Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410270047
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
General assignment reporter Meg O'Conor headed for Seattle, Wash., as of Sunday.
O'Conor moves into the nation's 12th largest TV market just as a major shake-up of network affiliations is resettling there. She'll be working for KSTW (Channel 11), which has just signed on as the new CBS affiliate.
The station, which had been an independent, joined CBS in a deal that included the affiliation of a Dallas TV station owned by the same company, Gaylord Entertainment. Besides owning broadcast outlets, Gaylord produces syndicated television programming and owns the Grand Old Opry.
"This is an exciting opportunity," the 28-year-old New York native said last week. While she didn't expect to be moving up to a top-15 market so early in her career, O'Conor said she feels her experience at WDBJ gave her quality preparation for the jump.
Roanoke-Lynchburg is the nation's 66th largest market.
Descriptive Video Service to provide audio descriptions of television programming for the visually impaired and blind has begun on Blue Ridge Public Television.
The national service provides "narrated descriptions of a program or movie's key visual elements without interfering with the program dialogue," according to Margaret Crouse, Blue Ridge Public Television's public-relations manager.
"The narration describes elements such as actions, body language, settings, graphics and subtitles," Crouse said.
The service is free, but reception is available only through televisions or VCRs with a Second Audio Program - or SAP - adapter.
A grant from the Lions of Virginia Foundation, secured in large part due to the efforts of Bob Hoel, Crouse said, made the service possible on WBRA (Channel 15). If additional funding becomes available, Crouse said, Descriptive Video may also become available on WSBN (Channel 47) in Norton, and WMSY (Channel 52) in Marion.
The descriptive service is available on PBS programs American Playhouse, ``Mystery!,'' ``Masterpiece Theater,'' ``The American Experience,'' ``The New Explorers,'' ``Nature'' and National Geographic specials.
Roanoke's first Christian contemporary music station, WWWR (910 AM), switched its music format to Southern gospel last week.
Station manager Hal Mabe said the market, which now includes two FM stations playing Christian contemporary music, has now been saturated.
Christian contemporary artists include Carman, who recently played to a sold-out crowd at the Roanoke Civic Center; Steven Curtis Chapman, who recently sold out a concert at Liberty University's Vines Center; and Amy Grant, who also is negotiating a successful cross-over career in secular pop.
Southern gospel, dominated by groups such as the Gaithers, Kingsmen and Imperials, continues to be commercially successful despite the inroads of the less traditional contemporary format. According to national research, the format continues to dominate the religious radio market.
Mabe said 3WR, as the station is known, will continue to air the local and syndicated teaching and preaching programming that has been interspersed with the music.
WPVR (Lite 95) has begun a new program of "world/contemporary" music Fridays from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m.
The music was once known as "New Age," though many artists and program developer Richard Mauro now avoid that label because of its associations with a religious movement that developed independently of the music.
Mauro said most of the music is produced by small, independent companies, but includes some fairly well-known labels such as Windham Hill, Real Music and American Gramaphon.
by CNB