Chapter 18/Helping Chris Wallace

Dear Glen:

This week we received a check from Kirby. Without your help we would still be getting the run-around.

Thanks a million. You made a couple old people happy.

Charles Weber
Shawano, WI

One of the grouchiest journalists I've ever worked with is Chris Wallace. Or maybe Chris was just having bad day. But I was glad that he was in a foul mood because he was in Wisconsin to confront a door-to-door vacuum cleaner company that had taken advantage of many consumers.

According to the State of Wisconsin, in the past Kirby salespeople have allegedly misled senior citizens suffering from blindness, illiteracy, dementia, Alzheimer's and other ailments. In many instances the elderly were subjected to a three-hour or more high-pressure sales pitch to buy vacuums for up to $1700. Some said they signed the contract out of fear, or simply to get the salespeople to leave.

Wallace, ABC-TV's Chief Investigative Reporter (now with Fox News), came to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to get information about Kirby and to catch Kirby on videotape pressuring consumers. As the spokesperson for Consumer Protection, I helped to arrange the visit.

A producer with ABC's Primetime Live 20/20 arrived in the morning from Washington, D.C. Beautiful Kim Skeen, a former anchorwoman, had a distinguished 20-year career in television and has won a number of awards for investigative reporting. She was putting the story together.

A six-man, two-camera crew arrived a little later from Chicago and began turning our boardroom into a TV studio.

Chris Wallace arrived just before his interview with us. Like his dad, Mike Wallace, Chris is a fearless, no nonsense reporter. And he can be just as abrasive as his famous father.

It was fun meeting Chris and seeing him in action. Although a little edgy, Chris was polite to us all at the Department and treated us with respect.

But Chris was different with his crew. Chris was under pressure because after the interview, he had a two-hour trip to Sheboygan to ambush a Kirby salesman in a consumer's home. He couldn't be late or he would lose the confrontation.

When the camera crew seemed to be taking too long with the set up, Chris started getting impatient.

"Come on, guys, what's taking you so long," he kept saying. Then he got irritated with the make-up man. "Come on, it looks fine," he said, "let's get going."

Finally, the cameras started rolling and Chris began the interview with us.

It seemed to be going fine, but suddenly he said, "Stop. Stop," in a frustrated, irritated voice. Then he began admonishing the producer, Kim Skeen, and the director for talking to each other while he was doing the interview. "I can't do this interview while you two are talking. I just can't do it."

Chris continued the interview. After being quiet for a short while, Kim and the director continued to whisper about shot selection. Although off-camera whispering is often necessary and tolerated by professionals, Chris stopped the interview again to scold them. Although he was treating this prize-winning producer like an intern, she apologized.

After a while, she started whispering again, but Chris turned his wrath on another crewmember that forgot to turn on an audio switch.

It went on this way for about 45 minutes. But who wants to see a Wallace without a wallop?

Chris made it up to Sheboygan on time, captured the high-pressure salesman on a hidden camera and then stepped out from where he was hiding to confront him. It looked like the salesman was trying bail out of the house, but Chris was in his way and kept peppering him embarrassing questions.

A few weeks later on Primetime Live, Chris warned all of America about the door-to-door vacuum cleaner people. It was a hard hitting report.

By the way, Consumer Reports magazine advises consumers that they don't have to pay big bucks to buy a vacuum cleaner that cleans well. You can get a good one for $300 or $400.