St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 12

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2001 Channel 30 will drop its local news broadcasts ST.LOUEPOST-DISRffCH 1 i KDNL's current owner, contested the deal, which also involved six local radio stations. The two companies battled in court until June 2000, when a settlement left the TV station in Sinclair's hands. In the interim, with no one sure who would wind up as owner, maintenance was reportedly allowed to slide. Transmitter problems repeatedly knocked the station off the air. In a move to downsize, the 5 p.m.

newscast was dropped, leaving news only at 10 p.m. In October 2000, KDNL was the surprise winner of the top prize, best large-market newscast, at the regional Emmy Awards. The 5 p.m. news was restored in December, but viewers never returned; on Thursday, the 5 p.m. newscast drew less than 16,800 households, more than twice as many households choose a rerun "Sabri-na, the Teenage Witch" on KPLR (Channel 11).

Spencer Koch, general manager of KTVI (Channel 2), a competing station, called Friday "a sad day for news." "From a broadcast standpoint, you always want to have a lot of choices in local news no matter what the ratings are," Koch said. "At the same time, its a competitive world out there. Dan Caesar and Christopher Carey of the Post-Dispatch provided information for this article. have made it increasingly difficult to operate a competitive news operation," he said. KDNL is owned by Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group, which also owns 61 other U.S.

television stations in 40 markets. Sinclair has suffered financial problems and went to court in April to try to avoid defaulting on loans. The company warned Monday that its revenue for the current quarter would be down 12 to 14 percent, saying the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 had compounded an industrywide advertising slump. Sinclair said the attacks had cost the company $5 million to $6 million in revenue.

The company has been generating about $200 million a quarter in revenue; its shares have fallen almost 20 percent since the start of the year. "I'm very disappointed we have to do this," Tipton said Friday. "There is nothing good about it Disappointment is the overriding sentiment here at the station." St. Louis is "a very competitive news market," Tipton said, but the decision was based on "a variety of factors, not just ratings." During the important May sweeps period, KDNL drew fewer than a third as many viewers at 10 p.m. as top-rated KSDK (Channel 5).

The station invested about $5 million setting up the newscast in 1995, just before switching affiliation to ABC from Fox. ABC requires most affiliates to air news, but a source at the station said Friday that KDNL's contract with the network did not include that requirement Workers at the news operation said the decision was unexpected. "This is a big shock. I've been in this business for 21 years and never have been through anything like this," said sports director Rick Powers. "I'm from St.

Louis, and I'd like to stay in St. Louis but just don't know what's going to happen." Edlund praised his newsroom colleagues as "a group of people who have done a damn good job despite desperately limited resources. We are small in numbers, but this is the best group I've ever worked with." He added: "These people deserve better. The newscasts won't vanish until Oct. 12, Edlund noted.

"It's hard to keep going, but we're pros, and we'll do the best we can." KDNL suffered through a particularly rough year beginning in June 1999, when former owner Barry Baker, who had retained an option to regain control of the station, sold that option to Emmis Communications Corp. Sinclair Broadcast Group, TV station KDNL, the local affiliate of the ABC network, will lay off all 47 news staffers as of Oct. 12. The station, which broadcasts news at 5 and 10 p.m., has struggled both with ratings and with revenue. By Gail Pennington Post-Dispatch Television Critic KDNL (Channel 30), ABC television's St.

Louis affiliate, will shut down its news operation and lay off all 47 staffers as of Oct. 12. General manager Tom Tipton made the announcement at a somber newsroom meeting Friday afternoon. "We are all pretty stunned," anchor Rick Edlund said shortly afterward. "This is a kick in the gut." Channel 30, which broadcasts news at 5 and 10 p.m., has struggled both with ratings and with revenue.

Currently, only about 5 percent of area households choose its higher-rated 10 p.m. news. The decision came "after many months of debate," Tipton said in a statement. "The increased competitive landscape and current market conditions Jurors will hear 2 versions in shooting of teen-ager i Before the hearing, Johnson's mother, Rena Johnson, and a half-dozen members of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression paraded in front of the juvenile court center on Vandeventer Avenue. They support Johnson.

They are also seeking creation of a civilian oversight board to review police actions. Amid the conflicting stories, one thing is undisputed. Johnson was severely wounded. He was shot up to nine times. He said he also was beaten and kicked.

Johnson sat in the passenger side of his grandmother's car during Friday's demonstration and told a reporter he still had pains in his legs. Calling him a good student, Rena Johnson said the shooting ended his dreams of playing professional football. Landolph Lee, a deputy juvenile officer, told Garvey at the hearing that Johnson already was on supervised probation when he was shot. In October, Johnson allegedly tried to rob a motorist with a handgun. He pleaded guilty under the juvenile code to unlawful use of a weapon and attempted theft According to police reports, undercover narcotics detectives were mak On Friday, a judge ordered the 16-year-old suspect certified as an adult.

Police say he fired on them before they shot the fleeing teen; the defendant has a different account. by William C. lhotka Of the Post-Dispatch Jerome Johnson is either a teenager who engaged in a running gun-battle with undercover St. Louis police on April 3 or the innocent victim of a police shooting and cover-up. Jurors will decide between the conflicting versions police versus family when Johnson stands trial in St.

Louis Circuit Court on four charges each of assaulting a police officer and armed criminal action. On Friday, Family Court Judge Jack Garvey ordered that Johnson, 16, of the 4200 block of Harris Avenue, be certified as an adult Garvey cited Johnson's three prior referrals to juvenile court, recommendations of juvenile officers and the seriousness of the allegations. Jerome Johnson, 16, waits in a car Friday outside the Juvenile courts center, 920 Vandeventer Avenue. Johnson will stand trial on four charges each of assaulting a police officer and armed criminal action. ANDREW CUTRAROPOST-DISPATCH next to Johnson.

Family members say Johnson was walking home when a man jumped out of an unmarked car with his gun drawn. Fearing the man was a gang member, Johnson told family members, he ran and was shot several times before hitting the ground and then shot again at close range and beaten and kicked. Reporter William C. Lhotka: E-mail: Phone: 314-615-3283 ing arrests in the 4300 block of Lee Avenue on April 3 when a young man hanging out of a passing red Escort fired shorts at them. Police said they later spotted the car near Carter and Harris avenues and three males ran from it Police said that one of the fleeing suspects was Johnson and that he turned and fired at the detectives.

They returned shots, and their target went down. Investigating officers said they found a small-caliber handgun.