Omaha City Weekly Media Watch

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) reporter Calvert Collins was fired Friday, according to station personnel who said they could not comment further.

Collins was the "poster girl" for an MSNBC investigative report this week that identified 143 journalists who made political contributions from 2004 through the start of the 2008 campaign season. Collins was pictured in the article with former Congressional candidate Jim Esch in a photo that appeared on her Facebook page.

At that time, only the political website "The Leavenworth Street Blog" reported on the matter, eventually getting Collins to reveal (in a comment to the original post) that she was "truly shocked how this photo has made such big news. It was an honest mistake, and I should've removed the photo from the website sooner." Collins said the photo of her posing close to Esch was originally posted on her Facebook page in June and removed in late October.

In the MSNBC story, Collins told reporter Bill Dedman that her father made the $500 contribution to Esch's campaign.

A Google search for mentions of Collins' campaign contribution turned up more than 250 stories, many of them also mentioning "KPTM" and "Fox" within the text.'

KPTM station managers could not be immediately reached for comment Friday evening. News Director Joe Radske, however, was not working at KPTM when the matter in question originally came to light in late October of 2006.

And She Wasn't The Only One
Collins was not the only Nebraska-based media member to lose their job over Dedman's story.

Lincoln Journal Star editorial cartoonist Paul Fell uses profanity in his reply and lashes out at the newspaper when asked about his $450 contribution to Maxine Moul, Democratic candidate for the House.

Wrote Fell in an e-mail to Dedman:

"They don't pay me enough money to be able to dictate how I conduct myself in political campaigns. I generally do not donate to political candidates, but Maxine Moul is a longtime friend and former newspaper publisher where I got my start as a cartoonist back in 1976.

"Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass what the Lincoln Journal Star or their parent organization, Lee Enterprises, policies are on allowing newsroom staff to give to candidates and parties. I do not believe they did disclose my donations. That's their problem, not mine."

In a story published in Saturday's editions of the Journal Star, Editor Kathleen Rutledge acknowledges that Fell was one of two employees of the newspaper mentioned in Dedman's story.

Copy Editor Sylvia Hermanson made a $250 contribution to the Democratic National Committee in January, according to MSNBC. Rutledge said Hermanson (who asked Dedman if she was "busted") notified management when MSNBC contacted her for comment. Rutledge said Hermanson was reprimanded.

Fell, though, did not tell Journal-Star newsroom managers about his political contribution at the time he made it or when he was contacted by MSNBC. Rutledge took particular issue with Fell's comments to Dedman, saying Fell made it clear he did not care about the newspaper’s trust with its readership.

"We don’t think he should treat our credibility with such disdain," Rutledge writes. "His comments to MSNBC follow an earlier incident in which he did not disclose to us that he had posted cartoons of a sexual nature on his Web site. He removed them after we expressed concern."

KPTM Reporter Calvert Collins is featured in an article today on the MSNBC website.
MSNBC Investigative Reporter Bill Dedman dredges up an incident KPTM (Cox Channel 10) reporter Calvert Collins would certainly like to put behind her.

In a three-page story on MSNBC.com, Dedman writes:

A few journalists let their enthusiasm extend beyond the checkbook. A Fox TV reporter in Omaha, Calvert Collins, posted a photo on Facebook.com with her cozying up to a Democratic candidate for Congress. She urged her friends, "Vote for him Tuesday, Nov. 7!" She also gave him $500. She said she was just trying to build rapport with the candidates. (And what builds rapport more effectively than $500 and a strapless gown?)

The cutline beneath the picture of Collins and Esch (courtesy of the Leavenworth Street blog) says Collins said her father wrote the check, and that she was just building rapport with candidates. Collins also provides a more detailed explanation of the contribution to MSNBC in a separate story.

For the record, Collins has previously told Media Watch that the Facebook posting was a mistake and that at the time she asked former KPTM news director Allen Beckner not to assign her to stories involving Esch so as to avoid a conflict of interest.

ESPN Omaha World-Herald reporter Chad Purcell works himself into a frenzy writing about the behind-the-scenes action in the ESPN mobile broadcast unit in a story that appears in Thursday's editions of the newspaper.

Already, several people who work in the local TV industry have e-mailed Media Watch, each of them wondering pretty much the same thing: Would the World-Herald write a similar story if a local TV station was producing a national broadcast?

The answer here is "no."

For nearly 10 years, the state's largest newspaper has taken the attitude that "competing media" are not to be seen nor heard from on its pages. When it comes to reporting on news concerning national TV items (i.e. Rosie leaving "The View" or the latest ratings for the "CBS Evening News"), the World-Herald typically relegates it to the back (or last) page of the paper.

Follow-up To That CWS Headline
We now have proof that the "Beavers by a Hair" headline seen earlier in this week's World-Herald was an intentional double entendre cooked up by the newspaper's deputy presentation editor.

Normally, mail received in the Media Watch inbox is not published verbatim. But a recent e-mail brings to light something often pointed out by viewers who are non-industry types (i.e. the "typical viewer") – that TV newscasts seemed to be filled with typographical errors.

Here's the letter:

Seriously, the folks at WOWT need to hire somebody to do a little proofreading for them. I'm sure they could find a high school student who'll do it for 10 bucks an hour. In a single "awlful" story on the WOWT website about lighting on a bridge:

Jacobs says "It's not well lit, it's not well lit. It's awlful tough because traffic goes up and merges and sometimes the lighting at night is worse that others."

And there's more:

"It's one of those issues that the lightening is down far enough that it needs to be taken care of, fixed up or repaired," says Jacobs.

Not to mention their Daybreak blog. Where Jim Siedlecki managed to mangle several athletes' names in a single post. What's worse is they act like they don't even care. Terrible!

Here is that Daybreak post (with misspellings in BLUE):

Top Six Showboat Athletes

These lists are always open for discussion and every sports fan with a pulse will agree that Terrel Owens deserves a higher ranking on this list. Obviously they have picked only current players because Deion Sanders is not on the list.

6. RICKEY DAVIS

5. BARRY BONDS

4. ALEXANDER OVECHKIN

3. TERRELL OWENS

2. SHAQUILLE O'NEIL

1. CHAD JOHNSON

See you all Tuesday.

By 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, more than 300 people had left a comment on the website of WOWT (Cox Channel 8) about the "big boom" that was heard throughout the Omaha metropolitan area around 11 a.m.

The loud noise is thought to have been a sonic boom from a military aircrraft. Several people posting on WOWT.com report that windows were broken and pictures knocked off walls. KETV (Cox Channel 9) captured the sound while shooting video on the Missouri River.

Other sites documenting people's experiences concerning the noise include: Omaha Forums, mavpuck.com, KETV.com, RadioReference.com and on a few blog topics listed at toptray.com.

