Channel 275 News Dominates El Paso

What happens when you give an old school news van and some high tech equipment to a bunch of military guys with more creativity and energy than restraint and an unabashed desire for satirical public service?

You get Channel 275 News, an utterly fearless collection of newsmen who will literally do whatever it takes to get the story. The investigative journalists and support team of Channel 275 are all combat veterans and it shows.

Channel 275 News is directed by Brooklyn native Lenny Swartz, failed LA movie producer turned television mogul, but it is the brainchild of Botstik. The Botstik Collective is a professional multimedia company headquartered wherever its primary principals are stationed (though apparently one of them has now retired). Though their approach is entertaining, they have actually been covering and will continue to report legitimate news stories – something which will no doubt make future satirical exposes more difficult to detect. The team is composed of News Anchor Butch Rogers (who has been calling Fox Channel 14 in El Paso repeatedly to challenge their news anchor to an arm wrestling match), Sports Correspondent Butch Johnson (a graduate of Idaho State, where he was apparently a somewhat lackluster football star), Russell Church (a candid, even brusque political commentator whose ‘filter' is sadly lacking), Troy Rafferty (a genius with numbers and former Las Vegas pit boss who now covers the Economy) and Tyrone Hammerstein (an atmospheric scientist who accepted the lead Weatherman role after his predecessor took his clothes off on air one too many times). Meet the entire team and make contact with them for story leads (including anonymous tips) on the Team Page.

Each member of the news team is a veteran of a non-traditional Air Force AFSC with extensive experience overseas. The background of each character, indeed the entire news channel, is rife with inside jokes and subtleties. Some will speak to just those involved – some will speak to those who have worked with or called on CAS (Close Air Support), had to deal with military intelligence, spent any time interacting with zipper-suited sun gods or had to deal with the world's largest entrenched bureaucracy.

Members of the Channel 275 News Team will be appearing on the Fox News Radio show Positive Spin, hosted by Nathan Krekula, this Thursday (May 2nd) at 11am PST.

It will be interesting to see if they really do start a fight with the Ft. Bliss Public Affairs Office as has been rumored.