THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 16, 1996 TAG: 9602160059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LARRY BONKO
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
LOCAL TV news and views to mull over while you look for the new Betty vitamin in the Flintstones' bottle:
He's calling long distance - Why were the producers of ``Unsolved Mysteries'' on NBC so interested to learn that Michelle O'Malley, 27, of Portsmouth often hears from her charming Italian grand-father?
Because O'Malley's grandfather has been dead for years.
He appears to O'Malley in dreams, sharing family secrets. When the ``Unsolved Mysteries'' producers heard about that, they included O'Malley in tonight's episode - a segment called ``Direct Contact.''
O'Malley's experiences, and the stories of three other people who also say they hear from dead relatives, will be on tonight's show starting at 8. Also aboard is Joel Martin who is writing a book about folks communicating directly with dead kin.
This gives me goose bumps.
Bet it drives you up the wall, too - I thought I was the only one ticked off at WTKR for shrinking its picture to the size of a postage stamp to announce school closings and other cancellations during snowstorms.
That squeeze ruined ``Chicago Hope'' for me last week.
Rachel Davin, a student at Regent U. in Virginia Beach, was among a dozen or so readers to call and share my loathing for WTKR's practice of running the cancellation notices over and over. Sure, it's a public service. But Channel 3 doesn't have to be so relentless.
``I just can't take it,'' said Davin, her nerves in shreds. Was it the umpteenth notice of the closings in Isle of Wight that pushed her over the edge?
The gray hulls look darn good on TV - The photogenic ships of the Navy's Atlantic Fleet including several based in Norfolk pop up at 8 Tuesday night on PBS in a ``Nova'' episode called ``War Machines of Tomorrow.''
``Nova'' camera crews visited ships in the carrier Eisenhower battle group including the Anzio, Kidd, Wasp and Cape St. George. ``Nova'' shows how the Navy is teaming with the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps to broaden the reach of 21st-century weapons.
No more of that Army-Navy rivalry bull.
``Nova'' also takes up ``smart weapons,'' which made such a hit on CNN during the wide-open Gulf War, and how they might be put to use in tight spots in Bosnia and Somalia.
From the Mouth That Roared - Tony Mercurio, the human boom box who has been doing play-by-play and talk shows on radio in this market for more than 20 years, moves to TV Saturday at 6:30 p.m. when ``Tony Mercurio SportsTalk'' premieres on WPEN.
It's a local show - 30 minutes of local guests, local issues. A suggested topic: Why do areas with fewer people than Hampton Roads have major-league teams, and we don't?
In case you missed it - ``American Journal,'' the second-best TV tabloid after ``Hard Copy,'' earlier this week featured the story of a coed who says she was raped by two Virginia Tech football players. Christy Brzonkala, 19, says she tried suicide after the incident that took place in a dorm in 1994.
Virginia Tech was hit hard by ``AJ'' as a football factory that shields its athletes. No comment from Tech after the ``AJ'' camera chased them down on campus.
If they can do it, so can we - With WTKR making a grab for viewers during sweeps by posting a lucky number cash giveaway at 6 p.m., WAVY has responded with a ratings grabber. Match your Social Security number with numbers on the screen, be the 10th caller, and you could win $500.
Shame on both stations. Remember when news, weather and sports were enough to pull in viewers at 6?
WAVY lost Peninsula reporter Steve Lattimore to a St. Louis station, and is looking for an executive producer to replace Dave Strickland, recently promoted to news director. Only people with six or more years in TV news need apply.
Found the Betty vitamin yet? by CNB