Although it is not available in the Omaha metropolitan area, it should be pointed out that the Grand Island Independent newspaper unveiled a complete makeover Wednesday for its print and online editions.

The new look comes on a slightly smaller size newspaper. It includes new headline styles, new colors, new layouts and four sections of content.

"You'll notice a slant toward local content in the news pages," reads a story outlining the changes. "You'll find a feature section every day dealing with topics you care about. You'll see photos of people you know. You'll get many chances to voice your opinion, share your stories and offer your advice to fellow readers."

The Independent said it had to move up several of its deadlines to accommodate the changes. However, registration for its website is not required and stories that occur after deadline are posted on-line.

A Mobile, Ala., man was arrested earlier this week for sending threatening e-mails to WPMI, the NBC affiliate in Mobile where former Omaha anchor Greg Peterson anchors the evening news.

A joint city police and FBI investigation into the e-mails led to the arrest of 38-year-old Daniel Leonard. He faces charges that could send him to prison for up to 10 years.

Police spokesman Officer Eric Gallichant said Leonard is accused of making threats to harm people at the station. The investigation began June 7 after several threatening e-mails were sent to the station saying the sender intended to harm employees.

Gallichant said Leonard is not directly affiliated with the Clear Channel-owned station but “does have an acquaintance and knows one other employee who is a member of NBC 15.”

According to Bottom Line Communications, former Omaha anchor Michael Scott will be the new anchor and managing editor at WAAY-ABC in Huntsville, Ala.

Scott is best known for stumbling and falling during a live segment on KXAS-NBC in Dallas when a lizard jumped on him during an interview. Huntsville is the 84th largest TV market in the country, according to Nielsen Media Research (Omaha is No. 77).

In Omaha, Scott worked at KETV (Cox Channel 9) and KMTV (Cox Channel 5) - with a stint at "Entertainment Tonight" in between - before heading to Dallas, Charlotte (for three months) and Kansas City's KCTV-CBS. Scott worked at KCTV until suddenly leaving the station Dec. 1, 2006.

Kansas City Star TV columnist Aaron Barnhart dropped hints on his blog that sexual harassment had something to do with Scott's departure.

Beaver Headline on the front page of the Omaha World-Herald's College World Series special section Sunday: "Beavers by a hair."

NRG Media allowed competitor Journal Broadcast Group to purchase commercial time on its College World Series broadcasts to advertise Journal-owned KMTV (Cox Channel 5).

Congratulations to long-time World-Herald sports writer Stu Pospisil, who tied the knot Friday night.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association's decision to come down hard on journalists who blog at events (read what happened here) is also drawing the attention of columnists. Read what Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman thinks about it by clicking here (Registration may be required).

The Omaha World-Herald has added sign offs and byline information to its videos on its website. Watch Saturday's report by "videographer" Greg Cabrera by clicking here.

Not to overlooked when it comes to local radio coverage of the College World Series is the extensive pre- and post-game offerings on KXSP (590 AM).

Matt Perrault, host of "The Big Show" (weekdays, 2-6 p.m.), will broadcast his show from "radio row" outside Rosenblatt Stadium and will carry every post-game press conference live when it falls within the time slot of his show. A special aspect of coverage will be produced by roving reporter "Wally" from Budweiser, who will share stories and interviews about life at the CWS.

The "Big Sports 590" website, in conjunction with broadcast partner KMTV (Cox Channel 5) is also offering streaming video of all postgame press conferences.

"We have a lot of things going on, plus the non-baseball fan can still hear sports talk radio," Perrault said. "Many people don't care about the games unless they are
there."

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) viewers will soon wake up to see a new face on "Action 3 News This Morning."

Mary Williams is moving to a dayside reporting shift but will continue to anchor the popular "Action 3 News at Midday" program. Replacing her on morning newscasts will be Kerri Stowell, who previously co-anchored weekend newscasts with Devon Patton.

KMTV News Director Ken Dudzik said Patton will solo anchor the weekend newscasts, in addition to continuing to report. Stowell will also continue to report, giving the station an extra reporter to file reports for the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts.

Radio and TV news directors will have a tough call to make for their early evening broadcasts Friday. What to lead with: the sentencing of murderer Christopher Edwards or the opening day of the College World Series?

Either way, baseball fans will be brought up to speed on the now-familiar story of how an Omaha man killed a 19-year-old college student who was thought to be pregnant with his child; how he used ornamental swords to do it, and how he took extraordinary measures to cover up the killing by hiding her body (which has not been found).

A jury convicted Edwards in March of second degree murder in a case thought to be the most high-profile of the past 50 years. Edwards was not charged with first-degree murder because prosecutors didn't think they could prove Edwards had planned to kill O'Grady. He faces 20 years to life in prison.

The Omaha World-Herald's online portal, Omaha.com, is now packaging stories, rather than just offering raw video of press conferences and local news events.

Omaha.com joins radio station KFAB (1110 AM) as a non-television entity jockeying for position among photojournalists from the four Omaha TV stations.

Click here to watch Thursday's report on the NCAA Fan Fest.

KQCH (94.1 FM) radio personality “Big Party” is the leading vote-getter in the Omaha Royals’ promotion to determine which Omaha radio talent should get hit with a pie in the face at a game on July 12.

Facing off against him for the “honor” of getting a face full of cream pie from Village Inn are: KFAB (1110 AM) afternoon talk show host (and City Weekly columnist) Tom Becka, KSRZ (104.5 FM) morning co-host “Glennboy” and KOZN (1620 AM) afternoon sports talk show “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” co-host Kevin Kugler.

As of Thursday morning, Big Party led with 41 percent of the votes, followed by Becka (34 percent), Kugler (21 percent) and Glennboy (four percent). More than 4,400 votes had been cast in the promotion that ends July 3. The winner will be announced July 9. Cast your vote by clicking here.

KOZN (1620 AM), the ESPN sports radio station of Omaha, will also be the official station of the College World Series. Like it has in the past, “The Zone” will carry special pre- and post-game versions of its weekday afternoon “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” shows.

Mike'l Severe will host “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” with broadcasts beginning at 10 a.m. and leading up to the pre-game of that afternoon’s game, said KOZN producer Stacie McElligott. Kevin Kugler, the other half of the UC show, will handle play-by-play for all CWS games for the Westwood One Network. Joining him for all but the championship series will be Adrian Fiala, who will provide color. For the championship series, Fiala will be replaced by Jerry Trupiano, former voice of the Boston Red Sox. McElligott will produce all the CWS broadcasts for Westwood One.

KOZN will also be piped into the NCAA Fan Fest area outside Rosenblatt Stadium and its live broadcast booth will be on the west side of “Radio Row” outside the ballpark. McElligott said a number of guest co-hosts will join Severe throughout the CWS, including former Nebraska football player Damon Benning, KETV (Cox Channel 9) weekend sports anchor Matt Schick and Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com and RosenblattReport.com.

