'Frontier House' is reality done right

TELEVISION It's probably just a coincidence, but in the 19 years since I left my home state of Montana, outsiders have been moving there in droves. So I wasn't surprised to learn that PBS received 5,500 applications from people eager to pack their bags and head to Big Sky Country to be part of the new reality series "Frontier House." In the end three lucky families got to spend half a year getting away from it all - away from smog, noise, congestion, consumerism, automobiles, electricity, running water ... Whoa, horsy! What was that last part? It's true. As you'll see over three engrossing nights beginning at 8 tonight on KCPT, Channel 19, "Frontier House" is an attempt to re-create pioneer life in 1883, when Montana was still a territory and residents endured conditions that make today's Amish seem wildly decadent. The series is spun off from last year's PBS hit "1900 House," though the housemates this time are American, not British. They wear American period clothes, cook on American cast-iron stoves and ignore the lush American tableau around them, overwhelmed as they are with farm and household chores that are as grueling as the day is long. From churning their own butter to killing their own chickens and treating their own aches and fevers (aspirin wasn't an option in 1883, so it isn't here either), the families struggle valiantly with the elements - and then struggle not so valiantly. When the California Clunes fret that their food supply is low, the Tennessee Glenns accuse them of whining and extravagance. The Massachusetts Brookses are an interracial couple, which was practically unheard of in 1983 Montana, let alone 1883. Historically, "Frontier House" puts all that Mark Burnett "Survivor" eco-romance to shame. My ears did perk up once, when the narrator asserted that the women wouldn't have been able to file homestead claims in 1883, "having lost most of (their) legal rights upon marriage." I knew that women began challenging that edict in the 1860s, but e-mail from a historian at the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Neb., backed up the PBS claim. The only thing I still question is the decision to air "Frontier House" in one fell swoop: six hours over the course of three nights. (KCPT will re-air the series beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.) Still, it beats six hours of chores on the High Plains. If you turned on a TV anytime this year, you are well aware that this is NBC's 75th anniversary year. This week General Sarnoff's network finally begins its monthlong look back on a "tradition" of broadcasting excellence with a three-hour spectacular beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, a Bob Hope blooper reel at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Jay Leno's 10-year anniversary "Tonight Show" at 9 p.m. Tuesday, all on Channel 41. Though I haven't seen the Leno special, and Sunday's gala is live, I would advise tuning in with low expectations. Leno has worked hard to be No. 1 in late night, and I tip my Harley cap to him. But like many people, I look back on 1992 as the year Leno's brilliant stand-up career died. As for Sunday's special, even though it's produced by the same crew that made the excellent "Saturday Night Live" 25th anniversary program, it won't be the same unless Johnny Carson unexpectedly steps on stage. Watching an old clip of Bob Hope calling Garth Brooks "country music's most sawed-off performer," over and over, was just sad. "Cops," which just passed the 500-episode milestone last week - more than all the "Law & Orders" combined - this week features hilarious video courtesy of the Tampa vice squad (7 p.m. Saturday, Channel 4). A cop solicits hookers while dressed as a birthday clown. Now why didn't "The Shield" think of that? Mighty considerate of Nickelodeon to wait until the end of TV-Turnoff Week to make the big switcheroo on "Blue's Clues." In a special airing at 6 tonight, host Steve Burns exits and his "brother Joe" (actually the fresh-faced but unrelated Donovan Patton) takes over. This simple handoff takes an hour and a half to complete. It's supposed to make the transition easy to swallow for the show's preschool audience. But 90 minutes just to say goodbye? No wonder kids watch so much TV. Look for my stories on the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" movie "Little John" in the Saturday FYI and on "America Undercover: Blue Vinyl" in the Sunday Arts section. - To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com
CORRECTION: KCPT will rebroadcast the PBS series "Frontier House" beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. The time was reported incorrectly in FYI on April 29.

It's more than TV ... it's HBO; By any standard, pay channel is the leading light on the tube

