Abilene Reporter-News from Abilene, Texas • 50

2E Sunday January 26 2003 BUSINESS Abilene eporteriJrto wwwreporternewscom What Is a shared services agreement? A shared services agreement is a relatively new way for TV stations to do business It means one teT evision station hires another station in the same city to provide certain services needed to put broad: casts on the air A small but growing number of TV stations are working out these deals with their competitors now oo my wont There are as many ways for an agreement to work as there are agreements Examples follow New TV stations tap into resources at established newsrooms Two established newsrooms combine forces to cover more ground TV stations cut costs by consolidating offcamera resources like receptionists custodians and the people who produce commercials What can TV stations share with each other? A lot officeclerical staff photographers reporters producers custodial staff marketing staff crews that produce commercials What can TV stations NOT share with each other? Advertising sales and programming decisions such as which major networks to affiliate with or which syndicated programs like Judge Judy or Entertainment Tonight to broadcast Why do stations effee to share services? The Federal Communications Commission which regulates the broadcast industry limits how many TV stations one company may own in a city By sharing services with the FCC's blessing however TV stations can cut costs without merging or running afoul of FCC ownership rules viewership but has increased its audience the past few years Media professors who have studied the trend concede sta- tions save money but say viewers lose the benefits of competition Todd Chambers an assistant professor at Texas Tech University has visited TV stations that combined news operations He found some financially troubled stations avoided canceling newscasts by sharing services Others gave viewers significantly different newscasts on both stations In other cities the newscasts had few differences Chambers said Browning the West Texas professor said under shar- ing agreements one news the TV equivalent of a editor could decide what viewers see on two stations instead of one That could limit what stories get covered she said KRBC has not yet replaced for mer news director Toby Dagenhart who resigned in November Browning also said behind-the-scenes employees video photographers producers (foe peo-pie who dired newscasts) and clerical be concerned about their Jobs" i Different approaches Ta combat charges of homogenous newscasts Russell said his Lubbock stations present news differently One station offers a lot of short stories while the other offers more in-depth looks at selected stories InScrantonWilkes-Barre home of the first newscasts and shifted others so they do not compete against each other The local news airs at 6 pun on Lubbock's ABC affiliate when the CBS affiliate broadcasts the CBS Evening News At 630 pm local news airs on die CBS affiliate while the ABC affiliate broadcasts Entertainment Tbntght The CBS affiliate added a late afternoon newscast called Newsjbr Women since combinlngibrces Getting more or less Lammers said combining forces helps TV stations cover more ground say that on Friday night you have high school he said opposed to two photographers from different stations going to shoot the Bame video (at the same game) one photographer can be shooting video for both stations and that second photographer can be at a differ entgame" Sharing services may cut costs but do not necessarily attract bigger audiences Unable to gain much ground on Scranton Wilkes-Barre's top-rated news station the Nexstar and Mission stations in that Pennsylvania market began simultaneously broadcasting die same weekday morning and noon news programs in September Evening newscast reporters work exclusively for one station or the other KTAB until recently enjoyed a long run as toproted station and remains the top-rated station for news at 6 pun and 10 pun KRBC remains in third place for news and overall Changes Continued from IE how they save money by sliaring operations But personnel is usually a TV station's largest expense and one of the things station owners often cut when revenue drops said Jerry Condra a former KRBC employee who teaches and studies media trends at the State University of New York-Oswegoi Shared services agreements do not necessarily mean immediate layoffs or fewer newscasts In Wichita Falls Julie Pruett general manager of KFDX-TY said no one lost a job when KFDX began sharing services with KJTL-TV which has no newscast in 1999 As the stations now located in the same building tweaked how they do business employees who resigned were not replaced "We found we need as many Pruett said In Lubbock the CBS and ABC affiliates owned by Quorum Broadcasting and VHR Broadcasting respectively combined newsrooms almost four years ago Quorum corporate news director Richard Russell said the number of reporters photographers and producers has