Media Notes

2007-03-21T23:33:00.000-05:00

Thank you for visiting the former home of the Media Watch column and its look at TV, print and on-line media communications in the Omaha metropolitan area.

This site is no longer being updated and all comments are no longer accessible.

Did Anyone Mention Lucky?

2007-03-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

The question being posed on Omaha sports talk shows this afternoon was why no one asked Nebraska football Coach Bill Callahan about running back Marlon Lucky's status during today's pre-spring practice press conference.

Lucky was hospitalized in mid-February after police were called to his apartment at 11:30 p.m. The 20-year-old was admitted to BryanLGH West hospital for "undisclosed medical reasons," according to the Nebraska Athletic Department. The department has since offered no further comment on the incident.

Matt Perrault, host of "The Big Show" on KXSP (590 AM) did not attend the press conference and neither did Kevin Kugler, co-host of "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" with Mike'l Severe on KOZN (1620 AM).

One caller wondered when the Nebraska media "are going to take off their skirts and start asking the tough questions."

KMTV Offers 'Edwards Trial Blog'

2007-03-19T12:02:00.000-05:00

[Updated March 21, 2007]
KMTV (Cox Channel 5) is offering a blog to help viewers follow the court case of Christopher Edwards.

The "Edwards Trial Blog" will be written by Bill Kelly, a former WOWT (Cox Channel 8) reporter who is now a senior producer for NET Television (Cox Channel 12). Kelly is researching a documentary on criminal forensics.

Edwards is accused of murdering his former girlfriend, 19-year old Jessica O'Grady. She went missing May 10 and her body has not been found.

Last Call For Omaha Press Club Journalism Awards

2007-03-15T20:06:00.000-05:00

Friday is the final opportunity to submit entries for the Omaha Press Club's Fourth Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards Competition.

Entries must be postmarked by 5 p.m. and there is no limit on the number of entries each individual or organization may submit.

Copies of the Call for Entries packet, including rules and categories of competition, are available by clicking here.

Entry categories include newspaper, magazine, television, radio, photography and public relations. All entries must have been published, broadcast or transmitted in Nebraska and/or the eight-county Omaha metropolitan area (including Cass, Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington counties in Nebraska and Harrison, Mills and Pottawattamie counties in Iowa) during the 2006 calendar year.

OPC individual and corporate members in good standing pay a $20 fee per entry. Nonmembers pay $35 per entry. Last-minute questions can be answered by Bridget Brooks, 393-4600.

Jays' Press Conference Will StreamLive On Action3News.com

2007-03-15T08:10:00.000-05:00

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) will stream live coverage of the Creighton University men's basketball team's press conference today on its website, Action3News.com.

The press conference originates from New Orleans and begins at 12:05 p.m. The Jays will play their opening round NCAA Tournament game at 1:50 p.m. on Friday.

Nebraska Baseball Big 12 Opener On TV Thursday;NET - Not Cox - Will Carry Six Husker Games

2007-03-15T01:11:00.000-05:00

Thursday's Big 12 Conference opener between the Nebraska baseball team and Texas Tech will be telecast live in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island.

In Omaha, the game will be carried on WOWT's digital carrier ("H20"), which is Cox Channel 248. In Lincoln and Grand Island, the game will be on MyTV, which in Lincoln is Time Warner Channel 110, Charter Channel 17 in Grand Island and DirecTV Channel 25 in both cities. The game will also be carried nationally on Fox College Sports.

On Wednesday, the University of Nebraska also announced that Nebraska baseball will return to the Nebraska Educational Television network. Five baseball games and one Husker softball contest will be carried live on NET this spring. On-air talent for those broadcasts has not yet been announced.

All six will also telecast in high definition on NET-HD, while the baseball games will be carried live on NET1 and the softball game will be telecast on NET2.

Last year's partnership between the University and Cox Communications came under fire because it did not provide statewide coverage of Nebraska baseball games. At the time, Nebraska Associate Athletic Director Chris Anderson said the broadcasts on Cox would provide the University with a unique opportunity to market its programs to new audiences utilizing cable.

"This will continue to increase the visibility of our nationally-ranked baseball program and could provide a new revenue stream in the future," Anderson was quoted as saying.

Greg Peterson Headed to NBC Station In Alabama

2007-03-14T19:35:00.000-05:00

Former KMTV (Cox Channel 5) anchor Greg Peterson is headed to Mobile, Ala., to be a weekday evening news anchor at NBC affiliate WPMI.

Last week, WPMI fired its three primary news anchors in the midst of lackluster ratings and management changes. The station is one of a number of Clear Channel Communications properties up for sale.

Peterson starts Monday and will anchor at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., beginning March 26.

"We hate to leave Omaha because my wife, Jill, is from here," Peterson said. "But it's golf 12 months a year there and that was a big factor."

Last December, Peterson's contract at KMTV was not renewed after nearly five years, along with that of veteran co-anchor Deborah Ward. She has since become the director of public relations and marketing for the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Peterson said he enjoyed his three months of "retirement."

"I got to spend some great time with my family," he said. "It was also the first ratings period I haven't participated in in 25 years, so that was kind of odd. It's been a great break but I'm chomping at the bit to get back at it."

Nielsen Media Research groups the Mobile market with Pensacola, Fla., and lists it as the 59th largest in the country (Omaha is No. 75).

In a press release issued today by WPMI, Station Vice President and General Manager Bob Franklin attempted to control the negative publicity that sometimes occurs when veteran anchor teams are abrubtly terminated. Peterson's co-anchor is expected to be named in the coming weeks.

"NBC 15 recently made a commitment to institute some significant changes to our local news programs in an effort to make them even more relevant for our viewers," Franklin said. "We're thrilled to welcome Greg and are confident in his ability to bring our viewers the day's top stories with the most informative and entertaining delivery in town."

Unsportsmanlike Conduct Features 'Hot Chick Picks'

2007-03-14T13:01:00.000-05:00

Who says female TV personalities don't know much about sports?

Four on-air female reporters and anchors from two Omaha TV stations will announce their picks for the NCAA Tournament during today's edition of "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on KOZN (1620 AM).

Brandi Petersen and Lisa Stites of KETV (Cox Channel 9) will square off against Amanda Mueller and Calvert Collins from KPTM (Cox Channel 10).

"I was flattered to be asked to pick brackets on the air," Collins said. "Now I can add 'Blonde Bracketologist' to my repetoire of few talents. Hopefully, my analysis will be sufficient enough to land me a seat next to Dick Vitale, but I'm not counting on it. It's all in good fun."

Collins and Mueller will make their selections at 5:30 p.m., while Petersen and Stites get to announce their picks at 3:30 p.m.

In related NCAA Tournament news, Unsportsmanlike Conduct co-host Mike'l Severe says more than 300 people have signed up for the show's ESPN Tournament Challenge group. Entries are accepted until the tipoff of scheduled games on Thursday. The keyword to enter the station's group is "unsportsmanlike."

Kugler Will Call NCAA Tourney Games in Columbus

2007-03-14T09:34:00.000-05:00

Westwood One radio broadcaster Kevin Kugler hits the road tonight to begin two weeks of calling the NCAA Tournament.

Kugler, who also serves as co-host for "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on KOZN (1620 AM), will be in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday to do the play-by-play for first and second round games - four on Friday and two on Sunday.

Next week, he heads to San Antonio, Texas, to call the South Regional from the Alamodome. His season as basketball play-by-play announcer ends there, though, as Kevin Harlan will handle the play-by-play of the Final Four for Westwood One.

This past fall was Kugler's first season of announcing football for Westwood One. Later this year, the four-time Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year will once again call the College World Series for the network.

Behind The World-Herald's Creighton U. Coverage

2007-03-14T02:06:00.000-05:00

From top: Omaha World-Herald cover page (design by Josh Crutchmer), back page (design by Tim Parks), cover story (design by Ben Vankat), inside photo page (design by Tim Parks) and inside double truck (Crutchmer).
On SportsDesigner.com, Josh Crutchmer explains the collaboration behind the Omaha World-Herald's special sports section which previews the Creighton University men's basketball team's NCAA Tournament games.

Crutchmer writes: "Among the highlights: Tim Parks getting the white type atop registration black on the Nick Porter poster to read as though it came from a laser-jet printer ... Ben Vankat wrestling a 35-inch story to the ground with little help from me ... and Dave Elsesser, me and photographer Rebecca S. Gratz cutting out the masks from foam board the night before Friday's photo shoot ... the pop-culture page toppers, which include the Bluejay mascot ('What's your best pick-up line? I usually just wing it.') ... and getting buy-in on the theme from the entire Creighton team."

Unfortunately, even the World-Herald's state-of-the-art printing presses cannot do justice to the excellent design. Saavy marketers at the newspaper would be wise to have the section printed on high-quality gloss paper stock and sell it as a souvenir collectible.

Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal StarRecognized For Sports Sections

2007-03-14T01:22:00.000-05:00

The Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star newspapers each came away with several awards at the recent Associated Press Sports Editors' (APSE) writing and section contests.

The World-Herald, Nebraska's largest newspaper, competed in the 100,000-250,000 circulation division. The Journal Star slotted into the 40,000-100,000 division.

The Journal Star won for its daily sports section and special sports section, while its Sunday sports section garnered honorable mention.

The World-Herald garnered honorable mentions for its Sunday section and for its special sports section, as well as a win in the investigative category (for newspapers of all sizes) for an entry by Rob White, Henry Cordes and Matthew Hanson.

Two other winners with ties to Nebraska are former Nebraska Sports Magazine editor Kalani Simpson, who is now a sports columnist for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Simpson won for sports column. And former Omaha World-Herald sportswriter Elizabeth Merrill won for feature story. She now writes for the Kansas City Star.

The winners will receive their awards in June at the APSE convention in St. Louis.

Two Native Omahans Among Radio Ink'sMost Influential African Americans In Radio

2007-03-13T12:13:00.000-05:00

A pair of native Omahans are among Radio Ink's list of the "Most Influential African Americans In Radio."

Published in the March 5 edition of the magazine, Alfred Charles Liggins III is listed as No. 1 and Catherine Hughes is second.

Liggins was born in Omaha but moved to Washington, D.C. at the age of seven when his mother, radio mogul Catherine Hughes, took a job at Howard University. He hosted a talk show on WOL when he was 16 and worked in sales and management for Light Records and as a production coordinator for singer Patrick Anderson in 1983 and 1984.

He later returned to WOL behind the scenes and rose to sales manager while purchasing FM stations in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, M.D., to form the beginnings of the Radio One Empire. In 1999, Radio One went public and made history as the first female African American owned company on the stock exchange. In 2004, he expanded Radio One's media sphere when he launched TV One, a cable network for African American adults.

Hughes began her career in radio in 1969 at KOWH, a black radio station in Omaha. Her success there led to a teaching position at the Howard University School of Communications. In 1973, she was named general sales manager at WHUR in Washington, D.C, and eventually became the station's general manager. Under her guidance, it increased its annual revenues several times over - to more than $3.5 million. In 1978, she left for WYCB, where she served as the vice president and general manager of the station.

She, too, helped found Radio One, the largest black-owned radio chain in the nation (65 stations).

Two Nebraska Stations Up For Crystal Radio Awards

2007-03-13T11:44:00.000-05:00

The National Association of Broadcasters is out with its 2007 finalists for the Crystal Radio Awards. Since 1987, the Crystal Radio Awards have recognized radio stations for their outstanding commitment to community service.

Among the 50 finalists are two stations from Nebraska: KFOR (1240 AM) in Lincoln and KCSR (610 AM) in Chadron.

The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges representing broadcasting, community service organizations and public relations firms. The winners will be announced at a luncheon on April 17 during the NAB convention in Las Vegas.

Last year, Omaha radio station KBBX (1420 AM) was one of 10 stations to win a Crystal Radio Award. KFOR has won two Crystals previously, in 1991 and 2004.

KETV News Director Weighs In With 'What's News'

2007-03-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

KETV (Cox Channel 9) News Director Rose Ann Shannon is the author of this month's "Profiles in Journalism" feature in March issue of the Omaha Press Club newsletter.

Shannon poses the question of whether the death of Anna Nicole Smith was a "big news story."

You really don't have to tell me what you think," Shannon writes. "I have a pretty good idea. It used to be when somebody told you they only watched public television or 'MacNeil /Lehrer NewsHour' or 'the Hallmark Hall of Fame,' you pretty much had to take them at their word. Not anymore. That was before the Internet -- before you had the ability to choose what your own personal newscast or newspaper would look like."

Shannon relates her personal experience of the afternoon when The Associated Press sent a news alert that Smith had died.

"I relayed the news to a couple of people in the newsroom," Shannon writes. "I saw jaws drop. Let me say that again: I saw jaws drop. It is not often as a journalist you can report something that causes jaws to drop. In fact, I may be able to count those moments on one hand."

To read more of "Profiles in Journalism: What's News? You Decide," click here and scroll to page 3.

KXSP 'Big Sports' Forum Offline

2007-03-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

The much-maligned forum on the KXSP (590 AM) "Big Sports 590" website is no longer online.

Instead, a message tells site visitors the web space is "under construction."

The forum, which featured sections such as the "Big Sports Big Forum," "The Big Show w/Matt Perrault" and "The Travis Justice Show," seemed to be visited by spammers as often as the station's listeners.

Some sample threads before the plug was pulled: "Hey sweetie, hope you're well," "Come get some kinky lovin" and "Any useful ideas?"

Hagel's (Non)Announcement: What Others Said

2007-03-12T15:06:00.000-05:00

KFAB (1110 AM) morning talk show host Scott Voorhees called him "Senator Chuck Y2K Hagel."

Another media member summarized today's press conference by Hagel like this:

"My announcement today is to announce that I will not be making an announcement today. I will now take questions for 30 minutes."