What's the highlight of being a television critic? That's easy: getting to see all the great HBO programs before anyone else. The lowlight? Trying to find something worth writing about besides HBO. Think I'm overstating things? I made a quick survey of the shows my fellow critics listed as their 10 favorites of 2001. The same titles kept showing up on one list after another: "Six Feet Under." "Sex and the City." "Band of Brothers." "The Sopranos." "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Half of a 10-best list. All from HBO. Home Box Office has been the dominant player in pay television since it signed on 30 years ago. It's on tap in one out of three American homes, far more than any other premium channel. In recent years, HBO also has come to dominate the creative landscape of television - and not just cable TV, either. Only NBC has won more Emmys in the last five years. HBO documentaries have been awarded 10 Oscars. Its made-for-TV movies have picked up the Emmy four out of the past five years. Shows like "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" have generated more buzz than the entire WB lineup. When I was growing up, people bought HBO - or, like my father, refused to - because it showed R-rated movies like "Carnal Knowledge" uncut and commercial-free. These days a lot of pay cable channels do that. What keeps HBO on top is its unmatched lineup of original shows, films, documentaries and specials. Which raises two questions: How did HBO do it? And why haven't other TV networks exercised the sincerest form of flattery and followed suit? For a clue, look at what's playing this weekend on HBO's main channel ("HBO1," as many customers call it, to avoid confusion with HBO2, HBO3 and other related channels). By HBO standards, it's a pretty typical weekend: two original movies - one scripted, one documentary - a boxing match and a series episode. The scripted film, "The Gathering Storm," stars Albert Finney as a 60-year-old Winston Churchill. (It aired Saturday night but, like every program mentioned here, will re-air frequently in the next few weeks.) The film is a charming and very personal portrait of the British leader during his most humbling period, between the two world wars, when his power and influence were at low ebb. Much of it was filmed at Chartwell, the country estate that belonged to Winston and his wife, Clemmie, played in the movie by Vanessa Redgrave. It's fitting that "The Gathering Storm" was co-produced with the BBC. Some people compare HBO to "the Beeb," because they're both quality-minded networks funded by their viewers. Next on the schedule is "Boxing After Dark." HBO has aired professional boxing since 1975. It wasn't a new idea; Friday-night fights were a staple of network TV in the 1950s. What HBO did was revive and reinvent the art of televised boxing. And so it has gone ever since. From comedy specials to documentary film to sitcoms and drama series, HBO has figured out a way to present the old and familiar in ways that are fresh, exciting and often brilliant. Which brings us to 8 p.m. Sundays and "Six Feet Under," the splendid series about a family that operates a mortuary inside a home that time forgot. Currently in its second season, "Six Feet Under" was created by Alan Ball, who toiled on network sitcoms before winning an Oscar for "American Beauty." Ball created the show, but as he freely admits, the concept came from HBO - and after he submitted the first script, it was HBO that urged Ball to make the show, as he put it, "kinkier." Frustrated by his time at ABC and CBS, Ball has sworn off writing for TV. But not HBO. "Where else would I get to write this kind of stuff?" he said in an interview last summer. Ball thinks HBO's penchant for "entertainment that's not mindless drivel" led it to consider a show that dealt with the American obsession with death "in a philosophical, adult, existential way." It's easy to say that HBO's lack of inhibition gives it an advantage over traditional broadcasters. Most people can't imagine "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City" showing anywhere but on pay cable. Yet HBO's chief rival, Showtime, has tried for years to produce shows with explicit language and sexual content. Name three you can remember. And lest we forget, HBO itself airs forgettable adult programming. The continued survival of alleged sports comedy "Arli$$" is one of several enigmas on the HBO schedule. "They generate a tremendous amount of junk," said John Higgins, deputy editor of the trade publication Broadcasting & Cable. "The Thursday-night sex stuff, the 'G-String Divas' - it's nothing to be proud of, and not all that tantalizing, frankly." But there is one category in which HBO nearly always hits a home run: documentary films. Since 1979, under the leadership of Sheila Nevins, HBO has produced hundreds of documentaries that have helped redefine the genre and collected just about every piece of hardware a film can win. More than any other type of program, the documentary film embodies the values that have made HBO a favorite of critics and viewers. Let's see how the HBO approach helped shape "Small Town Ecstasy," this weekend's offering in the "America Undercover" series airing 9 p.m. Sundays on HBO. Ideas. While most cable channels recycle the same ideas over and over, HBO encourages thinking out of the box. "In many ways, the hardest part of dealing with HBO is coming up with something that hasn't already crossed Sheila's mind," said "Small Town Ecstasy" producer Arnold Shapiro. That's quite a compliment, considering Shapiro has been doing documentaries longer than Nevins has. Though Nevins rejected the subject Shapiro first pitched to her, she was intrigued by the filmmaking methods of the man who made the classic "Scared Straight," in which teen-age offenders are sent to prison to be lectured by hardened criminals. Shapiro, whose work also appears on MTV and UPN, has learned how to entertain younger viewers while slipping them vital information about AIDS, drugs and sex. That appealed to Nevins, who admits to having a low threshold for "informational" films. "I get bored very quickly," Nevins said in a recent phone interview. "I knew I couldn't get my kid to sit down and watch a movie about drugs. But I could get my kid to watch a movie about a crazy guy who (ruined) his family." "Small Town Ecstasy" chronicles a family devastated by the popular recreational drug. The twist is that it's Dad who discovers Ecstasy and then gets his teen-age kids to take it with him. Money. HBO spends a staggering amount on programming, more than $1 billion yearly. Though documentaries are relatively cheap, HBO's deep pockets mean that it can afford a lot of them. Next year, documentaries will begin airing on HBO2, raising the number produced each year by HBO to 40. Nevins also can afford to pay filmmakers to research ideas - and see if a brainstorming session will actually turn into a compelling documentary. With HBO's funding, Shapiro sent several camera crews to Ecstasy raves around the country, looking for potential subjects. One of them visited a rave in northern California and found a 40-year-old man, Scott, and his teen-age son, Craig, taking Ecstasy together. Time. Most cable programs are made in a matter of weeks. HBO measures its production cycles in months and years. It has been famously patient with "The Sopranos," giving creator David Chase 15 months to produce more episodes. After the producers of "Small Town Ecstasy" found Scott, it took awhile for his family's tragedy to unfold. It also took time for director Jay Blumenfield to win Scott's complete trust. Then, when shooting had wrapped, HBO spent nearly four months editing the film. But HBO was in no hurry. This was in 2000, and Nevins had already filled her "America Undercover" lineup for 2001. She scheduled "Small Town Ecstasy" for 2002. Risk-taking. Because HBO programs are not advertiser-supported, they do not live and die on their Nielsen ratings. Over the years, this has emboldened HBO executives to lead with their gut. HBO chief Chris Albrecht, for instance, admitted that he brought back "Arli$$" for a sixth season because his limo driver loved it. Shapiro had promised to deliver a final cut of "Small Town Ecstasy" that was under an hour. "But the tightest cut we made got it down to 1 hour 27 (minutes). And Sheila said, 'That's the length we're going to go with.' " Ultimately, this is what may make it impossible for HBO to happen again - the same reason why, in their heyday, there was only one New Yorker magazine or one Random House. You just can't clone imagination and will. "We cherish people who give their heart and soul to what they do," Nevins said. She was speaking for her own corner of a unique television empire - and, in fact, for all of HBO. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com @ART CAPTION:Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave as Winston and Clementine Churchill in 'The Gathering Storm' @ART:Photo @ART CREDIT:STEVE BONHAM/Special to The Star @ART:Graphic (color)

