The Times-News from Twin Falls, Idaho • 13

stem Stay tuned to the changes on the TV dial By Steve Crump Times-News writer TWIN FALLS In Denver, a television station that was switching its network affiliation set up a telephone help line to assist befuddled viewers. There are no plans to do the same in this, the 195th-largest TV market in the country, but stay tuned. For the wild scramble by the four commercial TV networks for stations to broadcast their programming has reached even southern Idaho. Stations in Twin Falls and Idaho Falls have announced plans to switch their network allegiances, and more will probably follow. "It's a different world for television these days," said George Brown, program director of Twin Falls KMVT-TV, a longtime CBS affiliate.

"Stations are changing networks all over the country, and I'm sure they're confusing viewers in the process." just so much more programming now," said Dick McMahon, who manages Twin Falls' KKVI-TV, which will drop its ABC affiliation and air Fox Broadcasting programming exclusively starting in January. "Local stations have a lot more choices." i 1 Today Comedy: Danny Marona will perform at an 8 p.m. dinner show and an 11 p.m. cocktail show, Cactus Petes Resort Casino, Jackpot. Dinner show prices start at there's a $10 cover chjarge for the cocktail show.

For reservations and information, call 1-800-821-1103. Craft sale: The International Crafts Sale continues at the Filer Men-nonite Church, Filer, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jazz festival: The sixth annual Sun Valley Swing 'N Dixie Jazz Jamboree continues in Sun Valley and Ketchum. Admission: $20 per day, or $60 for a festival pass.

Student tickets are $10; children under 12 admitted free. For ticket information, call the Jazz festival office at 1 Today's schedule: 1 1 a.m. Swing 'N Dixie, Sun Valley Lodge Dinning Room; Wooden Nickel Jazz Band and Blue Street Jazz Band, Limelight Room; Chicago 6, Sun Valley Ice Rink; Stumptown Jazz, Sun Valley Lodge Terrance; Jack Daniels' Silver Cornet, Warm Springs; South Market Street Jazz Band, nexStage Theatre; Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, Horizon Room; Jean Kittrell and the St. Louis Rivermen, Movie House; Mellow Tone, Duchin Room. 12:30 p.m.

Paradise City Jazz Sasis Sup -PJ--anorama, Sun Valley Lodge Dining Room; Dixieland Express, Limelight Room; Swing Savant, Sun Valley Ice Rink; Night Blooming Jazzmen, Sun Valley Lodge Terrace; Sorta Dixie Jazz Band, Warm Springs, Allotria, nexStage Theatre; CanUS Group, Horizon Room; Devil Mountain Jazz Band, Movie House; Joe Maccarillo Trio, Duchin Room; Bob Nora Quartet, Sun Room. 2 p.m. Borah High School Stage Band, Sun Valley Opera House; Pi-anorama, Sun Valley Lodge Dining Room; Stumptown Jazz, Limelight Room; Blue Street Jazz Band, Sun Valley Ice Rink; Chicago 6, Sun Valley Lodge Terrace; Royal Society, Warm Springs; Mike Vax and His Great American Jazz Band, nexStage Theatre; Uptown Lowdown, Saloon; Jean Kittrell and the St: Louis Rivermen, Horizon Room; Hot Cats, Jimmie Limes Quaret; Duchin Room; Desert Swing, Sun Room. i 3:30 p.m. Dick Johnson's Mardi Gras, Sun Valley Opera House; Pi-anorama, Sun Valley Lodge; Jack Daniels' Silver Cornet, Limelight Room; CanUS Group and the Boswell Sisters, Sun Valley Ice Rink; South Market Street Jazz Band, Sun Valley Lodge.

