“Wow, she’s back,” anchor Dari Alexander marveled on Wednesday night before WNYW aired the second installment of its new “City Rant” segment starring Joann, an opinionated housewife from the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn (video above).
While the first segment found Joann complaining about a wide-ranging list of topics, from her freeloading sons to the strange things that her neighbors hang on their clothesline, the second segment is focused on Joann’s rising water bill.
Joann’s strong opinions and penchant for profanity may draw comparisons to Bravo’s “Real Housewives” but she wants viewers to know that she’s the real thing. All real.
“If you took all my clothes off, everything underneath is real. Unlike those ‘Real Housewives,'” Joann offered during the first spot. While Joann is entertaining in the way that the “Real Housewives” are entertaining, many wonder if it’s an appropriate addition to a newscast.
“Based on Facebook reaction, viewers are digging the spots,” notes Daily News TV editor Richard Huff, “but news division insiders are not.”
Here’s the debut edition of WNYW’s “City Rant”: