Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jerry Taff


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. The subject falls under and is apparently notable by the WP:ENT guideline. (non-admin closure). Intelligent  sium  00:28, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Jerry Taff

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Delete. Local news reporter who does not appear to have any type of measurable notability, except for being added to a "hall of fame" by his home town. Is there a notability guideline for news reporters? I cannot find one, and either way I do not believe that this is the type of biography we should be carrying. JBsupreme (talk) 21:54, 6 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Keep I don't think there have ever been any clear guidelines about local media figures, but considering that Taff was a longtime news anchor in the fairly large Milwaukee market (in addition to his work in other large cities), I think we can keep this. It seems that his career was well-covered by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, so there is plenty of material to work with. Zagalejo^^^ 22:14, 6 January 2010 (UTC)
 * My question is this: has he received any coverage beyond his locality? It is not surprising that a local newspaper would mention him, especially considering that both WISN-TV (his employer) and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have a close relationship.  I am not sure that confers actual notability in this case.  JBsupreme (talk) 22:24, 6 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Looking quickly through Google News, I only see news articles from Milwaukee and Waukesha, WI, plus one from New Haven (another city where he worked). But I think the local stuff is good enough. My approach to such topics is this: if the local press only incidentally mentions the topic, then it probably isn't notable. But if the coverage implies that the topic is a "local legend", or something to that effect, then maybe it does deserve an article. I also think you need to consider the size of the metropolitan area in question. A local legend in New York is more important than a local legend in Joe, Montana. Now, Milwaukee isn't New York, but it's still a major city, so I think some Milwaukee-specific topics do deserve their own articles. Zagalejo^^^ 23:00, 6 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Comment: I originally put together the article after I noticed one on the similarly named Jerry Taft, a TV meteorologist in Chicago for the past 25 years or so. That article only has Chicago newspaper references. I would have no problem with deleting the article on Jerry Taff if there was some set common standard for local TV personality notability. I would also like to point out Category:American television anchors by city. Sacramento has 29, Philly 43, Indianapolis 26, NYC 171... if this guy's not notable, then I would presume most of these others are not as well.--BaronLarf 05:30, 7 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Redirect to WISN-TV As an editor in southeast Wisconsin I can vouch that Jerry Taff is a local news legend, but an singular article about him isn't needed. As he spent the majority of his career at this station the redirect target is perfect.  Nate  • ( chatter ) 07:55, 7 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Why is it necessary to reduce this to a redirect? There's some good information in the article that would be lost. I don't mean to be a pain, but I'm worried about the kind of precedent this discussion could set - not only for articles on news anchors, but for all articles that rely mainly on local sources. Zagalejo^^^ 20:34, 7 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Keep I echo Zagalejo's thoughts towards the top of this discussion. Well established in a major metropolitan community by the "legend" remark - but the Hall of Fame clinches it for me. I've seen numerous articles on local television personalities in the largest communities and I see no reason not to include Milwaukee in that list.  Royal broil  01:24, 8 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Keep per WP:ENT which covers television personalities: Has had significant roles in multiple television shows..., he was on air in Amarillo, New Haven, Flint, and Dallas before Milwaukee and Has made... prolific contributions to a field of entertainment, a 40 year broadcast career and 25 years as a news anchor is prolific enough for me.  Wine Guy   Talk  04:51, 13 January 2010 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.