The Leavenworth Street blog, which describes itself as "The Talk of Nebraska Politics," wrote: "Uh, what was the point?"

Steve Clemons, publisher of the popular political blog, TheWashingtonNote.com, wrote: "Senator Chuck Hagel is at this moment launching a "non-campaign campaign."

Omaha Bureau Associated Press writer Margery Beck wrote, "In an odd twist, the Nebraska senator called a news conference to say he would decide about his political future later this year, saying a late entry into the 2008 race is still possible."

The Wall Street Journal's Jackie Calmes, in a story headlined "Hagel Says Never Mind," wrote that "the maverick Republican may get the prize for the best announcement tease in a 2008 cycle that’s already been full of them."

The National Journal Hotline brought up something many Nebraska media outlets have seemingly ignored: that during Hagel's 1996 Senate campaign he said, "I support term limits. However, I will not need term limits. Twelve years in Congress is enough for anyone."

For years, the Omaha World-Herald has taught its reporters to refer to "news conferences" as "press conferences." Now we know why.

The Game Plan: CBS' Coverage of March Madness

2007-03-09T10:56:00.000-06:00

The e-mails have been pouring in: What is KMTV (Cox Channel 5) going to offer for coverage of the NCAA Basketball Tournament?

The answer comes from Journal Broadcast Group Executive Vice President for Television and Radio Operations Steve Wexler, who is also general manager of KMTV.

"Due to the NCAA's agreement with DirecTV, CBS affiliates can only air the assigned game on both our analog and HD digital signals," Wexler said. "The good news is that Cox HD customers can watch the CBS coverage in high definition on Channel 805."

Those "assigned" games will be determined once the tournament field is announced Sunday afternoon. Wexler said KMTV has the ability to choose one game over another for broadcast if it is a game of significant local interest.

"For example, we can choose to carry a Creighton game over another game if both are being offered," Wexler said.

As far as watching the NCAA basketball tournament on your computer, CBS Sportsline.com promises it will be even better than last year.

"March Madness on Demand" allows users to watch every game (except whatever the local TV market blacks out).

Last year, more than 1.3 million tuned in, recording more than five million visits. Some 265,000 signed up for VIP priority, which amounts to having a "fast pass" at an amusement park.

This year, VIP signups have already passed last year's mark, and the goal is to allow 400,000. If the site exceeds the allotted number of streams, excess viewers will be shuttled off to an online waiting room where they will wait until someone else leaves.

CBS SportsLine is increasing the size of the video player screen by 50 percent (to 480-by-360 pixels) and has added live audio from the Westwood One radio broadcast for those who can only listen instead of watch (or want to listen to one game while watching another).

Returning by popular demand is the "Boss Button," which allows a user to immediately pause video, silence audio and put a fake spread sheet up on the screen.

Only the first three rounds of the tournament will be streamed online.

Tom Becka Launches Video Blog

2007-03-09T10:45:00.000-06:00

KFAB (1110 AM) talk show host Tom Becka is now offering his opinion via video blog entries on the station's website, KFAB.com.

In his initial entry, Becka says he hopes the new offering will lead people to "start people talking, get people off their butts and say they're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore."

"I know I stole the line," the former stand-up comedian says.

More Omaha World-Herald Typo Troubles

2007-03-09T10:37:00.000-06:00

Sent in by an alert reader:Source: Feb. 24 Omaha World-Herald, metropolitan edition.

Local Stations Will Carry Hagel Announcement Live

2007-03-08T14:14:00.000-06:00

An announcement Monday by Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel - one which he says will regard "his future plans" - will be carried live by several Omaha media outlets.

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) announced on its 10 p.m. newscast Wednesday that it will stream Hagel's press conference at 10 a.m. at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Center live and on its website, WOWT.com.

It is widely speculated that the that the two-term senator will announce his plans for making a run for the Republican presidential nomination.

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) will interrupt "The Price is Right" to cover the event, as well as stream it live on its website, action3news.com.

KETV (Cox Channel 9) is also promoting that it will carry the announcement live both on-air and on its website, KETV.com.

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) plans to carry the press conference live, but will not stream it on its website.

Radio station KFAB (1110 AM) will broadcast the announcement live and will offer video of the press conference on KFAB.com.

Radio station KKAR (1290 AM) will not only provide live over-the-air coverage of Hagel, but it will also provide the feed to the Nebraska Broadcasters Association radio network for stations across Nebraska.

On Wednesday night's 10 p.m. broadcast, WOWT reporter Brian Mastre interviewed former Nebraska Congressman and Omaha Mayor Hal Daub, who is a member of the Republican National Committee. Daub said he doesn't know what Hagel will say.

The Omaha World-Herald seemed overly excited by the news. The state's largest daily newspaper printed the same story about Hagel's announcement twice in one section (pages A5 and A12) in Thursday's metropolitan morning editions:

911 Tried To Hide Powder Scare From Press

2007-03-08T11:19:00.000-06:00

[Updated: March 8, 2:20 p.m.]

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) investigative reporter Joe Jordan was first to reveal Wednesday that Douglas County Emergency Services Director Mark Conrey and his department deliberately tried to keep word of Tuesday's powder scare at the Douglas Courthouse a secret from the press.

In his stories at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., Jordan got Conrey to admit that mistakes were made during the emergency response and investigation, including sending the wrong hazardous material truck to the scene.

KETV (Cox Channel 9) also reported on the story, beginning with its 6 p.m. newscast.

Conrey told both stations that law enforcement took extraordinary measures to keep details of the incident quiet, including the use of cellular telephones, instead of standard two-way radio equipment, to communicate with 911 dispatch. Most emergency radio frequencies can be monitored through the use of scanners by local media outlets and the public.

'The Big Show' Now Available As Podcast

2007-03-08T06:24:00.000-06:00

"The Big Show with Matt Perrault," an afternoon sports talk show on KXSP (590 AM) is now available as a podcast through a new website, podcast.bigsports590.com.

The podcasts are divided by hour and segment (the show runs weekdays, 2-6 p.m.) and feature a brief description of the content.

KETV.com Makes Blogs A Home Of Their Own

2007-03-06T17:29:00.000-06:00

The nearly half dozen blogs produced by on-air talent at KETV (Cox Channel 9) now have a home of their own on the station's website, KETV.com.

Webmaster Shiloh Woolman said it made sense to consolidate the blogs into one location. KETV's first blog, "Julie's Diary," penned by evening news anchor Julie Cornell, was launched nearly five years ago.

The KETV.com blog page can be found here.

WOWT Viewers Grade Snow Removal

2007-03-05T22:11:00.000-06:00

WOWT asked viewers Monday at 6 p.m. to provide a grade for how well snow removal was handled in the Omaha metropolitan area.

Viewers were directed to use the station's "Six Online" feedback feature, which provides the opportunity for both e-mail and phone responses.

At 10 p.m, the results were announced by anchors John Knicely and Tracy Madden, who led off the newscast by saying, "The grades are posted. The grades varied greatly from an A to an F."

A handful of viewer responses were read, but no mention was made of how many comments were received. Nor was there a disclosure of where the respondents lived, save for one woman - who volunteered that she lived near 96th & N Streets.

Reporter Jaime McCutcheon interviewed Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, who said, "I think if you look at the effort that was made, it's certainly an A."

City Council President Dan Welch told McCutcheon if any streets remained unplowed Monday night, the city should get a failing grade.

"It's not acceptable because people pay for that service," Welch said.

KMTV Goes Live After Jays Win Conference Title

2007-03-04T15:22:00.000-06:00

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) provided live coverage of the Creighton University men's basketball team's win Sunday afternoon at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Just moments after CBS Sports signed off from Creighton's 67-61 over Southern Illinois, Sports Director Travis Justice provided live interviews from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Weekend sports anchor Matt Seigel, reporting from the Action 3 News studio, provided highlights and statistics.

KMTV's special coverage interrupted the first eight minutes of the game between Duke and the University of North Carolina.

Jacim Bids KPTM Viewers Goodbye

2007-03-03T12:04:00.000-06:00

Tracy Jacim's two-year stint as news anchor at KPTM (Cox Channel 10) came to a close Friday night.

"I'm really choked up, which, as you know, I'm never really this speechless," Jacim said after watching a video tribute to her near the conclusion of the 9 p.m. newscast.

Jacim thanked crew members working behind the scenes for their hard work, as well as her fellow on-air colleagues.

"We couldn't do it without all of you," she said.

In early February, Jacim announced she was leaving the station. Her replacement will be weekend anchor Amanda Mueller, who starts co-anchoring with Taylor Wilson on Monday.

In her final comments before saying goodbye, Jacim said Taylor "upped her game" as her co-anchor.

"You've become my other half here on the desk," she said. "When you sit next to someone this long every single night, you really do build a relationship and rapport that's irreplaceable."

KMTV's Online Poll Grades Omaha Snow Removal

2007-03-03T11:15:00.000-06:00

Visitors to KMTV's website, action3news.com, were asked to grade Omaha's snow removal following Thursday's blizzard. The results of the Action 3 News poll (as of Saturday):

A - 17 percent
B - 17 percent
C - 18 percent
D - 18 percent
F - 30 percent

Longtime Beatrice Sun Editor Changing Jobs

2007-03-03T08:24:00.000-06:00

Beatrice Daily Sun Editor Diane Vicars is leaving the newspaper to become director of marketing at Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center.

Vicars has worked at the Sun for 25 years and has been the paper's editor since 2003. She will work at the newspaper through the end of March.

The native of Frankfort, Kan., Vicars graduated from the University of Kansas. She joined the Daily Sun as a reporter in 1981, became news editor three years later and managing editor in 1997.

Stations Blitz Blizzard With Special Coverage

2007-03-02T13:29:00.000-06:00

[Updated March 3, 2007]
The "March Blizzard of 2007," as some are billing it, put several Omaha TV stations into "special coverage" mode on Thursday.

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) led the way, providing viewers with an additional three hours and 24 minutes of special coverage. Action 3 News anchors, reporters and meteorologists provided 15-minute cutins (instead of the usual five-minute ones) at 8:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., then followed that up with a half-hour of live reports from 9:30 to 10 a.m. At 10:20 a.m., "The Price is Right" was interrupted for more special coverage that lasted through 1 p.m. From then through the 5 p.m. news, the CBS affiliate aired three minute news and weather updates every half-hour.

"We were very proud of the effort and have received very positive feedback from viewers," said Steve Wexler, Executive Vice President for TV and Radio for the Journal Broadcast Group. "One thing you didn't mention was our special hour-long 6 p.m. newscast last night, pre-empting 'Entertainment Tonight.' We were the only station to extend (that) newscast so that we could provide information to people who may have gotten home later than usual."

KETV (Cox Channel 9) began the morning by streaming its "First News" 5-7 a.m. newscast on its website, KETV.com. Like KMTV, KETV also provided expanded cut-ins, including a 25-minute update at 9 a.m., a 20-minute update at 10 a.m. and an expanded (by about five minutes) version of its 11:30 a.m. newscast. Following special updates every half-hour from 1 through 3 p.m., KETV also provided a half-hour of coverage at 3 p.m.

"Our goal was to make sure we were on the air every half hour with updates," said KETV Assistant News Director Vonn Jones.

On KPTM (Cox Channel 10) and sister station, KXVO (Cox Channel 11), Chief Meteorologist Tyson Pearsall provided live weather segments every half hour, beginning at 9 a.m., as well as coverage updates on KPTM.com. The snowstorm also provided both stations with the opportunity to showcase their new graphics package, including an animated "bug" for weather warnings.

"Our school closings were provided on our website, as well as via textcasting," KPTM/KXVO News Director Joe Radske added.

NSAA Decision Draws Firestorm of CriticismOn Lincoln Journal Star's Website

2007-03-01T14:14:00.000-06:00

The Nebraska School Activities Association's decision to proceed with the girls high school state basketball tournament as scheduled was not a popular one, judging by comments on a Lincoln Journal Star story posted on the newspaper's website.

Among the comments:

"Yet again the NSAA makes a decision that the lives of students are less important than the scheduling of a tournament. These people should be ashamed and should never be put in a position to make decisions that could affect people's lives."

"Schools are closed because it is bad out, so let's put the kids in more danger and continue with the b-ball games. A real smart decision. Who is going to be blamed if someone gets killed? I would love to be the lawyer for that one."

"The NSAA is just like corporate America today. Sit in their offices making stupid decisions. They have no common sense."

KETV.com is also inviting viewers and readers to chime in on the Omaha Westside girls basketball team's plight Thursday. School officials decided to drive to Lincoln Thursday morning, rather than leave for the tournament and stay overnight Wednesday.

Blizzard Coverage: What It Looks Like Online

2007-03-01T09:52:00.000-06:00

Thursday's Snow Forecasts

2007-02-28T22:46:00.000-06:00

On the final day of the February ratings period, local viewership levels of Wednesday evening's late newscasts were expected to soar due to forecasts of more winter weather in Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa.

Here is what Omaha TV meteorologists were saying on the 9 and 10 p.m. newscasts:

Bill Randby, KETV (Cox Channel 9):
Omaha Metropolitan: 3-6 inches. "Here in the metro, I anticipate snow beginning around 3 a.m. and at 8 a.m., it'll be snowing pretty hard. Snow is going to be a quick shot moving through the Omaha metro area."

Ryan McPike, KMTV (Cox Channel 5):
Omaha Metropolitan: 4-8 inches. "This is going to blow up right along the Missouri River and points to the east. One thing's for sure. We're going to see some real nasty weather by tomorrow morning."

Tyson Pearsall, KPTM (Cox Channel 10):
Omaha Metropolitan: 5-8 inches. "Snow develops between 2 and 3 a.m. A fairly bad morning commute is what I'm expecting."

