Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 64

Television stations promise 7D Minneapolis Tribune Jan. 20,1974 bigger and better 4 Comment Continued from page ID from one newscaster to Another on each item also better helps the viewer comprehend each new bit of information. On several stories WCCO showed better journalism. It was the only one to suggest the electrical cause of a Stillwater fire that killed 37 horses. (In roundups of several fire stories, KMSP had film on the burning of a rubbish-service garage in Savage and WTCN mentioned that 20 pigs and other animals were killed in a fire near Russell, Minn.

Not very hot stuff.) news But WTCN has plans to vacate its old Calhoun Beach Hotel studios in the spring and move into a $5-million building going up in Golden Valley. Then the station, officials claim, will turn its attention to better news programs. Already it has ordered five color cameras and four film-originating systems from RCA Corp. at a cost of $750,000. Bill Tucker TONIGHT! MID JMFBIfi'C IIHKT ADUU DANCE IVIHI ft mirr lM JULlj HERMANN AND HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA FEATURING LOIS BEST! Weill's Premier Champagne lady Bar service 7:30 II PM.

I'll Sam Piano Sine Along rallies 4 Banquets Qui Specialty PROM I CENTER I TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION Just why KMSP is increasing its news budget a supposed 500 percent is not quite clear although General Manager Donald Swartz says it's because 'the time is right." One TV executive said KMSP was frightened by an order from the ABC network to upgrade its news or lose its affiliation to WTCN, from which KMSP got the affiliation in the first place many years ago. Swartz denies it, although he admits that Metromedia, which bought WTCN l'2 years ago, lusts after the affiliation. WTCN has about 20 people producing fewer news programs than the other stations. That also may be misleading, since all news director-anchorman i 1 Amundsen has in the way of reporters is himself and two others. They work out of impossibly small quarters where WTCN radio used to operate many years ago, News film is processed by a.

commercial firm in downtown Minneapolis. Since the company closes at supper-time, it is an unlikely arrangement in the hell-bent business of TV news. By providing deeper rest than deep sleep, Transcendental Mediation Reduces tension Improves health Increases I.Q. Integrates personality Ry Jrv Letofsky Staff Writer All is fair in love and 10 'c 1 television (9:30 WTCN time). No sooner than the new ratings "book" arrives at the doorstep than one of the other station comes up with a new battle plan.

After the latest audience figures proved less than the best at KSTP, management hired Ron Magcrs of KPIX in San Francisco to take over the anchor position from Ted O'Brien. The formal change Is scheduled in early February. KSTP News Director Bill Tucker and his counterpart at WCCO, Ron Handberg, each have about 50 people producing news and news specials, although the figures may not be comparable depending on who is tabulating floor directors and engineers. KSTP counts 10 actual reporters, WCCO 11, including Handberg, who also does some news work. In addition, there are three writer-reporters for Action News and Consumer Inquiry and three writer-producers for the "Moore on Sunday" program.

KSTP used to dominate the ratings at 10 p.m., until WCCO started its lengthier, chattier format in 1968. In November, KMSP announced its first three-year plan. From a low point of 13 or 14 staffers, news director Jere Smith now has a staff of 31 or 32 for the new "Newsnine" news, including coanchor-mcn Ben Boyett and Phil Bremen, weatherman Ernie Martz and executive news producer Al Heikki-nen. Of those, KMSP counts eight reporters, including Smith and the two new anchormen, who have been doing some actual "on-the-street" FREE PUBLIC LECTURES JAN. 217:00 PM North East Community Library, 2200 Central A.

JAN. 247:00 PM Apache Plato Community Room (lower level), 37th Ave. ft. and Silver Lake Road JAN. PM Rockford Rood Library, 6401 42nd Av.

N. JAN. PM Minneapolis Downtown Public Libra7, Room 216, 300 Nicollet Mall FOR MORE INFO CALL 331-9135 Gil Amundsen Ron Handberg view with Gordy Howe on the state of ice arenas and some uninspiring ski film from Lake Placid, N.Y. Meantime, Scott helped quench our insatiable appetite for Vikings information with yet another interview with Bud Grant. It wasn't terrifically informative but, well, amusing.

