Becka's Website Gets A Makeover

The website of KFAB (1110 AM) talk show host Tom Becka has a new look.

www.tombecka.com has been replaced by www.radiobecka.com. The new site includes a link to The Becka Blog.

KXVO Names New Host

KXVO (Cox Channel 11) announced this afternoon that Matt Geiler will be the new host of the "KXVO 15 10:00 News."

Geiler's biography says he's performed at more than 600 comedy clubs, corporate gigs and colleges throughout the country. He is a graduate of "Second City" in Chicago and has voiced and acted in a number of radio and TV commercials.

"He was named best host at the 2002 Best New Talent Awards in Los Angeles," KXVO News Director Allen Beckner said. "As you can tell, Matt brings a lot of experience and creativity to the show."

Geiler makes his debut tonight.

Deadline Is Oct. 1 For Cox and KETVTo Reach Agreement Over HD Signal

KETV (Cox Channel 9) announced today that it will deny Cox Communications rights to carry its high definition signal over its digital cable tier beginning Oct. 1 if an agreement is not reached between the two parties.

KETV is "seeking fair and reasonable terms from Cox" in exchange for allowing Cox to carry KETV-DT's programming and charge its subscribers for that programming, according to a news release distributed by the ABC affiliate Tuesday.

KETV-DT is available over-the-air for free using a high-definition receiver, but requires a subscription to digital cable and rental of an HD cable box to receive it via Cox.

"We're greatly disappointed that Cox has yet to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution," said Joel Vilmenay, KETV president and general manager, in the release. "Our station is a leader in our market and we've made substantial investments to bring our viewers high definition digital programming.

"Cox has been actively promoting to current and prospective subscribers the addition of our digital channel to its lineup, and charging its subscribers a premium for our high-definition signals. We're certainly supportive of their adding and promoting our high-definition programming. But they won't come to terms with us on providing fair consideration for that right. To allow any re-distributor of our station's digital signal to benefit economically from our efforts without providing us a reasonable contract for that right would be unacceptable for us."

Hearst-Argyle, which owns KETV, says it anticipates allowing Cox to continue to retransmit KETV's primary analog signal "while the companies continue to work in good faith toward a resolution of retransmission consent terms."

A dispute with Cox over retransmission of a station's HD signal is not a new one in Omaha. In December 2003, KMTV denied Cox permission to carry its digital signal until it was properly compensated. The two parties reached an agreement in January 2006 after KMTV's ownership changed over from Emmis Communications to the Journal Broadcast Group. Details of the agreement were not disclosed, but Steve Wexler, Senior Vice President for Television and Radio Operations at Journal, said at the time, "We are very happy to provide Cox customers the popular entertainment, sports and local news programming on KMTV and CBS in high definition."

KMTV, KOLN Will Carry 9/11 Documentary

Some CBS affiliates are nervous about airing next week's documentary "9/11" over fears that the Federal Complaints Commission will fine them for profanity because of expletives from firefighters in the two-hour program.

Already, two dozen CBS affiliates have said they will either not air the Robert De Niro-hosted documentary this Sunday at 7 p.m. or delay it until after 10 p.m.

Omaha CBS affiliate KMTV (Cox Channel 5) and Lincoln CBS affiliate KOLN/KGIN are not among them.

"We are planning to carry it as scheduled," said Steve Wexler, Senior Vice-President of Radio & Television Operations for Journal Broadcast Group, which owns KMTV. "We believe it's an important program."

Said KOLN news director Randy Lube: "My understanding is we are planning to broadcast it."

The drama is based on a day in the life of a fire-fighter, attempting to tackle the chaos after the World Trade Centre was attacked. It has already been aired twice on the network without any complaints. This latest showing will include new interviews with many of the firefighters featured in the original.

'Action 3 News Live At 6' Debuts Tonight

KMTV is not following the lead of its parent network in hyping a change to its early-evening newscast lineup.

Thirty minutes after Katie Couric makes her debut as host of the "CBS Evening News" tonight, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) will broadcast a local newscast at 6 p.m. for the first time in three years.

"We're excited about the launch of Action 3 News Live at 6, because it gives us another opportunity to showcase our aggressive coverage of news, weather and sports," said Steve Wexler, Senior Vice-President of Television & Radio Operations
for the Journal Broadcast Group. "Especially with the debut of Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News, we'll work hard to be first with breaking news and coverage of the most important stories."

KMTV pulled the plug on its 6 p.m. newscast in Sept. 2003 in the wake of low ratings, replacing it with syndicated programming that has not performed much better.

Unlike its competition, KMTV is "soft-launching" the new newscast. KMTV Promotions Writer Kayla Thomas said no press release is being put out to herald the change, nor is anything about the new newscast listed on the station's website, action3news.com.

When KETV (Cox Channel 9) launched its weekend morning newscast earlier this year, its debut was trumpeted by a slew of on-air promos, a website banner and a press release. KXVO (Cox Channel 11) did the same for the launch of its new 10 p.m. newscast late last year.

MDA Telethon Raises Record Amount

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) contributed $401,447 to the record-setting total of $61,013,855 raised in this year's Muscular Dystrophy Telethon.

The amount raised by Omaha viewers is also a record and included $82,000 collected by the Omaha Firefighters Union.

From the Laptop: Husker Coverage Wrap

News and notes from the first weekend of Nebraska football coverage:

KETV (Cox Channnel 9) was the only station to provide live coverage of the post-game press conference following the Huskers' 49-10 victory over Louisiana Tech. The station's live truck operators acted quickly to overcome an obstacle created when HuskerVision (the University's audio/visual network) failed to provide a feed of the presser to broadcast outlets.

In non-sports coverage of the game, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) followed up on security enhancements at Memorial Stadium, while WOWT (Cox Channel 8) focused on tailgating.

KETV is tweaking its format for its 10 p.m. newscast on Husker gamedays. Since ABC is broadcasting football games on Saturday nights, the station's 10 p.m. newscast has not been starting until at least 10:15.

In an effort to capitalize on the football audience, KETV leads off its newscast with 10 minutes of "Big Red Zone" coverage that includes highlights, statistics, a post-game feature story and an "extra point" of commentary or unusual fact or statistic. Saturday's "extra point" was Governor Dave Heineman's score prediction from earlier in the week, which was 49-7.

"He may be replacing me in the Big Red Zone soon," said KETV weekend sports anchor Matt Schick.

Brian McFayden: Where Is He Now?

Former KXVO (Cox Channel 11) news anchor Brian McFayden was seen hosting "Extra's" one-hour weekend edition.

The former MTV "Total Request Live" host still uses a myspace.com page created for his KXVO newscast.

Tennis Fans, Here's What You Are Missing

Because of KMTV's broadcast of the Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon, tennis fans will not see CBS Sports' coverage of the US Open tennis tournament.

Third and fourth round matches being played today include:

Men's Singles, third round
- Robby Ginepri vs. Tommy Haas
- Marat Safin vs. Olivier Rochus

Women's Singles, fourth round
- Shahar Peer vs. Justine Henin-Hardenne
- Patty Schnyder vs. Lindsay Davenport
- Dinara Safina vs. Virginie Razzano
- Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Jelena Jankovic
- Anna Chakvetadze vs. Tatiana Golovin

Men's Singles, fourth round
- Jiri Novak vs. Rafael Nadal

The first-ever, live video webcast of the US Open does not occur until tonight at 6.

