Second Hispanic Station Launches in Omaha

Omaha's second Spanish-language format radio station launched on Wednesday on KYDZ (1180 AM).

"La Bonita" will air a carefully-selected blend of music from Mexico and other Latin American countries played in the 70s and 80s, according to NRG Media Omaha General Manager Ken Fearnow.

"The US Hispanic population is growing rapidly," Fearnow said. "Spanish-speaking radio stations are impacting communities nationwide and we believe the Omaha Hispanic community is underserved by radio. That is why we've chosen to go in this direction."

Listeners can expect to hear Latin American artists such as Juan Gabriel, Vicente Fernandez, and Yolanda del Rio singing with Mariachi.

Before Wednesday, KYDZ had been simultcasting Radio Disney programming from 1020 AM. The FCC license for KYDZ expired Feb. 28 in exchange for NRG Media's expanded band allocation for KOZN (1620 AM).

KIOS' Revamped Line-Up Debuts Saturday

KIOS (91.5 FM) debuts a revamped programming lineup Saturday, introducing six new programs, as well as a redesigned website that offers streaming audio.

Station Manager Keith Neisler said the changes are part of the station's commitment to provide listeners with the very best in public radio programming. The new programs range from fun and informative, to money and business, to faith and religion.

"I am extremely pleased with the line-up we are offering our listeners," Neisler said. "It is perhaps the strongest group of shows we have had at KIOS for many years. Public radio is constantly changing to provide the highest quality programming and we are endeavoring to do that with the changes that begin in July."

The new line-up includes:

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WOWT Unveils New Look

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) unveiled new music, a new graphics look and new music on its newscasts Thursday. The revamped image also extends to the station's website (the new look is seen at right above, with the old look below). The station's slogan of "Live, Local, Late Breaking." has been modified to "Live. Local. Breaking News." The slogan is similar to KMTV (Cox Channel 5), which advertises itself as "Action 3 News" with "Breaking News." and "First Warning Weather."

Among the more noticeable changes is a cleaner look for a "story slug" bar, which provides the viewer with an overall "theme" or "title" of the story they were viewing. The lower-third chyron no longer extends to the bottom of the screen, allowing viewers to see more of the video.


The old weather graphic look (left) and new (right).

World-Herald Fireworks Not On The Fourth

Contrary to what is printed in today's "GO" section of the Omaha World-Herald, the newspaper's annual fireworks spectacular is not happening on July 4.

In a clever two-page spread on pages 12 and 13 of the "GO" section, World-Herald staff writer Dane Stickney outlines a "minute by minute" list of options of things to do on the Fourth of July. But the 19th of 20 items on the list reads, "Find a midway point, look to the sky and relish two fireworks displays - in Ralston and at Rosenblatt Stadium."

But the Grucci-produced fireworks display at Rosenblatt, as mentioned in an adjacent story on the same page, goes off on July 3 following the Omaha Royals' game against the Iowa Cubs.

Coincidence or Just Good Marketing?

A story on KETV.com detailing a problem Cox Communications had Tuesday morning with its high speed Internet contained banner ads for competing telecommunications companies.

KETV.com Webmaster Shiloh Woolman said the ads are not generated by responding to editorial content, rather, the companies are simply sponsors of pages that deal with technology on KETV.com.

One of the banner ads was for Qwest Communications (see above). Another was for Alltel Wireless (below).

KOWH-TV Signed On Monday

If the KOWH call letters for the new UHF station in the Lincoln, Kearney and Hastings markets sound a little familiar, they should be to readers of the state's largest newspaper.

The station owner, Lincoln Broadcasting, LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Omaha World-Herald Companies. KOWH started broadcasting Monday on UHF Channel 51. Eventually, it will available on cable and to satellite subscribers in those cities.

Journal Sells Off KBBX

Journal Broadcast Group is selling one of its seven Omaha radio stations.

Spanish-language station KBBX (97.7 FM), also known as "Radio Lobo," will be sold to Connoisseur Media, of Westport, Conn., for an undisclosed price.

Journal had to sell at least one station to comply with federal regulations limiting the number of broadcast outlets a company can own in a given community. (It purchased KMTV (CBS) last December.) Journal has said it plans to sell off at least one more Omaha radio property.

Connoisseur Media currently owns 20 radio stations. Journal Broadcast Group owns and operates 37 radio stations and nine television stations in 12 states and operates two television stations under local marketing agreements.

