Crossing Channels

Is a television news- cast that doesn't insult the intelligence of Austin viewers really too terribly much to ask for? We're a sophisticated city; our populous is one of the highest educated in the country, we maintain a keen awareness of current social and political issues and pride ourselves on our independent and iconoclastic patterns of thought. So how come every local news broadcast offers the same insipid menu of blue collar crime, grizzly auto wrecks, risqué celebrity gossip, unexplained business headlines, and ongoing weather oddities? Sure, the various channels and the faces are a little bit different. But the message is all pretty much the same.

The most recent addition to this look-alike derby of the low-brow is KNVA-TV, whose inaugural half-hour newscast was Monday, October 16 at 5:30pm. Channel 54 becomes the fifth Austin station to offer a local newscast and, without the benefit of a high-dollar marketing campaign, it will have a hard time moving out of fifth place in terms of viewership numbers. Then again, this station faces a number of sizable challenges in building a credible audience. As opposed to the current trend towards opulence and glitz, the KNVA news set is easily the most basic in town, consisting of gold trim and a simple blue podium and backdrop for co-anchors Leslie Cook and Ron Oliveira.

This low-tech feel is, in fact, very representative of KNVA's entire bare-bones news operation, which operates out of the studios of KXAN-TV. Not only does Channel 54 share this studio space, it also utilizes the services of various personnel from the Channel 36 on-air news team. Thus Robert Hadlock (whom KXAN has moved from behind the news desk to a roving reporter spot) generally files the lead story for the new station. Other Channel 36 staffers also contribute stories for KNVA, as do KXAN weatherman Jim Spencer and sports anchor Roger Wallace. Separating the two stations is almost as confusing as last summer's switcheroo between our local Fox and CBS affiliates.

But what really matters is the content of the newscast, and whether Channel 54 is adding anything of intellectual substance and value to the local market. Believe it or not, there are a few glimmers of hope, signs that the station may ever-so-marginally improve the sad state of TV journalism in Central Texas. For one, KNVA looks to be tackling fewer stories in order to offer an extended amount of coverage to each. The station has made a point of airing live interviews with representatives of opposing groups after reports on an allegedly controversial topic. Texas Republican Party Chairman Tom Pauken, for instance, was invited to the studio to rebut President Clinton's Austin remarks.

Also of interest is Channel 54's very concerted effort to group news items primarily along thematic lines -- a report about security measures at Robert Mueller Airport segues to a story about the progress of construction at Bergstrom; an analysis of efforts to control handgun violence is immediately followed by an update from the Selena trial. Unfortunately, this strategy of forcing connections between each news item often produces an embarrassing and comical outcome. After an October 20 story about political turmoil in Russia, KNVA co-anchor Cook chimed in, "The political climate may not be too good for Mikhail Gorbachov, but our Central Texas climate couldn't be more perfect." Yikes!

Furthermore, a closer examination reveals that KNVA's supposed in-depth coverage is as predictably shallow as we have come to expect from Austin news. Consider, the October 18 announcement from Columbia HCA that this huge company was taking over the St. David's Hospital Corporation. Columbia HCA, which owns more than 300 hospitals around the nation, says the move will result in lower costs
for Austin consumers. While KNVA devoted a live shot at both the beginning and end of its broadcast to this buyout, no independent insight is provided as to price increases or decreases after the firm moved into these other markets. It wouldn't have been that difficult to uncover those figures.

While inviting guests to offer rebuttals to current stories is a good idea, why not move beyond the obvious in the selection of these respondees. After all, the Republican party has stated their philosophical disagreements with the policies of the current administration hundreds of times. So instead of choosing an angry middle-aged white male for feedback about President Clinton's University of Texas speech on race, why not solicit the opinions of an opinionated local black leader? Does this person feel that the message of racial harmony gains any new momentum when offered by the leader of the free world? Or, unable to offer real solutions, is Clinton simply pontificating once again?

Yes, the KNVA newscast has some new ideas, but they are few and far between. Too often the station relies on the same clichés we've already experienced ad nauseam -- urban violence, amazing animal stories, the world's oldest woman. And until it improves significantly on this mix, it's hard to see why anyone would really bother switching to this presentation. You'd think that eventually someone would tap into this discontent and offer a newscast that covers issues of local and national importance in an intelligent and thought-provoking manner. They would spend the money to hire experienced journalists who are motivated to take the time to investigate the various angles and implications of each story, not simply the spoon-fed version of events provided in the conveniently provided press release.

Meanwhile, Austin viewers are once again the big loser in this ever-predictable mix. One also wonders what's in it for the station itself, especially when the end result is so numbingly similar to what is already offered on four other channels. With the heavy reliance on KXAN personnel, the KNVA broadcast often seems little more than a 30-minute promotional spot for the Channel 36 6pm newscast. Go figure. n