The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 56

BBT AVAILABLE COPY E-8 The Kanaes City Star Saturday March I 1997 national sweeps win streak 1 fails to pick up its local affiliate its strongest sweep period since coming a seven-mgnt-a-week ow tender The stronger lead-in helps? Channel 4 improve on its 9 and UL pin newscasts but at 5 and 6 UC it lost viewers from last February At 5:30 pm however Channels decision to drop World Tonight with Phil was born out by the ratingiu The local newscast that replaced it ttuC proved significant iy from last Fcbrfcj ary ratings household or point has bought a known mankind Paul Dinovitz manager of Channel 9 play tfie importance of the February numbers this initial report I am not alarmed" said Moore English too soon I don't know whether to be happy or Kansas City stations have not Set received the equally vital reakouts of viewership among key demographic groups especially the IS-49 and 25-54 age groups that advertisers are most interested in reaching household or a share point has never bought a product known to mankind" said Dinovitz referring to the numbers used in the initial sweep report Nonetheless he said he was "extraordinarily delighted" in Channel performance During the daytime when women make up a sizable majority of the audience Channel 4 pm broadcast of Oprah Winfrey's talk show lost 3 percentage points from last February while channels 4 and 4 1 gained viewers by countering with Montel Williams and Rosie respectively Nationally the Fox network had a share never product to general viewers nationally to claim its most dominant February sweep ever and its ninth consecutive sweeps win counting the May and November periods as well KMBC Channel 9 continued its winning streak in local news which is widely considered the best measure of a local performance liven more remarkable is that it did so at a time when ABC nationally was continuing to hemorrhage viewers despite a Hurry of theatrical and made-lor-TV movies the network had scheduled in the place of weaker regular programs In prime time Channel 41 was the only major-network affiliate to lose audience from last year CBS remained the most-watched network in the Kansas City market with ABC a strong second and NBC and Fox well behind At 10 pm Channel 9's newscast was the clear winner with 30 percent of TV watchers compared with 19 percent for Channel 5 and 1 3 percent for Channel 4 Channel 41 fell from percent to 6 percent although the station's general manager Charlotte Moore Fing-lish said she had received slightly different numbers showing a drop to only 7 percent Both Moore I nglish and Paul Dinovitz general manager of Channel 9 were careful to down- The network gained but KSHB lost viewers in February ratings By AARON BARNHART Television Writer It has become a thrice-ycarly ritual: For 20 days and 20 nights the TV networks showcase their boldest and brightest programming offering blockbuster movies out-sized specials and star-studded plot-twisted episodes of their viewers' favorite shows Then NBC gets on the phone with journalists and claims total domination of the American view ing public And then the numbers for Kansas City arrive and tell a completely different story This week marked the end of the February sweep a four-week Nielsen rating period that saw a mythic asteroid come close to obliterating Kansas City but instead appeared to punch a new hole in the audience levels of local affiliate KSHB Channel 4 1 Not only did its 10 in newscast finish fourth in the ratings as it has ever since Channel 41 began doing late news but viewership actually declined from last February NBC meanwhile actually gamed At 5 and 6 ptEH! Channel netUJ led the way draw- ing 24 percent of viewers for each period vs 20 ai AlST 21 percent respectively for 5's newscasts WDAF Channel lagged well behind at 10 percent and Channel 41 sunk to just 4 per- cent down a full point from 5 cent in last sweep A sweep-period rating is not tjtjj essarily the only measure Kansgg jjj City stations rely upon to deti mine ad rates Local stations also purchase ratings books fn Nielsen for other times of the And Dinovitz added "We per- LjS form like we re in a rating oeriotf every day" MARIANNE KIIROY Walter Coppage (right) and Dannye Thompson star in Athol latest work Song" a coming of age story set in present-day South Africa has everything it needs The show Strong actors script and direction carry Coterie production Gumbel expected to take offer soon I ROSSI-1 By ROBER1 TY'Mter Crtic "Valley Song" continues through March 23 at the Coterie Theatre at Crown Center Tickets cost $6 Call 474-6552 Thumbs MSKI I I 111 I A GREAT FILM A SUPERB lofelmn LA MLT NCT5 of the most important films vou will sec this vear!" MmkNH STM TERRIFIC FILM A GRIPPING STOE It represents an important step in the growth of the John Anprr Hbm HR AU) SUN TIMES MSlil It UUU CBS where he would be the host of a prime-time show and be executive producer of another for syndication wing news to me" Hookstrat-ten said of the CBS buzv Gumbel stepped down in January after 1 5 years as anchor of NBC's show I le's still an NBC employee although he has done no work lor the network since Jan 3 New York Daily News I he battle for Bryant services may be settled as early as next week Gumbel agent I Hookstrat-ten said this week he expects the NBC newsman to decide no later than mid-March which of the many