Kxly-Am Gets Kudos For Storm Coverage
Here’s a scorecard of the media winners and losers throughout the ice storm ordeal:
Winner: KXLY-AM, which became the community’s virtual lifeline for nearly two weeks. For the first crucial days, it was one of the only stations on the air, along with its sister stations KXLY-FM and KZZU-FM. As it did during Firestorm ‘91, KXLY-AM became a clearinghouse for emergency information, a conduit for dramatic stories (many of them called in by listeners as they unfolded) and a comfort to many residents stuck in their cold, dark homes.
This was radio at its best.
Winner: KCDA-FM, which also stayed on the air throughout the entire ordeal, providing a Coeur d’Alene perspective on the events.
By the way, it was not just dumb luck that enabled KCDA and the KXLY family of stations to stay on the air. They had invested in generators to power their transmitters.
I was astonished to learn how few stations in this area have invested in generators, or at least generators big enough to do the job.
Losers: Practically every other radio station in the market. Most were off the air for days.
When off the air, they can’t earn any revenues, and they can’t get any ratings.
By the way, we should look for a big spike in KXLY’s ratings during this ratings period.
Winners: All three local TV news organizations, all of which did outstanding work in covering the storm and its aftermath. This was another textbook example of how electronic journalism can serve the community.
Losers: The TV stations, through no fault of their own. Far fewer people than normal were able to see all of this good work because they lacked juice to their televisions. This was not only frustrating for journalists, but it also translated into lost ratings.
The return of Paul Brandt
Paul Brandt, former news director of KREM-2, was long an important force in local TV news. He guided KREM to a long run at the top of the 5 p.m. ratings. He left in March 1995 to take the top job at KHNL-TV in Honolulu.
Now, it appears that KXLY has lured him back. The station announced last week that he will take over as KXLY’s TV and radio executive news director.
He replaces Michael Espinoza, who left last month. Brandt will show up in late December.
How did Craven’s end up on ‘Roseanne’?
If you watched “Roseanne” Tuesday night, you might have noticed the brand of coffee they were drinking. It was Craven’s Coffee, the Spokane specialty roaster whose products are normally available only in these parts.
According to Becky Templin of Craven’s, a production assistant who happens to have a friend whose brother-in-law is from Spokane (or something like that) became hooked on the stuff and started serving it on the set. Everyone loved it, so they decided to put it on the show.
‘Dance Along the Edge’
A local music “rockumentary” show featuring regional bands is now airing every Friday night on KXLY-4 at 1:05 a.m. (which actually makes it Saturday morning).
It’s called “Dance Along the Edge,” produced by Todd Anderson.
The next installment features Citizen Swing, followed by The Invisibles on Dec. 13, Shoveljerk on Dec. 20, The Twisters on Dec. 27, and Mama’s Dogma on Jan. 3.
Dave and Ken on CD
Dave Sposito and Ken Hopkins, KZZU-FM’s Breakfast Boys, have produced their second CD of comedy bits, “DK2: In Dave Ken Dence Day.”
It is now on sale at Hastings stores, Musicland in NorthTown Mall and Legends in the Flour Mill. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
Drive them turkeys
Speaking of community service, KNFR-FM (96 Frog), with help from KREM-2 and KHQ-6, collected more than 350 turkeys and $450 in cash for the Spokane Food Bank in 2-1/2 hours on Monday. Those turkeys were greatly appreciated, no doubt, by many hungry people.
, DataTimes MEMO: Spotlight is a weekly column of news and commentary on the arts and media. To leave a message on Jim Kershner’s voice-mail, call 459-5493. Or send e-mail to jimk@spokesman.com, or regular mail to Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.