FSN Broadcast of Husker Game Not Too Shabby

Fox Sports Network's broadcast of the Nebraska-Louisiana Tech was nearly as solid as the Huskers' 49-10 victory over the Bulldogs.

FSN play-by-play announcer Bill Land and color man Dave Lapham refrained from using the "sea of red" and "Nebraska's third-largest city" references that have typically plagued second-rate sports network broadcasts.

However, Lapham did stumble when referring to the Nov. 23, 1984 touchdown pass from Doug Flutie to Gerald Phelan against Miami, referring to Phelan as "Gerard." In the same segment, viewers missed a Louisiana Tech incomplete pass (that was almost picked off) while a taped interview was being shown.

Other minor gaffes:

FSN was late coming back from a commercial in the third quarter, missing the first half of a Nebraska pass play that nearly resulted in a touchdown.

Land mispronounced former Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne's name as "Oz-BORN" and mistakenly said the last time the Huskers lost a home opener was in 1983 against Florida State. (It was actually 1985.)

KPTM Is Week 2 WinnerIn High School Highlights Race

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) broadcast highlights from 17 high school football games Friday night, three more than its closest competitor, KETV (Cox Channel 9).

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) aired highlights from eight games, while KMTV (Cox Channel 5) covered three games.

"We planned for (highlights of) 18 games, but the game at Kearney was delayed because of rain," said KPTM sports director JJ Davis.

After two weeks of the high school season, here is what the Friday night highlight race looks like:

27

20

14

6

Lincoln Journal Star Gets New Publisher

John Maher is the new publisher of the Lincoln Journal Star.

Lee Enterprises appointed Maher to the post Friday. He will also be chief executive for Lee's Southeast Nebraska business unit, which includes the Journal Star, as well as daily papers and online products in Columbus, Beatrice and Fremont.

Maher replaces Bill Johnston, who left the newspaper in May after 10 years. Johnston is currently publisher at the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.

Maher, 40, begins his new job Oct. 1.

KPTM Weekend Sports Anchor Returns Sept. 19

Weekend sports anchor Jeff Radcliffe has recovered enough from a bout with hepatitis to return to work Sept. 19.

Radcliffe was receiving treatment for hepatitis when he suddenly had to be rushed to the hospital July 18. Tests found that his kidneys and liver were failing. After being hospitalized briefly, Radcliffe has been recovering at home ever since.

"I pretty much have the sickness beaten, with all my liver/kidney functions in normal range," Radcliffe said. "I thought it would appropriate that my 'on set' return will be with J.J. during a Friday night EndZone show."

KPTM News Director Allen Beckner said until Radcliffe returns, freelancer Suzy Stark will continue to fill in.

"She's a very hard worker," Beckner said. "You can expect to see her on Sundays and Mondays."

'Friday Night Lights' Gets Punk'd

Someone pulled a fast one Friday night on the crew of KOZN's "Friday Night Lights" high school football scores and highlights show.

A little before 9 p.m., hosts Aaron Bearinger and James Kerwin gave a score update on 1620 AM from the "Waterloo-Valley" game.

"With two minutes to go, it's Waterloo leading Valley, 21-6," they announced, apparently unaware that neither school exists.

Waterloo and Valley consolidated in 2005 to become "Douglas County West." The Class C-1 Falcons were actually hosting Arlington Friday night.

KETV Will Be Only StationTo Air Senate Debate Sept. 10

KETV owns the exclusive broadcast rights to the Sept. 10 debate between Democratic Senator Ben Nelson and Republican challenger Pete Ricketts.

The one-hour, commercial-free live debate will begin at 6 p.m. in KETV's studios at 27th & Douglas. KETV NewsWatch 7 anchors Rob McCartney and Julie Cornell will serve as moderators.

The Omaha Press Club and KETV are sponsoring the debate, which will be the second between the two candidates.

"We look forward to providing the Omaha community an uninterrupted, primetime platform to hear from the person who will serve as our next US Senator," said Joel Vilmenay, KETV President and General Manager. "This is the second political debate we've sponsored this year and through the election and beyond it's our intention to provide our community with the most comprehensive political news reporting and coverage."

KETV will also make the debate available to visitors to its website, KETV.com. On Sept. 12, it will be made available for viewing via Cox Cable's "On Demand" feature on channel 998.

KETV's "Commitment 2006" coverage is a renewal of its detailed bi-annual election coverage efforts, which began with Commitment 2000. According to a press release, KETV NewsWatch 7 will devote a minimum amount of 10 minutes a day to political news and candidate-discourse coverage. That includes at least five minutes of original content each weekday and, when possible, on weekends, in the 30 days leading up to Nov. 7 election.

Husker Radio Gameday StretchesMore Than 11 Hours Saturday

The Pinnacle Sports Network, which broadcasts Nebraska football games to 42 cities and more than 50 stations, will broadcast 11.5 hours of coverage Saturday.

Here is the network's broadcast schedule:

9:30 a.m. - Husker Game Day
11:30 a.m. - Husker Talk
1:45 p.m. - Bill Callahan Pregame Show
2:00 p.m. - Game Broadcast
6:00 p.m. - Coaches Wrapup
6:30 p.m. - Bill Callahan Postgame Show
7:00 p.m. - Scoreboard Show
7:30 p.m. - Locker Room Show
8:00 p.m. - Big Red Reaction

Jim Rose begins his fourth year as the voice of Husker football, while former Nebraska football player Adrian Fiala will serve as color analyst.

Rose served in various capacities with the Nebraska Sports Network for seven years in the 1990s before serving as Sports Director, talk show host and play-by-play announcer for KMBZ Radio in Kansas City. He returned to Nebraska in the spring of 2002. He is a Nebraska graduate and a former Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year award winner.

Before joining Pinnacle Sports in 1996, Fiala previously provided color commentary for KFOR radio in Lincoln, working with Ray Scott, Tim Moreland and Dick Perry. He is beginning his 17th season of broadcasting Husker football and was chosen as the Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year in 2001.

Sideline reports will be delivered by former Husker wide receiver Matt Davison, while Randy Lee will be in the booth.

Special Omaha Royals Game OfferPart of Cox's 25th Anniversary Celebration

Cox Communications is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Omaha by offering special ticket deal to the Omaha Royals' game agains the Iowa Cubs on Monday, Sept. 4.

Cox customers who call 738-5100 and mention the special offer can purchase four tickets to the game and receive an an Omaha Royals yearbook for $10. The offer is available to Cox customers through Sept. 3. Attendees can register for a chance to win an HDTV from Cox Communications. For more information, and official contest rules, click here.

The Labor Day game, which begins at 1:35 p.m., is part of Cox's month-long celebration of the company's 25th anniversary of serving the Omaha area.

New Arrangement Not A Hit With Husker Media

A corner in new Nebraska Strength Complex will serve as the post-game press conference area.
Not everyone is grinning ear-to-ear with excitement about the newly refurbished areas of Memorial Stadium.

The media charged with covering the Huskers will have their hands full after Saturday's game, dealing with a new area for post-game press conferences. Most notably, it is considerably smaller than a more spacious area in the southeast corner of the stadium that was utilized the past few years.

"What is clear to me is that the setup was an after-thought," said one local media representative who wished to remain anonymous.

Another media member (who also commented on the condition of anonymity) said it is another example of the diminishing access to Husker players and coaches.

