Biondi continues attack on student newspaper

By Ed Bishop

Just seven weeks after the controversy between St. Louis University President Rev. Lawrence Biondi and the staff of the university's award-winning student newspaper appeared to be over, all hell broke loose.

Only this time, rather than threatening to kick the University News off campus, Biondi seems to be determined to take control away from the student editors and its advisory board, and put it firmly in his own hands.

"Biondi goes around campus trying to control things," complains Professor John Pauly, chairman of both SLU's communications department and the newspaper's advisory board. "And now he's trying to do that to the student newspaper."

Biondi's control comes in the form of a new charter for the News. Two weeks before the beginning of the current semester, SLU Provost Sandra Johnson presented the new charter to J. Leland Quarles, the paper's editor-in-chief. The new charter doubles the number of members of the newspaper's advisory board (allowing administrators to pack the board), eliminates the ability of the newspaper staff to select their own editors, and all but dismisses the faculty adviser, Professor Avis Meyer, who has advised the student newspaper for 24 years.

"The heart of the issue is Avis Meyer," says former SLU Executive Vice President Richard Breslin. "The administration has not wanted Avis Meyer to continue for a long time."

Which is odd. Meyer has the whole-hearted support of the students, his department chairman and all the faculty who spoke to SJR. In fact, the annual award given by the university to advisers for various school activities was named after Meyer several years ago. Even the man appointed by the administration to replace him, Peter Salsaich, a professor in the law school who worked as a reporter for a year in 1961, praises Meyer.

"I think Avis is critical to the success of the newspaper," Salsaich says. "I strongly support him. I see absolutely no reason for his role to change."

Still, Salsaich says he has accepted the appointment of faculty adviser and will stay on. When asked what role he will serve if Meyer continues as the student-chosen adviser, Salsaich replies. "I don't know. I want to talk to the students. It's their paper."

That's not what Biondi says. He says the administration must become more active in carrying out its "responsibilities as publisher" of the paper. Biondi believes the newspaper is riddled with inaccuracies and must be put under the control of a new adviser.

But Salsaich says he doesn't believe the newspaper is riddled with mistakes.

And Editor-in-Chief Quarles has refused to accept the new charter and is still operating under the old one.

"I was elected under the old charter, I have to operate under the old charter," he says. Quarles also points out that there are serious questions as to whether the new charter is legal under the university's by-laws.

Confused?

Don't be. In the Byzantine world of the university that Larry Biondi built this all sort of makes sense.

Some background

For a decade or more, teaching hospitals at Catholic universities have been financial black holes draining tremendous amounts of money from their institutions. Last winter, Biondi decided that the only way to save St. Louis University Hospital was to sell it to Tenet HealthCare Corp, a for-profit company. The proposed sale, although it made some sense, started a firestorm of debate in the Catholic community. And the University News joined in.

Apparently, the paper's news reports and editorials angered Biondi. A lot of university administrators believe their student newspapers should be public-relations arms of the school, seeing anything close to balanced reporting as slanted against the university. They often start nit-picking about small mistakes in the paper.

"Biondi's actions suggest that he doesn't understand how a newspaper works, or its function," Meyer says.

Pauly adds: "Biondi's accusations about inaccuracies in the paper are so out of proportion that this whole thing couldn't possibly be about the facts. It would be easy to get the impression that he's out of control."

In any case, last March, administrators threatened to revoke the tuition remission of the student editor. Then, in April, they threatened to kick the newspaper off campus. Even after Pauly argued the students' case at a meeting of administrators, Biondi said he was still in favor of "making the newspaper more independent."

The student editors hit back. They contacted former staff members asking for their support. They got it. Alumni sent more than 60 letters to Biondi expressing their concern over his actions. The students also contacted the St. Louis Journalism Review and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, both of which strongly supported the News, pointing out to Biondi that intimidation struck at the heart of the American newspaper tradition.

After SJR and the Post admonished Biondi in editorials, he seemed to back off. Students were told that the matter would be settled at a meeting of the university's board of trustees on June 13. After that meeting, Biondi, through a spokesman, said the university had "reaffirmed its support" for the newspaper. Student editors were told nothing else had happened. But secretly the student newspaper's operating charter was being rewritten.

Is it Legal?

The student editors and some faculty members believe Biondi and other administrators have acted in bad faith throughout the controversy. That includes the way the new charter was passed. Biondi told the students that the entire board of trustees had voted to approve the new charter. But faculty and students don't believe it. They believe Biondi unilaterally amended the charter.

Dr. Judith Medoff, a non-voting faculty member of the board of trustees, tells SJR that, although she did not attend the June 13 meeting, she did receive the agenda and the student newspaper was not on it. Former Provost Richard Breslin, who is now suing the university over back pay, also believes the full board didn't vote on the charter. "I don't think the board would have changed the charter without consulting the students," he says. And several trustees told the students off-the-record that no vote was taken.

No one, however, is talking on the record. When SJR contacted trustees, it was told that in this case only Biondi could speak for the board. Biondi has not returned calls.

The students have hired an attorney, Mary B. Schultz, to determine their legal rights. Schultz is looking into such matters as federal funding to see if the case comes under the First Amendment, whether the university's by-laws allow for the charter to be revised without the vote of the full board, and if students must be consulted before the charter is imposed.

But she says the legal process could be a long one.

"I have a strong hunch that the newspaper's future is not going to be determined by legal principals but by the public's reaction," she says. "Some of the alumni will be outraged by the university trying to dictate editorial policy to the students. That outrage will get a bigger reaction than any sterile legal action."

Maybe not. At a meeting between the News Managing Editor William Mulvey, Editor Quarles and Biondi, the students say the support of the alumni was discussed. The student editors say Biondi made light of the alumni letters. They say he told them he had looked to see the amount of the donations from the letter writers and it wasn't much.

The adviser's role

Several sources have told SJR that they believe the crux of this entire matter is that Biondi believes the student newspaper's faculty adviser, Avis Meyer, influences the students to take stands against his administration.

Meyer is chosen and paid by the newspaper's staff. In fact, the newspaper receives none of its operating budget from the university, paying its expense through the sale of advertising.

The new adviser, on the other hand, will receive a salary from the university.

"If the administration knew how little control the advisor has over these kids, they'd be amazed," Meyer says. "If you want to gain their respect you have to work with them, not against them."

Meyer says that he personally disagreed with the editorial the students wrote against the sale of the hospital, but adds: "I'm not their dictator, I'm their advisor."

Quarles also says Biondi misunderstands Meyer's style. Quarles says that rather than throwing oil on the students' fire Meyer often douses them with water.

So why would Biondi have the impression that Meyer is the problem?

"Biondi is operating with an intellectual vacuum around him," Meyer says. "He thinks the administration and the trustees run the school when actually the students run it. When you take the kids out of the equation there's an intellectual vacuum."

In order to break the impasse surrounding St. Louis University and The News, SJR has formally invited Biondi and other administrators to discuss the issue in an open forum with Meyer, Pauly and Quarles, at a place and time of their choosing. Charles Klotzer, editor and publisher emeritus of SJR will act as the moderator.

Cohen forced to resign

By Teresa Farish

David Cohen, news director at KDNL (Channel 30), resigned last week after a reporter complained that Cohen had repeated an alleged racist remark during a staff meeting.

General Manager Tom Tipton would not say directly that the station had requested Cohen's resignation. He would only say that Cohen "tendered his resignation on Monday (Aug. 24)." Cohen, however, confirmed that his resignation had been requested by station management.

Cohen had been put on suspension the previous Thursday following a staff meeting to discuss story ideas. In preparation for the Black Expo being held in St. Louis that weekend, the station needed an idea that would focus on the black community. Reporter Leo Stallworth, an African-American, suggested a story on heart disease and its effect on that community.

"It was a good story idea, and we just needed to develop a way to illustrate it," Cohen says. It was the ensuing discussion on graphics that led to Cohen's trouble.

"As part of the discussion of ideas, we got around to talking about diet and how it affects heart disease," Cohen says. "I said, one time, 'Anyone who eats fried chicken and mashed potatoes regularly is going to have health problems.'"

Stallworth tells it differently. "I don't want to argue about how many times he made the remark," he says. "But he said it several times after I indicated that it was offending me."

Although Stallworth says he can not remember exactly what he said to Cohen, he says he indicated to him verbally more than once that the remark was offensive. Cohen continued to repeat the remark regarding African-Americans and fried chicken, Stallworth says.

Channel 30 staffers present at the meeting were instructed by management not to discuss the incident with reporters, so SJR was unable to corroborate either Stallworth's and Cohen's version.

According to Stallworth's description, however, those in the meeting were very uncomfortable by the time it ended. "People were just shocked," Stallworth says, adding that after the meeting several co-workers came up to him to say, "I'm so sorry."

"He went back to his office as if nothing ever happened," Stallworth says.

It was shortly after the meeting that Stallworth went to meet with Tipton, and Cohen was placed on suspension before the day ended.

On the other hand, Cohen is adamant he only made the remark once.

Sunday, Aug. 23, would have been Cohen's five-month anniversary date as Channel 30's news director. On a day when he could have been celebrating or reflecting on newsroom victories during his short stint, he was instead reading his name in Jerry Berger's column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.. The report read: "David Cohen ... was suspended Thursday pending an investigation that should be completed by early next week."

By Monday the decision was made and Cohen was forced to turn in his resignation.

"I was not treated fairly," he says.

Stallworth, meanwhile, commends Tipton on his quick action on the matter.

"The general manager made the best decision he could at the time," Stallworth says. "When I talked to him after the meeting, he was very upset and told me this would be dealt with, and it was. Sinclair Broadcasting lived up to its zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment, and I can't argue with the decision that was made."

Ishmael Ahmad, president of the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists and a reporter at the St. Louis American, agrees that Tom Tipton made the right decision-if Stallworth's version is correct. As a reporter, Ahmad says he knows the banter can get fast in a meeting where decisions need to be made quickly and that people may speak without thinking.

"Anybody can say something that might be offensive to a member of another group," Ahmad says. "But if (the person being offended) brings it to their attention and that person doesn't correct the action by apologizing or trying to see it from the other person's point of view, then there's a problem. Anyone can misspeak, but if another brings it to your attention that what you've said is offensive, then there's an opportunity for growth and some type of understanding."

Ahmad says he doesn't believe that growth had taken place in Cohen's case. He says if it had, if Cohen had corrected his mistake, "the outcome might have been totally different. Something extraordinary must have happened to bring this to the point where someone loses his job."

What if the scene in the staff meeting was more similar to Cohen's description than to Stallworth's, and what if Cohen really made the remark only once in a fast-moving discourse in which everyone was participating? Would Stallworth still have complained and would the punishment of termination have fit the crime?

"I don't know, because that didn't happen," Stallworth says.

He says that scenario would have to be viewed in context, such as the way the remark was made and the perceived level of malice. As it is, he agrees with Ahmad's opinion that what made the incident so offensive is that Cohen made no attempt to apologize during the meeting.

Cohen did apologize in print after being suspended, first in Berger's column: "I made a comment which was inappropriate and one I deeply regre t... While my comments were made without maliciousness, I understand that these words were hurtful, and I apologize to colleagues and friends."

Later, after his resignation, he told SJR: "I understand how some people may have been hurt, and I'm sorry. But I'm telling the truth as I know it. This was an insensitive statement. But there's no pattern here-I'm not a racist."

One pattern Cohen will admit to is a pattern of changes at Channel 30 since being hired by former general manager Frank Quitoni, whom Cohen had known for 20 years. Quitoni was replaced by Tipton about a month after Cohen's hire. Cohen says Quitoni hired him to be an agent of change, "to restore or provide a level of respectability at KDNL."

"I would prefer to be judged on my accomplishments," Cohen says. "We have seen a change in the type of coverage, in the tone of coverage. I have been instrumental in re-energizing the staff. That's how I choose to be remembered. Not for one comment that was misinterpreted. I increased a lot of people's opportunities for reporting and producing while I was news director, including Leo Stallworth's."

Don Marsh, St. Louis news veteran who also resigned from Channel 30 last week after unrelated contract disputes with the station's management, agreed that Cohen had made positive changes.

"The stories definitely took a much harder edge, with much more pronounced emphasis on local news," Marsh says. "Dave's ideas certainly made for more interesting viewing."

In order to get that harder edge, the staffers found their work loads increasing under Cohen's direction. And some sources have told SJR that Cohen's hard-driving style may have really been his downfall. But others say Cohen was also perceived to be "blustery" and apt to make sexist and racist remarks.

Tipton would not comment when asked if complaints had been made about Cohen prior to those from Stallworth.

Cohen says he did not know if complaints had been made but adds, "When you are an agent of change, you become a lightning rod for that kind of thing."

Greg Freeman, reporter and columnist for the Post, says he doesn't want to comment on the incident at the staff meeting since he had not been present. But he did say, "I've known David Cohen for several years and I don't know him to be a racist."

Stallworth doesn't want to call Cohen a racist, either.

"You never want to see anyone lose their job, no matter how it happens," Stallworth says. "I wish Dave Cohen the best. I hold no grudges-I forgive him. I just hope we have learned something valuable in this. We all have to live together, and I have chosen to live my life without living in the confines of racial barriers. We are only here for a short time, and I'm not going to waste that time being racist or sitting back when others determine boundaries for a certain group of people. It's incumbent on me not to just sit back and act like I don't hear things like that."

Carol Scheer, former assistant news director, is Channel 30's interim news director until the spot is filled. Cohen's plans, meanwhile, are to "look for a job." After living in St. Louis for over 12 years, he says he'd like to stay here if possible.

The story on heart disease in the African-American community was never done.

Controversy, awards follow Post reporter Carolyn Tuft

By Ellen Harris

Some Belleville readers have labeled Carolyn Tuft a "nigger lover." A black colleague at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has accused her of being a white racist. Two other reporters disagree with her current investigation. An editor took issue with how she wrote it. One state's attorney says he distrusts her. And her editor calls her the Post''s number one investigative reporter.

Wherever Tuft goes, controversy follows.

Currently the controversy is over her first-person account of a murderer who twice physically threatened her and who, she argues, killed Audrey Cardenas, Tuft's former colleague at the Belleville News-Democrat.

Tuft argues that Dale Anderson, who is now serving time at Menard Correctional Center for the 1989 murders of a pregnant woman and her son, killed Cardenas in 1988, and that an innocent man, Rodney Woidtke, is serving 45 years for being a homeless mental patient discovered wandering near the Cardenas crime scene.

Her 15-part series, which began March 8, written along with reporter Bill Smith has drawn attention from Editor & Publisher and from NBC-TV's "Dateline," which is scheduled to broadcast an interview with Tuft during the November sweeps.

"I'm not intentionally controversial, but the very nature of investigative reporting is that you're unpopular with the people you expose," Tuft says.

For charging ahead, she has won a dozen awards including two from Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) in only 10 years.

Being an investigative reporter has been her goal since she was 11-years-old. "I think that you gotta want it real bad. I wanted it real bad. That's how I persevered. I'd taken a big risk quitting my job [to go to journalism school]. I didn't want to die like my brother without making my mark in the world. That mark is righting whatever wrongs I can. People tell me that's an unrealistic goal."

What makes Carolyn run?

Fueling her drive are years of being held back by poverty and of wanting to help the voiceless. If Tuft hadn't been fighting back since childhood, she could easily be prey: She looks delicate; small-boned, thin, with a delicately featured face and soft coloring-big green eyes and taffy-colored hair. Her demeanor can be quiet. But she's very forceful when she talks about her investigations and crusades.

Since sixth grade, Tuft, 39, has followed causes wherever they take her. She comes from a long line of steelworkers, yet threw an informational picket at Granite City Steel with her classmates at Niedringhaus Elementary School to shut down the plant. Their teacher, a refugee from Eastern Europe, told them, "One reason America won its freedom from England was that newspapers kept an informed public so we could rule ourselves. Tuft decided then to join the fourth estate: "I've wanted to right wrongs."

Carolyn Garner was the fifth of six children; her father drank and her mother divorced him when Carolyn was young. They moved around, often staying with her maternal grandparents for long periods. She worked on the Granite City High School South newspaper and yearbook, but didn't have the money to buy her own yearbook. She was in the college prep track, until her senior year when she dropped it to work part-time "to help feed the family."

Tuft planned on journalism school at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, but instead took a job at a jewelry store and started dating "the first boy who paid attention to me." They married, but he couldn't find work, so they moved to Houston. The Houston Chronicle offered her the job she wanted, as clerk, but Tenneco Oil Co. offered better benefits, so she went there. She was still poor. "A drunk totaled our car and I had to take the bus to work," she recalls. "My husband began drinking, although it was part of our marriage vows there be no liquor." They separated. She was 21.

Things became worse. "My best friend, my brother, was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was 25. He'd just given another cyclist a jump so his light

wasn't working. It was dim. He signaled a left turn and the guy he'd just helped hit him." Seeing death so close so early in life propelled Tuft into focusing on what she wanted in life and going for it now.

She returned to her husband and became pregnant. "I wanted a baby to name after my brother," she says. Her husband beat her, she says. After her son was born, she left, leaving behind the furniture, the car, everything she'd worked for. She took only the baby and his furniture and moved back to Granite City.

Her grandmother, Francis Wilson, told her, "Be whatever you want to be. That's more important than making money."

SIU-E was out of the question, it was too far away to leave her son who suffered from asthma, nearly dying at age one.

With student loans, Tuft attended Belleville Area College, her grandmother giving her pep talks of, "You'll make it. I always know you'll make it." To help out, Mrs. Wilson watched the baby. While Tuft was taking her second

semester finals, her grandmother had a heart attack and died a few days later.

Tuft considered quitting college. "I was very depressed. But I kept going

because she wanted me to have a career in journalism. "

Tuft feels no self-pity. "I was brought up Catholic and have a lot of guilt but not a lot of self-pity. The glory of being a reporter is finding a person who has it a lot worse than you. I'd have to go a long way to have it worse than the people I report about."

Tuft's father, Fred Garner, stepped in with emotional support. "He was my biggest fan," she says cheerfully. "He read every story I wrote. I knew if he couldn't tell what my opinion was, then I'd been fair. "

After she collected her associate's degree at BAC, Tuft enrolled in SIU-E's

j-school. To pay for tuition, she wrote for trade publications and the Collinsville Herald.

As a staff writer for the SIU-E student paper Alestle, she began wading into contentious water, then as news editor, dove in. "I tended to take the more controversial stories," she explains. Her voice brightens, "We had a scandal. A civil service employee put into our newsroom by the administration controlled our advertising money. We found we were in the red, that she wasn't depositing it. The administration did suspend her without pay but they tried to keep us from writing about it."

She graduated in 1987, aged 28. "Ten years after high school," she says

chuckling in her throaty voice. Tuft likes to see patterns in things. She went to work at the Belleville News-Democrat.

For a late bloomer, she flowered into a red-hot: She was highly productive, churning out a story a day and one for Sunday, while doing investigations on the side.

What inspires her are the pleas of the disenfranchised, the silenced. "I believe in giving a voice to the voiceless, the person who has no other avenue to right whatever wrongs done to them," she says. "I always search for problems, like the blacks in Belleville."

The paper's editors told her she would have to find proof that police were discriminating against blacks by disproportionately giving them traffic tickets. Tuft spent four cold months in the unheated St. Clair County garage going through old traffic tickets, looking for "Black" scribbled on the top of the tickets." Once while she was combing through boxes piled 10-feet high in a parking space, the driver suddenly pulled up and yelled at her to move it. "I was so overwhelmed, I cried. I didn't think I'd make it through."

Today, she says, "If you're not obsessive, you won't go through the rough parts where you become frustrated."

Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts

Despite such miseries, Tuft likes the paper chase: "I let the facts tell the story. I always start with the records. People are fallible. I never let someone in a position of power tell me what the story is. I want to know for myself."

Her racist police series began running Mother's Day, 1991. After that, Belleville began hiring its first black employees, including police officers. Tuft was awarded by the American Civil Liberties Union, Columbia University and IRE. Steve Kroft interviewed her in a "60 Minutes" piece, January, 1993.

No Mrs. Cop

A year after she arrived at the News-Democrat, Tuft became friends with a Belleville cop. Drinking one night in 1988, he introduced her to a detective with the Illinois State Police, Greg Fernandez, now a detective sergeant and Tuft's husband. She denies that gives her any advantage. Theirs is a "blended" family with three teenaged boys: Tuft's son nearly 16, and Fernandez's two, 14 and 17.

When Tuft and Fernandez returned from their honeymoon, the Post called for a job interview. Five years to the day after she was issued a press card at the News-Democrat, Tuft walked into the Post's Jefferson County bureau on September 28, 1992.

The I-Team

By February, Post management named her to its first I-team. She hadn't applied and didn't know she'd been picked until a male reporter who had and lost out called her with, "You know why you've been picked," implying that it was because she was female.

"I hope it's because I do good work. Gender shouldn't be a premier qualification," Tuft told SJR.

In any case, she joined four men. Tuft and others wrote:

• How homebuilders who contributed to the war chests of St. Louis County officials never completed work in new subdivisions nor were penalized.

