Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • Page 83

Argus leader. Sioux FaSs, South Dakota, Sunday, May 21.2000 LIFE 3 Local TV: Stations sensitive to possible opportunity KELO's Jorgensen to fill 1 0 p.m. slot numbers. KDLTs, for example, went up from a 5 share during the previous sweeps period. But they remain miles behind KELO.

"When star athletes leave a strong team, people who were in secondary role step up to fill the void," Antonitis says. "We expect Jaine Andrews. Don Jorgensen. Doug Lund and Angela Kennecke step up and to exert their personality. We expect them to fill the role in their own way." Stepping up is easier said than done, Strauss says.

"Being the news leader isnt about one person. If about a philosophy. Their challenge will be to define that challenge for their newsroom and their people and continue in that vein." Russell says the challenge will to replace Hemmingsen's expertise and news judgment "KELO should worry about its content Steve set the tone for that show, for that newsroom and for this market Steve is KELO. He is. When I competed against KELO, it wasnt KELO.

It was Hemmingsen," she says. "He sets the tone. He sets the direction. He sets the standard. Whether you want to meet that standard, surpass it or ignore it, it is the standard in this market He's it.

He's it. That's it. Who's left?" Roach reporter Bob Key 331-2317 or bkeytOargutifder.com Continued from IF Hanson arrived only last fall, he is South Dakota native. "We've just got to try to maintain stability and keep our anchor team in place and continue to do what we're doing," he says. At KSFY.

Alex Strauss, the for-mer news anchor who lost her job in February after 10 years at the station, says she was fired because the station wanted changes in place before the May sweeps to help prepare for the post-Hem-mingsen fallout Qaycomb wont discuss whether Strauss was fired. He says Nancy Naeve was promoted to fill Strauss' spot in the evening news in an attempt to recapture the chemistry she and Mitch Krebs shared when both hosted KSFVs morning show. With Krebs and Naeve co-anchors again at night, the station should gain viewers, he says. "Mitch and Nancy have good chemistry, and it goes back to the morning show. It just kind of happens, and you dont see it happen very often," he says.

Strauss isnt convinced. "What they had been doing was not working, and they were looking for a reason. And I was the reason they came up with," says Strauss, now a free-lance healthcare journalist. "I showed up for work one day and they asked me to leave." CMtfophw GarvKM Argus Uadsr Jeff Nelson, news director at KDLT. looks over the evening's stories before the newscast as anchor Tom Hanson stands by.

importance, but part of my job here is to manage change," he says. "We are not fearful of this at all We're strong enough that we can manage the transition of an important person." He compares Hemmingsen's retirement to that of other KELO personalities, from Leo Hartig to Jim Burt to Bart Kull. "Our competition would have seen Leo liar-tig's leaving as the big opportunity, too. Well, that was 20 years ago," Antonitis says. Hemmingsen: 'He has the highest standards of anyone in the i i i ji I drv humor Reisdoroh savs.

newsroom' could pick what time Steve walked in the door," says Laura job was as farm and news director at KWYR radio in Winner, understands the magnitude of slipping into the 10p.m. anchor role after Hemmingsen. "I try not to Don Jorgensen think about that." he says. "I've just got to come in and put in an honest hard day's work, and the viewers will decide whether I'm successful at this position. I'm really happy for Steve.

He's just had a tremendous career at KELO. I dont think you ever replace Steve. You just build on to what he's helped put in place." Joyce Terveen During the 10 p.m. newscast -considered to be the most important in terms of both viewership and advertising dollars KELO posted a 50 share. That means, half of all people with their TVs on were watching KELO.

KSFY had a 17 share, and KDLT had a 7. Both competitors can find hints of positive trends in those Barb Kerkhoff, secretary of Cedar Mountain Schools in Morgan, never heard of Hemmingsen, so she grabbed a 1963 yearbook. "Oh, he's a very nice-looking young man," she said on discovering his senior picture. Hemmingsen's first TV gig came in the late '60s at KAUS in Austin, Minn. John O'Rourke, a sports director and later the town's mayor, hired him.

"He was a darned good reporter who could write well," O'Rourke says. But he remembers him most for what Hemmingsen used to call his friends: a fun seeker. "He and our photographer, Duane Fischer, went to Mexico, and when they came back they brought me a frog, a real taxidermy project, standing at a microphone. It was one of the ugliest things I have ever seen." Wayne Eddy and Hemmingsen also teamed together in Austin and become friends. Eventually, Eddy established KYMN in Northfield, and Hemmingsen followed.