McFayden Fired From KXVO

(Updated June 26
11 a.m.)

Brian McFayden's stint as host of the "KXVO 15 10:00 News" is over, less than two months after it began.

According to multiple sources at KXVO and its sister station, KPTM, McFayden was terminated Friday. Station management would not comment specifically about the former MTV DJ's dismissal, but KPTM/KXVO News Director Allen Beckner did share a portion of what he told his staff that day:

"After many discussions Brian McFayden has decided that he will explore other options with his career," Beckner said. "Brian has certainly helped us take the KXVO news in a new direction and we appreciate his hard work, enthusiasm and passion. There is no doubt he will do well with his future plans. We will begin an immediate search, to find a replacement."

Following McFayden's dismissal, all references to him were removed from the station's website and a new myspace.com page was created. (Visit the old site here.)

McFayden, a Ralston High School graduate, debuted as host on April 24, replacing Calvert Collins, who shifted back to reporting duties for KPTM. His exit coincides with the release of the Nielsen Media Research May ratings, which were received by most Omaha TV stations Friday.

Under McFayden, the opening minutes of the newscast featured a taped first-person segment, followed by a few headlines from the KPTM news desk. On Arbor Day, he was seen kissing and hugging a tree. On the day of Omaha's primary election, he and his mom had a few drinks before she went to vote. One skit involved him getting a massage in a conference room during a newscast meeting while another showed him in bed with a woman in her 50s who purported to have tried a female version of Viagra.

In an April 21 press release announcing McFayden's hiring, Beckner said McFayden's strong ties to the Omaha-area and outstanding experience would add a new level of excitement and passion to the newscast.

"Brian's passion for Nebraska is incredible," Beckner said in the release. "He has so many great contacts in the community and he really cares about what happens here. There is no doubt that the viewer will see that. His enthusiasm is contagious and we are all excited about having him on board."

McFayden has a wide variety of national television experience, including hosting "Cupid," "Beauty and The Geek," "SNAFU," and "Superstars USA." He has also made appearances on "Dawson's Creek," "MadTV," "Grounded For Life," and "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" and also spent three years on MTV as a VJ hosting "Total Request Live," "Hot Zone" and "MTV News."

Microphones Add To ESPN's CWS Coverage

ESPN took advantage of one of its microphones worn by the umpires at the College World Series to get additional details on a third-inning play that robbed the University of North Carolina of a home run.

During Saturday night's 4-3 win over Oregon State, UNC left fielder Jay Cox could be heard yelling, "Hey, we've got fan interference. We've got fan interference," on left field umpire John Kleis' microphone.

Kleis then consulted with another umpire and could be heard saying, "We've got a double. We've got a double, two."

Oregon State coach Pat Casey then came out of the dugout to argue that the ball should have been ruled a home run. His comments were also picked up by the umpires' microphones.

"Why are you looking at him? "He's got the better angle," Casey said to the home plate umpire.

ESPN installed 81 microphones at Rosenblatt Stadium for its coverage of the CWS.

Nabil Molai Hired At KPTM

KPTM's newest reporter is Nabil Molai, a graduate of Omaha Burke High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He comes to Omaha from another Pappas Broadcasting owned station, KHGI in Kearney, where he was a photographer and reporter. He has also worked at KOLN/KGIN in Lincoln and interned for Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) for one year.

"We are happy to have Nabil on board," KPTM News Director Allen Beckner said.

Molai is a full-time employee of the station, Beckner said, and will act as a general assignment reporter.

Artsy Named NET Radio Afternoon News Producer

Avishay Artsy, a contributor to The Reader and El Perico newspapers for the past several months, has been appointed to the new position of NET Radio afternoon news producer.

Artsy has a long list of public radio credits including frequent contributions to NPR (National Public Radio) news programs, as well as working as a regional correspondent for New Hampshire Public Radio and as a reporter/producer for WPFW public radio in Washington, D.C.

He also served as a news assistant for Paris Live Radio, a new English language station in Paris, France, and has worked as online news editor for the Omaha World-Herald's website, Omaha.com.

Artsy will be responsible for editing and producing the Nebraska news segments that air during "All Things Considered," which airs 4 to 6:30 p.m. on NET Radio. He will continue to contribute his own news stories and features, according to NET manager Ray Dilley.

Revisiting the Past: March 2005

In anticipation of the release of the Nielsen Media Research report for Omaha television stations during the May ratings period, it seemed like the appropriate time to revisit a nationally-circulated profile of Omaha TV stations by MediaWeek, a news magazine of the media.