lucrative offers take While he wouldn't come out and say so I lookstratten implied that he know which way Gumbel might actually go Industry speculation swirling Tuesday had Gumbel going to ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE Bn kn Diam ki ioj Rut a couple of gotxl actors together in a strong script and in business That's the explicit lesson of Valley Song" the current production at the Coterie Theatre Guest director Cynthia Levin the producing artistic director of the Unicorn delivers a Engnanl staging of Athol u-rd's gentle moving play with Superb performances from Walter oppage and Dannye Thompson Fugard the best-known playwright ever produced by South Africa writes of the old conflicts and changing realities of his homeland with uncommon eloquence in this piece It is a story of old Buks a mixed-race veteran of World War II ho has made his way as a tenant farmer since childhood and his deeply loving relationship with feronica his lb-year-old granddaughter Veronica instilled with hope and personal ambition to become a singer is a product of the new South Africa Where her grandfa-thcr secs barriers and bitter memories Veronica sees broad horizons and unlimited possibilities The differing views lead to sometimes explosive clashes but the love that hinds them is as strong and durable as Buks I le has been the only parent for most her life her mother having died tragically and her grandmother having already passed on The story is really one of strength the strength of character that has allowed Buks to survive with dignity and which he passes on to his indcpendcnt-minded granddaughter In the end he cannot understand her desire for a better life a different role than the one played by the grandmother she barely remembers But she carries his isdoin with her as she departs for the city to become a singer Coppage olfers an impeccable performance as Buks and demonstrates his versatility in the second male role identified only as the Author who narrates the piece and at different times becomes a white man buying the land that old Buks farms Thompson a former Kansas Citian now based in New York is by turns charming charismatic achingly vulnerable and startlingly angry as Veronica This is an elegant performance full of telling details and small surprises A spare creative set by Vaughn Schultz adds a lot as does an interesting musical sound design by Dwight Frizzell First Must-See Movie OF 1997! 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Lrunardv LHapno IDsMnc'nimiit- MW IIMI 1 Promisi Makmns Room' Wm Mm You Lujun VVhai AGasi!" mm momm njmannsa VJt I I at uw I iiiiiimi tXfr CDDWN CENTER aO rue Nil MARVIN'S ROOM hkhudI (mm Mt wm wm mr DAK PAIK PLA2A iiiiuMm NOW SHOWING! -j 1 mini RHINE LANDING I SIIINGIEN 12 HUE SHINDS IICKINSIM 111 I nN Mb A Mrs MNrtlMMft BOUT i INDEPENDENCE PllI TREITIE BI I Hwrkll Umi WtMl tMMI Mil I ui ED I 12 riJ DO WESTS IE He chooses to be back in the arms of his good songs SOUTHCtEN I WIND PARKWAY 22 CASTli-tOCX COM irj The Key A Lifestyles 0 For lively editorial and apartment information look inside The Kansas Qty Star's Sunday Real Estate I n4ni A4Un it email jvtinin His backup band which included drummer Ric Menck and keyboardist Paul Chastain from Velvet Crush and slick guitarist Ivan Julian gave Sweet plenty of support throughout the set sometimes a little too much Sweet's voice was never eclipsed but many of Julian leads sin rendered to the tide of all those fat distorted guitar chords and keyboards that backed him up Sweet writes perfect power-pop songs that translate nicely into live performances I line Capsule" (a song that Sweet proudly and sadly admitted had been converted to Uzak I and "Sick of Myself were particularly raucous and satisfying thanks to Sweet's lean voice and to Julian's ornate but brief leads The show suffered just a lew low points one being the rendition of a lovely ballad from Without the steel guitar and with Ihe tempo elevated considerably the song lost its desolate charm the lonely boy singing his paean to a movie star hardly sounded lonely and desperate Been Waiting" from the same record also sounded a bit gritty and raw especially without the deep thick harmonies a vital ingredient of Sweet's music that was weak or missing most of the night Matthew Sweet keeps new numbers on hold in concert By TIMOTHY I INN Rap Muwt Writr I AWRFNt His parents and several friends had come down from Nebraska and were in ihe audience so Matthew Sweet was on his best behavior Or maybe lie wasn't Perhaps he is polite gracious and lurid-working all the time whether Mom and Dad are listening or not Short iy after 9 pm Thursday Sweet took the stage at iberty Hull and for more than 90 minutes he did Ins work diligently keening about 450 people singing and swuymg to his many sweet hut ragged pop songs Sweet is touring oddly in support of an album that hasn't been released yet Sky on Mars He warned the crowd that he'd be playing several cuts from the new album but he either forgot or Thought better of it Most of his playlist included tongs from his classic record from 1992 (including a romping amped-up version of the title truck) and the near-classic 'Altered Beast 1995 Im IkOUMIVILY i8IX TRACK DIGITAL 80UN0 i For More details about aty's guide for ronton Call StarToudi 889-7827 thon Thenar aMjT (In TUB osier JwO I mm i f9l T5! 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