"He didn't like getting stuck in the snow, and after the third time he said, 'The next time I get stuck, whatever the direction the car is facing, that is the direction I am And he got stuck again. The car was pointed toward New Ulm and that is where he went," Eddy says. Back then Hemmingsen drove a 1968 Firebird. He has graduated to a 1996 green Chrysler Sebring convertible. The private side In the studio his life is talking, trying to make sense of the news.

When he leaves the studio he is a private man. While he has friends, he enjoys keeping to himself. He lives with his 13-year-old something-or-other white dog. "Its name is Mickey, named after Mickey Mantle, Mickey Mouse and Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees," he says. A few years ago Hemmingsen found enjoyment after the 10 p.m.

news, standing at the piano at Skelly's Pub and Grill singling Rodgers and Hart show tunes. "The guys could see the Piper-Jaffray clock from the window, and they used to take bets, throw a dollar in the kitty to see if they to be Don Joreensen. the man ready to replace Steve Hemmingsen as anchor ot mxu 10 jn. news, has waited in the wings for the last 10 years, hoping for this opportunity. jorgensen.

36, is a Parker native and graduate of Dakota Wesley an University in MitchelL "For me, it's a dream come true," says Jorgensen, a father of three who has been getting up at 320 im for the last nine years to host the station's morning news show. "I watched co-anchors go to the 10. 1 was passed over. You always had Steve or Doug." Doug Lund and Angela Ken-necke will continue to host the 5 p.m. newscast, while Jaine Andrews and Lund will co-host the news at 6.

Jorgensen will move from noon to 10 p.m., co-hosting with Kennecke. Jorgensen, whose first media In TV land, the championships are the Nielsen ratings, and KELO hasnt lost on that front ever. It remains as it was before Hemmingsen arrived one of the country's most-watched TV stations in terms of market dominance. It routinely crushes the competition. The February sweeps brought more of the same.

rkilalnnkM Kaniuut Arm I I aaHaf frontations between Democrats and Republicans hollering matches with the likes of Janklow and state Rep. Ron Volesky with Hemmingsen sitting between them. "The thing that surprises me most about Steve is that he dreads 'First Brown says. "He doesn't sleep nights. He worries.

I think maybe it is a more of an uncontrolled situation than a newscast." On his list of forgettable moments is an interview with actor Tony Randall that went bad. Twice during the interview Randall walked out. First for fun. The second time he was serious. Apparently Randall didn't like Hemmingsen stereotyping him as Felix from his television show, "The Odd Couple." Grew up in Minnesota Hemmingsen was born in Virginia, but grew up in southwest Minnesota in the town of Morgan, population 1,000.

His dad, Art, was a carpenter and upholsterer and his mother, Ines, a seamstress. The oldest of three children, Hernmingsen wanted to be a farmer before that Top 40 DJ thing set in. Many Morgan residents still recall this favorite son. "Steve, sure I remember him," says Jesse Reisdorph, a retired industrial arts teacher. "He was, well, shall we say, laid-back.

He was a funny guy. He was like his mother, a woman with a Kristi Piehl meets with Steve Hemmingsen In the KELO television newsroom before an evening newscast. Bagley, a Skelly's employee. "They looked forward to listening to him, and he is a good singer." Lund often would join him at the piano. "It was a time in my life when it was good therapy.

And it was a good place for news tips," Hemmingsen says. Now divorced from his first wife of 23 years, Elizabeth Hemmingsen, he still considers her his best friend. "We live just seven blocks apart We are probably the only people who absolutely trust each other. When the chips are down, they seem to be the only ones you can count on being around." He still mows her lawn and took her to lunch on Mother's Day. "After all, I am the one who gave her that opportunity," he says.

His son, Steve works in Bran- don and says his dad taught him life's lessons. "He is a role model to me. He's a good dad, and he taught me to manage my money wisely." When the elder Hemmingsen discusses how he came to the decision to retire, he provides a disclaimer It couldn't have happened without Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve. "Actually, he has played all sides against my middle," he says. After retirement, he will keep Sioux Falls as his home and commute often to the cabin he built in Hendricks, Minn.

