Remote patrol

Among your choices for ringing in the new year is KCTV's annual local telecast, which begins at 11:35 p.m. on Channel 5. It's perfect for people sitting at home wondering if they should've gone out and paid a lot of money to party at a local hotel. As evidenced by last year's broadcast, the answer is clearly "no." Also tonight, "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" (11:35 on Channel 9) features D.L. Hughley and his sitcom wife, Elise Neal; TNN rings in the year one hour early, on Nashville time, on the live "New Year's Eve With Bill Gaither" at 10 p.m.; and a repeat of last year's "Cincinnati Pops Holiday" airs at 11 on Channel 19.

TV land

Little did we know last spring when NBC was throwing that ridiculous going-away party for Jerry Seinfeld, and CBS bid Murphy Brown goodbye after a 10-year run, that the networks were also holding massive wakes for themselves - and perhaps broadcast TV. The three TV networks have ballooned to seven - the latest being PAX, which signed on in August - and yet their combined audience is at an all-time low. Even NBC lost 15 percent of its viewership in the past year and, as a result, said goodbye to two of its top executives. Fox canned its top programmer and replaced him with the head of Comedy Central, a cable network. But cable did not pick up all of the slack. In fact, we watched less TV overall in 1998, as the Internet and other diversions ate into couch time. There were exceptions. All-news networks CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel enjoyed record ratings whenever another bombshell in the Clinton-Lewinsky saga fell. "The Jerry Springer Show" and "Judge Judy," two in-your-face programs, briefly challenged "Oprah" for daytime supremacy. WDAF, alone among local stations, recorded higher viewerships for their newscasts. November saw the first timid steps by the nation's 1,600 TV stations toward a federally-mandated digital standard, a process that's expected to take years. Just 50 stations sent out digital signals, including Kansas City's KCPT. You'll need a $ 2,000 set-top box to pull in the signal. A $ 6,000 wide-screen TV wouldn't hurt. Oh, and PBS is only sending out one digital-ready program a month. Hey where you going? Don't you want to watch TV?

Remote patrol

You'll feel the "grrrl" power pulsing out of your set tonight when the WB repeats a two-part "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in which Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) decides she must destroy her onetime love interest, the halfhearted vampire Angel (David Boreanaz), who had been acting deadly most of last season. Probably it has something to do with that deal he signed for his own WB show next fall. That airs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Channel 62, followed by still more campy femininity as Xena and Gabrielle are transported by a dream in a "Xena: Warrior Princess" repeat.

Remote patrol

Among the more pleasant additions to Monday nights this fall - and there were several, from the addition of Ling (Lucy Liu) to "Ally McBeal" to Jerry Stiller's reincarnation on "The King of Queens" - has been the insertion of Boomer Esiason into the announcer's booth of "Monday Night Football," which wraps up its 1998 schedule with Pittsburg at Jacksonville. Esiason, who took the place of Frank Gifford, has made all of the dumb rookie broadcaster mistakes (talking when he shouldn't, not talking when he should), yet those have only endeared him to viewers as well as to his cellmates, Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf, who give the rookie a snide snippet or two each broadcast to keep him in line. Also tonight, synergy seems to be the reason behind "Ladies' Home Journal Most Fascinating Women," airing at 9 on Channel 5. The special, with host Mary Hart, salutes Queen Latifah, Camryn Manheim and other celebrity women. The Journal just happens to be published by Meredith, which owns CBS affiliates here and in Atlanta, Hartford and Phoenix.

Remote patrol

Among the more notable holiday specials tonight is a new performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, teamed this time with the Canadian Brass for "A Christmas Gloria" at 7 on Channel 19, followed by a repeat of "Holiday Vespers From the University of Kansas" at 8. "Bringin' in the Holidays" (7 on BET) stars the throaty BeBe Winans and guests including All-4-One in a contemporary gospel showcase.

