21Q

We knew all along that Taryn Winter Brill was too good to stay in a local market for long.

So it should come as no surprise that Brill, one of the only reasons to tune into Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento," has landed a national TV gig barely two months after leaving our fair city.

She starts Thursday as an entertainment reporter for ABC's "Good Morning America" (7-9 a.m. on Channel 10). Brill will do live and taped segments.

And, we hear, she will keep her tresses curly.

Blogger Cool DMZ at the snark-saturated Sacrag.com apparently made a horrible mistake at the video store the other day: He believed Mark S. Allen and watched one of the movies he endorsed.

"Good Day Sacramento's" Allen, one of the nation's most, uh, accomplished blurbmeisters, has a typically bombastic quote on the cover of the "August Rush" DVD: "“Your heart will be singing and your spirit will soar!”

DMZ, after watching the hideous movie, wrote: "Replace heart with bowels, and spirit with desire to physically damage your television, and you got yourself a quote."

Read all of Cool DMZ's blog post, which we think is much more entertaining than "August Rush," here.

Proving that its classic "Cat Stuck in a Tree" exclusive wasn't a fluke, Channel 3 now is documenting the saving of magpies in trees.

Obviously, those KCRA newshounds will not rest until all varmints are out of every tree in town.

Enjoy the video.

We reported a few weeks ago that Dan Adams, News10's intrepid VJ (video journalist), would be retiring March 28. Hey, that's this Friday.

In preparation for his signoff, Adams has posted this farewell blog post on News10's Web site. It's heartfelt, but not maudlin - just like Adams.

He talks about the, ahem, glory days when he started at News10, working out of a "closet-size room" at a medical/dental building in Stockton as the station's bureau chief. And Adams also explains how he is able to retire at age 55: good financial planning.

A journalist who saves money? Who woulda thunk it.

Fox40's competent and thorough reporter Mike Bond was doing a live report Sunday night from the scene of a candlelight vigil in Del Paso Heights on the one-year anniversary of a seemingly random killing.

As Bond was talking about how the police are hoping someone would come forward with information about the killing of Jelisa Office outside a house party last year, the photographer scanned the vigil crowd and hit upon a man wearing this T-shirt emblazoned in a stop-sign design: "Stop Snitching."

Kind of illustrates, don't you think, how difficult the police's job will be trying to get information on this case.

UPDATE, 12:40 p.m.: Your, uh, incompetent and shallow 21Q correspondent got it wrong. Reporter Mike Bond never mentioned that police are still looking for a gunman in the killing, but Bond also never mentions that anyone's in custody. We just assumed the killer was still at large. In fact, The Bee reported last April that a 16-year-old was arrested in the case. So, apparently, someone didn't "stop snitching" soon enough.

It's rare for local news radio - or, heck, local TV, too - to step off the crime-politics-Britney hamster wheel of coverage and give us an-indepth arts story. So we have to give kudos to KXJZ (90.9 FM), Sacramento's NPR affiliate, for doing just that.

Paul Conley this morning aired a lengthy interview with jazz violinist Regina Carter that would be interesting even to those who think Jean-Luc Ponty is the goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Included: this anecdote about Carter's disbelief at being awarded a half-million-dollar MacArthur "genius" grant - a big deal in the arts world.

"First when he called, I actually said, ‘You know, I’m sorry, I can’t give any money right now, maybe in a couple of months.’ I thought they were calling for money. He says, ‘No, no, we’re actually calling because you’ve been nominated and we’re giving you, you know, this amount of money.’ And I said ‘Who is this?’ And he says ‘No, you obviously have never heard of the MacArthur Foundation.’ I said ‘I have, but why would you be calling me?’ And he explained the whole thing again. I said give me your name and your number and I said I’ll call you back.

Carter logged onto the MacArthur Web site, confirmed the caller’s identity and quickly called back.

“And I remember when I hung up, I just sat there for a long time stunned, staring out the living room window.”

Our Bee blogging brethren (hey, try saying that three times fast) at Capitol Alert have followed up on the Channel 13 ethnic-slur controversy regarding graphics of legislator Don Perata (pictured) as a mafia figure.

Read the post here.

Your humble local media writer isn't the only one out there whose eyebrows (and ire) are routinely raised by the tabloid nature, and just plain insensitive reporting style, of Channel 13.

Our sister blog, Capitol Alert, today reports that Channel 13's stunt of showing a graphic of Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata as an apparent Mafia leader, pointing a gun skyward, has angered Italian Americans.

The anchor who delivered the story?

Yup, you guessed it: Chris Burrous.

Check out Bee staff writer Jim Sanders' blog item here.

We are more than a week into the Eliot Spitzer story, and late-night comedians and editorial cartoonists are starting to run out of material.

But, fear not, you Spitzer wags.

Advertising and entrepreneurs have stepped forth to keep the story in our collective consciousness.

Here's a shameless plug preview of what you'll see in Thursday's Ad Hawk feature in The Bee.

Above is the Virgin Mobile cell phone ad featuring the philandering New York Guv. And below is an ad for Balvine Single Malt Scotch and the newly minted "Spitzer 9" baseball-style T-shirt available on shirtaday.com.

Audrey Farrington, who for nine years served as vice president and general manager of Fox40 (KTXL), announced to the staff today that she will leave her position in two weeks.

Farrington declined to be interviewed, but sent a statement to The Bee via e-mail.

"It's my decision," she wrote. "I'm proud of what we have accomplished during my tenure and I leave a terrific team in place. I wish everyone well moving forward."

She did not detail her future plans.

The Tribune company, Fox40's owner, did not make Ed Wilson, president of Tribune Broadcasting, available to discuss the specifics of Farrington's departure or to talk about when a replacement for her will be named.

But Wilson, through a spokesman, released a statement of his own: "Over the last few weeks, Audrey's thought a lot about her role at KTXL-TV and come to the conclusion that she wants to resign from her duties as general manager. She's been with the station as GM since 1999 and, before that, spent 10 years there as director of programming and creative services. Her commitment to the station was unquestionable and we wish her the best."

Farrington has worked for KTXL for nearly 20 years, including 10 as the station's program director and creative services and promotions director. For two years, she was the director of programming at KTLA in Los Angeles, but returned in 1999 when Mike Fisher resigned as the station's general manager.

Station sources say Farrington's departure was not related to the recent takeover of the Tribune company by flamboyant billionaire Sam Zell, who visited the Fox40 newsroom about a month ago. In recent months, Fox40 has added reporters for its 10 p.m. newcast, hired a morning meteorologist and revamped its Website to feature videos.

We knew it was coming, this being Holy Week and all.

Fox40 recently aired a story about a Citrus Heights man, Manny Duenas, who claims to have found an image of the Virgin Mary in a palm tree branch (see photo above) that he was trimming. "When I saw it, I had the goose bumps and I (was thinking), let me share this with my family."

He also shared it with the media.

Not to ruin reporter Jaime Soriano's hopes for an Emmy for this "report," but I just don't see the image in the branch.

What this does show is that local TV news eats up this kind of story.

We've had News10 telling us about the Virgin Mary in a muffin pan; Fox40 finding Jesus on a Lodi fence post; Fox40 finding Jesus and Mary on a pancake, and Channel 13 on a Yuba County woman who saw the face of Jesus burned into the wallpaper after a house fire.

Maybe I'm just too skeptical. Here's a gallery. Decide for yourself:

Look to your right. Yeah, over there. See it?

21Q finally - finally! - has posted its blog roll (actually dubbed "Links to Check Out," because not all of the links are blogs).

These are links that the 21Q Five often visit. Do not consider it an endorsement of the viewpoints expressed on these sites. They are just thought-provoking and deal with the same issues we chew over here.

We've also added easy buttons for you to share 21Q with your friends and enemies.

Enough of the self-promotion.

Now, back to the snark.

Who says our favorite local non-mainstream media blog doesn't deal in reportage? Sacrag.com posted this "investigative" piece, blowing the lid off something I've been wondering each time I order a turkey and avocado sub (see photo) at Togo's.

Read the scoop here.

Lesson learned: Always say your order is to-go.

He's Will Frampton (pictured), hired three weeks ago to replace Monika Diaz (now in Dallas). He's the first new full-time reporter News10 has hired in nearly three years.

News10 plucked him from a sister Gannett-owned station, WLTX in Columbia, S.C. A native son of the state, Frampton retains a charming Southern accent - but I'm sure consultants will tell him to lose that, post haste.

While at WLTX, Frampton spent three weeks embedded with the 218th Brigade Combat Team in Kabul, Afghanistan.

After helping guide the post-Steve Charlier Channel 13 through the February sweeps as interim news director, Cameryn Beck (pictured) was appointed to the permanent position on Tuesday.

Bruno Cohen, president of channels 13 and 31, says Beck proved herself during the stresses of sweeps month and that she's gained the confidence of the staff. Beck, who came to CBS13 from Channel 3 in late 2005, had been the executive producer of Channel 13's news.

"She's a really charismatic leader - positive, upbeat and treats people with respect," Cohen says. "She makes employees want to root for her to do well and make the broadcast better."

Indeed, Beck may help Channel 13 heal from its PCSD - Post-Charlier Stress Disorder. Under Charlier's blustery leadership, Channel 13 changed almost its entire reporting lineup and fostered much rumbling in the rank and file. Charlier left Channel 13 in late January to join a start-up TV firm in the Midwest.

"Cameryn is a very collaborative person," Cohen says.

Here's the memo Cohen sent to staffers today:

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Cameryn Beck as News Director of CBS13 (KOVR). Cameryn joined us in August 2005 as executive news producer and was promoted in August 2007 to assistant news director. During the last month she has ably served as interim news director. I am continually impressed by her journalistic judgment, her innovative approach to newscast production and development and her charismatic, fair-minded leadership. It's particularly rewarding to be able to promote a very deserving member of our own organization - and to place a Sacramento native with thorough knowledge of the coverage area and deep roots in the community - into such an important position. Brent Baader will continue in his role as news director for "Good Day Sacramento" on CW31. Brent and Cameryn will both report to me. Please join me in congratulating Cameryn on her promotion and in providing her and Brent with your complete support. - Bruno

By day, Erik Candiani works as a Channel 13 creative services guy who makes those wacky 30-second promos.

By night, he's a budding filmmaker trying his hand at TV advertising. He entered a user-generated commercial contest sponsored by Tide - featuring the talking "spot" the company used in its Super Bowl ad.

This week, Candiani learned his ad is one of 10 finalists. Watch it on YouTube (above), but to vote thumbs up or down for Candiani, you must be a registered YouTube user.

His commercial is called "The Date," and it features local actors Brian Rife and Teri Flores. It was shot at Awful Annie's restuarant in Lincoln.

Dave Walker and KCRA co-anchor/wife Lois Hart

Following up on our posting Monday about outrageous local TV news "teasers," reader Laura Breedlove passes along this anecdote:

A handful of friends were over for a regular Monday-night viewing of "Heroes" (pre-strike, of course), and we tended to mute the commercials to try and analyze what just occurred in the story. While the volume was muted, Dave Walker appeared on screen, “teasing” the 11 o’clock news. His headline: “Too Sexy?” No idea what story was being teased. But the headline lives with us for eternity. We all thought to ourselves: Yes Dave, yes you are.

Sacramento's only "classic" oldies station, K-HITS (92.1 FM), has been sold by longtime owner First Broadcasting of Dallas to Results Radio, which owns and operates 11 radio stations in Northern California.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and it is expected to be finalized by the Federal Communications Commission within a few months.

K-HITS, which officially still carries the call letters KCCL, was the fourth format in as many years tried by First Broadcasting to improve ratings. The station had previously tried country music, a "Bob" (play anything) format, '80s rock and, since January of 2007, oldies from the '60s to '80s.

In the most recent Arbitron ratings survey, KCCL finished 22nd out of 31 Sacramento stations in the 12-plus demographic with a 1.3 rating.

Jack Fritz, owner of Results Radio, was unavailable for comment Tuesday. But Barry Cooper, the chief financial officer, says from his Santa Rosa office that the company is committed to improving the station.

Cooper also says there are no immediate plans to change the format of K-HITS.

"Our plans are simple: to make it a radio station that's performing well and is a profitable entity," says Cooper, who pointed out that Results Radio-owned stations in Redding, Chico and Yuba City are top-rated in their areas.

"We hope to do the same thing in Sacramento," Cooper adds.

First Broadcasting chief executive Gary Lawrence says in a statement that the company is "transitioning" away from radio in favor of television and wireless media.

"We are delighted that longtime local broadcaster Jack Fritz and his partners are acquiring KCCL," Lawrence says in the statement. "Jack is very community-foused and an outstanding station operator."

Florence Low/flow@sacbee.com

Shameless plug alert: Be sure to check out Tuesday's Media Savvy column. It deals with changes at Sacramento's local PBS affiliate, KVIE, with the hiring of executive producer Lynn Margherita (pictured), whose background is in (gasp!) cable TV.

KVIE's apparent push to enliven its programming echoes the debate going on nationally about the relevancy of PBS.

The first salvo was fired by Charles McGrath, respected critic-at-large for the New York Times, whose commentary was provocatively titled: "Is PBS Still Necessary?"

A week or so later, PBS filmmaker Ken Burns ("The War") fired back with an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times titled: "Standing Up for Public Television."

Read both essays and decide for yourself. Better yet, read Tuesday's Media Savvy column. (Yes, I'm pimping my own story - sorry.)

News10 anchor Dale Schornack 's blog is chock-full o' blasts from his past. And his latest entry features his "moment" with John McCain in 1991, when Schornack was leaving Phoenix for an anchor job in Dallas.

Check it out here.

More alarmingly, check out McCain's truly atrocious comb-over. We don't deal in political endorsements here at 21Q, but how can we elect a man who once sported this hairstyle?

There's a great audio clip, courtesy of the blog Lost Remote, sending up local TV news "teases" during sweeps months - or, heck, any time.

This satire comes close, but doesn't quite eclipse real teases we've heard in Sacramento, led, of course, by Channel 13.

My fave: Channel 3's now-classic "Cat Stuck in a Tree" (below).

Sacramento public radio listeners, a loyal lot, have survived lo these many years without traffic reports on KXJZ (90.9 FM) during NPR's "Morning Edition" and the afternoon "All Things Considered."

Now, they no longer have to be surprised when there's an unexpected slowdown on the Cap City Freeway (as opposed to all the expected slowdowns). KXJZ's local anchors (Steve Milne and Donna Apidone) have started delivering traffic updates, courtesy of Traffic.com (the same outfit that Channel 3 uses).

Says news director Joe Barr in an e-mail: "We wanted more than just an on-air service and Traffic.com has a great online component. Not only will we have on-air reports five times an hour during 'Morning Edition' and four times an hour during 'All Things Considered,' but, starting Monday, listeners can go to our Web site to create customized traffic reports for their routes. They can also have customized reports sent to them by e-mail, text message or voicemail...with more to come...."

"The bottom line is that our listeners had been asking for us to provide traffic information and we've responded."

AccessSacramento, the cable-access channel that already streams its programming on its Web site, now has a channel on YouTube where it will post snippets from stories and programs (such as the video of Old Sac airbrush artist Alan Silva, above).

Veteran News10 reporter Dan Adams, a four-time regional Emmy Award winner who became the Sacramento market's first "video journalist" in 2006, is retiring. His last day at News10 will be March 28.

Adams, 55, says in an e-mail that "there's no behind-the-scenes scandal or anything like that...but life holds some more adventures for me, and it's time to start them."

And no, you in the TV business who cringe at the "one-man-band" trend of reporters shooting and editing their own stories, Adams is not leaving because he was forced to be a VJ.

In fact, Adams volunteered to do it. And now others at News10 are going the VJ route. Anchor Dale Schornack has even blogged about how excited he is about VJing.

Anyway, Adams tells us he's moving to Mexico to enjoy the good life. (One word of advice, Dan: Sunscreen.)

This is a significant loss for News10. News director Stacy Owen could not be immediately reached for comment.

UPDATE: March 10, 2:45 p.m.: Stacy Owen emails a comment on Adams: "Dan is that rare combination of seasoned veteran and trailblazer. He has something that is so hard to find these days - a natural gift for looking at things with a critical eye. He takes nothing at face value, and is not one to accept any one perspective. That's why his decision to become a "one man band" was so significant. He saw the opportunity in being able to have creative control from beginning to end. Yet he doesn't just accept that this is the answer for our industry. He is still challenging us. In so doing, he is once again setting an example for his peers and for the industry."

Read Adams' extensive bio here.

The 2008 National City And Regional Magazine Awards finalists were announced today, and Sacramento's bi-monthly publication, Sactown, received a nomination.

Senior contributing photographer Max Whittaker's photo essay from Afghanistan, "In Harm's Way" (see screen grab above from Sactown's June/July issue), was named a finalist for Best Photo Essay in all circulation categories. Whittaker's competition: Chicago magazine and Hour Detroit.

Alas, Sacramento's thriving magazine scene was shut out in the General Excellence categories and in writing and design awards.

Such unprofessional behavior displayed in the above video (hang around for the second minute of the clip, which is hilarious) by local TV news professionals would never happen in classy Sacramento.

No, we only have anchors giving beer to the homeless.

The Sac State Hornet and UC Davis Aggie newspapers fared well at two recent college journalism contests.

In a contest sponsored by the Associated Collegiate Press, the State Hornet finished first overall for “Interactive Elements” on its Web site. The Hornet also finished fourth nationally for newspaper Web sites and third for podcasting. And, in the print competition, Sac State finished seventh nationally in the Four-Year Weekly Broadsheet category. (The national champ for Four-Year Weekly Broadsheet was Sac State’s rival to the north, The Orion at Chico State.)

In the California College Media Association contest, the Aggie had some impressive showings in the contentious daily-newspaper category. The Aggie finished first for Best Editorial (staff), Best Feature Photo (Musa Zaid) and Best Cartoon (Kevin Burk). Overall, the Aggie won eight state awards.

The Hornet, competing in the weekly newspaper category, won first place for Best News Page Design (Ashley Evans), and had six other top-three finishes.

Meanwhile, in high school media competitions, advisor Brendan Hogan at Christian Brothers High School reports that his student-run TV news and sports operation, KBFT, has garnered some honors as well:

* At the spring nationals for student television, Christian Brothers won first place for live sports coverage (a boys basketball game). It also won first place for live daily or weekly news show.

* Students Austin Otto and Brittany Young placed second in a spot feature on-site contest at the 2008 Student Television Network Convention in Anaheim in January. Students Nathan Domek and Joel Johnston had an honorable mention in the Show Opening category.

Last year, KBFT did very well at the STN spring nationals with two first place awards.

Screen shot from News10's "exclusive" story

I'm shocked - shocked! - to learn that local TV news outlets sometimes lift stories from newspapers and then try to pass them off as "exclusives."

OK, enough sarcasm.

What truly surprised me was that News10 had the fortitude to admit it should not have used an "exclusive" graphic on a recent story out of Stockton; it later removed the word from the story on its Web site.

(Here's another peeve that I see occasionally on Sac TV news: Using the "breaking news" graphic when the news actually broke hours ago and a reporter is doing a standup in front of a mostly deserted crime scene. But that's a rant for another time....)

Anyway, News10 assistant news director Michael Langley, who pulls no punches in his blog postings and often talks about the station's decision-making, issued a mea culpa in his latest entry.

(Since News10's blogs do not provide linking to individual posts, I'm pasting Langley's post below. Langley's prose is in italics; the viewer's comments are in quotation marks.)

Blog On This...
I have always maintained that I will post within this space the good, the bad and the questionable. Today, we have the bad, as illustrated by Bryan who sent me an email (the title of this post is the subject line of his email) about a story on news10.net this weekend.

"I'd like to know your station's policy on the use of 'exclusive.' My guess is your staff strayed from that policy this weekend, on at least a couple of levels.

"I logged on to your web site to find an 'exclusive' label placed on a story about a Stockton mother who lost her young son to violence and was now moving out of town.

"What made this exclusive? I read several newspapers a day and saw this story on the front page of the Stockton Record newspaper. All you did was steal the idea and put it on TV. So how is that exclusive?"

Bryan, thank you for calling us on this. You're right. We called something exclusive that was not. We failed in a couple of ways in part because of our zeal for the story, the powerful emotion displayed by the mother we interviewed and my own failure to question that fact when it was reported to me.

Bryan, and all, though we do not have an ombudsman I thank you for writing me. We will do better next time.

So we know that "American Idol" is a ratings boon for Fox nationally, but what about the local numbers?

Well, in the just-concluded February sweeps period, Fox40 easily earned the highest prime-time ratings, largely based on two nights of "Idol," plus "House" and other high network performers.

Here's the breakdown (Monday through Sunday):

Fox40: 8.5
CBS13: 6.9
News10: 5.7
Channel 3: 5.1
Channel 19: 2.4
Channel 31: 1.6
My58TV: 1.2

Want more "Idol" numbers for Sacramento?

As of last week, Fox40's ratings stood at a whopping 20.6, highest of any of the seven seasons. And so far this year, Tuesday nights are drawing slightly more viewers (21.9) than Wednesday nights (19.7).

Here's the full-season average ratings for Sacramento since the show's inception:

2002: 13.6
2003: 14.8
2004: 15.9
2005: 15.9
2006: 18.3
2007: 20.3
2008 (so far): 20.6

KBMB (The Bomb, 103.5 FM) has found a replacement for ousted Davey D and he's syndicated hip hop DJ Big Boy. He started Monday and assumed Davey D's 5-10 a.m. spot.

Check out an extended sound bite of Big Boy riffing about a meeting in Vegas with Michael Jackson. Don't worry, it's safe for work.

