Pest Management Professional, April 2012

perspectives Will Nepper Managing Editor Wheres the line between reality TVs moderately irksome inaccuracies and irresponsible safety issues Get Real Do pest related reality shows hurt the pest management industry A few months ago I posed these questions on Pest Management Professionals PMPs Facebook wall facebook com PMPmagazine Do you have a favorite pest animal related show Are there any particular shows you think misrepresent the pest management profession The response was mixed Though other shows were mentioned Billy the Exterminator kept popping up as the prime example of a reality show that casts pests and the professionals who fight them in a questionable light Billy is several steps back for our trade comments Donald Clark owner of Alleycat Exterminating Brooklyn N Y I dont mind the way he dresses and acts but his unsafe use of pesticides and lack of personal protective equipment leaves me wondering how his blood stream hasnt reached its tolerance level for pesticides Weve reached the point where were being considered professionals by the public and valued for our knowledge and along comes a P T Barnum to take us all down a notch or two There are others in the industry who just cant get too worked up about a reality show because theyve caught on to the reality ruse Reality TV is typically as real as a Real Housewifes plastic enhanced collagen plugged mug All of them misrepresent our industry adds David Poplin of ECOLA Termite Pest Management Riverside Calif Its merely an entertainment show and doesnt represent the reality of our industry But wheres the line between moderately irksome inaccuracies and irresponsible safety issues Most job based reality shows begin with a Dont try this at home disclaimer for the sake of nonindustry viewers But what about those whove never called on a PMP in their lives those whose only significant exposure to the industry comes from TV ads and reality shows Billy is pretty cool comments Kevin Grindell commercial account executive for Gregory Pest Solutions Anderson S C But he doesnt use safe practices probably for ratings because playing it safe doesnt sell on TV Poplin concurs Safety isnt the priority it should be His pest knowledge is good but his lack of safety is bad But lets face it a proper service isnt entertaining to watch This seems valid Whether we like it or not people come for the creepy crawlies and stay for the human personalities What would a show like Ice Road Truckers be without the dramatic music out of context dialogue and manufactured cliff hanger cutaways that keep us coming back after commercial breaks A half hour of some guy driving and complaining But at least PMPs belong to a profession worthy of a TV show I like all of those shows even the ones like Billy because they get people interested in our industry and talking about pests and that creates a huge open door adds Jay Lee owner of Pirate Pest Control Termite Rio Rancho N M Also valid I cant imagine any TV execs pitching shows to the Discovery Channel about the exciting world of editing a trade magazine After the break managing editor Will continues to sit at his desk and type Stay tuned Not going to happen But why should we want people to be interested in pest management if its being poorly portrayed Lee puts it in perspective If some yahoo is being unprofessional or unsafe for the camera think of how much more professional that makes you look PMP Im looking for more input from readers about industry related reality shows for an upcoming feature Please send your thoughts about the subject to wnepper@ questex com using Reality Shows as your subject line 8 April 2012 Pest Management Professional mypmp net