Developing New Newscasts Is Old News For Kstw Director

The new news director at struggling KSTW-TV (Channel 11) ought to know something about launching a news operation, with newfound CBS affiliation, at a Gaylord Entertainment Co. station.

Fred Ertz will join KSTW on July 10 after developing new newscasts at Channel 11's Dallas sibling, KTVT-TV, where he is assistant news director. KTVT will become a CBS station on July 2.

KSTW became the CBS affiliate here in March in a power play by Gaylord involving KTVT.

Ertz was involved in creating new newscasts at the Dallas station. Before KTVT, he worked for KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi, Texas; WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C.; WNEM-TV in Saginaw, Mich.; WDIV-TV in Detroit; and KTIV-TV in Sioux City, Iowa.

Ertz must have quite a license-plate collection. It would include South Dakota, where he got degrees in biology and journalism from Mount Marty College in Yankton.

When he drives into Washington, Ertz will find KSTW in fourth place in the local-news ratings.

Some things consolidated: During recent debates over federal funding for public broadcasting, critics have noted there is some overlap in programming when a market has more than one station.

For example, here we have two PBS stations, KCTS-TV (Channel 9) in Seattle and KBTC-TV (Channel 28) in Tacoma. Their programming is different at any given moment, but they broadcast some of the same shows over time.

And we have two National Public Radio stations - jazz-news KPLU-FM (88.5) in Tacoma and news-talk-classical KUOW-FM (94.9) in Seattle.

One wonders why we need two FM signals, with much redundant coverage, carrying "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" simultaneously. But the two radio stations are moving to consolidate their generation of revenue, at least.

KUOW and KPLU have formed the Public Radio Partnership, which will coordinate corporate underwriting for programs, listener pledges and special projects. It's something you'll be seeing nationwide as public broadcasters gird for the gradual end of their federal subsidy.

TV HERstory: You already knew that new owner A.H. Belo Corp. had placed three women in high news-programming positions - news director Ilene Engel, executive producer Janet Johnson and special-programs director Mauri Moore.

Well, add managing editor Lisa Cohen, a veteran Seattle freelance producer who had been working temporarily at Channel 7. This week she replaced Rick Shenkman, the historian and author who has left the station.

Reporter Julie Blacklow, who has pretty much seen it all over the years, is ecstatic about this all-woman management team and believes it's a first in local-TV news.

In other KIRO personnel moves, Julie Haener has joined Frank Kracher as co-anchor of the morning news. She is a Tacoma native and comes from KJEO-TV in Fresno, Calif.

And Nita Wiggins is on board as weekend sportscaster. She comes from WREG-TV in Memphis and replaces the let-go Tom Glasgow.

Dial-spinning Spud: Radio fans might want to set their VCRs for Sunday at 10 p.m., KTZZ-TV (Channel 22).

"The Spud Goodman Radio Special" has our favorite basement TV personality interviewing local radio voices, including Dave Grosby of news-talk KIRO-AM (710); Kent Phillips and Alan Budwill of adult-contemporary KPLZ-FM ("Star" 101.5); Pat Cashman of "The Buzz," talk-news KIRO-FM (100.7); and Frank Barrow of the urban-oriented "Twin Zs," KRIZ-AM (1420) and KZIZ-AM (1560).

Air raid: There was a time when the Los Angeles - er, Oakland Raiders were the most-despised football team in the Northwest. Now that Los Angeles apparently will have no pro football team, it isn't inconceivable that the Oakland Raiders could wind up being the nearest pro team to the Northwest.

Sports-talk KJR-AM (950) plans to broadcast Raiders games this season. If you consider the weight of the Seahawks in relation to the giant sucking sound in Southern California, the KJR move looks downright brilliant.

TV-Radio Beat appears every Friday in The Seattle Times. Electronic-media reporter Chuck Taylor can be reached at (206) 464-8524 or on the Internet at ctay-new@seatimes.com.