Wilde And Shaw Breaking Up Khq-6 Evening News Team

The Debra Wilde-Randy Shaw team on KHQ-6 is breaking up after 14 years.

Wilde has signed a deal to host a midday talk and information show for KHQ. To do that, she’ll have to give up co-anchoring the evening news with Shaw.

She said she’s sad to be leaving her newscasts with Shaw, but this is something she has wanted to do forever. For one thing, the format will allow her to cover a lot of issues that “can’t be covered in a 20-second sound bite.”

For another, she will finally get the chance to be home in the afternoons with her three boys, ages 8, 9 and 14. She will work five days a week, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“This is too good to be true,” she said. “It’s a great thing for me, but especially for my boys.”

Wilde will continue to co-anchor the evening news until a replacement can be found. Meanwhile, the new show will probably hit the air in the summer.

The only downside, she said, is that she’ll miss working with Shaw, with whom she has shared “years of friendship and mutual support.”

Don’t miss ‘Sovereign Nations’

For the finest in locally produced TV, I strongly encourage you to catch “Sovereign Nations,” a two-part documentary on KSPS-7 on Tuesday and Wednesday about the Indian nations of the Inland Northwest.

The first hour, Tuesday at 8 p.m., traces the history of the region’s tribes through the coming of the white man and the devastating wars of 1858.

The second hour, Wednesday at 8 p.m., deals with the establishment of the reservations and the Indian boarding schools. It also deals with tribal gaming and some of the complex tribal issues of today.

After seeing a rough cut of the first hour, I’m convinced that it’s not only great TV, but it would make an excellent classroom tool in regional history classes. Not only do we learn about major events such as the Battle of Four Lakes, but we also learn fascinating anecdotes. For instance, when the Indians first saw a bearded white man, they were so shocked they called him “Upside-Down Face.”

Producer Alison Kartevold said her goal was to educate people about their own region.

“A lot of people are like me,” she said. “They grew up here, but just didn’t know about a lot of these things.”

As Kartevold herself says in a voice-over, the Plateau Indians were often overshadowed in history books by the Plains and Coastal Indians.

This project has been in the works for nearly four years, making it one of the most ambitious projects attempted by KSPS-7.

The Brickman cometh

Jim Brickman , romantic piano sensation (yes, he actually calls himself that), has been booked into the Spokane Opera House on March 28.

Brickman first performed his piano stylings at the Opera House a little more than a year ago. Since then, his star has risen even higher.

Tickets, at $32.50, $27.50 and $22.50, go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. through G&B Select-a-Seat.

Everclear confirmed

Everclear, the Portland post-punk band, has been booked into The Met for March 22, 8 p.m., along with Jimmies Chicken Shack and Feeder.

Tickets are $15 and will go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through G&B.

A switched Amy date

Astute Spotlight readers may have noticed that the Amy Grant concert date was wrong in Spotlight last week. We had it on April 12, which would have forced Amy to sing her hits while surrounded by people jumping frantically up and down to Irish music. “Riverdance” has two shows booked in the Spokane Opera House that same day.

Instead, the Amy Grant show will be on April 13 at the Opera House (as subsequently reported in other stories).

Blame it, if blame you must, on a confused publicist.

The Opera Guild is born

The Spokane Opera (formerly Uptown Opera) is forming a Spokane Opera Guild to assist the opera in much the same way that the Symphony Associates assist the Spokane Symphony.

This will be a volunteer organization dedicated to furthering the art of opera throughout our region.

“Spokane Opera has grown to the point of needing a group of volunteers to help with more time-intensive activities,” said executive director Chuck Lund.

Those interested in joining should call Lund or Lois Neswick at 533-1150.

The Balazs and Spiering Show

Harold Balazs and Ken Spiering , towering figures in Spokane’s visual arts scene, gave an enjoyable talk and slide show at the Cheney Cowle’s Museum’s Wednesday Lecture Series.

They showed slides of their many public installations in other parts of the country, from Alaska to Florida. They told many funny and affectionate stories about their collaborations together.

For instance, there was the time Balazs was attempting to move a Spiering statue into place. While he was struggling with it, it fell down on top of him. Spiering painted a vivid and hilarious verbal picture of Balazs flat on his back, pinned to the ground by a life-sized nun. The statue, for a hospital, depicted a Sister of Mercy.

, DataTimes MEMO: Spotlight is 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.