Up-close in Afghanistan; Channel 41 anchor was near fighting a few times

Like many Americans, KSHB, Channel 41, news anchor Elizabeth Alex has been watching images of aching poverty in Afghanistan and horrifying violence from the Middle East. The difference is that Alex was watching them in person. Along with KSHB photographer John Batten, Alex visited Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan and Israel in an occasionally hair-raising 10-day mission. Their stories continue to air on Channel 41's newscasts this week as sweeps month gets under way. "It was magical in some ways and heartbreaking in others," Alex said this week. She and Batten were caught near heavy fighting twice. Once, near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, they had to be escorted out by a different driver because their original driver refused to venture out in the gunfire. The second driver asked them incredulously, "Where are your flak jackets?" Another time, a tip from a British relief agency led them to a remote Afghan village where few cameras have been. Situated in the area of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, it showed not only the everyday hardships of Afghanistan but also the country's tremendous promise. "I was struck by their passion for education," Alex said. "They're a farming area, very poor, but they sit the kids under the trees for school." The Channel 41 team accompanied Gary Morsch, founder and president of Olathe-based Heart to Heart International, which airlifted medical and other supplies to be distributed in Afghanistan. Their original plan was to stick near Kabul and operate in a large group, but in the end Alex seemed glad for the unexpected turns of fate. "It went great," she said. Less than a year after disappearing from KCTV-5's newscasts, legendary anchor Wendall Anschutz is back at the station - this time as host of a local business show that's one part news, one part advertising. Anschutz, who took an early retirement package last June, will be appearing on a local business show, "KC-B2B," airing on Channel 5 at 5 p.m. Saturdays, beginning May 25. In an unusual arrangement, DHTV Productions of Overland Park will sell some of the air time to area businesses. DHTV will produce profiles of those companies, which according to a press release will be "in-depth" and "positive." Each company will be able to use its profile in the future as a promotional video. Otherwise, "KC-B2B" will seem just like a news program. Anschutz will read the week's business headlines, and later in the broadcast, he'll interview local business people. An on-screen message will inform viewers that some companies featured on the program have paid promotional fees. And Anschutz said he won't withhold negative news about companies profiled on "KC-B2B." "I am now retired and am no longer a newsman," Anschutz said this week in an interview. "But there's a newsman's ethic that comes with me. I don't think it would be fair to leave one impression (about a company) on people's minds and then not correct it when a situation comes up." Other than his coming weekly TV gig, Anschutz seems to be taking full advantage of retirement. Mostly he paints and putters around the house. "My life is pretty dull at the moment," he said. "If it picks up I'll let you know." What does Anschutz think of his longtime co-anchor Anne Peterson's sudden promotion to the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts? "I think it's great," he said with a laugh. "Bless her heart, she has given more to that station than I ever will." "KC-B2B" is the brainchild of producer Mark Honer, who previously worked for CBS Newspath out of Channel 5's offices. KCTV has agreed to air "KC-B2B" for 13 weeks with an option to pick up the program for another 13 weeks. "DIY Kansas City" isn't exactly a paid program, but it's a bird of a similar feather to "KC-B2B." The half-hour home-improvement show, airing at 1 p.m. Saturdays on KMCI, Channel 38, and repeating at 10 a.m. Sundays on KSHB, Channel 41, is produced by the DIY-Do It Yourself cable channel, which was spun off from the popular HGTV channel two years ago. What KMCI, KSHB, DIY and HGTV have in common is that they're all owned by E.W. Scripps Co. In other words, "DIY Kansas City" is corporate cross-promotion. Using local personalities (here it'll be Sally Moore), Scripps is rolling out customized versions of its "Ask DIY" segment in 19 cities, and hopes to expand to 30 cities by year's end. Not all of those will involve Scripps-owned stations. Moore will answer questions from area viewers on the program, which will also feature content produced at the giant Scripps production house in Knoxville, Tenn. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Mamhood was Elizabeth Alex's driver when the news anchor was in the Middle East recently. @ART CREDIT:Courtesy of KSHB @ART CAPTION:Wendall Anschutz @ART:Photos (2, color and b/w)
Copyright 2002 Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service The Kansas City Star
April 25, 2002, Thursday
SECTION: ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
KR-ACC-NO: K7594
LENGTH: 1506 words