Want to know more about Big Boy? Here's his Web site.

Without a doubt, this Channel 3 piece on a Chick-fil-A cow mascot - actually a woman shown out of, er, uniform and being interviewed by Richard Sharp - who was harassed in Elk Grove is the leading contender for LOL story of the week.

Then again, it's only Tuesday.

Kudos to Sharp for managing to keep a straight face throughout, especially when the 19-year-old ex-mascot gave this sound bite: "I want the next cow to go out there and stand on the street to have better protection than I had."

Hey, who said California cows are happy cows?

Had Channel 13 done this report, it would've played up the danger and used the alliteration: "Mascot Mauling" and speculated that the Mr. Pickles mascot on Fulton would be the next target.

If you're looking for an educational opportunity for your civic-minded child, or if you're one of those political wonks who lurk around the Capitol, you're in for a treat.

C-Span, the governmental geek's channel of choice, will bring its "Campaign 2008" bus to the Sacramento area on Tuesday and hang around until Thursday before moving on.

The bus is a 45-foot mobile production studio that travels around the country to record campaign events for C-Span viewers. C-Span and Comcast are sponsoring the bus stop, which has been to 29 state cpaitals, 71 colleges and 95 schools.

So where can you catch it?

* Tuesday: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., it'll be at Inderkum High School (2500 New Market Drive, Sacramento). Mayor Heather Fargo is expected to drop by.

* Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., it'll be at Sac State (6000 J St.), parked in front of the Hornet bookstore. Then, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., it'll be at the state Capitol (1107 L St.), on the north side, near 11th and L.

* Thursday: 8 a.m.to 11:45 a.m., it'll be at Folsom High School (1655 Iron Point Road, Folsom). Secretary of State Debra Bowen will be there.

Yes, it's true. We can't make this stuff up.

National Public Radio's erudite host of "Fresh Air," Terry Gross, will appear Sunday night as a guest voice on "The Simpsons" (at 8 p.m. on Channel 40). Gross will be guest-starring with actor Topher Grace. (Now, there's a pairing we never thought we'd see.)

In the episode, Gross' dulcet tones and brainy banter will be heard on a car radio by the Simpson clan.

Says Gross in an NPR press release: “When I'm hosting Fresh Air, I try to sound as natural as possible. But when I was recording 'The Simpsons,' the director kept suggesting I sound ‘more cartoonish.’ So I had to channel my inner cartoon self.”

Local Angle Alert: Gross will be speaking - seriously, not cartoonishly - at the Mondavi Center in Davis on April 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29-$40.

Well, the February sweeps period is mercifully over, which means we'll no longer be subjected to reports such as Channel 3's man-boobs reduction story (see video above) or Channel 13's latest we're-all-going-to-die scare story.

Which station racked up the big victories?

No surprises here.

Channel 3, as always, dominated at 5 and 6 p.m. - no station even comes close. In the morning, Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento" beat Channel 3 in the 5-5:30 a.m. segment, but Channel 3 rebounded in other morning time slots.

KCRA also came out ahead in the noon hour, which is becoming a battleground between channels 3 and 13 - Walt Gray and Co. ekked out a 3.2 to 2.7 edge over Stefanie Cruz and CBS13.

In the always contentious late news, where advertisers really take notice, the winner depends on which station's spin you believe. Channel 13 has long maintained that its 10 p.m. news should be compared evenly with Channel 3's at 11 p.m., but the KCRA suits say only head-to-head competition should count.

In any case ...

CBS13 came in with a 5.4 rating at 10 p.m., Channel 3 with 4.7 at 11. News10, meanwhile, is nipping at the heels of KCRA at 11, finishing only .4 behind.

Meanwhile, here's a trend that no local TV suit will like: Viewership is either down or relatively flat in all time slots compared to previous sweeps periods. Could it be lingering effects from the writers' strike? Or are people just getting their news from other sources?

UPDATE (Feb. 29, 8:30 a.m.): An alert reader asks why we left out KCRA's 6:30 p.m. news - which has no competition from other local news outlets. "Don't Dave and Lois deserve a little respect for their hard work?" the reader asks. OK, so here goes: At 6:30, Channel 3 had a 6.4 rating, beating out "Jeopardy!" on News10 (5.8) and "Entertainment Tonight" on Channel 13 (4.5).

The numbers:

5 a.m.
Good Day Sacramento: 2.1
KCRA Reports: 2.0
News10 Good Morning: 1.3
CBS13.com: 0.8

6 a.m.
KCRA Reports: 4.1
Good Day Sacramento: 2.7
News10 Good Morning: 2.6
CBS13.com: 1.3
KUVS (Univision): 0.9
Fox40: 0.6

7 a.m. - 9 a.m.
Today (KCRA): 4.4
Good Morning America (News10): 2.9
Good Day Sacramento: 3.0 (7 a.m. hour). 2.4 (8 a.m.)
My58TV (KCRA sister station): 1.0 (7 a.m.), 0.8 (8 a.m.)
Fox40: 0.6

Midday news
KCRA: 3.2 (noon)
News10: 2.8 (11 a.m.)
CBS13: 2.7 (noon)

5 p.m.
KCRA: 9.4
CBS13: 3.4
News10: 3.0

6 p.m.
KCRA: 8.8
News10: 4.0
CBS13: 3.0
KUVS (Univision): 2.1

Late news
10 p.m.
CBS13: 5.4
Fox40: 3.8
My58TV (half hour only): 2.2

11 p.m.
KCRA: 4.7
News10: 4.3
KUVS: 1.3

The niche Sacramento-based magazine "California Golf & Lifestyle" has been acquired by Anthony Glover and his burgeoning high-end LuxLife Media, and a big relaunch of the bimonthly print and online publication will come soon, Glover says.

Unlike LuxLife - the lifestyle magazine that has a targeted audience (read: the ultra rich) - "Golf & Lifestyle" (apparently, they're dropping the "California," perhaps to attract a bigger audience) will be a subscription model. Mary Burroughs, who had been publisher, will remain as managing editor and creative director.

Glover, in a prepared statement, apparently couldn't help himself and fell back on sporting cliches: "To borrow from golf-speak, due to the overwhelming positive response, it seems we've 'picked the right club.' The golf world is eager for a magazine devoted to the golf and lifestyle side of the game."

Check out the Web site here.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photo

No, not for former news director Steve Charlier, who recently left to run a syndicate of stations in the Midwest.

We're talking about Lori Waldon (pictured), the former assistant news director, who fled the Channel 13 madness after just a year and now is the news director of WISN, an ABC affiliate in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently published a glowing profile of Waldon.

UPDATE (Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m.): Channel 3 news director Anzio Williams checks in and gives a fuller explanation about Adrienne Bankert's status. Bankert's traffic career may be over, but she will soon be seen as a regular general assignment reporter and a fill-in anchor.

Inquiring readers want to know...

Where's Adrienne Bankert?

The Channel 3 traffic diva hasn't been on the morning traffic beat for the past two days, sending several readers (hmm...curiously, all male) into an e-mail tizzy.

Here's the deal, according to Channel 3 news director Anzio Williams:

The station has expanded its traffic team, adding Kristin Marshall (the reporter viewers saw Monday and today in the morning). "Adrienne is training her right now," Williams says.

I asked Williams if, as long rumored, the station is grooming Bankert for an anchor or reporter spot. He says it's not in KCRA's immediate plans.

Background on Marshall: She has worked as a traffic reporter at stations in Philadelphia and Baltimore. While in Philly, she finished second in wanderlist.com's "Sexiest Female in Philadelphia TV" competition.

Tsk, tsk. We in Sacramento are much too cultivated to objectify our female TV news personalities. Right?

Former Sacramento radio host Phil Cowan, who seemingly had been in the business since Marconi, has kept a low profile since the cancellation of his KSTE show two months ago.

This gave Cowan fans hope that the former morning funny man (with Paul Robins)-turned-conservative commentator would land another radio gig. Well, no dice.

Cowan tells us he's giving up on radio. He's accepted a job with Ross Marketing ("One of those full-sevice advertising agencies," Phil says) in Fair Oaks Village.

Says Phil: "I'm excited. It's my first stab at self-employment."

So, I finally received last week's The New Yorker in the mail (thanks for nothin', U.S. Postal Service), and I was struck by the cover drawn by graphic novelist and Sacramento native Adrian Tomine.

Called "Shelf Life," the clever nine-panel cartoon is enough to depress any striving author - or anyone who cares about the decline of reading for enjoyment and has seen the latest dreary reports on literacy.

It's kind of like Kubler-Ross' "stages of death." In panel one, you see the author plugging away at the keyboard, then the somewhat humiliating pitching to the publisher, followed by publication, the act of reading by a book lover, then the inevitable discarding, followed by the burning of the book for warmth by a homeless man.

The longer I gazed at the cover, though, the more heartened I got. In a way, books provide warmth and comfort to people on various levels. So is it better for a book to be remaindered and pulped, or put to use to comfort the homeless?

Tomine's cartoon does what the best graphic stories do - makes us think.

OK, so we know the standard modus operandi of local TV news - you plug the entertainment shows on your network (especially during a sweeps month, which February is) with "news" stories of dubious merit.

For the gang at Fox40, that means doing nightly "stories" on "American Idol," that ratings juggernaut that the station hopes will keep viewers tuned in to the 10 o'clock news.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Fox40's newshounds did a preview story, a recap of the male singers and a recap of the female singers, respectively. Idol chatter, indeed.

But how were they going to promote "Idol" on Thursday?

In a brilliant stroke of cross-promotion, reporter Rowena Shaddox spent the first 30 seconds of her 2 minute, 9 second report showing clips from "Idol," along with Ryan Seacrest intoning "Even Idols aren't immune to the flu," and Paula Abdul weighing in with sage medical diagnoses such as, "Some of these girls are really sick."

Check out the report by clicking on the "Flu Vaccine" video on the main page.

Chris ("Give Beer to the Homeless") Burrous, Channel 13's wildly unpredictable morning news anchor, will expand his media reach in town to radio - for one night, at least.

Burrous will be filling in for news-talk KFBK (1530 AM) evening host (7 to 10 p.m.) Bruce Maiman on Tuesday.

Radio is not exactly foreign territory to Burrous, since his TV morning show often takes viewer phone calls.

And, for good or ill (mostly ill, lately), Burrous is never at a loss for words.

It may be interesting to tune in for a night, if for nothing else than to hear what outrageous things he'll say.

Might Sacramento soon be without a "progressive" talk radio station?

That's what syndicated radio host Peter B. Collins (pictured) has said on the air and on his Web site. Collins, whose show airs on KSAC (1240 AM) from 3 to 6 p.m., wrote, in part, that "the station just notified me and other program producers that it will change format in May if business does not improve."

Today, Paula Nelson, owner and general manager of KSAC, acknowledges that she's "had some offers from other formats."

But, she quickly adds, "I'd like to support Democratic and progressive radio in Sacramento. But, hey, if the progressive people can't come through for us and give us more advertising through our door, we're going to have to make a change."

A quick check of KSAC's Web site speaks to the uncertainty of the station. A graphic reads: "This site under construction."

"We're just trying to be honest and light a fire under our listeners," Nelson says.

In the most recent Arbitron ratings period, KSAC finished 21st out of 32 stations, with a 1.4 rating. That is, however, a significant improvement over its 0.4 rating from last year's numbers.

Late last year, KSAC dropped its only local talk show host, Christine Craft, a move widely seen as done for cost-cutting reasons.

Cranky newspaper reporters are forever kvetching about how vapid local TV types steal their stories and present them as their own enterprise work.

My TV news friends (yes, I do have one or two) explain it away three ways:

1. Don't think of it as stealing. It's recycling the story. Everybody wants to be green, you know.

2. It's not news until it's on TV.

3. Imitation is the sincerest form of cliche - or something like that.

I bring this up because there is a scathing column in the Amador Ledger, by Raheem Hosseini, upbraiding Channel 13 and Channel 3 for stealing stories. Headline: "The fine, dumb cannibals."

Ouch!

Here are two excerpts from the column:

"Last November, there was an alleged road rage incident in the Martell Business Park. Nobody was hurt, though the disagreement led to a man being processed on a number of minor charges - most of which have been dropped. The Ledger buried the story on A3, yet the next day CBS 13's slick-haired bloodhounds came sniffing at the ankles of our newspaper, begging for all the information we had on the case. We said no.

"That night, our dismay at their laziness was replaced by disgust at their bottom-feeding knack for sensationalism when they made the incident their lead story of the night - portraying it as a life-and-death scenario in which a 72-year-old man had attempted to sacrifice innocent shoppers on the altar of his car grill...."

And then there's this...

"A day after the Ledger's "A tale of two cities" came out, we were strolling down Main Street in Jackson when we glimpsed KCRA's frumpy Rich Ibarra looking confused as he lazily dangled a microphone from one arm. His rotund cameraman balanced a lens with one hand and sported a plumber's crack with the other. They had the appearance of lost souls.

"We questioned what they were doing in Jackson. Perhaps Ibarra felt put on the spot by meeting the very journalists whom he'd come to rip off - or maybe he was just too good to talk to newspapermen who didn't smear their faces with layers of foundation. Either way, his cameraman mumbled, 'We heard about problems with this Main Street being a depressed area.' Before we could answer, he blurted, 'This street doesn't look so bad; there are people all over the place.'

"We suggested that Jackson's economic issues were relevant to our community's newspaper, but hardly the stuff of regional headlines. The cameraman gave a jolly smile and admitted that he and Ibarra were really just looking for an excuse to take a nice drive through the foothills. Ibarra's sorry excuse for media flim-flamery aired on KCRA that night."

People, people. Can't we all just get along?

This posting is both a shameless plug and a mea culpa.

First, the plug: Check out my analysis this morning of the five morning news programs (during the 6 a.m. hour) and feel free to comment about whether I was (a) off base, or (b) way off base.

Next, I made a mistake. (Hence, the dunce cap I'm wearing in the picture.)

I listed Cody Stark as the CBS13.com weatherman in the morning. It's Jeff James.

No excuses on my part, other than I was just so mezmerized by anchor Chris Burrous that I must have hallucinated and put Stark onto the set.

My apologies.

Sacramento author William T. Vollmann, a National Book Award winner, has been getting mixed reviews for his new nonfiction offering, "Riding Toward Everywhere."

That New York Times Book Review piece by Pulitizer Prize-winner J.R. Moehringer was brutally negative.

National Public Radio was much more kind. In fact, Vollmann appered on its excellent alt-morning show, "The Bryant Park Project," which put together an audio slideshow for its blog.

Check it out. It'll make you want to "catch out."

Several loyal readers have called, asking what the #$%@&* is up (and that's a direct quote) with News10's high definition signal, which has been on the fritz all week.

Let's not bury the good news: Station honchos say the HD should be back in operation by tonight, at the latest.

No doubt they're among the most relieved by the news. Fans of "Lost" can be fanatic, you know, and not seeing Kate and Sawyer (pictured) in HD is a big loss.

Still, Russell Postell, News10's general manager, has got some 'splaining to do...

"What happened was that we had a transmission line that burned out," Postell says. "It took us a couple of days to repair it. The only reason we haven't been on since fixing it Tuesday is that it's been too windy to go up to our transmission tower to get it back on."

Postell is quick to add that News10 will replay this week's episode of "Lost" next Thursday at 8 p.m., leading into a new episode at 9.

In other HD news: News10's HD-3 channel plans to air the Tour of California bike race on Tuesday as it wends its way through Winters, Davis, Woodland and Sacramento. News10 is also projecting its feed to a giant HD screen in Davis' downtown park on 3rd and F streets.

Usually, liberal MSNBC host Keith Olbermann reserves the No. 1 spot of his nightly "Worst Person in the World" for his favorite punching bag Bill O'Reilly.

But Thursday night, the dishonor went to Tom Sullivan for his comparison of the speaking styles of Adolph Hitler and Barack Obama. (Check out our earlier post on the KFBK alum.)

Whoa. Talk about "The Audacity of Right-Wing Radio Talking Heads"....

Listen (courtesy of the watchdog group Media Matters for America) to a segment of Tom Sullivan's radio show on KFBK (1530 AM) on Monday, in which he compares the oratorical style of Hitler and Barack Obama.

Here's the summary from Media Matters:

Fox News Radio host Tom Sullivan took a call from a listener who stated that when listening to Barack Obama speak, "it harkens back to when I was younger and I used to watch those deals with Hitler, how he would excite the crowd and they'd come to their feet and scream and yell." Sullivan then played a "side-by-side comparison" of a Hitler speech and an Obama speech. Sullivan mimicked the crowd during both speeches, yelling, "Yay! Yay!" When a later caller complained that Sullivan was "denigrating" Obama with the comparison, Sullivan said he wouldn't play it again, then begged: "Can I, please, one more time? Just one more time? Then I won't do it again. ... Until the next time."

Yes, it's been a while since Mark Williams - the ex-KFBK conservative talker now plying his trade in Albany, N.Y. (brrr!) - had a really good street fight.

And the Sacramento Capitol steps have been a quieter place because of it.

But connoisseurs of Williams' unique brand of Commedia dell'Arte-meets-Political Theater can catch his act in Albany, where he spoke against a county resolution to bring the troops home from Iraq. The highlight: He pulled a Sinead O'Connor and ripped up the resolution before legislators' eyes.

Here's the video.

My item earlier today about Channel 13's penchant for having reporters point guns at the camera prompted one reader to charge me with overstatement and claim that our CBS affiliate and its sister station Channel 31 aren't trigger happy.

Au contraire...

Just a quick click through 21Q's archives points out these earlier, uh, shots that prove the stations have something of a gun fetish.

To wit:

Anny get your gun: Reporter Anny Hong on pellet guns...

Chris Burrous with high-powered rifle...

The late, lamented Taryn Winter Brill, locked and loaded...

Lisa Gonzales stalking her prey...

... the now-departed news director Steve Charlier, gun at ease for once.

Eric Hogue, the former talk radio host at KTKZ (1380 AM) who last year moved to sister station KFIA (710 AM) to host a religious show, soon will be coming back to KTKZ.

Starting Match 3, Hogue will host a political show, "Capital Hour" between noon and 1 p.m. He says it will focus solely on local issues, such as the budget crisis and downtown development.

Hogue says his return to the dwindling ranks of political talk radio is badly needed.

"I mean, there's been nobody in town talking about these things," he says. "Tom Sullivan does his (KFBK) show out of New York now and Phil Cowan (at KSTE) is gone. These guys were my friends. I want to try to cover the same issues they talked about."

In recent months, Hogue has entertained the idea of running for the state Assembly (District 4), but dropped out after Assemblyman Ted Gaines decided not to run for John Doolittle's congressional seat.

As sure as the sun rises in the east, as inevitable as death and taxes, and as annoying as cliched expressions used by hack writers, you know it's sweeps month when Channel 13 points a gun at the screen.

This time, it's new reporter Elyce Kirchner, who gets all tabloid-y and mimes shooting the viewer.

Niiiiice.

Ah, the Steve Charlier legacy lives on ...

Health and fitness reporting seems to be the trend in media these days, and Capital Public Radio (KXJZ, 90.9 FM) has responded by hiring a fulltime reporter for the beat.

She is Kelley Weiss, who formerly worked at KCUR, an NPR affiliate in Kansas City, and wrote for the Kansas City Star.

Check out Weiss' work here.

The radio exodus continues today as KHTK (1140 AM) laid off four workers - including longtime program director Mike Remy - as well as three in off-air administration.

Steve Cottingim, general manager of Sacramento's CBS Radio stations, confirms that Remy was let go as part of a cost-cutting move by the corporate parent. Cottingim adds that Jeff McMurray, the program director at sister station "Jack" (KQJK), will assume Remy's duties.

Remy was one of the first hosts (along with former Los Angeles Rams great Jack Youngblood) at the station after it switched to all sports in 1994. He'd been at the station since the days when it was KRAK, a country format.

Note to KHTK (1140 AM) listeners: In a few months, your afternoons (noon to 4 p.m.) will never be the same.

Don Geronimo (on the left in the photo) , half of the Don & Mike syndicated radio team that airs locally on KHTK on our sports talk station announced on the air Wednesday that he will be leaving on May 30.

Read more here.

Mike O'Meara will soldier on by himself after Don checks out.

The Woodland Daily Democrat has started producing news videos that it posts on YouTube. The first few entries were straight forward words and footage stuff.

But check out the above video, in which photographer Matt Henderson, tongue firmly in cheek, talks about the paper's "solid matter transportation device" to whisk journalists to the scene of stories.

Gee, we didn't know a photo lab had that function.

Another longtime radio voice is leaving: Shawn Cash, the morning guy at KZZO (The Zone, 100.5), will be off the air as of Friday.

Cash, who currently co-hosts the station's morning show with Hill Jordan, is best known for his decade-long partnership with Jeff Jensen both at KWOD and The Zone. (Jensen left the business more than a year ago and now is an advertising copywriter.)

Cash, however, will stay in the music biz. Or, rather, the Muzak biz. He's helping to start a company that provides music to retail businesses.

Who will replace Cash in the morning?

No one, immediately, says Steve Cottingim, top suit for Sacramento's CBS radio stations.

"We'll have Hill and maybe some fill-in hosts for awhile, at least," Cottingim says. "We'll be looking for a permanent replacement."

Cottingim says he will miss Cash.

"He did a terrific job for us for a long, long time and we wish him well," Cottingim. "This is not a situation where the guy is leaving to go across the street to another station. It's a whole new business for him."

If you haven't seen the site, The Palestra, run by and geared toward college students, it's worth a look.

