 years!
— John E. Loehmann
Houston, Texas
Does the term, “Much Ado About Nothing” mean anything to you, the ad that WTWO did was a ridiculous ad (I hope done tongue in cheek) The people, who put the ad together and allowed the ad to air, had to do that as a joke — who would think that an ad like that would be serious? “The Daily Show” didn’t think it serious. The whole thing reminded me of the Steve Martin spoof for the movie, “The Jerk.”
As a former member of the Terre Haute Media (WTHI-TV, Channel 10 Weatherman and host of The Early Show) and in viewing the Daily Show. I just went to myself, “Well, here we go again” — something so trivial blown out of proportion. WTWO made a dumb ad which should not have aired in the first place. In the world of broadcast professionals, the ad was juvenile, thus fair and open game for “The Daily Show” — a program that deals in sarcasm. (I personally would never watch someone who tears down a competitor if it were to just build themselves up — poor thinking on WTWO’s part.) I did not think less of Terre Haute, nor did I think more of Terre Haute. I just went, “Well, that’s Terre Haute!”
I have lived in a community, Jackson, Tenn., which takes pride in its heritage and progress. Some from Terre Haute have moved here to Jackson and agree that it is a community worth residing and enjoying a progressive life. The 20 years I lived, went to college and worked in Terre Haute, the community was noted for its apathy, its ability to shoot down progress, and its negative approach to itself. What Terre Haute needs is a community of people who will support progressive leadership, or as we say down here, “Stop supporting ‘the good old boys.’” All Terre Haute appears to do well is agree to disagree and never move forward. Wake up folks, if you are standing still, you are moving backwards! My advice to the people and “leaders” of Terre Haute — either “lead, follow or get out of the way!” If there is a problem (modern language calls it an “issue”), find a solution. Then, apply the principle, lead, follow or get out of the way. So what if a mistake is made? Doing nothing, Terre Haute, is your greatest mistake.
(P.S. I would hope you reprint this whole letter as Terre Haute needs to get over itself and move forward.)
— Bud Borchert
Jackson, Tenn.
I grew up in Clinton, lived in Louisville, Ky., for about 6 years and now live in Charleston, W.Va. I’ve seen these types of ads before. I think what made this one stand out was that it was over-the-top dramatic. It made it look like a political advertisement or something. The only thing missing was a disclaimer stating, “Paid for by the friends for WTWO” or something. They were kinda asking for someone to poke fun at it. I thought it was hilarious! I emailed the Comedy Central link to all my Hoosier friends.
— Hallie Swift
Cabin Creek, W.Va.
I grew up in Terre Haute for quite a few years. I attended Meadows Elementary, Ouabache Elementary, Woodrow Wilson and Terre Haute North before moving during my sophmore year in high school to South Bend. I was also in the Indiana Air National Guard in Terre Haute for six years. I did see “The Daily Show” insult Terre Haute’s weather folks and was quite amused. My opinion is that Terre Haute media has always been kind of a joke. I remember talking with my dad about the news guys frequently and also how the politics in Terre Haute are. The reason why the town never grows or attracts big business is because of the things like this happening.
It sucks, it is too bad, but it is reality. The media in the Haute needs to do the right thing — stop trying to be something that they are not. Report stories, don’t try to beat each other up. I live in Gurnee, Ill., now and am pretty sure that the Chicago media would not behave like the Terre Haute media did, even in the name of competition.
— Robert Dees
Gurnee, Ill.
I have always laughed at the rivalry between the two Terre Haute stations. As each station trumpeted their accomplishments I envisioned school kids bragging about how “rich” their parents were … only to find when they grew up that they all lived in the same dingy houses and drove the same ol’ trucks. This latest episode was just the latest example and one that was exposed to a larger audience. Did it change Terre Haute’s image? Hardly. Reinforce it? Probably, but only amongst those that actually know that Terre Haute has an image. I guess the missing question is, “What is Terre Haute’s image?”
— Craig Williams
Naperville, Ill.
It brought back memories of Steve Martin. I saw “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” the other night on AMC and got to see Terre Haute destroyed again.
— Paul Bindley
Melbourne Beach, Fla.
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