The photo shown at right was submitted Wednesday night to KETV (Cox Channel 9) after a viewer snapped it during a felony traffic stop of a car near 156th and West Center Road.

Although this is hardly the first time "citizen journalism" has contributed to a local newscast, it is a growing aspect of news gathering, thanks to the prevalance of digital cameras, cell phone cameras and camcorders. These devices allow news events to be captured long before professional journalists arrive on the scene.

CNN's "I-Report," which allows anyone to contribute content to a section of CNN.com or have it considered for on-air use, is a bustling section on the network's website. Locally, every news station has invited viewers to submit weather-related photos at one time or another.

Clear Channel Omaha Operations Manager Mitch Baker and his wife, Donna, who was the group's vice president and market manager, are out as of Monday. The two were escorted from the building this morning and a 4 p.m. staff meeting was announced.

Clear Channel's corporate communications director did not return phone calls, nor did Donna Baker or Dave Crowl, Clear Channel Radio Senior Vice President of the Midwest region, who is handling operations in the interim.

The Bakers had been at Clear Channel since June of 2003. Donna replaced Tracy Gilliam, who moved to Los Angeles.

According to industry insiders, the five stations in the Omaha cluster – KFAB (1110 AM), KXKT (103.7 FM), KGOR (99.9 FM), KHUS (93.3 FM) and KQBW (96.1 FM) were on target for budget projections.

Nancy Finken will be the permanent network manager for NET Radio, Nebraska's NPR station, according to NET General Manager Rod Bates.

Finken has served as NET Radio's programming director/assistant radio network manager for seven years. Previous to that, she was NET's radio news director for eight years Her duties will include scheduling the nine-station public radio network, managing day-to-day operations, developing new programs and planning on-air fund drives.

"We are delighted to have someone with Nancy's experience and talent to lead NET Radio," Bates said in a press release. "I'm confident she is the best possible person for the job."

Finken replaces Ray Dilley, who died in April. He had served as the Radio Network Manager for Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) since 2001. The 67-year-old founded Virginia Public Radio in 1975 and served as its CEO until 1993.

He joined NPR in 1993 to launch its first broadcast service outside the United States. In 1995 he won an award from the Society of Satellite Professionals for innovative use of new technology in establishing that service. He joined NET after serving as General Manager for four years of NPR station WJHU in Baltimore, MD.

Though it is no longer in production or actively airing episodes, footage shot for "This is Nebraska" is making its way onto the airwaves this week.

"This is Nebraska" creator Barry Kriha traveled to the Kennedy Space Center earlier this year to chronicle the training of astronaut Clayton Anderson, the first native Nebraska scheduled to travel into outer space. If everything goes as scheduled, Anderson will lift off aboard the space shuttle Atlantis Friday at 6:38 p.m. CDT.

Kriha, who has worked as a producer, reporter and account executive at several TV stations, said KETV (Cox Channel 9) was among several stations that called to request video he shot of Anderson.

"This is Nebraska" ceased production this spring, Kriha said, when not enough advertisers were secured. It aired on stations in Omaha, Lincoln, Sioux City and Kearney.

"The sad part," Kriha said, "(was) I never got to do that story and air it on my show, so I'm glad someone used it."

If you want to know what WOWT (Cox Channel 8) morning newscast staffers Malorie Maddox, Jim Siedlecki and Michael Born do outside of the two-plus hours they appear on TV, visit the "Live at Daybreak DayBlog" on WOWT.com.

Most days, the posts feature a "top six" of some sort - rainiest cities, most trustable (sic) celebrities, pop culture dogs. Occasionally, photos are posted (like the one at right showing Maddox at her April wedding to attorney Greg Bolton).

One post, though, over the past couple of weeks, does stand out from all the rest.

Writes Siedlecki:

I don't feel sick but I felt my voice going yesterday and despite my best efforts with tea and drops there was just no way I could do the show this morning. I tried for the first half hour but at some point you just have to swallow your pride and understand that a nasty voice is not good for the product, even if I feel physically fine. So it's behind the scenes work for me today including a quick update here.

This incident brought to mind a 10 p.m. newscast in the spring of 2003 when former WOWT news co-anchor Pat Persaud could hardly speak, her voice reduced to a hoarse whisper by a cold. For reasons unknown, she remained on the set, delivering the news in a barely audible tone.

WOWT is strongly ramping up its promotion to make a run at KETV's heavily-promoted - and new-look - morning newscast. KETV has had to shuffle its talent in the absence of morning co-anchor Elictia Hammond, who went on bedrest last week while awaiting the birth of twins in September.

With Hammond sidelined, weekend morning co-anchor Brandi Petersen has joined John Oakey in the mornings - leaving her former weekend co-anchor, Todd Andrews, on the desk with reporter Lisa Stites.

KETV (Cox Channel 9) scored an exclusive that provided its viewers - and competing media outlets - with insight into what happened Wednesday when a man started shooting at volunteer firefighters near Ashland.

During the station's 6 p.m. newscast, a witness to the shooting described the scene and events that had transpired earlier that afternoon. She told anchor Julie Cornell that deputies were involved in a standoff with the shooter and that at least one firefighter had been shot.

Area law enforcement agencies, which include Saunders County, are notorious for providing a lack of information during emergency situations.

KFAB (1110 AM) afternoon talk show host Tom Becka will broadcast live from the United Nations on Thursday.

Becka's 4 to 7 p.m. program will originate from an area of New York City that is considered international territory. (For those of you keeping track, the project to remove asbestos from the UN buildings continues - seven years after it got underway.)

Becka will also be a panelist at Talkers Magazine's 16th consecutive annual convention on Saturday. The event is one of the largest gatherings of key players in the talk media industries.

The Omaha Royals baseball team is inviting fans to cast their vote for which local radio personality should get hit with a pie in the face later this season.

The four personalities up for the honor are: Tom Becka (KFAB 1110 AM), Kevin Kugler (KOZN 1620), "Glennboy" of KSRZ (104.5 FM) and "Big Party" of KQCH (94.1 FM).

The promotion is a spin off of the club's stunt at the home opener where team mascot "Spike smashed a pie in the face of Royals President Alan Stein. The "lucky" winner will get a face full of cream pie from Village Inn later in the "2007 Fun For Everyone Season presented by Werner Enterprises." Click here to cast your vote.

[Updated June 6, 11 a.m.]

Just 18 months short of his retirement, Bill Jensen was shown the door Friday at the Journal Broadcast Group, which owns KXSP (590 AM), one of several stations for which Jensen provided news and information throughout the day.

“I think in this business, you always wonder about your job security,” Jensen said. “But what happened is one of the natures of our business. Changes are made and they sometimes involve personnel.”

Read more in this week's print edition of the Omaha City Weekly.

