Kiro-TV Has High Hopes For `Nerissa At Nine'

Nerissa Williams has finally found a spotlight she can call her own, and KIRO-TV (Channel 7) is hoping her new program, which made its debut yesterday, will shine during a time of uneasy transition at the station.

"Nerissa at Nine," airing weekdays at 9 a.m., is the latest in a long line of local non-news daytime programs, one of which has endured ("Northwest Afternoon" at 3 p.m. on KOMO-TV, Channel 4) and the rest of which sooner or later failed - often sooner.

The producers of "Nerissa at Nine" believe they have found a combination of personality and content that will succeed, but it begins amid plenty of distractions for programmers and viewers alike.

The show hit the air less than two weeks after announcements of KIRO-TV's sale and somewhat-related loss of CBS affiliation, both of which likely will be consummated in six months and promise to turn Channel 7's broadcast schedule on its ear.

Moreover, coverage of O.J. Simpson's trial could pre-empt the new show in coming weeks.

"Nerissa at Nine" also will be trying to stand out among tough competition. It goes head to head with "Regis & Kathie Lee" on KOMO, "Days of Our Lives" on KING-TV (Channel 5) and youthful talk-show host Ricki Lake on KSTW-TV (Channel 11), the future CBS affiliate. Not to mention all the cable choices.

All those shows seek to attract the 25- to 54-year-old females whom daytime advertisers covet.

"I'm the demographic," Williams said after yesterday's show. "That helps. All this stuff is real. I'm a mom. I take care of a house."

Said Bob Branom, the longtime KIRO reporter who is the program's cordial male presence: "I believe it's the right show at the right hour with the right talent."

Competitive challenge notwithstanding, "Nerissa at Nine" is a victory for Williams, who most recently was co-anchor of the weekend news on KIRO-TV, after a frustrating year. She unsuccessfully pursued the female co-host role on the recently canceled "Hour Northwest."

And Williams sought, but was not chosen, to be KIRO-TV's lead female news anchor. (Margaret Larson, former anchor on NBC's "Today," got that job.)

Now KIRO is building the entire identity of the new program around Williams, citing her popularity with viewers and noting that she knows the target audience intimately.

"I put a load of laundry in before I came in" to do the show, Williams said yesterday.

The hourlong premiere of "Nerissa at Nine" featured segments on domestic abuse, home-sharing by single parents and their children, low-fat cooking, a brief visit by Starbucks Coffee chairman Howard Schultz and live reports, including interviews with Ken Griffey Sr. and his family, from a charity golf tournament at Jefferson Park in Seattle.

Scheduled tomorrow are appearances by Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, former "Cosby Show" star Phylicia Rashad (by satellite), a health report on early menopause and a segment on teenage suicide.

There will be regular appearances by KIRO-TV commentator Pepper Schwartz, a sociologist who will talk about relationships; by consumer reporter Herb Weisbaum; by health specialist Micki Flowers; and by entertainment reporter John Procaccino.

And there will be brief breaks for news and weather.

Branom, who lobbied hard to be more than a reporter for the show, will be a co-host of sorts.

"With so many women behind the scenes, we really needed a male voice," said executive producer M.J. Bear, who comes to her job after several years of producing news at KIRO.

Williams said she and Branom have worked together many years and complement one another. "Bob is what I'm not - white, male and well-traveled," Williams said.

The set for "Nerissa at Nine" is in the former space of "Hour Northwest," across the street from the station on Third Avenue near Denny Way. A studio audience is a possibility, but for now the staff is concentrating on the next few weeks of programs.

"We had a month to get talent, get a staff and book guests," Bear said, referring to the sudden death of "Hour Northwest" and the simultaneous announcement of plans for the morning show.

Local daytime programs come and go so quickly around here, there's hardly time to regroup.