Remote patrol

They'll probably be trying out other gizmos at your house besides the TV. But switch it on anyway and support your local broadcaster. Look at all of these Kansas City-based specials: "Holiday Voices," featuring the Fine Arts Chorale performing at Powell Gardens, airs at 9 p.m. on Channel 29. "Holiday Vespers From the University of Kansas" airs at 10:30 p.m. on Channel 19. Then Friday morning, "Christmas Kansas City" airs at 7:30 on Channel 5, followed by a two-hour "Jazz Community Carol Festival," featuring some of Kansas City's finest, at 9 a.m. on Channel 41.

Remote patrol

Ratings for KMBC's late-night lineup of sitcoms are down big time this year - by nearly 30 percent. One possible reason? Channel 9 no longer offers the best comedy product at 10:35 p.m. Arguably three other choices on at that time are fresher and funnier than "Roseanne. " "Friends" on Channel 4, "Frasier" on Channel 62 and "Win Ben Stein's Money" on Comedy Central. Also, Channel 9 is not the only place to find "Roseanne" anymore; TBS now airs two straight episodes at 6 p.m. weeknights. Maybe Channel 9 should try something no one else is doing - like news. Paging Ted Koppel!

Remote patrol

If you were wondering whatever became of Robert Hays, star of the 1980 comedy hit "Airplane! " it appears he was most recently the darling of the Christmas-industrial complex, as evidenced by two movies airing concurrently tonight. In the 1996 classic "Christmas Every Day," airing at 8 p.m. on Fox Family Channel, he plays dad to a young boy (Erik Von Detten) who must relive Dec. 25 over and over until he gets it right. The only thing that one's missing is a groundhog. Or you could watch the 1997 epic "I'll Be Home for Christmas," at 8 p.m. on Channel 5, in which he co-stars with Ann Jillian. Also tonight, the hysterical Lewis Black gets his own stand-up special, at 9 on Comedy Central.

Remote patrol

"As It Happened: Tragedy Over Lockerbie" (8 tonight on The History Channel) is an ABC News-produced special on the terrorist bombing of a Pan Am flight and its crash into a Scottish village. The one-hour documentary, narrated by Arthur Kent, moves at a tortuous pace early on, as we walk, step by painful step, through the minutes and hours following the disappearance of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie. We accompany the investigators as they collect fragments of the wreck, some of them no larger than a fingernail. And we experience the anguish of the survivors as they realize the perpetrators of this monstrous deed may never be brought to justice.

Coverage marked by anchors, competition

Whether or not the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton merit comparison to the Watergate inquiry, in one respect the two events could not be more different: the way television covered them. Twenty-five years ago, the three commercial networks took turns airing live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the 1973 Senate Select Committee proceedings against President Richard Nixon. That way, all three reduced their losses in daytime ad revenues. (Later, when the House Judiciary Committee considered articles of impeachment in July 1974, all the networks aired the hearings.) But competition, not cooperation, marked coverage of the 1998 House proceedings. And while the Watergate proceedings made household names of many of the players inside the committee chamber, for the 11 broadcast and cable networks involved this time, coverage was a chance to make a name for themselves and their high-priced talent. This impeachment debate was accented, if not indelibly stamped, by the news anchors, Capitol Hill correspondents and partisan pundits who were inserted whenever proceedings inside the House appeared less than compelling. Only PBS and C-SPAN, both noncommercial networks, opted for straight gavel-to-gavel coverage. To Reuven Frank, who served twice as the president of NBC News in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, more did not mean better. "I think it contributes to the fatigue and the boredom of viewers," Frank said. "What's changed is that everything is mediated. We are living in a time of perpetual gabble." But try telling that to the cable all-news networks, all of which reported significant gains in viewership this week. CNN said it had been averaging three to five times its normal viewership, and Fox News Channel reported record viewership this week. "I think the public - if there is such a thing as 'the' public - has gotten more information and more opportunity to be informed and more raw, unfiltered access to speakers and newsmakers in this impeachment than they ever did during Watergate," said John Moody, vice president for news-editorial at Fox News Channel. Viewers could choose how to participate: watch the uninterrupted House coverage, catch updates on Headline News or the evening news, or follow the sometimes bone-crunching debate on talk shows. Meanwhile, the talk shows continued to sprout new pundits, who then resurfaced on other shows, creating an "echo chamber" of voices. On Wednesday, for example, one-time Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork appeared on a "Larry King Live" that became the show's highest-rated broadcast of the year. Bork's appearance caught the attention of NBC, which quickly signed him to supply commentary during Saturday's House vote. The more widely watched local broadcast affiliates took a pass on the full daytime coverage offered by their networks Thursday and Friday and went instead with regularly scheduled programs. Only PBS affiliate KCPT, Channel 19, aired the entire House debate. "That's why we chose to run it, because we knew the other networks would not," said Channel 19 spokeswoman Cynthia Smith. To reach Aaron Barnhart, television writer for The Star, phone (816) 234-4790 or e-mail tvbarn@kansascity.com

