World-Herald Series of Unprecendented Length

The Omaha World-Herald's "Playing Victims, Playing the System" seven-chapter series concludes Sunday, completing a run of unprecedented length.

"We believe this is the longest serial the World-Herald has run (i.e., where the plot of the main story continues from day-to-day)," said its author, veteran investigative reporter Karyn Spencer.

"The newspaper has published weeklong series before I was here, and some of the "occasional" series (i.e., "Help Wanted: The unspoken demand for illegal immigrants") may have had more total parts spread over time," Spencer said.

The more than 9,100-word series chronicles the life of Jim O'Gara, an Omahan who swindled lawyers, inmates, ostrich farmers, bank officers, deep-sea divers, total strangers, the federal government and his own wife out of $4.4 million.

Spencer said she began investigating O'Gara shortly after his 2004 indictment and reviewed more than 60 court files and interviewed more than three dozen people in 10 states to write the seven-part series.

Spencer has previously been recognized for her investigative reporting, winning a Mary Ellen Award, a Casey Medal for meritorious journalism and a Prevention for a Safer Society (PASS) Award for her contributions to the World-Herald's series "Our Dead Children: Why Nebraska Fails as a Parent" in 2003.

John Oakey: I'm Not Leaving

KETV morning and midday news anchor John Oakey said he was as surprised as anyone when he heard the news that he was leaving the station.

"I came in this morning and Mike'l Severe started playing a farewell good-bye song and that's when I learned I was on the (Omaha TV News) blog," Oakey said. "As far as I know, I am still employed at KETV. Of course management doesn't come in for a few more minutes.

"Maybe I didn't read the small print when I re-signed my new contract last month. Maybe it said three weeks, not three years."

Oakey moved to the "First News" morning program in July of 2001 after 11 years as a sports anchor and reporter. He said Friday's report of his supposed departure triggered a flurry of messages from other colleagues in the media.

"Again, I'm here until they pull me off the desk kicking and screaming - in a manly way of course," he said.

Much Said And Written About Terrell Owens

More than 1,990 stories appear this morning on Google's news list of stories written about Terrell Owens - the Dallas Cowboys receiver who dominated news coverage for a good part of the day on Wednesday.

Owens was rushed to a Dallas hospital Tuesday night after a reported suicide attempt. Whether he tried to overdose on pain medication depends on whom you believe: the police report or Owens and his handlers.

ESPN's Dan Patrick, after hearing Owen's own explanation of the incident, apologized to listeners of his radio show for having devoted nearly three hours of his program to the soap-opera like saga.

Kevin Kugler, co-host of "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on KOZN (1620 AM), opened Wednesday's show by factitiously telling listeners he was inundated with e-mails asking for more discussion on Owens.

Matt Perrault, host of "The Big Show" on Big Sports 590 (KXSP 590 AM), said the Owens situation is a love/hate situation for everyone involved.

"The media loves the man because he makes casual fans pay attention with attention grabbing headlines. The media hates the man for his excuses, pompous attitude and ridiculous behavior," Perrault said.

Most of the public and the media are just plain sick of him, Perrault said, but he believes there are two personalities to Owens: "Terrell Owens," a scared, little boy who grew up in a difficult environment in Alabama; and "T.O.," a supertalented football player, who is allowed to act out because of it.

"'Terrell Owens' went in front of the media and tried to tell everyone he is OK," Perrault said. "For the Cowboy's sake, I hope he is. 'T.O.' and Company crave attention so much that some have speculated that it all might be a stunt. We might never know if 'T.O.' did try to take his own life, but the story isn't going away anytime soon whether we like or not."

Former Kearney Anchor Profiled

Former KHGI-Kearney sports director Al Zobel is now the news director at WKOW (ABC) in Madison, Wisc.

Best known for his "Big Screen" sportscasts, Zobel is profiled in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Becka Pictured in Cleveland Newspaper

KFAB (1110 AM) evening drive-time talk show host Tom Becka was pictured in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (second from right, in red) for flashing the choke sign at Ozzie Guillen on Monday night during the Tribe's victory at Jacobs Field.

Photo courtesy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Liggett Headed to Non-Profit Organization

Laura Liggett's last day as a reporter at KETV (Cox Channel 9) was Sunday. The May 2006 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate is taking a job as a development associate at the Omaha Home for Boys.

Among her duties, Liggett said, will be to produce the organization's newsletter, tutor children in Spanish and write grant proposals. She begins her new job on Monday.

"This will be the first weekend I have had off in nine months," Liggett said.

Pavelka Makes It Clear:Deal Is For Basketball Only

Kent Pavelka says you can stop the speculation that he'll be calling Nebraska football games come this time next fall.

"This is about basketball only," Pavelka said. "They (Host Communications) made it clear Jim is the football guy and I'm the basketball guy and that's the way it's going to be."

News that Pavelka was returning to press row to call Nebraska basketball games this season fueled rumors that the broadcast veteran might someday return to being the voice of Husker football on radio broadcasts.

Pavelka was the Nebraska basketball play-by-play man from 1974 to 1996. He called Husker football games from 1983 to 1996. For basketball, he will replace Randy Lee, who was the play-by-play voice the past four seasons.