Jim Flowers, WOWT (Cox Channel 8):
Omaha Metropolitan: 4-6 inches. "Snow could begin as a period of thundersnow for a couple of hours, at least right at the onset. The way things are looking, the band of heavy snow will align itself up and down the Missouri River."

What Students and Parents Wanted To Hear: WOWT and KETV didn't waste any time delivering the news that several schools in Sarpy County would be closed, running their "tickers" right off the top of their newscasts. KMTV did not break the news until 10:05 p.m. and didn't start its ticker until the main weather segment, 13 minutes into the newscast.

'TV Talk' From The Consultants: "Storm Preps" (KETV) and "Team Coverage" (KMTV).

Taking A Big Chance: WOWT reporter Brian Mastre interviewed an Omaha Public School superintendent regarding the chances that the school district would be closed Thursday. Had OPS made a decision Wednesday night (as several districts in Sarpy County did at around 9:45 p.m.), Mastre's two-minute report would have been outdated and irrelevant.

Dreaded Cliche Award: "Calm Before the Storm" (KMTV)

KETV.com Will Stream 'First News' Live on Thursday

2007-02-28T15:45:00.000-06:00

KETV (Cox Channel 9) will stream its morning newscast Thursday, "First News," live on KETV.com, beginning at 5 a.m.

The special offering coincides with a winter weather advisory, which goes into effect at nine o'clock tonight. An advisory of this type means snow, sleet or freezing rain will likely cause travel difficulties.

Shatel Column Sparks Discussion On Radio, Online

2007-02-27T19:20:00.000-06:00

[Updated Feb. 28, 7:30 a.m.]
A column by Tom Shatel in Tuesday's editions of the Omaha World-Herald led to a number of discussions regarding Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson on sports talk radio programs and several message boards, including Huskerpedia.com.

Shatel's column outlined his surprise encounter with increased security at the new Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex. Seeking a copy of the Husker baseball media guide, Shatel encountered locked doors, security guards and unfriendly staffers.

On "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on KOZN (1620 AM), Shatel called it "unnecessary" to be escorted to the Sports Information Office. He said he did not have an axe to grind with the school for not being noticed as the sports columnist with the state's largest daily newspaper.

"In a lot of ways, I try to be the eyes and ears for a lot of people," Shatel said. "I'm very lucky that I get to go a lot of places that a lot of people don't get to go. I guess we're all in the same boat in this deal."

Shatel said he received a call Tuesday from Associate Athletic Director Chris Anderson, who defended Pederson. Shatel also said the World-Herald has tried to get a one-on-one interview with Pederson for the past two two months.

"These people are top people who are accountable," Shatel told "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" co-hosts Kevin Kugler and Mike'l Severe. "For him to not even grant an interview is absolutely ridiculous."

Shatel said he learned Pederson was going to give the World-Herald an interview Tuesday afternoon, but it was called off when Pederson said he would only talk about the issues raised in Shatel's column and not anything else the World-Herald wanted to ask him.

KFAB (1110 AM) talk show host Scott Voorhees did speak with Pederson on his program Tuesday morning. Pederson defended the heightened security measures, saying they were necessary to ensure the safety of the school's female athletes.

TV Stations Roll Out Special Storm Coverage

2007-02-25T12:33:00.000-06:00

In a rare move, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) offered viewers a newscast Sunday morning.

Weekday evening talent Carlo Cecchetto and Carol Wang anchored the newscast, with meteorologist CT Thongklin providing weather updates and reporter Joe Jordan provided live reports on driving conditions.

KETV (Cox Channel 9) also provided special coverage in addition to its standard 7-8:30 a.m. weekend newscast. Reporter Lisa Stites and weekday morning meteorologist Andrea Bredow each provided live reports during a cut-in at 6 a.m.

Winter Storm: What The Weather Blogs Are Saying

2007-02-24T10:02:00.000-06:00

Online estimates for snowfall amounts from this weekend's winter storm range upwards of six inches, according to information posted on the weather blogs of three Omaha TV stations.

On KMTV's weather blog, weekend meteorologist Dean Wysocki wrote Saturday morning that there appears to be a dry slot pushing into the area.

"Depending on how long this dry slot remains over our area, (this) could really reduce snowfall amounts," Thongklin writes. I'm still expecting at least six inches of snow in the metro, but again, heavier amounts in certain banding regions and lesser amounts to our south and east."

On the KETV.com weather blog, weekend evening meteorologist Roger Schwartz ) is calling snow accumulations through Sunday night of six to 10 inches for Omaha with more north and west. (Editor's Note: Schwartz has flip-flopped shifts with weekend evening meteorologist John Campbell during the February ratings period.)

WOWT's weather blog did not have an entry posted Saturday (as of 10 a.m.), but weekend evening meteorologist Jeff Jensen wrote Friday night that "things still look good" for snowfall amounts

"If you do see a flash of lightning or hear a growl of thunder at 7 or 8 tomorrow (Saturday) night, expect it to start snowing rather heavily," Jensen writes. "One to two-inch amounts per hour can easily accompany convective activity."

KMTV Website Gets A Makeover

2007-02-23T19:42:00.000-06:00

The new look of KMTV's website, action3news.com, is much cleaner and user-friendly than its predecessor.

The site is produced in cooperation with WorldNow, which works with more than 250 media outlets nationwide.

In addition to revamping the website's interface, the site also features new pictures of anchors and reporters.

KFOR Suspends John Baylor For 10 Days

2007-02-22T06:26:00.000-06:00

According to a story in the Lincoln Journal Star, KFOR (1240 AM) talk show host John Baylor will serve out a 10-day suspension for comments he made about the Nebraska Builders Home & Garden Show at the Lancaster Event Center.

Three Eagles Communications Executive Vice President and General Manager Jim Keck said Baylor questioned the accountability of the Nebraska Builders and the Lancaster Event Center regarding attendance and money during a segment on "The John Baylor Show," which airs from 3 to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Keck said the station will rotate hosts during Baylor's absence. The Nebraska Builders and Lancaster Event Center had called for Baylor to be fired, according to the article.

Baylor has apologized for his remarks.

Merlyn Klaus Returns To WOWT

2007-02-21T16:01:00.000-06:00

After a brief move into the world of public relations and development, Merlyn Klaus is back working at WOWT (Cox Channel 8).

"The people at The Steier Group are great and I can't say enough good things about them, but it just wasn't a fit at this point in my life," Klaus said of his brief time at The Steier Group.

Klaus' old job as sports reporter and anchor was still open, so the transition back to WOWT on Tuesday was seamless, he said.

"I will hit the ground running with all the high school and college basketball coming up in the next few weeks," he said.

'Todd & Tyler's Radio Empire'Looking For New Show Producer

2007-02-20T19:33:00.000-06:00

Jeremy Campbell, the producer of "Todd and Tyler's Radio Empire" on KEZO (92.3 FM) and two other stations, will work his last day on the show March 2.

"Jeremy has done a great job helping grow the show over the years," said Tom Land, Director of Radio Programming for Journal Broadcast Group in Omaha. "As we continue growing the network syndication, the responsibilities of the position have changed."

The job listing for Campbell's replacement, as posted on Journal's website says the ideal candidate "must be creative, gravitate to pop culture, news, politics, entertainment, sports and the big story of the day." Candidates must also have three to five years minimum experience in radio with a winning track record required, along with digital editing production skills and Internet skills.

From the Laptop

2007-02-16T14:24:00.000-06:00

The Omaha City Weekly newspaper is out with its annual "Best of Omaha" issue. The whopping 160-page issue gives nods to businesses in nearly 100 categories as voted on via VoteOmaha.com.

The sports section of KMTV's website is still asking fans who they "blame for Saturday's loss to Oklahoma," a football game that was played the first weekend in December.

Friday's editions of the Omaha World-Herald contained a listing of past four-time state wrestling champions in Nebraska. Missing from the list was the name of Matt Vacanti of Papillion-LaVista, who won his fourth state title last year at Qwest Center Omaha - just five blocks from the offices of the World-Herald.

KETV.com reports that 2,936 visitors to its site viewed the live streaming coverage of Nebraska football Coach Bill Callahan's national letter-of-intent signing day press conference. At least 1,800 viewed the broadcast again later on the website.

New KETV General Manager Comes From California

2007-02-15T12:23:00.000-06:00

Sarah Smith, a newcomer to the Hearst-Argyle Television group, will succeed Joel Vilmenay as president and general manager of KETV (Cox Channel 9).

Smith most recently worked as Vice President and General Manager of KRCR and KAEF, two stations in the Chico-Redding and Eureka, Calif., markets owned by BlueStone Television. BlueStone owns and operates 13 television stations in eight markets. It is headquartered in Wichita, Kan.

"Sarah will bring valuable experience and great energy to KETV," said David J. Barrett, president and chief executive officer of Hearst-Argyle Television. "The stations she managed in her most recent general manager role have flourished under her leadership, and her accomplishments over the past few years indicate her readiness to take on the wonderful opportunity to lead KETV."

According to a press release, under Smith's tenure, KRCR became the local ratings leader while KAEF substantially expanded its audience.

Smith has also worked for the Belo Television Group as general sales manager for KVUE in Austin and as national sales manager for WFAA in Dallas and KXTV in Sacramento. She also was local sales manager for LIN Television's WISH in Indianapolis and began her career as an account executive for Belo-owned KOTV in Tulsa.

Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois.

Vilmenay had served as president and general manager of KETV since 2003. Last week, he was appointed president and general manager of WDSU, Hearst-Argyle's NBC affiliate in New Orleans.

Ken Fearnow On To Kentucky

2007-02-15T10:38:00.000-06:00

Longtime Omaha radio manager Ken Fearnow is the new Market Manager for Cumulus Media Inc.'s five stations in Lexington, Ky.

Fearnow was most recently Regional Vice President of NRG Media's Omaha stations. He had also worked as president of Waitt Radio Networks and spent 20 years at former heritage station WOWT, including 16 as the station's general manager.

"Ken is one of the finest broadcasters in the business," Spike Santee, Cumulus Regional Vice President for the Southwest Region, told All Access. "He brings a lot of experience to our company."

Cumulus Media owns WLRO-FM, WLTO-FM, WXZZ-FM, WVLK-FM and WVLK-AM. Lexington is the 104th largest radio market in the country, according to Arbitron. The Omaha-Council Bluffs market is No. 72.

Omaha Sports Radio Talk Shows ProceedWith Caution On Marlon Lucky Story

2007-02-14T23:58:00.000-06:00

When the news broke Monday that a Nebraska football player had been hospitalized in connection with a "medical emergency," it brought to mind the media circus that erupted when Dallas Cowboy football star Terrell Owens attempted suicide last September.

Speculation about the events that led up to Marlon Lucky's hospitalization Sunday night provided instant fodder for discussion on Omaha's two afternoon sports radio talk programs, "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on KOZN (1620 AM) and "The Big Show with Matt Perrault" on KXSP (590 AM).

However, hosts of the two shows proceeded with caution when reporting on the few facts about the incident that had emerged.

"As (my) show went on, many people started to call us reporting that they were hearing from other media outlets about speculation about the story," Perrault said. "Some of that speculation turned out to be correct, some turned out to be wrong."

University Released Few Details
Kevin Kugler, co-host of "Unsportsmanlike Conduct," said the story was particularly difficult to cover because so little information was being divulged by the Nebraska Sports Information Department.

"We waited to report (Lucky's) name until we had a copy of the Lincoln Police Report in our hands due to the sensitive nature of the story," Kugler said. "We received that copy at approximately 3:40 (Monday) afternoon, so we felt confident in going with the name of the player at that point."

Perrault said he chose to mention only what major media news outlets, like sister TV station KMTV (Cox Channel 5), were reporting.

"I am a sports talk show host," he said. "Unless someone is willing to go on the air to talk about specifics of a story involving a player's health, I don't talk about it or wonder out loud about what could be going on. It's just too dangerous a situation to be wrong about."

Kugler said he felt responsible to be right, not first, with the story.

"This is too sensitive of a story to just run out and throw rumors on the air," he said. "We won't do that. Anything we have reported or will report will be confirmed through multiple sources."

On his early evening sportscasts Monday, KMTV Sports Director Travis Justice pointed out the primary obstacle many journalists faced when reporting on the story.

"You have a university that doesn't communicate and it leads to all types of speculation," Justice said. "In today's Internet world, it can run crazy."

World-Herald Marketing Director Now At First Data

2007-02-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Michael Geppert, the man who oversaw the revamp of the Omaha World-Herald's website, is no longer employed by the newspaper.

According to a press release which was published in the World-Herald's Monday editions, Geppert is now president of First Data Solutions in Omaha.

After receiving a tip that Geppert was leaving the World-Herald just days after Omaha.com re-launched in late January, The Reader's Media Notes tried several times unsuccessfully over the next two weeks to reach Geppert or obtain a comment from senior level managers at the newspaper about his depature.

The new look of Omaha.com has been the subject of discussion -- much of it unfavorable -- on several Omaha message boards. An employee at the newspaper who wished to remain anonymous tells The Reader's Media Notes that dozens of readers have responded with phone calls and e-mails criticizing the changes.

Geppert had worked at the World-Herald for seven years. The newspaper has not announced his replacement.

NRG Media Hires Business ManagerAnd Veteran Omaha Account Executive

2007-02-12T16:11:00.000-06:00

NRG Media announced Monday the hiring of Conie McCully as business manager and Paige Becker as account executive for the Omaha radio group.

McCully has 20 years of accounting experience and has worked in the media for 13 years,including 10 as a business manager/controller at radio and TV stations in Nebraska and Texas.

"Conie is well-versed in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), has worked with broadcast sellers and department managers extensively and has always enjoyed the respect of her peers," said Jim McKernan, General Manager of NRG Media, L.L.C. in Omaha.

