The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • 149

The Sacramento Bee Final Thursday March 9 1995 Inside Sacramento 1 5 Change is in the airwaves In View By Dan Vienna Bee Staff Writer During the past few months KOVR Channel 13 has been making more noise than a day-care center And the noisiest has been Rick Blangiardi president of River City Broadcasting which owns the station Since hiring last June Channel 13 has virtually shouted its intentions of becoming a more respected member of the broadcast community Waking up the market with a siren-under-the-bed approach Channel recent announcements have included the hiring of former Channel 3 (KCRA) anchor Stan Atkinson the expansion of its news department an affiliation switch with Channel 10 (KXTV) an early CBS prime-time schedule and some startling programming moves including last benching of the show after it aired nearly 20 years in Sacramento just warming says Blangiardi who was general manager at San KPIX before taking over Channel 13 Along with news and programming Blangiardi feels successful television station must also strive to better the lives of its viewers we want the station to be perceived as a benefit to the lives of our viewers" says Blangiardi the event anything should happen outside the normal we want them to know there for them not only to cover the news but to help Like with flood Channel 13 was among the major sponsors of the Flood Victims Relief Fund set up after flooding in the Sacramento area A month after Channel 13 was purchased by the St Louis-based company last May Blangiardi was put in charge in the dual capacity of group president and acting general manager (the latter title he recently relinquished after the hiring of a permanent general manager) Along with Channel 13 Blangiardi who is based in Sacramento oversees the operation of three other TV stations owned by River City Broadcasting As point man in Sacramento the 21st-largest TV market Blangiardi said he and his company are focusing on creating a period of stability and growth for perennial also-ran Channel 13 By count Channel 13 has had eight ownership changes during the past 21 years and 25 key management changes in just the last five years also been a parade of anchors From 1987 to 1991 for instance Dan Gray shared agreement with CBS where he was once the vice president of new business development Placed at a disadvantage because of older and less advertiser-friendly audience Channel 13 decided on a bold strategy that generated plenty of attention and may put the station in a more advantageous position it opted for early prime time (network programs scheduled 7-10 pm instead of the traditional 8-11 on the West Coast) To accommodate early prime Channel late news is now at 10 pm and a full hour in length saw early prime as an opportunity with the change in network affiliations after discussions with CBS and given my personal experience while at says Blangiardi after seeing the success of David Letterman at 11 pm (on All the high-stakes moves along with the cash infusion to pull them off are having a positive effect on Channel long-suffering staff: years of cynicism people are beginning to says Blangiardi duties with four co-anchors (Marianne Banister Martha Sharan Kim Khazei and Jennifer Whitney) Whitney hired in 1990 is now working alongside her third co-anchor in Atkinson (Gray and Patrick Emory preceded Atkinson) Both Atkinson and Whitney are under longterm contracts and news ratings have been gradually improving since the team debuted last September Not two months after Blangiardi had settled into his spacious comer office he announced the hiring of Atkinson who had been at rival Channel 3 for nearly 25 years Atkinson symbolized the news at Channel 3 and his departure signaled the biggest talent raid in the history of Sacramento television came over and we hope people are aware of that but the truth is there are so many other things we intend to says Blangiardi Among the things that have already arrived at Channel 13 are a new network CBS instead of ABC After Channel 10 secretly secured the more desirable ABC affiliation which had been Channel Blangiardi negotiated an affiliate GET INTO THE GREEN YEAR 'ROUND SODDING! BLENDED BLUE GRASS AND FESCUE RANCH PICKUP OR DELIVERY AVAILABLE ROOF RACKS THULE DESIGN 800 LOCKABLE EUROPEAN DESIGN INC 8 PK LOCKS REG 17900 CARGO BOXES 15 5 CUBIC FEET LOCKING GAS STRUTS FULLY assemble REG 314 00 SALE 24900 1 WC0UP0N 22410 (916363-1550 OPEN SAT-ANY SIZE ORDER WELCOMEI SKI LIFT TICKET BUY A CARG0 Jg BOX-GET A free while supplies lost WAOUPUN EL 12150 SAVEUPTOSm LSACRAMENTOJ 63 LFJjitOiiA'E JAARDEN1 i9J 61487-2222 DRAWTUE THULE CV fD A 4 PF WITH COUPON ONLY JER RH0DEGEAR I I SALE ENDS I MUCH MORE! ANYTHING IN THE STORE MARCH 19th I 321-1234 £5gjjt Peddle Your Bicycle.