The decision to replace Lee with Pavelka was made by Husker Sports Network general manager Kevin Moore. The Husker Sports Network is the former Pinnacle Sports Network, which was bought out by Host Communications earlier this month.

"To get a personality like Kent Pavelka is significant," Lee told the Lincoln Journal Star.

Lee will continue to be a part of the Nebraska football broadcast team, along with Jim Rose (play-by-play) and Adrian Fiala (color). Monday's announcement that Pavelka would be calling Nebraska basketball led to discussion on several sports talk radio shows and speculation by Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel.

KXSP (590 AM) afternoon host Matt Perrault devoted an entire hour on "The Big Show" to invite listeners to weigh in with their opinion on whether Pavelka should replace Rose on Husker football broadcasts. Calls ran 3-to-1 in Pavelka's favor.

Perrault also pointed out discrepancies in Rose's play-by-play call of the Nebraska-Troy State game using actuality sound from the Husker Sports Network broadcast.

Pavelka did the play-by-play for two Nebraska basketball games last year and one the year before. When Host took over last week, Pavelka said he got a phone call, asking if he was interested in the job. He said he will relish the chance to get behind the mic full-time after being unable to come to contract terms with Pinnacle Sports in 1996.

"This just feels really good because the way things ended 10 years ago was wrong on so many levels," he said. "To get a chance to not leave it on that note means a lot to me."

South Carolina Broadcaster Wins Marconi

A radio personality who prides himiself on "cutting-edge comedy without any vulgarity" took home the National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Award for Medium Market Personality of the Year.

Brent Johnson of WTCB-FM in Columbia, S.C. hosts the No. 1 local morning show for women 25-54 and 35-64 in his market. He is a seven-time South Carolina Broadcasters Association Radio Personality of the Year for a seventh time.

Johnson was one of five nominees in a field that included KEZO (92.3 FM) morning hosts "Todd and Tyler." The Marconi Awards were established in 1989 and named after inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi. They were awarded last week in Dallas.

According to his Marconi nomination form, Johnson is Columbia's most involved media personality: speaking at elementary schools, emceeing for the Midlands Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, playing keyboard for his church, and helping raise $300,000 in one day for Red Cross Hurricane Relief. He also spent countless hours recording interviews and montages for the Children's Hospital Radiothon, sharing his personal story of his daughter's struggle with a brain malformation.

Lincoln Radio Station SloganHit With Trademark Infringement

Clear Channel Communications has told Lincoln radio station KLMY (106.3) that it must stop using the word "my" in its slogan, "My 106.3" because of trademark infringement.

The station has been known as "My 106.3" since March of 2004, when it switched music formats from contemporary hits to adult contemporary.

According to a story in the Lincoln Journal Star, KLMY General Manager Julie Gade said Clear Channel's corporate office did not tell her who or what holds the "my" trademark, just that her station must stop using it immediately.

There are several other Clear Channel stations around the country who have "My" in their name: KJMY ("My 99.5") in Salt Lake City, WMYI ("My 102.5") in Greenville, S.C., KZMY ("My 103.5") in Bozeman, Mont., KTMY ("My Country 104.3") in Boise, Idaho and WYCL ("My 107.3) in Pensacola, Fla.

The station is now asking listeners to sumbit ideas for a new name. They can be e-mailed to austinmichael@clearchannel.com.

Knights Renew Contract With KOTK

Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights hockey games will once again be heard on KOTK (1420 AM).

KOTK will broadcast all 80 Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' regular season and playoff games. The broadcast will also be simulcast on the Knights' web site, omahaaksarbenknights.com.

"The people at KOTK were terrific partners during our inaugural season, and we look forward to working with them again this season," said Ak-Sar-Ben Knights President Reynold Smith, "These live broadcasts are an important part of our overall communications strategy."

Dave Ahlers returns for his second season of calling the action. This is his 11th season in the American Hockey League.

The Knights host their home opener Friday, Oct. 20 against the Syracuse Crunch at 7 p.m.

Journalism Day Today in Fremont

Approximately 200 students and advisers from high schools throughout eastern Nebraska will attend today's 41st annual Journalism Day at Midland Lutheran College.

Professional journalists will present interactive workshops and sessions on newspaper writing and editing, yearbook editing and design, photography, and broadcasting.

Professionals presenting sessions this year include: Don Bowen, reporter, Fremont Tribune; Joe Evans, reporter, Wahoo Newspaper; Andrea Gonzalez, yearbook consultant, Make History Publishing; Dean Jacobs, photographer, Fremont Tribune; Beverly Lydick, reporter, Fremont Tribune; Andrew Norman, managing editor, The Reader; Matt Riley, on-line editor, Great Plains Motion Picture Co.; Brent Wasenius, sports editor, Fremont Tribune; and Marlin Wright, photographer, MAW Photography.

"We offer Journalism Day early in the academic year so high school journalists can return to their schools and apply the tips and ideas they pick up to their own school newspapers, yearbooks, and TV productions," said Dr. Joyce Winfield, department chairperson.

The Midland Lutheran College Journalism and Mass Communication Department sponsors the event in association with the college's chapter of the Society for Collegiate Journalists.

