free every wednesday/KLA MetroHO oKC’sM IndependentA' wAeeKlyZ vol.ETT XXX no.E 19 May 7, 2008 Weapons of mass-media destruction Those who report the local news become the news on The Lost Ogle, a year-old Web site that savors savaging and satirizing metro media. by rod lott p. 24 an taylor I br news: CheroKee freedMen dIspute slated for federal appeals Court p. 10 vIsual arts: the CruCIble foundry of norMan brIngs the heat p. 56 On Tuesday, an Oklahoma City Web site hit a few thousand times each day celebrates its first anniversary. Unlike other well-traveled Web destinations, it does not provide a useful service or product, like e-mail and MP3s. It does, however, regularly feature a photograph of purportedly a popular local anchor- Weapons of woman in a pink bikini. The Internet hot spot in question is The Lost Ogle, found at www. thelostogle.com, which, according to its mission statement, offers “‘rants’ and ‘morning news styled opinions’ on a variety of topics concerning Oklahoma mass-media City and the rest of the world.” “It’s a daunting task,” the statement continues. “In fact, it’s a task so daunting that only an Ogle brother could do it. That’s why we’re TheLostOgle.com. And that’s our two cents.” ! News personalities Kelly, Kevin and Kent Ogle don’t actually have another G destruction brother taking potshots at his siblings; the site is run by three unrelated, not- N chiseled-enough-for-television average Joes who — as online — wish to keep A Those who report the local news their true identities secret and go by the names of Clark, Patrick and Tony. B “The truth is,” said Tony, “it’d be pretty boring if people found out who become the news on The Lost Ogle, a we are. None of us holds any high-powered position.” year-old Web site that savors savaging One works in marketing, another as an accountant, while the third remains in college; together, they combine forces to produce a daily deflation and satirizing metro media. of the tires among local media, with wit, satire and recklessness. For them, nothing — this publication included — is sacred. Except BY ROD LOTT maybe OETA-TV Channel 13. “And that’s because nobody watches them,” Tony said. >>> On Tuesday, an Oklahoma City Web site hit a few thousand times each day celebrates its first anniversary. Unlike other well-traveled Web destinations, it does not provide a useful service or product, like e-mail and MP3s. It does, however, regularly feature a photograph of purportedly a popular local anchor- Weapons of woman in a pink bikini. The Internet hot spot in question is The Lost Ogle, found at www. thelostogle.com, which, according to its mission statement, offers “‘rants’ and ‘morning news styled opinions’ on a variety of topics concerning Oklahoma mass-media City and the rest of the world.” “It’s a daunting task,” the statement continues. “In fact, it’s a task so daunting that only an Ogle brother could do it. That’s why we’re TheLostOgle.com. And that’s our two cents.” ! News personalities Kelly, Kevin and Kent Ogle don’t actually have another G destruction brother taking potshots at his siblings; the site is run by three unrelated, not- N chiseled-enough-for-television average Joes who — as online — wish to keep A Those who report the local news their true identities secret and go by the names of Clark, Patrick and Tony. B “The truth is,” said Tony, “it’d be pretty boring if people found out who become the news on The Lost Ogle, a we are. None of us holds any high-powered position.” year-old Web site that savors savaging One works in marketing, another as an accountant, while the third remains in college; together, they combine forces to produce a daily deflation and satirizing metro media. of the tires among local media, with wit, satire and recklessness. For them, nothing — this publication included — is sacred. Except BY ROD LOTT maybe OETA-TV Channel 13. “And that’s because nobody watches them,” Tony said. >>> thelOstOGle.cOm always been on. The media just has that pop culture thing. We like to make people laugh, and you can usu- ally make people laugh with a pop culture reference. It’s such a part of our lives.” “Why do the Mathis brothers have a puppy on their lap?” Tony asked. “These are things that people just talk about and like to read about.” HOW TO POST O BROtHeR! A WILD BIKINI In everywhere but Oklahoma, “ogle” means a flirtatious look. Although the three admitted slight Here, it means being part of a mortification over how weak their media dynasty. Brothers