• Big rigging in Rockwood School District.

• Licensing of improper paramedics and ambulances.

After the Post dismantled the I-Team, Tuft began the new year, 1995 at St. Louis City Hall writing front-page stories about:

• Violations in awarding minority contracts.

• The city assessor secretly taping meetings.

• City employees and cops who didn't pay city taxes.

Of all her controversial stories then, the next three involving then Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. were the most problematic: Bosley Sr.'s mattress factory paid no rent to the the Land Redevelopment Authority and no city taxes; misuse of Midnight Basketball funds; city officials, including the mayor's office, using city cell phones for personal business.

Another racist charge

Post reporter Yvonne Samuel, called Tuft a racist for going after the city's first black mayor.

Tuft says she was hurt: "I'd been called names in Belleville and then I do my job in City Hall and I'm called a racist. Busy minds don't have time for this," she says, her voice rising slightly. She speaks faster, " I'm used to fighting editors. I'm not used to fighting people who do the same job I do." Fearless, Tuft responded to Samuel with an open memo to the newsroom which, she says, garnered 100 letters of support.

In the midst of the Bosley investigations and Samuel's accusation, Tuft's father was diagnosed with cancer. Tuft took her turn caring of him. He died April 12, 1997. His death was all the more poignant because he'd recently remarried her mother in Tuft's living room.

"Now it's the story itself that keeps me going," Tuft says. "Even if it looks impossible."

Her next investigation was the most difficult to work up. "People didn't want to talk against Bertha Gilkey." Internationally renowned for originating tenant-managed housing projects at Cochran Gardens, Tuft found Gilkey was running her private business on a credit card issued by Cochran.

While Tuft was working this case, her husband's brother was murdered on Halloween, 1997, a victim of a car jacking.

The death of an intern

Wrapping up the Gilkey series, Tuft received a letter Christmas Eve, from Rodney Woidtke, the man convicted of killing Audrey Cardenas. "No one cares what happens to me," he wrote from solitary confinement after a suicide attempt.

"After reading his letter, I decided to start the new year pleading to the Post to let me do Woidtke's story."

Background: Audrey Cardenas, an intern at the News-Democrat, disappeared June 19, 1988. Her body was found a week later near a creek bed; cause of death undetermined. Tuft pushed to work on the case. "They [the News-Democrat] wouldn't let me jump in with both feet because of my prior involvement with Dale Anderson."

Anderson was a suspect in Canderas' murder and was later convicted of murdering two other people.

Tuft had signed a criminal complaint against Anderson for pulling a gun on her and impersonating a police officer during an interview in his home in which he said his three bosses at the Department of Public Aid had shoved him. Later, Anderson tried to lure Tuft into his car, but she fled.

Anderson liked to wear a St. Clair County deputy sheriff's badge; he had an FBI pin and a gun. He looked like a detective. Tuft questions why police didn't consider him a suspect in the Cardenas murder.

A forensic psychiatrist told Tuft she was the original target instead of Cardenas. Is she haunted more by Woidtke's possible innocence or Cardenas's death? Both, she explains. "Anderson was stalking other reporters and Audrey being new and not knowing many people and being alone a lot was a weak link. That's why I go back to the creek and pace it off. I try to figure it out how someone got Audrey to walk that way. She didn't know anybody." She may have thought Anderson was a cop.

"After Audrey's memorial service, four women reporters asked the police to look into Anderson. I had full faith in the police. All they wanted was a confession."

Rodney Woidtke gave them that. And now he's doing 45 years in the Dixon Correctional Center in Dixon, Illinois, Ronald Reagan's home town, about 90 miles west of Chicago. "When I'm there it's hard not to feel his pain," says Tuft. "He was completely shackled and sedated 24 hours a day in January. He blames himself that Audrey's mother can't confront Audrey's killer because he said something untrue."

Why did he confess if he didn't do it? Tuft explains: "He thought they'd kill him anyway. They called him a homosexual and he showed he wasn't by saying he had wanted to have sex with her [Audrey.]"

Respected Post veteran Robert Goodrich of the Belleville Bureau, disagrees. "I have high regard for Carolyn," he says, "but I sat through the entire trial and think Woidtke is good for it. I'm not rolled over by a single confession especially by a guy with mental problems, but Woidtke made three. Most persuasive was the testimony of the police woman who took the last one."

Having covered Anderson's trial, Goodrich says, "He's so despicable, everybody in Belleville wishes Anderson were good for Cardenas. But there is no solid evidence."

"The media tends to be pro-prosecution," rejoins Tuft.

She butted heads with another award-winning reporter, George Pawlacyzk, at the News-Democrat.. He says, "I think Rodney probably did it. I don't see any evidence other than coincidence that ties Anderson to the murder." Tuft retorts, "But no one has looked at all the evidence like Bill [Smith] and I."

But John Baricevic has. St. Clair County State's Attorney until 1990 when he was elected chairman of the County Board, he says there is nothing to exonerate Woidtke. "The stuff she [Tuft] prints, we've known for years. I don't trust her. I'm not offended if someone has a different opinion. If there is any new evidence then we should look at it. But there isn't. I made the call after three other prosecutors reviewed this case. No one wants an innocent man to sit in jail."

A career prosecutor for 13 years when Woidtke confessed, Baricevic notes, "Absolutely, not all confessions are good. I turned down cases with confessions and charged cases when someone else confessed."

Tuft is so into this case she assumes you too are familiar with its intricacies, which makes it occasionally difficult to follow her. She loves facts and is very specific in coversation, eg., tell her she's thin and she'll report, "I'm five-six, one hundred and ten pounds."

Alone with the killer

Tuft is trying to entice Anderson into confessing or pointing to new evidence. She's been interviewing him in Menard where he's serving two life terms for murdering pregnant Jolaine Lanman and her three-year-old son. He killed them on the eve of Woidtke's sentencing in the Cardenas slaying. Anderson forced Lanman to write a note that his three bosses killed Cardenas, says Tuft.

Anderson likes Tuft to interview him without Smith. "Dale's infatuated with me," explains Tuft. "He's written me that if my husband dumps me, he'll be my knight in shining armor, he'll marry me, he'll get out. "

A forensic psychiatrist told Tuft she was the original target for the Cardenas murder and that Anderson intended to kill her and frame his bosses. The doctor suggested Tuft visit Anderson alone because the killer likes to think he can manipulate women.

Is it scary being in a small room alone with Dale Anderson? Tuft doesn't act tough, she admits she's afraid but won't give in to it. "I try to face fear head on because when I hide, it gets worse," she says. "I think what's the worse that can happen and put it into perspective. My biggest fear is my son turning 16 and driving."

When she and Smith first interviewed Anderson, she was terrified. She'd heard he'd lost an eye so she practiced in the mirror talking to him without staring. It turned out he hadn't.

A new trial?

Tuft is waiting for the Sept. 4 hearing for Woidtke, now represented by the able Ron Jenkins, a Clayton defense attorney, a former assistant U.S. Attorney and formerly with the Justice Department's Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. Jenkins says, "Rodney was never good for it. His confession is a combination of horrible circumstances. Rodney had some sexual hang-ups in addition to mental instability. and as many officers might do, police took advantage of the situation.

Jenkins says, "The light went on when I read the trial transcript." Woidtke's public defender waived a jury trial which is rare in a murder case;

he failed to cross-examine about five state's witnesses and only minimally crossed the other eight; yet he was reappointed to handle Woidtke's appeal.

Tuft feels overwhelmed trying to free Woidtke. "It's very emotionally draining." But she won't give up: "I've been threatened with bodily harm to stop the stories I've worked on. I refused. If I stop, they win."

She can't stop thinking that Anderson intended to kill her not Cardenas; if he'd been arrested in 1988, he couldn't have murdered Lanman and her son in 1989.

"I don't leave this project at work. I'm thinking about it all the time. People ask me why I'm still working at 9:30 at night. It's because I haven't gotten the answers yet."

LETTERS

One-sided story: Bennett ill-served

SJR: The recent article about the departure of news director Lester Graham ("KWMU fires Graham," July/August 1998) was far from being a reasoned, sound "critique" of recent events at KWMU involving a sensitive personnel matter. KWMU's licensee, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, encourages very professional handling of personnel matters and quite rightly does not disclose the details surrounding an individual's personnel history and actions involving them. Absent, then, is the telling of events from the perspective of numerous other people who witnessed the events surrounding Graham's firing, myself included. The article relies primarily on sensationalized quotes from past employees. Unfortunately, this results in an implication of some "trouble" at the station.

While I cannot add to or clarify by supplying more detail about the specific situation, I feel compelled to dispel the undertone of the article. As someone who has worked at the station with Patricia Bennett for more than eight years, I would like to tell you just how successful the station has been under her leadership.

Under her guidance, the number of people listening to KWMU each 15-minutes (AQH-Average Quarter Hour) has tripled to 8600 in 10 years. The station's share has increased to a high of 2.4 and the number of people listening each week is also at a record high of 122,900 for a fall Arbitron survey. Share is KWMU's percentage of total radio listening in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Since arriving in 1989, Bennett has spearheaded replacement of the station's antiquated transmission system and outdated recording and broadcast equipment. The station now uses state-of-the-art digital editing and has integrated computerized operations from news production to fund raising and marketing. Just 10 years ago, the station relied only on typewriters in its newsroom! Most recently, Bennett has worked with the university to move and replace the station's aging satellite dish and has secured funding for the station's first ever back-up generator.

In 1989, Bennett took the helm of a station in financial straits that was relying on financial support from the university and federal grants for two-thirds of its operating revenue. Today, community support makes up 73 percent of KWMU's operating budget. Total community support has almost tripled in 10 years. The station now raises more than $1.3 million from St. Louisans. Now more than 10,000 individuals support the station, up from 4,000 10 years ago.

The transformation of the station from a struggling, under performing operation to a respected, professional community resource has often been an uphill effort. While there is no doubt that KWMU's general manager is a dynamic leader, given the depth of changes that needed to be made at the station, controversy was inevitable. As a team, we don't let the controversy tap the station's energy. Instead we stay focused on moving the station forward.

Over the years, Bennett has refocused the allocation of financial resources to provide greater service while keeping expenses and staff levels under control. KWMU's current full-time staff bring more than 159 years of broadcast experience to the job and they have been at the station an average of more than five years. Bennett has focused on the importance of recruiting experienced professionals to the staff, providing training and encouraging staff to be active in community and professional activities. The involvement of all staff in an annual process of goal setting and mission review has created a strong team environment to foster growth and the generation of new ideas. The station now is an award-winning, industry leader in its news coverage, fund raising-and it's management. In the past year, the station has won 13 awards for news coverage and just received a first place national development award for excellence in its corporate support efforts. In 1994, KWMU received three Addy Certificates of Excellence for its ad campaign created by DMB&B. In 1991, University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellor Blanche Touhill was awarded the national Eugene L. Asher award for outstanding support of a university official for a public radio station.

St. Louis has benefited from the national leadership experience Bennett brought with her to KWMU. A two-term board member for National Public Radio, she served on the Membership, Audit, Distribution and Interconnect, Development and Nominating committees. Prior to coming to KWMU, Bennett was with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C., where she qualified public radio and television stations across the country for federal funding. She has also served on the national board of the Public Radio Managers' Association and is currently secretary for Public Radio in Mid-America, a regional public radio association. She has made the station a player in the local radio market with her involvement on the St. Louis Radio Association board.

I think it's time to say that the staff of KWMU is very proud of their GM and of our accomplishments of the past 10 years. Morale is higher than ever, we are a team and the station is poised for even greater things.

Sincerely,

Shelley Kerley

KWMU Station Manager/

Development Director

Post run by radical feminists

SJR: After many changes at the St. Louis Post Dispatch, readership is back in the doldrums despite new editorial management, a complete facelift, and an aggressive advertising campaign. The readers have voted with their pocketbooks and the verdict is in.

Years ago, reporter Martha Shirk (with Editor Bill Woo, her husband, assuming an oddly mute role) turned the Post into a feminist power parlor. She spent most of her time working with big-government legislators pumping up every victim-driven government program she could find, while the voters were going the other way. She railed against the roles of fathers and husbands in their families, knowingly censoring what I and many others were doing to resolve the tragic problems that rise from father-absence and divorce. The Woo social dynasty subsequently sank in a sea of poor readership.

Today, the Post is in deeper water. Power hanky-panky, combined with organized "ethnic cleansing" of gender-neutral journalists, has left the Post a font of chaotic social thinking. The "Pink Dispatch." bus still careens down an unpaved road circumscribing the outer limits of this midwest community, with readers bailing out, one-by-one.

It is diagnostic that the Post editorialized about the necessity of Clinton coming clean or resigning, while the existence of the Bertelson/Campbell affair is sternly quashed. That the management has been successful in censoring "Pantygate" does not lessen the visible effects of inappropriate appointments, decisions, and journalism borne in conflicts of personal and political interests.

What are the effects of "Pantygate?" We see large amounts of prime column space devoted to "bad boy" articles, while bad girls are often portrayed as victims (if mentioned at all). The July 11th issue of the Post contained 17 "bad boy" articles, two "good boy" articles, two small "bad girl" articles, and three cameo "good girl" articles. A casual review of other issues reveals a mechanical bias against men and fathers that could perhaps be defined as "soft hate."

Articles and editorials hailed the dubious right of minors to play "Howard Stern" in Cissy Lacks' classroom. But the Post revealed its double-standards

when it published some of this "poetry" with the filthy words censored.

The Post touts lesbianism in special bimonthly editorial dioramas. It perversely called those who oppose lesbianism "Sodomites," while devoting extraordinary amounts of column space sweetly selling a sextarian Tralfamador where men are plundered for sperm and money.

While Social Services commands an ever larger majority of the Missouri budget, the Post complains that this is not enough, and then wonders why schools are underfunded despite large cash injections from the family-destructive activity known as "gambling," which the Post also supported.

The ballyhooed series about the 2004 Committee (a collection of political gentiles assuming illegitimate grassroots status) was a farce. Does anyone seriously believe that yet another free HUD housing program will succeed under the name "sustainable housing?" Can anyone believe that locking up 80 percent of males living in St. Louis City represents World's Fair civic progress?

I would like to point out that I have been predominantly working on pro-family issues at the national level for the past two years. My local work has been quite limited, so my objection is not personal in nature. It purely addresses the complete failure of the Post to cover the good things that many St. Louisans are doing to get the family back on track for the benefit of women, children and men.

The father's day editorial page projected a melodramatic photo splash of no substance what-so-ever, despite the large number of thoughtful real issues about fathering, fatherhood and husbanding that should have been highlighted.

When the Missouri Supreme Court finally decided to stop double-charging child support against non-custodial parents, the Post waged a fear campaign, causing the Supreme Court to retract its decision and return to the dark ages of "deadbolt dad" politics. If St. Louis County were to double-assess property taxes, I believe the Post's position would be entirely different.

I am here to secure the same rights for fathers to be in the family as we have granted to women in the workplace, a goal that many women now support. How can we call this "America," when the average young boy must grow up expecting not to have the social right to be a father and husband?

Fathers and husbands now constitute a minority in the American family, to the often-decried, well documented detriment of women and children. Unfortunately, women in St. Louis remain uninformed, without positive choices for the future, because the "Pink Dispatch" has but one political agenda-excluding marriage and the value of having a husband.

Pro-family perspectives on social legislation are uniformly censored by the Post. One would never know the historic turnout of pro-family men and women who testified on Missouri social legislation this past year-yet just about everyone else who showed up there was lionized by the Post. In a clear rejection of the Post's platitudes, most of the legislation we sought was passed by the Missouri legislature.

When Pulitzer Publishing finally decides to make money, it will clean house and install a mature headship that will cover all relevant issues and community efforts without pretense or sexist subrogation. This headship would do well to begin by following the "Post-Dispatch Platform," a directive that daily reminds us why the Post is again doing poorly at the newsstand.

The Post must become a reflection of the real citizens working for progress in the American experiment of democracy. It can no longer air to pretend being the creator, solicitor and judge of it all. This change is the unavoidable prerequisite to restoration of a progressive, intelligent and profitable dynamic between the Post-Dispatch and the community it still fails to engage or serve.

David R. Usher,

Chairman, American Coalition

for Fathers and Children

Missouri Coalition

OF NOTE

Rice license revoked

The Federal Communications Commission has officially revoked the licenses of seven radio stations owned by Michael Rice, the former owner of KIRL in St. Charles. Rice is currently in prison serving time after being convicted in the sexual assaults of five children.

In its decision, the commission determined that Rice's current involvement in the stations' activities was greater than what he reported. In Missouri, the stations involved in the decision are KFMZ Columbia, KFXE Cuba, KAAM Huntsville and KBMX Eldon.

-Frank Absher

SIU-E lawsuit settled

A reverse discrimination lawsuit filed against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville by Roy Gerritsen, the former general manager of the school's radio station, has been settled out of court. Although lawyers for both sides refused to comment on the deal, apparently a financial settlement was made.

Gerritsen's suit alleged the university and its agents had undermined his efforts to discipline a minority part-time worker. Gerritsen claimed that he had assembled overwhelming documentation detailing the employee's substandard job performance. Gerritsen also alleged the school also forbade him to fire another worker who Gerritsen claimed fomented racial hostility.

As late as last July, Keith Nichols, a spokesperson for SIU-E, had told SJR, "We think we have done nothing wrong." He said the school was trying to get the suit dismissed as groundless. That didn't happen. Less than one week before the trial, the settlement was announced.

But the university isn't out of the woods. Another former employee has a similar suit pending which makes many of the same allegations against the university.

-Ed Bishop

Another TV station opens a St. Louis office

A television station based in Mt. Vernon, Ill., now has its principal business office in St. Louis. The reason: an effort by the station's new owner to grab a portion of the market's ad dollars.

It's a complete makeover for WCEE-TV, which has changed its call letters to WPXS and is affiliating with parent Pax TV, the new nationwide program network of Paxson Communications. Local general manager Suzanne Teagle says a low-power translator has been installed in St. Louis, broadcasting the station on Channel 40. In addition, agreements have been reached with the area's two cable providers for local coverage on both sides of the river.

Teagle is a veteran of 22 years in this market, having left KTVI to take the GM position. She says the Paxson company originally approached the Roberts brothers and Larry Rice to see if their television stations were for sale. When that attempt failed, the group bought WCEE, whose tower is located in Kell, Ill., which is in Marion County.

Pax TV's St. Louis office will be staffed with six sales people, and Teagle acknowledges they'll be selling at much lower rates than St. Louis stations. For that reason, she says, the company's commission structure will be higher.

Now comes word that TCI in St. Louis will carry the new network owned by Paxson Communications, but you won't see any increased expense for TCI. Seems Paxson has agreed to pay St. Louis TCI a "launch fee" of $6 each for every subscriber the system has. Nationally, the Paxson payment to TCI is said to be about $27 million.

Broadcasting & Cable magazine published a report in August stating that Paxson had also reached a carriage agreement with Charter Communications, but no monetary exchange was mentioned.

-Frank Absher

African-Americans trust minority media first

When it comes to media credibility, African-Americans say minority ownership makes a difference, say the results of a recent nationwide joint survey and focus group research conducted by the Florida A&M University School of Business and Industry and Ketchum Public Relations.

Although national television news was rated as the most-preferred source (85 percent), various minority media rated higher in trustworthiness. Black magazines (87 percent), Black TV news (80 percent), local Black-owned newspapers (80 percent) and Black radio news (77 percent) all surpassed national TV news' trustworthiness level of 70 percent. In particular, the black press is seen as highly trustworthy by African-Americans because "the editorial content is perceived to be less slanted, and the advertisements are seen as a symbolic invitation the company is making to the African-American consumer," says the executive summary of the survey's findings.

Also notable was Consumer Reports, which was the second-most reliable medium to black Americans (81 percent).

Blacks also indicated their purchasing decisions were highly influenced by press coverage of organizations that practiced discrimnatory tactics. "There was a strong emotional connection for many of those surveyed," said Betsy Helgager, vice president, Ketchum PR. "For example, Denny's. I heard comments to the extent that 'I don't care if I'm starving, I'm not going in there.'" Denny's Restaurants received extensive nationwide media coverage in 1993 concerning discrimnatory practices against African-American customers on the east Coast.

Ketchum and Florida A&M conducted the survey this past April and May, randomly polling 503 African-American adults nationwide and conducting focus groups in Oakland, Calif., Chicago and Atlanta. The margin of error for the poll results is plus or minus four percent.

-Burton St. John

Big, bigger, biggest

If AT&T's takeover of Telecommunications, Inc. (TCI) is approved, the resulting media conglomerate will be proof that the big companies just keep getting bigger.

After the companies announced their intent, value of the resulting corporation was placed at $70 billion. It would include the following:

• Long distance phone service to 70 million customers

• Wireless phone service to 4.5 million customers

• Internet access to 1.1 million customers

• Cable to 20.5 million customers.