"Our SCJ members regularly attend national conventions and workshops, so J-Day gives our journalism majors a chance to share some of what they have learned, too," Winfield said. "Some of our majors attended J-Day when they were in high school, and they find it interesting to experience it from the other side."

KETV Defends Decision To Split Screen

Chief Meteorologist Bill Randby said KETV (Cox Channel 9) did its best Saturday night to provide a public service to those at risk of severe weather while still allowing the Nebraska-USC football game to be seen.

"Tornado warnings during an extremely highly-viewed event are so rare, but we were prepared," Randby said. "When the worst case happened - a metro tornado warning, which we have always covered with continuous coverage - we acted by going to a double box."

Randby credits Assistant News Director Vonn Jones for the idea of splitting the screen - half of it showing ABC's coverage of football game, the other half showing live severe weather coverage anchored by weekend meteorologist John Campbell.

"We were still doing a public service of getting out street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood information of who was at risk, and still allowing viewers to keep track of the game," Randby said.

Randby said the station's game plan was to use its news ticker at the bottom of the screen for severe weather warnings during the game, then go to "normal" storm alert (with looping counties and radar images) during pregame, halftime, and commercial time.

"That served us for the first half of the game," he said.

When the threat of severe weather intensified, the split screen was put into place and the phones in KETV's newsroom started ringing. Randby says he has "no idea" of the exact number of viewer complaints (newsroom personnel were answering the calls), but says he received 93 e-mails during the game. Five of them were complimentary of the station's coverage, he said.

Campbell Received Death Threats
On his blog, Campbell said he received death threats for interrupting coverage of the football game.

"I want to set the record straight that it's our policy to cut-in when there is danger to the public and this was definitely the case last night," Campbell writes. "We worked hard to keep the game going in the double-box system. I did not want to cut-in, but the situation warranted it. I apologize for the people trying to watch the game. I really do feel bad for the the interruptions.

"At the same point, while I feel horrible about interrupting the loss, I found the reaction by some people horrible too. Again, I wish I could change how things turned out. However, it's never fun getting death threats or having people calling me things I wouldn't even call Hitler or when people wish me a 'slow and painful death.'"

New 'WeatherNow' Not Utilized
Randby said the station opted not to use its new "WeatherNow" feature, a local 24-hour local weather channel KETV-DT 7.2 and online at KETV.com, as an alternative to interrupting the game.

"The decision to go to a double box for cut-ins meant it would not translate well to a live video window in WeatherNow," he said. "We would have had a double box in the video window - surrounded by the L bar of information - and I am certain it would be too small to see either one of the boxes, remembering that the video window is much smaller in weather now than on KETV."

Randby said the station is now looking into how to adjust its live weather feed to better accommodate a situation like that in the future.

Other Stations' Coverage
On WOWT (Cox Channel 8), weekend meteorologist Jeff Jensen handled in-studio coverage while Chief Meteorologist Jim Flowers phoned in reports, including one of a wall cloud north of Gretna. It was on the basis of that report that the National Weather Service office in Valley issued the tornado warning, according to Jensen.

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) interrupted CBS' broadcast of the Florida-Tennessee game to go wall-to-wall with its severe coverage. Weekend meteorologist Dean Wysocki was joined by Chief Meteorologist Ryan McPike and morning meteorologist CT Thongklin.

At KPTM (Cox Channel 10), weekend meteorologist Nathan Moore worked his first night on the air while Chief Meteorologist Tyson Pearsall filed reports from the field via phone.

KOZN Gets New Look

Omaha radio station KOZN (1620 AM) debuted a new look for its website earlier this week. The station continues to offer live, streaming audio of its programming.

KPTM Hires New Weekend Meteorologist

Viewers tuning in for severe weather coverage on KPTM (Cox Channel 10) Saturday night discovered an unfamiliar face.

New weekend meteorologist Nathan Moore arrives from Sioux City, where he spent two years doing weekend weathercasting at KCAU (ABC). The Texas native has a bachelor's degree in communications from Lamar University and a masters degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University.

Moore replaces Elizabeth Merriman, who has transitioned into a management position in the newsroom, running KPTM's assignment desk, according to KPTM News Director Allen Beckner.

New Station Looking For Videos

Omaha's newly-rebranded "620" local TV station (Cox Channel 248) is asking viewers to send in videos "to show Omaha what you have to say."

According to information on the station's website, videos can be "of anything, so be creative, but be appropriate."

Guidelines for tap submissions include that they be either 30, 60 or 90-seconds in length and on DVD or mini-DVD formats. The guidelines do not specify on what program the tapes will be aired, though "The Omaha Buzz" is the only locally-produced show currently airing on the station (Wednesday nights at 8).

Not All Sold On Huskers' Game Plan

Jim Rose, play-by-play voice for Nebraska football broadcasts, told KFAB (1110 AM) listeners early Monday morning that he liked Husker Coach Bill Callahan's conservative play-calling strategy in Saturday night's 28-10 loss to the University of Southern California.

"When I first heard early last week that they were going to play to keep the game close and get it to the fourth quarter, I thought it was a great game plan," Rose said.

But other Omaha sports talk radio hosts weren't so sure.