"I want the ability that, if a blizzard is coming, I want to be ducking it rather than reporting it," he says. A commitment will be kept to KELO to continue the "First Monday" program for a while. When the world isn't watching, he will do woodwork, read spy novels, travel around South Dakota to see the places with names he has only read on the air. He also plans a visit to Tampa, to visit his daughter, Lois. Looking for another job isn't on the agenda.

"It's not my plan," he says. Writing a book? "No money in it." Run for office? "I never say never." Continued from IF anyone I have seen come through our shop. He has a great memory, is well read, really understands what is going on. And he has good recall. I will miss that history, Lund says.

Hemmingsen's approach to breaking in new reporters was like a Lou Grant-Mary Richards relationship on the old Mary Tyler Moore sitcom. Tough love was served in huge doses, says Lund. "Some new reporters get a little frightened at their first confrontation with Steve. He doesnt have a lot of patience with those who don't comprehend what is going on. I would compare his methods to a drill sergeant.

Some crumble. Others thrive on it." Beth Fuller is a survivor. "He has the highest standards of anyone in the newsroom. You find yourself writing the story for him. He has a way of taking out half the words in a story and keeping the meaning," she says.

"He once made me take the word 'opti- mistic out of a story because it was too big of a word." Those early days at KELO were hard on Fuller, now in her fourth Vear as a reporter. I "Is he tough to work for? Oh, yeah, especially when I first came. You would never let him see you cry. But because he was really tough, it makes his praise so much sweeter. Now I consider him a friend." A perfectionist In a lot of ways Hemmingsen is a perfectionist.

When the pursuit of excellence falls short, you might see the Hemmingsen glare, Lund says. One of those situations happened a few years ago. "Something went wrong in the back room, a mix-up. Co-anchor Angela Kennecke was doing the reading, and Steve was listening. She was reading a story about the death of President Bush's mother," Lund says.

"Unfortunately, the video on the screen was one showing a coyote hunt, something to do with Game, Fish and Parks. And while she was reading the Bush story, it showed somebody throwing a dead coyote into the back of a From his perch atop the KELO empire, general manager Mark Antonitis delights in all the speculation about what Hemmingsen's leaving will mean to the market In fact, he says, it wont mean nearly as much as people think. "As important as Steve is, one person doesnt make a news department and one person does not make a television station. We have enough depth that when Steve is on vacation, people still watch. I dont want to diminish his oickuD truck.

That day we saw that Hemmingsen glare. We can all laugh now, but it wasn't funny at the time." Memorable stories Covering the news has had its rewards, but Hemmingsen says there were many tough days. "Like the day I had to tell the people that Governor Mickelson and a lot of important people had died in a plane crash. I just went to the air and said there is some bad news." A short time later, Lund interviewed Hemmingsen for a 40th anniversary KELO special and Lund says his partner took on a face that he had never seen before. "When I was asking Steve about tough stories he covered, we talked about the plane crash, and he became very choked up and emotional.

The big guy does have a heart and does have feelings," Lund says. Hemmingsen's most memorable experience at KELO was reporting the 1972 Rapid City flood, the state's single biggest natural disaster. As difficult as it was, the public just wanted to see the pictures, Hemmingsen says. The reality of 235 people dead, the sight of them in a morgue, a town devastated by human loss and property damage: It wasn't hard for him to imagine at the time that this would be the story of his life. And 28 years later, nothing has replaced it.

While the 1998 Spencer tornado wasn't as severe as the flood, it had its own powerful impact in that it destroyed a town of 320 people. Two other events still large in his mind are his trip to Vietnam with U.S. Sen. Larry Pressler and the day he mediated prison unrest. "I don't think at the time we were going to Vietnam we knew how much of a story we had.

Sometimes attaching yourself to a politician is a good thing. We would have never gotten in there without Pressler. And seeing tne turnover of 28 or 29 sets of Missing In Action remains, and the reality of what was being turned over here. These people came over here as human beings and came back in what looked like old-fashioned apple boxes." J. In 1979, he got a call from Herm Solem, then the warden of the -State Penitentiary.

