Longview News-Journal from Longview, Texas • Page 64

L4. newscast revolves around' Longview Association's Marine Committee. His professional experience includes the posts of senior meteorologist at the Institute For Storm Research in Houston, aviationmarine meteorologist at Air Routing International Corp. 0f Houston and senior broadcast meteorologist at Lavalin of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He served as senior weathercaster at CTHF-TV in Halifax and helped organize and establish the first Canadian all-weather TV channeL i tor Salle Larson on Fridays.

Brackeen. who is a native Texan, has been the station's Long-view News Bureau chief for the past year. A graduate of Paris Junior College, Brackeen also studied at Tyler Junior College and St Edward's University of Austin. His broadcast experience includes stints with KLBJ Radio in Austin, KO-8-KK-TV in Paris and KTEN-TV in Ada. Okla.

Kaysen comes to Region 56 News from San Angelo where she was an anchor, producer and reporter at KLST-TV. A graduate of The University of Texas in Austin, she also held a general assignments reporting position at KVCT-TV in Victoria and news positions at KUT-FM Radio and KVUB-TV in Austin. Native Texan Michaels is a member of both the American and Canadian Meteorological societies and the National Weather By Roy Umon Staff WlltH East Texans got their first look at a Longview-produced newscast when KETK-Region 56 Television aired its inaugural Longview Edition broadcast last week. In explaining why the Jacksonville station decided to expand its news operations to Longview, Longview news anchor Bob Brackeen said, "I think for a little too long, area news coverage tended to revolve around news in It's important to give people in the area the coverage they KETK-TV, which first went on air in March 1987, has been cov-. ering East Texas news events from its headquarters in Jacksonville.

KETK-Region 56's and 10 p.m. wee knight newscast from Long-; view will go out to approximated ly 32,000 cable customers. Those Langiey. The Longview staff also includes reporter Bob Lenertz, chief photographer Mike Anderson, photographer Mike Murphy and tape editor KiKi Windsor as well as a crew of three advertising sales people. Weekly features will include a segment with East Texas author and folklorist Bob Bowman of Nacogdoches, a consumers' report and an editorial Longview News-Journal staff members also will be featured during the -week.

Editorial Page Editor Mike Hvezdos will appear with the newspaper's popular Answer Line on Monday. The weekly lineup also includes Longview News-Journal Entertainment Editor Van Cradd-ock on Tuesdays, Business Editor Margaret Hensley on Wednesdays, Sports Editor John Inman on Thursday and Best Bets Edi who do not subscribe to cable will continue to receive the Jacksonville newscast The station's new state-of-the-art studio is located in the downtown Longview News-Journal Building on East Methvin Street With the addition of the Long-view newscast the station has made a $500,000 commitment to the Longview area, according to Philip Hurley, president and general manager. The NBC affiliate is owned by Lone Star Broadcasting, a local group. Brackeen along with his co-news anchor Crystal Kaysen head a staff of seven news people and a crew of eight who will be covering the East Texas area from Longview to Kilgore to Gladewater and Marshall. The station's on-air lineup includes Meteorologist David Michaels and Sports Director Kyle Sports Director Langiey has been serving as a Region 56 news producer since early 1999 The Georgia native is a graduate i of the University of Southern California.

Langley's professional buu ayvx uu OUU OIlCIlOp inff pYnprienrA with IT kt. iiar station, CBS Sports and NBC Sports. He also produced and Madonna concert major coup for HBO By Ron ISSter KrtgM-Rkki8r Nempapm -i In the world of TV "exclusives," Sunday's special event on HBO is coup of coups: "Madonna Live) Blond Ambition World Tour 90." The pay-TV network will present America's No. 1 female pop star in a live-by-satellite performance (tape delayed for the West Coast) of one of the summer's biggest pop music events. The time: 8 p.m.

The cost: nothing extra for HBO subscribers. Amazingly, this is not a pay-per-view event Seldom has pay-TV brought such a hot-ticket event to viewers without tacking on an extra tariff and sending it only to those homes with addressable pay-per-view converter boxes on their TVs. Why is HBO doing something $0 big and costly that it seems predestined to wind up deeply in the red? Forget altruism. HBO isn't PBS. Snapping up Madonna for a live two-hour concert from the final, European leg of her world tour is a smart business move for HBO, even if network CEO Mike Fuchs has to wear patches on his trousers for the rest of the vear.

has to find other kinds of attractions if it wants to retain its share of the pay-TV market. In practical terms, if you can only afford one pay-TV service, HBO wants you to remember which network has the big live events, such as Mike Tyson fights and Madonna concerts. Want still another reason why it's smart to book Sunday's Madonna show, regardless of cost? Madonna's live show is down and dirty. She shows more flesh and does more offbeat things with it -than ABC, CBS, NBC or even Fox could show you under FCC rules. It's another not-so-subtle reminder that HBO is not commercial broadcast television.

Yes, you have to pay for it, but HBO wants you to remember you get a little something extra for doing so. As for the concert itself, Madonna is expected to stick pretty, closely to the show she has performed all over the United States this spring and summer in mostly sold-out arenas: big, glitzy, full of elaborate production numbers and costume changes. The song list includes most of her Top 10 hits: "Express Yourself," "Open Your Heart," "Like A Virgin," "Papa Don't Preach," "Material Girl," "Keep It songs from her "I'm Breathless" album and the "Dick Tracy" mov-ie, and many more. Many have compared the "Blond Ambition" tour to the road company of a Broadway musical, only much bigger, She travels not only with the band, backup singers, large technical crew and other: components of a major-league pop music tour, but also with a special dance troupe. For one thing, it distinguishes HBO from all other TV networks and particularly from its chief pay-TV rival, Showtime.

HBO will only be able to show this hot event once; but nobody else will be able to show it at all, which means you have to sign up for HBO if you want to see the Madonna concert. Period. For another, it helps HBO further establish itself, as a major venue for world-class pop music events. With the heavy inroads home video has made on the audience for feature films, HBO Madonna, America's No. 1 female pop star will perform live 8 p.m.

Sunday on HBO..