Matt Perrault, host of "The Big Show" on KXSP (590 AM), asked listeners how a team can go into its biggest game of the season and play not to lose.

"This sets the tone for the rest of the season," Perrault said. "If Nebraska doesn't win the Big 12 North, Callahan is gone."

"Unsportsmanlike Conduct" co-host Mike'l Severe told his listening audience on KOZN (1620 AM) that the talk behind the scenes in the Husker camp was that wide receiver Maurice Purify saw limited action in Nebraska's first two games in order to "hide" him before the USC game.

"Who are they hiding him from now? Troy State?" Severe asked.

Husker Broadcast Rights Now With Host

Host Communications, Inc. officially announced Monday afternoon that it had purchased Pinnacle Sports Productions, LLC, the radio and multi-media rights holder for University of Nebraska-Lincoln athletics.

The transaction had been rumored for weeks and fueled speculation that changes would be coming to the Gretna, Neb.-headquartered business that was founded in 1995 by businessmen Paul Aaron and Dale Jensen.

However, in a press release announcing the sale, Host Communications President and CEO Tom Stultz said all existing Pinnacle employees and on-air talent, as well as general manager Kevin Moore, will be retained.

"We feel Kevin will be a great addition to our management team," Stultz said. "Not only does he have intimate knowledge of the Nebraska property but he also has extensive experience and connections throughout the collegiate arena from his previous work as head of sports syndication for Clear Channel Radio."

Host Communications is based in Tallassee, Fla., and owned by Triple Crown Media. Triple Crown owns seven newspapers in Georgia, as well as the collegiate marketing rights to Tennessee, Texas, Florida State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Coastal Carolina and the Southeastern Conference.

"We are very excited to add a top collegiate program like the University of Nebraska to the outstanding list of major universities we represent," Stultz said. "Nebraska is extremely dominant in its state and region and is recognized as one of the top athletics programs in the nation."

The University of Nebraska's contract with Pinnacle - which will transfer to Host - was extended in 2003 and runs through July 31, 2011. It is valued at $28.4 million, or close to $3 million a year.

In a story published Monday in Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, Stultz said he first OK'd the deal with UNL Athletic Director Steve Pederson, even though it was not contractually required.

"We wanted the green light from Steve," Stultz said. "We wouldn't have done the deal if he was reluctant. Our goal is not to be with Nebraska just for the remainder of this contract. We want to be there for the long term."

In addition to the radio rights for Pinnacle's network of 38 affiliates (25 in Nebraska), Host will also have the opportunity to sell print ads in Husker game programs, advertising on coaches' shows and sponsorships on Nebraska games that are televised by the Fox Sports Network.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but Stultz said the transaction included cash and Triple Crown Media restricted stock.

Severe Weather Coverage Cuts Into Huskers

Nebraska football fans hoping to catch uninterrupted coverage of the Nebraska-USC game made it nearly to the second half before KETV (Cox Channel 9) meteorologist John Campbell broke in with news of tornado warnings issued for the Newswatch 7 viewing area.

When KETV went to "split-screen" coverage of the football game and its severe weather coverage, some viewers in the Omaha metropolitcan area may have grabbed their radio hoping to catch audio coverage from the Pinnacle Sports Network. However, KFAB dumped out of the broadcast in order to provide weather coverage, anchored by weekday evening talk show host Tom Becka.

With about two minutes remaining in the third quarter, KETV dropped its split screen coverage, in order to allow viewers to watch (and hear) the Nebraska-USC broadcast with no interruptions.

WOWT Crew Fears Traffic More Than Trojans

Speaking on KOZN's "Friday Night Lights" high school scoreboard show on 1620 AM Friday, WOWT Sports Director Dave Webber called the traffic in Southern California "a nightmare."

"It takes you an hour to go 20 miles," Webber said as the WOWT crew headed back to its hotel after doing a live shot for the station's 10 p.m. newscast.

Webber is being accompanied on the trip by photojournalist Mike McKnight and "Big Red Sports Machine" anchors Merlyn Klaus and Ross Jernstrom.

KXVO Revamps Website

KXVO, which formerly was a Warner Bros. affiliate, is now part of the new "CW" and its website has been revamped to reflect the change.

The "C" in "CW" represents CBS, which owns the UPN Network. The "W" stands for "WB" or Warner Bros.

Belck Resigns, Blames Media Scrutiny

UNO Chancellor Nancy Belck resigned Tuesday, saying controversy had diminished her ability to lead.

"Unfortunately, because of the environment created by events of the past several weeks, I can no longer provide effective leadership," Belck said in a press release.

In an internal e-mail to faculty, staff and students, Belck made specific mention of the media scrutiny:

"This morning, I submitted my resignation to NU President James Milliken, which he accepted. Over the past several weeks, the constant glare of the media spotlight on UNO has redirected our focus from the important job of educating students; in such an environment, it is impossible for me to lead effectively. In the best interests of UNO, removing myself from this controversy is the most appropriate course of action."

World-Herald reporter Henry Cordes wrote several copyrighted stories, including one in Sunday editions in which Belck is reported to have doctored an expense statement.

The World-Herald's investigation into possible mismanagement of athletic department spending began on Aug. 11 when the newspaper notified the University of Nebraska system that it was taking legal action to overturn UNO's decision to deny access to its records of Jim Buck's spending of athletic funds. Buck resigned three days later.