AT&T would own a good percentage of cable channels, including: Discovery Communications (49 percent), QVC (43 percent), USA Networks/HSN (21 percent), Starz/Encore (100 percent), Fox/Liberty Sports (50 percent), BET (22 percent), Court TV (50 percent), E! (10 percent), Telemundo (50 percent), Fit TV (50 percent), FX (50 percent) and Odyssey (49 percent)

Also included: MacNeil/Lehrer Productions (67 percent), Viewers' Choice (10 percent), TCI Music (78 percent), United Video (29 percent), Time Warner (8 percent), Sprint PCS (30 percent), United Video Satellite (49 percent), General Instrument (15 percent), TCI International (80 percent), and Madison Square Garden Arena (18 percent),

In addition to the creation of such a huge media overseer, the deal provides AT&T with complete access to home information delivery systems, with the potential for a single provider to offer long distance, cable television, pay TV and Internet access. The TCI cable systems currently pass about 33 million homes, all of which are potential customers.

-Frank Absher

Media credibility questioned by public-again

The past nine months have brought a spate of media admissions of failure to do what they're supposed to do-report the facts. From CNN's nerve gas controversy to the Boston Globe's better-late-than-never fact-checking that led to the loss of two of its columnists, it seems like a large number of news outlets are doing mea culpas with alarming regularity in 1998.

This trend has not escaped the eyes and ears of the general public. According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs' director Robert Lichter, only 51 percent of the 3000 people they surveyed last year expressed confidence in the media. That percentage answered "yes" when asked if the media "usually get their facts straight." Only 33 percent felt the media "deal fairly with all sides" of the issues reported.

In a story reported by Investor's Business Daily, Lichter says more than 60 percent of the respondents would prefer that the media "simply report the facts" instead of offering interpretation by youthful reporters, anchors or writers. He says part of the problem is an apparent belief among journalists "that there is no truth."

But another set of numbers compiled and released in March of this year by the Gallup organization suggests the public still places reasonable trust in some media.

An article in the American Journalism Review by Frank Newport and Lydia Saad notes that the American public tends to believe more of what it sees on television rather than what it reads in the paper. CNN, public TV, the network TV newsmagazines and local TV news all score above the 50 percent level (percentage of the 1009 people surveyed who say they trust certain media). Among all those surveyed, nearly 70 percent were comfortable with the accuracy of these media.

When it comes to reporting of local news, it appears television stations are the big winners. More people say they rely on television for local news as opposed to newspapers (73 percent vs. 62 percent) and more trust TV news over radio and newspapers (54 percent, 44 percent, 40 percent respectively).

-Frank Absher

Arbitron logic

There's a lack of logic in some aspects of the most recent St. Louis Arbitron. The Spring 1998 book surveyed April to June of this year. During that period, WALC effectively gave up its challenge to WVRV and began its format switch to WXTM. But WVRV, which has a different music mix from what it was using a year ago, was unable to profit from the gesture. The station's overall numbers were down from Spring 1997-3.9 to 2.4. KEZK, which targets women with a notably softer music mix, jumped from 6.1 to 7.0. WALC dropped from 4.2 to 2.0.

Other big winners: KATZ-AM rose from 1.0 to 2.4; KIHT went from 2.6 to 3.1 on solid increases in mid-day and nights; WIL saw increases in every daypart and was up nearly a point from 7.8 to 8.6; WKKX saw dramatic increases in mid-days and PM drive- total share rose over the past year from 4.3 to 4.7.

On the loss side: KLOU dropped a point with losses across the board 4.9 to 3.9; KMJM dropped from 7.2 to 6.6; KPNT fell precipitously from 5.4 to 3.8; KSD sees continued erosion from 3.0 to 2.4; KXOK is down a half point 2.4 to 1.9; WEW lost half its audience 1.0 to .5; and WRTH also fell from 3.4 to 2.6.

KMOX saw a rollercoaster in its dayparts. From midnight through 8 a.m. the station lost listeners. At the 8 o'clock hour, when "Total Information" ends and Charles Brennan begins, the listenership increases over the numbers from a year ago. That increase continues through the Rush Limbaugh program, Charles Jaco's program and into the evening hours of Cardinal baseball. At 11 p.m., the audience numbers drop off again.

Over at KTRS, where management has long said it was going after KMOX listeners, overnights are down, but morning drive goes up in every hour. The station's mid-morning show has mixed results, down in the first two hours and up in the last one. The Dr. Laura show increased ratings, and Frank O. Pinion's program more than doubled KTRS' numbers from the previous year. Evenings are mixed, with half the time increasing and the other half decreasing.

-Frank Absher

HERE

By Ed Bishop

He shouldn't have said it. It was dumb. And considering the horrendous history of racial slurs and verbal belittlements aimed at African-Americans over the years it's not surprising that offense was taken.

A couple of weeks ago, David Cohen, the now-forced-to-resigned news director of KDNL (Channel 30), told a black reporter who was pitching a story about the high incidence of heart disease among African-Americans that "anyone who eats fried chicken and mashed potatoes is going to have heart disease." The black reporter says Cohen repeated the remark. Cohen says he didn't. In any case, Cohen should have instantly known that he was perilously close to the "watermelon" stereotype. He should have stopped himself right then and there and apologized. But he didn't.

On the other hand, Cohen is not a racist. Dave is a friend of mine and a long-time member of the SJR Advisory Board. He's a good guy. He's also an outstanding journalist. Loud? Yes. Hard-driving? Yes. Blustery? Often. Abrasive? Sometimes. But racist? No. And I've talked to a couple of black reporters I know, who also know Cohen, and they don't believe his comment was anything more than the kind of hard, quick banter that often goes on in newsrooms, although it is the kind of thing that usually makes them wince. Still, they don't believe the punishment fits the crime.

Also, if you remove the racial connotation from the remark-and I believe Cohen did not intend the connotation-there's a lot of truth to it. I come from a long line of working-class whites and I can tell you we eat a lot of fried foods and the males in my family drop like flies from heart disease.

Additionally, Cohen was more than willing to apologize and even to go to sensitivity training at his own expense. In short, he was willing to learn from the experience.

It also should be remembered that before Cohen showed up at Channel 30 a few months ago, its newscasts were a joke-literally. Channel 30 was the station that brought you the three-part series "Does Your Bra Cause Cancer?" Cohen, a former ABC News bureau chief, was changing that. He was pushing the previously apathetic news staff to work harder. Cohen was steadily making Channel 30's newscasts respectable.

So, if all that's true, why was he forced to resign?

I believe Dave Cohen was sacrificed on the altar of television public relations. Television stations have always placed image before substance. Now Channel 30 can go to the African-American community and say, "Look, we have a zero tolerance for racism." While at the same time, it will probably return to the very destructive and deeply ingrained practice of leading most newscasts with sensationalized stories about black crime that are reported completely out of context-something Cohen had stopped.

In the end, bad journalism is more harmful to blacks than some off-the-cuff remark that's somewhat offensive. And losing good journalists doesn't help the cause. For one thing, firing a good newsman gives all those smug white conservative suburbanites out there a mask to hide behind, a sense that they're doing all they could do to fight America's racism. But even if we fired every person who ever said something that was slightly sexist or racist or ageist in the workplace-we'd probably decrease the workforce by about 90 percent-we wouldn't be any closer to combating the problems of racism, sexism and ageism.

I have my doubts that the generation now in power can do much to advance the cause of racial acceptance. There have simply been too many acts of bad faith. I mean, do you really trust Channel 30's actions in this case? But maybe the next generation of blacks and whites can work together with more understanding and respect and trust.

Right now, though, the whole thing just makes me sad.

THERE

By Charles L. Klotzer

Anew wave of media criticisms have made headlines in the mass media. The New York Times called them "news scandals." The various incidents involved veteran reporters who were charged with failing to live up to the credo of the journalistic profession and were either censored or discharged.

A closer look at these situations raises the question whether the alleged journalistic shortcomings were primarily in the eye of the corporate beholder and that the media chiefs buckled under the storm of corporate and/or military reactions to the exposés assembled by their writers.

Let's take a closer look at two recent and one earlier controversy.

• • •

The CNN-Time magazine report on the alleged use of nerve gas to kill American defectors in Laos during the Vietnam War resulted in the firing of two producers, April Oliver and Jack Smith, the resignation of a third, Pamela Hill, and a reprimand for the on-air reporter, Peter Arnett.

Oliver and Smith spent eight months investigating the Tailwind operation as it was called by the military. They interviewed scores of military personnel, including retired Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is quoted as confirming the use of sarin gas, that it was approved by the national security team of President Richard M. Nixon and the CIA was involved in the operation.

After the report became public knowledge, all hell broke loose. Defense Secretary Willian S. Cohen issued a detailed Pentagon response dismissing the accusations. CNN founder Ted Turner called the report "the most horrible thing" that ever happened to him, worse than the death of his father and the failure of two marriages. Admiral Moorer, who had read the report in full before airing, later claimed that his statements were distorted.

The Tailwind operation in Laos was a "black, black" operation which officially didn't exist. The SOG (Standards and Observations Group) team undertaking the mission also didn't exist officially. Its members have official records that they were stationed in other places during the time they were in Laos. After all, America wasn't officially in Laos at all during that period.

When the report was first put on the Internet, another retired military officer lauded that exposé and submitted information to CNN about the use of nerve gas in another operation. CNN is sitting on it and it is unlikely to investigate further.

CNN President Rick Kaplan and Tom Johnson, chairman of the CNN News Group, asked Floyd Abrams, a respected constitutional lawyer, to evaluate the report, check the investigation and make a finding as to its accuracy. His probe was joined by CNN General Counsel David Kohler. Abrams spent nine days checking eight months of work.

Abrams found that the report was one of "journalistic overkill." The serious flaws in the story, he reported, stem from the journalists' deep belief

in the truth of their research. "This doesn't mean that the story isn't true," Abrams said on CNN, "but what it does mean then is that at this moment we simply do not have enough evidence, in my view, for any conclusion to be reached."

Abrams found no suggestion that any information was fabricated, he found the reporters' notes to be exhaustive and detailed, but he also concluded that there was no documentation.

He did not address, apparently, the circumstances that in a black, black operation no written marching orders are being issued.

In response Oliver and Smith issued a 78-page rebuttal insisting on the accuracy of their report. They charge that corporate interests were haunted by a public relations fiasco. A CNN manager, they say, told them, "we're going to drive a stake through the heart of the story, so it's dead and never comes back again."

Even if we accept Kaplan's and Johnson's apology that the report should never have been aired (both read the report in full before the broadcast), the report contained so much intriguing information that it should be followed up with a new, independent team of investigators.

By no means has the last word been written on this subject. You can't drive a stake into public knowledge. News, publication of the respected Freedom Forum and Newseum, prominently reported on the reporters' rebuttal on its front page, "Fired CNN producers defend report-Journalists question why sources backed away from sarin nerve-gas story."

The final verdict may still be out on whether the report was sound, but we know already that corporate stamina was not. Experienced veteran reporters carry more credibility than the CIA, the Pentagon or corporate media chiefs.

• • •

It sounds so simple: journalists cannot commit a crime to discover a crime.

As we all know, the Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett Company Newspaper, fired Mike Gallagher, the reporter, who wrote a devastating expose of Chiquita Brands International, headquartered in Cincinnati, and paid $10 million to the company because the reporter allegedly stole voice-mail messages. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the company based on allegations in the Enquirer article.

Let's assume that the reporter "steals" voice mail messages and finds out that an assassination is being planned. Should the reporter suppress that knowledge in order not to get into legal trouble? Of course not, one would say. But what about a reporter who may illegally obtain information that a company "controlled dozens of supposedly independent banana companies to avoid restrictions on land ownership, to limit unions, and which threatened the health of its workers through indiscriminate use of pesticides and was also involved in a bribery scheme and other questionable practices?" (New York Times, July 17)

Such practices may also threaten lives. Well, you say, he should have found such information through other means. But what if this was not possible?

It is a dilemma without a clear-cut answer. Moreover, it is confounded by government practices-justified by the interests of national security-which eavesdrops daily on thousands of messages as a matter of routine. If "stealing" such information is illegal, shouldn't that also apply to the U.S. government?

All crimes are not equal. The famous Chicago Sun-Times case where itfinanced and opened a bar in Chicago and blackmailed all types of officials in order to get various licenses is a case in point. The journalists who staffed the bar obviously lied, they pretended to be what they were not, and obtained information under false pretenses.

I have no trouble with such practices. That does not mean that reporters may have to accept the consequences of their illegal practices, just as fighters for civil rights at sit-in protests, by law illegal, had to accept the consequences.

The journalistic infractions usually committed in exposing the exploitation and corruption rooted in corporate greed are insignificant in comparison to corporate crimes. The ethics of the situation must always come down on the side of people not corporate profits or governmental malfeasance.

• • •

Remember the 1996 three-part series by Gary Webb in the San Jose Mercury-News that charged an alliance between the CIA and Contra-connected drug dealers? To raise funds for the Nicaragua operation, the CIA allegedly allowed the distribution of crack-cocaine in poor Los Angeles neighborhoods. The newspaper first reassigned Webb stating that the series was flawed and later was instrumental in his departure from the paper.

But was it flawed? In "The CIA, Drugs, the Ghetto-and the Media Whitewash" by Peter Dale Scott in Tikkun magazine (Vol. 12, No. 4) evaluated in great depth the dealings of the CIA, by drug traffickers, by the Contras, by various officials and intermediaries comes to the conclusion that "from Colombia through Mexico, all of the major known traffickers at this time doubled as Contra supporters ... The basic Central American drug network simply became a major part of the Contra support network." Many of these conclusions support Gary Webb.

"If there ever was an issue worthy of serious political consideration, it is the larger story of tolerated drug-trafficking which Gary Webb began to expose," concludes Scott, "but Congress is clearly scared of this issue, and scared of the CIA. One can hardly blame them, as long as the responsible media continue to treat the Contra-drug story as a 'conspiracy theory' born out of ghetto paranoia."

Now Webb has published a book, "Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion (Seven Stories Press, 548 pages, $24.95) reviewed by Steven Weinberg, executive editor of the IRE Journal.

Weinberg finds that the book advances the original accusations which, "rather than going too far by implicating U.S. government officials in illegal activities, the newspaper series did not go far enough." Weinberg also asks the Washington Post, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, the key media which pounced on Webb's pieces in the Mercury-News, to reexamine their stance.

Initially, the Mercury-News rebutted the criticism of these powerful newspapers which decided to believe government sources rather than the investigative reporter. Ultimately, the San Jose paper caved in and stopped Webb from completing a follow-up report.

Two years later, in 1998, the CIA still refuses to release its findings that U.S. intelligence in the 1980s worked with drug trafficers (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 18, 1998). The CIA's inspector general, reports the Post, "found that the agency was less than vigilant in investigating drug allegations against some of its paid informers among the Nicaraguan Contras."

At the same time, the 500-page report, the second study of the accusations, claims that no evidence was found that any CIA officials engaged in drug trafficing with Contra rebels.

So why not have it released, as requested by U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.)?

• • •

April Oliver, Jack Smith, Mike Gallagher and Gary Webb deserve to be heard. The "scandal" is not in the news, but in the suppression of news.

EVERYWHERE

Monsanto Anonymous

Stepping into a conference at Fontbonne College in late July was like walking into a 12-step meeting for addicts. "Hi, my name is John, and I've been censored by Monsanto."

The "Right to Know" session of the International Grassroots Conference on Biodiversity and Genetic Engineering had opened with a talk by Steve Wilson and Jane Akre, two investigative reporters who lost their jobs at a Fox-owned television station, WTVT in Florida.

The two had prepared a story on the links between a Monsanto product and human cancers. The product is a bovine growth hormone produced by genetic engineering. The story was set to go on the air. Indeed, WTVT had already run promos hyping the series when Fox management received a threatening letter from Monsanto and pulled the plug. Akre and Wilson said they argued with their bosses for nine months about the story. When they refused to include statements that they say are lies, they were fired.

Both reporters since have filed suits claiming they were wrongfully fired in December 1997 for refusing to broadcast a story which they knew to be false and misleading. In Florida, it is illegal to fired someone for refusing to do something illegal. Akre and Wilson say the Federal Communications Act of 1934 makes it illegal to knowingly broadcast as news stories that are false.

When the two reporters finished their talk at the conference, other people approached the microphone to say that they too had been censored by Monsanto. Those included Brewster Kneen from British Columbia, who said he was kicked off a talk show after a Monsanto representative refused to appear on the same show with him. They also included Mika Iba from Japan, who said a reporter for a Japanese newspaper was transferred after a Monsanto representative complained to the editors that her article about protests in America against genetically engineered foods was false, because "nobody in the United States opposes genetic engineering."

Whether or not such tales are entirely true, it seems that Monsanto has acquired the same reputation among international food activists that Fleishman-Hillard enjoys with local reporters. It is the Great Satan.

Has there been censorship in St. Louis? The mainstream media have done a wonderful job reporting on the lawsuit last year in Illinois that ended up overturning the Monsanto-inspired ban on labeling products that don't use milk from rBGH treated cows, and the international campaign this year for rejection of the Monsanto/American Home Products merger.

Haven't they?

-Peter Downs

Give us some credit

On July 27, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in an article by Dan Mihalopoulos that the second Metrolink stop at Lambert Airport was delayed by safety concerns. If a train operator mistakenly opened the wrong doors, there was nothing to prevent inattentive passengers from falling off the elevated platform to the road thirty feet below. The station would remain closed until the airport installed safety fences to prevent such an accident from happening.

Nowhere did the Post mention that a local trade magazine, St. Louis Construction News & Review, broke the story nearly three months earlier. Writing in the May issue, Peter Downs exposed the safety hazard, and reported that the general contractor had tried for months to get the airport to agree to do something about it. In a follow-up story in the July issue, which hit the streets three weeks before the Post ran its article, Downs reported that airport officials admitted there was a problem that the original design had overlooked.

In the June, SJR broke the story about St. Louis University threatening its own award-winning student newspaper and the paper's editors. The next week, the Post published a news report, an editorial and an opinion column without mentioning the SJR story, even though the daily did not advance the story.

Dozens of other area publications have also complained over the years that the Post has picked up their stories, used their information, without giving them credit. "Arrogance" is the word most often used in reference to the Post when this complaints are made.

-Ed Bishop

PR strikes again

The late July ceremony establishing a "Plant Science Center" in St. Louis is part of an international public relations and advertising campaign designed to cloak the Monsanto Co. in the garb of a crusader against hunger. It is a campaign that already is generating controversy and outrage in other parts of the world.

About the time that ex-President Jimmy Carter came to St. Louis to appear as celebrity endorser for Monsanto and genetic engineering, Monsanto had hoped to run advertisements in Europe with similar endorsements from African leaders. Donald Easum, a former U.S. ambassador working for Washington, D.C.-based Global Business Access, Ltd. was soliciting the signatures for a Monsanto advertisement titled "Let the Harvest Begin."

Someone leaked Easum's letter to food aid organizations, and the advertising campaign is delayed, at the very least.

The proposed Monsanto advertisement suggested that health, safety and environmental regulations will condemn Africans to starvation. It said that African leaders "dream of a tomorrow without hunger," and the science of biotechnology "promises hope" of achieving that dream. Stating that biotechnology "should not be unduly delayed," it called a slow acceptance of agricultural genetic engineering "a luxury our hungry world cannot afford." The advertisement concluded with a rousing exhortation: "The seeds of the future are planted. Allow them to grow. Then let the harvest begin. Because securing food for our future begins a better life for us all."

African delegates to a United Nations session on plant genetics resources expressed outrage over the advertisement. All the African delegates except South Africa's signed a statement condemning Monsanto and agricultural genetic engineering.

"We.strongly object that the image of the poor and hungry from our countries is being used by giant multinational corporations to push a technology that is neither safe, environmentally friendly nor economically beneficial to us," said the U.N. delegates. "Rather than developing technology that feeds the world, Monsanto uses genetic engineering to stop farmers from ... further developing their agricultural systems," they said.

They asked that Europeans and Americans help them fight a technology that they claimed would exacerbate hunger, not end it.

An article in the London Independent on July 25 noted that "aid agencies have united to condemn" the company. Andrew Simms, of Christian Aid, said "Monsanto's claims of a tomorrow without hunger thanks to their genetically engineered products are cruelly misleading." People go hungry because they do not have access to food, not because there isn't enough of it, he said. Ethiopia, for example, was actually a net exporter of food during its famine.

Laura Kelly, of ActionAid, said Monsanto's campaign is "morally abhorrent."

The fawning coverage by Robert Steyer and William Allen in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on the other hand, is the kind of publicity the company can hope only to buy elsewhere.

-Peter Downs

SLU invitation

SJR has formally invited Rev. Lawrence Biondi, president of St. Louis Univeristy, Rev. Paul Stark, vice president for student development, Sandra Johnson, SLU provost, Avis Meyer, faculty adviser, John Pauly, chair of the University News advisory board, and J. Leland Quarles, editor-in-chief of the University News, to discuss the controvery surrounding the university's student newspaper in an open forum. The forum would be sponsored by the SJR advisory board. The date and place of the forum, if it is held, will be decided by the participants. The moderator will be Charles Klotzer, SJR editor and publisher emeritus.

-Ed Bishop

Who's on first?