remained about the same as before Their stories air ran both stations however and combining the newsrooms essentially doubles the number of stories the stations can cover The stations have also covered more news in towns outside Lubbock he said The stations have also added which is delivering our advertisers the best product we can We have the best news product and we will still keep working as hard as we can to continue our community outreach" KTXS and its sister station Tderaundo affiliate KTES-TV areforsala professor Condra said news organizations are as concerned about die bottom line as any other business But they also should remember tjjdr special place in the community TV news operation is more than a business Condra said because they have been given public licenses have a higher calling to serve the puhlic with high-quality news" NexstarMlsskn shared servfoes agreement both stations often swap stories news director A1 Zobelsaid If a reporter finds a hot stay Zobel makes sure It airs on that 1 -n em a repeaters station nrst The other station must wait until its next newscast to broadcast it Lammers said even though the details of die Abilene plan remain unresolved stations will continue competing is not about hurting either one of them This is about becoming stronger a much stronger competitor to KTXS (the ABC affiliate) and the newspaper and the radio Jackie Rutledge KTXS' general manager said she is aware the stations may join forces but that KTXS would continue doing what been doing How newspapers share services Competing broadcasters in the same city waking together is a relatively new phenomenon But competing newspapers have worked together for decades Joint operating agreements allowed under the federal Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 allow competing newspapers in the same city to consolidate advertising production and circulation (the people who deliver newspapers) departments but not newsrooms if one newspaper is in danger of folding JOAs present in cities such as Denver Detroit and Albuquerque (home of the nation's oldest agreement dating back to the 1930s) help ensure that more than one newspaper survives in a city giving readers more opportir- Contact leisure writer Brien Murphy at murplyWreportemewtxom or 67S6760 How KTXS and the Reporter-News share services The Abilene Reporter-News and ABC exchanges of affiliate KTXS-TV still compete against- resources nities to tell their stories Each newspaper keeps a separate staff of reporters editors and photographers Other departments are consolidated which saves money but sometimes results in fewer jobs Newspapers continue to be owned by separate companies Some newspapers share buildings while others retain separate offices Reporter-News Staff Repat Reporter-News or a newspaper repater may discuss an issue irvdepth on the evening news On one occasion a Reporter-News re pater and photographer produced stories for both outlets Reporters at both companies sometimes pursue different angles of the same 8C3UPPS HOWARD stay for example a drive to find more volunteers for Big BrothersBig Sisters and promote each other's efforts Advertising salespeople have worked together on special promotions but advertisers were not required to buy ads with both companies KTXS uses a camera mounted high above the Reporter-News' roof downtown to cover weather Brien Murphy TV and newspaper editors swap lists of stories repaters are covering Both companies still cover many stories independently But parts of a KTXS report may appear in the each other for hot news stories and advertising revenue But the media outlets have worked together in several ways for more than three years The verbal agreement involves no exchange of revenue and the companies remain owned by separate corporations The agreement mostly involves Texas unemployment rate declines to 62 percent in December Associated Press Laredo 66 (66) Longview-Marshall 63 (64) Lubbock 26 (27) McAllen-Edinburg-Mlssion 133(137) Odessa-Midland 51 (53) San Angelo 33 (33) San Antonio 47 (51) Sherman-Denison 58 (63) TexaikanaNA Tyler 42 (44) Victoria 44 (47) Waco 44 (52) Aust in-San Marcos 43 (51) Beaumont-Port Arthur 78 (73) Brazoria 73 (73) Brownsville-Harlingen 102 (111) Bryan-College Station 17 (18) Corpus Christi 54 (53) Dallas 61 (66) El Paso 81 (83) Fort Worth-Arlington 54 (59) Galveston-Texas City 63 (72) Houston 54 (57) Killeen-Temple 51 (53) to 61 percent in November Hie unemployment rate in December 2001 was 53 percent Government employment grew for the fifth straight month by 1300 positions in December Following are the December unemployment rates for Texas metropolitan areas with November rates in parentheses The local figures were not seasonally adjusted Abilene 38 (40) Amarillo 34 (36) from 1007 million The figures were adjusted fin seasonal hiring and firing patterns which economists believe give a better picture of the underlying job market Without the seasonal adjustments actual figures showed a drop of 41300 in the number of jobless