■MEDIA
Television Market
National trends bypass Eugene
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Eugene’s television market seems
strange to the outsider. It’s as if the
changes in the last decade or so have
not touched this city. No one in the
area seems to have heard of low
power television or the battle of the
independents. Indeed, Eugene is
struggling to keep public television
from becoming a luxury (although it
is to those who can’t afford cable) and
the city seems to be content with its
three network affiliates.
National TV Market
Over the next several months in this
column, I'll be looking at some of
these issues more in depth. But for
now, I’ll do a quick overview of the
changes occurring in television na
tionally.
Television as a concept is changing.
People no longer think of TV as ABC,
NBC, CBS and sometimes PBS. Now
television includes CNN, ESPN,
MTV, movies at all hours of the day,
and used car commercials from far
away markets like Chicago. Cable has
brought in a lot of changes, made the
choices wider, and brought back
popular programs from the past.
Some network affiliates have refused
to buy some network programming
and have instead replaced it with old
movies and old standbys like Star Trek
and The Brady Bunch. Local televi
sion stations have always competed
with each other, especially for local
time slots, but there was a gentleman’s
agreement between those stations that
no station would do anything to
undercut the other.
In many midwestern and eastern
markets, that agreement has broken
down. And the reason is commonly
called The Battle of The Indepen
dents. What has happened in these
areas is that an independent station
has entered the market. Changes in
FCC regulations have made owning
and operating an independent easier.
There are several groups that travel
around the country, starting indepen
dents and then selling them after a few
years in the business. It seems, al
though the figures aren’t completely
available, that such an operation is ex
tremely profitable.
Competition on the Rise
The arrival of an independent into
the market means tough competition
for the affiliates. The independent is
usually available to all television
viewers, not just those with cable. The
new station tries to take four to six
percent of the market share, which,
in a tightly divided market, is a lot.
Independents offer cheap advertising
and popular, alternative program
ming, like certain sporting events.
And suddenly, the gentleman’s agree
ment is gone, because the affiliates
are scrambling to retain their portion
of the advertising revenue.
The result is a bonanza for the
viewers. Not only do they get to
choose between standard network
fere, but they can also watch program
ming they didn’t get before. People
who can’t afford cable really appre
ciate the independents, but even peo
ple with cable find themselves tuning
to the local independent instead of one
out of Chicago or Atlanta. Local af
filiates think twice about the network
programming they buy and will
sometimes substitute if they believe
that what the network is running will
not compete in the local market. In
areas with new independents, tele
vision wars are common—as in gas
wars, it’s the consumer that wins.
Low-power TV
The other exciting thing that is hap
pening in local programming across
the country is low-power television.
Low-power television is simply that
—television stations with very low
reach. The idea was originated for
bigger cities so that neighborhoods
would have their very own stations,
but the owners and operators of low
power TV seem to have different
agendas in mind. In a midwestern city
very similar in size to Eugene, two
low-power stations have started. Both
have an eye on local programming and
both seem to think they’ll survive.
Low-power stations don’t make a dent
in the advertising revenue of other sta
tions; instead, they bring in adver
tisers who wouldn't normally consider
television. Low-power ad rates are
cheap because the audience is small.
But Eugene seems isolated from the
changes going on nationwide in tele
vision. It is surprising to me, a mid
western transplant, that PBS is unavail
able to viewers without cable. Never
have I lived in a market where that
has happened. And it’s especially
tragic now that PBS is doing some of
the most innovative programming on
television.
Eugene Situation
A quick overview of the Eugene
television picture shows that it is a
unique combination of local problems
(like the public television/cable con
troversy) and old ways of business.
The market hasn’t had its shake-up yet;
it may not have one during this decade.
And perhaps one isn’t needed. As
long as the viewers believe that they’re
getting good programming, the mar
ket can stay the same. But are local
viewers satisfied with the local TV
scene? That’s a question that will have
to be answered in later columns.