UC Davis is well represented. One of the reporters is Carollyn Nguyen, who interviewed wacky Aggie students in preparation for Super Tuesday. Gotta love the student whose reason for switching his vote to Ron Paul is completely, uh, logical.

Loyal reader Jacqueline Hoeppner-Freitas of Garden Valley was watching PBS's Super Tuesday primary coverage, waiting all night for Barack Obama's speech and the erudite punditry from PBS reporters afterward.

Alas, Freitas tells us that Channel 6, our local PBS affiliate, cut away and returned to local programming before the Illinois Senator could speak.

So, what was so important to KVIE that it would preempt Obama?

A rerun of the Nova special, "The Mummy Who Would Be King," originally released in January, 2006.

Says Freitas: "I turned to another channel, but the problem is that as I type this
now, I don't have access to the expertise of the PBS newscasters and commentators, though apparently KVIE doesn't think that's important.

"I only recently moved to this area after 30 years of living in Oakland. I have never seen KQED -- the PBS channel in the Bay Area -- treat its viewers and members so shabbily. Perhaps the difference is that KQED respects its viewers. It's obvious KVIE does not assume its members and viewers are committed participants in the 2008 election process."

Back today from vacation, where I stayed far away from the snow in the Sierra, I was troubled to read an e-mail making the rounds.

It seems that last Thursday, Channel 3 reporter Sharokina Shams and a KCRA photographer were involved in an auto accident racing to the scene of snowfall for a live report. Above is a photo of the car.

Neither Shams nor Anzio Williams, KCRA's news director, were immediately available today for comment.

UPDATE at 3:30 p.m.: The photographer involved was veteran Ron Middlekauff, who suffered enough injuries that he apparently has yet to return to work.

In any event, here is the e-mail Shams sent to fellow reporters in Sacramento:

"Everyone, "This is a tough story to tell. And some of you on this email list are old friends I haven't talked to in a while, but, because most of you are in the news business, I wanted to share this. Some of you are journalism professors. You can share this with your students. The rest of you - please, tell your crews, be extra careful when they're out there in the world, gathering news. Managers, please think of safety first. And crews - your managers may not know how bad it is out there, so it's up to you to tell them. "My photographer – a very nice man we'll call Jay – and I got into a terrible car accident on Thursday, 1/31, driving to meet our satellite truck on an exceptionally snowy day, east of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County. We had to be live at 5 & 6 w/snow stories.

"Jay wanted to get a few driving shots of snow and asked if I’d be comfortable driving. I said sure and I drove, while he shot video out the window. Five minutes later, I had the car skidding out of control. I tried and tried to regain control but I couldn't. We slid across all lanes of traffic and then, screaming, we tumbled over a snowy embankment, 125 feet.

"I still don't know how we didn't die: our car flipped 5 or 6 times. As we were falling, I thought, “This is the end of this life. And I haven't said goodbye to anybody.”

"When our car finally landed, it landed on the driver’s side. My head was pushed up between the steering wheel & the windshield, against the ground, so I could see nothing. And I couldn’t move. I was completely helpless. I knew I was alive but I got even more scared because I thought Jay might be dead or dying. I thought, “If no one saw us go over, we’re both screwed because I can't see anything.” But, then, I heard him calling out my name.

"We were so blessed. A Cal Trans worker had seen car tracks that led over the embankment and followed them and found us. He said that's how they find people. They see tracks & follow them & find cars at the bottom of mountains.

"Jay was able to climb out of the broken windows. It took an hour and a half for El Dorado County firefighters to cut me out of the car and all the while, I could only hear them around me. I could see nothing. Then, the hill was steep and the snow was deep so they couldn't carry the stretchers up to the top. They tied me up on the stretcher and put it on the ground against the snow, which was falling onto my face. Then, they put a couple of firemen at the top of the hill and pulled the stretcher with a rope until they finally got me up to street level.

"I had been driving carefully. I had seen traffic coming to a stop up ahead, and began to do the same. But, as soon as I put the brakes on, the car started to slide, completely out of control. We had thought that we wouldn't need chains because the car was a 4-wheel drive and Cal Trans let us through without them. I think we were wrong.

"I have a broken finger and I'm sore and bruised. Also, there was blood coming out of my head 12 hours later once I was home. It seems to be because I was suspended upside down by my seatbelt for so long: all the blood had rushed to my brain and came out from my ear later. Jay had a cut on his forehead and a lot of soreness.

"I guess I'm telling you guys what you already know - no story is worth this. We weren't driving fast, but we did FEEL rushed that day - gathering enough for two live shots with complete insert packages and making it back to the location in time even though we hadn't started shooting 'till 1 o'clock because we were live with something else at noon in a different location. You know the drill.

"We almost died. Think about this. Jay is married, with children at home who depend on him. And he almost lost his life up in the mountains, telling a routine, run-of-the-mill snow story. We're not talking about journalists risking their lives in Iraq or Somalia. We're talking about a weather story.

"Sharo"

Andy Alfaro/Sacramento Bee file, 2005

That revolving door at Channel 13 's newsroom will see its biggest departure yet on Thursday, when controversial news director Steve Charlier (pictured) squeezes through and leaves the West Sacramento building.

Charlier, who has overseen a complete overhaul (actually more than one) of the on-air talent and changed the tenor of the newscasts from sleepy to tabloidy, has accepted a position as senior vice president for news, product and operations for a startup outfit called Local TV.

Read more here.

(Local TV was formed last year by a group of Ohio investors to purchase the assets of Broadcast Media Group, which includes nine stations owned by the New York Times Co. Most of the stations are in the Midwest and South.)

Replacing Charlier on an interim basis will be Cameryn Beck, who had served as the assistant news director. In 2005, Beck was hired away from Channel 3, where she produced the 5 p.m. news.

The timing of Charlier's departure was curious, coming in the middle of the February sweeps month. Bruno Cohen, president of CBS's Sacramento stations, said Charlier was not forced out. However, sources at the station say he had interviewed for several news positions, including in Seattle, in the past few months.

"It's a terrific career move for him," Cohen says of Charlier, who was known for his aggressive management style that included jumping on desks, browbeating staffers and, once, spray painting "Interrupt the news for news" on the newsroom wall.

Asked about Charlier's legacy, Cohen was emphatically positive.

"He's done a fantastic job for us," Cohen says. "When you look at the complete redevelopment of the Channel 13 news, he's put us in a much more aggressive position. We're winning the late news again (at 10 p.m.). He's affected virtually every time period at the station. He helped us get the merger (of Channel 31 and 13) done, which was very complex.

"In a backhanded way, he's responsible for prompting a lot of changes at Channel 3. They rushed their HD development in. They changed their news director because of (Charlier). He's made the market more competitive and he's brought up the level of journalism in the Sacramento region. As a consequence, I think the viewers have benefited, whether they watch us or anybody else."

In the press release from Local TV announcing Charlier's appointment, this was listed as Charlier's top accomplishment at Channel 13:

"While the TV maverick has an assortment of television successes to his credit, perhaps his most notable is the wildly successful TV launch of CBS13.com in Sacramento. The 5 AM and 6 AM news program on KOVR is based on the station’s website in a unique integration of new technology and traditional news."

Strange that Channel 13's morning show is listed as Charlier's big success. This is the program in which anchor Chris Burrous caused a stir by giving beer to the homeless. And the ratings have been poor. In the November sweeps, Channel 13 finished last at 5 a.m. and second to last at 6 a.m., failing to draw higher than a 1.4 rating.

Charlier's quote in the press release reads, in part: "The hardest part is leaving my staff at KOVR/KMAX. I know they’re more than ready to do it on their own, but I will miss them.”

6:03: Two Toyota Tundra spots, featuring a tattoo artist and a belt buckle. Can't you feel the testosterone.

6:06: The Sunsilk shampoo ads gives us three generations of sexpots -- Marilyn, Madonna and Shakira. For an ad with three hot women, it was far from stirring.

Coke's balloon ad: Great to see Charlie Brown finally win for once, especially when pitted against Stewie from "The Family Guy."

6:11: Frist and Carville, talking heads from different political parties, make nice on a tour of Washington, D.C. I wanted to laugh. I really did. But Bill Frist is just plain not funny. And Carville is just annoying.

6:21: You'll either love or loath the Gatorade lapping dog ad. If you're a cat person, forget it. But even some dog lovers will be grossed out by sound of the dog lapping at the bowl.

The second Etrade talknig baby spot wasn't as funny. Talking babies get old, fast.

Taco Bell's "fiesta platter": Hola, indeed.

6:26: Cross-promotion alert: Will Ferrell, in his guise as an old '70s basketball player in the upcoming movie "Semi Pro," plugs for Bud Light. Line of the night: "Suck one!"

What is it with '70s themes tonight: The Godfather, Rocky, Charlie Brown, Tom Petty at halftime, and ABA basketball players?

Oh, did I mention that Ferrell is one funny dude?

6:44: What a stark contrast: Beautiful model Adriana Lima in Victoria's Secret lingerie, followed by a fat tow-truck driver putting jumper cables on his nipples and swigging Amp Energy drink to start a car.

Well, that's it for me. Be sure to pick up Monday's Sac Bee to read my final analysis -- and what others think.

5:31: Shaq as a jockey? Funny for the first 10 seconds, wearisome by the end. I did like the name of the horse he was on: "Chunk of Love." Oh, you probably missed it, but the ad was for Vitamin Water.

Cars.com's second spot (shrunken head) was better than its first.

Salesgenie's second cartoon ad was as big a waste as its first.

5:35: Bridgestone tire's road hazard ad was worth a chuckle. The driver swerves to avoid Alice Cooper, a deer and ... Richard Simmons. Too bad Richard didn't get leveled. I'm just sayin'.

Bud Light and cavemen. That's soooo three years ago.

5:44: Hyundai's "big crazy twist" is no twist. How meta. Super Bowl viewers don't like meta.

5:54: eTrade's talking baby ad worked despite the fact talking babies is an advertising cliche. It was set up like a Web cam YouTube upload and ends with the baby spitting up. I liked it in spite of myself.

Bud Light's final ad was a guy getting sucked into a jet engine because the beer can make you fly. Uh-huh. We'll pass on this one. No more Bud Light, please. We've had our fill.

5:01: Is that a neon electric guitar/arrow heading to the heart or a .... well, nevermind.

5:02: Those kids they let run out on the field to "mosh" to "American Girl," were they even alive in 1976 when Petty released this song? Just asking.

5:04: Are those dreadlocks on guitarist Mike Campbell, or did he just forget to shower?

5:06: Note on Tom Petty's beard: Is he trying out for ZZ Top?

5:10: Knew he'd play "Free Fallin'." Knew they'd hand out glow sticks, too. Doesn't matter. Great song.

5:13: Perhaps the only reference to Del Shannon in Super Bowl history.

5:16: Just what you'd expect from Petty: No nonsense rock 'n' roll. No overblown Super Bowl hype: A nice change from pompous Super Bowl routine.
Thank God: No wardrobe malfunction.

4:03: Go Daddy is telling us to go to its Web site to see Danica Patrick unzipped. Don't bother. It's a stupid play on words about a female body part. Just go away, Daddy.

And take Derek Jeter's Gatorade ad with you.

Dell's "Red" laptop didn't do much for me.

4:09: FedEx: Bravo! One of the best so far. Cars.com's "stone circle death match" macho ad fell flat.

Who woulda thought Tide would have a good ad: Talking stain. Way to go, guys

4:14: What is this strange fascination people have with the Budweiser Clydesdales? The "Hank" commercial, a "Rocky ripoff with a Dalmation in the roll of the corner man, was cliched.

4:19: As a vertically challenged person myself, I was deeply offended by the Garmin GPS ad in which Napoleon has a driving complex and his underlings give him a tiny horse. Seriously, it was a winner.

Toyota and badgers? Not so much.

4:25: Careerbuilder surprised me with ... an effective ad! The downtrodden employee's heart literally comes out of her chest and goes up to the boorish boss and quits. The only thing better: Had the heart b-slapped the boss.

Lizard's dancing to "Thriller" with Naomi Campbell? Whatev. (I did like the lizard with a grill, though.)

4:30: Sisyphus rolling a rock uphill? Hey, that's me doing a live blog -- I'm bushed. Anyway, that was for a GMC Yukon ad. Snore.

Bud Light's latest entry: Carlos Mencia teaches nerdy foreigners to score chicks. Best line: "You have the thighs of a sherpa." Ha!

4:39: The Planter's peanuts unibrow spot was mezmerizing. Is the unibrowed redhead attracting men because of her hirsuite brow? Nah, it's because the peanuts ... smell? Yuk.

Loved the Justin Timberlake Pepsi ad, hawking his MP3's. We'll stay away from the subtle sexual references of Justin getting sucked out of a restaurant by teen girls sucking on Pepsis through straws. There was something satisfying in seeing Justin getting hit in the crotch at a mailbox -- twice. Great to see a star willing to poke fun at himself. A real star, not Kevin Federline (remember last year?)

Doritos mousetrap? Really bad.

3:18: They always say the kickoff is 3:18. But it never is. We're awaiting the ads AFTER kickoff.

3:37: The first of many BudLight ads. Breathing fire guy almost torches the cat. A mild chuckle. Not as good as the "sausages" talking dog that's been running.

The Audi spot, aofrementioned, still held my attention. Those unfamiliar with "The Godfather" will be clueless.

3:47: Diet Pepsi Max: It took a while to get us interested -- hey, we were nodding off -- but like a chemically dependant shot of caffeine, it attracted us in the end. Loved the combover guy. Who doesn't laugh at a bad combover?

Bud Light redeemed itself with the "Dude, that's some serious cheese" spot. (Of course, it's hiding beer.)

UnderArmour's totalitarian spot? Awful. Salesgenie.com's cartoon? A waste of money.

Sense a trend here: Talking (or, in this case, screaming) animals. Of course, Bridgstone tires maneuver so well that the screaming squirrel is NOT hit.

Doritos' user-generated song: It won't get my 99 cents on iTunes.

Now that we've all had time to recover from Paula Abdul's pre-game, uh, performance, I'm here to tell you that we'll be on hand to blog the real reason people watch The Big Game -- the ads. (Alicia Keys, on the other hand, showed how it's done.)

We don't care about the pre-game ads; the ones that really matter come during the game, when companies pay $90,000 a second (!) for the right to sell to the eyeballs of America, sans TiVo-skipping option.

Here's a preview of an ad I like, from Audi. Not sure which quarter it airs. Just enjoy.

Gotta get more guac. But I'll be back in time for the 3:18 p.m. kickoff.

Really. I'm serious.

It's on Capital Public Radio's Web site during this pledge time.

Staffer Nick Brunner plugs the Peets Coffee thank-you gift.

Good stuff (the video - and the coffee).

The most talented member - IMHO - of Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento" lineup is leaving, alas.

Check out Taryn Winter Brill's farewell message here.

Please give me a moment to compose myself before I resume working.

Lefty talk show host Christine Craft (late of KSAC in Sacramento and currently on San Francisco's KGO 810-AM) nabbed a choice interview on Sunday - Hector, the pit bull terrier rescued from NFL quarterback Michael Vick's "Bad Newz Kennels."

Hector (pictured with Craft in KGO's studio), now living happily in Oakland, didn't say too much about his nightmare as a dog-fighting participant, but the scars on his chest told Craft all she needed to know. Craft, however, did have a nice interview with Leslie Nuccio, Hector's new owner.

The dog, Craft tells us, is a sweetheart.

Read more about Hector's journey here.

That certainly appears to be the case, based on announcements going out over 105.5 FM (the FM simulcast for conservative talk AM station KTKZ 1380).

No official announcement from Salem Broadcasting yet, but word on the radio street is that the station will switch to a Spanish Christian format called "Radio Luz," with the branding, "Iluminando mente y corazon." (That means, "illuminating mind and heart," if my college Spanish can be trusted.)

Stay tuned.

Alert the Peabody Awards committee.

Channel 3 traffic diva Adrienne Bankert recently made her first reporting foray to Blue Canyon.

It was unintentionally hilarious.

Here are some soundbites:

* "It's actually very fun. Snowflakes are actually coming down."

* "I can't believe (it), this is so exciting. This is cool."

* "When you come up here, you want to be prepared. I forgot my gloves, so 'Hi, I put my socks on my hands.'" (Giggles and waves to camera).

And, finally, her classic toss to Walt and Deirdre back in the studio:

* "Coming up in the next half hour, I'll show you what my mom packed for me to make sure I was well prepared."

This photo, shot during the infamous roast, has surfaced on the InterWebs and it explains a lot about why ex-News10 sportscaster (now with ESPN) Dana Jacobson went off on a profane tirade against Notre Dame and Catholics.

Hey, who's that new weather guesser on Fox40's morning show?

It's the show's brand new meteorologist, Rosemary Orozco, who joined the station last week after a seven-year stint at KEYT in Santa Barbara.

According to a Fox40 press release, Orozco (pictured) is a Citrus Heights native who graduated with a broadcast journalism degree from San Francisco State. While at the Santa Barbara station, she pretty much did it all - morning news anchor, meteorologist, reporter and guest host of the business report. (What, she didn't do sports, too?)

Great segment on My58TV's morning show. Every Thursday, meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn answers a viewer weather question. Today's query: "What is rain?"

What captivated me most was the teacher-pupil vibe going on between Dirk and anchors Chris Riva and Adrienne Bankert. They all played their parts to perfection: Dirk the wise, somewhat condescending, professor; Bankert the smarty-pants A student who knows all the answers and tries to impress teacher; and Riva the deer-in-the-headlights slacker who came to class unprepared.

Excerpt:

Dirk: "The water cycle. Are you familiar with that?"

Bankert: "I remember that."

(Riva: blank stare)

After Dirk explains it all, Bankert enthuses: "Looks just like what we saw in third grade."

Still later, Bankert gushed: "How do you know all this stuff?"

Riva, deadpanning: "He's a meteorologist."

What is it about former Sacramento TV reporters making grossly inappropriate comments on national programs?

Wednesday, we told you about ESPN's Dana Jacobson (formerly of News10) being suspended for a profane rant against Notre Dame and, by extension, Catholics.

Now, it's Fox News' John Gibson (formerly at our own Channel 3), pushing poor taste to its limits with some awful comments about the death of actor Heath Ledger.

Gibson (pictured) jokes with colleague Tom Sullivan (another ex-Sac media type) that Ledger must have killed himself because of the stock-market tumble. Later, Gibson jokes that Ledger ended his life because he watched the Obama-Clinton debate.

An excerpt, courtesy of the blog "Think Progress", which streams some audio of Gibson's rant:

GIBSON: "Maybe he had a serious position in the market."

TOM SULLIVAN: "And possibly today, he looked at the window and said…"

GIBSON: “Oh my God.”

SULLIVAN: "His name’s not Keith Bledger, right?"

GIBSON: "He was depressed about yesterday’s downturn in the world stock markets."

Niiiiccceee.

UPDATE AT 10:23 A.M.: An alert reader points out two other ex-Sac media types who have made inappropraite on-air remarks: Rush Limbaugh and his "Monday Night Football" "black quarterback" comments, and Don Imus and his comments about the Rutgers' women's basketball team.

Jose Luis Villegas/Sacramento Bee file/Dec. 6, 2005

So I made a rather broad-brush generalization in a posting the other day about how all local TV reports about Stockton are crime-related.

I didn't mean it literally. (Though, during a sweeps period in November, 2006, I did count up the stories and 22 of the 29 about Stockton were about crime.)

Anyway, Tim Daly (pictured), News10's Stockton reporter, called me on my assertion and kindly sent me 15 recent non-crime stories that News10 has done from that lovely Central Valley metropolis. Here's Tim's list:

* Today, Stockton Arena (pictured, above), and Thunder hosting all-star game

* PG&E tree trimmers (as the big storm approached)

* Well-known Stockton doctor claiming successful Parkinson's Disease treatment

* Amtrak busier as gas prices increase

* Christmas donations to police for the needy

* Governor visits Stockton for foreclosure town hall

* Hot tub business adjusts to foreclosure climate - (fewer employees, fewer customers)

* New Sheraton Hotel opens downtown

* Toyota sued by local family in fatal traffic accident

* Effort to save downtown residential hotels

* Salvation Army giveaway

* Two kids offer free hugs, and put their efforts on YouTube

* Franklin High School recruiting scandal

* Franklin High School national essay award winner

* Point Break, a workshop for troubled teens

Dana in her Sacramento days...

...And Dana now at ESPN

The blogosphere is buzzing (OK, maybe it's a faint hum) with news about ESPN sportscaster Dana Jacobson's profane and sacrilegious tirade at a recent roast for colleagues "Mike & Mike" in Atlantic City.

Read the sordid details here.

You may recall, with the proper swell of civic, uh, pride, that Jacobson went to ESPN in October, 2002, after a stint as a sports anchor at our very own News10. She hosted a show called "The Red Zone." Now, she's just red-faced - and suspended from ESPN.

But at least Jacobson took responsibility for her remarks in her apology. Which is more than you can say about Channel 3 reporter Adrienne Bankert's "if I offended anybody..." apology after remarks about Jewish people.

Note to broadcasters: When it comes to religion, it's best to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Northern California's two erudite radio talk show hosts, KXJZ's Jeffrey Callison (left) and KQED's Michael Krasny, will put their heads together (will there be room enough in the studio?) Thursday as cohosts of a public radio political forum, "Primary Concerns: California Speaks Up," from 9 to 11 a.m. on both stations.

The forum, a joint effort by Sacramento and San Francisco's NPR affiliates, along with KPCC and KPBS in SoCal, will include a panel of experts and listener call-ins. Callison and Krasny's topic will be the economy, specifically health care.

