Abilene Reporter-News from Abilene, Texas • 40

IIW'MWWHWW to 1 -i-r 1 Huvutumwitd imuiwiamaui morn June I1VK Newscasts from ID wwwaMHi Station management did an audience survey when the station opened in 1971 Bartlett said and the re KTXS Channel 12 wondMng if Brawn's "harder to please viewers in an area local it's newscast sults showed' Bin Country residents wanted stronger of local news and then what coverage we've been About a year ago the station fired Its news director and evening anchor Bill Huston He wu replaced by Dennis Charles a newsman with broadcast experience in Michigan Wtocciudn and Indiana Knox said a survey just being completed fids May w(Il have sane impact on the station's newscast but the changu hi the newscast will be subtle and slow "It win take a couple of years to change the direction going (in the Knox said Knox "happy hi use coque a years cnann un uuwmm i going (in the Knox said nsud he "just imagine adopting a sy format like KTAB's "We tried to slip But to varying degrees all Abilene stations cover seal news and officials of the other two statins local news and officials of tne outer two statins say Way down at the bottom of the ratings Is KTXS Ac-cordlng to the most recent Arbitral ratings In February KTXS drew an average of I percent of the viewers at 10 pm about half the share of the market enjoyed by KHBC and about one-fifth of share But ratings have improved slightly since Pat Brown a newsman with experience an anchor at much larger stations in Austin Honolulu and Chicago was bind as news director Changes in newscast were immediate Brawn their emphasis local news is strong KTAB's Ken box statin manager of KHBC said one rea- ton for KTAB's success might be its form of the 'Happy format some reporters are format is where KTAB's is the one to beat Though Brown is proud of his Austin Bartlett said that "many times it looks like KTXS is (broadcasting) to an Austin audience I don't think there is a story every day from Brawn says his intention is to cover local news better not shove it to the sidelines During a recent interview Brawn polled an assignment sheet from the drawer of Us desk and read off a list of stories the station had done during a recent newscast Local local Brawn said as he painted to the sheet (But) there's not a piece of fluff in that great pains to make sura the storiu something to people who live in the and Alyce Dorsey a KTXS Add reporter replaced Jease Wharton ana for former radio announcer Len Johq- the part year and av half made somer' real strides in --1 Ken Knox i son is evening anchors said be Blown said be is proud in this area seem to love local Bob Bartlett of the fact that be has fired no reporters since coming to Abilene Johnson is still with the station and lls Wharton quit Brown said when she wu bud she would be moved to weekend anchor When he came to the station Brawn said he wu told station manager SJf Moore that ratings were not prime issue Moore only wanted a newscast Brown said that "he wu not embarrassed to So Brawn hu been making changes He hired an But that mean Brown said' "that to cover a one-car accident where no one wu not going to follow r-- Stations have only a few minutes of a (from leu than 9 to perhaps 11) to give the news iusedtot Brawn said and that time must be mtd to test inform psst the happy news becauu we wen not comfortable think we (the with doing Kl think we (the industry) win settle baek Vll 1 in a couple years into a more subdued news format The gimmicks win have run their Knox sail Still Knox seems to agree with Bartlett on some of what should be cornea in Abilene Though a ehrie not make the news in other parts of the Austin reporter Mark Hanna to provide coverage of The station started loeal Issues at the state capital country it should Knox sail When dvie leaders donate their time and receive an io the industry "Happy means a departure from hard news Investigative reporting and the Joe Friday "just the facts delivery of someone like Walter Cronkite or Dan Rather Instead in the more extreme forms of "Happy broadcasting anchors joke mote and weatb-ermen are humorists as well as forecasters News is delivered in an almost frivolous manner and some of the stories might be considered by hard-nose journalists Though newscasts are not considered Br-tlett the extreme form admits that the personalities and antics of the people on the air have helped KTAB's ratings like to watch us friendly and Bartlett said Though it his been good for ratings there are criticisms of the KTAB format doing more seriu and indepth storiu on topics such farming and hospitalisation "Some stations do seriu only to rain Brown said "We do them