"They provide great parking, a great press box and great game notes," he said. "But as Huskervision becomes bigger, their concern for the electronic media has taken a back seat. The truth is they care a lot more about the newspapers than anything else."

But one print reporter, who also wished to remain nameless, said he was also surprised at the location of the new post-game press conference area. But he also poitned out that other schools have less-than-ideal locations to conduct post-game interviews - whether you are a member of the print or broadcast media.

"There are setups much worse, especially for visiting teams - outside, under bleachers, with fans shouting in the background, etc.

"We'll see how it goes (Saturday) and what the response is (from the media)."

KMTV Will BroadcastMDA Telethon For 36th Year

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) anchors Greg Peterson and Mary Williams will be joined by meteorologists Ryan McPike, CT Thongklin and Dean Wysocki on the station's 36th year of televising the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon.

Peterson and Williams will serve as in-studio hosts for the broadcast, which begins at 7 a.m. Monday and concludes at 6 p.m. McPike, Thongklin and Wysocki will be collecting money at the "Fish Bowl," at the Bag 'N' Save store at 76th & Dodge.

"We'll be live for 20 minutes each hour up until 4:30 p.m.," said telethon producer Kayla Thomas. "Then we'll be live all the way through to 6 p.m. That's the time slot with the firefighters and the parrotheads."

Last year's local portion of the telethon raised $384,388, Thomas said. Nationally, nearly $55 million was collected. It was only the third time in the telethon's 40 years that it failed to surpass the previous year's total.

The drop in totals in 2004 and 2005 were attributed to other organizations' disaster relief contributions for victims of Hurricane Frances and Katrina, respectively.

Lincoln station KLKN begins its broadcast of the telethon at 10:35 p.m. Sunday. This is the 11th year the station has carried the telethon.

Thomas said to expect some new twists to KMTV's coverage, which has sometimes included wacky fundraising stunts such as hosts doing push-ups or spending hours raised high in the air by firefighting equipment.

"We'll be getting some special help this year from our friends and radio partners at Star 104.5," Thomas said. "Glennboy and Glo will be helping out at the Fish Bowl and J-Pat will be manning the phones here at the station."

Peterson, who is hosting his fourth telethon for the station, said the national segments will again originate from Las Vegas.

"I was out there two weeks ago, and although Jerry is now 80, he's looking better than he has in years," Peterson said.

Copyright Assures World-HeraldOf Mention In Buffett Wedding Story

By paying $45 to copyright its front page story on Warren Buffett's wedding to his long-time companion, the Omaha World-Herald guaranteed itself several thousand dollars worth of worldwide publicity.

As of Friday night, more than 275 stories had appeared in on-line publications. Information on print-only publication mentions was not available.

Whenever someone uses a copyrighted work for the purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research it may be deemed a "fair use" and is exempt from copyright infringement. The U.S. Copyright Act lists four factors for determining whether the use of a work is fair use. These factors are:

- the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
- the nature of the copyrighted work;
- the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole;
- the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

A determining factor in copyright infringement is whether the use by a suspecting infringer has taken away from the copyright owner's opportunity for profit. If a court finds that the copied image is affecting the value of the original image, the usage will not be considered "fair use."

Technically, all original stories printed in the state's largest newspaper are already copywritten because copyright protection exists once the work is created. However, an advantage of filing for copyright registration means the World-Herald can file suit against other media outlets which infringe on its copywritten stories.

So how much of the World-Herald's 600-word story are other media outlets permitted to use? Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work - including quotes - for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words or percentage of a work.

Informal Writers Poll Not Kind to Nebraskans

San Antonio Express-News reporter Tim Griffin polled 20 beat writers and columnists familiar with Big 12 Conference football. The results, published Tuesday on the newspaper's website, did not bode well for some Nebraska-based media personalities.

Nebraska football play-by-play announcer Jim Rose (pictured at far right) did not garner a single vote for the question, "Who is your favorite play-by-play announcer in the Big 12?" (Answer: Craig Way of Texas with five votes.) However, Husker color announcer Adrian Fiala (pictured, left of photo) did receive one vote.

Rose (with two votes) did show up in the results of the question asking about the "least-favorite announcer." (Winner: Bob Barry Sr. of Oklahoma with six votes). Rose received two votes.

As for "favorite television network for college football coverage," ESPN was No. 1 with 14 votes. Fox (with seven-and-a-half votes) took home "Least favorite television network" honors, followed closely by TBS (six votes).

Finally, in a gauge of service to the media, reporters and columnists were asked which school's sports information department does the best job. Nebraska's SID office, once regarded as one of the best in the nation (in the 70s and early 80s) garnered only one vote. Oklahoma (with six-and-a-half votes) took the top spot.

Pavelka Heard On KFAB Wednesday

Broadcast veteran Kent Pavelka, who recently filled in for KFAB afternoon talk show host Tom Becka, is making the rounds of the Omaha press circuit after his advertising and public relations firm, Pavelka and Associates, landed the Nebraskans for Video Keno account.

Pavelka appeared on KFAB (1110 AM) Wednesday to talk about the organization's successful effort to land an initiative on the November ballot that would amend the Nebraska County and City Lottery act to authorize the use of video keno game devices

In addition to his fill-in radio gigs, Pavelka also assisted with some national television coverage of Nebraska football games last fall, serving as a sideline reporter for Fox Sports.

Former KMTV Reporter Recalls Katrina's Wrath

Former KMTV reporter Laura Shelton moved out of New Orleans nine months after Katrina hit.

Former KMTV reporter Laura Shelton said a few people wished her "Happy Anniversary" earlier this week, recalling it was a year ago that Shelton escaped the wrath of Hurricane Katrina by fleeing New Orleans.

Shelton was working for Fox-affiliate WVUE at the time. Rather than stay in New Orleans, Shelton and her husband, Chuck Garfield (another former KMTV employee), evacuated to Mobile, Ala. They got out just in time.

WVUE was knocked off the air hours later when its transmitter was flooded. Fellow staffers who had stayed behind were evacuated to a local sheriff's office when the first floor of the station began filling up with water.

"I lost everything on my desk, including all the stories I've saved in my career," Shelton said.

Shelton stayed in Mobile for two days - providing wall-to-wall coverage of Katerina - while sleeping on the floor of the station. Eventually, she returned to New Orleans but with a plan to look for work in a city less vulnerable to Mother Nature.

Nine months later, Garfield and Shelton ended up in New York City. He works for a digital media company in Midtown Manhattan and she freelances as a producer/writer/editor with CBS Newspath.

"(New Orleans Mayor) Ray Nagin compared the 'hole in the ground' at Ground Zero to the slow progress rebuilding New Orleans," Shelton said. "Some people in New York were offended, but I thought it was a good comparison. The progress in New Orleans will be measured in years, if not decades, but not in days or weeks."

Shelton, who co-authored a book titled "The NeXt Revolution: What Gen X Women Want at Work and How Their Boomer Bosses Can Help Them Get it" with her mother, Charlotte, continues to do promotional tours and book signings.

"I've also been busy speaking at conferences about the book and that's been a lot of fun, Shelton said.

KMTV Plans Daily Election CoverageBeginning In Early October

Journal Broadcast Group-owned TV stations, including Omaha's KMTV (Cox Channel 5), will feature significant election coverage in the 30 days leading up to the Nov. 7 general election, according to information provided by the Journal Broadcast Group.

Doug Kiel, President, Journal Communications Inc and Vice Chairman and CEO, Journal Broadcast Group, said the "2006 Red, White and Blue Election Initiative" commits each of the company's television news operations and radio news/talk formatted stations to the initiative.