Affiliates get into the spirit with holiday specials

Feeling generous this season, three Kansas City TV stations are airing all-new locally produced holiday specials next week. KSHB, Channel 41, is presenting "The Jazz Community Carol Fest," a one-hour special taped Dec. 6 at Community Christian Church. The concert will air in an extended two-hour version at 9 a.m. Christmas day. KCWE, Channel 29, will present "Holiday Voices," a one-hour special featuring the Fine Arts Chorale performing at Powell Gardens. It will air at 9 p.m. Christmas Eve on KCWE, Channel 29. During the broadcast viewers will be able to call a 900 number and donate to area charities. And KCTV, Channel 5, will show "Christmas Kansas City" at 7:30 Christmas morning. The commercial-free program features musical performances from several area groups including the Kansas City Children's Chorus and William Baker Festival Singers. It was taped at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village. "All I can tell you is what motivated me, which is localism," KCTV program director Peter Barrett said. "And it serves a practical purpose in that we're not doing a newscast that morning, and CBS isn't either." Jones out at KMBC After another disappointing ratings period for its morning news, KMBC, Channel 9, chose not to renew the contract of meteorologist Bruce Jones. The move sparked rumors Jones might be headed over to WDAF, Channel 4, to replace Gary Lezak, who's headed to Channel 41. But Channel 4 general manager Stan Knott said this week he hasn't talked with Jones. Olathe eventon C-SPAN2 An author's appearance taped last month at the Olathe Public Library is airing twice on C-SPAN2 this weekend. Andrea Warren discusses her book Pioneer Girl: Growing Up on the Prairie, a true story about a Nebraska family in the 1880s, at 2 p.m. today and 9 a.m. Sunday as part of C-SPAN's new "Book TV" literary programming. Crome to Dallas KSHB, Channel 41, sports anchor-reporter Dave Crome is heading to Dallas. It's a big step for Crome as he moves from the No. 33 market to No. 8. To reach Aaron Barnhart, television writer for The Star, phone(816) 234-4790 or e-mail tvbarn@kansascity.com