NET Television (Cox Channel 12) and The Associated Press were the two big winners in the Omaha Press Club’s fourth annual “Excellence in Journalism” awards competition.

The Associated Press earned seven awards, including top honors in best sports photo, best feature photo and best photo essay. NET also took home seven awards, including first place honors for best sports story and best public affairs program.

Shiloh Woolman of KETV won for best feature story (print) and best news media website while KPTM (Cox Channel 10) anchor Taylor Wilson won for best TV feature story.

In the radio division, Rich Denison and Colleen Cook of KFAB won for best newscast.

Judging was performed by the East Bay Press Club, the San Diego Press Club and the Los Angeles Press Club. A portion of the proceeds from the OPC Excellence in Journalism Awards goes toward funding college scholarships for journalism students.

The complete list of winners:

PRINT MEDIA
Best Special Section
First Place: metroMAGAZINE (“Journeys”)

Best Feature Story – Print
First Place: Shiloh Woolman, KETV.com (“High Heels Raise Pain Levels, Other Problems”)
Second Place: Shiloh Woolman, KETV.com (“Fix Your Fitness with Pen, Paper”)
Honorable Mention: Andrew Norman, The Reader (“Barrio Therapy”)

Best Column – Print
First Place: Tim McMahan, The Reader
Second Place: Joel Stevens, Glenwood Opinion-Tribune (“Does Mother’s Day Really Say Enough?”)

Best Enterprise Reporting – Print
First Place: Joel Stevens, Glenwood Opinion-Tribune (“Methamphetamine Devastation”)
Second Place: Oskar Garcia, The Associated Press (“Swift Schoolkids”)
Honorable Mention: Josh Funk, The Associated Press (“Coal Crunch”)

Best Editorial Cartoon – Print
First Place: Neal Obermeyer, The Reader (“Stem Cell Research”)

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Best Print Newsletter
First Place: Jon Brooks, Image Building Communications (“In the Crease”)
Second Place: Joel Long and Ashley Delisi, Omaha World-Herald (“Between the Lines”)
Honorable Mention: Jon Brooks, Image Building Communications (“Drippings”)

Best Media/Press Kit
First Place: The Nebraska Medical Center (“Serious Medicine, Extraordinary Care”)

Best Annual Report
First Place: Marian High School (“Counting Our Blessings”)
Second Place: The Salvation Army / SKAR Advertising (“Lean On. Trust In.”)

Best Brochure/Direct Mail
First Place: Don Doll, SJ, Photographer and Pat Osborne, Designer (“St. Augustine Indian Mission 2007 Calendar”)

Best Web Site
First Place: The Nebraska Medical Center (“NebraskaMed.com”)
Second Place: Jon Brooks, Image Building Communications (“OmahaBizarre.com”)
Honorable Mention: Jon Brooks, Image Building Communications (“Quantum QRE”)

STILL PHOTOGRAPHY
Best Photo Essay
First Place: Nati Harnik, The Associated Press (“Layover of the Cranes”)
Second Place: Don Doll, S.J. (“CAT Scan”)
Honorable Mention: Nati Harnik, The Associated Press (“Chimney Rock”)

Best Feature Photo
First Place: Nati Harnik, The Associated Press (“Guard Return”)
Second Place: Nati Harnik, The Associated Press (“Aptopix Heat Wave”)

Best Sports Photo
First Place: Nati Harnik, The Associated Press (“Dodge Stapleton Football”)

MAGAZINE
Best Magazine Layout & Design
First Place: UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications students (“In the Wake of…”)
Second Place: Rick Davis, Sheila Swanson, and Corporate 3 (“DaVinci Code Factor”)
Honorable Mention: UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications (“One Big Family”)

Best Magazine Cover
First Place: Amanda Walden, UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications (“Platte River Odyssey”)
Second Place: The Nebraska Medical Center (“OneThousandOne”)
Honorable Mention: metroMAGAZINE (“Journeys”)

Best Magazine Feature Story
First Place: Leo Adam Biga, Nebraska Life Magazine (“How ‘Mr. Grand Island’ Became a Holocaust Rescuer”)
Second Place: Creighton University Magazine
Honorable Mention: metroMAGAZINE (“Life is But a Dream”)

TELEVISION
Best Feature Story – Television
First Place: Taylor Wilson, KPTM (“Crazy Leonard”)
Second Place (tie): Perry Stoner, NET Television (“Heritage Camp”)
Second Place (tie): Taylor Wilson, KPTM (“Polka Man”)

Best Sports Story – Television
First Place: Sue Maryott, NET Television (“Halftime Segment”)
Second Place: Brad Pace, NET Television (“Nebraska-Kansas Volleyball Intermission”)

Best Videography – Television
First Place: Ben Drickey, Torchwerks and Susan Eustice, The Salvation Army (“Tree of Life”)

Best News Media Web Site
First Place: Shiloh Woolman, KETV (“KETV.com”)
Second Place: NET Television (“NetNebraska.org”)

Best Public Affairs Program or Documentary – Television
First Place: Bill Kelly and Jim Underwood, NET Television (“Don’t Touch That Dial”)
Second Place: Sue Maryott, NET Television (“Omaha’s Creighton Family”)
Honorable Mention: Mike Tobias and Ray Meints, NET Television (“Nelson vs. Ricketts: Nebraska’s Senate Race”)

RADIO
Best Newscast
First Place: Richard Denison and Coleen Cook, KFAB Radio (“5:30 a.m. Newscast”)
Honorable Mention: Bill Boyer and Mitch Cooley, KGFW AM (“Dec. 31, 2006 Newscast”)

Two columns posted yesterday on The Poynter Institute's website address a topic that many news organizations with online components are struggling with: how to handle visitor comments.

Pat Walters, in a story titled, "Dealing with Comments: A Few Interesting Approaches," examined three newspaper websites (Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the Washington Post), a news aggregator (slashdot.com) and a radio program site (www.radioopensource.org).

Al Tompkins, Poynter's Broadcast/Online Group Leader, attempts to shed light on the legal implications media outlets face should when they allow online visitors to freely post comments on their websites.

In Omaha, only a handful of media outlets allow visitors to comment on stories on their websites.

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) allows people to submit comments on news stories on WOWT.com, but the submissions are reviewed before being posted.

KETV (Cox Channel 9) does not allow comments to be posted after stories on KETV.com. However, its forum provides a number of opportunities to comment on local topics such as news and sports, as well as national issues. All discussions are moderated by a team of editors and submissions are limited to 500 words.

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) provides for visitor comments and the ability for users to post stories and photos in its "Community Correspondent" section of its website, KPTM.com. People who post content must be at least 18 years old and must register and agree to terms of an agreement governed by California law.

The Omaha World-Herald newspaper's website, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) and KXVO (Cox Channel 11) do not provide the opportunity for comments on news stories. However, KMTV does allow people to comment on posts on its Weather Blog.