Less than a week after threatening legal action, the World-Herald filed a public records request to obtain Buck's spending records. On Sept. 7, the newspaper reports how Buck spent thousands of dollars on travel by his wife to places like Hawaii and Alaska, plus golf outings and expensive dinners.

The World-Herald wasn't the only news media outlet scrutinizing the University's spending in the wake of the layoff of five employees from the athletic department in June. Local sports talk shows have made the topic a hot one, even as the Nebraska football season began. Nearly every TV and radio broadcast led with the story last Friday of the Nebraska Regents meeting in which UNO leaders were criticized.

Nebraska Football Radio BroadcastAs Solid As The Huskers

Nebraska football play-by-play radio host Jim Rose and color man Adrian Fiala enjoyed a healthy audience for Saturday's broadcast, thanks to the absence of television coverage for the Huskers' 56-7 win over Nicholls State.

Last year, seven of Nebraska's 12 regular season games were televised. In 2004, seven of 11 games were not televised and the count was 7 of 13 games televised in 2003.

The Pinnacle Sports Network, which owns the exclusive broadcast rights to Nebraska football games, can be heard on 35 radio stations in Nebraska and 18 outside the state.

Rose and Fiala, perhaps like the Huskers, did not pull out all the stops on Saturday. Rose shied away from some of his more well-known references to 'dropping the chalupa" or "giving it an atomic wack." But he did toss in one reference to tennis on the weekend of the finals of the US Open tennis tournament, saying "the Huskers lead 28-love at halftime."

Like the opening game of the season last week, the broadcast had its share of technical troubles. A microphone was left switched on during the final pre-game break, allowing listeners to hear Rose preview the programming lineup coming out of the commercial.

"When we come back, we'll go to Matt (Davison) on the field for the keys to the game," Rose said as a commercial played. "We'll have one more break after this one."

In another commercial break, the Michigan fight song could be heard playing for about 30 seconds.

But one technical gaffe was quickly averted in the second quarter when Rose quickly switched out dying battery on his microphone and didn't miss a beat on the play-by-play call of the game.

World-Herald Isn't FinishedWith UNO Finances Story

The body blow the Omaha World-Herald dealt today to the University of Nebraska at Omaha with an in-depth examination of expense reimbursement by former Vice Chancellor Jim Buck will not be the last front page story that further embarasses UNO.

World-Herald reporter Henry Cordes will follow up his investigation of the athletic department with another story in the newspaper's Sunday edition. This one reportedly examines spending by current Chancellor Nancy Belck.

To date, the World-Herald has published more than three dozen stories regarding the controversy surrounding the elimination of five positions from the UNO athletic department.

Animated gif courtesy of Mavpuck.com.

One Mistake, Followed By Another

In an "I-Team" investigation Thursday night, veteran KETV (Cox Channel 9) reporter Carol Kloss shared the story of two cars registered in Douglas County that were mistakenly assigned the same license plate number.

Kloss referred to the license plate in question (PKI 608) as being "P-K-I six-oh-eight."

In a story about a minor detail that meant the difference between accuracy and a mistake, Kloss herself mistakenly kept referring to the second part of the license plate as a letter, rather than a number.

Cox Responds To KETV RequestConcerning High Definition Programming

Cox Communications is confident a broadcast agreement can be worked out with KETV (Cox Channel 9) that will be in the best interests of all parties involved.

That's the response from the digital cable TV service provider following KETV's request that it receive "fair and reasonable terms from Cox" in exchange for allowing Cox to carry KETV-DT's programming and charge its subscribers for it.

"It's just a matter of working through the details and working things out," said Cox Communications Public Affairs Manager Summer Widhalm. "We want to make sure we end up providing the best product we can under the best circumstances we can."

Widhalm said the contract negotiations have not created any ill will between the two compnaies.

"We actually have a good local broadcast partnership with them," she said.

Cox is using a crawl on KETV-DT Channel 20 to notify viewers that the station might not be available to them after Oct. 1 if an agreement is not reached. The notification is a legal requirement, Widhalm said.

Cox also clarified that it does not charge for HD.

"How a person receives an HD signal is entirely dependant upon the technology he or she has," Widhalm said. "If a Cox subscriber has an H-ready television set with a ClearQAM tuner, they can receive broadcast HD signals without subscribing to digital cable or having a Cox digital receiver."

KXKT Up For Two CMA Broadcast Awards

Omaha station KXKT (103.7 FM) is in the running for a pair of Country Music Awards.

Nominated in the "Broadcast Personality of the Year" in the medium market category is The Kat's morning show crew of Steve Lundy, Gina Melton and Craig Underhill. KXKT has also been nominated in the medium market category for "Station of the Year," along with KUZZ (Bakersfield, Calif.), WBBS (Syracuse, N.Y.), WIVK (Knoxville, Tenn.) and WSSL (Greenville, S.C.

Five finalists are selected for Broadcast Personality of the Year and Station of the Year in four categories (Small Market, Medium Market, Large Market and Major Market). The categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Arbitron.