Baghdad TV beat: Danger not so big

"It's not dangerous because both sides know where the journalists are." - Chuck Lustig, foreign editor for ABC news As you watch those TV news reporters describe the bombing of Baghdad from atop Iraq's ministry of information building, you may wonder how dangerous it really is for them. Foreign correspondents are accustomed to working around gunfire, but the bombing of Baghdad is unusual in that it offers television crews practically a front-row seat at the site of an orchestrated military salvo. It's dramatic and, news managers for the major networks say, relatively safe to cover. The Americans even know when to expect bombings, because their producers in the United States are in contact with military sources who advise them of upcoming attacks. "It's not dangerous because both sides know where the journalists are," said Chuck Lustig, foreign editor for ABC news. "When the U.S. knows where all the journalists are, it's much safer. And there's really no Iraqi fire, just anti-aircraft fire. It's not like we're fighting a war here." The U.S. military doesn't guarantee the safety of journalists covering Baghdad. "We make no promises and we will not put U.S. servicemen or women in harm's way to protect them," said a Pentagon spokes-man. As for warning news producers of bombing raids, the spokesman said, "We don't provide operational details of ongoing missions," although he added, "The Pentagon has many employees." Journalists working from Baghdad have received protective gear, and their networks have contingency plans ready in case the crews must be evacuated quickly. "They have flak jackets and helmets and gas masks. We tell them to take no unnecessary risks. And we have some way to hopefully get them out if danger is imminent," said Brian Jones, a vice president at Fox News Channel. One unavoidable hazard has been working directly beneath another building where Iraqi anti-aircraft guns occasionally fire off rounds, sending shell cases raining down on the crews below. Even so, reporters like CBS's Mark Phillips and CNN's Christiane Amanpour are almost never seen on camera wearing helmets, though some, like NBC's Kevin Tibbles, can be seen with flak jackets on. "I sit here in the safety of the control room saying, 'Don't you think you should be wearing a helmet? ' And they'll say, 'Don't worry, it's all right,' " said Marcy McGinnis, vice president for news coverage at CBS. "These guys have almost a sixth sense about this kind of stuff." Another factor that may contribute to the journalists' safety are the ever-present Iraqi "minders. " There is consensus that the Iraqis do not want anything to happen to their guests in the foreign press. But safety comes at a price. Except for occasional guided tours of selected bomb-damaged sites, reporters aren't allowed anywhere in Baghdad except the ministry of information building and the al-Rashid hotel, located a mile away. Of course, the al-Rashid is not exactly a den of solace, either. When the American bombardment of Baghdad began in 1991, foreign journalists scrambled to the basement to seek shelter. Only CNN's Peter Arnett, Bernard Shaw and the late John Holliman stayed behind. And in 1993, during ostensible peacetime, a U.S. cruise missile was deflected by Iraqi guns and glanced off the side of the al-Rashid, killing two civilians and injuring a CBS news crew staying there at the time. Still, for McGinnis, the orderliness of the press arrangements in Baghdad creates a safer and saner environment. "It doesn't scare me as much as Bosnia, where there was sniper fire and you just didn't know where it was coming from," said McGinnis. "Here, if they sensed it was getting close to them, they could run inside if they had to." To reach Aaron Barnhart, television writer for The Star, phone (816) 234-4790 or e-mail tvbarn@kansascity.com

Remote patrol

An all-star cast of guest voices, including James Earl Jones and an encore performance by Robert Goulet, highlight the Christmas edition of "Recess" (7:30 a.m. on Channel 9). Mikey (voiced by Jason Davis of "7th Heaven") is asked to play Santa in the school play, which will be carried across the world by satellite. But he's crushed when told that Santa isn't real and heads out in search of someone who still believes.

General manager of KMBC is named to California TV post

Paul Dinovitz, who guided KMBC back to the top of the local television market in the late 1980s and made it one of the most profitable stations in the country, is moving on - and up.

Dinovitz, 51, KMBC's general manager, on Friday was named general manager of KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif. Hearst-Argyle Television, which owns KMBC, paid $ 520 million in August to buy KCRA from Kelly Media Corp. The purchase, which received government approval Friday, marks one of the highest prices ever paid for a TV station.

The move is a promotion in more ways than one. Sacramento is a larger television market (No. 20, compared with Kansas City's No. 33) and KCRA is a bigger station that towers over its competition. "KCRA is the queen of news stations here," said Christine Craft, the former KMBC news anchor now practicing law in Sacramento. "KCRA is the big time in the little city." That, according to Dinovitz, is why he sought the job almost from the moment Hearst acquired the station. "KCRA has such a rich history, nationally known, and has been the dominant station in Northern California the past 43 years," Dinovitz said Thursday.

