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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1980)
page 12 daily nebraskan friday, October 31, 1980 (Sii)GllDDilOinlljiG Newscasts play up reporting skills; news suffers The latest trend in television news pres entation seems to be what I would call the "we really are reporters" approach. Gloss is out, or at least on the wane; news anchor persons dressed in matching blazers and hiding behind their desks in the studio grow fewer in number all of the time. The fad now is to remind the viewer that these people who give us the televised news are honest-to-goodness reporters, and not just an announcer. Scene: A newsroom. The camera is focused on a woman about 30 years old, sitting in a chair. This is the anchorwoman, who we will call Alice (first names only is the rule on these newscasts ). She has a stack of papers in one hand, and a tele phone receiver in the other. From our cam era angle another camera is clearly visible, as are a boom mike and several anonymous employees. "Good evening and welcome to The Real News," says Alice. I have a lot of stor ies hero in my hand, but I can't relay them to you yet, because as you can sec I am on the telephone. As you know, I am not just an announcer, but a journalist first and foremost, and since I have been trying all day to reach this lead on the telephone, you'll just have to wait until I'm clone here dark The most glaring example of this trend is WOWT's Live at Five. Here we avoid the traditional studio altogether; there is an anchorwoman, but she sits at a small desk or a table in the middle of what looks like a newsroom, full of the sounds of clanking typewriters and telephones. The key phrase to remeber here is "'looks like." There is something else about the set of Live at Five that doesn't strike me as real, and I think it's the clutter. Sure, there is clutter; in the background we can sec books aslant on their shelves, people walk ing in and out of camera range, stuff like that. But it looks like organized clutter, planned clutter; there is only a semblance of disarray. I think this works against the purpose. If I were directing a program that had decided to go to the "we really are report ers" route, I wouldn't settle for half-measure, for only the semhlence of chaos and disarray. TO). r r mB IN THEf m til ii j w m I .lrv " L f& ' to net tonight's headlines. In the meantime. roll the commercial." A minute later we return, and Alice is off the phone. "The lead story tonight is supposed to be Gary's report on that big three -alarm fire at the Amalgated Chemical plant, but Gary is late with the story. That happens a lot with Gary, just as it can with any professional reporter. So. instead of Gary, let's go to the live Actionfilm Update on that daring escape from the minimum security facility on 144th Street. And here with that update is Linda " The camera continues to focus on Alice. Panic strikes the other employees, who Hip buttons and shout rapid-fire instructions in attempt to switch us to the live update with Linda. Hut all is in vain. Alice says, "Well, I guess we won't have that update right now, but that happens sometimes when your on-thc-announccrs are real pro fessional journalists like Linda. We'll try her again after these commercials." Get the picture? Too often current tele vision news shows seem so interested in showing us the fact of reporting, the action of reporting, that we never do get the act ual news. I have never had any doubt that the people who present television news are professional journalists, perfectly capable of conducting interviews and doing leg work for news stories. But is it so import ant that I see them do it? It doesn't matter to me whether the anchorpersons went out and got a story, as long as I eventually hear the story on tele vision. If I want the pretense of journalism and "life in the newsroom" I'll watch Lou Grant. Sykes album could be hit relief to winter doldrums By Casey McCabe Uh-oh, the albums are starting to pile up again. As it gets colder and hibernation starts sounding like the only viable alternative to work, school and responsibility, I welcome the opportunity to curl up with my space heater, and a stack of albums, to start sifting through the music. Next to video games and thermal underwear, it is one of life's greatest simple pleasures. n Ray Benson continues to compose fine, detailed music in a field that is largely uncultivated. He shows great adeptness at inserting elements of funk, jazz, ballads, and rock without lifting the band out of its boundries. By the way, the band, along with some twelve guest artists (including Bonnie Raitt), put out some of the tightest, most fun music within anyone's boundaries. Suggested cuts on Framed include "Slow Dancing." "Cool As A Breeze" and "Fiddle Funk-Corn Fusion." The Tremblers'Avcc Nightly CBS Records Whether they want it or not, the Tremblers main claim to fame is that their front man is none other than Peter Noone, the cherubic boy wonder of Herman's Hermits. The