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WCCO-TV to start 'News of Your Choice' for channel surfers

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W to start 'News of Your Choice' for channel surfers We've never invited anyone to ever change the channel on us. John Culliton WCCO VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER al manager. "This really is new, and it really recognizes a truth in behavior that sometimes broadcasters try to deny. And that is, that people flip stations," she said. Under the partnership, WCCO will compensate KLGT with an undisclosed amount of cash and a minute of commercial time to sell during its portion of the newscast. Ratings from the two newscasts will be combined, and that could mean that WCCO could charge more for ad time. "We expect the value of the late news to increase, based on additional rating points," said WCCO director of sales Bill Bradley. Both stations will have the same commercial breaks. A separate anchor will introduce the KLGT segments, which will be broadcast from WCCO's downtown Minneapolis studio and feature WCCO reporters. A simulcast wrap-up will conclude both newscasts. For the two stations, it's win-win. WCCO, the top-rated station in the nation's 14th-largest market, can shore up its appeal to younger viewers coveted by advertisers by running more features while KLGT gets a newscast without the to start-up expense. KLGT is a UHF sta- to tion in St. Paul that this month joins the fledgling WB Network formed by Warner Bros. Va. WCCO also stands to gain something else. er "As a business venture, not only do you take a potential competitor out of the marketplace, you better utilize your own resources," said Bill Yeager, chairman of the Radio News Directors Association. And viewers who say they y want more ing will local But to a sit benefit news get through from competitor that the an option thinks hourlong WCCO-KLGT her without newscast. station pick- hav- NOTIONS and-choose news. tion," said Janet Mason, vice president "I think it's a mistake to encourage viewers to turn away from your own sta- SEWING A broadcasting consultant agrees that WCCO is in danger of losing some of its audience. "The first rule of zapping is that when you zap out from Station A, you don't go Station B. You go to the world. You go the other 106 channels on your syssaid Jacques de Suze, president of Mcflugh and Hoffman Inc. of McLean, for news at NBC affiliate KARE-TV, Channel 11. "A lot of people simply push the remote control and go up the dial. And obviously, we are in-between Channels 4 and 23 and we have as much of a chance of enticing those viewers." Another problem may arise if a viewis interested in both segments that are showing on WCCO and KLGT. But a former competitor sees chooseyour news as the wave of the future. Simultaneous newscast to take softer approach MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Attention, channel-surfers. WCCO-TV wants you to do something most stations consider taboo - flip the dial on their late night news. Not to a competitor, mind you, but to an independent station showing an alternate newscast with a softer approach, more emphasis on local news and produced by WCCO. Starting Jan. 16, WCCO will adopt a "News of Your Choice" format for its 10 p.m. weekday newscasts. Viewers will be invited to watch Channel 4's regular 35- minute newscast or to jump to the other newscast on KLGT-TV, Channel 23. Both stations will open with a simulcast of the day's top stories. Then while WCCO runs world headlines and a full weather report, KLGT will air a 10-second "is it going to rain tomorrow?" forecast and local news. When WCCO does sports, KLGT will run health and lifestyle stories. The mix-and-match format acknowl- CLOUD edges that many viewers, armed with a remote control, already zap newscasts they don't like and create their own program. "Television stations have to catch up with that thought in a hurry or they're going to become dinosaurs," said WCCO vice president and general manager John Culliton. Culliton said a WCCO survey of 800 people in Minnesota found that four out of five, or 80 percent, switch channels during a newscast. And those who switch change an average of five times. "Those who are skeptical to me say, 'That's not the way television's been done. We've never invited anyone to ever change the channel on us,' " Culliton said. "And I say in return, 'Wake up. It's happening every day?" It's another innovation for WCCO, which last January introduced the "family-sensitive" non-violent 5 p.m. newscast copied by other stations around the country. CBS owned WCCO and KLGT experimented with the mixed-menu newscast in August. The near-seamless results convinced the stations it could work. "It's often said in our business you can't do anything new, you can only do the same thing in a new way," said Linda Rios Brook, KLGT president and gener- Former KSTP-TV news director Mendes Napoli, who now manages onair talent, said the coming information superhighway is "all about selecting personalities you're interested in and having more choices." Hon to Keep A Memory Alive We know how difficult times like this cart be. Call us. We'll create a memorable arrangement Floral Arts h St. Fashion Joseph, Division Center MN • Place 255-0123 363-7705 CHILDREN'S CRAFTS ARTIST SUPPLIES LACES Ben Franklin NOTIONS 15,000 Square Feet Central of Craft Minnesota's 65% Merchandise Largest Locally Craft Store. Owned and Operated OFF Gallery Tagged White Regular ARTIFICIAL SEWING All Christmas 110 2nd St. S., Hwy 23 Merchandise MON. - FRI. 9-9 & Not Yellow good Prices on tagged Red
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