As he did in Kansas City, Dinovitz will be managing two TV stations: KCRA operates the market's WB affiliate through a local marketing agreement. (The operations of KMBC and KCWE, Channel 29, also are combined.) Dinovitz, a native of Kansas City, broke into broadcasting in 1970 as a salesman for WDAF-FM. Rich Becker, now a Kansas state senator, hired Dinovitz on the condition that he stay with the station for one year. A year later, Phil Jones brought him over to WDAF-TV, and there Dinovitz began his ascent through the Taft Broadcasting chain, continuing at stations in Philadelphia, Buffalo, N.Y., and Columbus, Ohio.

In June 1985 Hearst hired Dinovitz to turn around KMBC, then mired in third place and still struggling to emerge from the fallout of Craft's demotion and subsequent age-discrimination lawsuit. "My request upon coming back to Kansas City was this: Give me a chance to settle in, and if I didn't mess up would I be allowed to stay? " said Dinovitz. "And you know what? They honored that." Dinovitz brought in Brian Bracco as his news director, Laurie Everett as news co-anchor and Bryan Busby as weatherman, eventually making Busby the chief meteorologist.

Along with longtime anchor Larry Moore and sports anchor Len Dawson, the foursome took Channel 9 to No. 1 in local news in 1989, and it has remained there since. Although its ratings of late have not been as strong, KMBC is still capable of drawing 30 percent of Kansas City households - an impressive figure in an era of cable TV and viewer fragmentation. As one rival general manager recently put it, "They could bake a cake at 11 o'clock at night and still get a 25 share."

One of Dinovitz's chief tasks at KMBC was choosing syndicated shows to fill the hours when ABC was not supplying programs. In 1987 he outbid WDAF for the rights to the "Oprah" show, giving KMBC's 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts a monster lead-in. His decision to schedule "Jerry Springer" at 3 p.m. - an hour when area teen-agers are coming home from school - produced ratings and controversy. Dinovitz programmed a steady succession of late-night sitcom reruns - "Cheers," "Roseanne" and, beginning in 2001, "Seinfeld. " The shows drew high ratings, but Dinovitz was criticized for continuing his predecessors' policy of delaying "ABC News Nightline" until 12:05 a.m.

As Dinovitz moves on to his fifth TV market, he had gracious words for his competitors in Kansas City. "Our market is a lady-and-gentleman market," said Dinovitz, "and the community is extraordinarily well-served by all."

More TV manpower doesn't mean more news

If you listened carefully Wednesday night while Christiane Amanpour delivered her live reports from Iraq on CNN, you could hear it: the unmistakable sound of chatter coming from other reporters standing nearby, supplying live reports to other networks. In 1991, only CNN was willing to take the enormous risks involved with covering the opening attacks on Baghdad from above ground during the Persian Gulf War. But this week, the fourth floor balcony of Iraq's ministry of information building was crowded with news crews on hand to record the strikes and to describe the noise and concussive force of the missile attack. Some action was uncomfortably close. Iraq has anti-aircraft guns installed on top of the information headquarters, said Eason Jordan, president of CNN International. "We have no reason to believe the building itself is targeted," Jordan said. "At the same time, it's a bit nerve-racking to have people reporting from a spot that has active guns on the roof." For the first time in a war situation, CNN has a competitor, MSNBC, also live in Baghdad around the clock. In addition, ABC, CBS and NBC all devoted a full hour of prime time Wednesday to covering the first wave of bombing. But regardless which network viewers tuned in, the picture was nearly always the same: a montage of missile hits and anti-aircraft fire in Baghdad, captured in an emerald haze by cameras specially fitted with night vision lenses. Iraqi officials limited reporters' movements to the communications center and hotel, about a mile apart. Anytime reporters travel beyond those sites, they were being taken to places Iraqi officials wanted them to see, Jordan said. As viewers were told repeatedly, the Iraqis were clearly trying to evoke sympathy for Iraq in the West by showing any civilian casualties of the attacks. Images generally showed a city seemingly so calm, in fact, that when NBC cameraman Tom Baer and some of his equipment were scattered to the floor of his Rasheed Hotel room by the concussion from a nearby blast, the incident was deemed worthy of retelling over and over on MSNBC. Eight years ago, CNN's Peter Arnett was the last American broadcast journalist to remain in Baghdad during Desert Storm. He was assigned an Iraqi "minder" who shadowed his every move and vetted his scripts, a situation that often produced acrimony between the CNN crew members and their handlers. The handlers remain, although NBC did carry reports Thursday from two of its technicians who had managed to elude their Iraqi minders and explore other corners of Baghdad. And news organizations say the role of the U.S. government in controlling what the media report - which was heavily criticized after the 1991 war - has been minimal. "This is not a ground invasion. This is all happening acrobatically in the air," said MSNBC general manager Erik Sorenson. "The Pentagon has nothing to say about it." To reach Aaron Barnhart, television writer for The Star, call (816) 234-4790 or send e-mail to tvbarn@kansascity.com