The Reader and City Weekly newspapers do not allow reader comments. However, the online component of the City Weekly's Media Watch column (this site) permis visitors to comment without requiring registration or pre-posting moderation.

On newsstands Thursday, Media Watch features a review of a(nother) revamp of Omaha.com. Plus, read how one Omaha video production company is using YouTube.com to broaden its reach.

John Peel is certainly not the first newspaper columnist to explore the differences between Colorado and Nebraska. (Denver Post sports writer Woody Paige immediately comes to mind.)

But Peel, a writer for the Durango Herald, does offer some unusual insight in his observation of the Cornhusker state in a column published over the Memorial Day weekend.

For instance, Peel writes that "people in Nebraska are noticeably larger."

Maybe it was just the buffet restaurant we went to - a smorgasbord featuring dozens of pastas, greasy foods and at least two types of brownies in a fantastic dessert bar - but it sure seems that eating in the Midwest is a serious pastime.

Peel points out that Nebraska ranks 17th in obese adults (at 25.1 percent), while Colorado is the thinnest state.

Click here to read Peel's entire column.

KOPW (106.9 FM) on-air personality Houston Alexander, who goes by “Strong Arm” on his “Sunday Night Raw” program on “Power 106.9” scored a first round upset in his bout of the Ultimate Fighting Championship 71 on Saturday.

Alexander, who is known as “The Assassin,” knocked out Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine with an uppercut that sent the 4-1 favorite’s mouthpiece flying just 48 seconds into the bout that was televised on pay-per-view. Afterwards, Alexander credited his coaching staff and a series of fights against larger opponents for the victory.

“I just came from a heavyweight tournament where I was fighting guys who were 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds,” Alexander said. “This guy was my size.”

Though he was making his UFC debut, Alexander has more than 200 fights over seven years to his credit.

CNN's subscriber-only video delivery service on its website will be available for free beginning July 1.

The $25-a-month "Pipeline" service on CNN.com was launched in December of 2005 and was designed to enhance the way people viewed news by offering "an extensive portfolio of online content and live video streams." CNN's video archives and on-demand news clips (about 50,000) from the network's newsgathering operations were also available via the service.

This will be the second time in two years that CNN has changed its subscription policies for video. In June 2005, the Time Warner Inc. unit stopped charging for its video in preparation for a premium offering that launched six months later.

CNN it said may eventually show ads with the live video but not immediately.

In a related story earlier this week, CNN has entered into a content and advertising relationship with Internet Broadcasting (formerly known as Internet Broadcasting Systems or "IBS") to supply local news content to CNN.com. Already, KETV (Cox Channel 9) has begun supplying video content and stories as part of the agreement.

A press release reveals that as part of the relationship between the two entities, CNN is acquiring an equity position in Internet Broadcasting, joining Hearst-Argyle Television, as well as Post-Newsweek Stations, McGraw-Hill Broadcasting, and Split Rock Partners as equity owners in the company. CNN will also gain a seat on Internet Broadcasting's Board of Directors.

Thursday morning, the two most popular videos on CNN.com were a pair of stories from Omaha.

The most popular was a story on the "virgin birth" of a shark at the Henry Doorly Zoo. Reporter Damon Green of the London office of the Independent Television Network (ITN) produced the report.

The second-most popular video comes from KETV (Cox Channel 9) reporter Carol Kloss and her story earlier this week about a University of Nebraska-Omaha sociology student who took a job as a stripper for class credit. (Watch the KETV.com version here.)

NET Television and NET Radio will honor members of the armed forces with special programming on Memorial Day weekend.

It begins at 6 p.m. Saturday with patriotic music on the "Lawrence Welk Show." At 7:30 p.m., an NET production, "The Canteen Spirit," chronicles the story of the World War II North Platte Canteen. The canteen made history when residents of 125 communities from across the state welcomed more than six million soldiers who passed through North Platte on their way to serve in World War II.

Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on NET1, "Pacific War: They Filmed the War in Color" tells the two-part story of the Pacific war from the front line and in full color. To add urgency to the war efforts, President Roosevelt took drastic action by lifting the decades-old press ban on showing the corpses of American soldiers. Roosevelt also sent cameras to the front lines to create a first-hand documentary of the war.

Five surviving American soldiers recount their experiences of D-Day in "D-Day: The Price of Freedom," on Sunday at 6 p.m. on NET1.

At 7 p.m. Sunday, "The National Memorial Day Concert (2007)," will be broadcast live on NET1 from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. This American tradition is a star-studded tribute in pictures, letters and songs honoring America's servicemen and women. The concert repeats immediately following the first broadcast at 8:30 p.m. on NET1.

At 10 p.m. Sunday, "Air Group 16: We Came to Remember," features pilots, radiomen and gunners who served on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lexington in World War II accepting honors at the dedication of the National World War II Memorial. It will be followed by "All Hell Can't Stop Us!" which tells the story of Nebraska's 134th Infantry regiment at Omaha Beach and beyond. The program begins at 10:30 p.m. on NET1

In 1942, two fighter pilots - one American and one Japanese - faced off in a dogfight over Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands. The Japanese pilot shot down the American, who crash-landed behind enemy lines but managed to escape before being captured. At 9 p.m. CT on Monday on NET1, "Secrets of the Dead: Dogfight Over Guadalcanal" re-creates the World War II showdown over the Pacific.

NET Radio will honor servicemen and women by broadcasting "WWI Living History Project" from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The program honors the sacrifices and contributions of America's last twelve surviving WWI veterans. Aged 105 to 115, the veterans share their reminiscences, humor and wit on this two-hour radio special hosted by veteran journalist Walter Cronkite.

NET2 will also feature a slate of Memorial Day programming. On Saturday at 7 p.m., the NET Television production "On The Frontline: Nebraskans At War in Iraq" tells the compelling stories of the 63 Nebraska National Guard soldiers from Troop A of the 1-167th Calvary. Dangers like roadside bombs and sniper attacks were part of an average day for these Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers.

On Sunday at 11 a.m., "The Canteen Spirit" will be rebroadcast. At 1 p.m., Cronkite and others return to London to see how their work changed the course of history in "City at War: London Calling."

"Afghan Journey: A Story of Friendship," airs Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on NET2. It follows former Lincoln Journal Star reporter Matthew Hansen and photographer Dior Azcuy as they travel to Kabul in October 2005 to explore the connections between Nebraska and Afghanistan for the newspaper.

KPTM (Cox Channel 10) will air all five of its "Worst Storms in Nebraska" segments Thursday as part of its "Nebraska Severe Storms Special" at 10 p.m.

The special will be hosted by KPTM Chief Meteorologist Tyson Pearsall and weekend meteorologist Nathan Moore. On the "News at Nine" last week, Pearsall counted down the five deadliest storms in Nebraska history.