The winners will be publicly announced during "The 40th Annual CMA Awards," which will be broadcast live on Nov. 6 on ABC stations, including Omaha's KETV (Cox Channel 9) and KLKN in Lincoln.

Becka's Website Gets A Makeover

The website of KFAB (1110 AM) talk show host Tom Becka has a new look.

www.tombecka.com has been replaced by www.radiobecka.com. The new site includes a link to The Becka Blog.

KXVO Names New Host

KXVO (Cox Channel 11) announced this afternoon that Matt Geiler will be the new host of the "KXVO 15 10:00 News."

Geiler's biography says he's performed at more than 600 comedy clubs, corporate gigs and colleges throughout the country. He is a graduate of "Second City" in Chicago and has voiced and acted in a number of radio and TV commercials.

"He was named best host at the 2002 Best New Talent Awards in Los Angeles," KXVO News Director Allen Beckner said. "As you can tell, Matt brings a lot of experience and creativity to the show."

Geiler makes his debut tonight.

Deadline Is Oct. 1 For Cox and KETVTo Reach Agreement Over HD Signal

KETV (Cox Channel 9) announced today that it will deny Cox Communications rights to carry its high definition signal over its digital cable tier beginning Oct. 1 if an agreement is not reached between the two parties.

KETV is "seeking fair and reasonable terms from Cox" in exchange for allowing Cox to carry KETV-DT's programming and charge its subscribers for that programming, according to a news release distributed by the ABC affiliate Tuesday.

KETV-DT is available over-the-air for free using a high-definition receiver, but requires a subscription to digital cable and rental of an HD cable box to receive it via Cox.

"We're greatly disappointed that Cox has yet to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution," said Joel Vilmenay, KETV president and general manager, in the release. "Our station is a leader in our market and we've made substantial investments to bring our viewers high definition digital programming.

"Cox has been actively promoting to current and prospective subscribers the addition of our digital channel to its lineup, and charging its subscribers a premium for our high-definition signals. We're certainly supportive of their adding and promoting our high-definition programming. But they won't come to terms with us on providing fair consideration for that right. To allow any re-distributor of our station's digital signal to benefit economically from our efforts without providing us a reasonable contract for that right would be unacceptable for us."

Hearst-Argyle, which owns KETV, says it anticipates allowing Cox to continue to retransmit KETV's primary analog signal "while the companies continue to work in good faith toward a resolution of retransmission consent terms."

A dispute with Cox over retransmission of a station's HD signal is not a new one in Omaha. In December 2003, KMTV denied Cox permission to carry its digital signal until it was properly compensated. The two parties reached an agreement in January 2006 after KMTV's ownership changed over from Emmis Communications to the Journal Broadcast Group. Details of the agreement were not disclosed, but Steve Wexler, Senior Vice President for Television and Radio Operations at Journal, said at the time, "We are very happy to provide Cox customers the popular entertainment, sports and local news programming on KMTV and CBS in high definition."

KMTV, KOLN Will Carry 9/11 Documentary

Some CBS affiliates are nervous about airing next week's documentary "9/11" over fears that the Federal Complaints Commission will fine them for profanity because of expletives from firefighters in the two-hour program.

Already, two dozen CBS affiliates have said they will either not air the Robert De Niro-hosted documentary this Sunday at 7 p.m. or delay it until after 10 p.m.

Omaha CBS affiliate KMTV (Cox Channel 5) and Lincoln CBS affiliate KOLN/KGIN are not among them.

"We are planning to carry it as scheduled," said Steve Wexler, Senior Vice-President of Radio & Television Operations for Journal Broadcast Group, which owns KMTV. "We believe it's an important program."

Said KOLN news director Randy Lube: "My understanding is we are planning to broadcast it."

The drama is based on a day in the life of a fire-fighter, attempting to tackle the chaos after the World Trade Centre was attacked. It has already been aired twice on the network without any complaints. This latest showing will include new interviews with many of the firefighters featured in the original.

'Action 3 News Live At 6' Debuts Tonight

KMTV is not following the lead of its parent network in hyping a change to its early-evening newscast lineup.

Thirty minutes after Katie Couric makes her debut as host of the "CBS Evening News" tonight, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) will broadcast a local newscast at 6 p.m. for the first time in three years.

"We're excited about the launch of Action 3 News Live at 6, because it gives us another opportunity to showcase our aggressive coverage of news, weather and sports," said Steve Wexler, Senior Vice-President of Television & Radio Operations
for the Journal Broadcast Group. "Especially with the debut of Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News, we'll work hard to be first with breaking news and coverage of the most important stories."

KMTV pulled the plug on its 6 p.m. newscast in Sept. 2003 in the wake of low ratings, replacing it with syndicated programming that has not performed much better.

Unlike its competition, KMTV is "soft-launching" the new newscast. KMTV Promotions Writer Kayla Thomas said no press release is being put out to herald the change, nor is anything about the new newscast listed on the station's website, action3news.com.

When KETV (Cox Channel 9) launched its weekend morning newscast earlier this year, its debut was trumpeted by a slew of on-air promos, a website banner and a press release. KXVO (Cox Channel 11) did the same for the launch of its new 10 p.m. newscast late last year.