"Our stations always provide high-quality news coverage and this initiative will provide viewers in each of our markets with comprehensive coverage of important local elections," Kiel said.

The "Red, White and Blue Election Initiative" will include five minutes of news coverage on weekdays on late afternoon and late evening newscasts. The coverage will be focused on candidates running for office in federal, state and significant local elections. Coverage will consist of interviews, profiles and viewers' questions and debates will be offered where appropriate.

Journal's stations have also been told to run public service announcements encouraging viewers to get out and vote.

Omaha.com Continues Site Revamp

Omaha.com is slowly delivering on its promise of new features and revamped sections.

The most recent addition is a new portal, owh.com, offering background information on the newspaper, subscriptions, job openings, advertisement options and details of events the World-Herald sponsors.

The new site replaces a subsection of Omaha.com that formerly held much of the same information.

According to traffic rankings by Alexa.com, Omaha.com averaged 22,559 visitors a day over the past three months. That is the highest average of any Omaha-based online news media site. KETV.com averaged 21,336 in the same period. KPTM.com, KFAB.com, WOWT.com and Action3News.com do not garner enough site visits to reflect an accurate count.

Not All Outlets Name 14-Year-Old Suspect

KMTV and The Associated Press were the only two major news outlets in the Omaha metropolitan area not to publish the name of a 14-year-old Omaha boy who was arrested Monday, accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

KMTV explained during its newscasts Tuesday that station policy is not to identify "minors" who are suspects in sexual assault cases.

KETV, KFAB, KPTM, KXVO and WOWT each used the suspect's name and nearly every media outlet published his photo. The boy is being charged as an adult.

The boy's father has told some news media outlets that his son is a special education student who has also been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Editor's Note: In its Wednesday newscasts, KMTV was identifying the boy by name.

KFAB 'Good Morning Show' To InterviewAbducted Fox Journalists Thursday Morning

The KFAB (1110 AM) 'Good Morning Show' will provide listeners with a special live interview with Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig, who were kidnapped and held hostage for 13 days by an Islamist group in the Mideast.

According to a press relese, the interview will air Thursday morning at 7:30.

KXVO's Suzy Stark First To AirNebraska Football 'Psyche-Up' Tapes

Leave it to a freelance TV reporter to produce some never-before-broadcast, behind-the-scenes video related to Nebraska football.

On Saturday's edition of the "KXVO 15 10:00 News" (Cox Channel 11), anchor Suzy Stark introduced a story about former Nebraska football player Aaron Taylor and his Scarlet and Cream Letter Club restaurant. Included in the story were clips from the Huskers' pre-game "psyche up" videos created by well-known former team psychologist Dr. Jack Stark. And yes, he is related to her.

"(My dad) came up with the idea for the psyche ups," Suzy Stark said. "He got them into a compilation, and I believe he gave Aaron a copy."

Jack Stark worked with the Huskers for 16 years before leaving the program in February of 2004, following the firing of former Coach Frank Solich. He continues to work in sports psychology today as a consultant with NASCAR and the UNO hockey team.

Though Stark is no longer at Nebraska, the football team still utilizes a modified version of the psyche up tapes to help motivate players for games.

The video shown during Saturday's story on KXVO included clips from the mid to-late 90s, including one showing former Husker defensive tackle Christian Peter yelling, "We are the best team in America!" as heavy metal music plays in the background.

Watching the barrage of highlight clips - many of them showing the Nebraska "Blackshirt" defense sacking quarterbacks or leveling bruising hits on receivers - it's not hard to believe the videos were a big source of motivation.

"When you're out there kicking their ass, just remember that you're national champions and carry yourself that way," says one player in a clip. In another, a player screams, "We're going to kill these guys. We're the Blackshirts. We have something to prove."

Suzy Stark said she came up with the idea to share the special video after talking it over with a producer and photographer, who were helping her brainstorm ideas for a Nebraska football-related story.

Stark is freelancing for KXVO and sister station KPTM (Cox Channel 10) while she wraps up work on a masters degree in sports broadcasting. Her experience includes internships at CNN's worldwide headquarters in Atlanta and in the promotions department in WOWT (Cox Channel 8).

She has also been a sports anchor/reporter/producer at the national headquarters of Rivals.com in Nashville and sports reporter and photographer for several FOX affiliate stations in Minnesota and North Dakota. As an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she worked for the HuskerVision television network.

Few Complain About KFAB Not AiringFirst Hour of Pinnacle's 'Sports Nightly'

KFAB (1110 AM) evening talk show host Tom Becka said very few listeners have complained about the station not carrying the first hour of "Sports Nightly."

Pinnacle Sports Productions began producing three hours of Sports Nightly on Monday. However, Becka's 4-7 p.m. talk show displaces the first hour. KFAB shifted its programming Monday in order to debut two hours (9-11 a.m.) of local talk on weekday mornings from Scott Voorhees.

"I have made a point to talk about what is happening (with the change) but to be honest we have had minimal complaint calls," Becka said.

Tuesday night, Becka kicked off the 6 p.m. hour with a sports-related topic, asking listeners whether Little League baseball should receive so much national attention.

"We had a full phone bank of callers that wanted to talk about the topic and the phones are going well tonight," Becka said.

New KFAB Talk Show Host Is Omaha Native

New Omaha talk show host Scott Voorhees says listeners can expect him to be "honest not controversial" during his program from 9-11 a.m. weekdays on KFAB (1110 AM).

"I'm not here to inflict an identifiable set of political views on listeners," Voorhees said. "With all the negative energy in the world right now, I don't need to be another cranky voice screaming about how everything is wrong while offering no solutions."

Voorhees said he tries to keep the topics on the lighter side and promises to consider how it might relate to his listening audience.

"In other words, if I don't think Omaha cares about Joe Lieberman, I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about his independent attempt to cling to his job," Voorhees said.

No stranger to Omaha, Voorhees graduated from Ralston High in 1995 and from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2003 (with a few stops to do radio in Omaha and Kansas City in between). His radio career includes stints at Omaha radio stations KKAR (1996), The Edge (1997-1998) and KOIL (1998), as well as Kansas City's KCMO (1998-2001) and KCTE (until 2004).

"I've also worked with the All Comedy Radio network before assisting in the management of "Survivor: Guatemala" winner Danni Boatwright, the Miss Nebraska USA pageant, and other people more talented than I am," Voorhees said.

Now that he's back in Omaha, is he here to stay?

"This is not a springboard for me to try to land a gig in a larger city," Voorhees said. "Mostly because I just don't want to move my entertainment center ever again. But, also because I enjoy watching the forward growth of this great city, and I want to be on the air talking to you about it."

Sports Nightly Gets Extra Hour

Beginning Monday, the Pinnacle Sports Network began broadcasting three hours of its evening sports talk program, "Sports Nightly."

The program previously aired from 6 to 8 p.m. Central time. The third hour takes it to 9 p.m. Central time. Pinnacle has ordered its affiliates that they must carry the 7 p.m. hour.

KFAB (1110 am), the flagship station and the self-proclaimed "Home of the Huskers," will not broadcast "Sports Nightly" from 6-7 p.m. Instead, KFAB's Tom Becka will fill the time with the third hour of his talk show.

"Sports Nightly" can be heard in its entirety on Huskers.com.