The second hour, broadcast from down south, will deal with immigration and foreign policy.

A tip o' the (chef's) hat to Fox40 for giving us a story from Stockton that doesn't involve crime.

The aptly named Fat's Grill and Bar recently made the largest cheeseburger in California, weighing in at 220 pounds and featuring 480 cheese slices. (Check out the story here.)

Wait! This might be a crime story, after all. That cheeseburger is murder on a guy's cholesterol level.

Take this as a warning advance notice: Capital Public Radio is starting its winter pledge drive on Friday.

There are the usual array of bribes"thank you" gifts. But a new twist this year is that our NPR affiliate is jumping on the green bandwagon.

If you pledge $60, you can get a tree planted in your name as part of the Boca Fire Restoration Project in Tahoe National Forest.

If you'd rather have that Peets gift certificate or Dave Brubeck DVD, click here.

News-talk radio station KFBK (1530 AM), which for several months has been auditioning a bevy of possible replacements on the morning news for soon-departing Kelly Brothers, has made a hire.

Ed Crane (pictured), a veteran of CBS radio since 1982 and currently an anchor and reporter for WCBS-AM in New York, will join KFBK as Amy Lewis' morning news cohost on Feb. 11. (Brothers' last day is Feb. 8.)

"I'm thrilled Ed has agreed to join KFBK," said Alan Eisenson, KFBK's operations manager, in a prepared statement. "He's a talented, seasoned, experienced journalist with a big personality."

Crane has worked in both television and radio throughout his career. Among his previous jobs: a reporter for "CBS Marketwatch" and anchor on CBS' program "Up to the Minute," both on television. On radio, Crane has anchored hourly news updates for the CBS network out of New York.

Brothers, who has been at KFBK for four years, recently replaced Tom Sullivan as Channel 3's business anchor. He will continue to give business updates in the mornings and afternoons on KFBK.

It's from "Good Day Sacramento," naturally.

Click here, if you dare.

Jon Stewart (great to have him back) did a funny riff on the penchant of TV talking heads to use the cliche, "Take the gloves off," when talking about the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama smackdown.

Note to all media types: People spend time compiling lists of overused words, and many are perpetuated by our TV news friends. For instance, Lake Superior State University is doing an ongoing "banished words" blog.

Here's one example:

EMOTIONAL – “Reporters, short on vocabulary, often describe a scene as ‘emotional.’ Well sure, but which emotion? For a radio reporter to gravely announce, ‘There was an emotional send-off to Joe Blow’ tells me nothing, other than the reporter perceived that the participants acted in an emotional way. For instance: I had an emotional day today. I started out feeling tired and a bit grumpy until I had my coffee. I was distraught over a cat killing a bird on the other side of the street. I was bemused by my reaction to the way nature works. I was intrigued this evening to add a word or two to your suggestions. I was happy to see the words that others had posted. Gosh, this has been an emotional day for me.”

Well, it's been a while since we've checked in on that revolving reportorial door at Channel 13. Since our last posts (Taryn Winter Brill and Rafer Weigel leaving), we need to look at the new faces recently on the scene.

* Laura Cole (pictured), a general assignment reporter who came from Columbus, Ohio.

* Andrea Menniti, a general assignment reporter who spent two years in Salinas.

* Andrew Luria, a sports anchor who was a morning news anchor in Santa Barbara.

Man, it must be hell to work in HR at that station, with all the comings and goings and recitations of benefits packages for the arrivals and COBRA plans for the departures.

A new Web site, hotnewz.tv, officially launches on Monday. It's a news program especially designed for college students, and we've snagged a preview of one of the "top stories" - a disquisition on the size of dorm beds.

It seems several colleges are replacing twin beds with doubles.

Says the news reader: "The extra mattress real estate doesn't just make hooking up easier; it also meets a different need - the literal growing student population. Studies show college kids are fatter than ever before."

Oh, so that's the Web site's demographic - husky, randy undergrads.

Here's the local angle: Hotnewz.tv already is available on large LCD screens in "high traffic areas" on the campus of UC Davis.

We usually don't pity TV reporters, but our hearts went out to Fox40's Teri Cox and Channel 13's Koula Gianulias for getting Ron Pauled while doing live stand-ups Tuesday night outside the UC Davis Pavilion, where President Bill Clinton was stumping for his better half.

Then again, no one forced Cox and Gianulias to set up in front of the fervent Paul supporters. News10's Dana Howard, old pro that he is, wisely chose to do his stand-up far from the madding crowd.

Deo Ferrer/Woodland Daily Democrat

What is it about Daisy (pictured) - the dog working with the Yolo County District Attorney to help victims of child sexual abuse - that makes the media use some questionable judgments?

First, we had the Woodland Daily Democrat setting up a photo (a la William Wegman) that made it appear like the dog was half-human and could take notes. A little flippant for a serious story on child abuse.

Now, we get News10 doing a fine report by Deborah Hoffman. But the anchor banter by Dale Schornack was of questionable taste.

After Dale and co-anchor Cristina Mendonsa talked about how cute and furry Daisy is, Schornack added: "Almost makes you want to get busted in Yolo County, doesn't it?"

Busted for child sexual abuse? Uh, no, Dale, it doesn't.

Then, a look of horror crossed Schornack's face as he realized what he had said. He quickly added: "Well, sort of."

Uh huh.

I don't usually shamelessly shill for my Tuesday "Media Savvy" columns here on 21Q. But, I'm making an exception in this case because it's a Q&A with radio and TV legend Daniel Schorr, 91 (pictured).

Not only will you be able to read Schorr's thoughts on the state of the media world (hint: kinda bleak), but you'll also be able to hear the entire interview. Yup, I've succumbed and done a podcast. (After hearing my voice, you'll know why I chose print as my medium.)

Anyway, here's a taste of vintage Schorr from my interview:

Q: You talk in one of the commentaries about how, in TV, visuals dominate content. Is that troubling?

A: In many of the (reports) I did for CBS and CNN, you had to read the teleprompter, got to get the right shade of Max Factor to put on. You got to go out and stand on a street corner to say it because saying it in the studio doesn’t look exciting enough. Here (at NPR), I can do it just sitting down. Let me tell you, you may someday know that when you reach that age, sitting down is wonderful.

As if to illustrate Schorr's point about the importance of makeup in TV news, here's a YouTube clip of a MSNBC anchor's lipstick slip (coming at about the 30-second mark):

Jose Luis Villegas/Sacramento Bee file, June 2002

There were only a few mild surprises in the Arbitron fall ratings for Sacramento radio stations, released this afternoon. Read the raw data for the 12-plus age category here.

(Note: Arbitron does not release specific demographic breakdowns to the media.)

Or, if you just want the executive summary, don't click off. We'll tell you all you need to know:

* And, in other news, the sun rose in the East: News-talk KFBK (1530 AM) once again finished in first place, with a 7.6 rating - down a blip from its 7.8 number in the summer book.

* Are you ready to rawwwwk?: It was a bountiful book for 98 Rock (KRXQ, 98.5 FM), led by morning team Rob, Arnie and Dawn (pictured). It jumped from ninth place in the summer ratings period to second place in the fall, with a 5.0 rating.

* "Right" talk makes a big jump: KSTE (650 AM), the conservative chat station, went from 11th to 4th this time around. It'll be interesting to see where it lands in the next ratings book (due May 6), after the ousting of local talker Phil Cowan.

* And now for the bad news: Soft-rock Mix 96 (KYMX 96.1 FM) fell from third to ninth, and country radio giant KNCI (105.1 FM) dropped from eighth to 10th.

"Underdog," Mark S. Allen-approved

Can't you just feel the swell of civic pride when an alert reader pointed out to 21Q that Sacramento movie critic Mark S. Allen of Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento" made a Top 10 list for 2007 on the widely read Internet site, eFilmCritic.com?

What's that? You mean it was a list of the worst critics, the ones who shill for studio movies, no matter their cinematic worth?

Oh, sorry.

Here's what Erik Childress, the journalist who authored the list, had to say about Allen, who checks in at No. 6:

(Allen) recommend(ed) the blasphemous Underdog with his own brand of rhyme and one of the worst-reviewed films of the year, Premonition, (140-of-152 negative at Rotten Tomatoes).

(Rottentomatoes.com is a site that aggregates reviews from media outlets around the country. "Underdog," for instance, garnered 48-of-56 awful reviews.)

Here are some of the blurbs attributed to Allen that eFilmCritic.com highlights to justify his inclusion on the list:

* "Funny, thoughtful and the most heart-felt movie you’ll see this season!" (P.S. I Love You)

* "Outstanding!" (Enchanted)

* "Exciting! Spectacular! Funny…and absolutely breathtaking from beginning to end!" (Meet the Robinsons)

* "One of the most original animated films ever." (Surf’s Up)

* "Awesome fun for thy whole family! Elephant sized laughs! Divine! Thou shalt laugh a lot!" (Evan Almighty)

* "See this movie, do not fail! You will leave with a wagging tail!" (Underdog)

This post has nothing to do with local media, but indulge me.

I've got to share a "moment" that happened to me Wednesday night in my humble adopted hometown, the People's Republic of Davis.

Near dusk, in the gathering dark, I pulled into the parking lot of the Davis Food Co-Op to pick up some tempeh (my eldest son's decided to become a vegetarian). The place was pretty full, so I found a spot for my powder blue Toyota Prius somewhere in the middle of the lot.

When I emerged with my groceries a few minutes later, I walked toward my Prius.

But, wait!

It wasn't my powder blue Prius.

I looked around and there were four - count 'em - four identical blue Prius' in the parking lot. (And that's not counting the white Prius and the gold Prius also around.) I tried the first door. Oops, not mine. Then a second.

The third time was the charm and I was on my way home, thinking about the odd form of conformity in my notorious noncomformist town.

Channel 13 morning new anchor Chris Burrous will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Public Relations Society of America, Sacramento chapter, on Jan. 24.

But - all due respect to Burrous - that's not the interesting part. Here's what the organization sent to members concerning the subject of his talk:

Chris Burrous, anchor and executive producer of the CBS-13 Morning News, will reveal the secrets. We'll also learn how his team has managed to successfully - and purposefully - driven away some viewers, why that's good for KOVR and how you can benefit from reaching a more targeted audience. CBS-13 Morning News continues to climb in the ratings locally, and has received national attention for its ruthlessly efficient effort at building a show watched by only the most attractive demographic.

Two things:

1) Driving away people as a strategy? Why hasn't anyone else thought of that?

And which demographic isn't "attractive"? (We suspect it's anyone over 17.)

2) Channel 13's morning news ratings are rising? Let's consult the November sweeps numbers: At 5 a.m., Channel 13 is last, with a 1.0 rating. At 6 a.m., Channel 13 is fourth out of five (Fox40 is last), with a 1.4 rating.

Want to attend the lecture? It's at the River City Brewing Company (545 Downtown Plaza, Sacramento) at 11 a.m. on Jan. 24. Cost: $30 for members, $35 for nonmembers.

Permit me a morning rant...

Tuesday was perhaps the most newsworthy political night yet, what with the New Hampshire primary and our own State of the State address by The Guv.

So, what happens when I turn on my TV for the 10 p.m. news Tuesday night?

Both Fox40 and Channel 13 lead with ... the weather.

Oh, come on. It had been a normal winter day in the area - drizzly rain in the Valley, snow in the foothills. No news there. Or, at least, nothing to merit top-story status.

But gosh darn it, Fox40 had Louisa Hodge and Channel 13 Anny Hong all bundled up and talking snow, so that obviously trumps the comeback wins of John McCain and Hillary Clinton and Gov. Schwarzenegger's budget musings.

I will give some credit to Fox40 for wrapping up its weather coverage relatively quickly and moving on to politics. But Channel 13 spent the first eight minutes on the weather, even wasting time analyzing Hong's snow garb.

Fortunately for news-loving viewers, at 11 p. m., both Channel 3 and News10 got it right and led with politics.

Brian Baer/bbaer@sacbee.com

Capital Public Radio (KXJZ 90.9 FM) has set up an informative Web site archiving its coverage of today's State of the State address, as well as analyzing Gov. Schwarzenegger's previous SOTS speeches.

An interesting feature are the "cloud tags," which show the frequency of words the Guv used during today's address and in 2007.

We found several telling differences:

* "Budget": In 2008, he mentioned the word 14 times; 4 times in 2007.

* "Economy": 8 times in 2008; 4 times in 2007.

* "People": 29 times in 2008; 22 times in 2007.

* "Cuts": 5 times in 2008; 0 times in 2007.

* "Taxes": 6 times in 2008; 0 times in 2007.

* "Happy": 6 times in 2008; 0 times in 2007.

And finally,

* "Ladies": 4 times in 2008; 6 times in 2007.

We have no official word yet from management - hey, we'll get back to you - but we've got that Davey D (pictured), morning DJ at the hip-hip station KBMB (103.5 FM), is out.

Larry Lemanski, top suit at the Entervision radio cluster that owns the station, has not been available for comment. But we hear it was the usual thing: poor ratings. All traces of Davey D have been expunged from KBMB's Web site.

Davey D's morning replacement, at least for the short term, is DJ Short-E.

Meanwhile, on the TV side, fans of Taryn Winter Brill (also pictured) and her comely curly hair are mourning. Soon, she will be the latest among the ranks of departing folks in the combined newsroom of Channel 13 and "Good Day Sacramento."

Brill, the "GDS" weekend anchor, has been replaced by Kelly Chapman, a former Miss Utah who, by the way, is married to Channel 13 weather guesser Jeff James. Brill, who is now doing general assignment reporting for "GDS," declined to comment on her departure.

UPDATE, 3:10 P.M.: You can still catch Brill in the anchor chair from 6-7 a.m. on weekends, before Chapman takes over for the final three hours.

When people e-mail "GDS," seeking a reason for the change, here's the curt response:

"Thanks for your e-mail and watching Good Day Sacramento. Kelly and Taryn have shifted because Taryn is moving on so she can be closer to her family on the east coast. This is giving Kelly a chance to ease into and learn the duties of the anchor desk."

Well, the wall-to-wall weather coverage by local TV news weather is behind us, at least until the next storm.

Two comments, one from me and one from an astute 21Q reader:

From me: Given the massive power outages, I'm wondering just how many viewers actually saw the coverage and how that might affect what the TV folks care about most - ratings. For instance, we in Davis had been without power from 9 a.m. Friday until about an hour ago (5:30 p.m. Saturday).

With no cable and no Internet access, my family learned more about the conditions from two "old media" standbys - newspapers and the radio (thanks to battteries).

From reader Tracy Ralls of Roseville: "Why can't local TV news cover the state Legislature and budget process with the same aggressiveness it applies to weather coverage?"

Excellent question, Tracy. Maybe if the state Legislature could hold press briefings on the windswept Yolo Causeway, it might draw more TV coverage.

Try as we might, we can't catch all the weather coverage.

So, it's left to readers to help fill in the gaps. One alert reader who prefers not to have his name shouted out here (and, no, he's not in the TV news biz) sends this missive:

"Another interesting weather coverage event today (was) on Channel 10. At about 4:50 p.m., Dan Adams was presenting a package from Vacaville about their emergency operations office. Of course, they were monitoring the television news. So Adams decided to show a close-up shot of the TV radar they were watching. The only problem? It was Channel 3's."

If there's one seminal television image from today's storm, it would have to be the shots of Channel 3 reporter Mike TeSelle getting blown all over the banks of the Yolo Causeway during live morning reports.

At one point, TeSelle was even nearly horizontal as he did his shot. Viewers were so concerned, apparently, that they called and e-mailed the station and asked them to send poor old sopping wet TeSelle home to dry off.

"A couple of people even found my cell phone number and called me to ask whether I at least had a hat," TeSelle says, laughing.

But, you know what? Channel 3 couldn't have gotten TeSelle to leave even if they had tried.

"I love these type of assignments," TeSelle says after his 12-hour shift ended and, yes, he had dried off. "Yeah, I did (volunteer for it.)"

Those familiar with TeSelle, who has been at KCRA for nearly 10 years, can attest to his severe-weather reporting chops. He routinely reports from Blue Canyon during heavy snow periods.

Why does he do it?

"You want to be where the story is," TeSelle says.

But he's not doing it to draw attention to himself, he adds.

"Whenever you've got a story that involves snow or rain and wind, what viewers want to see is how people - or a reporter - deal with it," TeSelle says. "This was tough conditions today. Every time my photographer and I stepped out to do a hit (live report), we'd just get blasted."

Armed with a hand-held anemometer, which gauges wind speed, TeSelle says the highest reading he got this morning was 60.2 miles per hour. So, to illustrate it for viewers, he decided to do a test.

On the air, he leaned into the gust, like a ski jumper, spread his arms wide and let the wind keep him from falling on his face.

"I was thinking, holy moly, this is like covering a hurricane without the hurricane," he recalls.

Finally, at 3 p.m., TeSelle pulled off six layers of clothing, all soaked, and called it a day.

Saturday morning, though, he's back on the air. Only this time, he'll be snug in the studio as the anchor for Channel 3's morning news.

Curious thing Channel 13 did about 20 minutes ago:

It switched to what was reputed on the air as a "live" press briefing featuring Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the station's graphic flashed "Rancho Cordova."

Wait.

The Guv actually was in Los Alamitos (Orange County), talking to reporters. And the video was a Webcast at 1 p.m. made available to all media outlets.

What's up with that, Channel 13?

"If you don't have electricity right now, you're hosed.".
- Channel 3 anchor Deirdre Fitzpatrick

UPDATE 3:15 P.M.: Or how about this quote on Channel 13?

"I love to overreact."
- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a press conference.

UPDATE: 3:45 P.M.: Another contender...

"Red Cross is opening a 200-shelter bed."
- News10's Darla Givens

Channel 13's continuous weather coverage (just minutes ago, it was the first to report that the Tower Bridge is closed) is chock-full of TV news lingo.

Anchor Sam Shane, sleeves strategically rolled up, is unmoored and broadcasting from the station's important-sounding "Transmission Center."

Here are some of the insider terms that Shane and cohorts are throwing around (What they all mean, we really don't care):

* "Let me hot punch you some video."

* "Video on VTR8, guys in the booth."

* "Eddie, you're hot, live on TV."

* "Re-rack that video now."

* "BTR 6, let's pull it up, guys."

* "Let's play this with nat sound."

* "Let's toss to break."

Yes, please. We all need a break.

Channel 3's continuous weather coverage is now over. "Days of Our Lives" now takes over on KCRA. (Channels 10 and 13 are still going strong.)

UPDATE at 2 P.M.: News10 signs off and switches to "General Hospital"; Channel 13 continues its coverage.

UPDATE: 3:10 P.M.: Channel 3 is back on the air, with Dave Walker and Lois Hart.

But, wait! What about "Days of Our Mike TeSelle"? Is the poor dude still shivering out on the Yolo Causeway, waiting for the 5 p.m. newscast?

Stay tuned. We'll ferret out Mike's fate.

Meanwhile, here's what a dry Mike TeSelle looks like.

It's a legitimate question. Here are two things to ponder:

* What's with Channel 3 branding its coverage with the phrase "Winter Blast"? As Bee TV columnist Rick Kushman observes, it sounds like a new after shave lotion.

* Channel 13 got some choice live footage of an SUV slamming into the back of a truck. And, boy, did the station play the tape, over and over. Here's the link.

Still, it's a little unsettling how much apparent glee Channel 13's newsroom workers took over getting the video. In the background, you can hear one newsroom worker shout, "That's what I mean. It's incredible stuff!" Not to mention all the ooohs and awws audible when the car slams into the truck.

But, as anchor Chris Burrous was quick to point out, "We're out at the scene and it looks like the airbags (deployed)."

One of the most entertaining aspects of today's TV weather coverage is Mike TeSelle's reporting for Channel 3 from that wind tunnel known as the Yolo Causeway.

TeSelle's been out there since 4 a.m. So, how's he holding up?

Here's the highlight from his noon report:

"I am now on my sixth layer. I've put on two jackets. ... After seven hours, I'm soaked to the bone."

More late-breaking news on TeSelle's level of wetness to come as it happens!

Reporting - live! - from Channel 3's, uh, parking lot just minutes ago, intrepid reporter Adrienne Bankert had this admonition to viewers:

"This is not a day to go out there and wear your flip flops, ladies."

Gee, who says KCRA's coverage isn't thorough?

The real reason Bankert was out in Channel 3's parking lot is that a tree fell on a station vehicle. Bankert was breathless: "This is absolutely phenomenal. This tree is down!"

News10, which chose not to preempt programming early in the day, now is going with full weather coverage on its regularly scheduled 11 a.m. news. And anchor Kelly Jackson told viewers that News10 will stay on "at least until 1 p.m."

That means, for you soap opera fans, that "All My Children" will be preempted. Yes, it's that big of a storm.

(Full disclosure: As part of The Bee's content-sharing agreement with News10, sacbee.com is streaming News10 video of its weather coverage.)

Early highlights from News10's coverage:

* George vs. The Umbrella: Reporter George Warren, up in Truckee, struggled mightily to keep an umbrella from mangling him in the wind. The mere fact that he needed an umbrella was noteworthy. Rain, not snow, hit Truckee.

Finally, near the end of his report, Warren gave up on the umbrella, but he then couldn't get the darn thing to close. Warren to Jackson: "Kelly, wish you were here."

Over in Woodland, meanwhile, where winds were heaviest, reporter Angel Cardenas told Jackson: "I found out the hard way that our News10 parkas are not waterproof."

Hey, Angel, Mike TeSelle has Gortex.