Chanute woman hangs on in 'Bachelor' race

Extremely observant readers may have noticed that when it comes to reality TV shows, not all local contestants get the red-carpet treatment from the local newspaper critic. A couple of years back, I devoted no fewer than three stories to the exploits of Mission Hills builder B.B. Andersen. You remember B.B. as the tough old cuss who stayed for a cup of coffee (and a notorious pot of soup) on the first-ever "Survivor." Yet in the past month I have all but ignored Amanda Marsh, area sweetheart, who was one of 25 women chosen to fling themselves at Alex Michel, better known to millions of viewers as "The Bachelor." No offense meant to Amanda, who hails from Chanute, Kan. It was her fate, however, to qualify for a program that merges the worst elements of a beauty pageant and a late-night dating game with the Ivy League's answer to Rick Rockwell. How was I to know they'd both be survivors? "The Bachelor" is a ratings success, and the contestant from the great state of Kansas is one of three potential mates still standing. On tonight's episode, airing at 8 on ABC (Channel 9), she and Alex hop a jet to New York City for a date. Before the hour is up, Alex will have taken Trista, the Miami Heat dancer, to Hawaii and Shannon, a Dallas "operations assistant," skiing in Tahoe. After recovering from his jetlag, he'll narrow the field to two before Thursday's two-hour finale (7-9 p.m.). Other highlights: Enticing as that all sounds (not), may I call your attention to another program airing tonight on A&E. At first I was skeptical when the preview tape of "Biography Close-Up: Saturday Night Live" arrived. Why should I watch a video history of "SNL" when, thanks to the E! channel, I can watch classic "SNL" repeats from the 1970s and see history as it was being made weeknights at 6. To my surprise, "Biography Close-Up" (8 tonight on A&E) is a worthy addition to the growing body of documents about one of television's unique institutions. It's really two programs woven into one: a history of the 27-year run of "SNL" and a documentary of the making of a recent "SNL" episode (from last November, with guest host Gwyneth Paltrow). From the desperation of the Tuesday night writing session to the Wednesday read-through to the endless dress rehearsals, watching "SNL" get made is interesting in a not-interesting kind of way. It's kind of like how veterans describe serving in combat: long stretches of inertia in between prodigious bursts of energy. Yet in the course of this two-hour special, it becomes clear that "SNL" is in a class all its own: a logistically daunting live 90-minute variety show, something not attempted since "Your Show of Shows" in the 1950s. And it has had six more lives than "Your Show," which signed off after just four seasons. That is due a lot to Lorne Michaels, a Canadian comedy writer who pitched "SNL" to NBC in 1975 and has presided over the show for 22 of the 27 seasons since. He is the principal talking head here. There aren't many interviews with cast members other than Chevy Chase, Joe Piscopo and those current cast members caught on camera during A&E's visit in November. But Michaels is better qualified than anyone to tell the story of a TV show that has become synonymous with American satire. Perhaps watching an R-rated film on HBO isn't the ideal way for parents and kids to celebrate the end of TV-Turnoff Week. But "Small Town Ecstasy," this week's edition of the "American Undercover" documentary series (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO), is a different kind of family program. It's the true story of a well-heeled, Bible-believing family that fell apart when Dad hit 40 and embarked on a second teenhood. Scott started frequenting raves and parties; worse, he encouraged his teen-age kids to take Ecstasy with him. It is fascinating to hear Scott rationalize his behavior, particularly when his 18-year-old, Craig, objects to his younger siblings taking drugs. But this film is more than just the story of a screwed-up father. It offers unusually vivid insight into the emotional torment faced by teens when their parents split up. And producers Arnold Shapiro (of "Scared Straight!" fame) and Allison Grodner make sure we know how dangerous Ecstasy use can be. I'll write more about "Small Town Ecstasy" in an upcoming profile of HBO in the Sunday Arts section. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. RECOMMENDED SHOWS TODAY: "Biography Close-Up," 8 p.m., A&E WEEKDAYS: "Saturday Night Live" repeats, 6 p.m., E! SUNDAY: "Small Town Ecstasy," 9 p.m., HBO

Speaking the story; Like closed captioning, video description slow to catch on with networks, affiliates