fact that Noone has chosen to stage a legitimate comeback while most of his 60s pop contemporaries are resolved to fading into the woodwork is admirable. The fact that he is rocking with a harder edge than his compla cent Hermits ever dreamed of, shows he is not unduly nostalgic. Continued on Page 13 Here are four interesting discoveries. Keith Sykes' not strange ' just like nwBackstrect Records Sykes, like many others these days, is interested in reviving the lost roots of rock 'n' roll. What George Thoro good does for renumbering the spirit of Chuck Berry. Sykes does in recapturing the early rock-blues of Fric Clapton. With his Clapton-like voice. Sykes moves well through his nine original compositions, which touch base on some suprisingly well-crafted rock variations. "B.I.G.T.I.M.F." modernizes the Jerry Lee Lewis ethic with a bit of Clapton's "Blues Power" thrown in, while "Love To Ride." with a guitar lick straight from Creedence Clear water Revival, is one of the best bluesrock synthesis to emerge in some time. On side two, Sykes wanders into a slightly more main stream fold, adding female backing vocalists to punctuate the choruses with pleasant pop deliberateness on "I'm On A Roll" and "Makin' It Before They Got Married." Despite the numerous comparisons that can be made in such an offering. Sy kes shoAvs a nice degree of authen ticity, creativity and conviction. ' not strange I'm fust like ou could really be a sleeper hit as the winter doldrums roll around . Asleep At The WheelwnMCA A truly innovative band. Asleep At The Wheel putsue's their vision of Ixrr band music with flare and piecision. Labeled a country -swing outfit, the band continues along those lines though they certainly aren't confined to Ulem. The production and tightness of the band is excellent on Framed as pedal steel blends into slap bass, horns and the clean Andrews Sister-style vocals of Chris OXTonncll and Maryann Price. KQKQ adopts Top 40 format By Bob Crisler It vou've been scanning across your I 1 dial lately . expecting to come across the famihai old sound of kQ(S. think again. The KQKQ .l old was replaced a month ago bv a Top 40 format reminiscent of early-seventies AM ladio. Bill Cunningham, a radio programming expert who has won eight Programmer of the Yeai awards lioin Billboard magazine, was asked by KOKQ's owner to come to Omaha a lew months ago to be executive vice president at the station. According to Cunningham, he was given tree lein of the station. "Most ol the changes are my doing. I he owner came to me like a patient comes to a doctor and said I ix it. doc'", he said. Cunnigham attributes his overwhelming success in other markets like Miami, Pittsbuigh. and St. Louis, to name a lew to his practice ot biingmg hack, m his words, "showbiz radio." According to Cunningham, the selection ot songs is "pretty well spelled out" to KQKO's disc ockes. "When I came here, there was an ovcrw hclmnm vul nerability in the market." lie said. "The mood ot ihe AM stations was lost in the last eight to IU yeats. In this market, no one else is having fun." Describing the personality ot his station as "predict able unpredictability." Cunningham explained Ins strategy. "I try to create a new form of hip. and that form of hip is called fun." he said. AH I in aside, the appeal of any radio station lies in the music plays. According to Cunningham. "We don't play obscure music. We research everything that we play to the point where we know oui target audience is no inn to like what we play ." Aecoiding to sales secretary Jan Dvorak, who oversees station piomotional campaigns. "We don't feel that beinn trendy woiks. What we'ie going with is what's proven." KQ personnel peppeied the interview with references to Omaha lock station -': (kl0). hinting that they consider that station the one to beat in the Omaha market". To move their station up in (he ratings. kQkQdiow christened "Sweet ws") is going all-out on promotions. According to Dvoiak. the station is now in the piocess ot giving away Sto.000 to people who answe. the phone with the phrase "I listen to the new sound ol Sweet JN " Ot the total to be given out. SI 5.000 has aheady been awarded, and kO stall is woiking on the remaindei. To bring in a yoi.nger audience, the station. a!on- with the makeis ol Bubble l p soda, has a promotion centered around a disc ,ockey ,h called "Supei.noiith " I lit u imi.-r i ill K ..... . i. II . i .v, ..mih.- j imi-iinie isc ocke m.wuu pay pei month tor a y eai . phis a SI .000 waidn irom me lin,hm fost CV Wooden Nickel, and the a CUstoin 'Si!n.Miinntli' !.,., i. .. i , ' ' ""'i'li- I IKI'MU lol with be use ol a veai Aecoiding to Dvoiak. contestants must be between the ages o! 14 and l. and will be H.dned on then abilnv to communicate one to one with a radio audience " She said I she plans to have a wmnci In Christmas Auditions will be live on the air via telephone. "This radio station plans on beinn Number One " said Dvorak. "Although if you listened to us for eHit hours, it would tend to net repetitive." "