all the Brown hu hired new reporters from outside Texas (Karen Lee wu a newswnter for a station in Los Angeles Brown said) He also hu made several small changes He hired award tor it or a few hundred or a pancake supper Knox coverage "The most important news we provide is loeal news His station covers award preuntatioM and civic events that are attended by a large portion of the community Brown said but they also bring viewers state and national storiu that affect them such proposed changu in the state drunk driving law- or a breakthrough in medical science i Brawn said Ms philosophy- behind news can be summed 19 in it tor me the Beating KTAB or KHBC is not Ms main focus Brown said Just want to go home at night know-tog we put on the best possibly can Brawn said 1 i let's Brown said they like us Next most important is state Knox sail said Abilene is unique compared to other Charles cameramen Before mortars carried their own cam-talk to pi eras now they can unencumbered by cameramen cu eoncen wires and battery packs Broadcast and print reporters have criticised KTAB willingness on sane days to HD their KRBC Channel- 9 1 about entirely with loci civic awards or minor traffic accidents while seal i storiu communities he hu lived in and a newscast hu to reflect that "Abilene is the least selfish community ever Charles sail "If somebody gets a toe tated here they (area citizens) raise 92MJOO tor an I is difficult to keep reporters in Abilene Chariu sail Because it is the 159th market out of 211 moot young reporters consider the Abilene an "entry level Chariu sail Many of the peofde who come to KRBC stay ady for a year or two Chariu sail That mean they good reporters Chariu sail becauu most go on to larger stations larger dtiu and higher wages Chariu uid he came to Abilene becauu he Uku toe At one time KHBC held the Big Country in its grip at and 10 pm KRBCs only competitor used to be KTXS In a two-station market KRBC held the share take great pains to make sure the stories we cover mean something to people who live in the Pat Brown But the station hu been fighting a ratings war since 1 1971 and so far it is losing KTAB came on the air in from investigative reporting or storiu rile the community ve are pretty statu Bartlett said let me quickly add that when you have reporters out on the street (attending civic awards ceremoaies and meetings) that they (the people reporters meet) are a source of Information to Bartlett said not afraid of dty hall or any hallowed halL" If a controversial story is there the station will do it Bartlett said but not going to out and stir things up just for the sake of hong The February ratings were no ehcouri Though KRBC wu still way ahead of Anther behind KTAB Anl though KRBC still hu ratings that stations outside the Mg Country would envy station manager Ken Snot uld there have been the past year and a half made some real strides in content" Knox sail if we can get cHmate and becauu he wu tired of Ms previous jota on the rood which required him to log 51000 milu each year But Chariu said he is proud of the tact ts just to attack all the KTXS and KRBC KTAB hu few women re- that he is the only news director in Abilene who gets in the to report Store coming here Comtes a ail he hu developed a people to umple the content KRBC also has had turnover in personnel hi the last trite on better footage he sail The weatherman Brown safcl now hu an extra monitor that allows Mm to free the audience rather than turn Ms back to the camera Some KTXS reporters say arrival -has raised morale at the station But ratings based on employee morale and Unlike porters Out of the IS KTAB staff reporters only one mn Adkins wu a woman Bartlett uld that KTAB hu had more women reporters in the past and is now "actively seeking" another womu reporter computerised assignment system and purchased a that brags national high speed Associated Preu wire and state news into the station much tester than few months the station hu had a change in its weatherman and replaced several news reporters have left the station from ID Ratings in personnel My into 15 years defected to KTAB when the station was famed Betas that switch KRBC had even firmer hold viewers' attention than KTAB does now The founder of KTAB BUI Terry drew other defectors from toe news is to go with the do Knox sail they're good strong The survey will show what people like and like about the newscasters they see KRBC Knox sail department to the new station (Terry sera himself had ben station manager What people like will be while people's dbUku will with tali be eliminate! KRBC) Kattogs have a aHdeatKRBC for the put few years KRBC is by no meau out of