"A masterful exposé of TV news"
Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) March 13, 2014
"Messages," the debut novel by award-winning journalist Forrest Carr, is now available in print, and has just received an enthusiastic nod from Kirkus Reviews. This "accomplished debut novel" introduces readers to the truth about a powerful world they may know little about – the typical local TV newsroom – and exposes the process of deciding which stories and angles viewers will be allowed hear, and which will be kept from them.
"Messages" follows three friends beginning their journalism careers at a time when TV was the most powerful communications medium man had ever known. In their quest for Truth, Justice and Ratings, they'll battle profit-minded owners, idiotic managers, shady businessmen, out-of-control public officials, dangerous criminals, and fellow journalists of questionable ability and motivation. Before it's over, one friend will have to fight for his job, another will be fighting for his sanity, and the third will be struggling for his very life. Written by Forrest Carr, a respected industry insider and textbook author, "Messages" gives a "spirited, lavishly detailed behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of a newsroom."
Kirkus Reviews lauds "Messages" as an "accomplished debut novel" rendered with "smooth skill" and filled with "considerable comic energy and fast-paced dialogue." Tim Schwartz of MoCoVox.com finds "Messages" to be a "masterful exposé of TV news" and praises it as "engrossing, fun to read and a joy to see play out." "Messages" holds a 4.6 reader review score on Amazon.com.
Carr said: "'Messages' is a sort of a 'buddy cop' story, featuring journalists instead of police officers. But there's much more to it than that. Readers will come away with a gut-level understanding of what local TV news and the sometimes colorful characters who fought to be a part of it, practiced it and struggled with it in its early heyday were like, all of which helped the industry evolve into the state we find it today. This important process is at the very heart of our country's democratic way of life, but it's a story that has not been well told. Most Americans don't live in New York, Los Angeles or Washington, D.C., where many fictional works about TV news are set. They get their news from mid-to-small market stations, which are very different from their big-city and network counterparts. For some, 'Messages' may be an eye-opening experience; it certainly was for me as I lived it. But above all, I believe and hope readers will find the novel to be a good read, and grand fun."
More info: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/forrest-carr/messages-sbcrnVSB/ or search "Kirkus Forrest Carr"