Texans and a 1000 decline in the number of-those working The actual employment rate was 57 in December compared said A year earlier it was 57 percent Last unemployment level was the highest for December since 1992 the commission said The number of people seeking unemployment benefits dropped to 668900 in December from 677300 in November according to seasonably adjusted figures The number of working Texans dropped to 1005 million AUSTIN Statewide unemployment declined slightly to 62 percent in December as construction services and government sectors added jobs offsetting losses in manufacturing the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday The November jobless rate was 63 percent after being adjusted for seasonal employment patterns the commission AGRICULTURE DIGEST -REPORTER-NEWS Classifieds C7S-735S (SELU (S00) S8S73S5 XOm invites you to send Valentine ave gPotes This Valentine's Day send someone special a personalized Love Note" Your sweetheart friend or relative will be happy to kpow that you caret Your note will appear in the Abilene Reporter-News on Valentine's Day February 14 tf Youth Camps Recruits are now being mus- tered for the 2003 a group of wMifeert ented youth camps targeting 13-to 17-year-old cadets Bobwhite quail white-tailed deer and wild tuikey form foe nuclei fin: foe award-winning camps that equip participants with communications skills leadership development and a healthy dose of wildlife management core curriculum at these camps isleadership development and conservation natural said Dc Dale Rollins Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist and founder of foe Brigades meld and disguise those principles into ton and interesting activities dealing with quail tuikey or deer The result is a 100-hour crash course In growing upT The two Buckskin Brigade dates and locations are: South Texas 4th Battalion La Pryor June 1-5 and North Texas 2nd Battalion Luedera July 20-24 Dates and locations for the two Bobwhite Brigades are: Rolling Plains 11th Battalion Lueders June 21-25 and South Texas 6th Battalion Campbellton July 13-17 The East Texas Brigade 7th Battalion July 27-31 at Broadus centers on quail and tuikey Rollins said combining foe tuikey with the quail curricula in this instance was a real boost to the campi It also allowed foe camp to add a strong new sponsor in foe National Wild Turkey federation The sponsors include: and passenger safety housing and character education classes said Renee Sanders district extension director in San Angela In the last three years she has been instrumental in the presentation of 18 support meetings and educational sessions fin: foe Grandparents as Parents program said Gary Bomar extension agent in Taylor County In 2001 Fogerson received -the Distinguished Achievement Award from Extension Specialist Association Agriculture Heroes wanted Feb 1 is the deadline for north inations for the Texas Department of Agriculture 2002 Rural Heroism Award Candidates must have performed a heroic lifesaving act within Texas during 2002 The heroic deed should be related to forming or ranching and occur in a rural area The department will not consider automobile accidents or accidents caused by negligence Nominations should indude a written account of the incident and the names addresses and telephone numbers of everyone involved If available newspaper dippings and photographs should accompany all nominations Nominations must be postmarked by Feb 1 and mailed to Lola Lemmon safety coordinator Texas Department of Agriculture PO Box 12847 Austin Texas 78711 For more Information on qualifications contact Lemmon at (512) 475-1611 1 Texas Cooperative Extension Texas Wildlife Association Texas Parks and Wildlife Department USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Quail Unlimited National Wild Turkey Federation local Soil and Water Conservation districts and numerous private businesses and landowners Tuition for all camps is $200 per cadet per campi Organizers are willing to help cadets find scholarships for at least half the tuition Applications are available in pdf format at or wwwtexasbrlgadesorg Applications are due by April 15 Said them to Helen Holdsworth Texas executive director 401 Isom Road Suite 237 San Antonk) TX 78216 Each camp is limited to 30 participants per session For ftirther Information contact Dc Dale Rollins at (915) 653-4576 or d-rollinstamuedu or Holdsworth at (210) 826-2904 hjMldsworthtexas-wildlifeag Award 4 Lynda fegerson of Abilene was honored Jan 8 with the Vice Award in Excellence for Family and Consumer Sciences Programs by the Texas University Agriculture Program The award presented by Dc Ed Hilo vice chancellor for agriculture at Texas is the highest honor given to faculty and employees of the Agriculture program Fogerson is known for her exemplary programs in financial management welfare to work programs food protection Print Message Here: Name: Address: Phone: Check One: Check Money Order Credit Card Visa MasterCard Discover Card Number Exp Date:.