Our Friends on Franklin Ave. noticed a new low for local news coverage:

Smack in the middle of reporting yesterday’s 405 closure, KCBS weather girl Vera Jimenez basically does an ad for the Lincoln SKS — including shots of her test driving the car. As Mike Schneider points out “”not so coincidentally, KCBS’ morning traffic coverage is sponsored by SoCal Lincoln dealers, whose screen bug remains on the lower left-hand corner throughout). Cut to video of Vera, hanging out inside the vehicle and extolling the virtues of the car. Then cut to weather.”

When Schneider asked a “KCBS insider” about the spot, the source “admitted that it was a bit awkward, especially given the placement. That person conceded that it was an ‘experiment, but not necessarily something we’ll be doing in the future.’”