Becker arrives at NRG Media with 10 years of experience as an account executive in television, including stints at KELO-TV in Sioux Falls and Omaha's KMTV (Cox Channel 5). She will become a member of the AM Sales team headed by Tim Marshall, General Sales Manager and will focus on KKAR (1290 AM), KOZN (1620 AM), KOIL (1020 AM) and KYDZ (1180 AM).

"We are so pleased to have someone of Paige's caliber in our organization," said Rhonda Gerrard, NRG Omaha Director of Sales. "Her depth of experience will be a terrific asset to our staff and our clients."

NRG Media operates seven radio stations in Omaha and 87 stations throughout the Midwest, as well as Waitt Radio Networks, which is based out of Omaha. The headquarters for NRG Media, LLC are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

A Note From The Author

2007-02-11T05:06:00.000-06:00

Dear Readers:

When The Reader's Online Media Notes column was launched last March, the intent was to provide a place where news could be shared on a more timely basis than the print edition of the newspaper.

The ability for readers to comment on stories posted online was offered as part of the Blogger.com interface. Now that the online column has moved to its own URL (www.thereadersmedianotes.com), that aspect of the website can be removed.

However, in the interest of affording readers the opportunity to provide feedback, the ability to comment on a story will continue. But personal attacks will no longer be tolerated. If necessary, comments will be moderated or anonymous posts will be prohibited.

Thanks for reading,

Sean

NCAA Tournament Bracketing: Behind The Scenes

2007-02-10T06:13:00.000-06:00

Why wait for Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel to write about the mock NCAA Tournament bracket produced earlier this week by U.S. Basketball Writers Association members when you can already read what other participating scribes wrote? (Shatel's story will appear in Sunday's editions of the newspaper):

Andy Katz, ESPN.com - We were the first guinea pigs: 20 sportswriters tossed into a meeting room in the NCAA headquarters Wednesday, going through a simulated NCAA Tournament mock bracket. We had the same computer system, access to all of the NCAA's information on each team, and the same kinds of chicken, pasta and ice cream the 10-member selection committee will digest over four days at the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis next month. Continue reading...

Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News - There are no televisions in the room. This is the first big surprise that strikes me upon arriving in Indianapolis to help 19 other members of the media select and seed the teams that will be part of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. There are games being played that will affect the outcome of our deliberations, but we will be watching only during breaks. There is no time for Lost and only a little for Duke vs. North Carolina. There is so much work to be done. Continue reading...

Dana Pennett O'Neil, Philadelphia Daily News - After 11 hours and 45 minutes, a bouncing baby basketball bracket was born early Thursday morning. My two real kids took a combined seven hours to come into this world. Continue reading...

Pat Forde, ESPN.com - If this had been real, CBS would have drowned in dead air. Jim Nantz and Billy Packer would have been locked in a marathon verbal tap dance while a producer frantically begged them to stretch it out, do magic tricks, show pictures of their kids - anything. Eventually, they would have skipped the whole thing, killed off March Madness and gone straight to "60 Minutes." Continue reading...

Rick Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal - At 12:07 yesterday morning, when you were still debating if the University of Kentucky men's basketball team could hang another 95 points on Florida tomorrow or if the University of Louisville could hang 95 points on anybody, this is what I was doing: Finishing my 11th hour sitting inside a first-floor conference room at NCAA headquarters in downtown Indianapolis, surrounded by enough computers to fly a 747 and enough statistics to choke an accountant. I was debating the fairness of shipping UK to the San Jose Regional of the 2007 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. Continue reading...

Tony Barnhart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - To sit on the NCAA tournament selection committee is to have your integrity and intelligence questioned at the highest possible decibel level. When the 65-team tournament field is announced here on March 11, you can bet Billy Packer, Dick Vitale and every talking head who can make it to an office water cooler Monday will wonder what in the heck those 10 folks had been thinking and doing for the past four days. Continue reading...

Bryan Burwell, St. Louis Post-Dispatch - There are 20 dazed, grumbling and exhausted sportswriters in this boardroom at NCAA headquarters. On the tables are hulled peanut shells, empty coffee cups, piles of computer printouts, opened loose-leaf binders, newspapers, soda cans and a vat of melted ice cream. There are dozens of blinking computer screens and dozens of glazed, unblinking bloodshot eyes. Continue reading...

Mark Blaudschun, The Boston Globe - Selection Sunday. For hundreds of players and coaches, and millions of college basketball fans, it is one of the most magical, and sometimes controversial, days on the athletic calendar. It is the day -- March 11 this year -- when the 65 teams in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament are announced. But what about selecting the field, a process that has often been cloaked in terms such as Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), "quality losses," and, of course, "on the bubble"? Continue reading...

Marlen Garcia, USA Today - Intent on setting the record straight for its selection process for the NCAA men's basketball tournament, the NCAA invited 20 members of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to select, seed and bracket a 65-team mock field Wednesday, following the principles used by its 10-member selection committee. Continue reading...

Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch - In an enterprise to de-mystify and dispel what it considers myths or conspiracy theories about the making of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the NCAA on Wednesday shepherded 20 members of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association through a mock selection, seeding and bracketing exercise. Continue reading...

Meeting Monday May Decide FateOf Cox Community Access Channels

2007-02-10T06:01:00.000-06:00

Does Omaha need six channels to broadcast public access programs on cable TV?

That is the question that will be raised Monday at a meeting of the Cable Television Advisory Council.

Cox Communications is asking the City of Omaha for the right to reclaim three of six community access channels. According to Cox, six channels are available but users are only creating enough programming to fill just over one of them.

Cox's proposal would cut the number of community access channels in half to use them to provide customers "with enhanced services" such as high definition channels and additional programming.

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) reported on the issue earlier this week. Cox Communications has lobbied a lawmaker in Tucson, Ariz., to propose a similar move in that city, one which would cut the number of public access channels by more than half.

Two of the six channels up for review are The Knowledge Network of Greater Omaha (TKN) (Cox Channels 17 and 18). Jim Adams of UNO Television is appealing to viewers of programs on the Knowledge Network to come to Monday's meeting at 4 p.m. in the Douglas County Civic Centerto show support for the programs they watch.

The programming in question on TKN includes specially-produced shows such as "ICU Learning English," "Hola Amigos," "La Otra Cara De La Moneda," and the student productions, "The Coach Kemp Show" and "The Omaha News."

The Knowledge Network also provides University of Nebraska at Omaha students, Omaha Public School students and Metro Community College students with the opportunity to gain hands-on television production experience. Westside High School's student-produced news program has proven to be particularly popular, according to viewing habits tracked through the "Viewer's Choice" option.

Tracy Jacim Leaving KPTM After Two Years;Amanda Mueller Promoted To Weekday Anchor

2007-02-09T07:27:00.000-06:00

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) announced Wednesday night that weekday news anchor Tracy Jacim is leaving the station, to be replaced by weekend anchor Amanda Mueller (pictured at right).

Jacim made her debut on the FOX affiliate on Feb. 6, 2005. She had previously worked in Buffalo, N.Y.

"I enjoyed my two years at KPTM a great deal and am grateful for the opportunities I had to accomplish what I have here," Jacim said in a press release. "That said, there comes a moment when it is simply time to move on and take on new challenges. For me, that time is now."

Mueller will join Taylor Wilson as co-anchor on the "KPTM FOX 42 News at Nine" beginning next month. She arrived at KPTM in December 2003 from another Pappas Telecasting station, KHGI in Kearney.

"We are excited and proud to promote Amanda to the weekday anchor desk," said Randy Oswald, Vice President/Midwest Group Manager and General Manager of KPTM and its sister station, KXVO (Cox Channel 11). "We also thank Tracy for her two years contributing to the growth of KPTM FOX 42 News at Nine."

In the press release, Mueller said she is flattered by the opportunity to continue to build her career at KPTM.

"I am confident the News At Nine can reach new heights and can't wait to be a part of that growth," she said.

World-Herald Creates 'Presentation Editor' Positions

2007-02-08T08:37:00.000-06:00

The Omaha World-Herald has named Dave Elsesser "Presentation Editor" of Nebraska's largest daily newspaper, while fellow co-worker Josh Crutchmer will serve as "Deputy Presentation Editor."

Both positions are newly created, but neither employee is new to the World-Herald. Elsesser has worked in Omaha for two years, including the past year as Assistant Sports Editor. His past work has won him two awards of excellence in the 27th annual Best of Newspaper Design competition from the Society for News Design.

Crutchmer joined the World-Herald last year in the position of "Sports Design Director." He previously was a page 1/special projects designer at the Arizona Republic and assistant sports editor/nights and design at The Oklahoman.

YouTube Video Features Vintage WOWT Promo

2007-02-08T07:57:00.000-06:00

A YouTube video features a 30-second promotional spot for former WOWT (Cox Channel 8) anchor Pat Persaud. In it, Persaud encourages viewers to tune in for her "health desk" reports weeknights at 10. Also featured is a "bumper" promo for "Action News" and the station's "Newstar Six" satellite truck.

From the Laptop

2007-02-08T07:10:00.000-06:00

KETV (Cox Channel 9) reporter Farrah Fazal continually referred to a three-year-old girl as a "baby" in a story at 10 p.m. Wednesday about the child's disappearance. The more appropriate term, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, would be "toddler" (a child between the ages of one to three years old). A story on the station's website refers to the girl simply as a "child."

A story KMTV (Cox Channel 5) reporter Michelle Bandur will present Thursday night at 10 examines whether people will return money that is unwittingly dropped in public places. The Lincoln Journal Star newspaper performed the same experiment (minus the hidden camera) as part of an award-winning eight-day series of stories in December of 2005 and January of 2006 that examined the differences between the cities of Lincoln and Omaha.

A page on the KFAB (1110 AM) website invites listeners to click on an interview with "Marlon Brisko." The NFL's first starting black quarterback, Marlin Briscoe started his playing career at Omaha South High School and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Update: Friday, Feb. 9: The page has since been updated to read, "Marlon Briscoe."

Joel Vilmenay Leaving KETV For New Orleans

2007-02-07T07:56:00.000-06:00

Nearly four years to the date of his hire as president and general manager of KETV, Joel Vilmenay is leaving the Omaha ABC affiliate to become president and general manager of another Hearst-Argyle Television-owned station, WDSU.

Vilemenay's appointment to the company's NBC affiliate in New Orleans (DMA Market No. 54) was announced Wednesday by David J. Barrett, president and chief executive officer of Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.

"Hearst-Argyle is committed to enabling WDSU to play a vital role in the recovery and rebirth of New Orleans," Barrett continued. "We're confident that Joel will build on the work of Mason with everyone at WDSU, and carry on the station's important mission."

At KETV, Vilmenay succeeded Richard Dyer on Feb. 5, 2003. Dyer moved to Cincinnati to serve as president and general manager of WLWT, another Hearst-Argyle NBC affiliate. In New Orleans, Vilmenay will succeed Mason Granger, who is stepping down after eight years with WDSU in order to return to his hometown of New York.

"Joel intuitively recognizes the challenge and the importance of this new assignment, and his willingness to succeed Mason is great news for the station, our company, and the community of New Orleans," Barrett said. "Over the past four years KETV, under Joel's leadership, has achieved impressive results, strengthening its local competitive position, and delivering record financial performance."

A press release said Vilmenay's successor at KETV will be announced in the coming weeks.

Vilmenay holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Television and Film, and a Masters of Business Administration, both from the University of Maryland. He also completed a Media Management Development seminar at Northwestern University, and was a 2001 National Association of Broadcasters Education Fellow.

During his tenure in Omaha, KETV consistently finished at, or near the top, of the Nielsen Media Research ratings. Another major development that also occurred on his watch came last year when KETV denied Cox Communications the right to rebroadcast its high definition signal. The dispute continues to this day.

"Until we come to terms with Cox our viewers can access KETV-HD via both major satellite services, over-the-air or through the use of ATSC/QAM tuners," Vilmenay said last month. "This also allows viewers access to KETV's Weather Now, Nebraska's first and only 24-hour local weather channel."

Several Stations Offer Coverage of 'Signing Day'

2007-02-07T07:37:00.000-06:00

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln football team's 2007 recruiting class will be unveiled by Coach Bill Callahan this afternoon.

Live coverage of the 2:30 p.m. press coverage will be available on the websites of KETV (Cox Channel 9), KETV.com and WOWT (Cox Channel 8), WOWT.com.

Shatel Will Head Up Mock NCAA Tourney Selection

2007-02-07T03:56:00.001-06:00

Omaha World-Herald sports columnist Tom Shatel will serve as co-chairman for a "Mock NCAA Basketball Bracket" session, a first-of-its-kind event Wednesday at the NCAA National Offices in Indianapolis.

Shatel and 23 other members of the United States Basketball Writers of America will participate in an unprecedented examination into the process of selecting the field for the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The NCAA is holding the mock selection seminar in conjunction with its February orientation meeting of the Division I men's basketball committee.

Shatel is president of the United States Basketball Writers of America. Andy Katz, ESPN.com and USBWA vice-president, will join him as the other committee chairman.

MSNBC.com columnist Ken Davis, one of the two dozen mock bracket selection committee members, writes that the journalists have been promised the same menu and the same snacks that the real committee members receive.

"We will even take a TV break, to watch a portion of the North Carolina-Duke game," Davis writes. "Committee members often break away from their bracketing to watch important conference tournament games that could impact the seeding process."

Shatel says he will write about the event for Sunday's editions of the newspaper.

In This Week's Issue...

2007-02-07T03:13:00.000-06:00

Catch up on what veteran Omaha radio talent Otis XII thinks of his return to radio.

The former KEZO (92.3 FM), KFAB (1110 AM), KKCD (105.9 FM) and KKAR (1290 AM) personality is now broadcasting mornings on KVNO (90.7 FM).

This week's edition of The Reader is available on newsstands Thursday.