An item in Shoptalk (an industry Internet trade publication) talked about an anchorman in another city who has consented to having his co-anchor read the first story in the newscast. It was the first time in some 17 years he did not read the first story. My thought: Why? Is it that important that any anchor read the first story? I remember as a producer that I was supposed to alternate who reads the first story. The question is, who cares. When I read this story, I realized that despite those nearly 12 years I spent at Channel 4, I never payed attention to who reads the lead story. So I asked several other people. Not one said it was something they noticed or, more importantly, cared about.

This brings up an important point. Television stations too often think about themselves instead of the viewers. They should ask "what's the viewers going to get out of this story?"

Sure, there is a need to feed the anchors' egos. In fact, an ego is vital to being a good anchor. But is it going too far when an anchor really thinks it makes a difference to anyone whether he/she reads the first story or not.

-Tripp Frohlichstein

He's back

As this is being written for a deadline that hits before John Pertzborn returns to the airwaves, let me take this opportunity to say I missed John and look forward to his return. Let's hope Channel 2 properly uses Pertzborn's ability to produce outstanding features. In other words, let him anchor but get him out on the streets too.

-Tripp Frohlichstein

Loyalty dropping

Pity the people serving as today's television news directors. Not only must they put out the same figurative fires as those who trod before. Now these executives must also deal with an ever-increasing tendency of viewers to surf among stations during the news broadcasts.

Audience Research and Development out of Dallas has released a new survey showing a marked drop in what it terms "hard-core" viewers; those who always watch the same station's news. This group now makes up 35 percent of the total number of viewers, down from 43 percent in 1994. "Soft-core" viewers, who are likely to watch different stations regularly, now total 65 percent.

The company's president, Jim Willi, is quoted as saying, "What we hear a lot is, 'All the newscasts look the same. They all provide the same news.'" He does acknowledge that some markets have strong franchise stations whose hard-core viewers make up about 50 percent of their audience. He also chastises those stations that betray their news identities during sweeps by producing reports that don't interest their core viewers.

In order to grow today, Willi says, a news director must maintain the station's core audience while attracting new soft-core viewers and turning them into the hard-core kind.

-Frank Absher

In SJR

10 Years Ago:

• A new, bi-weekly publication, staffed by several former St. Louis Globe-Democrat employees, debuted. The St. Louis Globe Digest was edited by Mary Kimbrough, who said there was a place in St. Louis for a quality news feature magazine.

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch City Editor Jan Paul sent a memo to city desk reporters reminding them that "We like to be first on everything." Paul told SJR other local media had beat the paper on a few stories-nothing major-and she feared some staffers had become complacent.

• Mark Klose was named acting program director of KSD-FM.

5 Years Ago:

• Bernie Miklasz joined the rotating list of guest host commentators on KMOX Radio's "Sports Open Line."

• KMJM disc jockey Kevy Kev began hosting a weekly talk show for the station's listeners. "Yo! Listen Up!" was broadcast from 7 to 9 Thursday evenings.

• A lawsuit against local free-lance writer Staci Kramer was dismissed by a federal judge. An East St. Louis woman had sued Kramer and Time magazine claiming Kramer wrote a story, published by Time, that violated the woman's privacy and placed her in a false light. The case was dismissed because the statute of limitations had run out.

AM/FM

Planet Hollywood rushed to open by competition

By Larry Hoffman

An eventful summer is drawing to a close, and SJR was on the front lines. Among the most notable were the KLOU oldies concert, the sold-out Spice Girls show, Planet Hollywood's gala grand opening and the KSLZ-FM (Z107.7) free concert at Union Station featuring Color Me Badd, Jennifer Paige and reggae legends Inner Circle.

The swarm of 11-year-old girls at Riverport for the Spice Girls fortified the story of how KSLZ-FM (Z107.7 FM) attacked St. Louis on its southeastern flank and instantly owned the teen audience without firing a shot. Cloning their Tampa outlet was the right formula for the Jacor property, now having disposed of its distant competition-WALC-FM (Alice 104.1 FM). Meanwhile, the Emmis station has morphed into something called "Extreme Radio," with new call letters WXTM-FM.

As if the sizzling summer wasn't busy enough, the long-postponed Planet Hollywood grand opening was staged with one week's notice, spurred on by the imminent start date for its crosstown competitor, the Hard Rock Cafe in Union Station.

Local coordinator for the event, Keller and Associates, handled logistics such as street closings, make-up, camera angles, facilitation of invitations for the private party, as well as the distribution of 1600 VIP wristbands through 12 radio stations, seven AMC theaters and 52 Blockbuster locations.

The evening was well-orchestrated thanks to hard-working Keller principals Laura Candido and Tom Keller, along with regional public relations manager for both the Minneapolis and St. Louis restaurants, Molly Mulvihill. A congratulatory nod is also due for St. Louis Police Officer Sam Dotson and his capable crew, dedicated to keeping the proceedings safe and orderly.

The venue at the top of the Landing was a sea of eager star gazers with practically every radio station in town represented by remote studio vans crowded in behind fans who were lined up along the two-block-long red carpet leading to the stage. J.C. Corcoran served as an energetic master of ceremonies for the preliminary portion of the program before turning those duties over to former St. Louis radio jock and current program host on cable channel E!, Todd Newton. Newton is best remembered as Rick Idol on WKBQ-FM, as well as Hot 97-two former CHR outlets.

KPNT-FM (105.7 FM) hired an airplane to pull a banner saluting actor and Planet Hollywood investor Bruce Willis, which included his famous saying from the "Die Hard" trio of hit films: "Yippie KAY-AY!"

Among those who promenaded down the red carpet to the private party (where most people spent 20 minutes and went back outside) were Bruce Willis, John Goodman, Yasmine Bleeth, Deana Carter, Chuck Berry, Luke Perry, Billy Baldwin, Stan Musial, St. Louis Mayor Clarence Harmon, Melanie Griffith, James Caan and the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales. Not bad for a week's notice. Candido told SJR that the event netted 48 minutes of local air time (TV/AVR) in subsequent days. It may have happened almost a year after it first opened its doors, but the St. Louis Planet Hollywood grand opening was a thrill to attend on an almost perfect night (it rained a bit later on) and produced lasting memories, especially for the kids.

• • •

Former WIL/WRTH General Manager Dick Williams has landed big in Nashville. According to Joel Denver's allaccess.com web site, Williams has been appointed VP/GM of Seastar properties (the legendary) WLAC-AM, WSIX-AM, WNRQ, WJZC and WRVW, all in Nashville. He also will have responsibility for Seastar's Roadgang Net and Interstate Radio Net. During his tenure in St. Louis, Williams was active in the St. Louis Radio Association and become one of the most widely respected radio executives in the business. His impact is sure to be felt in market No. 44.

• • •

Other sources have reported the shift of voiceover talent Charlie Van Dyke to KTRS-AM (550 AM) after a long gig as image voice for KMOX. Sources close to One Memorial Drive told SJR it was time for a change, and after some brief experimentation with in-house talent, WCBS-FM's Dan Taylor was selected to replace the legendary Van Dyke. Unfortunately, it'll take more than testosterone and tobacco smoke to boost the ratings over at the big 550.

• • •

Anybody else notice a bit of a music identity crisis over at K-HITS lately? Formerly mired in a loser 70s-based oldies format, the station has changed to "Classic Hits," which expands to include some tunes from the bordering decades. Trouble is, with some Soft A/C mixed in with such groups as Foreigner, Journey and Aerosmith, it produces an uneven feel. Better to get your Little River Band and Leo Sayer fixes over at KEZK-FM (102.5) or any elevator you choose.

• • •

It took downloading the lyrics to Top 40 and R&B crossover hit "Too Close" by Next to fully appreciate that what my kids and their friends listen to is nowhere close to their father's Top 40. A nifty, indispensable website at www.lyrics.ch, the International Lyrics Server, is the place to go to compare what you thought they sang and what they actually did. Before offering the excerpt that proved the above theory, let's briefly explore two examples of scandalous lyrics from the mid-60s when I was riveted to KXOK-AM, a station that actually deleted one of these songs from it's playlist because of "suggestive" lyrics.

The first is Lou Christie's "Rhapsody in the Rain," allegedly about making love in the backseat of a car to the tempo of the windshield wipers. Try to find it on an old KXOK survey. Ask anyone who grew up here if they remember it. It was banned, even though it reached the No. 16 position on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1966. Then there's the unforgettable "Louie, Louie" from 1963, which held chart positions for the subsequent three years. Did the drummer really utter the "F" word during a musicless break in the song? Probably. But did the lyrics really say, "Every night at 10, I laid her again." Not even close.

But speaking of close, here are the two paragraphs from the song that has gotten several dozen spins a day for the past several weeks on Z-107.7 locally:

"Step back you're dancing kinda close.

I feel a little poke coming through.

On you."

"Baby when we're grinding

I get so excited...

You're making it hard for me."

Not bad enough to ban in 1998, and an infectiously great sounding song. Try www.lyrics.ch on the web. It's a good place to finally learn what those lyrics really are.

• • •

A waaaay-outsider or ultra-insider continues to publish a pirate newsletter which goes to great pains to vilify all attributes of the new ARS/CBS combined companies in St. Louis. This most recent issue hilariously targets CBS Radio's Co-Chief Operations Officer David Pearlman as follows:

"Dave Pearlman has also graciously donated all remaining 'ARS Core Principles' plaques to be used as firewood. In a recent telephone interview, Pearlman finally acknowledged that he was less than candid in his final trips to St. Louis while addressing the staff. 'Awe come on, you guys didn't really believe that crap about growing people faster than assets, did you?' he said."

Sources close to newly acquired Jacor property KSD-FM blame Pearlman for "pilfering" any and all of the station's good and functional broadcast equipment, leaving the lame duck outlet with a shell with which to operate until Jacor rescued the facility by installing new CD machines on the first day following the deal's closing. Pearlman had supposedly promised staffers at both KSD-FM and KLOU-FM that conditions would remain the same until the sale was consummated.

• • •

The long awaited "Radio's Revolution & The World's Happiest Broadcasters" finally arrived during the summer, courtesy of its creator, former KXOK production director Richard Ward Fatherley. The thoroughly researched audio program was not meant to be all-inclusive, according to Fatherley, but was produced to provide some insight into the origins and impact of Top 40 era radio programming and takes a look at the media mystique of the late Todd Storz (1924-1964).

The strongest point put forth by the project was placing Storz at the very beginning of the Top 40 format as its creator, long before others who may have made that claim were on the scene. Such programmers as Gordon McClendon, Bill Drake and Gene Chenault must look to Storz's influence alone for the origins of the format they prospered in as Rock-N-Roll radio evolved in the last half of the 20th century, both in the United States and worldwide.

• • •

WEW (770 AM) was granted an extension of its broadcast day beyond the traditional sundown signoff required for daytimers. The station cuts power from 1000 watts at that time. According to morning host and sales manager Licia Terranova, WEW has been permitting the Christian "Bridge" music format to use its signal from 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays during the summer as it searched for another, more permanent outlet The arrangement will end in September.

"Bridge" music was previously carried on WCBW-FM (104.9) prior to its sale to Jacor Communications and conversion to KMJM-FM (Majic 105).

• • •

KEZK is seeking a new partner for morning host Ed Goodman, following the departure of Mary Phelan, prompted by an announced lifestyle change for the ubiquitous media personality. Phelan is leaving the biz and a career which started with a gig as a Jefferson City-based reporter for MissouriNet, feeding stories to stations statewide, including KMOX. After working at KMOX as a news writer and reporter, Phelan went to work for KMOX-TV, later KMOV-TV (Channel 4) and added the KEZK radio duties during the past several years.

RADIO HISTORY

By Frank Absher

If anyone ever compiled a list of troubled radio frequencies, 1380 kHz in St. Louis would probably be in the nation's top 10.

The first broadcast license for what was to become 1380 was issued April 3, 1925, for the call letters KFVE. Lester Arthur "Eddie" Benson, who was also responsible for the transmitters at KSD and WIL, built the station's original experimental transmitter. Benson and his brother C.A. Benson operated KFVE for two years before selling the station to Thomas Patrick Convey, the general manager of KMOX, who changed the call letters to KWK and moved the studios from University City to the Chase Hotel.

There were technical problems for all stations in radio's early days. They were forced to share frequencies, which meant fights among the three-KFVE, KFQA and WMAY-over who was on the air at what time. The Federal Radio Commission assigned KWK to 1350 kHz in 1928, which was a frequency to be shared with WIL. WIL was soon moved to 1200, but WIL's owners sued the commission seeking a reversal. The legal action dragged out six years before the radio commission ruled in favor of KWK.

An article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in November 1928, reported that the frequency change resulted in poorer reception of all stations moved down the dial.

Owner Convey didn't live to see the victory. He died in 1934, a week after his appendix burst, and his son Robert took over operations of KWK. In 1941 there was another national frequency switch and KWK ended up at 1380. Management wanted a different frequency ,(680) and more power, but their request died when a freeze was put on all such actions during World War II.

The station saw a couple of subsequent quiet decades, with an ownership change in 1958. The new owner, Andrew Spheeris' Milwaukee Broadcasting Company, paid Robert Convey more than $1 million with Convey maintaining a 26 percent ownership share. It was under Spheeris' ownership that KWK lost its license in 1966. The problems began in 1960 when some of the station's listeners complained to the Federal Communications Commission that KWK had conducted bogus treasure hunt promotions.

KWK's general manager, William L. Jones Jr., was spotlighted in the ensuing hearings. An employee testified that Jones ordered him to hide the contest prizes only a few hours before the prizes were found by listeners. He also said Jones told him to lie in the hearings. Jones testified that he had talked with Spheeris about problems if the prizes were found early in the contest and "I know we decided to hide it later in the hunt."

The hearing examiner decided not to revoke KWK's license, but that decision was overruled by the full FCC. KWK appealed, but the Supreme Court upheld the commission and the station's frequency was awarded on an interim basis to Radio 1380, Inc. The license was issued to Vic-Way Broadcasting in 1969 and the station went dark early in 1973. Efforts to get the station back on the air ended when the owner was placed in receivership.

It took a broadcasting conglomerate the size of Doubleday Broadcasting to get KWK back on the air several years later. In November 1978, KWK was reborn, but many AM stations in the market were having trouble surviving. It was assumed Doubleday would go after an FM frequency to help support an AM at the right end of the dial. That happened when the company acquired WGNU-FM. In the next 20 years, the ownership of KWK went to Robinson Broadcasting, Chase Broadcasting, Zimco, Inc., Emmis Broadcasting and the Northside Seventh Day Adventist Church. Call letters evolved from KWK-AM to KGLD, KASP, WKBQ-AM, KRAM, WKBQ-AM (again), WKKX-AM and KKWK.

SPORTS/MEDIA

They only call them bums after they leave St. Louis

By Joe Pollack

It may go back to the days of Johnny Mize and Joe Medwick, maybe even Frank Frisch and Rogers Hornsby, though they were before my time. But I

can remember the St. Louis media's familiar and disloyal scorning of traded Cardinals that began with Dick Allen. The ticket agent's destination stamp still was warm when the snipers began shooting. "A bad actor" was among the nicer things he was called, and writers and sportscasters (remember that archaic term?) made sure the door was aimed to hit him in the posterior as he left.

And St. Louisans showed the same style and class recently when the Cardinals traded Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre to Texas for Fernando Tatis and Darren Oliver.

The morning after the deal, Bernie Miklasz was telling his St. Louis Post-Dispatch readers how Clayton was a loser, that he sulked and pouted, and didn't follow instructions, and that the Cardinals couldn't win with him. Of course, they really have become contenders for the pennant without him.

A week later, Brock Hanke echoed Miklasz in the Riverfront Times. Said Hanke, "Clayton wasn't working out here. He isn't hitting, he wants to bat leadoff, and he doesn't get on base much even when he hits for average because he has no strike-zone judgment. Frankly, I was hoping the Cards would unload him. I held off on saying that while the man was in town because he did in fact work hard to try to play better but he was a millstone as a leadoff man."

I also can recall Miklasz writing about how valuable Clayton was to the Cardinals and what a team player he was for fitting in with the soon-to-depart Ozzie Smith, or at least for not complaining publicly about his role as subordinate shortstop. But there was an unusually nasty tone to his farewell remarks.

All right, the key question is why sports columnists, who are supposed to be leaders in the agitation department, follow the party line so closely. Will Hanke say, when the season is over, that this was an awful baseball team, but we shouldn't be harsh toward the players because they tried hard? Hogwash! And highly unprofessional of Hanke to brag that he knew something, but he didn't trust his readers enough to tell them and, at the same time, he shirked his responsibility to them by not stating his opinion on Clayton.

Besides, with some notable exceptions, the Cardinals haven't tried very hard, and it shows. They haven't learned very much, either. I expected Tony La Russa to do a better teaching job, especially in terms of defense. The Cardinals botch a lot of easy plays, and they don't play as intelligently as they should. It's interesting, however, that two men with such opposite approaches as La Russa and Dick Vermeil should have an equal lack of success in motivating athletes wearing St. Louis uniforms.

Reading Miklasz' work is generally fun, even if I sometimes disagree with him. His partly tongue-in-cheek effort to blame Potomac pundit George Will for La Russa's problem's was enjoyable. He might have been right, too. A sportswriter, from Roger Angell of the New Yorker to Murray Chass of The New York Times to perhaps Miklasz himself, could have offered the same praise without the repercussions, but Will, with his smarmy, pretentious attitude and excessive wordiness, rubs people the wrong way. Watch him pontificate on a Sunday morning talk show and you'll agree.

Anyway, Miklasz did nice work, and his points were excellent, too.

Within the week, however, he was pumping up Tatis and Oliver after the trade with the Rangers. Maybe Tatis will be the third baseman to make baseball fans forget Pie Traynor, and maybe Oliver will make them forget Lefty Grove, but the jury is still out on both of them. But by Miklasz' rationalization, and he's excellent at it, Walt Jocketty is more of a genius than La Russa and Will combined. He got two players for nothing, and will regain Stottlemyre, too. Miklasz makes Jocketty look like a blend of Branch Rickey, Frank Lane and Paul Richards, and he tells us to be patient with Tatis and to appreciate Oliver with statements that display a writer hanging out on the party line. It's a good idea for fans to be patient, and for writers, too, but there isn't any need to send two players to the Hall of Fame without giving them the opportunity to earn the trip.

And then Miklasz, and the Post, went completely to pieces on the McGwire-and-steroids controversy, overplaying it to a fare-thee-well in a spectacular demonstration of the news department not knowing what the sports department was doing. No sports journalists are as competive as those in New York, and when an Associated Press writer discovered the supplement in McGwire's locker, and wrote about it, the balloon went up. The AP man got a scoop, the other papers showed their talents at one-upmanship and Miklasz said-quite correctly-that the media circus was unnecessary and overdone.

That done, the Post broke out its end-of-the-world type three days later, with its usual sense of timing, and joined the circus in a big way and too late.

La Russa overreacted in his role as a baseball manager, not as a lawyer, and the whole affair showed how little communication there is among the professional sports. The Olympics and the NCAA (yes, they're pros) ban the stuff, and so does the NFL. But baseball, as far behind the times as ever, doesn't know, and doesn't seem to care and probably doesn't know what diet supplements are. Commissioner Bud Selig, like former President George Bush, is still learning to recognize a scanner in the grocery store.

McGwire has done nothing wrong, except perhaps to be a less than stellar role model, and that sort of stuff is highly overrated anyway. Any parent who abdicates being a role model in favor of an athlete is a dummy. The Cardinals' first baseman is well within his rights, and why doesn't everyone just butt out of his personal life.

• • •

Meanwhile, ol' Mizzou has begun its football season and, as far as many of us are concerned, will end it in the first month. Money, as usual, is in the mix and the Tigers have taken their normal season finale, against arch-rival Kansas, and now is playing it whenever the television networks say, like the first few weeks of the year. I'm not an active alumnus, or anything like that, but I'm a believer in tradition, and in Mizzou-Kansas as a big game and not a throwaway to be scheduled whenever some television type decides.

Many years ago, I was a graduate student sportswriter, and I covered a Missouri-Maryland game on a Thanksgiving weekend in College Park, Md. The game had been scheduled for earlier in the season, but Terps' coach Jim Tatum had a chance for a national TV shot and he asked Don Faurot if he and the Tigers would take part. Faurot agreed to do his friend the favor, even though the season was supposed to end the previous week against Kansas, and he knew his players would be emotionally high for Kansas, and feared they would be correspondingly low against Maryland.

It was 1954, and Maryland humiliated Mizzou, 72-14, as Tatum ran up the score on his old mentor. Faurot blamed himself for the scheduling, and noted, "I felt like my guts had been stomped through my backbone." It probably doesn't make any difference today, given the cynicism and commercialism that has pervaded all sports and all sports fans these days.

Local television will pool resources during papal visit

By Tammy Merrett

(Editor's note: This story was written before Dave Cohen resigned.)

In an effort to lessen expenses-and competition-St. Louis television stations are considering pool reporting when Pope John Paul II visits here in January.

