THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 30, 1995 TAG: 9508300567
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO TELEVISION WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
In a move that was not totally unexpected, CBS affiliate WTKR Tuesday shook up its 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts, bringing back anchor LeAnne Rains to Hampton Roads television in the process.
Rains, who worked as a reporter and co-anchor at WAVY before leaving the NBC affiliate in March 1993 to marry and to tour Europe, Southeast Asia and New Zealand, joins Emmy-award winner Tom Randles on Channel 3's 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts, which have struggled in the ratings recently.
It wasn't all play for Rains these last 2 1/2 years. While in London, she worked for Associated Press television and before that did reports from Europe for a channel in the United Kingdom.
The hiring of Rains was the second bold stroke in the station's news operation by Elden A. Hale Jr., who took over as general manager shortly after WTKR was sold to the New York Times Co. Earlier in the summer, Hale gave his approval to news director Barbara L. Hamm to launch a three-hour local newscast on the weekends.
TV insiders believed an overhaul at WTKR was inevitable after the change of ownership and the most recent Nielsen ratings, which showed Channel 3 trailing WVEC and WAVY at 6 and 11, as well as in the 5 p.m. newscast. Other developments in WTKR's news operation were announced Tuesday, including word that the contract of Carol Novotny Horton, who did weekday anchoring and weather reporting, has not been renewed.
Ed Hughes, replaced at 6 p.m. by Rains, and Jane Gardner, who lost her 11 p.m. anchor chair to Rains, will co-anchor the 5 p.m. newscast.
Hughes, said Hale, will soon be delivering on-air editorials, too. The new morning team, Monday through Friday, will be Ann Keffer and Kurt Williams. Last month, the pair got into the swing of rising early when they started the sunrise news on weekends. Beverly Kidd moves up from reporter to early-morning weekend anchor.
Tal White will continue to cover the weather for early risers on the weekends. Jan Callaghan stays on as weekend anchor at 6 and 11 p.m.
A third weather reporter, Greg Padgett, has been hired to support the Keffer-Williams team on weekday mornings and at noon. Bob Matthews will be the sportscaster on that team.
Glenn Corey is to fly solo as the station's noontime anchor now that Horton is gone.
``An on-air realignment'' is how Hale described these moves.
At 6, meteorologist Duane Harding and sports reporter John Castleberry, both part of the dinner-hour news team for months, will continue in support of Randles and Rains.
Just before giving his report midway through the 6 p.m. newscast on Tuesday, Harding paused to welcome Rains. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
LeAnne Rains
by CNB