the running to two of toe slots At both Telephone Dredon noon and I pm Nielsen's February ntfll had a -27 ratings said the station stm til i percent share of the market compared to percent at non and percent at I pm for KTAB At 10 pm KRBCs share wu percent "Most stations In the country would Mil to have the ratings we do Ken Knox station manager of KRBC sail Neverthdess in May 1994 KRBC fired news director and anchor Bill Huston No reason wu given for the firing but the latest rattan at the time said KRBCs market share had ''ll i ill Aj J-Vfr -2 O' gg ar Tjj Vr The traditional and current cdtar dweller ta the rattags rare hu been KTXS At 10 and 9 pm on toe average week day according to the February Nielsen ratings toe station had only a 9 percent share of the market Arbitral rated KTXS slightly higher at 9 pjn giving the station a 10 percent market share is did KTXS have more than 10 patent of the viewing audience At no time alot did KTXS rate even aecond KTXS hu tried various strut ova the years to improve its rat share In 1991 when new owna i Moore bought the station he hired a longtime Abilene radio personality Len Johnson anchor and news director Moore said at toe time that Johnson wu supposed to raise ratings by bringing gray around the to toe newscast The station bad been criticized for having report I rnLoPAGKs SSH- 11 I in place wu Dennis Chules a d-year-old television and radio reporter who wu working in South Beni bl According to Charles ratings have "held their stare he came to February the station February showed a ers who were too 1 1 too young But ratings didn't rise ta January 199k Johnson wu aro-ppear moted to news and public ntotfaos coordinator for KTXS Johnson's re downturn in percentage of market share but February an abnormal month Knox mM Knox said the station didn't a to lose amr viewers Knox sail but it appeared that coM weather reused a large number of viewers who wouldn't normally be watching television to tarn a set on Most of those people turned on "pu re placement news director and ehor is Pat Brown whose last Job fmcb wu anchor of KTBC ta Austin arrival in Abilene neems to have brought a small increase ta the ratings for KTXS The market uare at some time slots ta Feb- STAR sail He isn't rare wire more people turned on KTAB Knox said but ruary went up a couple of percentage points ova its share ta 19di KRBC hu done opinion survey of viewers in the Abilene aren that should let them know some of the reasons why Mg Country viewers tuning ta Ms station That survey win probably bring subtle changu ta KRBCs news program What may be required Kan said Is a change ta style rather thu "They went up a lot when you eon-sidu where we were" Brown sail course where we were wu none too could take months and perhaps years for the changu he hu made at KTXS to sb sail Researcher says evolution may be progressing faster The Abilene Big Country Telephone Directory from Associated Ruble hing Company Is growing to help The Big Country Associated Pubis hlng Company haa been producing a quality product for homes and businesses In The Big Country sines 1 978 So If you want 1 proven sales tool you went the Ablene Big Country Directory Cal Associated AMshing Company to Join growing your wayl By PAUL RAEBURN AP Science Editor I the Amerieu Association for the Advancement of Science The eon-tradletion could meu that evolution to affected by genetic tint have not been loentified Wilson uid Some researchers aay the current rate of evolution is only four timu a 20 timu what to was while Wilaon sayi it may be 100 timu faster Nevertheless many researchers say believe that a ipeed-up hu WOaouuil The apparent tacreau in rates of evolution seems to be tons only for ereatures with relatively large brains Wilson uid The rate at which basic change ta the body plan hu ben occurring Is many timu higha in the mammals and upectolly toe big-brntaed primates than it to ta the reptile" he ukL Associated Publishing Company LOS ANGELES Evolution in humans and otha large-brained erea-toree is progressing up to 100 timu faster now than it wu 400 million yurt ago but it may noon alow down again Nologiat says The discovery baaed on meuure-menta of the rate of change of bone too and otha fonturei (peeks develop contradicts genetic studies that show roughly constant rates of evolutionary change ova long periods uid Alton Wilson profuna of biochemistry at toe University of California in Berkeley a Mg Wilson said Friday at the annual meeting of PO Box 493 Ablene TX 79604 Administration and Reduction 676-4032 Bales 676-4457 i- AAi a sal 4Mn HiiaiannriiT in nr itriT ntnwq ifMMMi rinWiiri "Tf- ftiiHr1 "nlij r-- 'life Hito' ilS Wr.