"The pool idea is still in formation," says Dave Cohen, KDNL (Channel 30) news director.

"When you are covering an event the magnitude of the pope trip, to do it right, you can't have 10 or 15 cameras scattered all over the place when five can do it and the signal can be shared," Cohen says.

Along with the signal, pool members will also share costs and business decisions. But editorial decisions will be left to individual stations, Cohen says. Stations in the planning process include KTVI (Channel 2), KMOV (Channel 4), KSDK (Channel 5), KPLR (Channel 11) and his station, Channel 30, but no pool leader has been chosen, according to Cohen.

And a leader probably will not be chosen until more details of the pope's visit become available after a papal advance team visits St. Louis. Steven Mamanella, community relations director of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, says the team is expected around Sept. 1 to 5, and will be led by Rev. Roberto Tucci from the Vatican. Mamanella says Tucci accompanies the pope on most of his visits. As well as making the multitude of arrangements for the visits, Tucci also will work with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police and the United States Secret Service to make security arrangements for the papal visit.

Some of the places on the schedule for Tucci and his host, Archbishop Justin Rigali, are the TWA dome, Kiel Center, the Cathedral Basilica, Lambert Airport, as well as others, according to Mamanella.

However, Mamanella says Tucci usually leaves media coverage coordination to the local archdiocese, except that Tucci does determine such details as the staging of the events and available areas for the media.

In the meantime, pool members are discussing what Cohen called "what-ifs," such as the likely venues the pope will visit and how to split them, potential timing, how overtime will be billed, etc.

Another "what-if" that pool members and the archdiocese might be discussing is what happens if the pope falls ill during his visit here. "I would envision coverage would continue, but controlled at a level higher than the archdiocese," Mamanella said.

For those news outlets not in the pool, access to coverage of the pope will not take manpower as much as money. Anyone not in the pool-such as radio stations, out-of-town news organizations, networks and international news organizations-will be charged for access to the signal, Cohen says.

But, according to Cohen, that will not generate a pool of profits. "We don't make money, we share expenses. Even if we could work unilaterally, it would be very, very, very expensive," Cohen says, adding that the pool's creation is more in response to logistics than anything else. "The archdiocese wants coverage, but if we try to do it unilaterally, some are going to be restricted."

The archdiocese can and will most likely limit the number of people and their equipment, such as the number of cameras and where they are placed, as well as where cables can run or not, like, as Cohen says, was done for Cardinal Joseph Carberry's funeral in June.

Post reporter appears to be mouthpiece for Harrah's

By Peter Downs

In the public-relations battle for the future of Missouri's casino industry, Harrah's casino trotted out an unusual character witness: St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Fred Faust.

Faust compliments Harrah's, and the gaming industry in general, on the introductory page of a Harrah's publication promoting the casino's contributions to the community in 1997.

"I was surprised to see it in there," says Faust. He explains that he often is asked to participate in public panels on gambling. The statement Harrah's used was made in response to a question asked during such a panel discussion in Maryland Heights, he said. "I didn't realize the comments would end up in their publication, but I don't dispute I made them," he says.

Harrah's used the following statement by Faust: "A recent study by independent academics has convinced me that the casino industry has been very good for the Missouri and St. Louis economies. And I think that, generally, the gaming companies have kept their promises to voters and been good corporate citizens. Harrah's, in particular, has shown leadership with the responsible gaming program."

It is a little misleading. Faust always favored gambling.

"I never thought they were bad for the economy," he tells SJR. "I'm glad the industry is here. I never made any bones about that, but hopefully I'm fair and objective when I cover the industry."

The study by Charles Levens and Don Phares rebutted the one argument by gambling opponents that worried Faust: "whether money spent on gambling boats simply was money taken away from retail and other entertainment businesses."

"I get hit with that all the time covering retail," says Faust.

Levens and Phares "addressed the substitution effect head on, and showed that while there is some displaced spending, the net effect of gambling is still a major benefit to the economy," Faust says.

The study showed that, from an economic point of view, casinos "aren't as good as a new airplane factory, but they are a whole lot better than a new Wal-Mart," he said.

Faust admitted one could question the motives of the group that funded the study, Civic Progress. Kansas City Star writer Rick Alm has done just that, noting that the public relations firm that plays a pivotal role in Civic Progress-Fleishman-Hillard-has gambling industry clients, including Harrah's.

Last year Fleishman-Hillard accepted responsibility for changing wording in a letter distributed to state legislators from the Missouri State Teachers Association that made it seem as if the teachers' group wanted the General Assembly to remove loss limits on gambling boats.

The statement in the Harrah's brochure is incomplete in another way. Faust says "casinos need to spend more money on counseling. As long as you have them, some people are going to get addicted."

Post apologizes for prayer meetings

By Ellen Harris

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has parted company with the Kansas City consultants running its mandatory diversity awareness sessions after one workshop concluded with participants joining hands in a circle and praying to Jesus for understanding.

"Can you imagine how that made me feel?" wrote a member of the group, in a memo to management. "I was the only Jew in the room," a fact known because the 20 or so participants had to go around the table and identify themselves by ethnic group. The reporter, who asks to remain anonymous, says, "I found that distasteful, too ... I'll bet you can guess what it reminded me of."

Praying to Jesus left the "sour taste of the subtle, smug message: the Christians are in charge, and anyone else is 'different.'"

The reporter does not criticize the ordained minister who led the prayer in

the "form to which he's accustomed," nor the man who asked him to do so. The writer faults the two facilitators running the session-reporter Yvonne Samuel, whom the paper calls a certified diversity facilitator in its training flier, and Myra Dillingham, of LGC & Associates of Kansas City, which runs diversity programs nationwide. Dillingham is the daughter and wife of ordained ministers. Samuel told the group she, too, was ordained.

After the incident, in early July, the Post signed on with St. Louis-based, Differences by Design, run by Janet Katzenberger. In mid-August, Katzenberger began her diversity training sessions.

Post Deputy Editor Arnie Robbins says, "We didn't terminate[LGC], we tried to negotiate a contract. We thought they were very good but very expensive. We wound up with a mutual decison to use someone else." Robbins says praying at the Post had nothing to do with it. "I think highly of Myra though she made a mistake. She should have known better."

As a trained facilitator himself, Robbins says, "We should not be mixing prayer at the workplace. Ever. I was on the phone immediately with [the memo

writer] and all the facilitators saying, 'We don't pray. We don't take a vote on prayer.'" A number of editors profusely apologized to the reporter and other Jews for the incident.

Samuel, one of the founders of the Diversity Task Force, helped put together the two-day sessions. "In that incident, diversity awareness had ended," she says.

She also says, "This was a mistake. The Post-Dispatch will not allow praying at the end of our awareness sessions. We've acknowledged that and apologized."

The Jewish reporter pointed out in the memo that the session included at least four ordained ministers and when Samuel called for consensus, "Some people nodded or said they would like to pray. I felt extremely uncomfortable. Should the only Jew in the room inform all these Christians this was wildly inappropriate? The atmosphere was intimidating." Praying at work was bad enough, the reporter wrote: "As a Jew, I felt singled out, excluded and hurt."

And stunned at the insensitivity of the two facilitators. Only the day before, they asked participants to describe a time when they felt "different." The reporter relayed a story of mandatory prayer in public school 40 years ago, of praying in English, not Hebrew, and feeling out of place. "How much clearer could it be? ... Unlike the authors of diversity awareness, I have serious doubts about how much impact two days of psychological games and directed conversation can have."

Ironically, the newspaper's flier to its 1400 employees ordered to attend diversity awareness says: "Through our appreciation of diversity, we will become the predominant source of information to help people, communities and democracy flourish."

Why have diversity training? Is it the threat of employment lawsuits? Answers Robbins, "To my knowledge, it's not because of that threat, although it might be the seat of it. At most papers, it's how to get along better and to talk to each other."

Some reporters, black and white, believe diversity training is the response to Samuel calling investigative reporter Carolyn Tuft a racist for probing into City Hall finances of St. Louis's first black mayor, Freeman Bosley, Jr. and Tuft responding with an open memo to the newsroom.

"Could be," says Robbins. "Could have been an impetus. We want to have people talk to each other on tough issues. How do you talk about it in ways in which we don't pull Uzis out on each other? You don't wait until there's a crisis to talk."

Several Post reporters, black and white, who asked to remain anonymous, were angered when, after the Bosley go-round, Post Editor Cole Campbell gave Samuel her requests of a bonus, a parking spot, a plaque for "courage," and a luncheon honoring her with her hand-picked guest list. Some blacks refused to attend. Others, including columnist Greg Freeman and reporters Lorraine Kee and Samuel Autman, were not invited.

"The workshop prayer session is like 'The Bonfire of Vanities'," says another Jewish reporter. "This incident shows how much diversity training isn't working. It's proof no one knew what they were doing. It was a runaway locomotive, but to management's credit, they did put the brakes on it."

Another reporter is refusing to attend any mandatory sessions. "I see it as destructive rather than constructive. It's not about race or color. It's about their insensitivity." And another adds, "This diversity training was only to meet the agenda of one group."

Robbins explains that the Post facilitators were trained by the Newspaper Association of America in Washington, D.C. The memo author is not impressed. "They presented themselves as experts." By permitting prayer in the workplace, "they reveal not expertise but a fundamental misunderstanding of this program."

After numerous apologies, however, the writer tells SJR, "I'm satisfied. I feel this will not happen again. That's all I wanted."

The controversy over a controversial story

When Bill Smith of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch met Carolyn Tuft, then of the Belleville News-Democrat, at a 1989 Audrey Cardenas news conference, they discussed how Dale Anderson could have done it. Later that year, Smith wrote a Sunday feature outlining that theory. Like Tuft, Smith never forgot Cardenas.

"One of our first conversations after Carolyn came to the Post was the Cardenas case. I said, 'We need to do something.' Whenever we ran into each other, we'd discuss working it.

"Last year, I was running through story ideas with Peter Hernon who brought up the Cardenas case. I suggested he talk to Tuft. Peter kept telling other editors we needed to do it, that Carolyn needed to be detached from other projects. Peter got this off the dime and moving. First, it was to be me alone, then Carolyn alone, then the two of us I felt because Carolyn had most of the contacts and information, she should be the lead reporter.

"I was skeptical at first. Woidtke had confessed not only three times to police but to other inmates in jail. I began to understand, but it took a long time, that he was guilt ridden.

"Carolyn carried the ball. At times, I wanted to stop, she hung on. Not because of Anderson but because she's convinced Woidtke is innocent. If Anderson dropped dead tomorrow, she'd feel the same way. She's doing the story because she feels an injustice was done."

Fairness?

But did Tuft bring excess baggage to the investigation?

Smith: "No. Carolyn treated this from the beginning like a news story. I think she's done her best to be objective. That Anderson could have killed her is not a reason to make her non-objective. If she felt that way, why

wasn't she pushing hard to do this story, five, three, even two years ago?

Sure she had preconceived feelings, but it was rather that Dale threatened to kill anyone, stalked any reporter.

Peter Hernon, assistant city editor and co-author The New York Times non-fiction best-seller about the Busch clan, "Under the Influence" with reporter Terry Ganey: "I just don't buy the argument that she's biased. Carolyn is a trained reporter. It's been a spooky relationship between Dale Anderson and Carolyn. Bill told us how Dale would light up when Carolyn went in [to interview him]."

Margie Freivogel, assistant managing editor, wrote a memo questioning one of Tuft's later stories: "I have no quarrel she did the story. There's no question of accuracy. I'm a traditionalist. I've thrown up cautionary flags but have not thought we were way out of line. It's important when doing something unusual like this, to throw it on the table and think it through and avoid problems. There's been discussion in newsroom, but no pitched battle.

"We wanted to develop this series as quickly as possible; I thought it was too much for one person. It's a question of balance and leaning on editors."

Richard K. Weil, managing editor: "We considered the journalistic ethics of going with a person who's got history of involvement. We talked about that before she starting working on the story. Carolyn was very eager, but we discussed with her whether she could be objective.

"We decided that as a person who'd lived in the story and who had been threatened, clearly there was a possible perception she wouldn't be objective. We weighed that against all the knowledge she brought to the case, plus her tremendous reporting talents. We decided she should work on it but as a check and balance put Bill Smith [on], a top reporter [whose] integrity is beyond doubt. If there were any questions, Bill would immediately spot it and blow the whistle. We were very up front about that with both of them."

Writing in the first person?

Did Tuft's first person account add or detract from the story ?

Hernon: "To me it was a no brainer. Consider the drama and the focus of Carolyn's story. Carolyn's story really connected with the readers.

"In terms of readers, I like first person. I think we ought to do a lot more of it. But you got to pick your target. Man, if you've got the right vehicle it's very powerful. This one is one of most powerful we've done."

"It added a certain immediacy to how she could describe what had happened," Frievogel says.

Weil: "She's lived with the story and been haunted by it for 10 years. Her first person story electrified a big portion of our community."

Tuft: "How can you write this in third person? It's more honest to say I was involved up front. The first person shows how emotional it was for me."

Steve Weinberg, associate professor of journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who's written seven books and is preparing a piece for the IRE Journal on wrongful convictions: "Sometimes avoiding the first person seems artificial. Sometimes the story only works in the first person.

""I have no problem with Tuft's writing in the first-person as long as the series spells out her potential conflict of interest."

Did the Post make full disclosure?

Hernon: "We fessed up with the reader, explaining what was going on. We were as honest with reader as you can get. I sensed Editor & Publisher would make some bitchy little comment about the Post being not honest with readers. "

Weinberg: "My understanding is the Post did not disclose right away she'd

testified against Anderson. That doesn't mean take her off the story nor suspect her of automatic bias. The news editors should have notified the readers of the appearance of bias.

"If the Post had an ombudsman, that person could have told readers, or one of Tuft's editors could have written a column spelling out her background and explain what safeguards the Post established to protect against bias. Editors have an obligation to explain to readers how decisions are made."

Overkill?

Weil: "There is a body of thought in our newsroom that we've run too much. There are some individual stories any reasonable person could question. Sure, you can criticize, but in the big picture, this is an important story. Apparently, and it's important to use that word, an innocent man is in prison for a murder he didn't commit.

"A newspaper's job is to bring that to light. The most noble thing a newspaper can do is be watchdog on the criminal justice system. It's our job to keep this before the public."

-Ellen Harris

CHANNELS

Pennington should have covered Cohen resignation

By Tripp Frohlichstein

The resignation of David Cohen is too bad, given he was charting a new and better course for the KDNL (Channel 30) newsroom. What is just as sad is how the story was covered by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The first reference was in Jerry Berger's column on Sunday, Aug. 23. It was the lead item and read:

"David Cohen, news director at KDNL-TV (Channel 30), was 'suspended Thursday pending an investigation that should be completed by early next week,' said station Vice President and GM Tom Tipton. The suspension came on the heels of a news meeting that was attended by the staff, including African-American reporter Leo Stallworth. It was suggested, coincidentally on the eve of the Black Expo, that a story be developed on heart disease and how it affects African-Americans. Some banter continued, at which point Cohen referred to African-Americans' health problems stemming from consuming 'fried chicken and mashed potatoes.'

"My comment was not directed to Leo, but was taken that way," Cohen told Berger.

Later, in an e-mail message, Cohen explained, "I made a comment which was inappropriate and one I deeply regret ... While my comments were made without maliciousness, I understand that these words were hurtful, and I apologize to colleagues and friends."

Stallworth told Berger: "David Cohen made the comment about blacks and fried chicken several times after I had indicated to him that it was offending me. He continued making the joke while laughing. I accept his apology, but what concerns me is that a newsroom leader could make such an insensitive comment and not see the damage until being called to the carpet by the general manager."

A couple of days later, Berger carried Cohen's resignation as a brief note.

To take nothing away from the well- read Berger, this is clearly a significant

local story that should have been assigned to and covered by Post television critic Gail Pennington. The suspension of a news director, especially given the reason for the action, is a major story. If Post Editor Cole Campbell had to be suspended for inappropriate comments, all the television stations would give it major coverage.

Every day, thousands of St. Louisans turn to Channel 30 for their news (although not nearly as many thousands who turn to other stations). This story, while well covered (and apparently quite accurately) by Berger, deserved more than just a short item in his column. It was a legitimate item that deserved placement as a news story covered by the television beat reporter, the one who is supposed to be the expert on the subject. If Pennington had done the story, it could have been expanded using interviews with appropriate people commenting on Cohen's remarks and the subsequent actions by Channel 30 (interviewees ranging from the NAACP to SJR Editor Ed Bishop). Questions she might have explored include what are the ramifications of the resignation and was he forced out?

Pennington has the skill to handle these stories-the Post should make sure she gets to use those skills when real news stories about television in St. Louis break.

• • •

Channel 5's weather has gotten silly. When the weathercasters call for a 24 percent chance of rain tonight or a 59 percent chance of rain tomorrow, who are they kidding?

Just stick to the even numbers-30 percent, 50 percent, 70 percent, etc.

Those specific numbers are ridiculous and not fooling anyone into thinking Channel 5 is any more accurate in forecasting than anyone else.

• • •

A side note to the Cohen resignation: He could have made a difference to Channel 30 and the local viewers. Not having been there, I can't make a judgment as to whether his resignation was necessary. He did apologize and in many situations, that's all that is required (such as the racist remarks made by the president of the University of Florida last January; his apology was accepted by the man about whom the remarks were made and that was the end of it). Maybe what happened was worse than described. Perhaps people believed it reflected an uncorrectable attitude. Word from the newsroom is Cohen didn't have much support. He worked people extraordinarily hard.

It's too bad because he was making a difference to viewers.

Channel 30's on-air product went from despicable before Cohen to extraordinary after he arrived. Stories were complete and well balanced. Topics were explored in newspaper depth. Viewers were getting the best reporting in St. Louis with Cohen's combination of a strong staff and outstanding journalistic guidance.

• • •

If Channel 30 is smart, it will look to my friend Bill Berra as a replacement. The former KTVI (Channel 2) news director was popular while there and for quite some time produced a solid product. Berra went on to be a news director in Phoenix and Orlando. He resigned at the end of August. He's available, he knows the market, he knows news and he's a good people person. He had ratings success at Channel 2 (some of which it has lost since his departure). Perhaps he can do it again at Channel 30.

• • •

For months, Channel 30 has proudly trumpeted Don Marsh's winning of the Carter Stith journalism award. Just like that, while the campaign continued, Marsh was gone. He resigned.

The whys and wherefores aren't important here. What is important is that it is most likely the end of an era (Marsh says he's not going back into television news).

It is no secret to SJR readers that I never thought that Don Marsh's anchoring abilities would attract viewers. He wasn't bad, mind you. He was solid. But he lacked that "reason to watch."

It is also no secret that I admired Don Marsh as one of this city's best television reporters, especially, though not limited to, his political reporting.

Looking at the quality of some of today's reporters who value form over substance, one has to mourn the loss of his attributes. His reports were complete, fair, balanced, understandable and relevant to the viewing audience.

In person, Marsh is a swell person who was honest with his viewers. He often expressed his concern at where local news is headed.

One might accuse him of being an old timer in his thoughts-after all he spent more than two decades on the air here. But I think he was a purist. He knew what news should be (and was, before its commercialization as stations' quest for solid journalism was replaced by the quest for profits).

I don't think Don likes me very much because of my feelings about his anchoring along with my failing to side with him in his dispute with Channel 2 a few years ago which caused him to leave there and join Channel 30. I'm sorry if he feels that way.

But it won't change my admiration of him. He is one of the city's few remaining true television journalists. I hope others in the field remember what he stood for-integrity and honesty. Most importantly, Don has a high regard for the viewers.

• • •

Here's an idea for local television stations (newspapers too). Why not make being accurate a promotional advantage. In other words, promote corrections. Lots of surveys nowadays say people don't trust the media. Instead of being embarrassed about a mistake, proudly correct it. Television stations could say "We're the ones who get it right."

When I was with KMOV (Channel 4), one of the anchors I worked with used to fight corrections. He said it made him look bad. Instead, he should have realized that it made him look good. It tells the public that he (and his station) wants to provide accurate, reliable information.

Likewise, the Post might do well by putting corrections (proudly) on the front page.

It is actions like this that might help restore people's-at least St. Lousians'-faith in the media. After all, the media do usually get it right. But it's the things they get wrong that stand out.

• • •

July is considered a minor ratings month by television stations given that viewing habits change greatly from the winter (more outdoors, less television). Still, here are the ratings/shares as measured by Nielsen in July for the major newscasts.

At 9 p.m., for the first half hour, Channel 11 is handily ahead of Channel 2 in the prime time news race. Channel 11 sports a 7.5/12 while Channel 2 has a 4.7/7. It should be noted that Channel 2's rating is nearly a full point higher than July, 1997, when the station was airing Access Hollywood. n

which point Cohen referred to African-

Americans' health problems stemming from consuming "fried chicken and mashed

potatoes."

"My comment was not directed to Leo, but was taken that way," said Cohen.

