Local New Source: The "Troubleshooter"
WAVE3 News has a feature where a man called "The Troubleshooter" investigates wrongdoings, and he tries to make it right or bust someone in the act of a crime. While the "Troubleshooter" technically covers crime, his pieces are usually over the top and melodramatic and not newsworthy whatsoever.  However, "The Troubleshooter" has a lot of qualities that give WAVE an advantage over all of the other news stations.  "The Troubleshooter" gives WAVE a better chance of finding an original story that no one else has yet picked up on, and the feature's popularity also gives WAVE a chance to get away with reactive (passive) reporting.  Using social media, people can send messages or emails the "The Troubleshooter" about stories that other members of the WAVE3 news team can also pick up and use. "The Troubleshooter" has more time to work on his stories, so that he can offer a full explanation and get multiple sources for his report.  "The Troubleshooter" is beneficial to WAVE because of how well the audience reponds to him. Viewers enjoy seeing the "Troubleshooter" act as an advocate for those who have been taken advantage of, as he uses the influence of the media to right the wrongs that have been done. Even people watching other news programs may be inclined to change the channel and watch.  Because of the "Troubleshooter" feature, WAVE needs significantly less amount of information to fill the rest of the show. Consequently, WAVE sacrifices important news stories from being told to make time for "The Troubleshooter", who almost never covers newsworthy information.   Recently, the "Troubleshooter" reunited a family with their lost pet and exposed a man for conning people out of reward money. The good news is that typically with the "Troubleshooter's" help, there is a happy ending.
 http://www.wave3.com/category/1253/troubleshooter