THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 11, 1995 TAG: 9505110034
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
LOCAL TV NEWS and views to ponder while you wait for the mailman to deliver your invitation to the wedding of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman:
I guess this means that Bruce Rader's hair color will stay as is - Don't expect a lot of movin' and shakin' from Edward L. Munson Jr., who is settling in as the new general manager at NBC affiliate WAVY. In a mini-interview soon after taking over for Lyle Banks, Munson said, ``Those who are looking for a great number of changes will be disappointed.''
Munson said the station will continue selling itself as the viewer's best friend with its ``10 on Your Side'' approach to news and consumerism. Banks, who now runs NBC's owned and operated station in Chicago, worked closely with Munson in the past four years when Munson was general sales manager.
At Channel 10, I expect it'll be Banks' blueprint for months to come, with some tweaking and fine-tuning by Munson.
Now all we have to do is select the co-anchors - When Fox affiliate WTVZ was sold to a Baltimore company earlier this year, plans to start a 10 p.m. nightly newscast on Channel 33 were put on the shelf. The new owners won't say if or when those plans will be dusted off and put to use.
Do viewers in early-to-bed, early-to-rise Hampton Roads want their local news, weather and sports an hour earlier?
Eight out of 10 callers who responded to that question in an Infoline poll (640-5555, press 2486) said they do, indeed. Laura Norton of Norfolk commented: ``I vote yes to a 10 o'clock newscast. It's tough for me to stay awake during the 11 o'clock broadcasts.''
Same story from Gladys Lewis in Hampton: ``I'd love to see the local news come on at 10. I fall asleep watching the 11 o'clock news.''
Among those voting against Fox local news at 10 is George Harrison in Norfolk, who thinks we already have too much news on TV here. ``It's all over the place morning, noon and night,'' he said. ``We don't need another local newscast.''
Fox stations generally produce a livelier local newscast than the competition.
So, sue me. I didn't include ``Married . . . With Children'' - When the editors at Electronic Media weekly invited me to take part in the end-of-the-season TV critics poll, I picked the following as the 10 best shows on television: ``Law & Order,'' ``NYPD Blue,'' ``Homicide: Life on the Street,'' ``The Larry Sanders Show Starring Garry Shandling,'' ``Talk Soup,'' ``Seinfeld,'' ``Roseanne,'' ``ER,'' ``Northern Exposure'' and ``Picket Fences.''
Picking the worst show was a snap. ``Models Inc.''
If you'd like to challenge my picks, catch up with me on the Internet at RSUE30A(AT)Prodigy.com.
It would be nice if some of this stuff were filmed in Virginia Beach - The Family Channel, cable TV's 11th largest network, is cranking out all kinds of new projects, including three ``Hart to Hart'' movies with Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers plus an original film, ``The Rose Garden,'' with Mary Tyler Moore and College of William and Mary grad Linda Lavin.
Trouble is, none of these familiar faces will be working in Virginia Beach, the site of The Family Channel's headquarters. There hasn't been much happening here since the taping of ``Big Brother Jake'' wrapped.
How's this for a touch of irony: MTM Entertainment, named for Moore and once owned in part by her, is now in the big, happy corporate mix (Family Entertainment Inc.) that includes The Family Channel. Later this year, the channel is adding reruns of ``Newhart'' and films that were produced under the ``Hallmark Hall of Fame'' banner.
At least William Devane likes to work in Virginia - While The Family Channel's production schedule unfolds far from Virginia, others in the TV business can't wait to set up shop in the Old Dominion. ``The Monroes,'' a made-for-TV movie starring William Devane has finished shooting in and around Richmond.
Devane also worked in Virginia four years ago in a miniseries about Jacqueline Kennedy. Guess he finds our crab cakes irresistible. by CNB