After all the noise about remaking the morning show at Channel 4, the new design hasn’t exactly cured the station’s ratings woes.
For the first 12 days in March (we won’t even count February, skewed by the Olympics), KCNC eked out a win over CW affiliate KWGN- Channel 2 for fourth place in the morning race.
In the 25-54 demographic that most advertisers consult regarding news programming, KUSA-Channel 9 dominates the local morning news race, with a 4.0 rating.
KDVR-Channel 31 is next, with a 1.0 rating, followed by KMGH- Channel 7, with a 0.9 rating; KCNC, with a 0.8 rating; and Channel 2, with a 0.7 rating.
But think of they money they save without Stacey Donaldson’s salary.
New to KUVO.
Alfredo Cruz was named president and CEO of Denver’s public radio jazz outlet KUVO. Cruz previously was station manager at KRTU-FM in San Antonio. He comes with 27 years of public-radio experience. On his to-do list: adding a transmitter in Vail and Eagle counties and two new HD program channels.
Tiger in 3-D.
Comcast isn’t going to let “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland” have all the HD/3-D glory. Sports events are strong candidates for the new technology, too. One of the first to get the 3-D treatment is Augusta National. Tiger in 3-D: draw or drawback?
Comcast will provide two hours of high-definition 3-D coverage of the Masters tournament April 7-11. For those without 3-D/HD TVs — that is, most of us — 3-D streaming video coverage will be available at and requires a 3-D computer, 3-D video player and 3-D glasses. Who’s got all that?
News has a future.
From a ski vacation in Deer Valley, Frank Sesno talked about the “very tough spot” traditional news organizations find themselves in.
“A few years ago people wanted to talk about media bias, now it’s, ‘Am I going to lose my newspaper?’ There’s a growing sense of public alarm,” he said. The former CNN anchor, now in academia at George Washington University, believes people will always want and need news and information. But, he cautions, don’t expect the digital media to ride to the rescue. He’s keeping an eye on The New York Times’ pay model, due next year. His weekly series, “The Future of News” launches at 7 p.m. Friday on Channel 12.
Meanwhile, WNET, the largest public-TV producing station, sees a future. A Web and TV hybrid, “Need to Know,” produced online with input from viewers, debuts May 7, locally at 9 p.m. on KRMA-Channel 6. It’s a Friday- night public affairs show to replace the retiring Bill Moyers, that viewers can track through the process.
Destination Freedom Week.
We called it “snick” but SNCC stood for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
As part of a Destination Freedom Week celebration, a live radio broadcast of “Education of a Harvard Guy,” is slated April 8 and 9 on KGNU (88.5 FM and 1390 AM), adapted for radio by Denver producer and filmmaker, donnie l. betts and Tj betts. The radio drama is based on the memoirs of John Perdew, a former Denverite and SNCC worker in the early ’60s.
American Indians in film.
TCM will devote the fifth in its smart series on “Race and Hollywood” to images of American Indians. Tuesdays and Thursdays in May, TCM presents 29 films.
The lineup includes depictions by director John Ford (May 4), non-Indians in Indian roles (May 6), Indians as enemies (May 11) and Indians as “noble savages” (May 18).
Local effort in Haiti.
Rocky Mountain PBS is teaming with a group from the University of Colorado at Boulder on a multiyear project to document development in Haiti. Filmmaker Jeff Larsen will follow civil-engineering professor Bernard Amadei and colleagues, leaving today for Haiti. RMPBS will post video and updates, and hopes for an eventual documentary.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