2007 NASCAR Season Debuts Saturday on KPTM

2007-02-07T02:53:00.000-06:00

A season of NASCAR racing on FOX begins Saturday with the Budweiser Shootout from the Daytona International Speedway. The race airs from 7 to 9 p.m. on KPTM (Cox Channel 10).

Sunday, FOX will televise qualifying for the Daytona 500 from 1 to 4 p.m. In addition to broadcasting the Daytona 500, the network will also televise the 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races after the Feb. 18 race.

KIBZ Hosts Lincoln Mayoral Forum;Next Up Is D-Cup Diva Fashion Revue

2007-02-06T21:16:00.000-06:00

Lincoln radio station KIBZ (104.1 FM) hosted a forum for mayoral candidates (from right) Ken Svoboda, Chris Beutler and Roger Yant.

KLKN (ABC) news anchors Rod Fowler and Lauren Silverman acted as moderators. The Lincoln Journal Star has a recap of the event.

On Saturday, KIBZ will host the "D-Cup Diva Fashion Revue" at the 1st Avenue Social Hall from 7-10 p.m. The event is being advertised as showing off all fashions, "modeled by 12 hot D Cup Divas."

From the Laptop

2007-02-06T08:14:00.000-06:00

Less Than Helpful Cross Promotion: KKCD (105.9 FM) morning host Steve King stumbled to correctly pronounce the name of fellow Journal Broadcast Group colleague and KMTV (Cox Channel 5) news anchor Carlo Cecchetto. King was promoting an in-studio visit Wednesday with Cecchetto, who will broadcast a "sweeps" report on how teens drive when they are behind the wheel.

Conspiracy or Culture?: In a front page story in Tuesday's editions of the Omaha World-Herald, reporter Jake Thompson refers to Chuck Hagel as "Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel." But Ben Nelson is identified only as "Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson" and not as a United States Senator.

Proposed State Song Gains Support: KHAS-Hastings TV reporter Ginger Ten Bensel's proposed song to replace Nebraska current state song is the leading vote-getter in KFAB (1110 AM) talk show host Tom Becka's unofficial online poll on his website.

WOWT Lands First Interview With ManWho Discovered Amber Harris' Remains

2007-02-06T07:08:00.000-06:00

A man known to viewers only as "Joe" was introduced by WOWT (Cox Channel 8) last night as the person who discovered the remains of Amber Harris in Hummel Park last May.

In an interview broadcast Monday, the man (who asked WOWT not to disclose his last name) told Channel Six that he was drawn to the park after a web site reported people seeing and hearing ghosts and other paranormal activity in the park at night. He discovered her remains while walking down a path.

"I was really in shock but I remember seeing her, her skull and then I knew it was a kid, it just looked small," Joe said. "I could see, something like, I knew it was white. It was real brightly colored and I just kind of looked over and there she was, she was right in my face like two feet away from me. There was a hole in the middle of her head. It was pretty much the whole forehead."

The man called WOWT after police confirmed the remains were Harris' but police asked him not to disclose any details of his discovery until an arrest was made in the case. On Monday, Roy Ellis was arrested in connection with Harris' disappearance and murder in Nov. 2005.

Updated: Feb. 6, 8:47 a.m.:

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) also interviewed the man Monday night (identified as "Joe Dunham"). He said the discovery changed him and eventually forced him to leave his job.

Omaha Company's Super Bowl Ad Flunks Out

2007-02-05T09:55:00.000-06:00

The 30-second advertisement for Omaha-based InfoUSA's "Sales Genie" was the least popular Super Bowl commercial, according to USA Today's annual "Super Bowl Ad Meter."

USA TODAY assembled 238 adult volunteers in Houston and McLean, Va., and electronically charted their second-by-second reactions to ads during the Super Bowl. Fieldwork Phoenix and Shugoll Research chose the volunteers, who used handheld meters to register how much they liked each ad. A computer continuously averaged the scores. Scores are the highest average for each ad.

Commercials for Anheuser-Busch's Bud Lite ranked in seven of the top 10 spots, with the fourth-quarter spot "Crabs worship Bud ice chest" being the most popular.

InfoUSA's commercial featured a breathless blonde whose runs up to a guy in an office and asks breathlessly if she can go for a ride in his new sports car. As he goes through the office, others fawn all over him. He finally reveals his secret: He uses some kind of sales database because people who work hard are fools, and he works "smarter," not harder.

The ad was conceived and produced in-house and is posted on the company's website. One blogger called it "a simultaneously insult to intelligence, blondes, women, sales people and people who work hard."

Wrestling Fans Will Miss Publication This Month

2007-02-05T07:55:00.000-06:00

The absence of Nebraska Wrestling Illustrated's unprecedented bracket-to-bracket coverage of the Nebraska State Wrestling Tournament will almost certainly be felt by fans of the sport later this month.

NWI ceased operations last October with E-Publisher Michael J. Carnes citing increasing demands on his time for family and personal matters.

"With the amount of personal commitments we both have with our family and careers, it just has become more than we are capable of continuing at the level we had established," Carnes said in a statement on the publication's website. "(Business partner) Kevin Dill and I both are of the belief that the wrestling community of this state deserves a much stronger commitment than either of us are able to continue, and therefore we felt it was time to say good-bye and shut things down."

Carnes, a veteran sports writer, and Dill, a graphic designer, teamed together to start NWI in 2000. In a short time, the magazine developed an immense following which led to more than 200,000 downloads of the magazine during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

This year's State Wrestling Tournament is Feb. 15-17 at Qwest Center Omaha.

Omaha Press Club Show is April 21

2007-02-05T07:09:00.000-06:00

KFAB's Gary Sadlemyer (right) plays the part of "Carnac" with Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey impersonating Ed McMahon.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2007 Omaha Press Club Show.

The theme of this year's 50th show is "Through the Jeers: 50 Shows, No Apologies." The Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs will host the event on Saturday, April 21.

Patricia and D.C. "Woody" Bradford, and Karren and Gary Kerr are serving as the show's honorary chairs.

Cocktails and a silent auction begin at 5:30 p.m., with a 7 p.m. dinner followed by the show.

Individual tickets and tables remain available. Click here to download more information. (You do not have to be a member of the Omaha Press Club to attend the show.)

The Omaha Press Club Show is produced and managed by the Omaha Press Club Foundation. All proceeds benefit the Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. $150 of a $175 ticket is tax-deductible; $100 of a $125 ticket is tax-deductible.

Cartoon Design HighlightsWorld-Herald's Super Bowl Section

2007-02-04T05:38:00.000-06:00

Omaha World-Herald page designer Tim Parks explains the design behind the newspaper's Super Bowl special section in Sunday's newspaper on his portfolio page on industry website News Page Designer.

Click here to see the page design.

Parks has worked at the World-Herald since last spring. He previously was design director of Conference Call Magazine in Kansas City and also worked at The Oklahoman and the Tulsa World newspapers.

KFAB Drive For Open Door Mission Is Friday

2007-02-03T06:14:00.000-06:00

KFAB (1110 AM) will be asking listeners to help restock the Open Door Mission.

The radio station will be collecting coats, blankets and canned goods for the mission Friday, Feb. 9 at the Old Country Buffet at 75th & Dodge. On-air personalities who will be broadcasting live include Gary Sadlemyer (6-9 a.m.), Scott Voorhees (9-11 a.m.), Tom Becka (4-7 p.m.).

Sunday Is First Glimpse of New Z-92 Commercial

2007-02-02T22:54:00.000-06:00

(Updated Feb. 2, 6:02 p.m.)

The winning 30-second commercial in KEZO's "It's My Z" contest will air at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on KMTV (Cox Channel 5), according to Journal Broadcast Group Marketing and Promotions Director James Barton.

The winning video was created by Pat McGuire. He also takes home a $1,000 prize for beating out eight other semifinal entries.

Steve Wexler Promoted To Executive VP For Journal

2007-02-02T13:34:00.000-06:00

Journal Broadcast Group's realignment of management responsibilities this week resulted in a promotion for Omaha-based manager Steve Wexler.

Steve Wexler was promoted from Senior Vice President for Television and Radio Operations to "Executive Vice President" for the same position. He also became responsible for the Knoxville radio market.

A native of Shorewood, Wisc., Wexler has worked for Journal in several leadership positions since returning to the company in 1993 after a stint with King Broadcasting. Before working as an on-air talent and program manager for King, he held on-air positions at Journal stations in Milwaukee, where the company is headquartered.

Journal owns and operates 36 radio stations and nine television stations in 12 states and operates two television stations under local marketing agreements.

Journal made adjustments in its management alignment to heighten its focus on Interactive and New Media opportunities, said Doug Kiel, President of Journal Communications Inc., and Vice Chairman and CEO of Journal Broadcast Group, Inc.

"This realignment of several of our key executives should help us take advantage of opportunities in the Interactive and New Media space, while at the same time maintaining a strong focus in our core broadcast business," Kiel said in a press release.

Is the World-Herald Picking On Senator Ben Nelson?

2007-02-02T12:15:00.000-06:00

In a story in Thursday's editions of the Omaha World-Herald, the newspaper pointed out that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson was not in attendance at the funeral of Army 1st Lt. Jacob Fritz Wednesday in Falls City.

The Reader's Media Notes reviewed World-Herald stories documenting the funerals and memorial services of 32 Nebraskans (through Thursday) who have been killed or died in the war in Iraq. (Editor's note: Not all 32 were buried or had memorial services in the state of Nebraska.) Only Thursday's story, co-authored by staff writers Tim Elfrink and Robynn Tysver, makes reference to a public or elected official's absence:

Among those attending the service was Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who recommended Fritz for West Point. Hagel was invited to the service by Fritz's mother.

"I remember reading his application. It was one of the best I'd ever read," Hagel said after the service.

As several outside the auditorium thanked him for attending, Hagel declined to talk about his views on the Iraq war, saying it was not the appropriate time. He returned to Washington after the funeral

Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., also was invited but was unable to attend. Nelson recently spoke with members of Fritz's family and expressed his condolences, an aide said.

The Reader's Media Notes contacted Nelson's office, which confirmed that it was contacted about the senator's absence and provided the World-Herald the following statement:

"Senator Nelson was invited to the funeral but cannot attend because the Senate is in session and votes are expected. He did speak with the family a few days ago to express his condolences."

Eleven World-Herald stories written between April of 2003 and Thursday make reference to elected or public officials in attendance. But none refer to someone's absence or provide an explanation for one.

World-Herald Managing Editor Mike Reilly did not immediately respond to questions from The Reader's Media Notes.

Here are the Omaha World-Herald stories which reference elected or public officials in attendance at memorial services or funerals for Nebraskans who were military victims of the war in Iraq:

Travis Ford, April 17, 2003
Reporter David Hendee
Among the dignitaries attending were Gov. Mike Johanns and Adjutant Gen. Roger Lempke of the Nebraska National Guard.

Jeremy Fischer, July 22, 2004
Reporter Stephen Buttry
Gov. Mike Johanns sat with the military contingent.

Eric Knott, Sept. 15, 2004
Reporter Paul Hammel
About 500 people, including an estimated 150 members of the Knott family and Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns, were in Trinity Lutheran Church for the service.

Shane Kielion, Nov. 25, 2004
Reporters Rick Ruggles and Kristin Zagurski
Among the dignitaries who attended were Lt. Gov. Dave Heineman, Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and Omaha Public Schools Superintendent John Mackiel.

Also attending were State Sens. John Synowiecki and Chip Maxwell, Nebraska Veterans' Affairs Director John Hilgert, and County Commissioner Mike Boyle and his wife, Anne, who is a member of the Public Service Commission.

Nicholas Nolte, Dec. 8, 2004
Reporter Robynn Tysver
Lt. Gov. Dave Heineman also attended.

Garrison Avery, Feb. 26, 2006
Reporter John Ferak
Also attending the service were Gov. Dave Heineman, U.S. Sens. Chuck Hagel and Ben Nelson, U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and Lincoln Mayor Coleen Seng.

Benjamin Slaven, June 21, 2006 Brent Zoucha, June 21, 2006
Reporters Tim Elfrink and Martha Stoddard
Among those attending Slaven's service was Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy, who also attended Zoucha's funeral in Clarks.

Jeremy Jones, July 9, 2006
Reporter Tim Elfrink
Among those at the church were U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb.; Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy; and Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke, the Nebraska National Guard's adjutant general.

Joshua Ford, Aug. 11, 2006
Reporter Derek Kravitz
Among those at the church were Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy; Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke, the Nebraska Guard's adjutant general; and Marksmeier's brother, Sgt. Chadwick Marksmeier, who was a member of Ford's unit.

Germaine Debro, Sept. 19, 2006
Reporter C. David Kotok
Before him sat local dignitaries in suits, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, U.S. Reps. Lee Terry and Jeff Fortenberry, as well as people in work clothes and military dress.

Jacob Fritz, Feb. 1, 2007
Reporters Tim Elfrink and Robynn Tysver
(Refer to text in story above.)

WOWT Third Station To Roll Out Weather Blog

2007-02-02T07:37:00.000-06:00

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) is joining the ranks of Omaha TV stations which offer weather blogs.

Weekend meteorologist Jeff Jensen writes in the site's first post that he will initial handle most of the posting of information, which will appeal to a wide range of weather-savvy viewers.

"I'm going to try to aim towards the middle of this group on a regular basis here when talking about daily forecasting thoughts," Jensen writes. "The pros might find it simplistic at times while the hobbyists might not have a clue to what some of the maps I'll post mean. Don't worry about that. We'll try to link you up to sites that will help to explain some of the things I'll be referring to."

Viewers will have the opportunity to comment on posts, but all comments will be approved before being posted.

KETV (Cox Channel 9) weekend meteorologist John Campbell was the first Omaha TV meteorologist to publicly offer a weather blog. "Campbell's Corner" debuted last April.

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) meteorologists began blogging about the weather in November. According to page view statistics posted on its site, about 500 viewers visit it daily.