Video description may be the coolest enhancement for TV since closed captioning. So why are the networks trying to get rid of it? This month several popular television programs began offering an alternate audio track for people who are blind or visually impaired. The service, known as video description, has been around for years but will expand widely thanks to a government order that took effect April 1. In late March a federal appeals court denied a motion to halt the order that was filed by the TV and movie industries. They argued that they can't be forced into serving disabled viewers. Heaven knows they can't be shamed. Video description takes a TV show's regular audio and adds the voice of a narrator describing visual elements in the picture. It airs on the secondary audio program or SAP channel, a feature found on most newer TV sets, VCRs and digital cable boxes. We take advantage of it, since a member of the Barnhart family is visually impaired. The describer tells people who cannot see a TV screen what they are missing: a facial expression, a car crash, someone spying on another character. Descriptions are dropped in unobtrusively during pauses in dialogue. (See the sample from "The Simpsons,"above.) Today more than 200 movies have been released in special described versions, from classics ("The Thin Man") to recent blockbusters ("Gladiator"). Many air on Turner Classic Movies. In addition, WGBH, the Boston public TV station that helped pioneer the service, has described hundreds of hours of PBS programming. KCPT, Channel 19, has aired these for years. Now WGBH has begun describing hit shows like "CSI" and "JAG" for CBS and "Malcolm in the Middle," "Bernie Mac" and "The Simpsons" for Fox. Under the new federal mandate, nine of the most-watched broadcast and cable networks - ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, USA, Lifetime, TBS, TNT and Nick - must supply the annotated audio for some of their prime-time or educational shows. A week after the order took effect, however, only one of the four broadcast affiliates in Kansas City - Fox-owned WDAF, Channel 4 - was carrying the network's secondary audio feed. KMBC, Channel 9 (ABC), and KSHB, Channel 41 (NBC), were trying to get their SAP channels up and running. Then there's KCTV, Channel 5. The CBS affiliate actually has a working SAP channel, but station managers at first weren't going to use it to carry video descriptions. They feared that viewers whose TVs were accidentally set to SAP wouldn't realize what was going on and would flood the station's switchboard with complaints. KCTV's managers reconsidered after it was pointed out that they can't legally block video descriptions. But their first reaction reflects a skepticism shared by many of their peers. Making television accessible to people who can't see it, they fear, will be more trouble than it's worth. The National Association of Broadcasters, in briefs filed with the government, declared that video description comes with "substantial costs" and delivers "limited benefits." Of course, broadcasters raised those same doubts 10 years ago about closed captioning. As it turned out, captions today are not only cheap but also a public convenience, like wheelchair ramps, enjoyed by millions of non-disabled Americans. Boosters of video description believe the same will happen here. Descriptions include numerous details that even sighted viewers would find helpful - names of hard-to-place minor characters, for instance. If people will just give it a try, enthusiasts say many will prefer the described version to regular audio. Of course, first you have to locate a described show. Only nine networks are covered under the new edict, and each network has to describe only four hours of programming a week. So far the networks have spent more money challenging video description in court than promoting it on-air. As for that claim that video description involves "substantial costs," forget it. Describing a TV show costs $2,000 to $4,000 an hour. That's loose change for programs with typical budgets of $1.5 million to $3 million per hour. "We like to say it's the doughnut budget," said Larry Goldberg, who directs WGBH's Media Access Group, the industry's leading supplier of captioning and video descriptions. So far it appears Fox has gotten the most for its doughnuts. Among the first wave of described programs, "The Simpsons" stands out. Not only is it one of the medium's most innovative and enduring shows, but also as an animated program with breakneck pacing and abundant sight gags, it gives video description quite a workout. The described "Simpsons" is great listening fun, a frenetic theater of the mind. If Fox were smart, it could make its four grand back, and then some, selling satellite radio the rights to these episodes. "In a cartoon, words float through clouds," begins the description of an upcoming episode. The describer then reads whatever message Bart is writing on the chalkboard at school (the message changes weekly). Sticking to pertinent facts, the describer speaks quickly: "Lisa almost runs over her father on a bike. Marge drives straight toward him! In the living room, two men repossess their sofa. As Homer cries, the kids face the TV. Titles appear on a TV set." Whoever said a picture is worth a thousand words never did video description. In a dozen places during a typical "Simpsons" episode, the WGBH writers compress video mayhem into tight, evocative prose. Visual jokes become verbal jokes - and are told in the same amount of time. Fox and CBS have set ambitious goals for their video descriptions. NBC and ABC seem more tentative. For now, they're only describing movies and have not publicized which ones. The local affiliate is a crucial part of the relay of video description, because it must purchase and install special equipment to carry SAP audio to viewers. The FCC requires network affiliates in the 25 largest U.S. markets to have SAP equipment. Kansas City, the 31st-largest market, is exempt. Or so thought the management at KCTV. At first it had no plans to pass along video descriptions for "JAG" and "CSI." Chief engineer Ned Soseman explained that every weekday at 12:30 p.m. KCTV carries the Spanish-language dub of "The Bold and the Beautiful" on the SAP channel. And every weekday, KCTV hears from confused viewers whose TVs are talking to them in Spanish. Staffers try to help viewers turn off SAP but, said Soseman, "it's very difficult to talk people through it." He added, "As a rule, we just keep away from SAP." But a more careful reading of the law reveals that any station, regardless of market size, must carry video descriptions offered by the network "if the broadcast station has the technical capability necessary to do so." After I e-mailed this language (available at www.fcc.gov) to KCTV, general manager Kirk Black e-mailed back, "If KCTV5 is technically capable of providing this service, we will." At ABC affiliate KMBC, chief engineer Jerry Dixon said he's trying to fix a problem with relaying the SAP signal to KMBC's transmitter. At NBC 41, assistant engineer Wil Mistele said his station had purchased SAP equipment and would have it working shortly. "For viewers and for us, it's a win-win to be able to put something on the SAP channel," Mistele said. Would that everyone in the business saw it that way. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. What it is Video description was designed to make television accessible to blind and visually impaired viewers. A narrator describes key visual elements during the moments between lines of dialogue. Many described shows are indicated by an on-screen symbol that airs at the beginning of the program. It looks like this: D))) When it's on Some of the programs currently being "described": CBS: "Blue's Clues," "CSI," "JAG," selected movies including "Living With the Dead" (April 28-30). Fox: "Bernie Mac," "Boston Public," "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Simpsons." NBC: TNBC lineup of teen-oriented shows; "NBC Saturday Night Movie." More about video description More described shows Turner Classic Movies: Described films air at 5 p.m. Saturdays and various times during the week TNT: "Law & Order" repeats PBS (KCPT, KTWU): "American Experience," "Masterpiece Theatre," "Nature," "Nova"; for kids, "Arthur," "Between the Lions," "Cyberchase," " Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," "Zoboomafoo," "Zoom" ABC: Provided KMBC gets its SAP channel working: "Armageddon" (April 27), "The Sixth Sense" (May 4), "Stuart Little" (May 5) Cable: USA, TBS, Lifetime and Nick describe select programs (Time Warner Cable and Comcast pass along the SAP channel from these networks) TURNING IT ON (AND OFF) Video description is carried on the secondary audio, or SAP, channel on late-model TVs and VCRs. Most digital cable boxes allow easy on-off access to SAP through the on-screen menu. If you don't have digital cable, look for a SAP setting on your TV. Scroll through the on-screen menu until you see "stereo/mono/SAP." Select SAP. If you only see "stereo/mono" (no SAP), try your VCR. Some VCRs have a "SAP" button on the remote control. Otherwise, look for the audio settings on the on-screen menu (stereo/mono/SAP). Because SAP is a mono channel, you'll want to switch back to stereo mode for non-described programs. WHAT ABOUT SPANISH? Sometimes the SAP channel is used for Spanish-language telecasts of sports and movies. The government believes that by requiring only four hours per week of described programs, there should be few if any squabbles over who gets to use the SAP channel. ABC is using the SAP channel to carry "The Sixth Sense" in Spanish April 28 and with video description May 4. NO SAP? If your old TV and VCR models don't get SAP, FM Atlas sells radio SAP receivers for channels 2-13 (800-605-2219). Or just get a new VCR with SAP (they're cheap!). @ART CAPTION:Descriptive video storyboard: Here's how descriptive video made it possible for those who are visually impaired to follow the April 7 episode of "The Simpsons." @ART CREDIT:PBS @ART CAPTION:'Arthur' on PBS is a show that features video descriptions. @ART:Graphics (4, illustrations, color and b/w)
Copyright 2002 Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service The Kansas City Star
April 15, 2002, Monday
SECTION: ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
KR-ACC-NO: K3820
LENGTH: 760 words