Omaha Stations Take Varied ApproachesTo High School Football Highlights

When it comes to covering high school football, the competitive fire burns brightly in the offices of Omaha TV sports directors.

With the exception of KMTV (more on that later), showing as many highlights as possible has become a well-strategized display of manpower, mobility and - once the footage reaches the station - military-like precision.

Getting the maximum amount of highlights on the air on a typical Friday night means devoting less time to news and weather and more time to the sports segment. In the case of KETV's newscast Friday night, Sports Director Jon Schuetz was allotted more than five-and-a-half-minutes to broadcast his high school football segment.

KPTM Sports Director JJ Davis, who has worked in markets large and small from coast to coast the past 28 years, said stations that don't capitalize on a captive audience are shortchanging their viewers.

"High school football is big," Davis said. "It's the one constant that doesn't or shouldn't change when it comes to sports coverage.

"Games are games - kids are kids - parents are parents. They will forever want to see their team or their children or themselves on TV. It's that simple."

KPTM Leads Highlights Race

One week into the high school football season, KPTM has shown highlights from more games than KETV and KMTV combined.

On Friday night, KPTM broadcast highlights of 10 football games. KETV and WOWT each covered six and KMTV showed three games. The night before, KPTM showed highlights from three games, WOWT had two and KETV and KMTV each focused on the Millard North-Millard South showdown.

KMTV Sports Director Travis Justice told viewers Friday that "Action 3 News" will take a different approach to presenting high school football this season.

"Covering high school football doesn't require you to have a fever and the last time I looked, a covert operation can actually lead to confusion," Justice said, in obvious digs at competitors WOWT and KETV, respectively.

"This much I do know: quantity does not equal quality. So every Friday night during high school football season, we're going to give you extended coverage of the three biggest games - two in Nebraska and one in Iowa."

The luxury of devoting an entire crew - and live truck - to a single game virtually guarantees that a station will capture every highlight. However, when quantity - rather than quality - is the goal, photojournalists are often instructed to shoot a game until they get a touchdown or other pivotal play, then hit the road for the next stadium.

Once the highlights are back to the station, scripts must be written, scores passed along to chyron (graphics) operators and footage edited into 15 to 20-second segments.

Schuetz said with so many games matching top 10 schools, KETV elected to stay through the whole game at two contests Friday. That strategy might change, he said, depending on the quality of games each week.

For KPTM, the push to get highlights on the air is more difficult, given the fact the station's sports segment begins on as early as 9:40 p.m. on a Friday. That's more than 30 minutes before the competition hits the air with its highlights.

On the Air and On-Line

The popularity of high school football highlights has led three of the four Omaha stations to offer their highlights on more than just their Friday night broadcasts.

WOWT, which dubs its high school football segment "Friday Night Fever," is placing all of its highlights on a special page on its website.

KETV's "Operation Football" is available via video podcasts by signing up through Apple's iTunes. KETV.com promises "unedited video highlights" available for download by Saturday morning.

KPTM's high school football highlights segment is known as the "EndZone" and is also available for download on the station's website.

Davis said he strives to meet the expectations of the parents, grandparents or students, faculty and fans who turn out in the thousands each week to catch their local version of "Friday Night Lights."

"What station has the best chance of showing you your school?," Davis asked. "Even if the highlights aren't the key plays sometimes? For my money, I'll bet on me."

KMTV Weekend Anchor Devon PattonFiled Complaint Against Embattled State Trooper

The Nebraska State Patrol trooper who is embroiled in controversy over his membership in a white supremacist group once had a complaint filed against him by KMTV (Cox Channel 5) weekend news anchor Devon Patton.

Trooper Robert Henderson is also married to KMTV photojournalist Jesse Coler. Both Patton and Coler are mentioned in a 48-page decision handed down by a New York arbitrator. The decision states that Henderson should be reinstated.

The lone complaint filed against Henderson in his 18 years on the force came from Patton, according to information contained in the arbitrator's report.

On Aug. 26, 2005, Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Todd Kinghorn received a complaint from NSP Captain Tom Schwarten alleging that Henderson "was abusing his authority and harassing a black man who was employed as a new (sic) anchor for a television station in Omaha, Neb."

The report says Henderson pulled Patton's vehicle over for displaying out-of-state plates. Nebraska law requires that persons residing in the state for more than 30 days must obtain Nebraska license plates.

Henderson did not ticket Patton, but did issue him a warning. Patton subsequently lodged a complaint against Henderson, which led to an internal investigation of the incident. Following a review of the in-car video of the traffic stop that was the genesis of the allegation - the State Patrol concluded that Henderson had not engaged in any misconduct.

The report goes on to say "there appears to have been some friction between" Patton and Henderson's then-fiancee Coler.

Patton was hired at KMTV in January of 2005. The report does not specify the exact date Henderson initiated the traffic stop. However, the complaint against Henderson was not filed until late August.

In its 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts Friday, KMTV anchor Greg Peterson acknowledged the station's connection to the case, saying Patton filed a complaint "several months ago" against Henderson and that the complaint is part of the abritrator's report. Peterson also revealed to viewers that Henderson's wife is employed by KMTV, but did not name her.

When reached by phone at the station Friday night, Patton said he could not offer comment on the events detailed in the arbitrator's report.

"I wish I could say something, but I can't comment," Patton said.

KMTV News and Marketing Director Ken Dudzik echoed Patton's reponse Saturday, telling The Reader, "We will not have any comment regarding the report."

More Details Emerge About New Station

Connisseur Media LLC's announcement of the hiring of John Ginzkey as general manager of KBBX (97.7 FM) revealed new details about the company's plans for a new Omaha market radio station.

According to industry insiders, Connoisseur plans to have the construction permit for the new Omaha-market station on the air in early 2007. The station will will displace an Omaha translator on 107.7 FM, which relays Waitt-NRG Media's KBLR (97.3 FM) in Blair. The license for 107.7 shows the signal will originate in Pacific Junction, Iowa.

Connoisseur was formed by radio executives Jeffrey D. Warshaw and Michael O. Driscoll. The company participated in an FCC auction of construction permits for FM licenses in November of 2004, winning the rights to construct 10 new FM stations.

The July Book Is In

Nielsen Media Research has released the Omaha market ratings for the July measurement period (June 29-July 26).

The Reader's Media Notes will be providing a station-by-station overview of the results.

The July "sweeps" are the third of four Nielsen measurement months. The November ratings period runs Nov. 2-29 and is considered the second most important "book" after May.

On TV: Husker Football Preview Shows

Fans of Nebraska football will get their fill of the Huskers over the next five days when the following season previews hit the TV airwaves:

Thursday, 7-8 p.m. KETV (Cox Channel 9):
Big Red Zone Preview Show
Sportscaster Matt Schick promises (on his blog): "A look at every team in the Big 12."

Saturday, 6-7 p.m. WOWT (Cox Channel 8):
Big Red Extra 2006:
Preview of the Nebraska Football Season

Monday, 6-6:30 p.m. KMTV (Cox Channel 5):
Countdown to Kickoff
Sports Director Travis Justice says the program will include interviews with Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg and Big 12 referee Clete Blakeman.

Journal Star First To Get Keller News Online

The Lincoln Journal Star's website was the first Nebraska media outlet to post online official news of quarterback Sam Keller's decision to become a Nebraska Cornhusker.

In a story by reporter Brian Rosenthal, posted less than a half hour after Keller arrived at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Keller was quoted as telling a reporter "Yeah" when asked if he was coming to Nebraska.