Terrace; Dixieland Express, Warm Springs; Misbehavin', nexStage Theatre; Sun Valley Jazz, Saloon; Swing 'N Dixie, Horizon Room; Wooden Nickel, Movie House; Bob Nora Quaret, Duchin Room; Mellow Tone, Sun Room. 5 p.m. Mike Vax," Sun Valley Opera House; Pianorama, Sun Valley Lodge Dining Room; Devil Mountain, Limelight Room; Night Blooming Jazzmen, Sun Valley Ice Rink; Swing Savant, Sun Valley Lodge Terrace; Garden. Avenue Seven, Warm Springs; Paradise City, nextStage Theatre; Hot Cats, Saloon; Sorta Dixie, Horizon Room; Uptown Lowdown, Movie House; Desert Swing, Duchin room; Jimmie Limes Quartet, Sun Room. 6:30 p.m.

Royal Society, Sun Valley Opera House; Stumptown, Sun Valley Lodge Dining Room; Jean Kittrell and the St. Louis Rivermen, Limelight Room; Allotria, Sun Valley Lodge Terrace; Boise High School Vocal Jazz, Warm Springs; Blue Street Jazz Band, nexStage Theatre; CanUS Group, Saloon; Jack Daniels' Silver Cornet, Horizon Room; Bob Nora Quartet, Movie House. 8 p.m. Chicago 6, Sun Valley Opera House; Garden Avenue Seven, Sun Valley Lodge Dining Room; Misbehavin', Limelight Room; Sorta Dixie Jazz Band, Mike Vax, Larry Curtis, Sun Valley Ice Rink (through 11 p.m.); Devil Mountain Jazz Band, Sun Valley Lodge Terrace; Paradise City Jazz Band, Warm Springs, Hot Cats, nexStage Theatre; Joe Maccarillo Trio, Saloon; Dixieland Express, Horizon Room; Dick Johnson's Mardi Gras, Movie House. 9:30 p.m.

Blue Street Jazz Band, Sun Valley Opera House; South Market Street Jazz Band, Sun Valley Lodge Dining room; Uptown Lowdon, Limelight. Room; Night Blooming Jazzmen, Warm Springs; Swing Savant, nexStage The- Please see CALENDARC2 Photo IlustratkxiBUDDY CHARLES MANGINE ments with ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC to get the programming they needed, choices have traditionally been few and far between. But four developments in the past decade have turned the TV industry upside down: The rise of whole new industry in selling syndicated programs, initially reruns of popular network shows such as "M-A-S-H" and "Cheers," and eventually original productions, such as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Bay-watch." It's now possible for a station to buy enough programming to fill its broadcast schedule. i The rapid growth of cable TV technology, through satellites and fiber-optics, and the proliferation of companies to supply programming to fill all those channels for all those hours. In 1975, the average cable system in America offered 12 channels; now it's more than 40 and rising fast.

Changes in ownership of dozens of large-market stations, followed by wholesale changes in network affiliations. For example, CBS bought the Salt Lake City NBC affiliate, KUTV-TV last year, forcing its own longtime local affiliate, find-a new network. It chose NBC. The dramatic growth, in just six years, of Fox Broadcasting into a full-fledged major network. Fox, which broadcasts popular programs such as "Melrose Place," "Beverly Hills 90210" and "The Simpsons," really entered the big time last year when it outbid CBS for rights to broadcast NFC football games.

Two weeks into the current television season, it's already the third-ranked network, ahead of CBS. All of that means that local stations, long the loyal subjects of the networks, have suddenly found themselves in a seller's market; "We were being courted by ABC and NBC, and that was a nice position to be in," said Rickie Brady, general manager of Idaho Falls' KIFI-TV, which is ending its 35-year, association with NBC to become an ABC affiliate. That switch helped prompt KKVI's move to Fox, since KKVI's sister station in Pocatello, KPVI-TV, is the current ABC affiliate in eastern Idaho. Sunbelt Communications, the company that owns Uhat's happening where Twin Falls' KKVI-TV, Channel 6 on local cable and Channel 35 over the air, will drop its ABC programming in January and become strictly a Fox Broadcasting affiliate. Idaho Falls' KIFI-TV, Channel 8, which for more than decade has broadcast NBC programming to Cassia and Minidoka countieswill become an ABC affiliate soon.

