THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 20, 1994 TAG: 9409200040
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
LOCAL TV news and views to ponder while waiting for the the 1995 baseball season:
But won't the orange clash with Jane Gardner's red wardrobe? - It took a while for WTKR's news director, Barbara L. Hamm, to change the look and feel of Channel 3's local newscasts. But when she moved, it was with a vengeance.
Starting a few days ago, it was out with the tired old ``Eyewitness News'' and in with faster-paced ``TV3 News.'' Less happy talk.
Hamm pushed to build a new set, which is too orange-y for my taste.
The station this month also introduced a fresh opening and closing for the newscasts. Hamm arranged for a clock to pop up on the screen from time to time, giving the impression that a whole lot is happening on Channel 3 in a half hour. They gave meteorologist Duane Harding a new toy called Weathervision, which projects the forecasts and readings in a 3-D look.
At times it appears that Harding is spooked by the lightning bolts in Weathervision. It looks that real.
There are more computer-driven goodies to come, including a Stormtracker for Harding and Newsvision for anchors Ed Hughes, Tom Randles and Jane Gardner.
``We've created a whole new look and feel on the broadcasts and picked up the pace to give viewers as much news as possible in 30 minutes,'' said Hamm.
She moved noon co-anchor Ann Keffer to the Peninsula bureau, where our Lady Di will be seen on the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. Her ratings on the noon newscast were dynamite, but Hamm wanted more viewers to see Keffer.
What do you think of Channel 3's new look on its local newscasts?
Let me know by calling my Infoline number. Dial 640-5555 and press 2486. Press 3333 if you want to hear the TV tidbit of the day.
I can't believe that nobody voted for ``77 Sunset Strip'' - Not long after the FX cable channel signed on with a raft of oldies, including ``Wonder Woman'' and ``Mission Impossible,'' I asked the people who call me on Infoline to suggest shows from the past they would like to see revived on FX.
Jennell Williams in Norfolk misses two shows from the 1970s - `Good Times'' with Esther Rolle and Jimmie ``Dyn-o-mite'' Walker and ``That's My Mama'' starring Clifton Davis and Theresa Merritt. Stephanie Kuhlmeyer of Chesapeake votes for ``One Day at a Time'' starring Bonnie Franklin.
The five shows most requested in my little bring-them-back-to-FX survey: ``The Monkees''; ``Welcome Back, Kotter''; ``Three's Company''; ``Laverne and Shirley''; and ``The Bionic Woman.'' Be advised that updated versions of ``The Bionic Woman'' and ``The Six-Million Dollar Man'' will be on TV soon.
Of this and that - Megan Gallacher, a Virginia Beach fifth-grader who was cast in the TV remake of ``The Birds,'' shows up in another made-for-TV-movie Friday. Gallacher plays Kate Jackson's daughter in ``Justice in a Small Town.''. . . The BeLo company of Dallas, which refuses to show ``NYPD Blue'' on the ABC stations it owns, including WVEC here, is about to add KIRO in Seattle to its chain. No ``Blue'' conflict there. KIRO has been a CBS affiliate. . . . Levensen Communications is back on the air Saturday at 5 p.m. with how-to programs ``It's Your Health'' and ``It's Your Home!'' on WAVY. Ed Tillett hosts the home show, complete with the exclamation point. Lisa Joyner hosts the health show about at-home care, obesity and birthin' babies.
TV on the radio! It's here. WVAB (1550) in Virginia Beach is back on the air with business news and CNN Headline News - the very same CNN Headline News you see on cable. . . And speaking of radio and ``NYPD Blue,'' your humble columnist will join Perry Stone on WNIS today at 4 p.m. I'll be there to remind the Stoneheads that Hampton Roads is about to be held hostage for another TV season by the Belo bosses who refuse to show ``NYPD Blue'' here. Do they fear the ABC cop show will corrupt our morals and turn our milk sour? by CNB