Perverse charms keep 'Shield' shining

With all the spectaculars planned for May, here's one last reminder that many of television's truly special programs aren't specials: You may recall that Michael Chiklis, now starring as the ultimate bad cop on FX's "The Shield," played a Mr. Mom type on a family-friendly comedy called "Daddio" a couple of years back on NBC. It was all innocent fun, though most critics ridiculed the show, and NBC probably erred with this rare foray in family-friendliness. With "The Shield" (9 p.m. Tuesdays on FX), Chiklis has gotten about as far away from "Daddio" as you can get. Innocent this show is not, nor is "fun" quite the right word for this testosterone-juiced thrill ride through the inner workings of a thoroughly corrupt - and one hopes entirely fictional - L.A. police precinct. Bad guys don't stand much of a chance on this show. But then again, neither do good guys. The only justice you'll see on "The Shield" is a judge taking a bribe so that Chiklis and his boys can steal back the drugs they were planning to sell on the street. Perversely, all of this adds to the show's charm. Stylish writing and bold story lines make by-the-book detectives like Dutch (Jay Karnes) appear unmanly compared with Mackey (Chiklis) and his swaggering band of toughs, who never seem to have trouble finding suspects. In this week's episode Dutch haplessly directs a manhunt for a serial killer. It is too obvious from the start that he will fail to win the respect of his colleagues. Still, I enjoyed the episode, especially the head-turning final scene, in which Dutch utters a barnyard epithet I never thought I'd hear on basic cable. Small wonder that Chiklis recently said he made "Daddio" for his kids but wasn't letting them near this show. Other highlights: Those of you still clinging to the belief that everything on Fox's "24" takes place "in real time" will find your faith severely tested with this week's episode (8 p.m. Tuesday on "Fox 4"). When last we left Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) in a barren field, it was daylight. Now, some two minutes later, the episode opens ... in total darkness. As for those of you who might be wondering when they're going to speed things up again, your patience will be rewarded in this episode, which introduces Dennis Hopper in a multi-episode role. (The producers have begged critics to reveal as little as possible about Hopper's part. Let's just say it's a name you've heard before - and no, it's not Ferragamo.) But before this TV column turns completely into the man show, let us praise the women of "24." Bauer and Sen. Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) are compelling characters, but a little one-dimensional. Do good, fight evil, blah blah blah. On the other hand, Teri Bauer (Leslie Hope) has had to endure three kidnapping attempts, a sexual assault and even that movie-of-the-week groaner, amnesia. She's come a little bit more unglued with each hour, which is just as you'd expect. As for Mrs. Palmer (Penny Johnson Jerald), comparing her to Lady Macbeth may be a bit strong. But it is a tribute to her character that after 20 episodes, I'm still not quite sure she isn't hiding some terrible secret from her husband and the rest of us. I've often heard HBO's "Six Feet Under" referred to as "soapy." Maybe I missed the glycerin tears and phony eavesdropping scenes, but that description just doesn't fit this terrific show, which is currently roaring through its second season (it airs 8 p.m. Sundays on HBO). In particular, it doesn't do justice to the very un-soap-like relationship blooming between Ruth (Frances Conroy) and Nikolai (Ed O'Ross). After a stormy start, they've settled down, and far from being a disruptive force, the randy Russian has played a stabilizing role, uttering words of wisdom and plying the uptight Fishers with plenty of good vodka. This Sunday the holiday episode brings back a couple of characters who have been missing lately: Brenda's brother Billy (Jeremy Sisto) and mom (Joanna Edwards). If you're a vegetarian, then you can safely skip this week's "Frontline" (9 p.m. Thursday on KCPT, Channel 19, and Topeka's KTWU). It's about the meat industry's recent efforts to relax standards for contaminated hamburger. By the way, a lot of it apparently gets served in the public schools. But again, it's nothing to get too worried about unless, you know, somebody in your family eats meat. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. RECOMMENDED SHOWS TUESDAY: "24," 8 p.m. on WDAF, Channel 4; and "The Shield,"9 p.m. on FX (Channel 62, Time Warner Cable) THURSDAY: "Frontline," 9 p.m. on KCPT, Channel 19 SUNDAY: "Six Feet Under," 8 p.m. on HBO
Copyright 2002 Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service The Kansas City Star
April 8, 2002, Monday
SECTION: ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
KR-ACC-NO: K1344
LENGTH: 795 words