He asked Grant about "new wrinkles" for the Dolphins. Grant, not particularly renowned for retorts, retorted that he doesn't talk about wrinkles unless they work. WCCO sports has crisper writing. North Stars coverage, as one example, included editorialized comment on sloppy defensive work and keen scoring drives. The other sport-men pretty much mentioned simple details.

For special effects, WCCO has editorialist Austin, who is becoming an excellent asset. His delivery is improving with age (he makes' more sense, too) and his writing style, usually heavy on verbiage, is markedly better. Action News, however, is showing its senility. On this day Skip Loescher bought a Hong Kong paperweight that resembles a lightbulb. He screwed it into a socket and it emitted a foul smoke, he said.

He called for a federal investigation. KSTP has its Newsrcel, a fast minute of visual non-news for which, if you call in suggestions to the station, you can get a T-shirt. It has no perceptible mer- Rep. Doniild Fraser, who voiced his suspicions about gas prices and assorted (hut Congress will look into "the excess prof-its business." KSTP did dm belter reporting job on the shooting death of a laundromat manager. (KMSP and WCCO said the body was lying in "a pool of blood," one of the hoariest cliches in journalism.) KSTP reported what none other did, that most of the stores in the Glcnwood Shopping Center had been closed because of earlier shootings and robberies in the area.

An important perspective. All the stations had special features, plus network bits. Dennis Graff of KSTP had a nice piece on the new General Mills vans that pick up employees. WTCN (no reporter was identified) had a very, very soft feature on the meeting of World Citizens, Inc. Jean Torkelson of KMSP has a softly nostalgic profile on a retiring mailman.

Susan Spencer of WCCO did an excellent profile of Bloomington's new 23-year-old mayor, Robert Benedict, complete with some film of his old do-good organizing activities. And now for the weather reports: They ran from two minutes on WTCN (Toni Hughes with a straight recitation of facts) to almost five minutes on KSTP (Barry Ze-Van with a swirl of meteorology), the latter length apparently reflecting KSTP's affection for Ze-Van's showmanship. KSMP's new Ernie Martz stammered his report and WCCO's Bud Kraehling clipped neatly through his, both in under 4 minutes, including incidental dialogue. Kraehling's forecasting is exacting and certainly the clearest. ZeVan, the better trained for weather, probably knows more of what he speaks but we need less of it.

WCCO has better sports, running away. You have to wait for it until after 10:30, of course, but it permitted Hal Scott on this night to get in the North Stars final (8 to 4 over sports comes on about 9:55 and Joe Boyle this night didn't even have film from the local games --the Stars at Met Center and the Gophers at Williams Arena. Despite WCCO's longer news, its sports time didn't reflect it. KSTP used four minutes, WTCN 4 minutes, WCCO 5 1-6 minutes and KSMP 5'2 minutes. KSTP's Tom Ryther spent many unprofitable seconds on his own top-10 college football choices.

KMSP's Tony Parker hit about everything once over dully. For all the in-dig nation about polls, Boyle made the most telling point, that writers and coaches vote without even seeing all the teams play. But WTCN wasted time on an unredeeming inter- i 'V I i Jere Smith it. For its contribution, WTCN brings us muck-racker Jack Anderson, who is passingly interesting. And then Rona Barrett who chronicled the love lives of "beautiful persons" in three minutes.

Al Pacino has a thing with Tuesday Weld, etc. It was too long by 120 seconds. Miller scenes to be staged New York Times Service New York, N.Y. Arthur Miller has granted permission to the University Players of the University of Michigan to do scenes this spring from his uncompleted play, "The American Clock," based partly on Studs Terkel's book about the Depression of the 1930s, "Hard Times." The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright began working on "The American Clock" in 1970, but set it aside for another idea, which evolved into "The Creation of the World and Other Business." That play had a short run on Broadway in 1972. Miller was recently appointed adjunct- professor in residence in theater at Michigan, and he will be on hand for rehearsals of "The American Clock." Eastwood to direct Clint Eastwood will direct "Breezy," starring William Hoi den and Kay Lenz.

