Spokane is missing its UPN affiliation
Once again, Spokane is without a UPN affiliate. KQUP-24 dropped its UPN affiliation as of Jan. 1, which means the Spokane market has no outlet for such popular UPN shows as “Veronica Mars,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “WWE Smackdown.”
KQUP is now running RTN (Retro Television Network) during prime time, which features classic shows such as “Magnum P.I.”
“In the long term, we just felt that UPN’s shows were not ideally suited for the Spokane market,” said KQUP general manager Rod Hall. “We feel this (RTN) is a better mix.”
He said the station received a few dozen calls the first time “WWE Smackdown” failed to appear, but other than that the transition has been smooth.
Most of the KQUP schedule is syndicated material and will remain the same. The station continues to be the home of Seattle SuperSonics basketball. UPN delivered only two hours of programming, five nights a week.
Hall expressed the hope that another station in the market would pick up the most popular UPN shows. So far, this has not happened.
Turn ESPN to 11
Here’s a clarification from Comcast cable about the status of ESPN: It has been moved to channel 11, but is still not part of the cheapest cable package lineup, which is called limited cable.
ESPN remains part of expanded cable – which is the package most subscribers have.
Only 10 percent of Comcast’s customers have limited cable, which consists of channels 2 through 10 and (skipping 11) 12-29, 74-78 and 99. To get the rest of the channels, you must have expanded cable or a digital package.
Another Civic setback
The Spokane Civic Theatre is feeling snakebit these days. Early Wednesday morning, an unknown person set a small fire in the outside breezeway or “tunnel” on the east side of the building.
The fire was quickly put out and caused no structural damage. However, the wall got so hot that it melted several electrical boxes and other wiring inside the wall.
Fortunately, the damaged wiring did not serve the Main Stage, so “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” opened on schedule Friday. Unfortunately, the wiring affected the Studio Theatre, the scenery shop, the costume rental shop and parts of the air and heating system.
The Civic is still evaluating the damage. Executive director Yvonne A.K. Johnson said she hopes most of it will be covered by insurance, minus a considerable deductible.
Also running as scheduled: “Steam Heat,” tonight’s fund-raiser for the Civic’s previous calamity, a leaking boiler which flooded the boiler room last month. So far, the Civic has raised $17,000 of the necessary $50,000 to replace the boiler.
“Steam Heat,” a musical revue featuring local performers, begins at 7 p.m. tonight on the Main Stage, 1020 N. Howard St. Admission is $25 at the door.
Patty Duke at ARt
Patty Duke, Coeur d’Alene’s own Oscar-Emmy-Golden Globe winner, will play the lead role in next season’s holiday play at the Actor’s Repertory Theatre in Spokane.
Duke will head the cast of “Together Again for the First Time,” a world premiere family comedy set in Spokane and written by Reed McColm, a Spokane actor and playwright.
Duke will play Audrey, a woman described as “Spokane’s Martha Stewart,” who has just gotten married to Max Frobisher. She gathers together the teenage children from their previous marriages and demands a “perfect first Christmas.”
It doesn’t turn out that way.
Duke has appeared onstage at the Spokane Civic Theatre and the Fox Theater, but this will be her first stint at ARt, the professional theater based at Spokane Falls Community College. Michael Weaver will direct.
The show is scheduled for Nov. 24 through Dec. 17. Yes, we mean 2006.
Hornby touts Spokane author
Nick Hornby, the British literary heavyweight (“About a Boy,” “A Long Way Down”), chose his favorite novel of 2005 – and it was by Spokane author Jess Walter.
Hornby selected Walter’s “Citizen Vince,” a mob story/political fable set in Spokane, as his pick in a Dec. 18 Atlanta Journal-Constitution story headlined: “What to read next: Top writers reveal favorite books of the year.”
Hornby called it “a small-town ‘Mean Streets,’ smart, funny and moving.” He added, “Walter is clearly a writer to watch.”
Walter’s book also made a number of best-of-the-year lists, including those in the Washington Post, NPR’s “Fresh Air” and Amazon.com.
Return of Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera’s live radio broadcasts return to Spokane next Saturday on a new station: KAGU-FM (88.7).
Gonzaga University’s campus station, an all-classical station, has picked up the broadcasts, which previously aired on KEWU-FM, and before that on KPBX-FM.
The broadcasts will run every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to usually about 3 p.m. (depending on the length of the opera). This Saturday’s broadcast will be “Die Zauberflote” by Mozart.
KAGU recently got a power boost to 5,000 watts and a new tower location on Tower Mountain. That means that “Die Zauberflote” will reach a radius of about 60 miles.
Shaun launches ‘Cross Point’
Shaun Cross, a 2004 Republican primary candidate for the U.S. Congress seat eventually won by Cathy McMorris, has launched a weekly, half-hour radio program.
“Cross Point” airs on KTRW-AM (“The Fabulous 630”) on Saturdays at 10 a.m., and on KSPO-FM (106.5) on Saturdays at noon. He addresses issues of politics, law and culture.
Tom Read, who owns the stations, said that Cross had previously done 90-second radio commentaries and that listener response had been “excellent.”
Sitting in the Fox seat
I’d like to issue a sincere Spotlight apology to the poor family who fielded a few dozen phone calls last Sunday morning from callers trying to buy Fox Theater seats.
An incorrect phone number made it onto a news release and into Spotlight. As that beleaguered family can testify, the demand for the seats turned out to be extremely high.
So if you’re interested in buying some of these old seats, hurry up and call Carol Darby at the guaranteed correct number, 326-3136, ext. 15.