'Frontline' uncovers tale of injustice

In the years since DNA testing became an integral part of criminal justice, we've learned many sad tales of people put in prison for crimes they did not commit. But I doubt you will ever hear of a case as heartbreaking as the one told in this week's edition of "Frontline" (9 p.m. Thursday on KCPT, Channel 19, and Topeka's KTWU). In 1985 a convicted felon named Frank Lee Smith was charged with the brutal rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl in a rundown part of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Less than 90 days before his scheduled execution, however, Smith was assigned a new defense team, which soon uncovered serious problems with his case: a paucity of evidence, unreliable testimony and the discovery that a serial rapist who looked a lot like Smith was living mere blocks from the crime scene. Other revelations favorable to Smith would come out in the next 15 years. And yet the Broward County district attorney's office dug in its heels, stonewalling the defense, denying Smith even the DNA test that would've exonerated him. "Frontline" producer Ofra Bikel has done remarkable work here. It came too late for Smith but not too late for us to realize that all too often our system is better equipped to deny justice than grant it. Other highlights: The latest HBO "America Undercover" documentary sounds like something torn from the tabloids: OVARIAN CANCER KILLED THIS MAN. Indeed, that's how the New York Post headlined its review of "Southern Comfort," airing at 9 p.m. Sunday on HBO. This latest winner from HBO's docs shop gets its title from the annual Deep South conference for "transgendered" people. It's where filmmaker Kate Davis met 52-year-old Robert Eads, the female who surgically became a male but fatefully decided against removing "his" ovaries. "It's kind of a cruel joke," Eads says in the film, "that the last part of me that's female is killing me." In the last year of his life, Eads receives final visits from family, strikes up a romance with a male-turned-female and attends one last Southern Comfort get-together. This film takes us into Eads' world, which is brightened by a small but intimate community of friends, most of whom are also transgendered. Davis understands that for most viewers, her film will be at least partly voyeuristic. She doesn't shy away from inquiring into very personal details of her subjects' lives. Neither does she linger on them, not wanting to distract us from the larger message of "Southern Comfort": that changing gender is a physically, emotionally and socially dangerous decision. Comedy is hard. So the folks at TV's funny channel have been trying to work in some stress-relieving leisure activities. First there was "Let's Bowl," a goofy hybrid of tenpins and "Judge Judy." Then last week, a golfing show, "The Sweet Spot," featured Bill Murray and his brothers poking fun at the sport (and the genre of TV golf programs). Oh, how long must we wait for "Frank DeCaro's Fishing Expedition"? "Let's Bowl" returns for a second season this week, once again originating from the Twin Cities, with lots of Minnesota humor ladled on. On this week's episode (at 7 tonight on Comedy Central), a husband and wife take to the lanes to decide if he'll get a vasectomy. "Amargosa," Todd Robinson's exquisite video portrait of Marta Becket, began airing on the Sundance Channel last month. It airs again at 3 p.m. Saturday and 6:05 p.m. April 18 on Sundance. The film tells the remarkable story of this New York expatriate who reinvented herself in her unlikely adopted home of Death Valley Junction, Calif. (population 10). Passing through the near-ghost town in the 1960s, Becket spotted an abandoned old opera house. The idea of a temple of high culture in the heart of borax country intrigued her. She stayed and turned it into a desert tableau for her original dance routines. Robinson captures Becket's milieu in all its whimsical grandeur. More than that, he humanizes it, showing us that the quirky free spirit at work here is also a brilliant author of performance art. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com.