Thoughts on the morning coverage of the rain and wind:

* Two extremes: Channel 3 preempted the "Today" show and went all-weather, all-the-time. On the other end, News10 chose not to preempt "Good Morning America" and went with a bare minimum of local cut-ins. Channel 13 went to its national morning show, but it had sister station Channel 31 to fall back upon.

Overkill by Channel 3? Lazy phoning-it-in by News10? What do you think?

Fox40, which rarely cuts in on regular programming, did, indeed, break in on reruns of "DeGrassi: The Next Generation" at 8:30.

* Top morning stunt: It's got to be Channel 3's Mike TeSelle (pictured), reporting horizontally from the Yolo Causeway. The guy lives for this type of thing. He actually volunteers to go to Blue Canyon.

(UPDATE AT 10:34: Channel 3 is really milking this TeSelle visual. Anchor Chris Riva told TeSelle that viewers are e-mailing in, telling the station to send Mike home. TeSelle smiled broadly and said thank you. But later, Riva confirmed that TeSelle jumped up and volunteered when the Yolo Causeway assignment came up in the news meeting.)

* Best rain wardrobe: We gotta go with Fox40's Kye Martin, in a powder blue rain slicker that didn't puff up like the Pillsbury Doughboy when the wind hit. (Stefanie Cruz's red "Good Day Sacramento" parka almost turned into a hot air balloon as she stood in an airport parking garage.)

Back to TeSelle: He felt the need to tell us what he was wearing, a la actors on the red carpet at the Oscars: "I've got the Gortex jacket and the rubber pants. And both are soaked through." Later, he added: "This rain has made it through all five layers."

Best old-school look goes to Channel 3's David Bienick, dressed in a yellow slicker and galoshes up to his knees.

* Cliche alert: Good news. I only heard the phrase "winter wonderland" (from Fox40's Louisa Hodge) once from the Donner Summit coverage.

* Best line of the morning goes to "Good Day Sac's" Mark S. Allen.
After Michele Kane, live in a wind-swept backyard, screamed in shock as a tree fell down while she was doing a report, Allen, in the safe, dry studio quipped: "Is it just me, or did it sound like (the tree) actually fell on Michele?"

* Is it just me, or did I detect a slight bit of disappointment among our local TV news folks because the "winter blast" wasn't worse. Yeah, there are some power outages, a jack-knifed truck or two, trees down, minor street flooding.

But, from the intense buildup over two days, it seemed like they wanted it to be much worse. After all, it would help ratings.

* Nice use of viewer photos uploaded via the Internet by channels 3 and 31. Citizen journalism strikes again.

* Here's a question: Did all other news miraculously stop happening because of wind and rain? I mean, our local stations told us nothing about the presidential election or any other local happenings, other than the weather.

* One good thing from the all-weather coverage: We didn't have to hear the morning shows breathlessly report about Britney Spears' latest meltdown.

Well, there's always cable for Britney, if you must know.

Associated Press

Here's a fun way to watch local TV news as revved-up on-air talent delivers storm news; libation of choice is yours:

* Take a drink every time one of them says, "Calm before the storm."

* Take a drink every time reporters say, "The White Stuff" or "The Wet Stuff." If they say both, down the whole bottle.

* Take a drink whenever someone utters a clunky metaphor or simile.

Examples from today's early coverage:

"Right now, we can feel the storm knocking on the door." - Channel 3's David Bienick.

"Rain is going to fall like rocks." - Channel 13's Chris Burrous.

* And, finally, take a mighty swig every time a weatherguesser either (a) talks about how hard he/she is working, or (b) gives ridiculous advice.

Examples from Channel 13's Jeff James: "It's my time to shine." And, "My best advice is just read a long novel the next couple of days. Stay home."

Gee. Why didn't we think of that?

Deo Ferrer/Woodland Daily Democrat

Words matter, and Wednesday on 21Q, we didn't use the right word.

It was in the posting about a photo that editors at the Woodland Daily Democrat used on its front page. The photo showed a dog "taking notes," for a story on a canine assisting child abuse victims.

We said the photo was "doctored." What we should have written was that the shot was a "setup." The word "doctored" connotes Photoshopping, but that wasn't what happened. Rather, as we reported, the dog was propped up, draped in a trench coat and had human arms coming through it, with hands holding a note pad.

Semantics aside - on the question of whether editors should have identified the shot as a setup photo - which they did not - associate editor Jake Dorsey replied in a comment on our first post: "The photo was an homage of William Wegman, and Mr. (Deo) Ferrer (the photographer) made that clear to me, though it was left out of the cutline on accident. Also the Democrat has strict policies about what gets called a photo, and Mr. Ferrer's piece was just that - a photograph."

So, there you go.

For those unfamiliar with Wegman's work, here's a sample:

Imagine waking up on Jan. 1, maybe a little bleary-eyed from too much, uh, celebrating the night before, picking up your morning paper and seeing this photo splashed across the front page:

Deo Ferrer/Woodland Daily Democrat

Hey, is that a dog taking notes???

Whoa. That is a dog taking notes. Or, rather, half-dog, half-human.

That's what readers of the Woodland Daily Democrat saw Tuesday on that paper's front page. Photographer Deo Ferrer apparently sought a creative way to illustrate a story on a border collie mix that Yolo County is using to assist child victims of abuse. Read the full story here.

Anyway, the paper did not explain in the caption that someone wrapped a trench coat around Daisy the dog's body, cut holes in the back and then slipped a pair of human arms through the sleeves to make it appear as if Daisy was taking notes.

Daily Democrat editor Jim Smith did not immediately respond to our queries about whether the paper should have alerted readers that the photo was doctored set up and a human was hiding behind the propped-up Daisy. But...

UPDATE AT 3 P.M.: Smith, via e-mail, deferred comment to associate editor Jake Dorsey, who could not be reached today. But Smith did write: "A quick word, however, is that we have received no reader reaction except from the owner of the dog who liked the photograph."

Still, Jeff Reisig, the Yolo County district attorney, wasn't laughing.

"It was a surprise to us, too, when they ran that photo," Reisig says via e-mail. "Obviously, we had no input on their 'creative' choice. The program is serious."

There's another loss for that revolving door that is Channel 13's newsroom.

Rafer Weigel, a general assignment reporter for the station for the past two years, will leave on Jan. 29 to join CNN Headline News as a sports reporter. Specifically, Weigel will be the sports anchor on Headline News' "The Morning Express with Robin Meade."

Coincidentally, Weigel is replacing Will Silva, another former Sacramento reporter, who recently left CNN for ESPN.

Weigel's father, Tim, was a longtime Chicago sports anchor. And that's where Weigel's interests are centered. But he says the two-year gig reporting news at Channel 13 gave him valuable experience.

"I had virtually no experience before this job (at Channel 13), so I thank Steve (Charlier, vice president for news) for giving me the chance," he says.

The experience, Weigel adds, will make him a better sports reporter, in the long run.

"This (news) business is shrinking," he says. "Gone are the days when you can say, 'I'm just a sports guy' or 'I'm just an investigative reporter or politics reporter.' You have to do everything. And with sports jobs disappearing at local stations around the country, you've got to be versatile."

Cable news, however, has become a haven for TV sports anchors who have seen local news cut back or even eliminate sports reporting from newscasts.

"Cable seems to be the one area now that's not getting downsized," he says. "It's a cliche, I know, but this (CNN job) is a dream job."

Let's go out on a happy note, shall we?

Sure, we could dwell on the real and terribly serious top stories of the year: The Virginia Tech massacre, the Bhutto assassination, lead paint in toys, subprime mortgages, the Iraq War, etc.

But, why be depressed on New Year's Eve?

So, we're going all positive and will end our "Best of the Best-of Lists" with MSNBC's "Happiest Stories of 2007."

* Happiest story, chosen by MSNBC editors: Wesley Autrey (pictured) , the New York man who jumped on to subway tracks to save a teen who had fallen.

* Happiest story, chosen by MSNBC viewers: An 11-year-old kid in Decatur, Ala., who sleeps in a trash bin but was named his school's "Student of the Year."

Stu Nahan as "Skipper Stu"/Courtesy of KCRA

One alert reader - and amateur local-TV historian - who'd prefer to not have his name shouted out here sent a missive to tell us that the Los Angeles Times' obit for Stu Nahan (which The Bee ran) got it wrong.

Well, that's what we at 21Q live for - to right the L.A. Times' wrongs!

Anyway, the L.A. Times wrote of Nahan: "While in Sacramento he was also the host of a children's TV program, appearing as 'Skipper Stu.' He would show cartoons while piloting his boat, the Channel Tender, accompanied by an octopus puppet, O.U. Squid."

No, no , no, says our Sactown TV historian. He writes:

"As I recall, 'Diver Dan,' another kids' show, had the boat named the 'Channel Tender.' He was on Channel 10. (Channel Tender?!...Get it?...Huh, huh?) In real life, he was Norm Bales, staff announcer and morning show host. He later earned a law degree and left television. Sadly, he died a number of years ago. His puppet sidekick was an octopus with the aforementioned name 'O.U. Squid.' (Corny, eh?) O.U. was pretty much just dangled on a string by a production crew member standing on a ladder who also provided the voice."

We found the ocular proof of our reader's claim with this clipping:

Photo courtesy of planetxmagazine.com

Now, this is odd: Of all the movie choices out there for Comcast video-on-demand customers in Sacramento to pick in 2007, the top choice was ... "Night at the Museum."

Yes, Sactown apparently loves Ben Stiller, even if the critics panned this flick.

Anyway, here's Comcast's list of top new movie releases among Sacramento viewers over the past year:

1. "Night at the Museum"
2. "Happy Feet"
3. "Borat"
4. "The Devil Wears Prada"
5. "300"
6. "Norbit"
7. "Alpha Dog"
8. "Blood Diamond"
9. "Freedom Writers"
10. "Barnyard"

And what are Sactown kids requesting from Comcast?
Here's the Top 10:

1. "SpongeBob SquarePants: Bubble Buddy"
2. "Diego: A Booboo on the Pygmy Marmoset"
3. "SpongeBob Squarepants: Walking Small"
4. "SpongeBob SquarePants: I had an Accident"
5. "SpongeBob SquarePants: Scaredy Pants"
6. "Barney: It's Home To Me"
7. "SpongeBob Squarepants: The Camping Episode"
8. "Dora the Explorer: BOO!"
9. "Dora the Explorer: Berry Hunt"
10. "Minnie's Birthday"

Stu Nahan, famous for his film work as the sportscaster in the "Rocky" movies but perhaps best known in these parts for being a '50s kiddie TV host, "Skipper Stu," has died. He was 81. Read Nahan's obit here.

Nahan's death comes only a few months after he was given a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

A personal note: In 1983, when I was a painfully young sportswriter for the L.A. Times and in way over my head on the professional hockey beat, Stu (an ex-goalie and very clued in to the game) helped me learn the ropes. Stu, at that time, was a bigtime L.A. sportscaster and didn't have to help some snot-nosed 23-year-old newspaper hack. But he did, and I've always been grateful.

When you log on to the brand spankin' new My925radio (nee, Y92.5 FM) - which went live this morning - up pops the home page asking listeners/users to give personal information and also provide a list of their Top 5 songs.

It's obvious that the newly all-automated KGBY is going for the whole interactive, Web 2.0 thing. OK, fine.

Then, we clicked on the "Listen Live" link, and here are some of the songs that My925radio claims to be "my life, my music":

* They play: Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly," a Top 100 hit from 1999.

We say: Hmm. Maybe the station is trying to challenge 98 Rock, after all.

* They play: Joey Scarbury's "Theme From 'Greatest American Hero'," which went to No. 2 on the pop charts in 1981.

We say: Whoa. What a head-spinning transition. Maybe the station is trying to go even lighter than former rival Mix 96.

* They play: Deep Blue Something's "Breakfast at Tiffany's," a Top 5 hit in 1995.

We say: OK. We're back on safer pop-rock footing. Sounds like our local "Jack" station.

* They play: Thompson Twins' "Hold Me Now," a hit from 1983.

We say: So, we go reeling back to bad-haircut '80s electronica pop. Kind of a "new" oldies vibe.

* They play: Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be," a Top 10 hit in 2004 that was the theme song for the teen TV drama "One Tree Hill."

We say: Got to appeal to that teenage girl demographic, you know.

Our conclusion: Basically, the station is all over the musical map. There are no DJs, and the automated woman's voice that says the artist and the song title sounds uncannily like the woman who gives the time of day on the telephone.

Some fancy New York PR firm has released its annual list of "Hottest" magazines. Not the "Best," mind you. You won't find the New Yorker or the Atlantic Monthly here. Rather, it's the most buzzworthy.

Our two favorite "Hot" mags:

* Garden & Gun: "Amazingly the Evening Post Publishing Co. found a way to mix sporting life and Southern landscapes as if it were completely natural. Being Southern never looked so good."

* Cookie: "Increasingly popular among fashionistas who have graduated on to motherhood, Cookie's focus on style, beauty and home décor has resonated with a sophisticated audience."

National Public Radio’s public affairs show “Fresh Air With Terry Gross,” always on my personal best-of list, recently featured its Top 10 Cultural Trends of 2007, as selected by commentator John Powers.

Of particular interest is No. 5 on the list, which Powers and Gross call “The TMZing of America.”

Powers quote:

“(TMZ) is pure celebrity gossip, insider, prying, almost like a paparazzi Web site with delusions of grandeur. It then later became a television show.

“No one in America can turn on their television or go on the Internet without noticing that we now have endless access to the most trivial details of celebrities and pseudo-celebrities and clowns’ lives, that nothing that someone like Britney Spears does is ever happening in private.

Now, at one level you might say this is just because we’re a corrupt nasty culture interested only in trivial people - and that may even be true, partly - but what struck me more about it was that the celebrities constantly on these sites being followed by cameras and having their anrtics shown on the Internet is that they are on the cutting edge of the tranformation in our culture where we’re breaking down the old ideas of what’s public and what’s private.

“What’s spooky is not just that Britney Spears is being followed. Go on YouTube sometime and somebody will actually post something on people having an argument in a restaurant. And they’ll post that argument on a Web site...And these are people who aren’t famous...The idea of there being a zone of privacy we all have around us is being whittled away, often deliberately and happily.”

Google Zeitgeist is an algorithm set up by the popular search engine that charts the "fastest-rising" searches among users for the year.

Bear in mind, this list is not the most searches, by sheer numbers. It's simply those searches that spiked the most times, that gained the fastest over the course of the year.

We find it not at all surprising, then, that four of the Top 10 were social networking sites - five, if you count YouTube.

One other observation: Check out the Google graphic (above) of the fastest gainers by quarter. What it shows is how addicted people are to scandalous behavior.

Look at the huge spikes for Anna Nicole Smith in the wake of her overdose death, Don Imus after his racist remarks, and teen star Vanessa Hudgens after her nude photos appeared online.

We could make some pompous and profound tsk-tsking remark here, but we just can't muster the righteous indignation.

And, if you can't muster the energy to click on the hyperlink to the Zeitgeist page, here is the list:

Fastest Rising (U.S.)

1. iphone
2. webkinz
3. tmz
4. transformers
5. youtube
6. club penguin
7. myspace
8. heroes
9. facebook
10. anna nicole smith

Say goodbye to Christmas music by this man:

And, come Wednesday, say hello to these gnarly dudes:

This is going to be a shock to the ears of some radio listeners.

For those of you who missed the story: On Wednesday morning, Y92.5 FM (KGBY) switches formats and becomes My92.5, and the frequency will be rocking. No, make that rawwwwkkkin'!

Dude, the station that has been playing sappy Christmas music all month will switch to a "Rock/Alternative Hits" format sans live DJs. Move over Perry Como (pictured above) and Bing Crosby; here comes Def Leppard and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (also pictured).

AllAccess.com, the radio industry publication, got the inside scoop on the format change. Here's an excerpt from its story:

"The target audience is adults 30-49, college grads, homeowners and families. The station should attract a 55/45 female-to-male ratio, with a core target being a 39-year-old female.

"The buzzwords used in the format tutorial depict a station that's heavy on music and viral listener-interaction, described as "SACRAMENTO'S 'mypod.' Listeners are supposed to drive the programming, and there will be no 'big name talent' hosting 'shows.'

"The station will be jockless for the first 60-90 days and the document hinted that there may not be a need for any air talent at all. On the other hand, there will be heavy Web-interactivity, emphasizing lifestyle and the creation of a MySpace social networking section. Listeners will be encouraged to interface on
Web site photos, videos, music programming ideas and online contesting.

"A strong emphasis was placed on what will not be on the station: 'no cutesy sweepers .... no corny jingles ... no hype, swooshes or bells and whistles' and, of course 'no talent initially.'

"The artists listed in the station's typical playlists range from the late '80s to late '90s; the most recent of the tracks listed was released in 2000. The artists were either Rock, Pop or Alternative-based, ranging from No Doubt and Santana to Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Def Leppard."

We've got two year-end lists for today, both depressing.

(Sorry, but if you want holiday cheer, try tuning in to Y92.5, where they're playing nothing but Christmas music. Oh, wait, they've laid off all the staff...Nevermind.)

Anyway, on with our Best of the "Best-of" Lists:

1. It's sad when the Word of the Year, as chosen by a vote on Merriam-Webster's Web site, is some totally made up geek speak that isn't even made up entirely of letters. It's"w00t" - a gamer's exhortation that means the same thing as "yea!" We say, nay.

But the rest of the online dictionary's Top 10 was interesting. We love the inclusion of the word "blamestorming."

2. The newspaper industry publication Editor & Publisher announced its Top 10 stories.

The good news: The massive industry job cuts wasn't No. 1. It finished second behind Rupert Murdoch (pitcured) buying the Wall Street Journal. Thanks, Rup.

Y92.5 FM Paul Robins' on-air goodbye this morning was heartfelt but not schmaltzy, a fitting way to cap off one of the longest and most successful radio shows. (Beloved sidekick Lori Sacco, as Robins predicted, couldn't make it through without weeping.)

As we reported Thursday, Y92.5 will change formats on Dec. 26. Word is it will be completely automated - no live DJs - and we hear the name is expected to be My925.

The audio from Robins' goodbye will be posted later today on Y92.5's current Web site. Here are some highlights:

* "I'd try to describe what is happening, but that would require me to use radio industry buzzwords that I've been avoiding for two decades."

* "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't be mad at them (management). It does nobody any good and it's not their fault. There's nobody to be mad at."

Well, except maybe a bunch of corporate suits who work in San Antonio.

Too subtle? Here's a more blatant hint:

Channel 3 confirmed today that its newest reporter, Catalina Martinez (pictured), has been let go. Her last day is Friday.

This is the second time in the past year that Martinez has found herself out of work. In May, she left Channel 19, Sacramento's Spanish-language station. But she was hired shortly thereafter by Channel 3.

Martinez declined to speak with The Bee, citing KCRA's policy that employees must get permission first from management.

KCRA news director Anzio Williams was unavailable for comment.

But station president and general manager Elliott Troshinsky said, "We're making some changes here. We had some things not work out." He declined to elaborate.

It will be the end of an era in Sacramento radio Friday morning when longtime Y92.5 (KGBY-FM) morning host Paul Robins signs off for the last time.

Robins, who hosted "The Paul & Phil Show" for 18 years and "The Paul Show" for the past year, has confirmed that he and sidekick Lori Sacco have been laid off as part of what is believed will soon be a major format switch for the soft-rock station.

"Anybody who does what I do and doesn’t know that this day is coming and doesn’t plan for it is a dummy," the 49-year-old Robins says. "There’s nobody at any radio station that ought to be thinking, 'I’m going to do this until I’m 65.' So, in that regard, nobody has the right to ever be surprised.

"I’ve always had my eyes wide open in this business and it happens sometimes. It’s very rare you get to pick the time. I know it sounds Pollyanna, but I’m not making it up: My overwhelming reaction is, 'Wow, isn’t it amazing I lasted 20 years?' And it has been really fun."

Neither Jeff Holden, general manager of Clear Channel's Sacramento stations, which includes Y92.5, nor station program director Sonia Jimenez returned calls or e-mails from The Bee asking for information about the expected format change.

Y92.5's new format is expected to be in place on Dec. 26, after the station's monthlong commitment to playing Christmas music ends.

There is industry speculation that Clear Channel will do the same thing to Y92.5 as it did to KBIG, another Clear Channel pop station in Los Angeles. That is, change it to an all-automated, slightly harder rock format.

As for Robins, he says he has been given permission by management to make an on-air goodbye. He says his final remarks will come just before 9 a.m., the end of the show. Clear Channel allowed Robins' former morning partner, Phil Cowan, to say goodbye to listeners last month when his KSTE political talk show was canceled and replaced by a syndicated consumer-affairs program.

"We’re not going to make a big deal about it and won’t talk about it until the end," Robins says. "It’s rare in radio that you get to say goodbye, and Phil was very fortunate to be able to do that. And wasn’t it a great goodbye? Similarly, I get the privilege of doing that, too."

In recent weeks, Robins has filled in for soon-departing Kelly Brothers as a host on the morning news on Clear Channel sister station KFBK (1530 AM).

Asked if he is a candidate to fill the spot when Brothers leaves in January, Robins says, "Yes, my name has been bandied about. But you'd need to ask management about (that position)."

Sarah Gardner, a member of the KCRA anchor stable since 1993, is leaving the station after she and management failed to come to an agreement on a new contract. Her last day is Dec. 28.

Gardner has been an anchor on “KCRA News at 10” on sister station My58TV for the past few years and, since the departure last year of anchor John Alston, has filled in as an anchor on Channel 3.

“We had hoped that Sarah would stay, but she decided for personal and professional reasons to move on,” says Elliott Troshinsky, president and general manager of Channel 3 and My58TV. “We couldn’t reach an agreement that was satisfactory to both of us. We wish her all the best in the future.”