O'ShaughnessK Auditorium On Northern States Power company's cutback of 3 percent in voltage, WCCO was the only one to suggest the possibility of future brownouts and power failures. (WTCN didn't have the item at all.) It also was the only one to report a Pentagon charge that commercial airlines are not making use of 1 '2 million barrels of military jet fuel recently allocated to them. It did the most comprehensive and solid reporting of the Albert I Iofstede inauguration in i a-polis City Hall, partly because of a minute more of coverage (again, the longer, more relaxed format) and then an Al Austin editorial that was full of nicely skeptical insights. WCCO lingered longer on the story and picked up a piece of film from the City Council chambers of a citizen outburst. The protester was insisting on a discussion of the selection of the new police chief.

KSTP had a good but shorter wrapup. KMSP film of Hofstede's speech picked up one of the more gratuitous, statements (about Minneapolis becoming the "urban WTCN had clips of the speech and not much else. WCCO also was the only one to use an item on the Justice Department protesting some broadcast license renewals in St. Louis and Des Moines because of their newspaper ownership. WCCO, with major ownership by the Minneapolis and St.

Paul newspaper interests, didn't report on possible local implications of the story. News Director Ron Handberg said there was no particular reason for such references in the story that night because "it didn't deal with us." But if the WCCO license is challenged, he said he "sure as hell" will report it. KSTP, whose management has protested the WCCO license in the past because of alleged concentration of media control, didn't use the story. News director Bill Tucker said the item was scheduled but was eliminated in the time squeeze. KSTP does the slickest job of a i in stones, however brief.

It was the only one to report the death of singer Tex Rittcr. It was the only one to cover a press conference by Sundai February 17 7 nnH in rm Jk A IV f-fl I I 56, $5, 54. Available at Dayton's, msa siuaeni aiora in Union, and at the O'Shaughnessy Box Otlice. HEAT TURN OVER AND READ CAREFULLY PLEASE IT CERTAINLY WILL BE WORTH YOUR WHILE THE MOST EXCITING LOW HI-FI PRICES EVER WSP Presents 1 ffl' Tickets Ifnjig nioij 'ON CIC OiVINVIAJ 3 Cotlman WOULD DAItCg -rhiw Did of fM-p': presents the full-length ballet Mlih frZ6L '0C AJEnuer ajidxa sjsjjo sBuiAESOnSElUEJ' asaiu JOj oj pe siqi ui Buuq nox mon oj Bey 'oja 'saunj voqs 'soissep 'zzb "poj 'spjooaj osjais jo spuesnom Auo siespeai) i-dH sniuixeLAj jappiq em saoB jeaB pesn nv uoisiAaiaj 9qeJ0d JJO 0E slu9)sAs J9eeds eua nv mon 69J sjaspegq 09J91S puBpiAI yoeg mon qoea JBn69y OOOt'-lAI 9P0UJ Sl J9B9dS xajaduuv MN duue jgmod 00Z 9pouJ jE9ui9SBMd mon Bad J9A909J iuj 6L 9poui ziubjblaj JJO S9qB)Ujni pue sjaB9ds unBjg JIO 09 mon J9SPE9M OJd xajadns 'JJO 09lB09t 001- '9Z '09 siapoiu 'sjoai909J pBnb uopjBi ubojjbh JJO 09 P1S 6UIUIBLU9J sjaMBads jB9UiBJ)in JJO09 (02 0901 '91 '00 1 S9poAj) sdtue pue sjaAiaoaj penb ziubjb JJO 09 mon 9)9SSBD JO 98J 0) 99J '9dB M0GJ1 8 dSVB (anBA he) uoisiAapi Auos J000 Aub joaseqojnd liiim aoAoiq iinq uev 33Hd aoud JBn6aj jjo 09 siuaisAs ja(Bads qein I IV aoud jEn6aj no 92 sjaAjOoaj sjauni 'sdaiB Auos i30ls Buiuieujaj nv JJO CC mon '101 'n 1-88 RPOIAI 'SJaEadsigr Goud JBinBaJ jjo 9t s.oipBJ Auos II 1 Li .1 1 i LI Steely Dan ujniou iiti Beauty" MONDAY FEBRUARY 11, 1974 8:00 P.M. Hilstei Our Time rn Nafhan A Great Musical Figure WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 1974 8:00 P.M.

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