The Keller saga had been the subject of much speculation by nearly every sports media outlet in the state. Keller left Arizona State University this past weekend after Sun Devils Coach Dirk Koetter tabbed sophomore Rudy Carpenter as the team's starting quarterback.

Ginzkey Back In Omaha To Manage KBBX

Connoisseur Media has named John Ginzkey as general manager of recently-acquired Omaha radio station KBBX (97.7 FM).

Connisseur purchased "Radio Lobo" from the Journal Broadcast Group in June. Connoisseur also has a construction permit on file for a new FM station that it anticipates will be on the air in early 2007.

In a press release, Connoisseur Media Vice President David Bevins said he is delighted to have Ginzkey on board in a familiar city.

"John Ginzkey brings us over 22 years of radio management experience, and 13 of those years were in Omaha," Bevins said.

Ginzkey previously managed Omaha radio station KKCD (105.9 FM) and was also general sales manager for KQKQ (98.5 FM) and KKAR (1290 AM) when they were owned by Mitchell Broadcasting Company.

Since January of 2005, he has been general manager of AAA Entertainment's cluster in Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

KETV Specials Recall Hurricane Katrina

KETV (Cox Channel 9) will commemorate the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by broadcasting two specials which recall the storm's catastrophic and devastating effects on New Orleans.

"Song for New Orleans," is a celebration of the city's musical legacy and its recovery. It is scheduled to air Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m.

"Seven Days that Changed New Orleans," will air Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. It is advertised as an intimate look at the people most affected by the storm as seen through the eyes of journalists at WDSU-TV, the local Hearst-Argyle affiliate in New Orleans.

KETV Creative Services Director John Livingston said the station will also air a special "Kaleidoscope" episode focusing on the local effects of Katrina. It will be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 3 at 8:30 a.m.

KETV Goes The DistanceTo Cover Ramsey Murder Developments

District Attorney Mary Lacy, center, is flanked by assistants as she talks to the media in Boulder, Colo., about the arrest of suspect John Mark Karr for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey during a news conference at the Justice Center last Thursday. (Reuters photo)

Last Wednesday, KETV reporter Brandi Petersen was just wrapping up a long day of reporting in Iowa on a business owner selling sweet corn on eBay when word came down of a possible arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.

Hours later, Petersen found herself driving to Colorado with photojournalist Justin Riviera to cover the story for KETV (Cox Channel 9) and other stations in the Hearst-Argyle Television group, which owns 25 television stations around the country and manages three others.

KETV was the only Omaha TV station to send a crew to cover the developments in Boulder. News Director Rose Ann Shannon said KETV management does not set boundaries on the area in which it covers stories.

"The JonBenet Ramsey murder has been one of the biggest stories of the last 10 years," Shannon said. "It is not unusual for us to travel 500 miles to cover a major story. As examples, we covered the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, Columbine (school shooting), the Oklahoma City tornado, fires in the (Nebraska) panhandle and the Anne Sluti (abduction) case that led investigators into Wyoming. If it's news and we think we can provide better coverage by sending our crew, we will do it."

For two-and-a-half days, Petersen, Riviera and satellite truck engineer Chad Mayer produced seven live reports for KETV and 25 live or "look live" custom reports for stations in markets such as Orlando, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Albuquerque and Honolulu.

Petersen, who packed a week's worth of clothing, said every day was different.

"Thursday, we interviewed University of Colorado Professor Michael Tracey about his communication with the suspect, and we talked to Boulder residents about their reactions to the arrest," the Papillion-LaVista and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate said. "Friday, we focused our report on the neighborhood where the Ramseys used to live and their reactions to the case.

"Saturday, we reported live from Boulder for First News Saturday for KETV, and wrapped up our trip with a story about the media frenzy surrounding the arrest."

Petersen estimates there were more than a dozen TV satellite trucks and 100 journalists at the Boulder courthouse during last Thursday's press conference.

"To see everything unfolding with my own eyes, to be in the thick of such a high-profile case, and to work amongst such well-respected journalists is something I'll never forget," she said.

Programming Changes Monday at KFAB

KFAB (1110 AM) is shaking up its weekday programming line-up.

Effective Monday, native Nebraskan Scott Voorhees returns to Omaha to host a talk show from 9-11 a.m. Rush Limbaugh keeps his 11 a.m.-2 p.m. slot, while Glenn Beck's syndicated show moves to 2-4 p.m.

Local award-winning talk show host Tom Becka slides back an hour to 4-7 p.m. while Sports Nightly will be heard from 7-9 p.m. Syndicated talker Michael Savage wraps up the day from 9 p.m. to midnight

From the NBA Notebook

A few notes from the recent Nebraska Broadcasters Association (NBA) meeting:

Five-time Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year Don Gill was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame earlier this month. The host of "Big Band Spotlight" (Fridays on NET radio at 8:30 p.m.) has worked in radio and television for more than 50 years.

Elected as NBA Officers for 2006 are: Chairman Ulysses Carlini (KHAS-TV in Hastings), Chairman-Elect Mark Halverson (Broadcast House in Lincoln), Vice Chairman Dennis Brown (KCSR-AM in Chadron) and Secretary and Treasurer Chuck Schwartz (KOOQ-KELN in North Platte).

Explain 'Oral Sex' to Your Youngsters

Just what constitutes the definition of a "family newspaper"?

One has to wonder after reading two separate articles - published four days apart - in the Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska's largest newspaper.

In the first story, published in Thursday editions, sports reporter Mitch Sherman documented a visit by entertainer Dan Whitney (a.k.a "Larry the Cable Guy") to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln football practice. Sherman wrote on the back page of the sports section (page 6C):

"The 43-year-old Whitney, born and raised on a pig farm near Pawneee City, Neb., addressed the team by telling a few jokes - none suited for a family newspaper."

However, in Sunday editions of the World-Herald, in a front page story written by Lynn Safranek, the words "oral sex," "penis" and "plastic phallic device" were used at various times in the article:

"As he sat in a car last month negotiating a deal with a prostitute, a man touched the woman's breast, then undid his pants and exposed himself to her - to prove, as the prostitute requested, that he wasn't a cop."

"An officer, working undercover, saw a woman sitting at 24th & Maple Streets. He told her he wanted to "party" - street lingo for having sex - and offered her $20 for oral sex."

"The officer "asked if she wanted to see his (penis)." When she said yes, he complied. The suspect then reached over and grabbed" it, he wrote."

"In 1990, the World-Herald reported on a "plastic phallic device" that undercover Omaha police officers in the vice unit would show to prostitutes to prove that they were not officers."

'CBS Evening News' Will Be Simultcast On Web

When Katie Couric makes her debut on the CBS Evening News on Sept. 5 on KMTV (Cox Channel 5), you won't have to be near your TV set to see her.

CBS is trying to attract viewers the same way it did with its simulcast of college basketball's NCAA Tournament by offering its evening newscast in its entirety on its website, CBS.com.

By making her available online, CBS hopes to offset her three-year, $39 million contract by selling more advertising inventory to a younger demographic than that of its traditional broadcast.

Over the last four weeks, the "CBS Evening News," which Couric will anchor for the first time on Sept. 5, averaged 6.9 million viewers, trailing both NBC and ABC, Horizon Media's Brad Adgate said in a story by The Associated Press. For all three network news shows, the average viewer age is 60. By contrast, Kramer said the average viewer age on its news Web site is 45.

