The Daily News has posted a video report on the soon to be opened Metro Orange Line (two flavors for your viewing pleasure: QuickTime or Real Media) that they've imaginatively billed as "A Ride on the New Metro Orange Line", a title that brings to mind old Edison Kinetoscope titles like "What Happened on Twenty-Third Street, New York City", or better yet, "Egyptian Fakir with Dancing Monkey".

Judging from that bland descriptive phrase, you might assume that what you will see when you click on the above link consists mostly of a video record of, not to put too fine a point on it, a ride on the new Metro Orange Line. And you do get a few seconds of the huge MetroLiner bus in action.

The heart of the piece, though, is a long discursive speech by County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, in which it is revealed that it was he who invented the Orange Line, having scrawled the plan for it on the back of an airline napkin. He also finds time to name check Dick Riordan, Bob Hertzberg, and the country of Brazil. Riveting stuff.

That's not to say that the piece is worthless, just amateurish. Bad production values, crappy sound, and uncertain editing aside, the idea of video adjuncts to their online reportage is a promising one. And, whereas the Times is content to recycle KTLA's coverage on their website (corporate synergy!), the Daily News has at least taken it upon themselves to produce an independent video news product.

It's just not very good. Yet.  ¶ 10:06 PM