The station is also inviting viewers to share their experiences of severe storms through the Community Correspondent section of KPTM.com.

World-Herald Coverage Not As Advertised
Apparently not quite grasping the concept of what is "live" and what is not, the Omaha World-Herald's online editorial staff is advertising "Live Track" coverage on its website, Omaha.com. Well-documented in this column is the World-Herald's tendency to avoid the word "blog," which is what sports reporter Stu Pospisil is providing for readers from the press box at Burke Stadium Friday and Saturday.

Radio Auction Raises Money For Camps
Omaha radio station KSRZ (104.5 FM) will be auctioning off several high-profile items Monday morning to raise money to send children to the College of St. Mary's Summer Girls Camps. The camps are for girls ages 6 to 18 that promote careers in health, forensic science, Spanish and an all-around life balance. Among the items up for bid will be a VIP pass to an upcoming B-52's concert and tickets to Gwen Stefani's concert in Omaha June 4.

No Children's Miracle Network Telethon on WOWT
WOWT (Cox Channel 8) will not televise the Children's Miracle Network Telethon next month. A message on the station's website says, "In lieu of a telethon this year, WOWT along with Children's Hospital would like to invite you to participate in a fundraiser for sick children in the Omaha area." The "Chip in for Kids" golf event on Monday at Champions Run replaced the telethon. Cash donations are also being accepted at area Baker's stores or by calling 955-6851.

Former KMTV Reporter Heads to Seattle
Chris Egert, former reporter/anchor at KMTV (Cox Channel 5) is moving from Orlando to Seattle to accept the weekend anchor position at KIRO-CBS.

Egert has worked at WFTV-ABC in Orlando the past five years. He and his wife Kate (a former producer at KMTV and WFTV) have one son and are expecting another child in August.

New Reporter Hired at WOWT
WOWT's replacement for reporter Rebecca Kleeman is Michelle Leach. The Hastings native has previously worked at WEYI in Flint, Mich., at independent station "6 News Lawrence" in Lawrence, Kan., and at NTV-ABC in Kearney.

KMTV Invites Viewers To Shred Documents
As a follow-up to Carol Wang's story about identity theft, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) is inviting viewers to bring up to 50 pounds of paper to its studios Saturday for shredding. InfoSafe will provide the document shredding from 9 a.m. to noon at 10714 Mockingbird Drive.

Former KETV (Cox Channel 9) reporter Kailyn Reid says she misses the TV news business, but that her new job as public information specialist for the Omaha Public School district utilizes many of the same skills.

Reid started her new job with OPS on May 1 after leaving KETV the day before. She had interned at the Omaha ABC affiliate since the summer of 2003 and worked off-and-on part-time over summers, weekends and school breaks while finishing her degree at Drake University. She returned to KETV last July after going to work at KHBS in Fort Smith, Ark., following graduation.

Reid said when a full-time position at KETV was not immediately available, she started looking for other opportunities. Then, shortly after being hired on full-time at KETV as a reporter, she was offered the job at OPS.

"It was really, really hard to leave KETV, but I couldn’t turn this job down," she said. "I'm doing a lot of the same things I did as a reporter - writing press releases, writing and shooting photos for the district newsletter and writing, shooting and editing recruitment videos for the district."

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) reporter Corey Rangel is headed to Phoenix's ABC affiliate, KNXV, to be a general assignment reporter.

Rangel has worked at KMTV since February of 2005. His last day at the station is Friday.

Veteran KMTV photojournalist Harry Flansburg also left the station recently to start his own video production company in Omaha. Flansburg was a multiple winner of Photojournalist of the Year honors by the Nebraska News Photographers Association.

The death of WHNS-Fox 21 photojournalist and assignment editor Joe Loy in South Carolina earlier this week sparked memories of a similar tragedy involving an Omaha TV station photographer.

It will be three years next month that KETV (Cox Channel 9) photojournalist Jeff Frolio was struck by a car and killed while shooting footage of an intersection at 222nd and West Center Road where two teens had died. He was survived by his wife, Marianne, and their three children: Nicki, David and Carly.

Monday night around 5:30 in Spartanburg County, S.C., Loy was shooting video of a tractor-trailer that had lost its load of lumber across the southbound lanes of Interstate 85. Only seconds after he arrived, a van lost control and hit him. Station insiders tell Newsblues.com that Loy continued to roll tape until the moment of impact, which ended with "a wall of white." (The station did not to air the entire tape.)

Investigators are now trying to find the driver of a red GMC pick-up truck that may have played a role in the accident. Loy's tape shows the pick-up veering in front of the van, causing the driver of the van to overcorrect and lose control. According to a witness, the red pick-up had been weaving in out of traffic for a while. The pick-up did not stop after the accident that killed Loy at the scene.

At KETV, Frolio's locker in the photographer's office remains preserved as he left it on June 10, 2004. After the accident, KETV photojournalists began wearing reflective vests in situations where they would be shooting video close to traffc.

[Updated 5:20 p.m.]
An ordinance to approve an addendum to the cable communications agreement between Cox Communications and the City of Omaha was approved by the City Council today. By a six-to-one vote, Cox received permission to cut the number of public access dedicated to public, educational and governmental programming channels from six to four.

Cox had asked to reduce the number of public access channels to three in order to provide for improvements and enhancements to its cable system.

[Updated May 13th]

In a move that shows the editors at Omaha.com are trying hard to compete with their local broadcast counterparts, a story about a convicted murderer is labeled as an "exclusive interview."

The word "exclusive" is used twice in the Sunday print edition of Robynn Tysver's more than 2,100-word story about Carey Dean Moore.

This is the second straight week that the World-Herald has published a copyright story on Page 1. Last week's article about a plan to replacement Rosenblatt Stadium with a new baseball arena built near downtown spurred a number of follow-up stories.

ESPN Radio talk show host Colin Cowherd (pictured) originated his national radio show Wednesday and Thursday from NRG Media-owned Omaha radio station KOZN (1620 AM).

Cowherd was in Omaha to serve as the keynote speaker at the annual B’nai B’rith Sports Banquet Wednesday night. Nearly 1,000 sports, business and government leaders attended the event.

NRG Omaha awarded $1,500 scholarships to Omaha North's Niles Paul, male high school student-athlete of the year and Kelsey Woodard of Bellevue West, female high school student-athlete of the year.

The Colin Cowherd Show is heard weekdays from 9 to noon on 1620 The Zone and more than 300 stations nationwide.

Something Jim Rome touts on his nationally-syndicated sports talk show may end up being the successor to TV live shots produced with expensive satellite and electronic news gathering (ENG) trucks.

The "Slingbox" allows you to watch TV remotely using a laptop or smart phone. But now, a San Francisco TV station is using the $300 device to deliver live news, traffic and weather updates wirelessly back to its studio.