Which Station Did You Watch?

2007-02-01T22:07:00.000-06:00

The first night of the February ratings period offered viewers three different lead stories on the 10 p.m. newscasts of the ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates:

KETV (Cox Channel 9)
Owen Lei reporting on the extremely cold conditions.
Sweeps Piece: "Excessively shy" child (reporter Brandi Petersen).

KMTV (Cox Channel 5)
"Breaking News Update" on a gas leak in South Omaha.
Sweeps Piece: Potentially deadly chemicals traveling unguarded by rail (reporter Joe Jordan).

WOWT (Cox Channel 8)
Mike McKnight's exclusive on a monkey that attacked a vacationing Omaha tourist.
Sweeps Piece: Vocal smoke alarms - a follow-up on a story from three years ago that investigated the effectiveness of smoke detectors on young children (John Knicely).

DeAnn Bright Leaves KFAB

2007-02-01T17:37:00.000-06:00

Veteran news reporter DeAnn Bright's last day at KFAB (1110 AM) was Wednesday.

Bright had spent the past 18 months at the station and had previously worked at KFAB and at former Omaha radio station WOW.

KFAB News Director Tom Stanton said a replacement has not yet been named.

KQBW Shuffles 'Brew' Lineup

2007-02-01T08:05:00.000-06:00

KQBW (96.1 FM) is shuffling its on-air lineup and adding a new personality.

"The Morning Brew" crew of "Mookie" and Michelle Matthews (5:30-10 a.m.) remains the same. But behind-the-scenes demands have moved "Steve-O" to the midday shift (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) and "Crash Davis" to nights (7 p.m.-midnight).

Matthews, who also serves as the station's program director, said the changes were necessary to free up more time for those jocks to handle their off-air responsibilities.

"I was blessed with a very talented staff who also do a good chunk of work for Clear Channel," Matthews said. "Steve-O is also our production director and Crash Davis is our creative services director. So the changes allow them to be able to meet with clients and better handle their jobs when they're not on the air. Plus, Crash is such a freak show that at night he can have that much more fun."

Davis takes the place of Lucy Chapman, who previously handled the night shift. She will remain part of "The Brew Crew" by taking on air shifts on weekends and working station events, Matthews said.

Taking over the afternoon drive (3-7 p.m.) is Ethan Stone, who previously was heard on KCTY (106.9 FM) "The Bob," (which has since switched formats). Stone was one of several NRG Media employees who were laid off late last year.

TV 'Sweeps' Begin Today

2007-02-01T07:03:00.000-06:00

Nielsen Media Research's February ratings period, better known as "sweeps," begins today and lasts through the end of the month.

They're called "sweeps" because Nielsen mails out diaries to certain households around the country, then collects and processes the diaries in a specific order. The diaries from the Northeast regions are processed first and then swept up around the country, from the South, to the Midwest and finally ending with the West.

According to TV industry site Newsblues.com, May is considered the most important month, followed by November.

Mookie Is The Master Of Super Bowl Trivia

2007-01-31T09:05:00.000-06:00

KQBW (96.1 FM) morning show "Brew Crew" members Mookie and Michelle tried to give away four packs of tickets Wednesday morning to the upcoming Omaha Home and Garden Show.

But their effort fell woefully short.

Blame it on Mookie's extraordinary knowledge of Super Bowl trivia.

"Can you say Geek?," co-host Michelle Matthews asked after Mookie successfully answered point-blank questions from listeners such as:

- "Who kicked the longest field goal in Super Bowl history?"
- "Which player from the losing team was named MVP?"
- "Who has the most career Super Bowl sacks?"
- "Who had the most yards rushing in a Super Bowl before Marcus Allen?"

On one question, Mookie accidentally gave the correct answer (to the question, "Who was the second-leading punt returner in Super Bowl IX?"). But the listener was awarded the prize anyway.

Matthews said Mookie answered the questions without the help of any reference books or online statistics. And judging by the rapid response to listeners' questions - and their reactions to failing to stump him - it would have been hard to pull off anything but the real thing.

Omaha.com Revamp: First Impressions

2007-01-30T08:21:00.000-06:00

The look of Omaha.com might be the most noticeable change to the Omaha World-Herald's online portal. But a more detailed examination of the website's re-launch reveals many more changes.

Less Content
The most noticeable change regular visitors of Omaha.com will notice is a vast reduction in the amount of content that is available online. Gone is the popular "21-day" story archive within each featured section (i.e., "Business," "Sports," "Living," etc.). Users are now offered the opportunity to view approximately a dozenstories, but not all of the printed content of a section that was formerly available. The following is also listed as not being published on Omaha.com: Axle Gulench and the Gate of No Return, the "Baby Page," personal ads, "Hints From Heloise," Sunday's real estate stories, the "Food Express" supplement, comics and several listings within the business section.

Seven Day Archives
Gone is the ability to search for archived content older than seven days. This is becoming quite common with other newspaper websites, including the Lincoln Journal Star (which offers content from the past 14 days). Instead, users are directed via a link ("Help/Info.") to information on how to purchase archived stories and content.

Registration
World-Herald Director of Marketing Mike Geppert says there are more than 300,000 registered users of Omaha.com. Early on, the site was not requiring registered users to log in (that changed Tuesday). The former registration interface was the subject of regular complaints to The Reader's Media Notes. Geppert said the system was set up to allow a single user to log in from up to three different IP addresses (locations), which would trigger registration "cookies" to track visit activity each time.

Fewer Advertisements
Gone are the numerous banner advertisements that lined the site's former home page. However, the "pop under" advertisements, which Geppert said are limited to one session per user per day, remain part of the new site.

No Editorial Pages
There are several editorial columnists Omaha.com does not have online rights to publish. However, at this time, it would appear that none of the newspapers "Opinion" section is available online, including the work of the newspaper's editorial cartoonist, Jeff Koterba.

The E Edition
Although not presented in the most user-friendly interface, the newspaper's E Edition allowed seven-day paid subscribers the opportunity to browser graphical pages of the newspaper as if they were reading the print edition. PDFs of each page - including special sections - were made available for each edition of the newspaper (Nebraska, Iowa, Metropolitan, etc.) If the feature is still available, a link to it is not readily apparent.

Browser Business
If you are viewing Omaha.com through anything but a Mozilla Firefox browser, you will see this message at the bottom of the home page: "This site best viewed at 1024 x 768 in Mozilla Firefox."

In Closing...
If there was ever an opportunity for another local news media source or outlet to gain online market share, this is it. Although a disclaimer on Omaha.com says, "We may have a few kinks to work out over the coming days," it is apparent that the newspaper is significantly scaling back the amount of content it makes available to non-subscribers. A lack of "breaking news" content, sports scores and a reduced amount of stories available - that several Omaha TV stations' websites (KETV.com, WOWT.com, etc.) do deliver - presents the opportunity for another local media source to win over dissatisfied users of Omaha.com.

O'Hanlon Gets Nod As AP Nebraska News Editor

2007-01-30T08:02:00.000-06:00

Kevin O'Hanlon had the "acting" portion of his title as Associated Press news editor for Nebraska removed Monday.

The former Lincoln correspondent for the AP and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate replaces Larry Sullivan, who left in December to accepted a position at the Palatka Daily News in Palatka, Fla.

O'Hanlon's appointment was announced by Tena Haraldson, chief of bureau for North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

A native of Blair, Neb., O'Hanlon started his journalism career in 1984 at the Beatrice Daily Sun. He also worked for The Argus Leader of Sioux Falls, S.D., The Lincoln Star, the Lansing State Journal, The Cincinnati Enquirer and the Omaha World-Herald. The 51-year-old joined the AP in Dallas in 1995 and worked in the AP's Cincinnati bureau before becoming Lincoln correspondent in 1998.

Omaha TV Ratings: A Look Back And Ahead

2007-01-29T17:57:00.000-06:00

The February 2007 Nielsen Media Research ratings period for Omaha metropolitan area TV stations, which runs from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, is expected to be one of the most competitive in years.

With no Olympics on NBC to push back WOWT's 10 p.m. newscasts and a new anchor team in place at KMTV, the competition for viewers is expected to have stations pulling out all the stops when it comes to delivering "breaking news" and "sweeps" stories and investigations.

But the pressure to perform isn't just for a four-times-a-year ratings cycle, according to local news managers.

"For us, it's only about providing the most complete news coverage to the viewer," said KETV (Cox Channel 9) General Manager Joel Vilmenay. "Our work is purely viewer-centered."

When his station does make changes, like the introduction of its I-Team or the launch of weekend morning newscasts or a "Weather Now" feature, Vilmenay said it is done with the goal of providing viewers with information that fulfills their needs. What the competition does, he says, is irrelevant.

"We don't look at any changes at any television station in those terms," he said. "For the sake of our profession and responsibility as broadcasters we hope that all the stations will continue to deliver credible news broadcasts and that collectively we serve our viewers with information that is relevant and that will keep them safe."

KMTV Doesn't Expect Immediate Results
KMTV (Cox Channel 5) enters the February 2007 ratings period coming off one of its worst ratings performances in the past five years. The result ultimately led to the dismissal of anchors Deborah Ward and Greg Peterson in late December and the introduction of new anchors Carol Wang and Carlo Cecchetto in mid-January.

Journal Broadcast Group Senior Vice President for Television and Radio Operations Steve Wexler points to a smaller amount of viewership diaries that were returned (609, compared with 707 in 2005 and more than 800 three years ago) as a deficiency of the ratings system that might have contributed to KMTV's low ratings.

"The November results were very different from what we saw during most of 2006, and Nielsen has admitted that their market sample was not satisfactory," Wexler said. "With that being said, ratings are imperfect, they only help us see trends over time; most broadcasters don't over-react to one survey."

Wexler said he will look for growth over time with the new anchor team. The impact of having a new anchor team on the desk won't immediately show up in the ratings, he said.

"Right now, we're focused on delivering on our news promise every night," he said. "We've received very positive feedback on the changes."

The following numbers reflect the viewing habits of the 318,740 TV households in the Omaha metropolitan area, which includes Douglas, Washington, Cass and Sarpy Counties in Nebraska and Pottawattamie County in Iowa. A single ratings point represents one percent of the households while share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to a specific program. Nielsen surveyed viewers from Nov. 2-29, 2006 by asking them to write down the station they watched for news in a diary.

5-7 a.m.
Households: (5-6 a.m and 6-7 a.m.).
25-54: (Tie) , .
A year ago, KETV and WOWT (Cox Channel 8)were in a virtual dead heat in the 5 a.m.-6 a.m. time slot, while KETV had a slight advantage in the 6-7 a.m. hour. Now, the situation is reversed, with WOWT having a slight edge from 5-6 a.m. and the two stations nose-to-nose from 6-7 a.m.

While nearly the same in their ratings, the two stations' newscasts are radically different. KETV uses a talent lineup that includes a dedicated reporter, a traffic reporter and, until recently, an "Internet features" reporter. KETV General Manager Joel Vilmenay said his station will continue to make the necessary investments and changes to deliver "an exceptional newscast" to the viewer.

"Our main concern is how effectively we deliver what morning news viewers need and want in a newscast," Vilmenay said. "The ratings would suggest that viewers are responding to what we're doing."

KMTV, which pulls in about half the audience of KETV and WOWT from 5-6 a.m., saw its household rating halved from a year ago in the 6-7 a.m. time slot.

KPTM (Cox Channel 10), which has mulled over the idea of reviving a morning newscast, does not have enough viewership to register a rating in either time slot.

11:30 a.m.
Households: . 25-54: (Tie) , .
While WOWT remains No. 1 in the total number of viewers, KETV gained five share points from a year ago. WOWT has 9,562 viewers while KETV has an audience of 6,374.

KMTV, which broadcasts its midday news unopposed at noon, actually gains viewership from its strong 11 a.m. lead-in ("The Young and the Restless"), attracting 15.937 viewers and a 24 share. Compare that with its early evening newscasts: 9,562 viewers and a nine share at 5 p.m. and the same amount of viewers and a seven share at 6 p.m.

"I believe the combination of a very good product, in the right time slot, has helped make our midday news successful over time," Wexler said when asked whether there was consideration made to move veteran anchor Mary Williams back to the evening newscast desk.

4 p.m.
Like KMTV at midday, WOWT runs unopposed in this time slot. Viewership has remained steady throughout the years, with WOWT garnering a nearly identical rating at 4 p.m. three years ago. Its audience of 15,937 matches that of "Oprah" on KMTV and betters "Judge Judy" on KETV (9,562).

5 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
The first battle in the early-evening newscast war was won by WOWT in sheer numbers of viewers (28,687 to KETV's 25,499) and by KETV in the coveted 24-54 demographic (by a margin of 3,187 viewers). KMTV, which once made its strongest challenge to its competitors in this time slot, saw its viewership plummet to 9,562 viewers.

How is Katie Couric and "The CBS Evening News" faring in the Omaha metropolitan area? Not any better than the numbers she draws nationally. Couric's audience of 12,750 pales in comparison to the "NBC Evening News with Brian Williams" (31,874) and "ABC World News with Charles Gibson" (28,687)

6 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
WOWT increased its ratings by a point from a year ago to maintain a slim lead (by 3,187 viewers) over KETV. Overall viewership of news in this time slot is down from where it was three years ago, when WOWT had nearly 8,500 more viewers than KETV. When it comes to who's watching, KETV again wins the timeslot in viewers between the ages of 25-54 with a margin of nearly 6,400 viewers.

KMTV, which once broadcast "Entertainment Tonight" and more recently (November 2005) "The Insider" from 6 to 6:30 p.m., saw its numbers remain virtually unchanged from a year ago with news in the time slot.

"Considering we had to start from 'scratch' with our new 6 o'clock news, I was very pleased to see us start growing a new news audience again at 6," Wexler said. "This is a very competitive market and we're excited to be back in the game in a big way."