CBS was previously unable to "repurpose" news content because of restrictions in a contract with affiliates like KMTV and Lincoln affiliate, KOLN/KGIN. However, that agreement expired earlier this year. In the new contract, CBS news programs are exempt from restrictions that previously existed.

The online offering will feature the same seven to eight minutes of advertising time as the broadcast version. Since there are no affiliates to deal with, however, CBS will be able to sell more advertising directly.

Viewers on CBS.com will be required to register, which will prevent them from watching the program before it is aired on TV in their time zone.

As previously announced in this space, KMTV plans to revive its 6 p.m. newscast in conjunction with Couric's debut. The newscast was discontinued in September of 2003.

WOWT UPN Re-launching Sept. 18As Independent Station '6 2 0'

WOWT's digital station, UPN Omaha (Cox Channel 248), will re-launch and re-brand itself as "6 2 0" on Sept. 18, following the merger of the WB and UPN networks to form The CW.

WOWT-DT first launched last October. But when the two networks merged, broadcast rights were awarded to the local WB affiliate, KXVO (Cox Channel 11). KXVO's sister station, KPTM, is expected to launch the "My Network TV" network on a digital subchannel of its own later this fall.

Among the featured programs on the new 6-2-0 station will be "The Daily Buzz," a nationally-syndicated three-hour morning news program that uses the slogan "weather and news delivered with personality." The Daily Buzz will air from 6 to 9 a.m.

A locally-produced, half-hour evening version of The Daily Buzz called "The Omaha Buzz" will air Wednesday nights at 8, beginning Sept. 20. Produced by WOWT Promotional Director Vic Richards, the program will focus on restaurants, activities and events that appeal to the teen and 20-something crowd and other trends unique to the Omaha metropolitan area.

"We will take you inside to the hottest clubs and restaurants and give you the low down on the best music ... the places to be 24/7 and everything in-between," Richards said. "From nightclubs and bars to the hottest entertainment, 'The O Buzz' will be your backstage pass to Omaha."

'Husker Beat' Adds Lincoln Show

Huskers Illustrated's Sean Callahan and Lincoln Journal Star sports reporter Steve Sipple will once again be co-hosting special Nebraska football radio talk shows this fall.

Beginning next week, the pair's "Husker Beat" program debuts on Lincoln radio station KLMS (1480 AM). It will air Mondays from 6-7 p.m. and originate live from Bennigan's Grill & Tavern at 8701 Andermatt Drive (near 87th and Highway 2).

On Friday nights, Callahan and Sipple will host an Omaha-based version of the program from 6-7 p.m. on KOZN (1620 AM), broadcasting live from Indigo Joe's Sports Pub & Restaurant, 7425 Dodge Street. Both shows will run weekly through the first week of December.

KETV Live From Boulder

KETV (Cox Channel 9) reporter Brandi Petersen was scheduled to report live from Boulder, Colo., Thursday on the station's early evening newscasts, as well as to provide custom reports for Hearst-Argyle-owned stations around the nation.

According to station insiders, Petersen arrived in Boulder early this morning, but the station's satellite truck did not arrive in time for KETV's 11:30 a.m. newscast.

Revamped Omaha.com Coming Soon

As previously mentioned in this space, Omaha.com will be getting a new look and some new features. A posting on the site's home page provides some of the details:

The best source for news and information in Omaha and across the region is about to get better!

Over the next few months, we're rolling out new features and sections that will make getting what you want online even easier:

- Brand new classified sections for homes, jobs and stuff - you'll search, buy and sell faster.

- Streamlined online edition - you'll make fewer stops to get the lowdown.

- Fun and useful features - share your photos, submit calendar items, get breaking news alerts, and more.

We'll keep you posted on each exciting change. Just check here to find out what's new online - right here, right now!

KMTV Hires Simmons' Replacement

More than six months after she left Omaha, KMTV has hired a weekend anchor replacement for Sarah Simmons.

Simmons (left) now works at WTTG (Fox) in Washington, D.C., as a general assignment reporter and anchor. One of her co-workers at "Fox5" is former "Good Morning America" weathercaster Tony Perkins.

Replacing Simmons is Kerri Stowell, a Missouri native. Stowell (right) interned at three stations (KMBC in Kansas City, KSNT in Topeka and a cable station in Olathe, Kan.) before graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Most recently, she was a reporter, anchor and producer at KCAU (ABC) in Sioux City, Iowa. She replaces Sarah Simmons, who left KMTV in January to take a reporter/anchor job at WTTG (Fox) in Washington, D.C.

Obviously An Out-Of-Towner

Sharp-eyed readers will be able to tell which of these local news media reports was written by someone who is not familiar with Omaha:

---

A construction worker was in critical condition today after a fall from the eastbound bridge of the West Dodge Expressway.

His injuries are considered life-threatening.

The bridge is under construction.

Omaha police and rescue workers were called to the scene, near 111th Street and West Dodge Road, at 6:53 a.m.

The worker was smoothing cement on the deck of the eastbound expressway, backed up and fell 35 feet onto an elevated ramp that leads to Interstate 680, said Officer Andrew Passo, an Omaha police spokesman.

---

A construction worker was taken to the hospital in critical condition after he fell off the Dodge Expressway this morning.

The accident happened near 111th and Dodge just before 7am. Omaha Police say the man was smoothing concrete on the new eastbound expressway overpass when he fell. The victim fell almost 30 feet onto another bridge. He was taken in critical condition to The Nebraska Medical Center.

---

A construction worker was critically injured Tuesday morning in a fall from the elevated West Dodge Expressway. The worker fell approximately 20 to 30 feet to another bridge below.

It happened just before 7 a.m. near 111th and Dodge.

Jim Prchal, with Ready Mix Concrete says, "Once they performed CPR he was able to breath on his own. They got there very fast. The people did a great job."

Broken Sports News

Although we do not normally nit-pick typos, we could not resist sharing this tidbit from Omaha.com Thursday afternoon.

David Gustafson New Play-by-Play VoiceFor UNO Football Broadcasts

David Gustafson will be the new radio play-by-play voice for University of Nebraska at Omaha football broadcasts.

Gustafson replaces Kevin Kugler, who recently landed the main play-by-play duties for Westwood One's college football network broadcasts. Kugler will continue in his co-host role on KOZN's "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" weekday sports talk show.

Gustafson is currently the mid-day host at KZEN (100.3 FM) in Columbus and has previously called Maverick football games in Kugler's absence, as well as handling radio play-by-play duties for UNO basketball games the past two seasons. He knows Omaha well, having worked as a news anchor at KKAR (1290 AM).

"It's a great opportunity and I am looking forward to another successful year of UNO football," Gustafson said.

Who Was First?

Both KMTV (Cox Channel 5) and WOWT (Cox Channel 8) claim to have been first on the scene of the pursuit and shots fired that stemmed from the robbery of a check-cashing business.

Action 3 News reporters were first to have pictures live of where the chase ended, as well as being first to report live from the scene of the robbery. WOWT reportedly did not have its live truck on the scene until after Dave Roberts had completed his first on-air report.

WOWT's "First Reponse" team consisted of reporters Brian Mastre (who suffered from a microphone glitch on the 4 p.m. newscast) and Jaime McCutcheon.

Is Tom Bevacqua Headed Back to Omaha?

Would Tom Bevacqua consider a return to television forecasting in Omaha?