According to a story on Cnet.com, a smaller camera, a Slingbox and a data card (combined approximate cost: $900) could potentially change the way broadcast TV news does business.

(Thanks to Mike James of Newsblues.com for first bringing attention to this story.)

Advertised as "New Tonight," WOWT (Cox Channel 8) led off its 10 p.m. newscast with reporter Sheila Brummer's story on the revival of a debate over a new baseball stadium.

Sound familiar?

See this copyright story on the front page of Sunday's editions of the Omaha World-Herald.

Competitors KMTV (Cox Channel 5) and KETV (Cox Channel 9) led off Tuesday night with the fight to hold back floodwaters in Southwest Iowa. WOWT spent 37 seconds on that story immediately after Brummer's live report from Rosenblatt Stadium.

And this is the May ratings period?

Sports talk radio station KXSP (590 AM) re-launched its "Big Sports 590" website this week, promising even more changes in the coming weeks.

The new site features links to podcasts, profiles of its two local sports talk show hosts, Travis Justice and Matt Perrault, as well as and a game schedule for the Kansas City Royals baseball team.

The site's once-popular forum is still being developed, Perrault said.

Former Grand Island Independent Sports Editor Jeff Korbelik, who is now an arts and entertainment writer for the Lincoln Journal Star, co-wrote a column Tuesday with regional reporter Cara Pesek about their experience.

Korbelik (pictured wearing the headband in a photo by Journal Star photographer Eric Gregory), finished the 26.2 miles in four hours and 46 minutes.

"The first half was like a party, the second half more like a funeral," Kobelik writes. "The first 13 miles featured a mass of people, runners and cheering spectators. At the halfway point, two-thirds of the field dropped off and spectators became scarce on Normal Boulevard. It’s weird, but I missed 'the insulation' of hundreds of other runners around me."

Kobelik said he "probably" will run another maraton, but that Pesek will have to talk him into it.

Word of a new approach to writing that will launch a regular feature in the Omaha World-Herald newspaper is sure to send local public relations professionals scrambling to pitch story ideas for it involving their clients.

The new feature will be called "Slice" and will appear every Tuesday on the front page of the Living section. It will be a 15 to 45-inch story with multiple photos that provide a "slice" of the routines and rituals of life.

Prospective story angles, as provided to reporters by Investigative Projects Editor Cate Folsom, are:

- Seeing a teacher through the end of her last school year as serious health issues force her into early retirement.

- Taking us through the nervousnous (sic) and exhilaration of giving voice to your intimate thoughts at an amateur poetry reading.

- Following spring produce from one person's garden to another person's plate via a local farmer's market.

- Tapping an aging group of church women as they muster their forces to feed the crowd after a funeral.

- Showing the ebb and flow of life as families and teams come and go, win and lose at a kids' sports complex.

- Detailing behind-the-scenes work before, during and after an event at the Qwest, from polishing the windows to preparing the food to picking up trash, from the view of the workers and their boss.

- Following a priest or minister or rabbi preparing for services.

- Tracking activity at the pickup dock at the Mart on a typical Saturday.

- Tagging along with an elected official through a long day of work or through the work of getting a piece of legislation drafted, discussed and voted on.

Narrative writing style tells a story of an experience, event, or sequence of events while holding the reader's interest. It is typically written in first or third-person and may include dialogue that is organized in chronological sequence.

The World-Herald also has plans to post audio files with each "Slice" story and photos on its website, omaha.com.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln sports broadcaster Adrian Fiala will be inducted into the Omaha Oldtimers’ Baseball Club Hall of Fame tonight in Omaha.

Fiala, a baseball and football standout for the Huskers, is one of eight members of the Hall's 2007 class of inductees. Joining him are Bellevue University baseball Coach Mike Evans, Richard “Bubby” Harrison, Buddy Hunter, Herb Kupfer, Dani Mancuso, Dan McGinn and Jerry Ryan.

The ceremony takes place at Cascio's Steakhouse with dinner and the program beginning at 7 p.m.

Fiala currently serves as a color analyst on Husker football and baseball radio and TV broadcasts.

The Omaha World-Herald's front page story Sunday about the City of Omaha's hopes of building a replacement for Rosenblatt Stadium somewhere north of downtown spurred two follow-up stories in Monday's editions.

One story, by sports reporter Rob White, revealed that the World-Herald was more in tune with the proposed developments than Rosenblatt Stadium's anchor tenant, the Omaha Royals baseball team.

"Like most, (Omaha Royals President Alan) Stein first learned about it from Sunday's Omaha World-Herald," White wrote. "It's fair to say we're disappointed that we're not part of the conversation," Stein told White. "If the Royals are being considered for anything in the future in terms of a new stadium, or a stadium upgrade, or no stadium, it would occur to me that the Royals deserve the opportunity to be in the discussion. As you can tell, to this date we are not."

The other story in Monday's editions was written by government services beat writer Kristin Zagurski. It found that some people who live near Rosenblatt Stadium are not happy with plans to build a stadium somewhere else and remove the ballpark that has hosted the College World Series for more than 50 years.

The story is noteworthy in that it is believed to be the first time the state's largest newspaper has referred to Rosenblatt Stadium in a news story as "The Blatt."

Rosenblatt Stadium was renamed (from Omaha Municipal Stadium) in 1964 to honor Johnny Rosenblatt (pictured at right). Local sportscasters and sports writers have typically shied away from using the derogatory reference to the man who served as mayor from 1954 to 1961.

The Omaha World-Herald took out a copyright for its front-page story in Sunday's editions announcing the city's plans to build a new baseball stadium and demolish venerable Rosenblatt Stadium.

The story, co-written by sports columnist Tom Shatel and government services beat writer C. David Kotok, outlines the option of constructing a ballpark in the downtown area near the Creighton University campus and the Qwest Center. The stadium would include approximately 9,000 permanent seats, with the ability to use portable seating to expand its capacity to 25,000 seats.

Rosenblatt Stadium was built in 1947 and has a capacity of 23,145. It has served as home to the College World Series for the past 57 years. More than $30 million in improvements to Rosenblatt Stadium have been made to ensure the CWS remains in Omaha.

A copyright on a news story only protects the wording and ordering of phrases. One important exception to copyright law permits the "fair use" of copyrighted work for purposes such as news reporting - meaning other news agencies may refer to the story by noting that the World-Herald took out a copyright on the story.

As of Sunday morning, The Associated Press had not moved an abbreviated version of the story on the Nebraska wire. In the past, the AP has shared copyright stories with its members by using the phrase, "in a copyright story," somewhere in the opening paragraphs of the story.

It's beginning to become almost comical how the Omaha World-Herald rarely takes advantage its online component (read: "website") affords to produce timely updates as an event is in progress (read: "blog").

