The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 14

s'1 C2 THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL MEMPHIS MONDAY DECEMBER 4 1995 MONDAY MORNING DEC 4 News debuts for stations offered rocky contrasts Fox the self-promotion become obnoxious But local TV news still can be unnecessarily petty While reporting that a police officer was injured Channel 13 said he was the son of a local television anchor later identified as Jerry Tate former anchor here at Channel co-anchor Byron Day said Of course Tate is an anchor at WREG-TV Channel 3 Why not say that? Not that everything was entirely smooth In that same report reporter Stella Payne said that the officer was injured by broken glass but then said he had been shot Day tried to clarify the situation but Payne reporting live hear him Day said the officer was cut by glass There were a few other glitches Co-anchor Claudia Barr read a story about a cancer victim while viewers saw baboons on screen (The baboon story came a bit later) The camera was on one anchor while the other was speaking But overall the station seems primed to get serious about the news Of course still too early to tell what sort of news it will air and whether it will be any more in-depth than what accustomed to But good for the city that a station that had been doing one hour of local news a day now is doing 4 Vi hours And for that matter good to see Channel 24 doing news even if its initial newscasts seemed more like theatrical productions early in rehearsal than polished efforts During WPTY-TV Channel 24's 5 and 6 pm newscasts Friday the first-ever on the station co-anchor Lynn Car-thane likened the newscasts to buying and moving into a new home By the 10 pm newscast she likened them to giving birth to a baby And a difficult birth it was The early newscasts were plagued by sound problems ana other gremlins The 10 newscast had other prob-ms For instance the opening for the news aired three times before the anchors appeared on screen One sports report was lost then found after a commercial Carthane said at the end of the broadcast that the station was out of time until an off-camera voice told her there was one more report to go Sports director Damon Andrews seemed to get lost in mid-sentence a number of times And Channel 24 had continuing problems identifying people who were interviewed in taped reports Altogther a bumpy ride Doing television never is easy and the trick is to make everything look seamless At Channel 24 the seams were showing By contrast WLMT-TV Channel 30 Channel sister citation made a slightly more auspicious debut in its first newscast at 9 pm Friday The anchors are different but Andrews does the sports and 'Don Carson does the weather for both stations In Channel 30's newscast there as many problems as those suffered by Channel 24 The stations seem to be playing the game One report on Channel 24 had to do with Memphis drivers and the costs we all pay modernizes tale TOM WALTER Television Radio for driving stupidity It would have been nice to know who the station talked to And that sports report probably should have been left missing Reporter Greg Gaston talked about how Channel 30 would continue to air University of Memphis (identified as Memphis University) basketball games Tigers basketball action Catch the he said in what turned into a promotion rather than a news report By contrast WHBQ-TV Channel first hour broadcasts Friday at 5 and 9 pm went smooth as silk The station which has had problems surfacing on radar in the past few years clearly is trying to muscle its way back Ana the changes just in the busy new set which looks like a spaceship viewers will get used to the set soon enough and will look to the station to become more aggressive Not that the station been aggressive amid cutbacks in staff and air time the time for the station to move got more money got more people Its first new newscasts were informative and fresh While Channel 13 spent some time congratulating itself on its switch to TUNE IN ture who bear a striking resemblance to disgruntled employees Ebbie is transformed into the embodiment of the Christmas spirit What set Ebbie apart is the wit in the script by Paul Red-ford and Ed Redlich is a thing of the harrumphs Ebbie) which-pokes fun at bottom-line climate The script also lands zingers at some current attitudes toward the poor performance is often genuinely moving quite a feat when you consider how familiar this story is In the silly and predictable Deadly Family Secrets (8 pm WMC-TV Channel 5) Lorn An TALK SHOWS 11 ajw 90 gaOrtePe People who try to cheat tha system by returning clothes ttayva alrasdy worn 73907 11 an WON SeraUde Sen I am 403549 11 JS sjw CSPAN Mease of Kapraran4wHvaa Morning business (1:10) 374411 Noon (Ml Jerry tpringar Paoplo whose dream coma true romances turned Into nightmares 3243 1 pm 90 Chorda Koao Or Bill Paul of the National