Remote patrol

"Crimes and Misdemeanors," one of my all-time favorites from Woody Allen, is the Channel 62 movie tonight at 7. OK, Sam Waterston as a rabbi slowly losing his vision probably wasn't the most subtle symbolic use of blindness. But Martin Landau's bad guy and Alan Alda's irritating TV producer are among Allen's most memorable characters. And with only about 20 minutes to fill with commercials, this version might even be pleasurable to watch. Also tonight, one of the top 10 reasons to watch Dave - the always flirtatious Julia Roberts - is scheduled to appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" at 10:35 on Channel 5.

Remote patrol

Ciao, Craig Kilborn. Bye bye, A. Whitney Brown. See you soon, Brian Unger. Three of the personalities that made "The Daily Show" one of the most distinctive comedy shows on TV are leaving after tonight's broadcast, airing at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central. When the show returns Jan. 11, Jon Stewart will be in the driver's seat and the TV-news parody will likely be history. And with Comedy Central chief Doug Herzog off to run the Fox network, who's to say when something with as much snap and crackle as "The Daily" will enter the pop culture again?

Remote patrol

If you're wondering where "Encore! Encore! " has been lately - we thought there was one or two of you. Anyway, it's back, though judging from tonight's episode at 8:30 on Channel 41, it won't be back for long. The problem with this sitcom from the producers of "Frasier" is that it attempts to force-feed "Frasier"-quality lines to a cast, led by Nathan Lane, that just can't handle them. Also, "Biography" (7 p.m. on A&E) begins a bizarro three-day run featuring profiles of Jerry Springer, William Shatner and Moses. Interestingly, Shatner is the only one not doing a holiday movie this year.

Remote patrol

"Life of Crime 2," airing at 9 tonight on HBO, is the sequel to journalist Jon Alpert's 1989 documentary about two low-level crooks, Rob and Freddie, whose stealing and drug habits were captured in Fred Wiseman-like detail. Now they've both been paroled, and Alpert is there to capture their slow, depressing descent into addiction and worse. Watching their frequent interactions with authority figures, you realize just how powerless the bureaucracy is against people determined to do themselves in. Alpert, an eight-time Emmy-winner, puts the Coen brothers to shame in depicting America's lurid underside. Rated TV-MA, this one's not for the kiddies.

Remote patrol

Scientology has been with us nearly half a century and its profile is higher than ever. Yet try finding someone who can explain it without breaking into hysterics. "Inside Scientology," a two-hour documentary special airing at 8 tonight on A&E, performs this worthy service. It's a critical look at the late L. Ron Hubbard and his unusual movement featuring interviews with some of its best-known devotees. Isaac Hayes captures some of Hubbard's unique appeal when he says, "L. Ron said you have to fight back against your oppressor." Also tonight, Leeza Gibbons and a host of celebrities serve up stories from the seemingly bottomless pot of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" at 8 on Channel 50.