Gardner declined to discuss her negotiations with the station.

She did say that she will miss working at KCRA, but needed to make the decision for the sake of her family. She has a son with autism, and she and her husband, Chuck, helped co-found the M.I.N.D. Institute at UC Davis Medical Center. The M.I.N.D. Institute studies the causes, and helps in treatment of, autism.

"I love KCRA and love my job, getting to work with incredibly talented people," she says. "But it was one of those things where I wanted to make sure to give 100 percent to my family and 100 percent to my job, and the way things are now, it's impossible to do both."

Asked if Gardner sought a "flexible" schedule, Troshinsky says, "I don’t know what her reasons are for deciding this wasn’t right for her. But I respect her and like her. I only wish her the best."

News director Anzio Williams says others on the staff will fill in. "We have a lot of folks with talent," Williams says. "You'll be seeing more of Kevin Riggs and Pam Wu."

As for the long term, Troshinsky would not say when the two anchor positions would be filled. In January, Teo Torres will join the 10 p.m. newscast on My58TV, but Troshinsky says he is not a replacement for Alston.

"We do have a plan that will unfold over the next several months, but I’m not going to talk about it," Troshinsky says. "We certainly have a strong team of on-air people to continue doing what they do best."

Each year, one of our favorite media-related lists is the Top 10 PR Blunders, as chosen by San Francisco's Fineman PR firm; see a Forbes story here.

This year's undisputed champ - no surprise whatsoever - was FEMA for its fake press conferences during the California wildfires. Hey, FEMA, doin' a heckuva job!

But we also liked the botched guerrilla marketing stunt in Boston by the Cartoon Network. What first appeared to be battery-operated, magnetic explosive devices (see photo above) turned out to be props to hype the show, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." But city authorities didn't know that at the time. They closed whole swathes - subways, freeways - of the city and called in the bomb squad.

Doh!

Let's pretend you run a local TV station.

You learn just after 2 p.m. that a Sacramento County Sheriff's officer has been shot by a suspect believed to be a gang member. The police have closed an entire south Sacramento neighborhood, looking for the suspect, who is believed to be holed up in a house. Schools are locked down at a time when children are supposed to be let out.

So, what do you do at around 3 p.m., when the story starts to come together?
Stay with regular programming or go live?

Here's what our local TV executives decided to do today:

News10: Stayed with "Ellen" (but had brief cut-ins at several junctures). After all, this was Day 10 of "Ellen's 12 Days of Giving." And she also was making quesadillas!

Channel 3: Preempted "Rachael Ray" and went live, sans commercials, with Dave Walker and Lois Hart anchoring, three reporters on the ground and the station's helicopter hovering.

Channel 19: Stayed with its soap opera, but anchor Jairo Diaz-Pedraza interrupted occasionally with updates.

Channel 13: Stayed with "Dr. Phil" for nearly half an hour before changing to live, commercial-free coverage heading into its regularly scheduled 4 p.m. newscast.

Fox40: Stayed with the game show, "Crosswords."

Ohmigawd, people!: On Tuesday, there was water...falling...from the sky...right here in Sacramento! And, in the mountains, snow. Who would've predicted that?

So where do local TV viewers go for extended weather coverage?

Same place they go normally – Channel 3.

Only more so.

Tuesday’s “severe” weather was a bonanza to Channel 3, especially in morning news. Check out these numbers for the 6 a.m. hour (Note: Ratings chart the percentage of all homes with television; shares measure the number of TV sets turned on at a particular time):

Channel 3: 5.2 rating/21 share.
Channel 31’s “Good Day Sacramento”: 3.0/12.
News10: 2.7/10.5
Channel 13: 1.0/4
Fox40: 0.1/1

More impressive: At 5 p.m., KCRA logged a 12.2 rating with a 23 share, demolishing the competition.

No wonder local TV suits do rain dances in their offices this time of year.

Well, the Federal Communications Commission today voted, 3-2, to ease restrictions on allowing a single media company to own a TV or radio station and a newspaper in the same market.

Here in Sacramento, we don't expect any earth-shaking media ownership changes.

But we can't let the controversy pass without noting this cogent media analysis from Mississippi Senator Trent Lott (above). Speaking at a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing about the FCC proposal, which FCC chairman Kevin Martin says will help struggling newspapers, Lott went off on Martin:

"I don't get why Republicans would be crying alligator tears over newspapers having problems. What? What are you doing? Look. They are losing readership because times have changed. It's technology. It's also because they give so much garbage, people get tired of putting up with it. In my area, we buy (newspapers) to wrap our mullet with."

By mullet, we presume Lott meant the fish, not the hairstyle. But you never know.

Be on the lookout Wednesday when Time magazine names its annual, overhyped "Person of the Year."

Don't worry. They aren't going to honor us again. By "us," I mean "you."

Remember? Time named "You" - online users - as the POY for 2006. I'm laying down my money this year on Sen. Larry Craig Al Gore.

Meanwhile, for today's Best of the "Best-of" lists:

I'm thankful that I didn't make this list of top media corrections on the Web site Regret the Error. (Not that I haven't made my share of boo-boos this year, just nothing monumental.)

Here are just two examples of the top media corrections of the year:

(1) From Independent Saturday (UK) magazine:

"Following the portrait of Tony and Cherie Blair published on 21 April in the Independent Saturday magazine, Ms Blair’s representatives have told us that she was friendly with but never had a relationship with Carole Caplin of the type suggested in the article. They want to make it clear, which we are happy to do, that Ms Blair 'has never shared a shower with Ms Caplin, was not introduced to spirit guides or primal wrestling by Ms Caplin (or anyone else), and did not have her diary masterminded by Ms Caplin.' ”

(2) And, back in the U.S., Slate magazine:

In the May 25 “Explainer,” Michelle Tsai asserted that an eight ball is about 10 lines of cocaine. While the size of a line depends on personal preference, most users would divide an eight ball into more than 25 lines.

21Q's resident fashion expert, Leigh Grogan, is away for awhile. So it's left to me, your trusty media correspondent, to gamely take over and review both the coverage and the fashion choices presented by local TV news reporters strutting their stuff on the hoary foothills of Blue Canyon.

First, the coverage. Uh, nothing too scintillating to report here. It's the usual "Gee whiz - it's snowing and it's cold" report. We get the same old shots of motorists putting on chains. (Hey, in these times of dwindling newsroom resources, why not just rerun the old footage?)

Anyhoo, enough about the breathless reporting. Let's get to the really important stuff...how they looked.

We start with News10's resident Zoolander, Dave Marquis:

A bold choice, Dave, going hatless. Such a dedicated follower of fashion is Dave that he risks hypothermia (heat escapes through the head, you know) for The Look. As for Dave's wardrobe, well, let's just say the official News10 jacket is not slimming. And we've seen oven mitts smaller than those black gloves he donned. But the red with the gold logo screams "serious newsman."

We turn now to Fox40's Kye Martin:

Oh my, Kye, that's such a Hillary Clintonian black hair band. Bravo! We usually like The North Face as a choice of outer garment, but the white stripes going every which way makes the whole ensemble look too, too busy. Kudos for the green fleece underlayer, though. Matches nicely. We didn't know Fox40 paid so well that you could afford such nice duds.

Up next, Channel 13's Rafer Weigel:

Work it, Rafer. Work it! Just adore the beanie pushed back a smidgen to accentuate your blonde locks. Nice accessorizing, having your notes strategically placed in the front pocket. Tres Anderson Cooper! But those snow pants are a touch too baggy, even for the snowboarder chic look.

And finally, here's Channel 3's Brian Hickey:

What a train wreck. Where to start? How about the over-reliance on KCRA branding? It's there on his breast pocket, across his forehead, the microphone he's holding, the graphics on the screen. I haven't seen this many logos since the last NASCAR race. And about the head gear: One or the other, Brian, choose. Either the hoodie or the beanie. Both is overkill.

Good news for all you folks who absolutely must watch TV on Christmas morning.

Yup, same as last year, the "Yule Log" is returning to Fox40. The station announced today that the burning hunk of wood, brainchild of New York station WPIX lo those many years ago, will be sandwiched before and after Fox40's morning newscasts.

That's from 5 to 6 a.m. and then again from 8 to 9 a.m., for those who aren't familiar with the timing of the witty repartee of Fox40 morning talking heads Natalie Bomke and Evan Michael every weekday morning from 6-8 a.m.

Mike Peters / Dayton Daily News / King Features Syndicate

Time for another installment of our best Best-of lists out there.

Today, we pass along Time magazine's top editorial cartoons for 2007.

Hmmm. Notice how often Dick Cheney comes up as a subject matter? What will the nation's editorial cartoonists going to do when Cheney retires to some controlled wildlife preserve to hunt quail?

Well, there's always a chance that Bill Clinton might become First Hubby. Lots of material there.

One personal note: Bee cartoonist Rex Babin got robbed and didn't make the top 10. But, for our money, we'll take Rex, day in and day out.

CORRECTION: In a blog posting late Thursday, it was incorrectly reported that Channel 3 reporter Adrienne Bankert met with Michal Kohane, executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, to apologize for making derogatory statements about Jewish people.

Kohane, in fact, met only with KCRA management; she says she received a written apology from Bankert.

My58TV's morning show, the ratings-challenged 7-9 a.m. continuation of the popular "KCRA 3 Reports" earlier in the morning, will add a 6 a.m. hour starting Monday.

Actually, it will be a simulcast of the 6 a.m. hour of Channel 3's show, featuring anchors Walt Gray and Deirdre Fitzpatrick. So, essentially, the same show will air on channels 3 and 4 (on most cable systems). At 7 a.m., when Channel 3 switches to the "Today" show, My58TV viewers will continue to get the pairing of Fitzpatrick and Chris Riva.

On My58TV, the simulcast will replace paid programming at 6 a.m. and the reruns of the sitcom "Still Standing" at 6:30. Jami Gertz fans, no doubt, will mourn its loss.

KCRA is hoping that there will be viewer carryover from the 6 a.m. hour to improve My58TV's morning ratings.

In the November ratings sweeps, Channel 3's "KCRA Reports" easily beat Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento" and "News10 Good Morning" in the 6 a.m. hour.

But, at 7 a.m., the ratings showed that Channel 3's viewers did not migrate to My58TV, which finished last with an 0.5 rating. ("Today" had the highest rating at that hour, easily beating "Good Day Sacramento, 4.2 to 2.7.) At 8 a.m., My58TV did a little better, beating Fox40's "Andy Griffith" rerun (0.7 to 0.4).

Channel 3 reporter Adrienne Bankert has met with local Jewish leaders and apologized for disparaging comments about Jewish people that she made two weeks ago during a speaking engagement at Sac State.

Michal Kohane, executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, confirmed this afternoon that they met with the traffic reporter on Monday and says that her organization is satisfied with Bankert's explanation.

"It was a good meeting, overall," Kohane says. "The conclusion we walked away with was that her comments were not made maliciously."

Bankert could not be reached for comment, and KCRA executives declined to discuss the substance of the meeting.

But Kohane called it "an opportunity not to educate so much as to build bridges and learn about each other."

"It wasn’t a malicious statement," she adds. "In fact, she said she meant it as a positive thing. But for a variety of reasons, it came out not sounding positive. Everybody in the room realized it was not her intent."

Kohane says her group had not sought Bankert's firing or any action against her.

According to a story by the State Hornet, Bankert made her comments during a meeting hosted by the International Students Christian Fellowship and attended by 10 people.

On Dec. 3, KCRA management issued a statement saying that the station "does not condone or endorse any comment that was made." Anzio Williams, news director at Channel 3, also said that they have "taken steps to address the matter internally." He did not elaborate.

Bankert issued an apology later that same day.

Kohane says that Bankert's apology to her and other Jewish leaders was "a lot more heartfelt."

"(Bankert) explained what she said. She didn’t get up and say, 'The Jews are rich, therefore it’s bad. Let’s take all their money,'" Kohane says. "But in her experience, she was fortunate to meet Jewish people who were fortunate. That’s not necessarily an accurate picture of all Jewish people all over the world.

"Her theology is, if God loves you, you’ll be successful and here’s an example of people who are successful. She saw it as a good thing. I truly believe that’s not how she intended it to come across. ... We are ready to move on."

Channel 3 reporter Adrienne Bankert's remarks about Jewish people are bouncing around the blogosphere, where commentators have not been shy about weighing in on the matter.

At TV Spy, a news gossip site, a thread debating whether Bankert should be fired for her stereotypical comments at Sac State two weeks ago is going strong.

At rival NewsBlues, blogger "Surly Editor" included Bankert's "I've never met a poor Jewish person" among his top quotes of 2007.

At Soupcans, a post opined, "Not exactly the most enlightening thing to say to an audience, large or small, especially if you're a television personality." Then, it linked to a video of Bankert stomping grapes for a KCRA story.

But conservative blogger and radio host Debbie Schlussel says that it's futile to condemn Bankert. "The Jewish community of (Sacramento) - instead of shunning her -wants to 'educate' her. Puh-leeze. She doesn't like us Hebes. Get a clue. That won't change. It's like thinking you've changed Mel Gibson's mind. You haven't. And you won't."

Then there's blogger Too Sense, who identifies himself as "America's Worst Nightmare: A light skinned black man with a yarmulke."

He writes: "I've met quite a few Christians who like to talk about how much they love Jews. Here's some advice: DON'T. It's really (expletive) creepy. What really weirds me out is when black folks do it, since the last thing I wanna hear from someone I've just met is how much they 'love' black people, and most black folks I know feel the same way."

We're enterting prime list-making season in the media world. It's a hoary tradition for news organizations to fill space inform the public by wrapping up the year. As a public service, we here at 21Q will check in occasionally to review the best of the best-of lists.

The New York Times Magazine had an intriguing "Year in Idea" issue on Sunday. But, we're not blogging about that. No, we're going waaaaay lowbrow with the light-as-air Web site Popsugar and its "Best Celebrity Mug Shots."

There, you can vote on the best-looking celebrity booking mug. The leader, as of this writing, is former Disney Channel actor Shia LaBeouf, who was arrested at a Chicago Walgreens for refusing to leave the store. (Just today, charges were dropped against the actor, who will be starring with Harrison Ford in the latest Indiana Jones pic. How's that for news you can use?)

Anyway, feel free, dear readers, to pass along other best-of lists you encounter - the weirder the better.

Well, gang, we knew this day was coming.

The Humor Times (known for most of its 16-year existence as the Comic Press News) has just published its final free monthly magazine. December's issue (see cover above) hits stands today. Come January, the Humor Times switches to a subscription model.

No more free rides, dude.

Publisher James Israel says declining advertising revenue and rising publishing prices forced the change.

How much coin will we have to fork over? Not that much: $17.95 per year. For more info: click here.

We begin the week with a heartwarming story about how the Little Guy (or, in this case "the Little Gal") can, after all, triumph against a large, soulless corporation.

Let me start at, well, the start.

For about two weeks, life was miserable for a Davis woman I like to call Mrs. Media Savvy. And when Mrs. Savvy ain't happy, ain't no one in the house is happy.

See, her favorite TV network, the Weather Channel, had stopped giving the "Local on the 8s" forecast, as well as the continuous temperature scroll at the bottom of the screen. It was curious that the Weather Channel's very raison d'être was the one thing the station wasn't providing.

So Mrs. Savvy called Comcast, her cable provider. We will now recreate the conversation between Mrs. Savvy and the Comcast representative:

Mrs. Savvy: "Hello. Is there any way you can contact the Weather Channel to get them to run the local weather again?"

Comcast rep: "The Weather Channel? Do we have that? Is is channel 100 or something?"

(Is it any wonder why people get so frustrated with Comcast that they start Web sites, such as "Comcast Must Die," as Advertising Age columnist and NPR's "On the Media" host Bob Garfield recently did?)

Anyhoo, Mrs. Savvy is not going to be ignored.

Oh, no. She did what Comcast didn't do and contacted the Weather Channel directly. And, guess what? She got results.

Here's the e-mail the Weather Channel sent to Mrs. Savvy:

"After a simple rebooting of their Intellistar computer unit did not correct the problem, our technical account managers have decided to send a replacement computer unit to Comcast Cable (head-end #22410) in Davis, California, in an attempt to rectify the recent problems with their local weather experience on the eights of the hour.

"Later today, we will send a replacement WEATHER STAR computer unit to Comcast Cable in Davis; that will arrive tomorrow (Thursday, December 6th). Once the unit is installed correctly, the problems you have encountered with your local weather experience will cease. Tomorrow afternoon, one of our technical account managers will contact Comcast Cable and offer assistance with the installation of this hardware.

"We greatly appreciate your patience as we work with your Comcast Cable provider to correct this situation.

Sincerely,

Chris Hoitsma

The Weather Channel"

So again, Davis residents can find out the exact wind chill reading before heading out on their (city-required) bicycles. And, at last, peace has been restored to the household. Because, if Mrs. Savvy is happy, then everybody's happy.

Kudos to the Weather Channel for good customer service.

Hey, your 21Q media correspondent is a little bummed.

Why? Well, just look at what I've had to blog about lately - a radio host indicted on child porn charges, a local TV reporter offending Jewish people, "Good Day Sacramento" asking people to show off their scars, and Don Imus.

What's needed is a good laugh on a Friday afternoon.

So we present this hilarious YouTube offering poking fun at overheated Web 2.0 geniuses, who basically are trying to bury us "old media" types in the newspaper biz.

Enjoy.

Popular KGO (810 AM) liberal radio host Bernie Ward - who was the afternoon host on Sacramento's KFBK (1530 AM) in the late '80s - was indicted in federal court in San Francisco Thursday on two counts of possessing child pornography.

Read the full story here.

Historical footnote about Ward, whose San Francisco-based show can be picked up by many Sactown folks on KGO: He left KFBK in March, 1990. He was replaced by Christine Craft.

So, guess who'll be filling in for Ward tonight on KGO?

Yup, Craft.

Sactown native Adrian Tomine, who now calls Brooklyn home, is getting great reviews from writers in three countries for his first graphic novel, "Shortcomings."

The New York Times named it one of its 100 Notable Books of 2007. The Toronto Globe & Mail raved that Tomine "tackles ethnicity, love and pop-culture obsessions in a visual stew that would make Philip Roth proud."

And there's this from the London Times last Saturday:

"It seems unlikely that a story about the relationship problems of an aggressive second-generation Japanese American, with a secret hunger for Caucasian women and contempt for women of his racial group, could be original, convincing and unputdownable.

"But Tomine's latest book is all this and more. It is rendered with uncluttered beauty, the dialogue is so convincing that you can almost hear the characters speak, and it is alight with truth."

The most thorough review appeared recently in Salon.

As my 21Q colleague Rachel Leibrock reported a while back, don't look for Tomine to return to Sac any time soon.

Yo, Adrian, where's the love for Sactown?

Carl Costas/ccostas@sacbee.com

Some Jewish leaders in Sacramento say they don't want Channel 3 reporter Adrienne Bankert fired in the wake of disparaging comments that she made about Jews in a recent talk to students at Sacramento State.

But they do want to meet with Bankert to try to educate the reporter, who told a Sac State Christian organization that she has "never met a poor Jewish person ever in my life" and opined about how Jews founded Hollywood and were prominent in banking.

Bankert later issued a statement, saying in part, "I apologize if anyone was offended by remarks."

Michal Kohane (pictured), executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, says her organization considered issuing a press release denouncing Bankert and asking for sanctions.

"But the feeling was, it was a little disproportionate to what happened," Kohane says. "What we’re going to try to do is have a personal meeting."

Kohane says she has contacted the station, but has yet to hear back.

"Her commentary teaches more on the commentator than the issue," Kohane says. "(Bankert) demonstrated her lack of knowledge. I don’t feel she said something personally against me where I have to go and prove my bank account over it or bring every Jewish person in town to judge her."

However, at least one Sacramento-area rabbi, David Wechsler-Azen at Beth Shalom, says he was personally offended.

"As somebody who has been a poor Jew, as someone regularly approached by poor Jews for help, it’s just so factually inaccurate," Wechsler says. "It’s just really offensive for someone to portray Jews that way.

"She really needs to be made aware of all the Jewish philanthropies that make sure everyone’s taken care of. That’s the underlying Jewish premise: reach out your hand to the needy."

Rabbi Sheryl Nosan-Blank at Temple Or Rishon, in an e-mail, called Bankert's comments "shocking." Nosan-Blank was not aware of Bankert's comments until told of them by a reporter because she's been visiting relatives in Los Angeles. However, after reading Bankert's statement, she questioned the sincerity of the written apology.

"It is most unfortunate that Bankert's follow-up statement neither corrects her mistaken remarks nor directly apologizes to the Jewish Community," Nosan-Blank writes.

"Hopefully, this season of light will be one which helps all of us become more enlightened, building on our commonalities as people of good faith rather than building walls of hurtful bias and harmful stereotype."

Channel 19, without a news director since the September departure of Pedro Calderon, has hired CNN en Espanol producer Isabel Gonzalez for the Univision station's top newsroom spot.

She starts in January.

During her time at CNN en Espanol, Gonzalez was part of a Peabody Award-winning team for that station's Hurricane Katrina coverage. She also produced a CNN report on the 2004 Asian tsunami, which won a DuPont/Columbia University Award.

In addition, Gonzalez, who could not be reached for comment, has been a producer for Telemundo, TV Azteca and MVS in Mexico City.

In the November Nielsen ratings, Channel 19's 6 p.m. news finished with a 2.3 rating, just behind third place Channel 13 (at 2.7). At 11 p.m., Noticias finished a distant third (1.6) behind Channel 3 (5.7) and News10 (5.2).

