for 22 AUG 07: ON THE NEWS-WLTZ

Today we have big news about a local.... hey, wait a second. Did I spell that title right? Well, actually I did. That's the station making news, by adding news. And I don't know yet if the theme music will be in a waltz tempo.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Your blog learned Tuesday that WLTZ "NBC-38" is assembling a news department, and hopes to begin daily newscasts around October 1. So don't be surprised in November, if the low temperature is announced on other stations as 37 or 39 degrees -- but never 38.

There's actually a hint at what WLTZ is planning in the "employment" section of the station's web site. It's seeking "Reporter/Photographers" with at least two years of experience. Too bad - that "Anchorwoman" premiering on Fox tonight was at a Texas TV station only about 30 days.

So who will the anchorwoman and/or man be for NBC-38 news? There's apparently been no decision yet - but Al Fleming has been sitting in his commentary chair for years, waiting for something like this. They'd have to lower it, of course, so his ego level would match his co-anchors.

(Then again, a couple of former local news anchors are between jobs right now. Has anybody seen Deborah Singer sneak back into Georgia from Amsterdam?)

"They're spending a lot of money on a set," one person who's been inside NBC-38 told me Tuesday. It's apparently under construction right now -- but for some reason, they haven't had a "home repair" segment on "Rise N Shine" to show how it's being done.

Of course, one of our first questions when we learned about WLTZ's new news department was what would happen to "Rise N Shine." Could the longest-running TV talk show in Columbus be replaced by something like "Today in the Valley?" Would talk show callers be down to organizing their own daily conference calls?

But not to worry: co-host Calvin Floyd tells me "Rise N Shine" will keep doing both, even with a new news department at WLTZ. In fact, he says big changes are in the works - with news updates during his show, and the return of weekly cooking segments. So the next time I offer my CD there, I may have to scrape it off the table with a spatula.

(Calvin Floyd noted he did regular cooking segments on "Rise N Shine" years ago. I don't know when Peachtree Natural Foods began sponsoring his show -- but there are probably only so many recipes you can make with St. John's Wort.)

NBC-38 actually had a news department in its early years, as WYEA. But the WLTZ Wikipedia entry (yes, it has one) says they stopped in the early nineties -- because the managers apparently decided Sheriff Andy Griffith was a more trusted face at 11:00 p.m.

If you scan the dial during political campaigns, you've probably noticed WLTZ has the same commercials at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. as the other big stations. The campaign managers must not realize NBC-38 hasn't been showing news - or else they believed everybody really DOES love Raymond.

So with the commercial money already coming in, why would WLTZ restart a news department? I would think such a thing would cost the station more money than showing "Girlfriends" at 6:00 p.m. -- and besides, I doubt the anchors' hair possibly could match Persia White and Tracey Ellis Ross....

But I digress: NBC-38 obviously faces an uphill challenge here. Starting a news department from scratch certainly can't be easy, much less attracting viewers to it. Will WLTZ use some kind of gimmick to get people watching? Will Miller Robson threaten to play the worst country music videos of all time?

E-MAIL UPDATE: It's time now for our first-ever fantasy football draft....

Vick's new front line - coming this season

Bulldog Billy

Chomp Chomp Charlie

Electrifying Eric

Hanging Harry

Stranglehold Steve

Hmmmm - it's too bad they already made the sequel to "The Longest Yard."

Did you see the news story Tuesday about the Atlanta Humane Society? People have sent the staff Michael Vick jerseys as donations - and they're being used for cleaning dog kennels! Why, no one ever stooped this low with former owner Rankin Smith's suits.

Now a quick check of other things which made news Tuesday:

+ An afternoon drive revealed there are pockets of resistance in Columbus to Monday's 25-cent gas jump. A few stations at the north end of Second Avenue still had gasoline in the $2.55 range - which once again seems to show how Bibb City can lag behind the times.

+ The Phenix City Council announced there's finally a settlement in the dispute over riverfront development. Troy University will spend two million dollars to buy land where the Riverview Apartments now stand. NOW will you buy football tickets to see Troy play Southeast Louisiana?

+ The evening news showed the first construction work for a "Sculpture Walk" in the middle of Broadway. I hope the artwork is built well - because combine the sculpture walk with a "pub crawl," and there could be some damage.

+ Instant Message to the "Wok-N-Roll Restaurant" on U.S. 280 in Opelika: Cleverness of name -- grade A-. Spelling "restaurant" on your highway sign with an extra U -- grade D+.

Today's main topic was the result of a blog reader's tip. To offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation, advertise or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

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