MDA Telethon Raises Record Amount

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) contributed $401,447 to the record-setting total of $61,013,855 raised in this year's Muscular Dystrophy Telethon.

The amount raised by Omaha viewers is also a record and included $82,000 collected by the Omaha Firefighters Union.

From the Laptop: Husker Coverage Wrap

News and notes from the first weekend of Nebraska football coverage:

KETV (Cox Channnel 9) was the only station to provide live coverage of the post-game press conference following the Huskers' 49-10 victory over Louisiana Tech. The station's live truck operators acted quickly to overcome an obstacle created when HuskerVision (the University's audio/visual network) failed to provide a feed of the presser to broadcast outlets.

In non-sports coverage of the game, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) followed up on security enhancements at Memorial Stadium, while WOWT (Cox Channel 8) focused on tailgating.

KETV is tweaking its format for its 10 p.m. newscast on Husker gamedays. Since ABC is broadcasting football games on Saturday nights, the station's 10 p.m. newscast has not been starting until at least 10:15.

In an effort to capitalize on the football audience, KETV leads off its newscast with 10 minutes of "Big Red Zone" coverage that includes highlights, statistics, a post-game feature story and an "extra point" of commentary or unusual fact or statistic. Saturday's "extra point" was Governor Dave Heineman's score prediction from earlier in the week, which was 49-7.

"He may be replacing me in the Big Red Zone soon," said KETV weekend sports anchor Matt Schick.

Brian McFayden: Where Is He Now?

Former KXVO (Cox Channel 11) news anchor Brian McFayden was seen hosting "Extra's" one-hour weekend edition.

The former MTV "Total Request Live" host still uses a myspace.com page created for his KXVO newscast.

Tennis Fans, Here's What You Are Missing

Because of KMTV's broadcast of the Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon, tennis fans will not see CBS Sports' coverage of the US Open tennis tournament.

Third and fourth round matches being played today include:

Men's Singles, third round
- Robby Ginepri vs. Tommy Haas
- Marat Safin vs. Olivier Rochus

Women's Singles, fourth round
- Shahar Peer vs. Justine Henin-Hardenne
- Patty Schnyder vs. Lindsay Davenport
- Dinara Safina vs. Virginie Razzano
- Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Jelena Jankovic
- Anna Chakvetadze vs. Tatiana Golovin

Men's Singles, fourth round
- Jiri Novak vs. Rafael Nadal

The first-ever, live video webcast of the US Open does not occur until tonight at 6.

FSN Broadcast of Husker Game Not Too Shabby

Fox Sports Network's broadcast of the Nebraska-Louisiana Tech was nearly as solid as the Huskers' 49-10 victory over the Bulldogs.

FSN play-by-play announcer Bill Land and color man Dave Lapham refrained from using the "sea of red" and "Nebraska's third-largest city" references that have typically plagued second-rate sports network broadcasts.

However, Lapham did stumble when referring to the Nov. 23, 1984 touchdown pass from Doug Flutie to Gerald Phelan against Miami, referring to Phelan as "Gerard." In the same segment, viewers missed a Louisiana Tech incomplete pass (that was almost picked off) while a taped interview was being shown.

Other minor gaffes:

FSN was late coming back from a commercial in the third quarter, missing the first half of a Nebraska pass play that nearly resulted in a touchdown.

Land mispronounced former Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne's name as "Oz-BORN" and mistakenly said the last time the Huskers lost a home opener was in 1983 against Florida State. (It was actually 1985.)

KPTM Is Week 2 WinnerIn High School Highlights Race

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) broadcast highlights from 17 high school football games Friday night, three more than its closest competitor, KETV (Cox Channel 9).

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) aired highlights from eight games, while KMTV (Cox Channel 5) covered three games.

"We planned for (highlights of) 18 games, but the game at Kearney was delayed because of rain," said KPTM sports director JJ Davis.

After two weeks of the high school season, here is what the Friday night highlight race looks like:

27

20

14

6

Lincoln Journal Star Gets New Publisher

John Maher is the new publisher of the Lincoln Journal Star.

Lee Enterprises appointed Maher to the post Friday. He will also be chief executive for Lee's Southeast Nebraska business unit, which includes the Journal Star, as well as daily papers and online products in Columbus, Beatrice and Fremont.

Maher replaces Bill Johnston, who left the newspaper in May after 10 years. Johnston is currently publisher at the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.

Maher, 40, begins his new job Oct. 1.

KPTM Weekend Sports Anchor Returns Sept. 19

Weekend sports anchor Jeff Radcliffe has recovered enough from a bout with hepatitis to return to work Sept. 19.

Radcliffe was receiving treatment for hepatitis when he suddenly had to be rushed to the hospital July 18. Tests found that his kidneys and liver were failing. After being hospitalized briefly, Radcliffe has been recovering at home ever since.

"I pretty much have the sickness beaten, with all my liver/kidney functions in normal range," Radcliffe said. "I thought it would appropriate that my 'on set' return will be with J.J. during a Friday night EndZone show."

KPTM News Director Allen Beckner said until Radcliffe returns, freelancer Suzy Stark will continue to fill in.

"She's a very hard worker," Beckner said. "You can expect to see her on Sundays and Mondays."