Later, in an e-mail message, Cohen explained, "I made a comment which was

inappropriate and one I deeply regret . . . While my comments were made

without maliciousness, I understand that these words were hurtful, and I

apologize to colleagues and friends." Said Stallworth: "David Cohen made the

comment about blacks and fried chicken several times after I had indicated to

him that it was offending me. He continued making the joke while laughing. I

accept his apology, but what concerns me is that a newsroom leader could make

such an insensitive comment and not see the damage until being called to the

carpet by the general manager."

A couple of days later, Berger carried Cohen's resignation as a brief note.

To take nothing away from the well read Berger, this is clearly a significant

local story that should have been assigned to and covered by Post Dispatch

television critic Gail Pennington. The suspension of a news director,

especially given the reason for the action, is a major story. If Post

Dispatch editor Cole Campbell had to be suspended for inappropriate comments,

all the television stations would give it major coverage. (Look at the

national print and broadcast coverage of the suspension and resignation of

Boston Globe columnist Bill Barnicle (sp???) because of his behavior in not

properly sourcing his material and perhaps even making stuff up)

Every day, thousands of St. Louisans turned to Channel 30 for their news

(although not nearly as many thousands who turned to other stations).

This story, while well covered (and apparently quite accurately) by Berger,

deserved more than just a short item in his column. It was a legitimate item

that deserved placement as a news story covered by the television beat

reporter, the one who is supposed to be the expert on the subject.

If Pennington had done the story, it could have been expanded using interviews

with appropriate people commenting on Cohen's remarks and the subsequent

actions by Channel 30 (interviewees ranging from the NAACP to Journalism

Review editor Ed Bishop or ex-publisher Charles Klotzer). Questions she might

have explored include what are the ramifications of the resignation and was he

forced out?

Pennington has the skill to handle these stories - the Post should make sure

she gets to use those skills when bigger, real news stories about television

in St. Louis break. After all, the newscasts have a much bigger impact

directly on our lives than a review of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

---

As to the near term future of Channel 30 news, it will take a lot to get

viewers to watch. The current turmoil is probably necessary to shake things

up. A strong news director is necessary. A solid promotion effort is vital.

A six o'clock news is a must to establish credibility.

---

A side note to the Cohen resignation. He could have made a difference to

Channel 30 and the local viewers. Not having been there, I can't make a

judgement as to whether his resignation was necessary (and perhaps forced).

He did apologize and in many situations, that's all that is required (such as

the racist remarks made by the president of the University of Florida last

January - but whose apology was accepted by the man about whom the remarks

were made and that was the end of it). Maybe what happened was worse than

described. Perhaps people believed it reflected an uncorrectable attitude.

Word from the newsroom is Cohen didn't have much support. He worked people

extraordinarily hard.

It's too bad because he was making a difference to viewers.

Channel 30's on-air product went from despicable to extraordinary. Stories

were complete and well balanced. Topics were explored in newspaper depth.

Viewers were getting the best reporting in St. Louis with Cohen's combination

of a strong staff and outstanding journalistic guidance.

Unfortunately for Cohen, his comments sabotaged his future at the station.

Perhaps some other city will benefit from his superior journalistic talents.

----

If Channel 30 is smart, it will look to my friend Bill Berra as a replacement.

The former Channel 2 news director was popular while there and for quite some

time produced a solid product. Berra went on to be a news director in Phoenix

and Orlando. He resigned at the end of August. He's available, he knows the

market, he knows news and he's a good people person. He had ratings success

at Channel 2 (some of which it has lost since his departure). Perhaps he can

do it again at Channel 30.

On the other hand, there is some sentiment for assistant news director (now

acting news director) Carol Scheer (sp??) who has weathered many storms at

Channel 30. One former Channel 30 reporter notes she has good news judgement

and is well liked.

The problem is, improving a three rating may require a more experienced news

director type.

---

For months, Channel 30 has proudly trumpeted Don Marsh's winning of the

Carter Stith journalism award. Just like that, while the campaign continued,

Marsh was gone. He resigned.

The why's and wherefore's aren't important here. What is important is that

it is most likely the end of an era (Marsh says he's not going back into

television news).

It is no secret to Journalism Review readers that I never thought that Don

Marsh's anchoring abilities would attract viewers (which appear to have been

borne out by Channel 30's dismal ratings). He wasn't bad, mind you. He was

solid. But he lacked that "reason to watch."

It is also no secret that I admired Don Marsh as one of this city's best

television reporters, especially, though not limited to, his political

reporting.

Looking at the quality of some of today's reporters who value form over

substance, one has to mourn the loss of his attributes. His reports were

complete, fair, balanced, understandable and relevant to the viewing audience.

In person, Marsh is a swell person who was honest with his viewers. He often

expressed his concern at where local news is headed.

One might accuse him of being an old timer in his thoughts - after all he

spent more than two decades on the air here. But I think he was a purist. He

knew what news should be (and was, before its commercialization as stations'

quest for solid journalism was replaced by the quest for profits).

I don't think Don likes me very much because of my feelings about his

anchoring along with my failing to side with him in his dispute with Channel 2

a few years ago which caused him to leave there and join Channel 30. I'm

sorry if he feels that way.

But it won't change my admiration of him. He is one of the city's few

remaining true television journalists. I hope others in the field remember

what he stood for - integrity and honesty. Most importantly, Don has a high

regard for the viewers. Good luck, Don!

---

Here's an idea for local television stations (newspapers too). Why not make

being accurate a promotional advantage. In other words, promote corrections.

Lot's of surveys nowadays say people don't trust the media. Instead of being

embarrassed about a mistake, proudly correct it. Television stations could

say "We're the ones who get it right."

When I was with Channel 4, one of the anchors I worked with used to fight

corrections. He said it made him look bad. Instead, he should realize it

made him look good. It tells the public that he (and his station) wants to

provide accurate, reliable information.

Likewise, the Post might do well by putting corrections (proudly) on the

front page.

It is actions like this (done responsibly) that might help restore people's

(at least St. Lousians) faith in the media. After all, the media do usually

get it right. But it's the things they get wrong that stand out.

---

July is considered a minor ratings month by television stations given that

viewing habits change greatly from the winter (more outdoors, less

television). Still, here are the ratings/shares as measured by Nielsen in

July for the major newscasts.

A rating point is equivalent to roughly 11,200 homes while a share translates

to the percentage of people watching a particular show compared to all people

watching television during that time period.

5 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. July 1997 July 1998

Channel 2 4.6/9 6.7/11

Channel 4 10.7/22 11.1/23

Channel 5 14.3/28 14.1/29

Channel 11 (non-news) 6.2/13 4.7/10

Channel 30 2.7/6 2.3/5

6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. July 1997 July 1998

Channel 2 4.0/8 4.3/8

Channel 4 10.2/21 11.5/22

Channel 5 14.8/30 15.5/29

Channel 11 (non-news) 5.9/12 4.0/8

Channel 30 (non-news) 5.6/11 5.5/10

10 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. July 1997 July 1998

Channel 2 5.8/10 5.1/8

Channel 4 12.3/20 13.4/22

Channel 5 16.4/27 16.3/26

Channel 11 (Seinfeld) 10/17 9.0/15

Channel 30 4.0/7 3.2/5

At 9 p.m., for the first half-hour, Channel 11 is handily ahead of Channel 2

in the prime time news race. Channel 11 sports a 7.5/12 while Channel 2 has a

4.7/7. It should be noted that Channel 2's rating is nearly a full point

higher than July of 1997 when the station was airing Access Hollywood.

---

"Dear Television (and print) Sports Reporters,

I was looking in my medicine cabinet and discovered acetaminophen (a

crystalline compound used in chemical synthesis and in medicine to relieve

pain and reduce fever) in it? It is a legal, over the counter drug commonly

called Tylenol. Will concoct a story on me like you did on Mark McGwire if

one of your reporters comes over and sneaks a peek into my cabinet?"

We'll never see that letter in print but it illustrates the story about Mark

McGwire's use of androstenedione (andro), a legal, over the counter drug, is,

actually, a non-story.

The fact it has become national news indicates the power of the media.

Apparently, someone at the Associated Press decided it was a story. Since

then, there has been much discussion.

Why?

It's legal. I can buy it.

If I take an aspirin a day to help prevent a heart attack, which means I may

live longer, is that a story?

If I take vitamins to be healthier, is that a story?

If Mark McGwire did all that (he might), nowadays, that is considered a

story.

No wonder people look at the media, in a general sense, and wonder about the

decision-makers.

Can you imagine what they might have found in Babe's locker - nothing was

regulated then like it is today?

If McGwire had been taking illegal substances, that's one thing. But

baseball had classified andro as legal. Until baseball changes its mind (and

if it does, no doubt McGwire will stop taking the stuff), lay off it!

---

As this is being written for a deadline that hits before John Pertzborn

returns to the airwaves, let me take this opportunity to say I missed John and

look forward to his return. Let's hope Channel 2 properly uses Pertzborn's

ability to produce outstanding features. In other words, let him anchor but

get him out on the streets too,

---

An item in Shoptalk (an industry internet trade publication) talked about an

anchorman in another city who has consented to having his co-anchor read the

first story in the newscast. It was the first time in some seventeen years he

did not read the first story. My thought, why? Is it that important that any

anchor read the first story? I remember as a producer that I was supposed to

alternate who reads the first story. The question is, who cares. When I read

this story, I realized that despite those nearly 12 years I spent at Channel

4, I never pay attention to who reads the lead story. So I asked several

other people. Not one said it was something they noticed or, more

importantly, cared about.

This brings up an important point. Television stations too often think about

themselves instead of the viewers. They should ask "what's the viewers going

to get out of this story?"

Sure, there is a need to feed the anchors' egos. In fact, an ego is vital to

being a good anchor. But is it going too far when an anchor really thinks it

makes a difference to anyone whether he/she reads the first story or not.

---

Channel 5's weather has gotten silly. When the weathercasters call for a 24

percent chance of rain tonight or a 59 percent chance of rain tomorrow, who

are they kidding? Just stick to the even numbers - 30 percent, 50 percent, 70

percent, etc. Those specific numbers are ridiculous and not fooling anyone

into thinking Channel 5 is any more accurate in forecasting than anyone else.

---

>From the "yes, they really said that" department comes a couple of examples of

television talent not quite getting it right.

A local reporter in another city said last month, "The funeral has been

delayed, postponed or cancelled at this point." Well, that says it all.

Then there was the Columbia, Missouri weatherman who told us on August 10 at

10 p.m. that there would be "widespread spotty storms" and that "we'll have a

partly cloudy mostly sunny day." Got that?

BOOK REVIEW

On the Air: The Encyclopedia

of Old-Time Radio

By John Dunning

Oxford University Press

822 pages

$55.00

Reviewed by Frank Absher

John Dunning is known as a writer of mysteries. He also hosts a radio talk show in Denver. The press release accompanying "On the Air" tells us he started out to update a book he'd written in 1976, the now out-of-print "Tune In Yesterday," but the project snowballed. I could really like this guy.

Pick any program popular during the golden days of radio. You'll probably find it in this book, and you'll also probably learn something about it you didn't know. Take "The Garry Moore Show," which began on the NBC Blue Network in 1942. Dunning correctly notes that Moore was a veteran of local radio in Chicago, Baltimore and St. Louis. He lists the network broadcasts of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra over CBS in 1931, 1932, 1934 and 1935. Other local shows that hit the networks, like "Saturday At the Chase," "The Dizzy Dean Show" and the St. Louis Municipal Opera didn't make the cut.

However, as one who has been working for several years to track down St. Louis shows that were picked up by the networks, I can forgive Dunning's oversight. Few listings include these shows. He goes far beyond merely listing radio programs. Anyone checking the extensive index can follow the career of a favorite radio star, like Mel Blanc or St. Louisan Marvin Miller, both of whom stayed extremely busy, often appearing in several ongoing programs during the same season.

The persistent reader will learn how well-scripted "Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour" was, how "Gangbusters" tried unsuccessfully to enlist the cooperation of J. Edgar Hoover, and how St. Louis adman Charlie Claggett contributed to radio history by devising the format for "The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters."

"On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio" is a book to be savored and consulted. It will be a welcome addition to the home libraries of everyone who appreciates the history of radio.

Fired reporters tell St. Louis audience:

Monsanto lying about effects of bovine growth hormone

By Peter Downs

Steve Wilson's answer to a question about the differences between the series he and Jane Akre produced on Monsanto's bovine growth hormone and the one that their former employer WTVT actually aired is brutally direct.

"Lies," he says.

SJR obtained transcripts of both versions of the story. The differences are both profound and subtle.

The most important difference is that the version the Fox owned station eventually broadcast reports there is no difference between milk from cows treated with bovine growth hormone produced by genetic engineering (rBGH) and untreated cows. That is what Monsanto wanted, but "it is a flat out lie and we repeatedly documented this to Fox officials," says Wilson.

Samuel Epstein, a cancer expert at the University of Illinois School of Public Health and an adviser to the European Union, told SJR that numerous researchers have demonstrated again and again that milk from rBGH treated cows is different. The difference is in the concentration of a hormone called IGF-1 whose production rBGH stimulates.

"Eli Lilly's own application to sell its version of rBGH in the United Kingdom admitted the levels of IGF-1 are ten-fold higher in the milk from treated cows," says Epstein. And that's not all.

The variant of IGF-1 produced in response to rBGH "is up to 40 times more potent" than normal variants of IGF-1, he says.

Those are not meaningless differences, he says. The human body does not simply pass IGF-1 through. Repeated studies show that people readily absorb the hormone.

"Neither the FDA nor industry has rebutted any of the science," says Epstein. Monsanto has called Epstein and the other scientists "incompetents," but it has not pointed to any flaws in the research, he says.

IGF-1 causes cancer in laboratory animals, and "there is evidence it increases the risk of colon cancer and breast cancer," in people, he says.

Wilson says the "milk is no different" lie is "the cornerstone of our complaint to the FCC that Fox knowingly broadcast false and misleading news reports."

"Our milk is the same," is the "big lie" says Wilson, but it is supported by a host of little lies and misleading statements.

Other differences in the two versions of the story:

• Wilson and Jane Akre said many scientists are concerned about the safety of rBGH. The Fox version reported that only "a handful" of scientists are "suspicious."

• Wilson and Akre report that rBGH is banned in Canada, Europe and New Zealand because of the safety concerns. The Fox version said it is banned for economic reasons. Wilson and Akre also reported on allegations from a Canadian health official that Monsanto tried bribery to secure approval of its drug. The Fox version left that out.

• The Fox version states that the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society and the FDA have approved the use of rBGH. Wilson and Akre refused to include that statement. "The FDA has approved the drug. None of the others has," says Wilson. The AMA is not in a position to approve products, he said. It did produce a video that Monsanto paid for, but Wilson suggested that is no different than a paid celebrity endorsement.

• The Fox version reports that animal researchers found no problems in cows injected with rBGH, and that the reporter found one farmer with problems. Wilson and Akre report that researchers found 20 different health problems among cows given rBGH, all of which are listed on the warning label, and that many farmers had problems with the product. The Fox version also said the farmer with problems still drinks the milk. That farmer, named Chuck Knight, said that is a lie.

• Wilson's and Akre's star witnesses against rBGH are scientists such as Epstein and UCLA's William von Meyer. The Fox version gives the lead critic role to Robert Cohen, who is neither a doctor nor a scientist. Wilson says he and Akre interviewed Cohen, but didn't use him because "we found others to be more credible and seemingly more qualified."

• The Fox version has comments from a local doctor saying rBGH is safe because a) the human digestive system breaks down the hormone, and b) the cancer rate hasn't increased in the four years since it went on the market.

• Both versions report the concern that increased antibiotic use associated with rBGH will pass antibiotics on in the milk and promote bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The Fox version says all milk is tested for antibiotics and that which is found contaminated is dumped. Wilson and Akre investigated one step further, and got admissions from dairy co-ops that it is both infrequent and inadequate in that they don't test for all the antibiotics farmers use.

• Wilson and Akre report Monsanto's "checkered past" of suppressing information about the hazards of PCBs and dioxins in Agent Orange. The Fox version doesn't.

• Wilson and Akre report on the labeling controversies and the censorship of companies such as Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream that do not use milk from cows injected with rBGH. Fox doesn't.

• The Fox version states that rBGH is a big benefit for farmers-making them richer-and consumers-making dairy products cheaper.

The differing slants of the two pieces is best summed up by their conclusions. Wilson and Akre concluded with Epstein talking about corporate dictatorship and urging "grassroots citizens to take over where government and industry have failed." The Fox version has reporter Nathan Lang telling viewers that if they don't like the idea of injecting cows with rBGH to produce the milk for their food, then they have "a beef with the federal government, most of the scientific community and the dairy business-one of the most powerful industries in the world."

Akre, who formerly was with KTVI (Channel 2) in St. Louis, says they did not begin the story with any bias against Monsanto. "I fully expected the controversy had gone away," she says.

Wilson, who is her husband, says "we were looking for the truth. Our job is simply to tell what we hear from the experts to give individuals information they need to make decisions."

MEDIA ON MEDIA

By Frank Absher

Complaints

What turns off people who spend most of their radio listening time with music stations? Paragon Research says the top complaint among the 400 listeners it surveyed was "too many commercials." That was followed by "too much talk," music repetition and little variety in programming. (Broadcasting & Cable, Aug. 17)

Talk the talk

The 1998 Radio Format Study developed by InteRep shows the news-talk format is the most listened to in the country. Country, which had been the top format, dropped to third behind adult contemporary. CHR is in fourth place followed by oldies. Other tidbits: overall radio listening is down 6 percent from last year; the median age of news/talk listeners is 44.8; listeners to at least 10 of the other formats listed in the survey picked news/talk as their second listening choice. (R&R, July 10)

USA nerds

Don't look for them to advertise the fact that they're the newspaper for nerds. Adscope says the favorite newspaper for computer industry types is USA Today. The survey says nearly 21 percent of computer professionals read the paper, more than any other daily. (Ad Age, June 29)

No shooting

CBS-TV News, which is still haunted by the memory of its botched initial coverage of the death of Princess Diana, ran into another coverage problem in the recent shooting at the capitol in Washington. It seems the network had a crew working inside the building when the shooting erupted, but they couldn't transmit any live pictures because security officers prevented them from getting to a transmission site. (Broadcasting & Cable, Aug. 3)

More ads

It's not just your imagination. PhaseOne, an advertising research firm, says its latest information shows more commercials on television. In TV's prime time block of three hours, the average network affiliate ran a total of 48 minutes of commercials, promos and announcements. NBC was tops with 49 minutes, followed by CBS, ABC and Fox. In terms of unit numbers, that's about 120 different units per three-hour session. (Ad Age, Aug. 3)

Going strong

There doesn't appear to be any drop in demand for commercial time in NFL telecasts. CBS says half its avails were already sold by July 1, even though the network had increased spot rates by as much as 20 percent. The network made headlines when it agreed to pay $4 billion for the TV rights to the AFC. (Broadcasting & Cable, June 29)

Out foxed

It's a turf battle that didn't make many of the nation's sports pages. Fox Sports Net has grabbed the cable rights for two teams owned by Disney, which (through its ABC ownership) owns ESPN. That means the Anaheim Angels and Mighty Ducks will be seen on Fox throughout Southern California. (Electronic Media, Aug. 17)

Whatever

Saying it was the best way they could serve the community, a Tampa television station has discontinued its late night news. The news department at WTOG-TV was disbanded. (Electronic Media, July 13)

Batter up

That tacit probationary period the public had imposed on Major League Baseball may be lifting. The TV ratings for this year's All-Star Game were up 13 percent over last year. The numbers were the best since 1995. (Electronic Media, July 13)

Doubling up

Following the Telcom Act of 1996 and deregulation of broadcast ownership restrictions, mega companies have taken over every major market in the country. Now there's a request before the Federal Communications Commission to relax cross-ownership restrictions on broadcast and newspaper properties in the same markets. Those seeking the change argue that allowing cross-ownership would bring about more operating efficiencies. Those arguing against it cite recent problems with news credibility, saying there's a need to maintain as many sources for news as possible. (Broadcasting & Cable, July 27)

Read on

What do Americans prefer to do with their spare time? According to a Lou Harris poll this year, 30 percent said reading is their top activity, followed by 21 percent who prefer watching television. As for family time, that was fourth, behind gardening. (Broadcasting & Cable, July 20)

Pulling plug

"We're here for you," seemed like a great ad campaign for an electric utility. It's the theme for an effort for Illinois Power. The utility pulled the initial spots, which were scheduled to run just about the time the major heat wave hit the Midwest this summer and brownouts were feared. This was the ultimate example of pulling the plug on a campaign. (Ad Age, July 13)

Lots of less

Several areas around the country now have a lot more viewing choices, but that doesn't necessarily mean the quality of television is any better. Fifteen percent of homes now have at least 80 channels, according to Statistical Research, Inc. (Electronic Media, June 29)

Good news

Broadcasting has increased its employment numbers for women and minorities in the past year. In 1997, females held 41 percent of jobs in the industry and minorities had 20.2 percent. In the "upper job categories" like professionals, managers, technical and sales, female participation jumped to 34.9 percent and minorities hit 18.2 percent. (Broadcasting & Cable, June 28)

What gives?