But there's, already another NBC affiliate on cable subscribers' dials in the eastern Magic Valley, Salt Lake City's KSL-TV. Nampa's KIVI-TV, which is rebroadcast on Channel 68 in Twin Falls and is available on a part-time basis to Continental Cablevision subscribers, is likely to become the source of ABC programming for most cable customers in the Magic Valley in January. That's one reason why more than three dozen stations nationwide have changed allegiances in the past two years particularly to Fox. "Part of CBS ratings problem has been the fact that when some of its VHF stations (Channels 2 through 13) left, they were replaced to UHF stations (channel 14 on up)," Brown said. "That's confusing for viewers." Compared with the rest of the country, the Twin Falls TV market has been a model of stability.

KMVT, a CBS affiliate for most of its nearly 40-year history, continues to dominate broadcast viewer-ship in Twin Falls, Cassia, Jerome and Lincoln counties, pulling an 8 rating and a 31 share in the Nielsen ratings last May. That meant that 8 percent of the available TV households were tuned into KMVT, involving 3 1 percent of the audience. KTFT, the Twin Falls NBC affiliate, had a 3 rating and all share, and KKVI, which broadcast ABC and Fox programming, had a 2 rating and a 9 share. But that's just what's available from the local market. Cable, with its multitude of choices and burgeoning number Please see CHANNELSC2 Having as many affiliates as possible is critical to networks because the number of viewers they reach determines how much they can charge advertisers that buy time on their programs.

Broadcasting popular shows is vital to local stations for the same reason. KKVI and KPVI, is now negotiating with NBC for a possible affiliation agreement in Pocatello, according to Sunbelt Broadcasting's Harry Neuhardt. "It's really no secret," Neuhardt said. "I hope we'll have an announcement soon." Twin Falls' Puckett makes 3rd trip to Cactus Petes By Denise Turner Times-News writer JACKPOT Sixties rock singer Gary Puckett begins his third stand at Cactus Petes Tuesday, and he's bringing a brand-new CD with him. The 1960 Twin Falls High School graduate who Did you know? in 1968, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap had six consecutive gold records and sold more records that any other recording act, including the Beatles.

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap played a command performance at the White House for Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Gary Puckett and the Union Gap's "Greatest Hits" is one of CBS' bestselling "Collector Series" albums today. In 1974, "Young Girl" (originally released in 1968) was reissued by popular request in England, where1 it reached No. 5 and achieved a Silver Record Award. In 1986, Gary Puckett toured with the Monkees national reunion tour.

Puckett is almost 53 now. It's been 35 years since he got his start in high school bands around Twin Falls. He has no relatives left in town. Today, Puckett lives in San Diego with his wife of four years, an artist and glassblower. "So far," he said, no children.

Several years ago, Puckett became a born-again Christian. In 1990, he joined Horizon Christian Fellowship, a church affiliated with numerous Calvary Chapel groups across the United States. As a result of the experience, Puckett is writing Christian songs with his brother and preparing to take his new music to Christian record producers. Meanwhile, he's on the road singing the old hits. During the summer, he sang at fairs and festivals.

In between, he did 10 shows30 days in Australia. A long way from Twin Falls. Puckett will perform two shows a night through Oct. 22. The 8 p.m.

show is a dinner show, and the 1 1 p.m. show is a cocktail show. Dinner show prices start at $17.95 on weekends, and $12.95 on weeknights; there's a $10 cover charge for the cocktail show on weekends and $7.50 on weeknights. For more information or reservations, call 1-800-821-1103. went on to make good with his Union Gap band and gold record hits such as "Young Girl," "This Girl is a Woman Now" and "Woman, Woman," was one of the founding members of the highly successful "Happy Together" oldies tour in the 1980s.

His appearances at Cactus Petes have been successful, too. This time around in Jackpot, Puckett's new CD "As It Stands Right Now" will make its debut the second day Puckett Sli DearAbby C3 Backbeat C7 he's there. "The CD is an outcropping of a video project we did live in the studio," Puckett said in a phone interview on Tuesday. "We recorded the 10-minute video for marketing.