■COMMUNITY
A M •*B=*,8 ==
Valentine’s Day
project visits
nursing homes
Christmas Day visits to area nurs
ing homes brought so much joy to so
many people that the Eugene-Spring
field Holiday Project is organizing
Valentine’s Day visits to people who
are confined. Everyone of all ages is
invited. Gather first at 12:30 pm on
Saturday, Feb. 14 at the Celeste
Campbell Senior Center, located at
155 High Street near Skinner Butte
Park. More information is available
by calling 344-1112.
The Holiday Project was estab
lished about 10 years ago when a
group of friends decided they wanted
to share the real joy of Christmas by
visiting a hospital. They were so
touched by the experience that they
did it again the following year with
more people participating. It has since
grown into a thriving network of
groups in many cities. Because on
going contact with others is so impor
tant to nursing home residents, local
Project leaders have decided this year
to expand visits beyond the traditional
Christmas and Easter.
Participants will divide into groups
according to which one or two facili
ties they wish to visit. They will car
pool to the facilities, often bringing
holiday cards made by local school
children. (Cards are provided.) Visi
tors should allow about three hours
including travel time (12:30-3:30 pm).
Debriefing after the visits is
encouraged.
Chinese New Year
at Jade Island
Josephone and Bill Tom of Tom’s
Jade Island Restaurant are pleased to
announce that they will share the
Chinese New Year with their friends
and customers by serving a special
traditional Chinese New Year dinner
on January 29 and 30. The foods will
be selected for American tastes and
will include such exotic traditional
New Year food as shark fin soup and
sweet red bean cake. These traditional
foods have symbolic meaning in
wishing different aspects of a good
new year to those who eat them.
Tom’s Jade Island Restaurant spe
cializes in reasonably priced authen
tic Szechuan and Cantonese food and
is located at 325 Blair Blvd, in
Eugene. The restaurant is open for
both lunch and dinner seven days a
week.
Reservations are recommended for
the New Year dinner.
• Quality women's resale
clothing & accessories
• Consignments by
appointment
941 Pearl St.
11-5:30 Mon.-Sat.
485-6634
KLCC airs
“Voices in Exile”
"... I had nightmares that I was in
my country and that the Guardia was
following me, that all the doors were
closed.” Jorge is one of half a million
Salvadorans who, fleeing the brutal
war in their country, came to the
United States. In February, National
Public Radio presents ibices in Ex
ile, the award-winning four-part docu
mentary that examines the war that
has displaced a quarter of the Salva
doran population, the problems they
face as refugees in the United States,
and the sanctuary movement that shel
ters Salvadorans from deportation to
their violent homeland. The half-hour
programs can be heard on NPR
member station KLCC 89.7 FM every
Sunday in February at 9 pm.
Feb. 1—huUe At Volcano—A
portrait of El Salvador, where seven
years of civil war have taken the lives
of 50000 civilians.
Feb. 8—North of the Bonier—
The refugees’ struggle to adapt to a
new society—while preserving their
traditions and avoiding deportation—
is described in this program.
Feb. 15—In Search of Asylum—
Although the U.S. Refugee Act of
1980 offers asylum to those who pro
ve a “well-founded fear of persecu
tion,” the immigration courts deny
asylum to 97% of the Salvadorans
who apply. The vast majority of
Salvadorans in the U.S. are here il
legally rather than applying for
asylum and risking deportation. The
problem of their status as unrecog
nized refugees is the subject of this
program.
Feb. 22— Sanctuary—This final
program chronicles a controversial
movement in the United States which
has arisen in response to this problem.
In defiance of federal law, Americans
have opened their churches, com
munities, and homes to Salvadorans (
in exile whom the U.S. Government
refuses to recognize as refugees.
Ibices in Exile provides a much
needed context for debating the issues
of illegal immigration, the war in El
Salvador, and civil disobedience.
KLCC and National Public Radio are
proud to facilitate a more informed
national discussion on these issues.
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