Ratings equal the big bucks. At least that's what you might assume. But chew on this. Last year, New York's WFAN was the highest-grossing radio station in the country. But in terms of ratings, the station ranked 19th in total audience in the market. (R&R, May 29)

Big sound

The first global radio network is set to launch Sept. 15. Radio Voyager Network, developed by Finger Lake Productions and based in Washington, DC, will broadcast live in the U.S. and Europe, with emphasis being placed on contemporary music. (PRNewswire, Aug. 17)

Doctors, media and the quest for immortality

By Dr. Herman T. Blumenthal

While perhaps not as compelling as the Monica Lewinsky scandal, virtually every local and national television news program now has a reporter dedicated to presenting new medical discoveries on almost a daily basis. Newspapers also carry regular health updates in small blocks as well as periodic larger "in-depth" articles. It has become a habit to select an article in the weekly New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association and present it as a break-through that offers hope for the cure of some disease.

And then there are the pseudo-scientific TV commercials often with an actor in a white coat pretending to be a physician, hawking vitamins and other products touted to provide better health and greater longevity. The promotion of these products would lead the viewer to think there are epidemics of heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids and other common ills. It's hard to miss the newest kid on the block-Viagra-to cure an epidemic of impotency.

Among the plethora of books promising immortality are "Immortality: How Science Is Extending Your Life-span-and Changing the World" by Ben Bova, and "Life Without Disease" by William B. Schwartz.

Schwartz predicts this medical utopia by 2050 based on the successful use of gene manipulation, gene therapy and molecular-based drug therapies, along with improved attention to dietary and environmental factors. He foresees a world in which virtually most major classes of disease will have been eliminated and aging will become "simply another disease to be treated." And he estimates the average life-span will rise to 120-130 years.

Putting reports of medical discoveries in a more rational perspective, in a presentation of the prestigious Shattuck Lectureship published July 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine , is Dr. Timothy Johnson who covers medical news for the ABC network. (His degrees in medicine and public health, and his choice for this honor, appear to qualify him as at least one of the best reporters of medical news. As far as I could determine, the news media didn't cover that event.) Both Johnson and Tim Radford in the British medical journal the Lancet point out that in a free market there is a tendency for the news media to tell stories in versions that go down well. If the readers will not buy the story, they will not buy the newspaper or the magazine. For most people the reality of science is what they read in the press or hear on television. Reports in the news media should at least satisfy two important criteria-journalistic interest and scientific credibility.

But how reliable are these reports? As Johnson points out, the competition for public attention between medical journals, hospitals, physicians and commercial research institutions has resulted in problematic and even dangerous practices. Moreover, the rush of scientists and journalists to promote themselves too often leads to a violation of the tenets of their respective professions. Scientists release results prematurely, and journalists neglect to use multiple sources and opposing viewpoints.

The two most widely read medical journals, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association, compete for advertising dollars, and for research reports likely to make headlines in order to attract the news media and lay readers. As a consequence, as Johnson notes, they sometimes teeter on the edge of scientific credibility.

He also points out that the increasing commercialization of medical research by business interests concerned primarily with profits has led to secretiveness and even a "cut-throat mentality that prompts blatant attempts at manipulating the media." Stock market prices rise quickly following the announcement of a new drug purported to cure a human malady or to extend longevity.

"Commercialization has even extended to scientific meetings which are now becoming more like exercises in public relations," Johnson says.

Johnson cites, as perhaps an extreme example, a 1984 study on a treatment for Alzheimer's disease performed on only four patients. A press conference was called in which an on-camera testimonial by one of the four patients appeared on all three commercial networks and in many national newspapers and magazines. The therapy was touted as the first breakthrough in treating this devastating disease. During the next two months the medical center received 2600 calls about this study. Now, almost one and a half decades later, there is still no effective treatment for Alzheimer's.

How much attention does the public pay to news media reports for its health information? As Johnson notes, these reports rank at the top of categories of great interest to viewers and readers. He cites a poll showing that 50 percent pay moderate attention and 25 percent a great deal of attention to the reports. About 58 percent have changed their behavior or taken some kind of action because of a news report, while 42 percent seek further information.

If the objective of news reports on medical matters is to express scientific findings in ways the general public can use, then, as Morris Shamas argues in his book titled "The Myth of Scientific Literacy," this is "little more than a romantic idea."

My particular interest in this subject derives from the fact that I am working on a book titled "Understanding the Aging-Disease Relationship," in the course of which, I have been looking at relevant news media reports and books on such aging-related conditions as heart attacks, strokes, hypertension, cancer, diabetes and dementia. Like the two books noted above, but with a much larger readership, an article in Parade magazine also promises a disease free society: "Scientists predict that genetic research being done today will lead to cures for many of the world's worst diseases."

To indicate how ancient is the human quest for immortality, my book begins with the observation that when Homo Sapiens emerged eons ago, an event that, according to Stephen Jay Gould, the noted Harvard archaeologist, was "a glorious accident," our species acquired a sense of self, the attributes of consciousness, the use of language as a means of communication and a concept of time. We are the only creatures that both laugh and cry, and the only ones with the knowledge that death is inevitable.

But history also reveals that for millennia humans have striven to attain immortality and rejuvenation, and, if such attempts were not successful, to at least try to extend the human life-span. There are accounts of ancient societies in which potions and lifestyle advisories were intended to attain these ends. And, toward the end of the past century and early in this one, with much coverage in the publications of that period, the transplantation of reproductive organs from animals to humans was touted to achieve rejuvenation. When reality set in, the most notorious of these attempts was dubbed "scrotum hokum."

In their place we now have such pharmaceutical panaceas as DHEA, melatonin, pituitary growth hormone, anti-oxidants and a multiplicity of dietary remedies. At one time it was believed that the purported unusual longevity of centenarians in Azerbaijan was due in part to their consumption of yogurt-until it was discovered that they never eat it.

For more than three decades now, a risk factor avoidance strategy has been adopted for preventing disease and attaining greater longevity. This strategy includes the adoption of life-style changes that include smoking cessation, exercise and a low-fat diet. It is not unusual to see the elderly performing calisthenics, but does that prove that these elderly are still healthy because they exercise, or do they exercise because they are still healthy?

One of my former SJR pieces dealt with the pros and cons of the evidence that a low-fat diet would prevent heart attacks. Deaths from heart attacks have been steadily declining since the 1960s, but there are now several reports showing that the decline in mortalities from coronary heart disease is not due to a decline in the prevalence of this malady. Rather it is due to advances in the treatment of patients who already have diseased coronary arteries.

Nevertheless, the beat goes on. First those with a cholesterol level within the normal range are advised to lower it even further, followed by the announcement that our federal government is planning to redo the criteria for determining body mass. To which, in a column called "Jabs and Jives," David S. Greenberg has commented in the Lancet as follows:

"The predicted outcome is that 29 million adults now categorized as being of normal weight will be redefined as overweight by just a few pounds. This elevation will raise the ranks of the officially overweight population to 97 million adults about one-third of the total population.

"The leading beneficiary of America's unrequited passion for sveltness is, of course, the anti-fat industry, which would rapidly go out of business if its confidently proclaimed methods actually worked. The annual dollar value of the industry is reported to be $35 billion."

Taking a more rational view, here is the advice of Dr. Marcia Angell, executive director of the New England Journal of Medicine, in an article title "Overdosing on Health Risks" in New York Times Magazine:

"The meritocratic faith ignores one critical fact: science has hardly begun to touch the big mysteries about diet and other habits. We simply do not know much about what is risky and what isn't, and what we do know is often distorted or misinterpreted. Most Americans are not very good at distinguishing between big risks from little ones. We are likely to react to all reported risks in the same way or choose which to respond to, on the basis of irrational fears or the prominence given them on the 6 o'clock news."

Much of the evidence that the dietary zealots tout is, of course, based on statistical correlations. But as the eminent evolutionary biologist Theodore Dobzhansky once remarked, "Statistics is often a way of making bad data look good."

Here is an example of what happens when the statistical game is played. On May 28, the National Cancer Institute breast cancer prevention trial issued a preliminary report on a trial of tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer. it reported a 45 percent reduction in breast cancer incidents in the group on the drug compared to the group receiving a placebo. The report was greeted with a great deal of optimism by the news media. But in the July 4, issue of the Lancet, there were two negative reports of a similar study which the news media hardly mentioned. Although the number of women in the National Cancer Institute study was much greater than in the other two, what is the publc supposed to conclude from a 2:1 score when all three studies rush to go public?

In the case of risk factors associated with coronary heart disease, several epidemiologists have concluded that the fallacy in such studies is equating risk factors with causes. One cynical observer counted some 300 risk factors purported to show a positive statistical correlation with this malady. These epidemiologists have concluded that large intervention trials based on such correlations is a wasteful investment of public money because they are incapable of achieving their aims.

There is one segment of our population for which these risk factors are not even relevant. Epidemiological studies of heart disease provide a positive correlation only between ages 35 and 70. After that the correlation ceases, but the heart disease rate continues to climb. Simply put, the causes of coronary heart disease after about age 70 are different from those at younger ages.

The new kid on the risk block is the genomic revolution. Almost weekly there are reports of the discovery of a gene associated with some disease, raising the possibility that by manipulating genes diseases can be treated or prevented. The identification of a gene linked to a particular disease has led to the belief that people with that gene will inevitably develop the disease. In the first place, unless the gene is actually turned on, the disease will not occur. Furthermore, the path between the gene and its protein product that is the actual cause is a complex one with many necessary intermediate steps that remain to be activated.

The gene-disease connection has been both oversimplified and oversold. A particular gene can be at the root of more than one disease, and the same disease can derive from a variety of different genes. Alzheimer's disease is a case in point. Enthusiastic medical researchers, with much fanfare from the news media, have identified several different genes associated with this disease. What the public has not been told is that all but one are in the familial (inherited) category, and the one that isn't, the APOE4 gene, is a risk factor, but not directly causal. At best, these genes account for only about 35 percent of Alzheimer's cases, mostly in patients between ages 35 and 65. One study has shown that none of these genes, including APOE4, is present in centenarians, 75 percent of whom had Alzheimer's. What I also could not find covered by the news media was a report in Science earlier this year of the discovery of a genetic mutation linked with Alzheimer's disease that is not inherited and is a normal aging phenomenon.

The Harvard biologist Ruth Hubbard has coined the term "genomania" to describe the overselling of purported genetic-disease links. But genomania is not the only example of overkill reporting. About four decades ago Leonard Hayflick and Paul S. Moorehead discovered that when cells of a newborn are placed in a tissue culture, they proceed through a fixed number of doubling generations, at the end of which the cells cease to divide. While some researchers regard this as a model for cellular aging, Hayflick has interpreted it not as a model of aging, but equivalent to the life-span of the species from which the cells derive. In humans, there are 50-60 doublings, and there are fewer in species with shorter life-spans, with the number proportionate to the species' length of life.

Subsequently it was discovered that with each doubling generation, the end segments of the cells, called telomeres, progressively shortened. And when the telomeres disappeared completely, cell division ended. It was also discovered that an enzyme called telomerase had the capacity to synthesize chromosomal ends, and when this enzyme was introduced into cells in a culture they became "immortal"-a metaphor for cancer cells. For many researchers telomere shortening was therefore regarded as a defense against the emergence of cancer cells.

In a January 1998, issue of Science, Michael J. West, a cell biologist and founder and vice-president of the Geron Corporation, and associates who had isolated the gene for telomerase, reported that when the gene was inserted into cells in a culture they proceeded through about 20 doublings beyond their usual senescent point. In a later interview, they reported 90 such doublings. The cells were thus on the way to becoming immortal. Shortly thereafter three reports by Nicholas Wade appeared in The New York Times.

While Wade acknowledged that telomerase is active in cancer cells, and noted that at least one other biomedical scientist pointed out that this discovery has no relevance to Alzheimer's disease because the nerve cells of the adult brain do not have the capacity to divide, the big teaser in these articles was: "If cells can be made to live indefinitely, can people be made immortal?" Following Wade's and other reports in the news media on the telomerase findings, the price on Geron shares rose sharply.

While the diseases noted above are generally referred to as being aging-related, they occur in all age groups. In the young, although rare, they are of congenital or inherited origin. Here genes are indeed paramount. After about age 30, they progressively increase in prevalence, with no decline in the oldest "old." Between ages 30 and 70 there are several causes of these diseases-some are associated with detrimental lifestyles, some with exposure to environmental pollutants that cause genetic mutations and some linked with inherited late-acting mutated genes. The latter are termed "familial" because they appear in several members of the same family. However, with advancing age, these causes play a progressively diminishing role in the genesis of these diseases; and, in the oldest old, their genesis is closely linked with what is called "normal aging."

What are the implications of this paradigm? Since the turn of this century, the average life expectancy has more than doubled and our population of those older than 80 is growing at a faster rate than younger age groups. If bio-medical scientists are ultimately successful in preventing or treating diseases of congenital-hereditary origin, or due to harmful lifestyle practices, those originally destined to develop these diseases at earlier ages will live into the oldest old category-approaching the maximum human life-span. This is a much to be desired outcome.

But how will our health care system deal with an increasing burden of the oldest old with these diseases? We now have the most technologically advanced medical care in the world, and we spend more per capita annually than any other economically developed nation. Yet, we rank lower than most those nations in average life expectancy. Japan ranks ahead of us, and their longevity is often attributed to a diet of fish, rice and avoidance of saturated fats. But the Swiss and Austrians also rank ahead of us, and they pig out on greasy sausages and schlag. So, lifestyle changes aren't the solution.

It is already evident that our present for-profit managed health care system is in trouble. Rather than trying to repair it by legislation protecting patients' rights, we should be seeking a more efficient system, perhaps modeled after that of some of the other developed countries. Some have advised that we ration treatment for the elderly. If so, at what age should we institute it? Discussions of ethical issues in health care for the elderly are now much in the news and will be in the foreseeable future.

Dr. Herman T. Blumenthal is a research gerontologist and pathologist.

Media credibility raised by British news council

By Joy Hyde

The purpose of a news council is to provide the public an avenue to file complaints about news outlets. The United States has never had a national news council similar to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in Great Britain. The only formal news council in the U.S. is a regional council serving only the state of Minnesota.

Bob Shaw, founding member of the Minnesota News Council, says that news councils are good for the news media but the media does not particularly like the councils.

"The working media at best tolerates a council ... The public, though, loves the idea of a council, and the public needs it," Shaw says. "We have noticed that when members of the public go through our process, their respect for the news media is higher."

The same is true of English subjects. The PCC in London is designed to protect individuals from defamation of character and intrusion into their private lives by certain sections of the press. Founded in 1991, the PCC represents national and regional editors of the British news media. Together, they produced a Code of Practice.

For the first time, Parliament believed "non-statutory self-regulation can be made to work effectively. This is a stiff test for the press. If it fails, we recommend that a statutory system for handling complaints should be introduced."

The PCC had 18 months to prove that self-regulation would work. Otherwise, Parliament would consider formal legislation to regulate the intrusion of privacy. Legislation dealing with defamation and libel already exist in British law.

Intense scrutiny from Parliament, the government and the public has prompted press self-regulation to become stronger.

"Our aim at the Press Complaints Commission remains consistent: to uphold the freedom of the press-which is absolutely fundamental to a healthy democracy-at the same time as providing an increasingly effective and accountable method of redress for abuses of that freedom," Rt. Hon Lord Wakeham, chairman of the PCC, says.

Since the appointment of Lord Wakeham in 1995, the PCC has increased its commitment to the effectiveness and endurance of the PCC. As a result, the government acknowledged the PCC's continuing efforts to self-regulate and reaffirmed its support of the PCC.

Most complaints made with the PCC are resolved to the satisfaction of those complaining. When a complaint is filed, several requirements must be met by the "victim." First, the complaining party must have written a formal letter of complaint to the editor of the publication and waited at least seven days for a reply. If no reply is received, a letter can then be sent to the PCC.

If the individual or organization complaining is not directly affected by the matters in which they are complaining then the complaint is dismissed.

The complaint must also be made within a reasonable amount of time of publication. Most complaints made after one month of publication are dismissed.

"Most complaints to the PCC raising substantive issues under the Code are of course resolved to the satisfaction of those complaining. Where there is a breach of the Code which cannot be resolved otherwise, the Commission adjudicates formally and the publication concerned must publish the critical adjudication in full and with due prominence," the PCC reports.

There are issues that the PCC cannot make decisions on. For example, complaints about legal or contractual matters, advertisements, or other parts of newspapers not considered editorial can not be considered by the commission.

Arguments against a news council include:

• Unconstitutional burden on the free press.

• Not qualified to judge ethics.

• No power.

• Could devolve into a press-bashing organization.

• Could hurt the press in a libel suit.

The Minnesota News Council believes that a council can never be inflicted on the news media.

"The news media must want it," Shaw says. "Lacking this support, I believe a council cannot succeed."

Minnesota's council is also sponsored by the state press. The Minnesota Newspaper Association approved the "experiment" in 1970 and saw the benefit of including the public in on discussions of journalistic ethics.

Since 1971, the Minnesota News Council has received more than 1560 complaints. The PCC received 2944 complaints in 1997 alone.

"There are many who argue that 1997 was a defining year for the self-regulation of the press," Lord Wakeham says. "The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, clearly touched a raw nerve among members of the public about the way in which newspapers and magazines gather news."

News councils may well be the answer to bringing the media and the public together and safeguarding the media's reputation.

Joy Hyde is the production manager of SJR.

RFT improves its on-line edition

By Daniel Hellinger

For all of the St. Louis's well-documented shortcomings, the community is fortunate to have one of the country's most sophisticated and highly rated electronic newspapers in the on-line version of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. But what about the region's alternative print newspaper, the Riverfront Times?

Until recently, the RFT web site was a dismal place, both in terms of content and style. It's page typically carried one or two feature articles, had no archives or links to past issues, and provided nothing more than an unwieldy composite calendar of happenings in the area. The site still has some ways to go, but on-line editor Richard Byrne and Tom Carlson, who is responsible for Design and Maintenance, have made recent improvements that represent the paper, and the city, much more effectively.

The new RFT page (www.rftstl.com) offers the calendar plus separate pages for nightclubs and bands. The result is much more user friendly, more so than its rival, Get Out. Regular columns, including restaurant, film and art reviews, are all available. Reporters' e-mail addresses are available at the end of stories so readers can respond. All of these features are offered in a frames format-i.e., in the margins of the page are links which allow the reader to load different sections and stories into a box set within the screen. The trick in using frames is to provide convenience-and some space for advertising-without havng to cram the most important component, the information, into a minute space, and unlike many other news products on-line.

Top down initiative

Byrne gives credit for much of the page design to Carlson and downplays his role. "My role has been more as an adviser in this. But now I'm just about to assume more responsibilities as an editor," he says. Byrne sees his role growing as the site adds new features, such as archives.

Earlier, Byrne admits, "there was no reason to log-on" to RFT on-line. Most visitors seemed to be from outside the metropolitan area, a readership of limited interest to local advertisers. St. Louis readers found little on-line that wasn't reading available in the ubiquitous print edition.

Byrne attributes the slow development of the on-line RFT to the small staff resources, the pressure of integrating St. Louis Magazine into the Hartmann Publishing fold, and the deliberate approach the management of the paper has taken to developing its electronic edition.

"We could be doing a lot better on promotion," he says, "but we're juggling a lot of bottles, especially with the acquisition of St. Louis Magazine. The philosophy has been baby steps.Publisher Hartmann has made it clear he is willing to invest, but he wants to consolidate one step at a time."

Byrne says, however, the mandate to develop the web pager comes from the top. "The initiative has come from the top down. Ray sees possibilities," says Byrne.

Byrne provided data showing the paper has averaged 8500 hits per day since April. Hits are an imprecise measurement of "circulation" because one visitor may be responsible for multiple hits, but the number is nonetheless impressive. Some of this traffic continues to be generated by outside readers, with a notable interest in muckraking articles done by reporters like Jeannette Batz and Carl Stelzer. Groups and individuals around the country interested in biotechnology issues and campaign finance have been frequent visitors.

"It's nice not to have to fax them and simply point them at the web page," Byrne says.

There has been a notable increase over the last few months as the site has been maintained more consistently and in a timely manner. Two weeks in August saw an average of over 15,000 hits per week. On, August 26, a Wednesday-and hence the date of publication of a new edition-over 1700 hits were recorded over the noon hour alone, indicating of a substantial number of readers who go to the key board rather than the local lunch counter or newsstand to see what's new in RFT.

However, not all of the visits are welcomed. "Alternative newspapers and on-line services are raiding each others materials," Byrne says. "People are ripping our stuff off."

When other publications wanted to use information reported by RFT, as long as everything was in print, they had to choose selectively and attribute. Now it is possible to put together web pages with links, raising ethical and legal questions not yet adequately resolved by law or professional norms.

While outside readership is flattering, it's not what will make or break the page. "Outside readership will not drive the online edition," Byrne says. Like other publishers, including the Post, the RFT is approaching the internet as both an opportunity and a threat. Can the new medium be used to attract younger readers who seem alienated by print? Can these be attracted without loosing the traditional readership, which tends to be older and prefer a tangible product?

