The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 193

Good Continued ftom page 15 er writing their stories, these reporters are going to perform them as well. Anthony stops typing to blow on his fingertips in nervous anxiety. The set for the newscast, painted blue and tan, is plywood. It looks like it would crumble into splinters downwind of an unfettered sneeze. Anthony sits on a stool, his feet resting on cardboard boxes under the desktop.

Ryan is sticking his weather symbols on the board with masking tape while wondering out loud why the management couldn't have bought magnetized clouds and thunderbolts. At 5:45 Anthony introduces the 45-minute local news package, which includes a business report by Akron stockbroker Pete Paisley, 45, who works for Maintenance a syndicated home repair feature, and Paul Harvey, the fun--damentalist commentator. After the introduction, Anthony returns to the typewriter until 6, when he, Allen and Ryan all gather on the set for the opening long shot. Then, when one of the two studio cameras zooms in on Anthony, Allen and Ryan return to the newsroom, about 40 yards away. WAKR'S NEWS IS almost exclusively Summit County news, and within the unimaginative the U.

S. Weather Service. Ryan serves as comic relief from the solemnity of Anthony as he grins his way through sunshine and tornados alike. RON ALLEN, the 33-year-old news reporter drafted into doing sports, sees his image as "down home, warm, but kind of a wise guy, too." He of the three seems the most Mc-Luhanesquely cool, and he smoothly handles what little local sports news there is. Lately Allen, a Zanesville native who moved to WAKR from WHLO five years ago, has been doing live, on-set interviews in an effort to add some excitement to Newswatch.

In addition to filling more time, many of the interviews have shown how boring jocks can be when not on the playing field. When the news is over, the question remains. Did anyone watch? "The survey says that people aren't watching," said Anthony. "That doesn't bother me. In 1973 the Associated Press said we had the best news show in the state.

We served Akron better than anyone served Cleveland. "So I have 20,000 people, and Cleveland has 200,000. At least we don't have to use pretty faces." routines along which most television news shows operate government officials and auto wrecks a second sound camera may be redundant even if they had one. When a county commissioner, or a visiting lecturer, is interviewed on camera, the film often seems to run on long after the speaker has run out of things to say. With only eight full-time reporters, whose shifts are staggered to cover 20 hours in the day, there is no time spent on local features or investigative reports.

Area newspapers are quoted, and sometimes credited, for stories that WAKR has not had the time or personnel to gather itself. Anthony makes liberal use of features offered by ABC. "This is Akron," Anthony says to critics who compare his news show to the three in Cleveland, "and you live in Akron, so what the hell do you want to watch Cleveland for?" After Anthony, Ryan reads the weather. Ryan, 50, has been a disc jockey at WAKR for more than 20 years, and he is not called Jolly Jack for nothing. He is an incessant, indefatigable smiler.

He began doing the weather here five years ago, and is defensive about his lack of meteorological credentials. But he maintains he possesses a "broad, general grasp" of what's going on in the atmosphere based on data from Things Knowing ADVERTISEMENT I A i Mill WHAT A PAIR! of Akron' finest restaurants, Tangiors, and Akron's finest and largest drapery, carpet and furniture cleaning company, CAVAION, teamed up to give Akron the cleanest and freshest dining atmosphere in WE CUT OUR FUEL BILLS IN HALF! Mr. Mrs. Tony Crookston owner of this -bedroom home located at 3488 E. Waterloo Rd.

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