"Herm said he had a situation on his hands. Would I come up and mediate, be a go-between? Being the reporter I am, I asked if I could bring a camera. I sat down with the prisoners, and in those days we knew most of them." One or the other After it was over, Hemmingsen decided he should have been either reporter or mediator. "It all happened so fast and somebody said, 'You should have done one or the other but not do And they were right." On the air Hemmingsen is both serious and light. He once advised listeners after the weather report: "Don't eat any yellow snow." Colleagues can't pinpoint many slips of the tongue, but Hemmingsen remembers one dealing with city taxes.

"Instead of 'city' I said 'shitty' share of taxes on the air. Angela sat next to me snickering. I guess both terms were right." He avoids one particular tongue-twister. "I have a tough time saying I will always find another word to use on the air and it is a hard one to replace." KELO reporter Vernon Brown says Hemmingsen's "First Monday" TV magazine program makes the veteran nervous. That show features discussions and con May 27tli 9:30 am utodraplx Party for Regional Authors mr to 12 noon Auustana College Madsen Center Rotunda 30th Grange Ave.

Lynwood Oyos, The Family Farmers' Advocate: South Dakota Farmers Union, Free Admission! Twenty-five regional authors will sign their new Looks ana talk with visitors about their writing at the largest celebration of new publications in the Dakota. Five authors will be featured in interviews with. Executive Director Arthur Huseboe at luncn, 11:00 am to 12:00 noon: Bob Lee, Nancy Nelson, Lynwood Oyos, Charles Robinson and" Ron Robinson. 'The Center For Western Studies Reach David Kranz at 331 -2302 or dkranz argusleader. com Gloria K.

Bauske, PuMes on the Prairie: Stories of Life on the Farm in RurJ South Dakota and Pehbles on the Prairie, Pine Hill Wayne FaneW, Tales of Dakota Territory, Volume II, Mariah Press Mary L. Gun derson, Cooking on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Capstone Selmer "Sam" Hadestad, Put It in the History Book: Personal Essays ahout Faith and Ministry, Fishing and High School Athletics, Pine Hill Daisy Ann Hickman, Where the Heart Resides-Timeless Wisdom of the American Prairie, William Morrow Tnoma D. Isern, Introduction. Dakota: An Autobiography of a Cowman, S. D.

State Historical Society Aaron B. Larson, The Weird Western Adventures of Haakon Tne Open oor Bon Lee, Last Grass Frontier, Volume II, S.D. Stockgrowers Janice Mikesell, No Redeeming Social Merit, Hen's Teeth JoKn D. McDermott, A Guide to the Indian Wars of the West, Nebraska Jeffrey S. Miller, Something Completely Different: British Television and American Culture, Minnesota Nancy Owen Nelson, el The Lizard Speaks: Essays on the Writings of Frederick Manfred, CWS 1Q14-2000, CWS Ann Pederson, Where in the World Is God? Variations on a Theme, Cnalice Martin J.

Reinecke, The Sled and Other Stories: Growing Up a Preacher's Son, Pine Hill William J. Reynolds, South Dakota: The Face of the Future, Cherbo Cnarles M. Robinson, III, The Men Who Wear the Star: The Story of the Texas Rangers, Random House Ron Robinson, Diamond Trump, Ex Machina Robert Rosdlial, My Family Secrets, Pine Hill Donald Sneen, Millennium 2000: Rapture or Jubilee, Kirk House Robert C. Steensma, Drifting to an Unknown Future: The Civil War Letters of James E. Northup and Samuel W.

Northup, CWS Marian Kleinsasser Hutter's Friends: Twelve Narrative Voices from Switzerland to South Dakota over Four Centuries, Towne Betti Carol VanEpps-Taylor, Oscar Micheaux: A Biography Homesteader, Author, Pioneer Film Maker, Dakota West Books Lydia Wbirlwind Soldier, Memory Songs (poems), CWS Eliwibetk Evenson Williams, Free To Speak His Mi W. R. Ronald, Prairie Editor and an AAA Architect, Mitchell Area Historical Society Held in conjunction with the Annual Dakota Conference on conference theme is Th Futura of the Northern Plains: Th Northern History, Literature, Art, and Archaeology, May 25-27, 2000. Uwyeart Plain, of the Future. For more information or a free program, cal Ihe Center tor OS i 3 rr.

i tUo A i fin jf An ii College Madffen Center. Western Studies (QUO) 3 jO 4UUi. Uonterence registration grans uwi,.