News is news.
Three newscasts debuted on local television screens this week, led, of course, by the much-trumpeted national bow of Katie Couric, who blew away the competition.
KCNC-Channel 4 launched its 6:30 p.m. news on Tuesday, promising a news revolution. It wasn’t quite earth-shaking, but was different. Anchors Jim Benemann and Molly Hughes were more guides than news readers, chatting with reporters at length about fewer stories.
Weakest link in the new format is Vic Lombardi, whose sports coverage has been reduced to a game show, “The Lombardi Trophy.” Having Hughes walk over to noodle about the weather with Ed Greene seemed superfluous.
KUSA-Channel 9 did its first 9 p.m. newscast Tuesday on My20 (KTVD-Channel 20) in a more traditional fashion, making no secret it’s a 9News product. Anchors Bazi Kanani and Mark Koebrich breezed through 10 stories in the first seven minutes.
Channel 9 announced Wednesday its morning news show expands to four hours, from 5 to 7 a.m. on Channel 9, and 7 to 9 a.m. on My20, starting Dec. 9.
The public speaks
My column about ongoing monetary problems at Rocky Mountain PBS and parent Public Broadcasting System brought response from readers.
Dorothy Slater is willing to help. “Why, if PBS needs to attract younger viewers, do they insist on using musical acts from 40 years ago during pledge drives? Even I, at 69, have no interest in watching a bunch of men older than I … retread songs from 50 years ago.
“PBS has simply not kept up. It has grown old and stodgy. It’s the programming, stupid.”
Rangers vs. ‘bandits’
A darker view of the legendary Texas Rangers is provided in “Border Bandits,” a one-hour documentary about the murder of Mexican-Americans along the border around 1915 (10 p.m. Saturday, KBDI-Channel 12).
Thousands were murdered by the Rangers, usually excused by the claim that the dead men were merely “border bandits.”
The footage (real and re-created) is OK but more gripping are the taped accounts by the late Roland Warnock, who was there.
Around the dial
Gubernatorial candidates Bob Beauprez and Bill Ritter go face-to-face on “Colorado State of Mind” (7:30 p.m. Friday, KRMA)
… One-time Denver deejay Don Stubbs, 67, died Sunday in Las Vegas. Stubbs was in radio and TV for 45 years, starting with Denver country radio station KLAK … Bill Armstrong, Lee Fondren, Dr. Bob MacLauchlin and Bob Palmer will be inducted into the Broadcast Professionals of Colorado Hall of Fame at a dinner on Sept. 23 … Arturo Gómez, music director for KUVO 89.3-
FM, one of four new members of the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs … Quotable: “By this time of day, you’re up on the major headlines.” Molly Hughes
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-954-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
