TV news items ...

1. KSDK now running into major pushback from advertisers because of 5's drastically reduced coverage. GM Lynn Beall under pressure from Gannett because local businesses not renewing ads. One frequent complaint--firing of so many well-known staffers. Another--5 mgmt. is too cheap to pay overdue parking tickets for news vehicles, and those vehicles have had state registrations pulled. Advertisers are asking why they should spend money on a station that refuses to spend money to allow news vehicles to operate. Beall flooded with advertiser complaints about reduced nature of local coverage.

2. Big shakeup coming at KTVI? GM Spencer Koch has had preventitive cancer surgery. Complaints by employees against ND at 2 increasing because of refusal to listen to concerns (ie: contuining presence of Elliott Davis as terrible anchor; continued failure of live trucks due to lack of maintenance; installation of new cameras and editing systems hugely inferior to system now in use). Speculation is Local TV owners may replace both GM and ND sooner rather than later. This would make things far worse than they currently are given Local TV's addiction to hiring horrible managers.

3. KMOV's Belo-designed softer newscasts are ratings and financial disaster, especially the "newsless Friday" 5pm and 6pm. More newscast reductions in the works. Tulsa-transplant ND being held responsible. GM Allen Cohen, AWOL through the disaster, trying to get together local $$ to purchase 4 from Belo. So far, almost no interest from local money in buying what's left of 4 unless it's at bargain basement price.