OK, so I've been accused by some local TV news folks of being overly negative about the state of their news coverage (even though I recently wrote a glowing "10 Reasons Why Local TV News Doesn't Stink" cover story in The Bee).

But I'm here to tell you that I'm a Pollyanna compared to former TV news veteran Mike James, whose Web site, News Blues, is infamous among TV types.

James recently gave an interview to another blogger, and check out these quotes about TV news:

"TV news, and those who draw paychecks from it, have become lazy, sloppy, and too willing to trust consultants rather than their own instincts. The industry no longer delivers news. It falls back on formulas. Content has become predictable. It takes the easy way out. It tries to fill an ever-increasing news hole with artificial preservatives.

"Someone needs to clean the kitchen, discard the spoiled meat and rancid vegetables, scour the cupboard, expel the vermin, hose down the joint, and chug a big jolt of reality. TV news has lost its way. Forget the excuses. No one cares that your bosses are asking you to fill more time with fewer resources. The business is contaminated. The content is fetid and foul, shallow and pointless. Get a job selling time share. Drive a bus in Reno. Do anything but continue foisting polluted, noxious news feces on the superficial American public.

Television news (if you believe it is a form of journalism) has the ability...the responsibility...to capture and preserve the moments, the events, that pass through our daily lives. Instead, it has fallen back on trivial weepies and frothy feel-goods, on medical "studies" and video news releases, or political spin and opinionated shoutfests, hypothesis, rumor, and supposition. TV news is no longer in charge of itself. It deserves to be shot at sunrise."

News10 and Channel 3 - right now! - are streamingthe California Hall of Fame ceremonies on their Web sites.

But News10 took it a step further, having entertainment reporter Jonathan Mumm go live from the "red carpet" before the event.

What a disaster.

I watched for eight minutes as Mumm and his photographer stood there, well, doing nothing. Just waiting. Oh, occasionally, Mumm would mumble something and point out Clint Eastwood's wife or some lesser known personality as the photog scanned the room.

But when the Guv and Maria finally made the scene, Mumm had to wait some more as California's first couple gave an interview to ... Channel 3.

Oh, snap!

Mumm kept looking back to the camera, sheepishly, as viewers on the Web stream could hear the Guv answering questions from KCRA - and even a KFBK radio reporter.

At one point, Mumm turned his head and told viewers: "I'd piggyback on what they (Channel 3) are doing, but Brandon (his photographer) doesn't have the shot. So we'll stay here."

At last, Mumm got his turn.

But compelling TV, it wasn't.

If anything, it shows how tedious a reporter's job usually is - you often just stand around, waiting a lot, and then grovel for a few minutes with the subject.

Advice to prospective journalism students: Go into welding.

Close call for "Good Day Sacramento" this morning. The show lost audio in the 9 o'clock hour and was forced to act silly - and without sound.

Among the highlights: Mark S. Allen takes another shot at Channel 3's Walt Gray (see above); Tina Macuha holds up a "Quiet" sign, and Marianne McClary does the old disappearing thumb trick. They also brought in a white board and wrote out what was coming up on the show. Tres old school TV.

Fortunately, sound was restored in time for a memorable segment that qualifies for inclusion in our continuing feature, "Is it 'The Daily Show' or Local TV News?"

The segment featured Cody Stark hitting the streets of Sacramento to ask people to show him their scars. (FCC take note: One dude flashed a scar on his right buttock.)

The topper, though, was a man named Daniel.

"I got sucked into a boat propeller about two months ago and it did a number on me," the man tells Stark.

Then, he lifted up his shirt to show a hideous disfigurement that runs horizontally across his abdomen.

"See, that's where my intestines fell out," Daniel added.

Ewwwwwwwww.

Stark was smitten. But in the studio, anchor Stefanie Cruz had her head in her hands. (This thought bubble should've been over Cruz's head: "I once reported from Ground Zero on Sept. 11 for a Hartford station; now I'm reduced to this.")

Our editors won't let us post the scar-on-the-butt screen grab. Some things are too gross even for 21Q. But here's the link to "GDS's" report.

First, it was Bruno Cohen, then Michael Langley. Now, it's channels 13/31 vice president for news Steve Charlier doing on-air stunts. Charlier gets shot with a paintball gun by "Good Day Sacramento" reporter Lisa Gonzales.

Here's the link.

OK, so which corporate suit will be the next to appear in a bizarre fashion on the air, Channel 3's Anzio Williams or Fox40's Tom Burke?

Associated Press

Your 21Q media correspondent has received several cyber missives and phone calls asking which Sacramento radio station(s) has picked up Don Imus' new show on WABC in New York.

Answer: None. Zip. Nada.

Imus' erstwhile CBS radio show - the gig he ignominiously lost amid the racially charged comments about Rutgers' women's basketball team - hadn't been broadcast in the Sacramento market for several years.

And as of yet, no one has picked up the syndicated feed of Imus.

Of course, you can listen to Imus online. Here's the link.

This just in: Anzio Williams, news director at Channel 3, has given 21Q this response to reporter Adrienne Bankert's's derogatory comments about Jewish people - originally published in a Sac State newspaper article:

"(KCRA) does not condone or endorse any comment that was made. We require all of our on-air talent to refrain from engaging in any outside activities or manners that impinge on our reputation of fairness, balance and accuracy.”

Asked whether Bankert has been disciplined, Williams says: “We’ve taken steps to address the matter internally and to make sure it doesn’t occur again.”

UPDATE (1:55 P.M.): Bankert, through KCRA management, has released the following statement:

"I have been made aware that certain remarks that I made to a small student
group at Sacramento State last week could be regarded as offensive
stereotyping to some individuals and the community at large. I never
intended any of my comments to be hurtful or to stereotype any particular
group. I am well aware of the harm that stereotypical comments can cause to
specific groups and our society in general. I apologize if anyone was
offended by remarks."

Maybe it's time to start a new 21Q feature, "Local TV News Suits Behaving Bizarrely."

Our first installment, as you may recall, was on Bruno Cohen, honcho of channels 13 and 31, doing a disco dance on the air.

Now, here's News10's assistant news director Michael Langley (above).

Check out the video.

From left: Channel 3's Lois Hart and Dave Walker, Channel 13's Sam Shane, News10's Cristina Mendonsa, Fox40's Thomas Drayton

There were no big surprises in the local TV news November sweeps, the much-hyped period when stations gauge audience to set advertising rates.

It was another dominating ratings book for Channel 3, especially on the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. But the late news, considered the "signature" broadcast for stations, has become quite competitive, with channels 3 and 13 battling it out.

(Quick refresher for below: Ratings chart the percentage of all homes with television; shares measure the number of TV sets turned on at a particular time. Remember, people, this will be on the quiz.)

At 5 and 6 p.m., there's no contest: KCRA pulled in a 9.7 rating and a 20 share at 5 p.m., more than tripling the rating of its nearest competitor. (Channel 13 had a 3.0 rating and 6 share; News10 had a 2.9 rating and 6 share.) Then, at 6 p.m., Channel 3 had an 8.6 rating and 15 share, while News10 was a distant second at 3.5 and 6.

For the late news, Channel 13 had the highest rating, with 5.8 (10 share) for its hour-long 10 p.m. broadcast. That figure edged Channel 3, which had a 5.7 rating (13 share) for its half-hour newscast at 11 p.m.

(It is at this point that, as inevitably as Punxsutawney Phil will pop out to check his shadow on Groundhog Day, Channel 3 suits will say you can't compare late newscasts at different hours, and Channel 13 honchos will counter that, oh, yes you can.)

Anyway, at 10 p.m., Channel 13's number easily beat head-to-head rivals Fox40 (3.3 and 6) and My58TV (1.9 and 3). At 11 p.m., News10 (5.2 rating, 12 share) is catching up to Channel 3.

Not much change in the morning news, as Channel 3's local progam and the "Today" show beat Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento" in nearly all the hours.

The results were not as good for My58TV's new 7 to 9 a.m. morning show, using Channel 3 talent. It garnered only a 0.5 rating and 2 share in the 7 a.m. hour and 0.7 and 2 at 8 a.m. Those numbers are about the same as those of deposed radio talkers "Armstrong & Getty" when they broadcast a simulcast of their radio show.

Fox40's two-hour morning newscast failed to break the 1.0 rating mark, even thought it has significantly beefed up its newscast.

And, finally, Sacramentans still like Dave & Lois more than Alex Trebek: Channel 3's 6:30 p.m. news (6.9 rating, 12 share) with Walker and Hart beat "Jeopardy!" (5.5, 9).

Hector Amezcua/hamezcua@sacbee.com

The other day on "Insight," KXJZ's daily public-affairs radio show, host Jeffrey Callison interviewed playwright Richard Hellesen (above), who in 1987 wrote the script for Sacramento Theatre Company's now-annual production of "A Christmas Carol."

Hellesen's take on the Dickens classic has been widely performed at theaters throughout the country in the past 20 years. In talking with KXJZ, Hellesen recalled that Channel 3 shadowed the Sac Theatre Co. for weeks and aired a one-hour documentary about the production.

That nugget of information got Callison thinking. And he e-mailed his thoughts to 21Q: "I can't figure out if I think that's quaint (because an hour-long documentary was surely overkill), inspiring (because KCRA was dedicating so much time and money to in-depth local coverage) or sad (because it's hard to imagine anything like that getting made nowadays). All three, I guess."

'Tis the season for religion in local TV news.

Here we bring you two recent items of interest involving local media, one serious and one silly.

THE SERIOUS:

Channel 3 reporter Adrienne Bankert spoke about her belief in God in front of the International Students Christian Fellowship at Sac State recently.

Avi Ehrlich, reporter for the school newspaper, the State Hornet, wrote about a mini-controversy stemming from Bankert's remarks:

Others took issue with parts of Bankert's message...One part of Bankert's presentation that (Sac State ethnic studies major Marc) Sorensen was uncomfortable with dealt with religious stereotypes.

As part of her presentation, Bankert asked: "Have you ever met a poor Jewish person?"

"I have never met a poor Jewish person ever in my life! Every Jewish person I went to school with had money, and if they didn't have money literally ... they knew how to get some. The Jewish people founded Hollywood, Jewish people were in banking, lawyers."

Bankert said she, herself, is a Jew in Jesus' name.

"I'm a Jewish person, because I'm saved by the blood of Jesus. He is Jewish, and I want what he's got for me."

Here's the link to Ehrlich's full story on Bankert.

And now, for THE SILLY:

News10's Dan Adams found a woman in Natomas who has seen the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus on the bottom of her muffin pan.

Arrrgh! Add this to the litany of Jesus sightings that our local TV stations have uncovered - Jesus on a fence post, Jesus and Mary in a pancake, Jesus in a tree stump, etc. ...

Only this time, Adams punctuated his report by doing a stand-up outside The Bee's building, good-naturedly chiding your own 21Q/Media Savvy correspondent for poking fun at the true believers.

My only comment: Maybe the woman should wash out the bottom of the muffin pan before using it again.

Check out Adams' report here.

This just in: Syndicated liberal talking head Ed Schultz will be doing his show live (9 a.m.-noon) Thursday and Friday from the studios of KSAC (1240 AM).

Plus: If any listeners want to meet Schultz, belly up to the bar at the Blue Gecko (1379 Garden Highway) on Friday between 5-8 p.m.

My story on Monday about the 50th anniversary of community radio station KAHI (950 AM) in Auburn prompted several readers to share their memories.

This one, from retired history professor Bob McCallum of Earp (south of Lake Havasu):

My friend Jeff March and another friend, Dave Darin, and I worked at KAHI in the early '70s. We were young radio jocks and thought we were God's gift. But KAHI gave us a dose of humility. During a morning newscast, an elderly lady, who was hired to give the news of El Dorado County, was on the phone doing the live newscast to the Auburn station. Suddenly, all of her poodles started barking loudly. She simply covered the receiver with her hand and yelled at her front door, "Come on in, I'll be done with the newscast in a minute." And nobody thought it was funny but me. I was laughing so hard, I had to leave the control room.

And then, there's this from Tony Rohl of Grass Valley:

It's too bad that no one included a brief reference to KAHI's founder, Charles Halstead, whose brother owned a pharmacy in Nevada City a few steps up from the National Hotel. Within months of firing up his radio station, he was at war with Auburn merchants for refusing to buy advertising on his station. He took to saying that he was broadcasting from the Auburn pig farm. As he slowly went broke, he would often leave his station unattended when he went for dinner or to take a nap. He'd put on an LP that in most cases was scratched and would start looping a portion of whatever song the needle got stuck on before he left. All in all, Charles "Charlie" Halstead was one of Auburn's more colorful characters in Auburn in the '50's.

Starting a magazine is this market is relatively easy; maintaining it is another matter entirely. (Just ask Prosper magazine, bowing out after the December issue.)

So it is relief that we recently received the second issue of Salute magazine, the brainchild of El Dorado Hills resident Rob DeFeo. The cover boy is Italian blues guitar master Zucchero - so big that he’s apparently at one-name status.

In the past, we’ve reported on the genesis of the publication, which focuses on Italian Americans.

An encouraging sign in the second issue is the ads. Yes, they have more than a few. Most interesting ad: A two-page ad for Lasorda Wine. No joke - former Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda has turned vintner.

And, no, Giant fans, Lasorda didn't use sour grapes.

Check out Salute’s Web site here.

This item about former KSAC (1240 AM) talker Christine Craft , which appeared two weeks ago in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, got our attention.

Turns out that, no, Craft has not bought Santa Cruz's KSCO radio. But she confirms to us that she's taken with the idea of doing just that.

"Michael Zwerling (the owner, pictured with Craft) wants to sell the stations but doesn't want to sell them to a corporate conglomerate," Craft says via e-mail. "It would be my dream to buy them and have a blast for the next twentyplus years programming great radio for the central coast. I've had some interest from investors and am seeking more. Can't hurt to ask?"

Craft would seem to be a natural fit for Santa Cruz, a lefty enclave that makes our own Davis look uptight by comparison.

For those who aren't routine readers of The Bee blog Capitol Alert - and you really should check it out; it's free now, by the way - we pass along a link to reporter Jim Sanders' news that Channel 3's Edie Lambert will be marrying Assemblyman Lloyd Levine.

Courtesy: chinatravelguide.com

Great report this morning by Capital Public Radio (KXJZ, 90.9 FM) reporter Steve Milne on a group of tax collectors from the Hubei Province in China, who have come to Sacramento State to study accounting for a year.

Listen to the story here.

Milne reports that while these accountants enjoy being in our fair city, there is one minor problem.

Laments student Fei Wang: "We are curious about what American people (are) doing in evening (laughs) because we don’t see many people outside. Maybe they are staying at home. You can see people everywhere in China at anytime."

Really? We decided to do a little research, and here's what at least one source tells us:

According to travelchinaguide.com: "If you're in (major city) Wuhan, you'd better try the bar named 'Soho,' which has a very up-to-date music and hot dancing. ... If you prefer the crazy music played by band, go to 'VOX,' where you can watch the live-band shows - although they're not so famous, their music is still pretty good. By the way, the drinks in 'VOX' are also cheaper than many other bars in Wuhan."

We're shocked - shocked! - by the revelation that surfaced this morning. Not since Rosie Ruiz cheated to win the Boston Marathon has such a sporting hoax been perpetrated on the populace.

Kelly Brothers, the KFBK and Channel 3 reporter who participated in Thursday's media challenge in the Run to Feed the Hungry, has admitted to cheating.

Here he is, unburdening himself in his own words:

My time as reported on 21Q ... was a fraud.

I did the race with a few of my young kids and about 10 minutes in I heard those magic words... "Daddy I need to go to the bathroom...." We took an unauthorized turn on 51st St. and suddenly the 5k race was cut to 3.5k!

We worked our way down H St.... to the bathroom at Starbucks... and then (just like Rosie) sprinted for the finish line! And that's why my time is so seemingly impressive....

In all fairness, if you include the walk to/from the car ... we did do at least a 7k... just not in the "timed" portion.

Mea culpa

Upon further review, we'll let Brothers slide for his transgression. After all, he ran for charity ....

Mark Williams (at right, yelling with a protester in a past photo), the former KFBK conservative talk show host who is suing his former employer, has landed a new full-time talking-head gig ... but not in Sacramento.

Starting Monday, Williams will be the afternoon guy on WROW, an AM station in Albany, N.Y. According to the industry Web site All Access, Williams will do the first week from his Northern California home before moving to Albany and starting live in upstate New York on Dec. 3.

But Northern California won't be rid of Williams. On his Web site, Williams writes:

"...(I)t is with great pleasure that I announce that as of next Monday, November 26, 2007, I will add to my menu of assignments the duties of afternoon talk show host on AM 590 WROW, which serves New York’s Capital District and Western New England (keeping an eye on Mitt).

That means that MarkTalk.com will be bringing to this life or death election a broad view, from the perspective of each important region. Northern California and the Capital District of New York have much in common but are still two very different places. Having a foot in each offers this site the opportunity to present to you a unique viewpoint, one which you will - I hope - appreciate.

The MarkTalk Podcast will continue ASAP and will have content specific to NorCal and not aired on the New York program."

UPDATE: In an e-mail to 21Q, Williams says: "We'll be splitting time between the cities. Actually a wonderful opportunity to present a unique perspective to listeners in both places during this particular election year. Additionally, Holly (his wife) and I are also both active in the Placer County community and hopefully will have even more to contribute given what will be an expansion of our already broad view.

"I will continue my local column (but will not be able to continue with CBS 13)."

Well, it was all for charity, so race times don't really matter. Right, boss? I mean, you're not gonna make me put our actual times in the (cough) "Celebrity Media Challenge" at this morning's Run to Feed the Hungry.

Uh, turns out, yes.

Editors!

Some of us did better than others.

Bee TV columnist Rick Kushman (left) won his age group (50-55) with a time of 37:15. So much for the TV-critic-as-couch-potato cliche.

Other results for media team members in the 10K:

* Bee political columnist Dan Weintraub: 37:59

* Yours truly, Bee media writer Sam McManis: 40:51

* Y92.5 DJ Paul Robins: 53:29

* Bee staff writer Mary Lynne Villenga: 55:52

* Channel 13/31 anchor Stefanie Cruz: 56:17

And in the 5K:

* Channel 3 and KFBK's Kelly Brothers: 27:08

* Channel 13/31 anchor Michele Kane: 32:12

* Channel 13/31 anchor Lisa Gonzales: 32:40

Other media notables - not on the official team but impressive finishers nonetheless in the 10K:

* Bee political writer Kevin Yamamura: 38:53

* Bee assistant managing editor Scott Lebar: 42:39

* Clear Channel Radio Sacramento General Manager Jeff Holden: 53:56

* Former Channel 3 news director Dan Weiser: 58:32

What now, Chris Burrous? Making fun of prostitutes?

Apparently so.

A few days before he delivered beer to the homeless, the Channel 13 morning anchor asked viewers to weigh in on which of the five women from Folsom arrested on a prostitution charge was the best looking based on their booking mug shots.

Burrous' co-anchor, Stefanie Cruz, was not amused. Here's their exchange (view the entire segment, posted on YouTube, below):

Cruz: "This is your (idea)...I know you wanted to do this segment but (me), not so much."

Burrous: "...I don't really care about the question...I just wanted to look at the picture...."

Cruz: "Honestly, I really find it to be a sad situation for these women...Whatever situation they're in, it's a desperate one. So I don't find it trivial."

Burrous: "I'm not saying it's trivial ...."

Cruz: "Well, you were asking which one was the best looking, so ...You ask, I tell. OK? Don't ask."

As Channel 13 intones in its promos for Burrous: "The future of news is here!"

Well, here it is, the video of "Good Day Sacramento" reporter Chris Burrous' now-infamous stunt on Monday, giving beer to a homeless woman.

Note, at the end, that Rich Wetzel, the CHP officer who gives traffic updates, did not approve. "A soft drink or water would've been great," says Wetzel, obviously embarrassed.

Reader Richard Bell of Grass Valley, apparently inspired by today's story in The Bee listing 10 reasons why local TV news doesn't stink, made his own list.

We'll share it and invite readers to add their own lists. Just click on the comment section below.

"Five More Reasons to Watch the Local News," By Richard Bell

1. The Sarah Gardner Show, AKA Channel 3 Reports at 6. This show has special appeal to anyone in my demographic category (i.e., males from age 16 to age 95, or from any guy who just got a driver's license to one who may lose his soon). Her reading of the news is top-rate as is that of others on her show whose names escape me at present.

2. Channel 13's own Not Ready for Prime-time Players. The newscast where comedy - unintended though it may be - rules the day. From Sam Shane, whose voice bears an uncanny resemblance to Al Franken's Stuart Smalley, to Kurtis Ming's Chevy Chase consumer segment (I'm Kurtis Ming and You're Not), this show can mesmerize. Both Pallas and Brandi can shake their heads in disgust and "Titch, titch" with the best in town. Rumor has it the station will seek to expand its Latino audience with a series of special reports concluding with a blockbuster spring segment: Los Doce Daves de Cinco de Mayo.

3. Danny Pommell's Metaphors. He's like the kid in junior English who discovers metaphors for the first time. His teacher encouraged him, and he's been at it ever since. He drops occasional pearls of wisdom like " Daunte Culpepper's now slower than your grandmother's '83 Buick goin' north on I-5."

4. Mark Finan in the Severe Weather Center. There's something eerie involved here. Hard not to imagine Finan proceeding to a special elevator and heading down to a combination underground silo/wine cellar. Like the proverbial mail carrier of old, neither rain, sleet nor MikeTeSelle burying himself in a snowbank can stop Finan from firing up Doppler and allowing it to do whatever Doppler does to create all those colors on a weather map.

