Grading local stations

Here is what the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a nonprofit group funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, had to say about Kansas City's four local 10 p.m. newscasts in its 2002 survey of television news: "KMBC. Grade: B. Missed 'A' by half point. Strong story by story. Solid at everything, lacks enterprise (investigations). "KSHB. Grade: B. Decent station. Focuses on ideas, avoids crime. Needs better sourcing, localism. "WDAF. Grade: C. Hurt by lack of enterprise, weak sourcing and one-sided stories. "KCTV. Grade: C. Heavy on crime, disasters, one-sided stories, and lack of enterprise." The project, in its fifth and final year, has reviewed newscasts in dozens of markets, grading each story by seven criteria: topic range, focus, enterprise, expertise, number of sources quoted, viewpoints and local relevance. KSHB and WDAF have recently replaced news directors, so those stations' grades reflect the work of their predecessors. The study also asked 103 news directors around the country to name the most serious obstacle to producing high-quality news. By a wide margin, these executives picked "not enough staff."