9 p.m.
KPTM, the only station to broadcast a newscast in prime time, is down a ratings point from a year ago, but still pulls in respectable numbers (9,562) against competition like "CSI: Miami," "Boston Legal" and "E.R." The FOX affiliate has a new news director (Joe Radske) who will soon be faced with the decision of whether to re-sign weeknight co-anchor Tracy Jacim, whose contract is up for renewal.

10 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
No longer saddled with "Monday Night Football," KETV competed head-to-head in the late-evening newscast time slot in November for the first time in more than 20 years. The difference showed, too, as WOWT's lead at 10 p.m. - which was a whopping 25,168 viewers a year ago - is only 15,937 viewers now (a 37 percent decrease).

KETV's lead in the 25-54 demographic, which is 3,187 viewers, allows it to continue to advertise itself as "the most watched newscast" at 10 p.m. by specifically denoting this with an on-screen graphic. Meanwhile, WOWT brands itself as "The Heartland's most watched newscast" in a voiceover during its newscast open. WOWT's lack of reference to a specific category (household or demographic) is contrary to rules set forth by Nielsen Media Research for making such claims. (WOWT General Manager Frank Jonas did not respond to an interview request for this story.)

So which number does KETV place more importance on - households or the 25-54 demographic?

"For us it's just about putting the most informative newscast on the air, providing local news viewers with the most complete news, weather and sports coverage," Vilmenay said. "That is all we are concerned about."

KMTV, which saw its viewership at 10 p.m. under Ward and Peterson peak in November 2003, had 15,937 viewers to WOWT's 47,811 and KETV's 35,061.

KXVO (Cox Channel 11) has yet to see its 10 p.m. newscast garner enough of an audience to gain a ratings point. However, it only has to get that to equal the viewers who previously tuned in to re-runs of "Malcolm in the Middle," which ran in the time slot in November 2005.

Sunday 10 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
Typically, the most watched newscast of any night of the week, KETV dominates with an audience of 57,373 and a 34 share, compared to 19,124 viewers and a 23 share for WOWT and 12,750 viewers and a nine share for KMTV. A year ago, KETV and WOWT had nearly identical audiences at this time slot. Now, KETV is not only dominant in the number of viewers, but also in the 25-54 demographic, where it has nearly 25,500 more viewers.

Weekend Mornings
KETV's "First News Weekend" editions run from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., overlapping the first half-hour of "WOWT's Channel Six News Saturday" and "Channel Six News Sunday" newscasts. From 7 to 8 a.m., KETV lags only one ratings point behind the "Today" show on WOWT. From 8 to 8:30 a.m., WOWT's more established newscasts (KETV only debuted its weekend morning edition in time for the Feb. 2006 ratings) handily win the time slot. However, overall viewership for WOWT on weekend mornings is down more than 6,000 from a year ago.

KETV also broadcasts an 11 a.m. newscast unopposed on weekends, though it only registered a single ratings point (1,874 viewers) in a time slot that typically includes NFL football (on KMTV and KPTM) or professional golf (on NBC).

Vilmenay said the newscasts remain on target for success.

"We are very, very pleased with the viewer response," he said. "In the first year, we increased our audience share nearly six fold. As with every newscast KETV produces, we're always striving to provide the most complete coverage to local news viewers."

Editor's Note:
Unless otherwise specified, household and demographic viewership numbers were drawn from a station's "five-day" (Monday-Friday) averages.

Lincoln Journal Star's Jeff Korbelik:KXVO Hopes 'Different' News Show Works

2007-01-29T11:59:00.000-06:00

Lincoln Journal Star columnist Jeff Korbelik calls the "KXVO 15 10:00 News" on Cox Channel 11 "Cartoon Corral" for 18- to 34-year-olds (a reference to the former Hanna-Barbera kids show in the 70s).

"It's no surprise KXVO is going in this direction, especially after seeing the success Comedy Central has had with "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," writes Korbelik in a story published Sunday on the newspaper's website.

As the column points out, though, viewership hits on YouTube.com don't always equate to strong ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

"We believe in what we're doing," KXVO Producer Taylor Stein says in the article. "It's something new and different. But in the end, it's a business. If we don't produce ratings, we know we won't be able to carry out the goals we have."

Editor's Note: In the most recent (November 2006) Nielsen ratings, KXVO did not register enough viewers to garner a ratings point.

Omaha.com Debuts New Look

2007-01-29T04:37:00.000-06:00

The new look of Omaha.com:
And the old:

Bookmark Our New Location

2007-01-27T13:15:00.000-06:00

The Reader's Online Media Notes has a new web address.

Our new URL is "www.thereadersmedianotes.com"

Please Note:
Portions of this website will be unavailable as we transition to our new address.

New Look For Omaha.com Coming Monday

2007-01-27T08:18:00.000-06:00

Visitors to the Omaha World-Herald's website, Omaha.com, will see a new, cleaner look when they log on Monday morning.

The revamped site will feature drop down menus, fewer navigational images and eventually more audio and video news offerings. The transformation will take place Sunday night, but will not be heavily promoted outside of the announcements already in place on the website.

"We want to give ourselves a chance to make sure everything is up and burned in before we start banging the drum," said Mike Geppert, Director of Marketing for the World-Herald. "We already get an enormous amount of traffic so if we draw a lot more users around the launch date, we're adding another variable to (an already complicated) launch."

The site has more than 300,000 registered users, Geppert said, and gets between 12 and 15 million page views each month. According to rankings by Alexa.com, Omaha.com receives more traffic than any other news outlet website in the Omaha metropolitan area.

The five employees of Omaha.com work nearly around the clock to post stories from the newspaper and generate original content when breaking news warrants. Their offices are housed with other editorial departments on the seventh floor of the World-Herald's new building at 1314 Douglas St.

KBLR Becomes 'Country 97.3 FM' On Feb. 1

2007-01-26T11:58:00.000-06:00

KBLR (97.3 FM) will debut a new country music format Feb. 1, according to General Manager Del Meyer.

"We'll play popular country songs from the 80s and 90s, along with some classic country mixed in," Meyer said.

KBLR, which is owned by NRG Media, becomes the third country format station serving the Omaha metropolitan area, joining Clear Channel-owned stations KHUS "Legendary American Country" (93.3 FM) and KXKT "The Kat" (103.7 FM).

Previously, KBLR was home to urban format "Hot 97.3 FM." But a change was necessary after Connisseur Media filed a permit to "construct" a new radio station on 107.7 FM, which NRG Media operated as its translator station for KBLR. In late December, NRG pulled the plug on its "BOB FM" format on 106.9 FM and rebranded the station as KOPR "Power 106.9, Omaha's Hottest Jamz," featuring a rhythmic contemporary format.

Meyer said J.D. Gibbs will be the station's leading on-air personality. Local news will be delivered by Jessica Meistrell and Chris Walz will serve as operations manager.

Gibbs previously hosted a morning show on the former "KOIL Country" (1020 AM) in Omaha and was operations manager for the same station when it was KKSC "The Source."

Meyer said the station will operate out of the current home of NRG Media-owned stations KFMT (105.5 FM) and KHUB (1340 AM) in Fremont. However, KBLR's license is issued for the city of Blair.

Journal Sells KOMJ To Move On KMTV Purchase

2007-01-26T08:17:00.000-06:00

The Journal Broadcast Group is one step closer to completing its purchase of KMTV (Cox Channel 5) from Emmis Communications.

Journal is selling KOMJ (1490 AM) to Cochise Broadcasting, LLC. According to paperwork filed with the Federal Communications Commission, Cochise will pay $500,00 and agrees not to purchase another station in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area for at least one year.

FCC rules required Journal to sell at least one of its six radio Omaha radio stations in order to comply with radio-television cross-ownership rules.

Cochise Broadcasting is owned by Jana and Ted Tucker, Sr. of Jackson, Wyo. As Jonathan Ellis reports on Northpine.com, KOMJ's new owners will have to construct their own studio and hire new staff.

Journal has been operating KMTV under a local marketing agreement since Dec. 5, 2005. Thursday, Emmis filed the application to transfer KMTV's license to Journal.

KPTM Features American Idol Contestant

2007-01-26T07:56:00.000-06:00

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) is maximizing the exposure of the hit FOX show "American Idol" by inviting viewers to "Ask An Idol" questions.

Tuesday and Wednesday, American Idol competitor Michael Lawson of Omaha appeared on the "News at Nine" with anchors Tracy Jacim and Taylor Wilson. (View the segments on KPTM by clicking here and here.)

Lawson made it past the primary audition process in Minneapolis, but is contractually bound not to reveal how far he advances.

"People can submit any questions they have for Michael about the audition process," says KPTM.com webmaster Brian Mattix. "We think he has the singing ability and personality to make it to the final 12, so we want to start getting the community behind him early."

"American Idol" airs on KPTM on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

'TNT Radio Empire' Leaving KXSP Airwaves

2007-01-26T07:31:00.000-06:00

Beginning Monday, the "Todd and Tyler Radio Empire" will no longer be heard on KXSP (590 AM).

Since the station's inception on April 25, 2005, the sports talk radio station has simulcast the first four hours of the popular Omaha morning radio program.

"We used the simulcast of Z-92's Todd 'n Tyler to help launch Big Sports 590 in its first year," said Steve Wexler, senior vice president of television and radio operations for the Journal Broadcast Group. "As we continue to grow the station, it's time to give it more of its own identity."

Wexler says the Fox Sports Radio syndicated program "The First Team on Fox with Steve Czaban" will replace Todd and Tyler in the 5-8 a.m. time slot. It will be followed by the first hour of another syndicated Fox Sports Radio program, "Out of Bounds on Fox with Craig Shemon and James Washington," from 8 to 9 a.m.

The rest of the station's lineup will remain the same, including locally-produced programs "The Travis Justice Show" (9-11 a.m.) and "The Big Show," hosted by Matt Perrault, from 2-6 p.m.

Big KXSP's 5,000 watt signal reaches into five neighboring states but the station is only credited with listeners who record its call letters or moniker ("Big Sports 590") in the Arbitron diary in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. In the most recent Arbitron ratings, KXSP ranked behind its primary competitor, all-sports station KOZN (1620 AM), among all listeners ages 12 and older.

"Todd and Tyler's Radio Empire" consists of Journal Broadcast Group-owned stations KEZO (92.3 FM), KZRQ (106.7 FM) in Springfield, Mo., and KICT (95.1 FM) in Wichita, Kan.

Duda: Media Interest Follows Unruly Hoops Crowd

2007-01-25T13:03:00.000-06:00

Kearney radio station KKPR (98.9 FM) Sports Director Doug Duda says his phone has been ringing nearly non-stop after word got out that the Nebraska School Activities Association was investigating an incident that occurred during a basketball game Duda broadcast Tuesday night.

Duda was calling the action in the St. Paul girls basketball team's game against Centura in Cairo when St. Paul Coach Todd Alberts was ejected late in his team's 57-50 loss. Duda told Omaha World-Herald sportswriter Stu Pospisil that Alberts was calm after receiving his second technical foul, but more than a half dozen fans became unruly and had to be escorted from the gymnasium.

Several objects were thrown onto the court at the end of the game, Duda said, and at least a dozen law enforcement officers were called in to help control the crowd and protect the officials working the girls game and the boys game that followed.

Duda said no area TV stations were on hand to capture the fracas on video. In addition to Duda, KNLV (1060 AM) Sports Director Walt Smith of Ord also called the game.

Matt Perrault: 'I'm Boycotting Channel 7'

2007-01-25T12:02:00.000-06:00

Matt Perrault ended his "Big Show" sports talk radio program Tuesday with a tongue-lashing toward the management of KETV (Cox Channel 9).

"I will never talk about Channel 7 on this show ever again," Perrault told listeners on KXSP (590 AM). "I'm boycotting Channel 7. We will not have KETV people on, we will not mention them and I'm still deciding whether they will be a part of the competition next year."

The "competition" Perrault referred to was his "Hottest Local News Chick of 2006" contest that "KETV First News Weekend" co-anchor Brandi Petersen won on Dec. 22.

Petersen (pictured at right) beat out a fellow co-worker, KETV weekday morning meteorologist Andrea Bredow, in voting by the show's listeners. WOWT (Cox Channel 8) morning anchor Malorie Maddox finished third among the 25 candidates from five Omaha TV stations.

Perrault said he was told second-hand Petersen would not be appearing on his program to accept congratulations for her victory - something The Reader's Media Notes confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

"We're flattered that Brandi won the contest, but people have a right to turn down interviews," said KETV News Director RoseAnn Shannon. "People turn down our interview requests every day. Public and elected officials are obligated to respond to interview requests. But private individuals and company officials have a right to decline to do an interview."

Shannon said the reason behind Petersen's decision to decline Perrault's invitation was that KXSP is owned by the Journal Broadcast Group, which also owns Omaha TV station KMTV (Cox Channel 5). KETV is owned by a competing media conglomerate, Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.

"We hope people who listen to the show will tune in to us to watch Brandi," Shannon said.

Perrault calls the decision "simply ridiculous" and points out that he gave KETV "a month's worth of free publicity." He also reminded listeners Tuesday that Maddox, who won the inaugural contest last year, had no qualms about appearing on "The Big Show." (WOWT is owned by Gray Television, Inc.)

For winning this year, Petersen received a dozen roses and a $120 gift certificate to a beauty salon.

Central High Grad Gets Attention For Taking on Pros

2007-01-25T08:21:00.000-06:00

Omaha Central High School graduate and current Elkhorn resident Aaron McKeever is getting his 15 minutes of fame thanks to his appearance on Spike TV's second season of "Pros vs. Joes."

