The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 202

A-lisi the most wonderful time of the year! Dynamic TV duos Elizabeth Alex Mark Clegg Different is better right? Maybe not KSHB Channel 41 had been the only TV station in town with a solo lead news anchor Elizabeth Alex But last month the station returned to the co-anchor format pairing Alex at 5 6 and lOwithafellow named Mark Clegg who came here from Indianapolis Now NBC 4 news looks pretty much like newscasts on other KC sta tions each of which has male-female anchor duos on weekday evenings the way it is across the country says Debbie Bush Channel 4 l's new news director: you look almost all of them are male-female anchor teams Very rarely do you see two men or two women or single Bringing in Clegg "strengthens the Bush says and allows Alex to do reporting and special projects Kansas City has a tradition of co-anchor news teams going back at least to the mid-1 970s Here are three memorable pairings: tornm HmeiD Cynthia Smith and Stacy Smith No these WDAF-TV anchors united in broadcasting in 1979 married but some Channel 4 viewers thought they were Stacy Smith left Channel 4 in 1 983 and was replaced by Phil Witt Cynthia Smith meanwhile became a fixture at the station She also launched a popular adoption series that found homes for hard-to-place kids Elizabeth Alex now does a similar feature on Mondays) Smith left Channel 4 in 1992 and is now an exec at KCPT Channel 19 where she has also hosted an interview show brunette these days by the way) Holiday Open House Friday Nov 8 10 a 8 tn Saturday Nov 9 Wa rn -5 Sunday Nov Noon 4 pm Kearney West Center Cynthia Smith Stacy Smith Wendall Anschutz and Anne Peterson 639 West 92 Huy Kearney MO (816)628-2764 No Kansas City anchor team was together longer than Wendall and Anne: 22 years Peterson only 23 when she replaced Karen Foss at the Channel 5 news desk in 1979 has carried on at KCTV through good hairdos and bad (anyone remember perm?) as well as other changes In an anchor shuffle earlier this year she was moved from the 5 news to the 6 and 10 Wendall Anschutz which she co-anchors with Russell Kinsaul Anschutz meanwhile is enjoying his retirement and doing some painting (art not houses) Anne Peterson Saturday November 9 10 am 6 pm and Sunday November 10 Noon 5 pm Global Gems Jewelry The Station The Stamp Patch Christine Craft and Scott Feldman Three of the most unique shops in the Greater Kansas City Area all in one convenient location Southside Plaza Shopping Center Blue Partway and Third Street Summit MO 64063 KMBC Channel 9 had great success with a solo-anchor format in the 1970s but after the departures of first Larry Moore and then weatherperson Cheryll Jones the station saw its ratings slip successor Scott Feldman anchored alone for 2Vi years but by late 1980Channel9decidedawoman co-anchor might add some and to newscasts and lure viewers away from Wendall and Anne You probably know the rest of the story: Craft removed as coanchor after only nine months sued former KMBC owner Metromedia for sex and pay discrimination and fraud (Two federal juries found in her favor but Craft lost on appeal) It was not TV finest hour As the dust was settling Moore returned to Channel 9 which since the late '80s has again enjoyed ratings dominance Craft Scott Christine Feldman Tim Engle 6 Star magazine November 3.