We won't fault business reporter Joe Ruff for the ridiculous headline, "Berkshire Live: Updates from Q&A session," Saturday on Omaha.com. After all, he was only responsible for the content. However, exactly a year after the newspaper first trumpeted the concept of blog updates - without using the word "blog" and about five years after everyone else became familiar with the term - the World-Herald continues to resist use of the word "blog."

You would have thought the decision-makers on the seventh floor of the former Qwest building would have learned from their mistake during the trial of Christopher Edwards. Then, reporters Lynn Safranek and Todd Cooper filed a number of "live" reports (read: "blogging") from outside the courtroom, which were subsequently posted under the heading of "trial briefs."

The style of those entries - far removed from the staunch, matter-of-fact writing by reporters that is found daily in the news section of the newspaper - almost made an otherwise life-or-death matter seem comical at times.

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) Sports Director Dave Webber was awarded Thursday with Honorary Citizenship at Girls and Boys Town for his longtime dedication to the nation's largest privately funded organization serving severely at-risk children.

Webber has served as emcee of the Girls and Boys Town Booster Banquet for more than 10 years. He has also performed voiceover work and assisted the community and its residents in a variety of other ways, according to Girls and Boys Town Director of Public Relations John Melingagio.

"Because we are an incorporated Nebraska village, all of our children are officially sworn in as citizens when they arrive," Melingagio said. "Special people like Dave are honored by Girls and Boys Town with citizenship."

Girls and Boys Town Mayor Caitlin Huber and National Executive Director Father Steve
Boes presented Webber with his citizenship in front of more than 200 of the community's student-athletes and a total audience of 1,200 at last night's Booster Banquet.

During a story in Thursday's 10 p.m. broadcast, Webber said he was honored to join the list of Girls and Boys Town honorary citizens such as Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney and Mike Ditka.

"Dave had to promise, like our girls and boys, to study hard, play fair and pray well all his days as a citizen," Melingagio said.

Mark Lam, chief executive officer of Internet radio network Live365, is asking listeners to voice their support for the Internet Radio Equality Act (HR 2060), legislation that sets Internet radio rates equal to that of satellite radio, while also providing the same rules for public and non-commercial Internet radio.

Lam met with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., earlier this week after the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) recently denied webcasters' requests for a rehearing on its ruling of new royalty rates. The new rates were a 300 to 1,200-percent increase for Internet radio stations and included a minimum of $500 per station, per year.

"Should this ruling stand, many of your favorite stations will be silenced," Lam wrote in an e-mail to Live365 users. "You will find Live365's 260 genres reduced to the same meager, homogenized list carried on AM/FM radio, because the unfair rates would drive webcasters in niche genres with unique content unavailable elsewhere out of business."

Lam encourages listeners to contact their Congressman to ask them to co-sponsor HR 2060.

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) viewers who wondered whether anchor Tracy Madden was pregnant again got their answer Thursday night.

Madden confirmed what many had suspected (judging by inquiries to Media Watch) during a story on a community baby shower to benefit the parenting programs of Lutheran Family Services and the Visiting Nurse Association.

Though she did not reveal when she is due, her husband, former KETV (Cox Channel 9) sports anchor Sean McMahon, told the City Weekly earlier this week that they are expecting the new addition in late June or early July. The two already have a pair of twin sons, Ryan and Quinn.

Three episodes of "Antiques Roadshow" which were taped at the Qwest Center in July of 2004 will be broadcast on three consecutive Mondays in May on NET1 (Cox Channel 12).

The first hour of appraisals from Omaha airs Monday, May 14, followed by the second on May 21, and the third hour on May 28. All three episodes air at 7 p.m. CDT.

The first hour features a collection of letters and drawings chronicling the contentious relationship between the owner's feisty great-grandmother and Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect hired to remodel her house. The collection is estimated to be worth $100,000 to $125,000.

In the second show, a woman brings a striking piece of 1960s-era memorabilia for appraisal. Although she only paid $200 for a 1961 "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" movie poster, Audrey Hepburn memorabilia has skyrocketed in value since her death and the poster's value is estimated between $4,500 and $5,000 today.

Among the thousands of cherished heirlooms featured in the third hour, "Antiques Roadshow" appraisers find a circa-1770 Chippendale desk complete with the Civil War era documentation and an incredibly rare daguerreotype of the mysterious Edgar Allan Poe, worth $30,000 to $50,000.

The "Antiques Roadshow" episodes will also be repeatws on three consecutive Thursdays. Hour one airs Thursday, May 17, with hour two May 28, and hour three May 31. All of these episodes air at 8 p.m. CDT on NET1.

KFAB (1110 AM) News Director Tom Stanton shared details Monday with CNN's Nancy Grace of a pit bull's weekend attack on an Omaha mail carrier.

While introducing Stanton, Grace referred to KFAB's frequency as "1-1-1-OH." The interview also featured Mark Langan, a former Omaha Police sergeant who is now vice president of field operations for the Nebraska Humane Society.

Here is a partial transcript of the interview:

GRACE: How many attacks on people will it take before legislation is enacted regarding pit bulls? Let`s go out to Tom Stanton, news director with news radio 1110 KFAB. What happened?

TOM STANTON, NEWS DIRECTOR, NEWS RADIO 1110 KFAB: Well, Nancy, good evening. This was a case that happened Saturday afternoon. A mail carrier in Omaha was on his routine route. He went up to a house and, as he was delivering the mail, he was greeted at the front door by a pit bull.

These mailmen are trained to put their foot up against the door to keep dogs from charging out of the house. In this particular case, though, the pit bull jumped through the screen on the door and began attacking the mailman on the front porch. He was trying to fend off the pit bull with his mail bag, but it was ripped out of his hand.

The carrier struggled with the dog for what we believe is about three minutes before the owner could come out and pull the pit bull off of the mail carrier. He did suffer some serious bite wounds to his right leg and also both of his hands, as he was trying to fight with the dog. The good news, though, he was released that night from the hospital, and he`s preparing to go back to work.

Read the rest of the transcript by clicking here. (Scroll down past the introductory story.)

KQKQ (98.5 FM) midday maven “Marissa” is gone, a scant 10 months after arriving from her hometown of Albany, N.Y. The deaths of a relative and friend as well as illnesses in her family led her to make April 27 her last airshift at “Q 98 Five.”

“I could really feel the stress starting to take a toll on me not only emotionally, but physically as well,” she said. “So, I decided it was time to get back to New York.”

She’s not giving up radio, though. She has already secured a pair of part-time jock shifts on Albany’s urban/crossover hit station WAJZ (96.3 FM) and Top 40/Pop station WFLY (92.3 FM).

With Marissa’s departure, “Sterling” has moved from nights to middays at KQKQ, meaning Program Director Nevin Dane is currently looking for a new night jock.

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