Institutes of Health discusses World AIDS Day 71304 1 pm '90 Cartes From September: surprise reunions between former lovers friends reveal their desires for Intimate relation ships 313S4 1 pm CSPAN Hooao at dapraaautattraa Legislative business (1D0) 114013 pm WON Chartaa Am From Saptam-bar Couples consider whether they should continue or and thalr marriages 903433 4 pm (X) Oprah Mnhay Kelsey Grammar 53100 4 pm 90 Ateetef Wddaam From October: aueeeSm sinolAiMB ansOBOw BBm bamk aste peoptv oMimg wnn nw nmn wiy iimh lovers ended their relationship 7S742 4 pm CSPAN Chao Up Foundation (1D0) 440549 5 pm CSPAN Pdhdc Padcy Cantaranca (2:00) 727129 3t pm CNN Crooodra 11447 7 pm CSPAN Prlma Tima Pahdc AHad (jin) 275433 I pm CNN Larry King Uvo 292407 9 pm El Lata Might Wtth Osvte Lattorman Val Kilmer Lyle Lovett Marv Albert (Ra-oeat) 104297 tepm El Howard Stem 725471 10 pm CSPAN PuOdt pry Cantaranca (3D0) 903704 10J0 pm Howard Stora (Repeal) 701091 fr 4 A i I A 4 of Scrooge derson plays Texan Martha Tobias who returns to her childhood home to visit her sister Linda (Gigi Rice of The John Larroguette Show) and brother-in-law Eddie (Greg Evigan) But no sooner does she detrain than she witnesses Eddie committing a murder! (And you thought YOU had inlaw troubles) For the next two hours Martha tries to decide whether to tell the police leading to a downright laughable climax The much-praised family series The Specials returns (6 pm HBO) with a Johann Sebastian Bach story On Melrose Place (7 pm WHBQ-TV Channel 13) the police take an interest in Alison whose new husband seems to have last been seen bobbing off the coast of Mexico leas pm man From I (I) Late Skew HUM Dated Utter-February: John Travolta Brett Butter 5500917 lldS pm (D Tonight Shorn Andla Mac-Dowel I Reba McEnttre Cal Ripken Jr 21225723 11 pm 0B Mantel IMMms See noon 07100 llDS pm da Jitney Jonoo Son 10 am lies pm 3002013 11:34 pm LIFE Late Date 429297 11:37 pm (1) Late Late Skew Computer reporter Walter Moss berg 9401407 11:37 pm 3) Late MjyM mm August: actor KAawBBw 4Wu mu mL ewwwwa saw cnc STOfTZf wiynt pwwTOfir music 9roup I2DS am'u Oaratdo Sea I am 7412747 12-Jt am Hi Later From September: author aiva Barker 113037 1 am El Howord Storm (Repeat) 409054 1 am CNN Larry Ktng Uvo (Repeat) 491512 I am CSPAN 3409949 IDS am (II Septembers recording orttst Sophie Hew kins 45053M IDS am 90 Stogharda Mdtor Kimberly Williams (Fathar of tha Brlda Part ID music group Immature 7513143 IDS am (V) Rstendls People edw think they-are terrific lovers 9110495 tit 1D0 am CSPAN Pubdc Padcy Cantaronco (3D0) 15710374 2DS am (IJ Laaaa 412SS34 IDS am 99 doth Lhnhaugh 30491072 3 am CNN Oeestee (Repeat) 33105 4 am 9B Alar Nate erg Fathers who want another chenco to be Involved In thalr children's Hues 040479 4 am WON Otartee Fsrer (Repeat) 715124 ADO am CSPAN MBc Padcy Canforanca (1D0) 49205747 By Kirk Niccwongcr United Future Syndicate NEW YORK The way we looked at it every adaptation of Charles A Christmas Carol after the definitive Mr Magoo version was extraneous But that was before we saw Ebbie (7 pm Lifetime) Susan Lucci (All My Chil-' dren) stars as department-store CEO Elizabeth Scrooge who sums up her Yuletiae philosophy buy Christmas I sell On 1 Christmas Eve Ebbie is visited by the ghost of her mentor Jake Marley (Jeffrey De-Munn) who insists and I have GOT to She is then visited by the ghosts of Christmas past present and fu- ul CSPAN Waahtngtam Journal (£00) 139)00 7aJCr TMMarataf 3007S 7 un (I) Today Haaltti maintenance organt-xatlona (Part 1 of 2) author Joay Groan lataat nawa from tha entertainment Industry 19365 7 UL Goad AAandng Amartca Modal VSronlea Webb musician Kanny prayar and haallng 40100 bjh mi Garatdm HI lacking and hoataga situations In tha United States 25907 am Uva Hog a Kot Ns Loo Suaan (Ebbto) Barbara Walters Paula 97907 9 an rf Danahua Small towns coping with RWMtfUiTi pouct prove non 4W3) 9 in KIM Loko Paoplo odw drtlbar-ataly hurt datanaalass animals 94407 9 am Butyl Atom Marv Griffin 44297 9 ana CSPAN MB( Pod ty Cbdasnn (1D0) 147704 10 am tody Mothars with uncontrollable daughters' 91 100 10 an OS Jaany Journo From September mskaovors tor weltrassss and other paoplo In service lobs 43407 am BO AUk A Maty From June: RuPaul ul ao Danmyl From October paoplo who ara addicted to home shopping sarv- leas 14471 10 ajw UFO dtggan aod Summon 217704 rUAM OkiMn aj legislative buslnase (1:30) 913051 11 (ll Garden Bdatt Worn ultimatums to thalr flirtatious 11 an Tampaatt Paoplo unwilling to forglvo thalr mates 'tens mors time" 59733 9 A r' i losinaDoaye m-Essf Swosjar Davetopmont Corp 1M1 Caned all yourpljUs all your Monday nigl liinc into WPTVs new local news show weekdays at 5 6 10 pm With Don Carson a certified meteorologist been on CNN and crossed the US on a I larky And for weekend weather see Brian Tcigland at 10 pm SaL Sun Get a new look at Memphis on News Watch 24 WPTY-TV MEMPHIS i jkj.