News keeps
KMTR team
on the move
Real f u:vV'>’ "• : ■■■'! turn In i! i kf
the portrayals on television sitcoms do
By Kaly Soto
This news stops for no man, or woman or nows team
for that matter
Most of the ideas that mainstream Ameru .1 has aU>ut
flow a television newsroom functions come from shows
like Mnrph\ Brown and Man Tvlrr Mnarr. where even
one (racks jokes and has time to schmooze around the
watercooler.
In actuality that doesn’t happen It's not Ihm aose pen
pie in the newsroom don't want if to. but there is simply
no time for it
A typical day in the KMTR newsroom begins with
new s director Jim Frandin pacing li,n k and forth in front
of a table full of clippings from local and national news
papers covering the major events of the past day I'he
newsroom also puts calls in to the Lane and Douglass
County sheriffs offices
"It's a mental run down of what the news will look
like tonight.'' Frandin said Frandin honed Ins news
instinct in radio and has used his talent in television
for the past 25 years.
His advice to reporters is simple. It took me 25 years
to learn to grow a tomato plant AIkiuI three or four years
ago I got into gardening, and I am into it big time I live
up the McKenzie River now and I'm out in the garden in
the spring when 1 can see the bald eagles
"I used to live and die this business seven days a
week, and it almost killed me I have another life now.
and if I could give anybody any advice it would be get
the other life first, and don't ever lose it, because I
blinked and 25 years went by."
There are four reporters, two women and two men.
who will venture out into the field from l) to 5 gather
ing interviews and video footage lor the day s news cast
at 5 p.m.
On this particular day the North American Free Trade
Agreement vote is still up for grabs Reporter Gvvynn
Copeland is busy working on a storv about the impact
NAFTA will have locally She hopes to find two local
companies who are willing to go on camera with their
positions on NAFTA The idea is to find one company in
favor and one in opposition. 1 he companies are not talk
ing, not to television reporters any wav
Copeland gets <1 few quotes over the phone but these
quotes don't do her much good because she has 110 video
footage to go with them
Copeland goes to the University to find an economic s
professor who will explain to the news audience the
local impact NAFTA may have
"if l! of () has experts in an (lrtsi we use them as a
resourc e." Copeland said "And if they don't have an
expert they can usually give us a person to call
As the day progresses the story becomes harder and
harder Copeland has called every major corporation and
local business, hoping to find someone who will talk to
her, but has no luck
She then tries state congressional rwpresentatives hop
ing that one of them will he able to at least give her a
name. She was not quiet about her frustration .it the dead
end she was far ing
"All of these (representatives) have their minds made
up as to how they are going to vote." Copeland said
"And no one can give me a name of a company or con
stituent who agrees with their position "
Kohr Harlan is on the computer trying to write copy
He says he will "figure out the pictures later.”
Catherine Stephens is already on the road (incidental
ly she does double duty by giving traffu reports for radio
station KDUK) She is going to Albany and Corvallis to
investigate claims that the Albany police are using dis
criminatory practices
John Capped is on his way to Cougar Reservoir to do a
story on soil contamination He, like Stephens, is trained
ill video tapping his own spots. Capped goes without a
camera crew, even though he says. It s not my iorte
And these are just the morning assignments
Like the community desk at the Emerald, the assign
ments desk at KMTR is full of press releases from com
munity groups and local events coordinators looking for
a little free publicity.
It is Tracey Baker's job to read these press releases and
pass on the good news stories to I randin In addition to
keeping the newsroom abreast of everything. Baker must
also contact with national and state legislators.
"The Governor's office and politicians are pretty good
SCX Nf f l WWi’ * t
KMTR meteorologist Joseph Calbreath prepares computer graphics to complement his weather report
501 Nt t 'LMAfiKy #>* fm<*AW
KMTR reporter John Capell records the voice over for his
story In a specially designed phone booth at the station.
about keeping us posted." Buker said
Kai.h of the reporters is responsible for writing the
ropy tor their stories us well as shooting and editing
footage They must also do voiceovers for the footage,
the amount of work these reporters do in one day is
equivalent to the work Murphy Brown and Frank
Fontana do in a month of episodes
If the reporters are unable to attain the necessary
footage in the field, they may decide to use footage from
their sister station in Portland, KGVV, or their network,
NBC. if they can get it. KMTR tries to do this as little as
possible.
"(KGVV) takes more from us than we do from them.”
Frandin said.
Getting footage from the network is an entirely differ
ent ballgame
Because both ore working to make NIK: look good, it
would make sense for them to cooperate with eat h oth
er to do the best job Hut television is much more com
petitive than that
Frandin told on interesting story about NBC and the
Tindier Summit held in Portland at the Ixtginuiug of the
(ilinton administration
"For two weeks prior to that summit we attempted to
talk NIK: News into providing some kind of coverage
Now Portland's close enough, so we sent some t rows up
to the conference
He< ause of the length of the i onference. and in actu
ality it ended about 7 at night after our normal air time,
we provided live coverage of it from r> p m until it end
ed, and then we did out the news cast Ims ause NIK news
would not provide us with am satellite feed material
"We had to pay $1000 that duy for that particular
material that duy The morning of that event, seven min
utes before it began, NIK. decided to give it free to the
entire country So we spent $1000 lor nothing.
The relationship that you think exists between the
network and the loi al affiliate is all but nonexistent.
For the most part Frandin tries to keep his newscasts
as locally focused as he can
"We believe that we have a responsibility to Douglas
and lame counties They are our area and we rarely move
out of them
Frandin, even though he works behind the si ones, is
the team leader It IS his job to determine what is and
what is not news
lie prods Ills reporters with ipiotes such as, If you
can’t Ft nil anyone shaken by that story here, than you re
not Irving hard enough or you've got the story all wrong''
and "In Heer Can is just as good a source as someone
with a I'll I) "
lie is also concerned that his reporters don’t use con
fusing terminology or language that will turn the view
er off " t alk over the heads of the audience and they’ll
turn you off," he say s
During fall term, KMTR had three interns that worked
in weather, sports and news
l.emine Johnston, a student at University of British
Columbia, was doing her internship in atmosphere sci
ences She returned to UBC this month to complete her
degree During her internship Johnston helped KMTR's
resident meteorologist Joseph Calbruath make weather
maps
Both think the field is exciting because, as Johnston
said, "Fveryone does their own weather."
C.a I breath, yvho has been in the weather business for
many years, thinks Ins Job is ideal.
"Weather is a good gig," he said. Even though he
works from 2 p ro. to 11 p m., he has a generous dinner
break and is able to go home and see his family
The news anchors come in at 2 p.rn. to read copy and
get familiar with the day's stories. By then the news
room is in chaos and the adrenaline is floyving freely
The pace is frantic by airtime.
But Frandin is unaware of all that. Ho is home yvith
his plants and his other life.