Komo, King Top-Rated, But May Will Be The Big Test

As the accompanying chart shows, the new local TV-news ratings from Nielsen Media Research are a real yawner.

KOMO-TV (Channel 4) regained a narrow lead at 11 p.m. Things are back to normal. KING-TV (Channel 5) leads at 5 p.m. KOMO trounces everyone at 6:30 p.m. and wins by a nose at 11 p.m.

But consider this the end of normalcy. Clever media watchers know the February "sweeps" don't matter much this year. Local TV news is about to get turned on its ear.

On March 13, CBS moves from KIRO-TV (Channel 7) to presently independent KSTW-TV (Channel 11). Both stations will adjust their news schedules accordingly, which means a new, full-blown, four-way local-news competition.

The May ratings book is the one to watch. Check with us May 26.

Measuring mayhem: Last week The Times ran a national story about an analysis of local television news based on Jan. 11 late-night broadcasts around the country.

The study, by Rocky Mountain Media Watch in Denver, came to the usual conclusion that local television, with some exceptions, seems obsessed with crime and fluff.

Among the stations examined were KOMO-TV (Channel 4) and KSTW-TV (Channel 11).

When you look at the station rankings, based on how much time each spent on various categories of news, an interesting fact emerges: KOMO reported the least crime of any station - none at all the night of the survey - and yet it had the highest level of "mayhem" content, meaning crime, disasters or war. The study said "mayhem" accounted for 96 percent of KOMO's news content during the 35-minute 11 p.m. newscast.

What gives? Well, the day of the survey was the day of the memorial service for the four Seattle firefighters killed in the Pang warehouse fire. The study classified that as a disaster story. Seattle stations covered almost nothing else that day.

KSTW, with an hour of news at 10 p.m., had time for a more diverse story lineup, so it had a mere 76 percent mayhem rating.

No more film at 5: Lucy Mohl, who worked for KING-TV (Channel 5) for 16 years, mostly as an arts critic, and whose movie reviews have been used by NBC stations nationwide, has left television to start Film.com, an Internet site devoted to the movie industry. (Net surfers: http://www.film.com/film/)

Mohl cited the grueling travel schedule as her reason for leaving TV. But at least one other station in town is interested in seeing her on the air again.

Buck the system: Dave Ross, the early-afternoon host on news-talk KIRO-AM (710), recently asked listeners to reward U.S. Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., for fighting the congressional franking privilege and for using very little of his own free postage allowance. So far, at $1 per envelope, Seattle listeners have sent Castle more than $1,470.

Twinkle, twinkle: KKDZ-AM (1250), better known as "KidStar," is the only Northwest station among 45 finalists for the Crystal Radio Awards for public service, to be announced this month at the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention.

Cure for blues fans: The blues are back on adult-alternative KMTT-FM-AM (103.7, 850).

"The Mountain" last fall canceled its Saturday-night blues show, hosted by Marlee Walker, and got grief from fans. So KMTT will resurrect "Seattle Blues," the program that aired on now-defunct album-rocker KXRX-FM.

That previous show's host, freelance writer Roberta Penn, will be hit the air every Sunday from 10 p.m. to midnight, starting this weekend. "KMTT Underground" moves to the 7-10 p.m. slot.