'Friday Night Lights' Gets Punk'd

Someone pulled a fast one Friday night on the crew of KOZN's "Friday Night Lights" high school football scores and highlights show.

A little before 9 p.m., hosts Aaron Bearinger and James Kerwin gave a score update on 1620 AM from the "Waterloo-Valley" game.

"With two minutes to go, it's Waterloo leading Valley, 21-6," they announced, apparently unaware that neither school exists.

Waterloo and Valley consolidated in 2005 to become "Douglas County West." The Class C-1 Falcons were actually hosting Arlington Friday night.

KETV Will Be Only StationTo Air Senate Debate Sept. 10

KETV owns the exclusive broadcast rights to the Sept. 10 debate between Democratic Senator Ben Nelson and Republican challenger Pete Ricketts.

The one-hour, commercial-free live debate will begin at 6 p.m. in KETV's studios at 27th & Douglas. KETV NewsWatch 7 anchors Rob McCartney and Julie Cornell will serve as moderators.

The Omaha Press Club and KETV are sponsoring the debate, which will be the second between the two candidates.

"We look forward to providing the Omaha community an uninterrupted, primetime platform to hear from the person who will serve as our next US Senator," said Joel Vilmenay, KETV President and General Manager. "This is the second political debate we've sponsored this year and through the election and beyond it's our intention to provide our community with the most comprehensive political news reporting and coverage."

KETV will also make the debate available to visitors to its website, KETV.com. On Sept. 12, it will be made available for viewing via Cox Cable's "On Demand" feature on channel 998.

KETV's "Commitment 2006" coverage is a renewal of its detailed bi-annual election coverage efforts, which began with Commitment 2000. According to a press release, KETV NewsWatch 7 will devote a minimum amount of 10 minutes a day to political news and candidate-discourse coverage. That includes at least five minutes of original content each weekday and, when possible, on weekends, in the 30 days leading up to Nov. 7 election.

Husker Radio Gameday StretchesMore Than 11 Hours Saturday

The Pinnacle Sports Network, which broadcasts Nebraska football games to 42 cities and more than 50 stations, will broadcast 11.5 hours of coverage Saturday.

Here is the network's broadcast schedule:

9:30 a.m. - Husker Game Day
11:30 a.m. - Husker Talk
1:45 p.m. - Bill Callahan Pregame Show
2:00 p.m. - Game Broadcast
6:00 p.m. - Coaches Wrapup
6:30 p.m. - Bill Callahan Postgame Show
7:00 p.m. - Scoreboard Show
7:30 p.m. - Locker Room Show
8:00 p.m. - Big Red Reaction

Jim Rose begins his fourth year as the voice of Husker football, while former Nebraska football player Adrian Fiala will serve as color analyst.

Rose served in various capacities with the Nebraska Sports Network for seven years in the 1990s before serving as Sports Director, talk show host and play-by-play announcer for KMBZ Radio in Kansas City. He returned to Nebraska in the spring of 2002. He is a Nebraska graduate and a former Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year award winner.

Before joining Pinnacle Sports in 1996, Fiala previously provided color commentary for KFOR radio in Lincoln, working with Ray Scott, Tim Moreland and Dick Perry. He is beginning his 17th season of broadcasting Husker football and was chosen as the Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year in 2001.

Sideline reports will be delivered by former Husker wide receiver Matt Davison, while Randy Lee will be in the booth.

Special Omaha Royals Game OfferPart of Cox's 25th Anniversary Celebration

Cox Communications is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Omaha by offering special ticket deal to the Omaha Royals' game agains the Iowa Cubs on Monday, Sept. 4.

Cox customers who call 738-5100 and mention the special offer can purchase four tickets to the game and receive an an Omaha Royals yearbook for $10. The offer is available to Cox customers through Sept. 3. Attendees can register for a chance to win an HDTV from Cox Communications. For more information, and official contest rules, click here.

The Labor Day game, which begins at 1:35 p.m., is part of Cox's month-long celebration of the company's 25th anniversary of serving the Omaha area.

New Arrangement Not A Hit With Husker Media

A corner in new Nebraska Strength Complex will serve as the post-game press conference area.
Not everyone is grinning ear-to-ear with excitement about the newly refurbished areas of Memorial Stadium.

The media charged with covering the Huskers will have their hands full after Saturday's game, dealing with a new area for post-game press conferences. Most notably, it is considerably smaller than a more spacious area in the southeast corner of the stadium that was utilized the past few years.

"What is clear to me is that the setup was an after-thought," said one local media representative who wished to remain anonymous.

Another media member (who also commented on the condition of anonymity) said it is another example of the diminishing access to Husker players and coaches.

"They provide great parking, a great press box and great game notes," he said. "But as Huskervision becomes bigger, their concern for the electronic media has taken a back seat. The truth is they care a lot more about the newspapers than anything else."

But one print reporter, who also wished to remain nameless, said he was also surprised at the location of the new post-game press conference area. But he also poitned out that other schools have less-than-ideal locations to conduct post-game interviews - whether you are a member of the print or broadcast media.

"There are setups much worse, especially for visiting teams - outside, under bleachers, with fans shouting in the background, etc.

"We'll see how it goes (Saturday) and what the response is (from the media)."