Kevin posts were out of the gate, it didn’t and Kent Ogle preside over take long for them to hit their stride KFOR-TV Channel 4 newscasts, — and attract some hits. with Kelly Ogle doing Tony pointed to four the same at KWTV pieces that placed The Channel 9. Lost Ogle among many “I’m sure they all an Internet browser’s work hard, but is it bookmarks. One was a really a coincidence that centennial-year list of three of the anchors in the “Top 100 Oklahoma Embarrassments,” rang- Oklahoma City are the ing from sportscaster sons of the same guy?” Dean Blevins (“a terrible Kent Ogle asked Tony, one of the The Web site gets much mileage out of one recurring bikini. writer who … appears to three founders of The be pretty lazy”) at the bot- Lost Ogle Web site. tom to country singer Toby Kevin Ogle may have “I loved the writing style, the Keith (“represents those been equally perplexed attitude of those sites,” Patrick said. Oklahomans who drive 75 when he first heard “I thought it’d be fun to start a Web miles to go [to] the State about the site that bears site like that, only Oklahoma City- Fair and toss a baseball at a his name. centric.” beer bottle”) up top. “Somebody told me Said Tony, “I didn’t know what he Another attention-get- about it, and I went over was talking about.” ter was a slightly censored Kelly Ogle to it and my first reac- Nevertheless, the three 20-some- Playboy photo of Sunni tion was, ‘Tell me there’s thing men who had never met each Golloway, daughter of not another one here!’” other in real life decided to give it University of Oklahoma head baseball he said with a laugh. “They seem a go. The first stumbling block was coach Sunny Golloway. Switching like they’re pretty funny. The picking the right name. Initial brain- schools and sports, Oklahoma State times I’ve been on it, some of storming gave birth to “What Would University football coach Mike their stuff has been pretty cute. Linda Cavanaugh Do?,” “Free Gary Gundy’s taped tirade against The I think it’s all in good fun. They England” and “Sorry About Toby Oklahoman sports columnist Jenni seem to have a pretty good handle Keith,” before the trio settled on the Carlson also garnered tons of traffic. on the local media and can have current moniker. And then there’s the aforemen- “In retrospect,” Patrick said, “we tioned pink bikini. some fun with it.” picked the absolute perfect name. The photograph shows five Kelly Ogle agreed. Linda Cavanaugh of KFOR-TV Four days later, my wife and I sepa- women in swimsuits, smiling for the “I think it’s very clever, very Channel 4 rated, so it became a good creative camera, apparently on a trip to the funny,” he said. “I’m usually not outlet for me.” lake. It would be wholly forgettable offended by things like that, (but) WHAT WOULD LINDA The first post, on May 13, 2007, except that the one in the middle is I get a little nervous every time I CAVANAUGH DO? was little more than an introduction, allegedly KWTV Channel 9 anchor- go to it.” although it did ask, “Is it just me, or woman Amy McRee. The Lost Ogle For the record, Kevin Ogle On any given day, The Lost Ogle does the FOX 25 weather crew look has posted and reposted the image said “except for the ‘Lost’ one,” may feature a YouTube clip of a local more like a bunch of Bob Howard whenever it sees fit; the guys even no other Ogle siblings exist. commercial, an embarrassing photo car salesmen rather than a group of sell T-shirts on their site that make a —Rod Lott swiped from a media personality’s Oklahoma City weathermen?” rather clever visual pun about it. public MySpace page or an essay “We had a certain amount of “We didn’t discover the picture,” taking a meteorologist, politician or cynicism about local media, espe- Patrick said. “People have the percep- Others frequently assailed ever Sports Animal commentator to task. cially with the local news,” Tony tion that we dug it up. But we made since have included — to name just The idea originated with Patrick, who said, about what drove their initial it our own. It’s almost like Branding a few — OklaTravelNet.com’s Brent approached two fellow posters on a content. 101.” Skarky (“couldn’t make it as a back- “cheesy little” New Orleans Hornets “I think it has to do with pop Said Tony, “You wouldn’t believe up sports anchor”), WWLS-FM 97.9 message board he ran to contribute culture, because in a way, that’s what how many people find the site by host Al Eschbach (“leprechaun”) to his new endeavor, inspired by we cover,” Patrick said.