"Its a blending of two different cultures that need to talk to one another. There ares the online, younger readers and then there are the older readers who want print and need to talk to one another. There's a need to blend the sensibilities, and that will take a while," Byrne says.

Reporter Jeannette Batz still prefers her news in ink on paper, but she appreciates having her work more widely available. "The fun part is when people read and want to comment," Batz says. She got a kick out of a response from a woman in Australia who passed on to her husband a column by Batz on sex addiction-something hard to imaging happening before the Internet age.

Show me the money

Outside readers are not going to drive the RFT because local readership is crucial to generating advertising revenues. On the other hand, the RFT, unlike the Post, is not leaping into the Internet as a service provider, and the investment is modest. Aside from web space, the RFT has not made a huge investment so far. This is evident in the decision to utilize outside services to run two sections of the on-line paper-personals and classified.

The personals arrangement makes more sense in a number of respects. The company, Telepublishing Incorporated, is also responsible for running the "900" service through which readers respond to the print version of "Person to Person." The on-line version is integrated with this operation. Once a person completes a free registration and receives a confidential e-mail address, readers can post or read ads. Customers have the option of placing the ads in the print version. With the on-line version they can limit contacts to the local area or seek connections nationally.

Amy Cook, "Person to Person" Coordinator, says she frequently visits other web sites with services to see what they offer. She says there are no immediate plans to change and she's generally satisfied. Asked if she is not concerned that users may not realize they are no longer dealing with RFT when they link to Telepublishing's page (www.personalpossibilities.com), Cook says the company's system makes it clear when users are asked whether they want to interact only with St. Louis area or in a wider area.

The relationship between the paper and the contracted service could be clear both in print and on-line. In the print edition RFT calls the 900 number a "service of the Riverfront Times." One might just as easily argue the relationship is the opposite-the company is providing a service under contract to RFT. Given the highly personal service offered, readers deserve to know with whom they are dealing.

At least when one arrives at the personals page on-line, most readers will probably know they are not longer within the comfortable confines of the Hartmann empire. This is not the case at present with classified ads. Presently, the RFT web-page connects readers to a national classfieds system run by a Boston company, Electrografix New Media. (www.classifiedhits.com). The RFT misleadingly labels the link when it says "RFT classified." Following the link to Electrografix brings one to a page with a bold banner headlining the page as "Riverfront Times." One has to sort out other information on the page or note the change in the brower's address box to realize you've left RFT's cyberspace.

Once on the page readers are enticed to register with Electrografix (they are likely to think they are registering with RFT) for free. Doing so, the browser is informed, gets you free services. "As a Registered Member you can utilize the following features FREE in Classifiedlists: The Place an Ad Feature, ScratchPad Feature, and Email."

There is a price list for ads, but these might easily be interpreted as prices for placing an ad in the print RFT. Perhaps I am among the more gullible browser-consumers, but I thought the free "Place an Ad" feature meant you actually got to list an ad for free. Chris Casagrande, RFT's classified manager, explains that the use of software for formatting the ad was free, not the ad itself.

Casagrande says the arrangement with Electrografix is very much underdevelopment. "They are an aggressive company, and they seem eager to work with us to provide a service we want. I'm very interested in reader response, and I'll be talking with them tomorrow about our page." In response to my observation that the link and the offer could be misleading, Casagrande said she intended to discuss the matter with Electrografix.

Like most other on-line editions, RFT has not found a way yet to make money off its Web site. A few banner ads are to be found, but many pages have little more than a public service announcement or a promotion of some feature or service offered by the paper itself. A ubiquitous link takes a user to another external site, "Uproar," which seems to be a contest site run by CBS, Inc. But again, where is the RFT taking us? Once you sign-up for any of these services, what do the contracting parties do with the information?

Clearly, the RFT has come a long way in a few months. The paper needs to be clearer just what and where its taking visitors to its pages, but there is no better place to find out what's going on around town. News content is high, now, and graphics are kept to managable proportions. As a result, traffic on its pages are up.

The good news for readers is that this information intensive site is relatively uncluttered by advertising. But what's good for readers is not what's good for business. Like most other media outlets, RFT's investment in online publishing is driven as much by fear of the consequences of failing to do so, and less by indcations that a great deal of money is to be made soon on such a project. The challenge will be to maintain quality, which represents St. Louis well, while finding a means to keep the operation financially viable. But that's an challenge to the whole industry, not RFT alone.

Public journalism's sugar daddy offers short cuts on the intellectual journey

By Don Corrigan

With one of the nation's leading practitioners of public journalism, Cole Campbell, now at the helm of the editorial operation of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it's a pretty good idea for staffers to understand what the new movement is all about.

It's not enough just to talk the talk-dropping bits of public journalism lingo within easy earshot of "change agent" Campbell. News staffers need to show that they know how to walk the walk-that they understand how a "paradigm shift" in journalistic thinking is needed to effectively transform the "newsroom culture."

Public journalism advocates such as Davis "Buzz" Merritt say many would-be converts to the creed of public journalism don't comprehend that it's not simply some new method or some new process for doing journalism. Merritt argues that the uninitiated journalists and critics need to take an intellectual journey through the various manifestos and literature that undergird the public journalism movement.

But what if the eager novitiate doesn't have time to read Merritt's primer on "how telling the news is not enough?"

What if the public journalism cub can't spare the time to pore over Jay Rosen's tracts on reviving the flagging democracy? Or to ponder Jim Fallows' critique of a news business that is broken? Or to engage intellectually with Robert Putnam, whose essays reveal our isolation in a mass-mediated culture?

What's the harried, deadline-crazed journalist to do? Not to worry. Now there are short cuts available in public journalism's intellectual journey. Inspirational videos about public journalism are proliferating.

Public journalism's think tank and sugar daddy, the Pew Center, has produced a series of new videos that give step-by-step instructions in paradigm shifting, showing how reporters and editors can break old habits and take up the new tools of public (or civic) journalism.

"Civic Journalism: A Work in Progress" focuses on the efforts of Steve Smith, editor of the Gazette in Colorado Springs. The video captures his ongoing quest to change his daily's newsroom to a civic culture.

Smith is a frequent speaker and panelist on the public journalism circuit. He defends public journalism from its critics, whom he dismisses as elitists. He has described public journalism as populist, "born in the heartland, nurtured in the South and Midwest and growing out of hopes, fears and dreams of journalists like me -editors of small and mid-size newspapers struggling to reconnect with their communities in meaningful ways."

In the instructional video, Smith can be found coaching his reporters about "reframing" stories over an informal lunch in the newsroom. Pensive reporters hold their tuna fish sandwiches in suspended animation, as they strain to catch every word of the civic vocabulary. Smith insists on using the vocabulary of public journalism, "or else it just becomes good old journalism," which takes the steam out of the movement.

"Language is probably the number one barrier for explaining all this," Smith also concedes. "Use the term civic journalism and you can feel the lead screens just drop down in front of folks. The idea is to constantly reinforce the direction we want to go, using the vocabulary we've developed."

There's no room for dissidents on the work-in-progress video. Newsies who get the most air play on this video can talk the talk and walk the walk. A sports editor explains how civic journalism can affect sports coverage, moving stories away from competitive stats to much warmer sports personality portraits.

Smith openly challenges all of his young charges: "We are not going to give you the templates any more," he tells them in sink-or-swim fashion. "Experiment, break the rules, try something different."

The video, "New Listening Posts: Blending Investigative with Civic Journalism in Asbury Park," focuses on the work of Jody Calendar, deputy editor of the Asbury Park Press, and draws out her incredible transformation from hard news junkie and hard-as-nails skeptic to an engaged and quite engaging public journalist.

She confesses that when she first heard about civic journalism, she "thought the Moonies had taken over." But given a directive to change the culture in her newsroom, she visited mentor Dennis Hartig at the Virginian-Pilot and became a convert.

As she relates in the video, one of her close associates responded by asking her: "What the fuck are you doing?" Calendar also was accused of being a "sellout." The typical barrage one comes to expect from traditional reporters who won't easily change their journalistic reflexes.

Calendar tells a parable about her hesitation to visit an orangutan colony in southeast Asia to illustrate the challenge of getting fretful and fearful traditionalists to reconnect with their communities.

According to Calendar, the effort at her paper to reconnect resulted in reporters talking to ordinary citizens and uncovering a massive mortgage swindle. The reporting called, "House of Cards" and "What Ails Asbury," put the paper on a new footing with a formerly disenchanted minority audience, according to Calendar.

The video, "Citizen Reader: Building Civic Journalism Pages at the Virginian-Pilot," examines the work of Dennis Hartig, managing editor of the Virginian-Pilot. Hartig worked with Cole Campbell, past editor of the Virginia paper, on some of the first public journalism projects in the country.

Hartig explains that there are three steps for reporters and editors on the way to public journalism: "conscious incompetence"-when you're dumb and you know you're dumb; "unconscious incompetence"-when you think you're smarter than you really are; "unconscious competence"-when you are practicing public journalism at its best.

Hartig explains in the video that the Virginian-Pilot is experimenting with providing an entire page, three days per week, on education, public life and public safety. The pages explore such techniques as score cards, status reports, crime maps and success stories to cover "not what happened yesterday, but how things are going" over time.

The way to help readers become effective citizens is to give them "the 5,000 foot view," Hartig says. This is done by providing "knowledge, not news."

The video, "Self-publishing Communities: Partnering with the New Competition" is perhaps the most interesting of the new spate of public journalism videos. Glenn Ritt, vice president of news and information at the Record in Hackensack, N.J., provides ideas for making newspapers the key intersection of a region's information highways.

Ritt talks about how the paper has networked with schools, the city government and with religious denominations in providing a base of information on the Internet. Ritt said the paper and the other entities share information and engage in important conversation over the Internet.

According to Ritt, the new journalism and public conversation that is the essence of the Internet is something that is going to happen with or without newspapers. Newspapers need to make themselves a part of this conversation and must fight the urge to try to control it.

"Newspapers were once in the middle of the information network," says Ritt. "Now the customer is at the center and we are just one of the options."

Ritt says becoming part of the public journalism of the Internet requires a newspaper to examine some fundamental questions: Can we be watchdogs of the groups that we are tied in with? Is it possible that these other sources of information are more trusted than we are? Will this involvement "dis-intermediate" us?

These questions, however, should not hold a news operation back from partnering with various community entities on the information highway, Ritt stresses.

"While we sit around and debate whether public journalism is good or not, it's happening on the Net whether we are there with it or not," contends Ritt. "And we can be left behind," he adds.

Oldies but goldies

The new public journalism videos are, for the most part, based on presentations given by editors at a Public Journalism retreat attended by 40 practicing civic journalists in 1997. The retreat was sponsored by the Pew Center and hosted by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Two previous, tried-and-true public journalism videos of the past are also products of the Pew Center for Civic Journalism.

The video, "Civic Journalism," is a 1995 production narrated by Hodding Carter III and it is accompanied by a study guide meant to spark discussion both in the classroom and in the newsroom.

Editor Jennie Buckner of the Charlotte Observer describes how the paper once confined itself to doing traditional, episodic coverage of crime in the community. She describes how public journalism engages people to find solutions to the crime in their own backyards.

In the video study guide, Tom Still and Dave Iverson talk about the statewide "We the People/Wisconsin" public journalism project which also is a focus of the instructional video.

"When it (the project) was over, we were struck by what had taken place," declare Still and Iverson. "Two mediums-television and newspapers-that had all but taken the people out of the political process by contributing to their sense of civic impotence had collaborated to draw them back. For us, it was an intoxicating change in the way we had come to think of our trade."

Moving on from all of this impotence and intoxication over public journalism, another oldie but goldie is the 1996 production: "Civic Journalism: It's More Than Just Good Journalism."

The 1996 video is basically a conversation between Hodding Carter III and Davis "Buzz" Merritt. Both public conversationalists take pains to show why public journalism is much more than just the best aspects of the old, traditional journalism.

Traditional journalism makes citizens helpless spectators, according to Carter and Merritt.

"We make spectators out of citizens by saying: Look at these fools or look at this conflict: Isn't it fun to watch? Aren't they silly?... Well, that's how you drive people out of public life and make them cynical. And we do that ritualistically. That's how we do journalism."

The 1996 video by Carter and Merritt seems particularly dated in light of the events of 1998, a year dominated by the Clinton-Lewinsky-Starr spectacle. The public journalists have been hard-pressed to find a way to cover this capitol debacle in a manner that would not leave readers saying: Look at those fools! Isn't it fun to watch? Aren't they silly?

Even James Fallows, one of the nation's leading public journalism promoters, eventually succumbed to putting Monica and Bill on the covers of U.S. News & World Report to garner readers. He was fired from the editorship of the newsweekly this summer, reportedly because his switch back to traditional bombastic journalistic style involved too little, much too late.

Oh, well, public journalism is an intellectual journey and we're obviously not all of the way there yet. Follow the yellow brick road, as they say. Perhaps Pew will produce a video in 1999 with instructions on how to cover White House sex romps and semen-stained dresses in a fashion that does not leave citizens running for cover from public life.

PEOPLE

Media

JACOR BROADCASTING

Rick Weinkauf has been appointed vice president and general manager of KLOU-FM and KSD-FM.

KETC-TV CHANNEL 9

Tom Kyle has joined VideoNine, a commercial production subsidiary of PBS television station KETC/Channel 9, as the new sales and marketing manager. Previously, Kyle was the account manager for Innervision Studios, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., and general sales manager for Crew Call Plus, Inc., a production services firm based in the East Coast.

Matthew J. Andrew has joined the station as the new director of sales and marketing. He will also be responsible for corporate sponsorships, special events, KETC Store of Knowledge and the KETC Guide. Previously, Andrew was an account director for Fahlgren, an advertising agency with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

KMOX

Bernie Miklasz, sports reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch will co-host the Budweiser Sports Open Line on Wednesdays with Randy Karraker and Sundays with Dan McLaughlin. Miklasz will also provide pre-game features for the NFL coverage of the Rams on KMOX on Sundays. After the games, he will offer his post-game analysis. A radio version of Miklasz's Bernie's Bits will be featured Wednesday afternoons at 5:50 on Total Information-PM with Carol Daniel and Doug McElvein.

The station has added John Carney to its overnight program schedule, Thursday and Friday, 2-5 a.m.

Martha Stewart will be heard five times each weekend with a different segment during Total Information-AM Saturdays and Sundays.

The station has appointed five new account executives to its sales staff. They are Bret Anderson, a former sales representative with Best Foods; Kevin Kelly, former travel director and marketing coordinator with Maritz Travel; Christopher Miller, former account executive with KDNL-TV and KMJM Radio; and Glynelle Wells, former local sales manager with KFUO Radio and account manager with WKKK Radio. Joining the Sports Marketing Department is Tom Dolan, former convention sales manager with the St. Louis Convention and Visitor's Commission and account manager with Maritz Travel.

KTRS-AM

Todd Goodrich has been named director of marketing and promotions.

Mark Moser of the St. Louis Ambush has joined the sales staff of the station. Moser will continue his playing career with the Ambush. Prior to joining the station, he was marketing and community relations director for the Ambush.

KTVI-TV CHANNEL 2

Lillian Ryan was appointed vice president for finance and programming. She comes from the Fox station in Denver where she served as V.P. of Finance. Prior to joining FOX, Ryan worked with the LIN Group.

Vincent Montesano was appointed local sales account executive. Previously, he was an account executive at KMOV-TV. Montesano was also an account executive at Harrington, Righter & Parsons in St. Louis and at Sportschannel in New York.

KWMU

Bill Raack has been named news director. He joined the station in 1995 as senior producer and host of Morning Edition. Before that, Raack was news director for WILL public radio in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

Timothy Schroeder has been named sales manager. Before joining the station in 1997, he was a senior account representative for RideFinders and a Marketing Coordinator for VPSI, Inc.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

Glen T. Cameron, associate professor and director of research for the James M. Cox, Jr. Institute for Newspaper Management Studies at the University of Georgia, will join the faculty as the first Maxine Wilson Gregory Chair in Journalism Research. The chair will focus on research and improving the practice of journalism.

Cameron will work with other faculty and staff to build a program of research in the teaching and practice of journalism, and the interactions between journalism and (CASR). CASR is a nonprofit organization created by the Missouri School of Journalism to provide social science research services to government agencies, academic institutions, corporations and communities on a fee basis.

Ad/PR

ADAMSON ADVERTISING

Brian Creath, co-principal of the former CreathJacobsen Advertising agency, has joined the agency as vice president, director of strategic development.

THE FALK DESIGN GROUP

Stephen P. Harrison was promoted to senior vice president. Prior to joining the agency, he was associated with LaSalle Group, Inc. and Inlandesign Group Inc. Gretchen A. Schisla was promoted to vice president. Prior to joining the firm, she was with Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets and with Overlock Howe Consulting Group. Kenneth J. Kuehnel was promoted to creative director.

FLEISHMAN-HILLARD

The following have been appointed senior partners: David Garino, Agnes Gioconda, Richard Holthaus, Bunny Mitchell and Robert Peirce.

THE GLENNON COMPANY

Glennon D. Jamboretz, chairman, president and chief executive officer, has been elected to the Board of Directors of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis for a three-year term.

THE VANDIVER GROUP

Megan O'Brien has joined the agency.

Awards Media

KDNL-TV

Chief Photographer Mark Hadler won 2nd place in the "News Feature" category and 4th place in the "In-Depth" category from the National Press Photographer Association (NPPA) for the first quarter of 1998.

KWMU

Showing the highest increase in corporate support for a public radio station in the country, the station received the Public Radio Development and Marketing first place award in the Corporate Support category from the Development Exchange, Incorporated (DEI). In fiscal year 1998, the station increased corporate support 38%. Corporate support has nearly tripled over the past ten years. DEI is public radio's fundraising and marketing service organization.

MISSOURI PRESS ASSOCIATION

The Missouri Press Association will induct the following into its Newspaper Hall of Fame during its annual convention.

Inductees and the newspapers they served are: The late Wesley L. Robertson, Gallatin Democrat; the late Oliver B. Ferguson, Fredericktown Democrat-News; the late Frank L. Martin Jr., West Plains Daily Quill; Barney Miller, Dexter Daily Statesman; and Robert M. White II, Mexico Ledger.

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Philip Dine has won the 20th annual Washington Correspondence Award from the National Press Club for his stories on McDonnell Douglas' efforts to sell jet fighters to Eastern Europe. The award honors the best coverage of an issue in Washington relevant to hometown readers. The series uncovered improper actions by U.S. diplomats favoring one American company over another. It led to changes in embassy procedures and a worldwide warning by Defense Secretary William Cohen for military personnel to adhere to commercial neutrality.

Awards Ad/PR

THE FALK DESIGN GROUP

The agency was recognized for outstanding achievement in six annual report categories in the 1998 International ARC Awards competition. They won two gold, two silver and two finalist awards.

The firm also earned an award of excellence for the 1996 annual report produced for Zeigler Coal Holding Company in the Bronze Quill Award competition sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. The Chapter recognized the firm with a total of four TAM Awards (Targeted Advertising and Marketing).

O'CONNOR & PARTNERS

The agency has paired with Bakse Graphic Design to earn a "Crystal Award of Distinction" of the International Communicator Awards and an "Award for Excellence" of the Awards for Publication Excellence. The team was recognized for the home page on the WorldWide Web developed for MidAmerica Airport.

PATRICK MURPHY PRODUCTIONS

The company won first place for Television Non-Fiction in the National Medial Owl Awards. The Owl Award is presented annually by the Retirement Research Foundation. The agency also won the National Mature Media Bronze Award for Healthy Lives. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging sponsors the award.

SACRED HEART PROGRAM

Dennis McCarthy and Jim Hone, co-producers of the Sacred Heart Program's "Contact" radio show, won the Finalist Award at the 1998 International Awards Ceremony of The New York Festivals for Radio.

ST. ANTHONY'S MEDICAL CENTER

Lois Kendall, media coordinator, received a Silver Award in the National Mature Media Awards competition for a feature article titled "Sensitizing Yourself to Aging."

THE VANDIVER GROUP

Donna Vandiver, president, is the recipient of the 1998 Special Recognition Award for Small Business Person of the Year from the Small Business Administration.

WIDMAR/GARNANT ASSOCIATES

The City of Brentwood's economic development brochure recently received a "Superior" rating in the Missouri Department of Economic Development Governor's Awards. The brochure was produced by Widmar/Garnant Associates. Its president Bev Garnant is the current chairperson of the Brentwood Economic Development Council and on the Council's marketing subcommittee, which was instrumental in putting the brochure together. Graphic design was by Alex Paradowski, Graphic Design.

Agency News

KOCHAN & COMPANY ADVERTISING

The agency has been selected by St. Louis based American Equity Mortgage to provide creative services including strategic marketing services and graphic design for print advertising and sales promotion.

The Hautly Cheese Company has also selected the firm as its' agency of record to provide strategic marketing services including broadcast advertising, package design and sales promotion.