Awards and covering your beat like a madwoman don’t cut it in this TV day and age.
Marcia Neville, KCNC-Channel 4’s hyper-energetic prep sports specialist, is being cut to part-
time duty after 25 years at the station.
“We carried Marsha’s stories in the 4 o’clock news, and we don’t have a 4 o’clock news anymore,” said Tim Wieland, CBS4News news director. “It didn’t make sense to keep her in a full-time capacity.”
No comment from Neville.
She will continue covering high school football in the fall and spring sports. She also will keep doing her “Colorado Sportswomen,” which has won a bag of awards for the station and was nominated this year for a Heartland Emmy.
CU, later
It’s bad enough that KTVD-Channel 20 is stuck with those two nighttime telenovellas. They finally get a college football game and it turns out to be Colorado at Georgia (10:30 a.m. Saturday). The mighty Buffs (0-3) are a mere 24-point underdog to the unbeaten Bulldogs, who have posted back-to-back shutouts, which Coach Hawk no doubt regards as “a challenge.”
“Contender” ending
“The Contender,” ESPN’s made-up boxing “championship” – part put-’em-up, part “Rocky” – comes down to the final two gladiators at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The tournament, beefed up by flashing lights, amplified punches, loud music and the “drama” of fans in the stands, began with 16 hopefuls, any one of whom host Sugar Ray Leonard still could whip in a walk.
Mardi Gras II?
The undefeated New Orleans Saints (how weird does that sound?) return to the Katrina-ravaged Louisiana Superdome for “Monday Night Football.” It’ll be a grand party.
U2 and Green Day play before the game and President Bush will be there, although what kind of a reception he’ll get from 70,000 fans is an intriguing question. Five hundred media members are expected, too. The New Orleans-Atlanta matchup of two unbeaten teams – and the entire Saints’ season – is sold out (6:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN).
Around the dial
“Rockies Weekly” salutes Vinny Castilla and his last Coors Field stand with an interview by Charissa Thompson (10 tonight, FSN Rocky Mountain). Castilla’s final home game is next Thursday … Look for him: Everybody’s favorite ex-sports columnist Woody Paige plays – what else? – a TV sports commentator in “Rocky VI,” due out Dec. 22 … Wide receiver Brandon Marshall guests on “Broncos Talk,” hosted by Lou From Littleton and David Diaz-Infante (7 tonight, KHOW 630-AM) … College game of the week: Minnesota-Purdue (ESPN2, 11 a.m. Saturday). … Quotable: “Maurice Clarett’s life is far from over. Here’s hoping he somehow finds a way to live productively.” Bryant Gumbel
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-954-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