"If the circumstances were right," the former KMTV chief meteorologist said earlier this week from his home near Springfield, Mass. "I am going to be sending out some tapes to other stations pretty soon.

"My wife loves Omaha and I have a stepson who works in Omaha as a conductor for Union Pacific," he added.

Bevacqua will be available Sept. 1. He is leaving WGGB in Springfield, Mass., where he has been the chief meteorlogist for the past 11 years. It's the job he left Omaha for in September of 1993.

While at KMTV, Bevacqua was the first Omaha TV meteorologist to utilize Doppler radar. Before it was installed, Bevacqua said he visited other stations around the country to learn how it worked.

"I spent several days in Oklahoma City with KWTV chief meteorologist Gary England, whom you might remember as the weather announcer in the movie 'Twister,'" he said. "At KMTV, we used to issue a "Doppler Alert" when we thought tornadic activity was possible. I can say with all honesty, we were always on the air first when it came to severe weather."

Bevacqua said it wasn't out of the question for him to be at the studio for 24 hours during periods of bad weather. Oftentimes, he said he would buy pizza for the crew and they would "settle in."

Could Bevacqua's return trigger a ratings increase if he were to return to his former station? At the time of his departure, KMTV was a strong second to KETV at 5 and 10 p.m. and current WOWT Chief Meteorologist Jim Flowers was the chief at KETV (until 1992) and Dale Munson was the chief meteorologist at WOWT. Flowers later left for WOWT and was replaced by Bill Randby, while Bevacqua was replaced by Carey Coleman, who came from KMGH in Denver. (Coleman is not related to former "Good Morning America" meteorologist John Coleman.)

Tampa Station Airs Interviewof Alleged Assault in Omaha Hotel

Dustin Diamond, better known as the character Samuel "Screech" Powers from the 1990s TV show, "Saved by the Bell," broke the news to Tampa radio station 93.3W FLZ that he was attacked in his hotel during a recent trip to Omaha.

According to Diamond's account, a woman armed with mace broke into his hotel room. She was trying to steal some of his video games, he said, when he was able to pin her against the hotel door, prompting her to cry out "rape."

Click here to listen to audio of the interview.

Blog Offers Insight Into Busy Sports Day

KETV (Cox Channel 9) sportscaster Matt Schick writes in his on-line blog that Monday was one of his busiest days at KETV. His rundown of activities shows it's not all fun and games all the time in the sports department:

1 p.m. - Show up at work, throw together a semblance of a sportscast.
2 p.m. - Leave Omaha for Lincoln with photographer in tow.
3 p.m. - Arrive at Husker practice. Two photograhers and I (3 cameras) get video of the allotted first 20 minutes of practice... otherwise known as captivating "stretching" video.
3:20 p.m. - Leave Husker practice after getting the boot.
3:40 p.m. - Arrive at KETV capital bureau... start writing the sportscast.
3:45 p.m. - Have trouble logging onto computer... call for tech support.
3:49 p.m. - See above.
4:10 p.m. - Get a call from El Paso ABC station, wondering if we have video of Doc Sadler's arrival in Lincoln.
4:11 p.m. - Tell El Paso ABC station that I just looked outside through the capital bureau window, and could not locate Sadler. Tell El Paso ABC station that we're in football season.
4:12 p.m. - El Paso station tells me "it's only August 7th".
4:12:30 p.m. - I respond, "I recognize that. You don't understand. Nobody does."
4:12:45 p.m. - Hang up phone.
5 p.m. - Finish typing scripts and cutting some video... head back to football practice.
5:09 p.m. - Possible sighting of Doc Sadler and Steve Pederson on 10th street in Lincoln as we drive by.
5:10 p.m. - I realize it was just some guy and some other guy.
5:15 p.m. - Arrive at Husker practice, wait outside to be allowed into facility.
5:20 p.m. - Continue to wait with fellow media members.
5:25 p.m. - Tell a joke to Steve Sipple to pass the time.
5:30 p.m. - Sipple finally gets the joke.
5:50 p.m. - Finally let into Husker practice.
5:56 p.m. - Bill Callahan address the media.
6:02 p.m. - Make a mad-dash with photographer Mike to KETV satellite truck.
6:04 p.m. - Take a puff on my inhaler.
6:05 p.m. - Edit material for 6PM newscast with Mike.
6:10 p.m. - Go outside of satellite truck to get in front of camera.
6:13 p.m. - Do a microphone check.
6:18 p.m. - Do live report from outside North Stadium. Stumble over 7 words pouring out of my mouth.
6:21 p.m. - Complete live-shot.
6:35 p.m. - Get in truck and head to Cracker Barrel.
6:45 p.m. - Arrive at Cracker Barrel.
6:50 p.m. - Order food at Cracker Barrel.
7:10 p.m. - Eat food.
7:25 p.m. - Feel bloated.
7:30 p.m. - Get in truck and head back to KETV homebase.
8:15 p.m. - Arrive at KETV, start writing 10PM newscast.
8:30 p.m. - Call ABC headquarters and ask for video of Doc Sadler.
8:31 p.m. - Explain to ABC headquarters who Doc Sadler is.
9:20 p.m. - Start editting Harrison Beck story.
9:45 p.m. - Finish editting story, put on make-up.
10:02 p.m. - Do live report from sports office about Doc Sadler and Harrison Beck. Promise more later.
10:20 p.m. - Deliver on promise.
10:45 p.m. - Get off the set, and cry.
11:15 p.m. - Head home.
11:40 p.m. - Go jogging in my neighborhood in West O.
12:20 a.m. - Start blogging about my day.

Journal-Star Reporter Defends Quotes in Story

Some posters to Nebraska football-related message boards are partially blaming quarterback Harrison Beck's departure from the Huskers on comments made by Beck's mother that were published by Lincoln Journal-Star reporter Steve Sipple.

Sipple responded with a posting of his own on the Journal-Star's Nebraska-football related blog, Life in the Red:

1. Harrison's mother, in our Saturday interview for Sunday's story, never once indicated she wanted to go "off the record" and never once said she didn't want anything printed.

2. It also should be made clear that I didn't print everything she said -- not even close -- nor did I have to coax her to talk.

What we tried to do with the article was use the quotes that best summed up why Harrison wasn't at practice and ones that showed the degree of the mom's (and perhaps Harrison's) frustration.

His stepfather didn't wish to be quoted and wasn't.

Of course, I understand if not everyone agrees on this matter.

From the Hiring Line: Positions at KOLN/KGIN

KOLN/KGIN (Lincoln) is looking to fill two key positions in its newsroom. The CBS-affiliate is advertising for a news producer and an assignment editor.

From the station's job description for the producer, he/she will be charged with producing newscasts/specials as assigned either at the station or in the field, working with anchors and supervisors in determining content, coverage strategies and presentation strategies, supervising the news staff associated with the gathering and presentation of the news product, editing videotape, updating the station's website and performing news duties as assigned for UPN Nebraska and other media outlets

The assignment editor is responsibile for determining and assigning stories for daily coverage, maintaining a comprehensive and organized filing system for news stories, monitoring police scanners, assigning stories, equipment and work partnerships, directing personnel in approaches and techniques for coverage, assisting with updates to the website and assisting the news director in various tasks.

For more information, including qualifications and experience requirements, visit KOLN/KGIN's available jobs website, or contact KOLN/KGIN Newsroom Manager Brad Penner at (402) 467-9215.