McKeever will appear on tonight's episode at 9 p.m. on Cox Channel 29. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder played baseball, football and basketball for the Eagles. But in Pros vs. Joes, he takes on former pro basketball center Kevin Willis (7-0, 275 pounds), former baseball home run hitting star Jose Canseco, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin and a bout with Ultimate Fighter Randy Couture.

McKeever, who did interviews with more than one Omaha TV station, as well as the Omaha World-Herald, was instructed not to share how he performed in tonight's episode, which was taped last September.

Update Jan. 26, 2007 | 8:30 a.m.:
Click here to read a complete recap of the program, courtesy of "Big Blue Monkey." (McKeever finished second.)

The Devil Is In The Details... Or Not

2007-01-24T13:03:00.000-06:00

The Omaha World-Herald's policy of excluding details of competing media in news stories resulted in this account of the arrest of an advertising agency executive in Wednesday's editions:

On the surface, Scott Lortz's life looked rosy.

The Omaha man was pictured in the Dec. 1 issue of a local business publication, arms crossed and smiling.

An accompanying article boasted the success of the family company, Lortz Direct Marketing. Lortz's father, Gary Lortz, founded the direct-mail advertising agency in 1982. The son joined his dad the next year and worked his way up to president.

The "local business publication" was The Midlands Business Journal.

With that in mind, here is how the article would read using the same style for other details in the story, which was written by Lynn Safranek:

On the surface, ~~Scott Lortz's~~ his life looked rosy.

The ~~Omaha~~ man was pictured in the ~~Dec. 1~~ issue of a local business publication, arms crossed and smiling.

An accompanying article boasted the success of the family company, ~~Lortz Direct Marketing~~. ~~Lortz's~~ His father, ~~Gary Lortz,~~ founded the ~~direct-mail~~ advertising agency in ~~1982~~ the early 80s. The son joined his dad ~~the next year~~ later and worked his way up to ~~president~~ a higher position in the company.

But the walls were crumbling.

~~Lortz's~~ His marriage of ~~22 years~~ a significant number of years was ending. After his wife, ~~Holly Lortz,~~ began divorce proceedings ~~in October~~ last year, she asked a judge to prevent her husband from removing funds from any ~~retirement~~ accounts with money in them.

"I have reason to believe that my husband . . . has been involved in significant felonious criminal activity across state lines which may place our marital assets in jeopardy," the court records state.

That alleged criminal activity soon would come to light - with ~~Holly Lortz's~~ his wife's help.

~~Lortz~~ He has been in jail since ~~the Nebraska State Patrol~~ a statewide law enforcement agency arrested him ~~Friday~~ at his office on accusations that he ~~sexually assaulted~~ disturbed a ~~New Jersey~~ teenager from the East Coast he met on ~~the Internet~~ a computer system with vast communication capability.

~~Lortz, 46, of 5928 S. 118th Plaza~~ The middle-aged man, who lives in Southwest Omaha, is accused of traveling ~~to the township of West Windsor, N.J.,~~ a while back ~~in the summer of 2005~~ and "carrying on a relationship" with a ~~14-year-old~~ young teenage boy, said ~~Casey DeBlasio,~~ a spokeswoman for ~~the Mercer County~~ a prosecutor's office ~~in New Jersey~~.

He was charged ~~in Douglas County~~ with ~~child enticement with a computer~~ a crime, ~~a felony~~ punishable by up to ~~five~~ several years in prison.

~~Lortz~~ He also faces ~~seven counts of sexual assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child~~ other crimes ~~in Mercer County~~. All the charges relate to the same boy, ~~DeBlasio said~~.

A ~~search warrant~~ legal piece of paper ~~filed Tuesday in Douglas County District Court~~ described the investigation:

~~Lortz~~ He and the boy met in an ~~America Online chat room~~ popular online location for ~~gay~~ men who prefer spending time with others of the same gender ~~in June 2005~~ a couple years ago. ~~A month~~ Sometime later, they began meeting in person for ~~sexual encounters~~ more than just talk at ~~hotels~~ places of lodging ~~in Princeton, N.J.; New York City; and Philadelphia~~ outside Nebraska. Last ~~February~~ year, while arranging their last meeting, ~~Lortz~~ he told the boy he was ~~married~~ not available and from ~~Nebraska~~ somewhere else.

The boy, ~~now 16,~~ contacted ~~New Jersey~~ authorities about a week ago. That's when ~~authorities~~ they contacted ~~Holly Lortz~~ his wife.

~~Holly Lortz~~ She told investigators that she had evidence of her estranged husband's acts. Once, when her husband was ~~at work~~ not around, she had logged onto her computer and created a fake ~~America Online~~ profile of a ~~15-year-old~~ teenage boy from ~~Kansas City~~ the Midwest.

When she instant-messaged her husband with the fake profile, he asked how old the person was. ~~Scott Lortz~~ He then discussed ~~"sexual contact"~~ inappropriate things and said he would go to ~~Kansas City~~ a city south of Omaha to perform ~~sex acts~~ something a "family newspaper" can't mention.

~~Holly Lortz~~ His wife gave investigators copies of ~~cell phone~~ bills from a mobile phone that showed about 39 phone calls to the ~~New Jersey~~ boy from ~~July 2005 to January 2006~~ about a year's time.

~~Holly Lortz~~ She also provided investigators with ~~e-mails~~ messages from her husband to her in which he admitted to "having contact" with the underage boy. In one, ~~Scott Lortz~~ he wrote, "I am not anywhere close to the monster or pedophile that you think I am."

~~Douglas County~~ A judge ~~Stephen Swartz~~ set ~~Lortz's~~ bail ~~on the enticement charge at $100,000~~ a high amount and at ~~$10,000~~ a much lesser amount for the ~~eight~~ other charges ~~in New Jersey~~. He must pay ~~$11,000~~ between the lesser amount and the higher amount to be released.

~~Lortz's~~ His attorney, ~~Mike Fabian,~~ said he plans to fight ~~Lortz's extradition to New Jersey~~ to keep his client in a jail cell he knows.

~~Lortz Direct~~ A local advertising agency issued a statement ~~Tuesday morning~~ saying ~~Scott Lortz~~ its high-ranking employee had left the firm and had been replaced by ~~his father~~ a relative.

Governor's Communications DirectorWill Join World-Herald As Editorialist

2007-01-24T08:04:00.000-06:00

Aaron Sanderford is giving up his post as Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman's communications director to join the Omaha World-Herald as an editorial writer.

Sanderford, 29, spent more than six years at the Lincoln Journal Star before joining Heineman's staff in March of 2005. He reported on business, government, crime, courts, prisons, sports, and entertainment, in addition to serving as the newspaper's night city editor.

A Louisburg, N.C., native, Sanderford earned a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Kentucky. His last day of work for Heineman will be Feb. 23.

Heineman said the search for Sanderford's replacement will begin immediately.

Omaha.com Invites Reaction To President's Speech

2007-01-24T06:19:00.000-06:00

In a move that could indicate a shift toward more site visitor interaction, Omaha.com is inviting readers to share their opinions on President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

As of Wednesday morning, five responses had been posted. Readers can submit their thoughts by clicking here. The World-Herald says name, city and a phone number must be included for verification purposes.

No 'Morganizing' This Time; Just The Facts

2007-01-23T17:55:00.000-06:00

Roger W. Morgan made a name for himself by pranking unsuspecting listeners with his "Morganizing" on "The Mighty 1290" KOIL in the 1960s.

More than 40 years later, Morgan is still raising the ire of some people. But this time, there's no joking involved.

As nationally syndicated libertarian talk-show host Neal Boortz reports, Morgan is promoting a recall effort for four St. Croix (part of the U.S. Virgin Islands) senators because they voted themselves a substantial pay raise.

The senators are now petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to block Morgan's attempt to buy the license of the radio station where he works ("Paradise 93.5 FM" in St. Croix).

Morgan, writing on the forum of Nebraskaradio.com, says the senators accuse of him trying to "overthrow the government of the Virgin Islands."

"Talk about 'Morganizing!,'" he writes.

Voting Begins On KEZO Commercials

2007-01-22T13:02:00.000-06:00

Omaha radio station KEZO (92.3 FM) is inviting listeners to visit its website to vote for one of nine commercials that will be shown on KMTV (Cox Channel 5) on Super Bowl Sunday.

The entries are the finalists in the station's "It's My Z" contest, which invited listeners to create a 30-second commercial for Z-92.

Although voting is being conducted online, the final decision on which commercial wins will be made by Z-92 judges, according to the official contest rules. The rules also state the contest winner will receive "no monetary compensation," but a teaser on the station's home page advertises that the winner will receive $1,000.

New KMTV Anchors Debut Tonight

2007-01-22T11:55:00.000-06:00

Carol Wang and Carlo Cecchetto make their debut as evening news anchors on KMTV (Cox Channel 5) tonight on "Action 3 News at 5."

Wang most recently worked for KXAS (NBC) in Dallas/Fort Worth. Cecchetto comes from KFMB (CBS) in San Diego.

The pair replace veteran anchors Deborah Ward and Greg Peterson, whose contracts were not renewed last month.

Which Game Is He Covering Tonight?

2007-01-20T06:27:00.000-06:00

High school basketball teams beware.

When Omaha World-Herald high school sports writer Stu Pospisil shows up, expect an upset.

In his ratings column Tuesday, Pospisil pointed out that he was on hand last week when two of the state's unbeaten boys teams played and lost (in separate games).

Friday night, Pospisil covered the No. 1 Bellevue West girls basketball team's game against Omaha Central. The result? Bellevue West was handed only its second loss of the season after the Eagles' 62-59 win in Bellevue.

Snow In The Forecast: What They're Saying

2007-01-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

As KMTV meteorologist CT Thongklin points out, if the Omaha area gets snow this weekend, it will have seen accumulating snow three out of the past four weekends.

With that in mind, here are the latest forecasts from Omaha TV meteorologists:

KETV (Cox Channel 9)
Morning meteorologist Andrea Bredow told viewers that Thursday night computer models give Omaha between three and five inches of snow from the storm. She also writes on KETV.com that "as always, the track of the storm could change, so keep checking back."

As of Friday morning, KETV weekend meteorologist John Campbell had not weighed in with a forecast on his blog.

KMTV (Cox Channel 5)
Morning meteorologist CT Thongklin said areas of the Omaha metropolitan area could see between four and six inches of snow. His forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of snow Saturday evening and again on Sunday.

Thongklin also goes into greater detail in an entry on the Action 3 News Weather Blog.

KPTM (Cox Channel 10)
Chief Meteorologist Tyson Pearsall's forecast calls a chance for snow beginning in the metro Saturday night. He writes on the station's website that snow will continue through Sunday afternoon and night. "Accumulating snow is likely and this storm system should be fairly similar to what we experienced last weekend," he writes.

WOWT (Cox Channel 8)
Morning meteorologist Scott Akin said snow will begin to fall Saturday and that accumulations appear likely by Sunday morning. The Omaha metropolitan area will probably receive at least four inches, but specific amounts will not be forecast until later today, he told viewers.

Super Bowl XLI Notes: Couric Will Contribute;Winning Z-92 Commercial Will Be Shown

2007-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

"CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric will contribute a feature to the network's four-hour Super Bowl pregame show on Feb. 4.

The network announced Thursday that Couric will also anchor the evening news from Miami, the site of the NFL football championship game, on the Friday before the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLI will be broadcast on KMTV (Cox Channel 5) in Omaha and KOLN (Time Warner Channel 11) in Lincoln.

CBS will also send Randy Cross to Iraq to watch the game with American troops and deliver reports, the network said.

Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play and Phil Simms will provide color for the game. This will be the network's first Super Bowl since Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction. Prince will be the halftime entertainment.

KMTV is scheduled to broadcast the winning entry in Z-92's "It's My Z" contest sometime on Super Bowl Sunday. KEZO (92.3 FM) listeners have been invited to submit a 30-second commercial for the classic rock station. At least one entrant has already posted his commercial on YouTube.

Notes From The Laptop

2007-01-19T07:21:00.000-06:00

KETV (Cox Channel 9) reporter Farrah Fazal notified Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey of Elkhorn's decision to continue fighting annexation. Fazal approached Fahey as he sat courtside during Thursday night's Creighton University men's basketball game at the Qwest Center.

KFAB (1110 AM) talk show host Tom Becka's rendition of a state song for Nebraska, "The Eastern Nebraska State Song" was the 97th most viewed video on YouTube Thursday.

Former "KPTM Kid's Club" host Theresa Cassaday is now serving as Chief Communications Officer for the Girls Scouts Great Plains Council.

NewsBlues, Mike James' website that advertises itself as "TV News insiders dishing the dirt on America's television newsrooms," is offering free access to its entire site until Monday, Jan. 29.

Matt Perrault's "Big Show" on KXSP (590 AM) will have a distinctively Husker flavor next week. Tuesday: former Nebraska pitcher Joba Chamberlain. Thursday: Former Husker quarterback Zac Taylor and tight end Matt Herian. Friday: Former Husker fullback Dane Todd and lineman Greg Austin (live from the Midwest Auto Show).

KETV Meteorologist Files ReportsFrom 'Lieutenant's Lounge' Blog

2007-01-18T12:12:00.000-06:00

KETV (Cox Channel 9) meteorologist Chuck McWilliams is opening the door to his experience of serving as a U.S. Army lieutenant in Iraq through a new blog appropriately titled, "Lieutenant's Lounge."

Lt. McWilliams is a Chemical Officer with the 755th Chemical Company of the Nebraska Army National Guard. He says the intent of his blog will be to tell stories from the perspective of someone serving overseas.

"I plan on passing along stories that normally aren't covered by traditional media outlets," he writes. "Don't look for a debate on politics or how I feel events in Iraq will impact the next presidential campaign."

McWilliams also writes not to expect detailed discussions about tactics, techniques, or procedures of his company's missions. In his first entry on the blog, he shares word that he was able to witness the birth of his third child via webcam.