In the subscription-only report, written by Eileen Davis Hudson and published in March of 2005, former KMTV General Manager Jim McKernan dismissed the station's poor performance in the November 2004 ratings, blaming Nielsen.

"I don't place a lot of stock in [the November book]," McKernan told Hudson. "The in-tabs were off 22 percent in this market."

In retrospect, the article also points out how many changes KMTV has made in two short years:

Across town, third-ranked KMTV is hoping to attract more viewers and see ratings upticks from the changes it has made over the past two years. The CBS affiliate reformatted its late newscast at 10 p.m., scaling back sports coverage to the bare minimum and replacing it with daily commentary. Travis Justice, formerly the station's sports anchor and also a current regular on the market's No.1-rated Todd 'n Tyler radio morning-drive show on KEZO-FM, provides the local commentary. KMTV elicits viewer e-mail and phone responses to a given topic, then later shares the comments on-air on its For What It's Worth segment, which can run as long as four minutes.

KMTV is the only one of the Big Three in the market that does not produce local news at 6 p.m., having pulled the plug on its struggling 6 o'clock news a few years ago. It now airs Entertainment Tonight and The Insider in the time period. KMTV is also the home of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil and Regis & Kelly, as well as the broadcast home for nine Creighton University men's basketball games.

With the introduction of a new "Action News" format in February and generous cross-promotion by its owner, Journal Broadcast Group, on its Omaha radio properties, expectations at KMTV are certainly high for a strong May 2005 ratings performance.

Rowell Resigns From World-Herald

Omaha World-Herald columnist Rainbow Rowell is leaving the newspaper to take a copywriting job at Bailey Lauerman advertising agency.

Rowell, 33, has spent the past nine years writing three columns a week for the Midlands section. She got her start at the World-Herald as a college intern in 1994. She later worked for the Des Moines Register before returning to the World-Herald to be the paper's western Iowa reporter.

Her last column will appear in Sunday editions.

World-Herald Appoints Managing Editor

Mike Reilly has been promoted from one of three "assistant managing editors" at the Omaha World-Herald to "managing editor" of the newspaper.

The 46-year-old is graduate of the University of Missouri who has worked at the St. Louis Sun and the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. He has been at The World-Herald since 1990.

In a front-of-the-Midlands section story, the World-Herald says Reilly will "manage the day-to-day newsgathering and editing for all sections of the news report under the direction of Executive Editor Larry King."

May "Sweeps" Results Coming Soon

Nielsen Media Research is expected to release ratings for the Omaha television May "sweeps" period later this week.

Cowherd Appearance Delayed

Colin Cowherd, Sports Illustrated's 2005 Radio Personality of the Year, was unable to broadcast live from Omaha Tuesday morning because of travel problems.

Cowherd was scheduled to do his show live at InPlay from 8 a.m. to noon. Tuesday and Wednesday, but bad weather canceled his flight to Omaha Monday night. Cowherd is still scheduled to be at InPlay Wednesday morning.

Brother of W-H Sportswriter Ticketed For Scalping

The Omaha World-Herald acknowledged in Tuesday editions that one of three people ticketed Monday for scalping College World Series Tickets is the brother of veteran World-Herald sports writer Steve Pivovar.

Greg Pivovar, owner of Stadiumview Sportscards (located directly across from Rosenblatt Stadium on 13th Street) was cited by Omaha Police, along with Robert Liddick and Randy Schufeldt. Police confiscated 170 reserved seat tickets, four general admission tickets and $2,500 in cash.

Greg Pivovar is known to greet customers by asking, "Hey, man. Want a beer?" He has reportedly given out more than 11,500 complimentary beers since 1993.

Steve Pivovar has covered the College World Series for the World-Herald for more than 25 years and is a past National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America Wilbur Snypp Award winner, honoring a professional for their contributions to the sport of collegiate baseball.

In Case You Missed It...

In metropolitan editions of Sunday's Omaha World-Herald, an Associated Press story telling of Former Enron Corp. President Jeffrey Skilling's contemplation of suicide was repeated in two different sections of the newspaper.

Headlined "Skilling says Enron's fall plunged him into despair," the story nine-inch story appeared in the main section on page 4A. In the business section on page 2D, the story was headlined, "Skilling pondered suicide during Enron scandal" and included Skilling's mug shot.

Only one of the two stories was published on the newspaper's website, omaha.com.