KCTV turns back time, gives prime anchor spot back to Peterson

Anne Peterson, the long-running KCTV, Channel 5, personality who appeared to be in the twilight of her career, has instead moved back into the spotlight. In a surprising turn, KCTV management this week named Peterson co-anchor for the station's 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts. The move comes nearly 23 years after Peterson was first named co-anchor at 6 and 10. Beginning April 15, Peterson joins Russell Kinsaul, who adds the 10 p.m. newscast to his duties. Current 6 and 10 p.m. co-anchor Dee Griffin is being moved to weekend evenings, and 10 p.m. anchor and political reporter Dave Helling is being teamed with Dana Wright for KCTV's 4:30 and 5 p.m. weekday newscasts. The moves were the first to be announced under new Channel 5 news director Regent Ducas. KCTV general manager Kirk Black said it was station policy not to comment on personnel changes. In 1979 Peterson, then 23, a first-generation Swedish-American, Northwestern University graduate and runner-up in the Miss Wisconsin Pageant, was named co-anchor alongside Wendall Anschutz on KCTV's evening newscasts. The two were paired until Anschutz retired last year - one of the longest tenures of any news anchor team anywhere. For much of the 1980s they reigned atop the local news ratings. Even after Channel 9 became No. 1, the Anschutz-Peterson team remained enormously popular. In 1994 Peterson was moved to 5 p.m. newscasts and replaced by Tracy Townsend at 6 and 10. After Townsend was hired last year by Chicago's WBBM-TV, Griffin was brought in from Hartford, Conn., to take her place. Though Peterson's re-emergence as Channel 5's lead female anchor was surprising, changes were expected at the CBS affiliate. Ratings had been soft for the 10 p.m. news with Helling and Griffin. And like many CBS affiliates, KCTV has struggled to attract the younger audiences coveted by advertisers. Though a 40-something news anchor may seem counter-intuitive to a station looking to grow younger, it's happened before. Channel 9's Larry Moore left Kansas City for several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s. When he returned, he defied the skeptics and won over a new generation of viewers. Furthermore, the current anchor lineup at KCTV was set by a management team that no longer exists. Black replaced general manager John Rose last fall, and he has a new boss at Meredith headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa: Kevin O'Brien, a former Bay area station manager who has cleaned house at several Meredith stations since coming on board in December. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Peterson; Griffin @ART:Photos (2)

Afghan-American's trip is riveting

In "Inshallah," Suraya Sadeed recalls falling apart after the death of her husband. It was when the Afghan-American returned to her homeland after a 15-year absence that she got her wakeup call. "I was so selfish," she recalls. "I thought my pain was the biggest pain. It wasn't." "Inshallah," airing at 8 p.m. Sunday on Oxygen, tells the story of this remarkable woman, a warrior in her own right, who battles sexism, corruption and bureaucracy to bring relief to some of Afghanistan's most impoverished people. Shadowed by filmmaker Randall Scerbo, Sadeed visits refugee camps and hospitals and fights for better conditions. What she lacks in money she makes up for with fortitude and charm. She drives a hard bargain with a supplier of tents, telling him, "This is not the UN. We have little money." Eventually he agrees to supply hundreds of tents to refugee families in the camps. Sadeed uses humor and flattery to get what she wants from chauvinistic officials. Sidetracked by hard-line Taliban in Kabul, she is aided by what Scerbo calls "a more moderate faction" of Taliban. (They must actually exist.) This film is more complex and humanistic than "Beneath the Veil," the Peabody-winning documentary that CNN aired a bunch of times following the Sept. 11 attacks. "Inshallah," filmed both before and after Sept. 11, does not try to assign blame for Afghanistan's troubles. It simply and powerfully makes the case that without our help, we all share in the shame of that country's continued misery. Viacom, television's answer to the Junior League Thrift Store, has already taken old episodes of "American Bandstand" and "The Arsenio Hall Show" off the rack, pulled out the musical numbers and spruced them up as retro-tainment for its VH1 network. Now the Rhinestone Cowboy gets the same treatment. "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" features musical segments that aired on the old CBS show by the same name. The program will air at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on another Viacom property, CMT. In 1967 Campbell had begun appearing on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." In 1968 he filled in while the controversial comics took the summer off, and then, nine days after Richard Nixon took office, Campbell started his own weekly series. Not long afterward, the nervous Nellies at CBS, wishing to incur as little of the new president's wrath as possible, cancelled "Smothers Brothers" and gave "Glen Campbell" its old time slot. Hey, doesn't Viacom own half of Comedy Central? Wouldn't it be great if they repackaged old "Smothers Brothers" hours and aired them after "The Daily Show"? I'd only make one minor change to the format: Cut out the musical numbers and leave in everything else. I must put in a good word for Graham Norton's naughty talk show even though it's on a channel most of you don't get. "So Graham Norton" returns to the lineup of BBC America at 10 p.m. Friday as part of a new all-comedy lineup that includes "Absolutely Fabulous" at 8 and the sitcom "Coupling," the BBC's answer to "Friends," at 9:20. (BBC America is available only to digital cable subscribers. It's Channel 236 on Time Warner.) Describing the Norton experience is not easy. When he goes to commercial, you can be pretty sure things won't be the same when he comes back. Costume and set changes are common. Sometimes Norton will capriciously shove his guests into the background and call up someone on the phone. Or torment audience members. One thing's for sure: "So Graham Norton" isn't for kids (hence the TV-MA rating). But it's a stitch, and Norton gets more mileage out of C-list guests (Patrick Duffy, Sheena Easton) than anybody. I wasn't sure what to make after last week's jittery premiere of "The Court," the ABC drama starring Sally Field as a Supreme Court justice. But I've seen this week's episode (airing 9 p.m. Tuesday on Channel 9), and it's much better. The show seems to be settling into a groove. Which is too bad since ABC is airing "The Court" for only four more weeks after this. Then "Philly" will return and the fake Supremes will be in recess until at least the fall. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. RECOMMENDED SHOWS TUESDAY: "The Court," 9 p.m., ABC (Channel 9) FRIDAY: "So Graham Norton," 10 p.m., BBC America SUNDAY: "Inshallah," 8 p.m., Oxygen