5. The New Guy: Damany Lewis. Channel 3 just had to get a reporter who bears a resemblance to Cuba Gooding Jr., both in voice and appearance. So, I have no guilt or remorse in saying to Channel 3, "Show me DaMany!"

Bruno Cohen (left), president of channels 13 and 31, has released a statement about reporter Chris Burrous' "Good Day Sacramento" stunt of giving a homeless woman a case of beer:

"We have reviewed the situation and discussed it with Chris. He has a good heart, but clearly made a mistake and we sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by his actions.”

Jay Henderson, a reader from Folsom, writes to say he was stunned on Monday morning to see "Good Day Sacramento" reporter Chris Burrous (left) give a case of beer and a bag of McDonald's food to a homeless woman during a live segment.

The Bee has confirmed that Burrous made the on-air gesture (beer of choice: Bud Light) while reporting from the homeless camp in Natomas set up by bounty hunter Leonard Padilla.

Is it proper for a TV news anchor to give beer to a homeless resident?

No answer from Channel 13.

Steve Charlier, vice president for news for channels 13 and 31, did not return phone calls. Brent Baader, the Channel 31 executive in charge of daily operation of "Good Day Sacramento," referred all calls to station president Bruno Cohen.

Cohen returned a reporter's phone call but agreed only to an off-the-record conversation.

Burrous also did not return phone calls.

But Henderson, who says he is a fan of "Good Day," says he was shocked by Burrous' actions.

In an email to The Bee, Henderson wrote, "I could not believe what I was watching. Apparently Mr. Burrous is unaware that alcoholism is prevalent in the homeless community, and is also one of the causes of homelessness. He has a record of insensitivity to their plight, but this example was over the line, in my opinion. I am still stunned at his actions."

Henderson says he emailed his concerns to station management and on-air talent. He says the only response he received was from Stefanie Cruz, Burrous' co-anchor on the Channel 13 morning show. Henderson shared Cruz's email response with The Bee.

Cruz wrote:

"Hi Jay,

Thank you for your e-mail and for watching Good Day. I really appreciate your feedback and I understand why you were offended. All of us did have a conversation about the segment. We agreed it was not the best decision. His intent was to have a little fun and not put down or make fun of the homeless people. I assure you we take these issues seriously and the last thing we want to do is offend or insult anyone.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Stefanie"

Though Channel 13 personnel would not talk to The Bee about the beer incident, on this morning's Channel 13 news -- co-hosted by Burrous and Cruz -- the anchors referred to the beer incident during a conversation with radio DJs Pat & Tom from KNCI.

Talking about the Thanksgiving parade the radio pair annually host, Tom Mailey said to Burrous: "We understand you're buying McDonald's and beer, so we want to thank you for that."

Partner Pat Still then asked Burrous: "How'd that go?"

Burrous: "Really well."

Cruz: "Not so much."

While the contraction of local radio continues with Phil Cowan's departure from KSTE (see posting below), here's some heartening news:

KXJZ (90.9 FM), Sacramento's public-radio station, continues to add reporters. A few months ago, it hired Ben Adler and now news director Joe Barr tells us KXJZ is going to beef up again by hiring an anchor for local portion of NPR's "Morning Edition" as well as a health reporter.

The morning news anchor will augment -- not replace -- morning host Donna Apidone, Barr says.

Sacramento talk radio lost another local voice today when Phil Cowan left the air.

Cowan's conservative talk show (10 a.m. to noon) on KSTE (650 AM) had struggled for ratings. The big problem is that Cowan went against the mighty Rush Limbaugh on sister station KFBK (1530 AM). Cowan had hosted the call-in show for several years. He's best known, of course, as part of the morning duo on Y92.5's Paul and Phil show, which Cowan voluntarily left a year ago.

Replacing Cowan in the 10-noon spot will be syndicated consumer talker Clark Howard.

His departure makes Bruce Maiman (KFBK's evening guy) as the lone local talk-show left. Remember, KFBK's Tom Sullivan has moved to New York and been syndicated.

The past year has seen a procession of departures -- Mark Williams, Eric Hogue, Christine Craft, Enid Goldstein, Scott & Sims. (KSTE's lone local voice now is the morning team of Armstrong & Getty, more variety than overtly political.)

"As we've been working to realign KSTE to counterprogram KFBK, we realized we had to make this move to provide the listeners something different," says Jeff Holden, general manager of Sacramento's Clear Channel stations, which includes KSTE and KFBK. "Rush is such a dominant force that it was hard to break through."

Holden said Cowan's low ratings did play a part in the decision to cancel the show. "If it had shown a dramatic increase (in the last ratings period), it might have made a difference," he said.

But he had nothing but praise for what he termed Cowan's "professionalism." Holden says the station plans to stream Cowan's last 15-minute segment, during which he said goodbye, on the KSTE Web site later today.

So Fox40 devoted about two minutes last night to the Victoria's Secret models getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

After the requisite cheesecake shots and Mensa-type interviews with the models, including Heidi Klum(left), the segment ended and segued directly into ... Kristina Werner(right) and the weather.

Werner looked sheepishly into the camera and cracked: "I just can't believe how unattractive those girls are."

You could hear laughter on the set, to which Werner was quick to add: "I'm soooo kidding!"

Over at Channel 3 last night, Leticia Ordaz had wrapped up a story on Ripon High School cheerleaders who were suspended from school for writing the school letters -- Indians No. 1" -- on their backsides. Dave Walker slyly looked over to co-anchor Edie Lambert and said, "Probably not the end of this story."

And, finally, a cautionary note about ad-libbing: It's best for reporters doing live stand-ups to rehearse what they will say.

When Channel 3 went live to Damany Lewis for a fan reaction piece on Barry Bonds' perjury indictment, here's the verbatim transcript of Lewis:

"Dave, I can tell you, you know, this debate has been going on for four years. The investigation started four years ago and fans, well, the debate has been going on for that long. If Barry Bonds is innocent or guilty, well, tonight the debate continues."

So, to recap: There's a debate and it's been going on for four years. Got that?

Brian Baer/bbaer@sacbee.com

If this isn't a perfect metaphor for John McCain's struggling (and financially ailing) presidential campaign, I don't know what is. His black SUV broke down during a campaign stop in Sac, and he was forced to leave the Sheraton in a taxi.

Turns out the "Straight Talk Express" makes a few stops, after all.

And Channel 3 was there to provide the hilarious raw footage on its Web site. The raw video shows McCain fussing -- nay, obsessing -- about his luggage and blaming the media in a jocular fashion for "sabotaging" the car. "It's probably one of those reporter guys," he grouses. Later, while waiting for the taxi, McCain waved to passersby on the street and yelled to them, "Get rid of these jerks" -- meaning reporters and photographers.

Here's a question anchor Walt Gray didn't answer during the noon news: Was McCain planning on taking the taxi all the way to San Francisco, his next campign stop.

If so, no wonder his campaign coffers are empty.

It's bad enough that News10 and Fox40 both reported last night on the so-called blue ghost that "mysteriously appeared" on a convenience store surveillance tape -- hey, wasn't that a plotline on "The Simpsons"? -- but Fox40 took it a step further.

Later in the newscast, it reported on a woman in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (where else but Florida?) who claims she saw the images of Jesus and Mary on her pancake. Naturally, they sold the pancake on eBay.

Fox40 seems to have an affinity for Jesus images. A couple of months ago, it sent a reporter out to Lodi to do a story on a woman who saw Jesus on her backyard fence.

This sweeps month has seen its share of aggressive local TV news reporting. Course, our local correspondents aren't shrinking violets under normal circumstances, but they appeared to have taken their interview steroids Tuesday night.

First, we go to Channel 13's newest reporter, David Begnaud (left), who had an Abbott and Costello "Who's on First?"-type exchange with John Erickson, a teacher's aide from Alta accused of kissing and fondling students. As Erickson is walking back to his house, Begnaud engages him:

Begnaud: "Did you actually confess to them (neighbors)?"

Erickson: "That was a no comment."

Begnaud: "I know, but can you tell me ...."

Erickson: "Was that a no comment?"

Begnaud: "Did you really touch some girls?"

Erickson: "Was that a no comment? (Then, pointing to the reporter's notebook.) There's my attorney's (phone number) right there."

Begnaud: "So why did you violate the trust of kids?"

Erickson: "There it was right there. No comment."

Begnaud: "What would you tell parents who are watching?"

Erickson: "No comment."

Then, on Fox40, another new reporter, Michelle Liu(right), tangled with the lawyer for the Roseville cop Sacramento County cop Chris Guerrero (21Q stands corrected) accused of getting preferential treatment for a DUI offense.

After the lawyer prattled on about a police video that shows that his client was not impaired, Liu testily asked: "Can we see this video if you say it proves he was not driving drunk?"

To which the lawyer, Joseph Hougnon, responded, snippily: "We're not going to try this case in the public. I'm pointing these facts out to you to bring some fairness to what's been reported."

Yes, it's come to this. Mark S. Allen sets himself on fire this morning on "Good Day Sacramento."

There's nothing to add.

Local TV news stations can be excused for touting their scoops - especially during sweeps month - but News10 went way, way a wee bit overboard Tuesday night when reporting the latest about Kings' center Justin Williams.

Teasing the story at the top of News10's 11 p.m. show, anchor Dale Schornack intoned: "We break the news to the Sacramento Kings' Justin Williams that he will not face criminal charges...."

Then, in introducing sports guy Bryan May with the story, anchor Cristina Mendonsa crowed that News10 broke the story online, on TV and to Williams - as if we forgot what Schornack had said just a few minutes before.

And then, May comes on and talked about breaking the news to Williams: "He was pleasantly surprised is a good way to describe it, when our camera crew showed up. Justin Williams was at his Natomas home tonight when he found out - from us - that the Sacramento County District Attorney's office had decided not to file criminal charges (in a sexual assault complaint)."

And then...Williams gives this sound bite: "You're the ones who gave me the news, so I just had to call my lawyer to make sure."

This much is sure: No one will accuse News10 of being overly modest in its Kings reporting.

Another installment of the semi-popular blog series: We watch local TV news during sweeps, so you don't have to.

The good: Channel 13's Mike Dello Stritto (pictured, left) delivered an interesting feature report about a Sac State professor who's spent five years working on a DNA identification project in Tanzania. Great reporting by Dello Stritto, mainly because he just got out of the way and let the professor tell the story herself. We'd like to see our local TV news stations do more news features that aren't crime- or- personal-safety-related.

The bad: Channel 13 led its late news Monday night with a Steve Large (right) report on the car accident that claimed the lives of two UC Davis students on the crew team. (A third passenger is "clinging to life.") Fine, but Channel 13 had a significant sin of omission. Neither Large nor anchors Sam Shane and Pallas Hupe told us that the accident happened on Friday morning. It's OK to do a follow-up on an accident, but be sure to say that the news is three days old - especially if it's leading your newscast.

The good: Channel 3 took a stab at citizen journalism Monday night by using photos from a passerby, Dorian Dunlap, to show how Countrywide Home Loans left stacks of loan documents outside a mailbox in West Sac - a situation ripe for identify theft. KCRA's Damany Lewis took the citizen tip and material and talked to post office spokespeople and got a statement from the company.

The bad: On Thursday night, Lewis reported live from the oil spill in San Francisco. Apparently, desperate to spice up his stand-up report, Lewis picked up a plastic water bottle and showed it to the camera: "We took an unscientific test here of the water at Crissy Field. No one knows as of now what exactly is in this." Well, Damany, here's a guess: Two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen - and probably a little crude oil.

The good: Fox40 sports guy Jim Crandell (right) never minces words. On Friday, reporting on the Sac State basketball team's slaughter at the hands of Top 25 Kansas State, Crandell told viewers: "Now, I understand why Sac State will play at Kansas State, but - you know what? - it makes no sense. They have no chance."

The bad: On the same sportscast, Crandell threw out an obscure reference that no one I know has ever heard of. To wit: When describing how a tall Cleveland Cavalier player grabbed a rebound away from the Kings, Crandell said, "It's like playing Annie, Annie Over, for crying out loud." Annie What? Here's the definition from www.gameskidsplay.net.

The good: On Friday night, News10 anchor Cristina Mendonsa told the engrossing story of a Navy psychologist - and former Fair Oaks resident - who wrote a book about her experiences counseling soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mendonsa also practiced full disclosure by saying on the air that she has known the woman, Heidi Kraft, for a long time. (On her blog, Mendonsa added that the two were on a high school cheerleading squad.)

The bad: Transitioning out of the report, Mendonsa turned to co-anchor Dale Schornack and said: "An incredible woman." Schornack countered: "Let's go to another incredible woman ..." and then turned to meteorologist Patty Souza. Cringe. Souza: "Thanks, Dale. We've got some incredible news about rain coming in."

Sure, it's for one night only. And it's not on the 11 p.m. news, which erstwhile anchor John Alston left a year ago in a contract dispute.

Rather, Alston will do a thespian turn Tuesday night on "Law & Order: SVU" (at 10 p.m. on Channel 3).

So which is Alston going to be - the victim or the perverted homicidal suspect?

Uh, neither. Our sources tell us Alston will play ... a reporter.

We called Alston, who still chills in Sactown. But, apparently, he's gone totally Hollywood and didn't call us back. Maybe his people will.

News10 reporter Monika Diaz (see blog item below), who has been with the station since 2003, will leave on Nov. 18 for a job at WFAA in Dallas.

This marks a huge jump in status for Diaz. Dallas is the nation's fifth-ranked TV market; Sacramento, 20th.

"She's that good," says Stacy Owen, News10's news director. "We'll miss her."

This is News10's first opening for a reporter in about three years.

Here it is, local TV sweeps month, prime time to scream at and frighten viewers, and News10 leads its newscast Thursday night with the latest toy recall.

OK. So far, they're with the program. But wait ... what's with the lousy sweeps-mentality execution?

First, they didn't use the requisite word "scare," as in "toy-recall scare."

Then, reporter Monika Diaz (pictured) was woefully unclear on the whole tabloid approach that she was to adopt. Her tone was actually measured. Plus, no eerie synthesizer music played. Sure, she quoted concerned parents, but also found parents who aren't paranoid. She talked to officials and merchants and presented a balanced picture.

Sheesh. What a disappointment.

Worse, Diaz broke a cardinal rule of local TV news reporting at the end of the package when she told anchor Cristina Mendonsa that her advice to parents was: "Just don't panic."

Ohmigawd, Monika! How do you expect to reap ratings gold with comments such as that?

View her report here.

Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton

KVMR (89.5 FM), Nevada City’s crunchy-granola public radio station, recently completed its “Autumn of Love” pledge drive and raked in a record $110,000, according to program director Steve Baker.

Among the contributors: a baseball cap-wearing dude named Michael Moore (pictured at a rally last summer at the Capitol), the acclaimed documentarian and flaming leftist.

Moore dug deep, kicking in $1,000. Plus, during two airings of an hour-long interview with Moore, the station raised $7,500. And wait – there’s more! Moore donated 100 DVD copies of “Sicko,” his latest doc, to give to new subscribers.

Why does Moore care so much about a cool, but small, community-funded station? Well, his sister lives in Grass Valley, and Moore has said he often listens to the station online.

Memo to News10's Ryan Yamamoto, who is still getting guff for his dance moves in a promo for his advertorial story on the ABC show "Dancing With the Stars":

Ryan, check out the "ladies of 'Good Day Sacramento,'" bustin' moves on this morning's show in a segment on football. I hear traffic reporter Courtney Dempsey (above) gives lessons.

Today in The Huffington Post, the popular online news site, blogger Trevor Butterworth (who heads an organzation, STATS.org, which examines how the media covers science and statistics) takes recent reports on "toxic mattresses" to task. Among those reports was "Call Kurtis"; Channel 13's Kurtis Ming (pictured, right) aired his story Friday.

Step-by-step, Butterworth (pictured, left) dismantles the legitimacy of the TV reports - which originated at Channel 13's sister station in Chicago - and scolds reporters for failing to mention that the man making the claims has a huge conflict of interest.

Here's an excerpt:

The real evidence that reporters are asleep on the job does not come from the jumble of junk science about chemical poisoning, but the fact that People for Clean Beds is run by a rival mattress manufacturer with a hefty economic stake in scaring people about buying mattresses that meet the new regulations.

Mark Strobel founded "People for Clean Beds" specifically to oppose the new fire-safety requirements. He manufactures beds, which are exempt from the regulations and, as a consequence, can only be purchased with a doctor's prescription. He has no apparent scientific background beyond a BS degree. It's also not clear that anybody but Mark Strobel is involved in running "People for Clean Beds."

What is clear is that if you scare people into thinking that the new regulations will cause them harm, you raise the odds of more people getting a prescription for a Strobel Bed.

Conflict of interest anyone?

Strobel, by the way, is quoted extensively in the "Call Kurtis" segment.

On a positive note, Ming did give credit to "our sister station in Chicago" for the interviews, which he didn't do when airing a report from San Francisco station KPIX on online ripoffs the other day.

Butterworth, whose journalism has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Salon.com and other publications, goes into more depth in debunking the mattress story in an article posted in STATS.org's Web site.

Channel 3 has hired Teo Torres to anchor its 10 p.m. newcast on My58TV. Torres, according to a press release issued by the station, will also do general assignment reporting for KCRA.

He begins in January.

Still no word on when Channel 3 will announce a replacement for 6-and-11 p.m. anchor John Alston, who left the station a year ago last week.

Here's Torres' bio from his current gig as morning news anchor at KRON in San Francisco.

Just in time for sweeps, noted Sacramento bounty hunter Leonard Padilla made a grand gesture - thumbing his nose at county officials, actually - by offering his fallow land in Natomas to the homeless.

Now, Padilla has never met a camera he didn't like, and the local TV media lapped it up. Fox40 and News10 ran straightforward stories, basically taking Padilla's offer at face value, but quoting County Supe Roger Dickinson as saying Padilla is violating a zoning ordinance.

However, channels 3 and 13 didn't give the gadfly bounty hunter a free pass.

At 6:30 Wednesday night, KCRA's Lois Hart and Dave Walker grilled Padilla in a live interview. It was great TV, classic no-nonsense Dave & Lois reporting and, frankly, about time somebody called Padilla on his grandstanding.

Here's an excerpt of Lois bringing the hammer down on Leonard (and check out the YouTube clip above):

Hart to Padilla: "You're not suggesting that we should leave those people living in squalor in that neighborhood?"

Padilla: "Well, one person's squalor is another person's home."

Hart: "Oh, it's all garbage and feces. It's terrible."

Padilla: "You can go into houses sometimes where people in upper middle class America have been doing drugs and all that. And I can show you feces and terrible bedrooms...."

Later, Walker and Padilla had a testy exchange:

Walker: Some are saying, Leonard, that you just want to keep your name out politically here."

Padilla: "Then don't put me on the air, Dave."

Then, at 10 p.m., Channel 13 deserves kudos for its scoop on Padilla's legal problems on that very 60 acres of land. Reporter Mike Dello Stritto obtained court documents showing that the government is foreclosing on Padilla's property because he owes the IRS more than $2 million.

Dello Stritto (right) had his own testy exchange with Padilla, confronting him with the documents, dated June 1, that states Padilla had 30 days to give up the property. When Dello Stritto told Padilla he no longer owned the land, the bounty hunter shot back: "I own the property. They've just got a lien on it."

Dello Stritto: "So you're really just making a statement (with the offer to house the homeless)?"

Padilla: "Kicking a-- is what it's called."

All told, Sacramento's four local TV news directors should send Padilla a nice flower arrangement as thanks for giving them some juicy material during sweeps month.

I enjoyed Kurtis Ming's special report Tuesday night on how some online shoppers get bilked by an outfit called Webloyalty, Inc., which disguises monthly charges on a user's bill.

I also liked the nearly identical report by KPIX investigative reporter Anna Werner, which aired on Nov. 2. Channel 13 has yet to post the video from Ming's report on its Web site, but, trust me, it's pretty much the same as Werner's package, only with Ming's voiceover.

(UPDATE: Channel 13 now has posted the video online. View it here.)

Throughout, Ming throws out phrases such as "the people we interviewed" and "Fernandez told us...." Turns out, it was Werner, not Ming, who did the asking. Introducing the piece, Ming boasted: "Let's see if I can figure out what's going on..."

Silly me. I thought this was actually reporting by Ming.

Sure, KPIX is a CBS sister station to KOVR, but it seems to me a reporter's got to acknowledge that his work came from another station. Example: When The Bee runs a story written by a Fresno Bee reporter, it credits the Fresno paper, right there in the byline.

But Steve Charlier, vice president of news for Channel 13, defended the use of Werner's report.

"We work with KPIX on multiple stories daily," Charlier says. "We have an open feed. Probably in a day we'd share two stories each way with KPIX. Anna and 'Call Kurtis' work together all the time and sometimes split shoots."

But what would it have hurt if Ming had added one sentence to his intro, something along the lines of "Anna Werner of KPIX filed this report"?

Charlier's response: "I resent what you're implying. We run about 200 stories a year in which a person calls Kurtis and it's strictly local and probably another 25 that the premise might come from another CBS O-and-O (owned and operated station) and we'll go out and localize.

"Then we'll probably run another 15 or so that, from a legal standpoint, the company will say, we prefer you air their story." Charlier says Tuesday night's Call Kurtis report fell into that category.

"To compare newspapers to TV in this case would be wrong. The advantage of having an O-and-O station is that you can share stories."

OK, this isn't as bad as Channel 3 recently running a video news release without attribution, but still....