Clever College World Series Story

Perhaps one of the most original and entertaining TV story ideas associated with the College World Series came from WOWT's John Knicely back in the late 80s or early 90s.

Working at the time for KETV as its sports director, Knicely sought to poke fun at a new rule instituted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association which prevented local stations from showing highlights of games in progress.

Under the premise that he would be showing "Official, NCAA-Approved Highlights," Knicely cleverly teased viewers into watching what they thought would be highlights of the game going on during KETV's early-evening newscast. What they really saw was, well, fairly entertaining.

The first night, Knicely and his camera crew were set up on a tall building in downtown Omaha. With Rosenblatt Stadium slowly coming into view as the photographer zoomed in, Knicely began attempting to describe the action on the field - except it was barely visible. (Skycams were still several years off - and offer a similar view.)

The following night, Knicely promised to actually get inside the stadium to see the game in progress. The sports segment opened with a stadium usher leading Knicely and his photographer to a seat just a few rows up from home plate. But when the camera got into place and turned toward the field, it was immediately clear why Knicely and crew were invited into the stadium - the seat was in an "obstructed view" section, directly behind a post.

Another segment was shot using a fan's mirrored sunglasses to reflect the action on the field as Knicely described it. Yet another took place in the press area, where the camera zoomed in on a small black-and-white monitor, which was recording live action off the feed from ESPN.

"At the time, I did receive a call from a competing general manager in town who told me what a kick he got out of the spoofs," Knicely said. "We were all upset about the crackdown on highlights."

KXVO Launches myspace.com Page

Brian McFayden and the "KXVO 15 10:00 News" have a new myspace.com page.

Headlined with "Hilarity ensues, every night at 10:00," the page offers a chance to download past episodes of the show, as well as register a comment about it.

Mike Kelly Becomes OPC 'Face' Tonight

Omaha World-Herald columnist Mike Kelly will be honored tonight as the Omaha Press Club's 107th "Face on the Barroom Floor."

Kelly, who has worked at the newspaper since 1970, will be roasted by Dana Parsons, columnist for the Los Angeles Times; David Jacobson, chairman of Kutak Rock; Chris Nelson, design director for the World-Herald and executive producer of the Press Club Show; and Larry King, the World-Herald's executive editor. And - in a Press Club first - all four of Mike and Barb Kelly's children will roast their dad.

"My kids definitely intend to embarrass their father, which will be kind of a payback for the times I've embarrassed them over the years," Kelly said.

The kids - Laura, Kevin, Bridget and Nick - will tell "dumb Dad" jokes. Kevin will show a funny DVD he made about his father, called "The Entertainer."

Kelly's World-Herald colleague, reporter Steve Jordon, plans a "mini-Press Club Show," including songs by his wife, Helen, and Gail Graeve, and a video produced by John Prescott.

No Tow Truck Needed

When the live truck from Kearney ABC affiliate and Pappas-owned station NTV got bogged down in the sand near the Great Platte River Road Archway last week, some local oxen were brought in to pull it out.

Take a look:

Former KMTV Reporter Quoted

Former KMTV reporter/producer Barry Kriha resurfaced in the news this week.

Now an account executive in the KETV sales department, Kriha was quoted in an article in the Southwest Nebraska News about Nebraska ranking second in a national survey concerning volunteerism rates.

"Whether through faith-based organizations, civic groups or other nonprofit agencies, Nebraska's strong national showing should be a source of pride for our state," Kriha said, speaking as commissioner of the Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission.

Click here to read the full text of the article.

Coulter Squares Off With Becka

Controversial conservative Ann Coulter will be a guest today on The Tom Becka Show on KFAB (1110 AM) at 2:35 p.m.

Coulter, best known for her often intentionally aggressive and controversial style, is pushing her latest book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism."

She became a public figure shortly before becoming an unpaid legal advisor for the attorneys representing Paula Jones in her sexual harassment suit against President Bill Clinton. Coulter wrote a column about the Paula Jones case for the magazine "Human Events" and then was asked to help write legal briefs for Jones.

KETV's Jeff Frolio Remembered

A pair of carnations adorned the locker of former KETV photojournalist Jeff Frolio on the two-year anniversary of the on-the-job accident that took his life.

The 45-year-old died June 10, 2004 after being struck by a car while shooting footage of an intersection at 222nd and West Center Road where two teens had died. He was survived by his wife, Marianne, and their three children: Nicki, David and Carly.

Frolio's locker in the photographer's office remains preserved as he left it. Another constant reminder of his 20-year career at KETV is "The Fro File," a collection of meticulously archived tapes that he compiled after being frustrated looking for file video early in his career.

"Jeff is obviously not forgotten in this newsroom," said Peter Soby, National Press Photographers Association Region 9 Director and a colleague of Frolio's at KETV. "Not a week goes by when someone asks, 'Remember when Frolio covered that?' We really miss him."

Frolio is best remembered for his love of family, photography, music and theater. Following his death, hundreds of condolence e-mails poured into an online forum set up on KETV's website.

An influx of newcomers to the KETV newsroom may have pared the ranks of those who worked alongside Frolio, Soby said, but the memory of his death serves as a reminder of the dangers of the profession. KETV staffers are now provided with neon-colored vests to wear while covering roadside stories.

"We're a little more skittish about shooting in traffic," Soby said. "I know when I'm with a reporter, I always remind them to watch out for traffic. Sometimes we forget we're in the middle of the street because we are concentrating so much on doing our job."

Jordan Offers Election Insight

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) investigative/political reporter Joe Jordan examined the primary election from a behind-the-scenes perspective for the June issue of the Omaha Press Club's newsletter, "Beyond 30."

Here is the article, in its entirety (reprinted with permission):

Whether it's a single political story or a series of stories from a lengthy campaign, I constantly remind myself that "it's not my job to do the candidates' job."

Different candidates will have different views as to what their job is. (I think their job is telling the voters who they are, where they stand on the issues, what they'll do if elected, etc.) I'm convinced my job is to let the voter/viewer know what the candidate may not want you to know about them, and that includes a wide range of possibilities. I'd like to focus on just a few "tracking" devices: money and advertising (television, radio and direct mail).

It's been 33 years since "Deep Throat" told reporters something we should have already known and something we should never forget: Follow the Money.

Here is an example of how following the money can at least indicate to a reporter what's true and what's not. During the recent race for governor of Nebraska, it was widely believed that Gov. Dave Heineman's position on the Omaha Public School's "One City, One School" debate, would be a huge political plus for the governor. (Heineman sided with the suburban schools and was opposed to any expansion of the OPS boundaries.)

According to the conventional wisdom, since a solid majority of voters in the suburbs are registered Republicans, Heineman would easily win the county. As it turns out, Congressman Tom Osborne won Douglas County! There may be several reasons why (including Democrats who switched parties to vote for Osborne), but an examination of campaign contributions prior to the May 9 primary gave a clear indication that Osborne was, at the very least, holding his own in Douglas County.

In late February, an Action 3 News breakdown of the campaign contributions Deep Throat Was Right: Election Journalism in the suburbs (Elkhorn, Millard, Westside and Ralston School Districts) found Osborne receiving 82 contributions totaling $78,000. Heineman had received 35 contributions totaling $69,000.

It's the money, of course, that leads directly to the candidate's message. Campaign commercials are the modern day political stump speeches. It is impossible to cover campaigns without knowing what a candidate's television or radio ads are saying. (In smaller races, reporters also need to examine a candidate's direct mail pieces.) The commercials literally hand reporters a road map of the campaign.

If you're wondering which campaign themes are working, just watch the ads. It was no accident that in the final days of the Heineman-Osborne race, Heineman's ads focused in part on the issue of illegal immigration. Heineman's campaign (based on polling research) was obviously convinced they could mine some votes by pointing out the governor's veto of in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants (Osborne was in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants). You didn't have to wait until the campaign was over to realize this was a hot button issue. Heineman's ads were screaming at reporters to pay attention to the immigration issue.

One final thought/suggestion: I hope news organizations (and this is aimed specifically at television news) will put an end to "candidate profiles." I haven't seen one of these in years that hasn't been a public relations tool for the candidate. Rarely is there any information in these "profiles" that isn't available on the candidate's web site. Please dig a little deeper. If nothing else: Follow the money and the message.

Joe Jordan is the Senior Investigative/Political Reporter for Action 3 News. In 2003, he received the "Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Reporting" for his exclusive investigation that exposed efforts by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to influence state and federal elections with an apparently illegal campaign tactic -- a TV commercial paid for by Pfizer featuring a congressional candidate promoting a prescription drug card for senior citizens.

In This Week's Print Edition

Find out who the winners were at the Omaha Press Club's "Excellence in Journalism" awards. Available on newsstands Thursday.