KGW Managers' Blog tag:www.beloblog.com,2008-02-06:/KGW_Blogs/managers/665 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z Movable Type 4.1 Bicycles and Cars on KGW tag:www.beloblog.com,2007:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268824 2007-11-06T07:16:57Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z Monday night we ran a story on our 11 p.m. newscast about the conflict between drivers and cyclists in Portland. The purpose of the story was to separate fact from fiction and bring some light to this debate over sharing... Monday night we ran a story on our 11 p.m. newscast about the conflict between drivers and cyclists in Portland.

The purpose of the story was to separate fact from fiction and bring some light to this debate over sharing the road.

Amy Troy has done an excellent job of balancing this story. The views of drivers and cyclists are well represented.

More importantly, Amy has looked at the facts. And the fact is that both cyclists and drivers ignore traffic laws and endanger themselves and others. Another fact is that when it comes to who is at fault in car-bike collisions the blame is spread equally - 50 percent of the time it is the driver's fault and 50 percent of the time it is the cyclist's fault.

What I like most about Amy's story is the sound bite from one cycling advocate who says: "We recently had this car vs. bike debate, and it turned out it really wasn't a debate because we all wanted the same thing - safety."

Taking off my news director's hat, I want to say that I am both a driver and an avid cyclist. As a driver, I have seen cyclists act irresponsibly. And, as a cyclist, I have seen drivers act irresponsibly and scare the heck out of me. We all must do a better job of observing the law, respecting each other, making safety for everyone paramount and sharing the road.

My hope is that Amy's story and Northwest NewsChannel 8 can play a constructive role in bringing cyclists and drivers together with the common goal of keeping everyone safe on the roads we share.

]]> The Forgotten War tag:www.beloblog.com,2007:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268823 2007-05-17T18:23:44Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z More than a year ago Portland free-lance journalist Scott Kesterson came to me and asked if Northwest NewsChannel 8 would sponsor his reporting on the war in Afghanistan. The Oregon National Guard was about to send more than a 1,000... More than a year ago Portland free-lance journalist Scott Kesterson came to me and asked if Northwest NewsChannel 8 would sponsor his reporting on the war in Afghanistan. The Oregon National Guard was about to send more than a 1,000 troops to the country and agreed to let Scott go along.

I was impressed with Scott's intelligence and dedication. He was also a veteran of the National Guard so he had some military experience that would help him in the assignment. I jumped at the opportunity to have Scott cover the war for kgw.com.

During the past year, Scott has written a regular blog from the front lines in Afghanistan and he has sent back some of the most incredible war video I've ever seen.
Scott Kesterson's Afghanistan Blog

Last summer he was involved in a fire fight between the Taliban and Canadian forces. It was a night-time fire fight and you could see the bullets flying through the black night like slim missiles on fire. It was the most impressive video I've seen all year.
Watch video: Troops ambushed
Watch video: Firefight at dawn with Taliban (graphic language)

Scott has become something of a folk hero with Canadians because of his willingness to stand shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers to capture this raw video of a real battle. It was real reality TV.

While other U.S. journalists covered the war for a few days or a couple weeks at most, Scott was on the ground for more than a year. Unbelievably, he was the only American journalist embedded full time with U.S. forces. Talk about the forgotten war.

Scott went places and saw things that only the soldiers on the ground have seen. He worked along side the soldiers, lived under the same conditions and took the same risks. He got to know the soldiers personally and he got to love the Afghan people.

Scott tells me he was the first on-line journalist ever embedded with the U.S. military. He demonstrated the power of the internet and this new form of journalism called blogging.

For the past year I have worried about Scott's safety and ended every email exchange with the words: Be safe. This week Scott walked back into the station, tanned and rested after arriving back in the states last week. I breathed a sigh of relief just to see him. Over lunch this week I sat glued to every word as Scott told me about his experiences.

Now we want to put a voice and a face to all those wonderful blogs from the front. Yesterday, NewsChannel 8 reporter Pat Dooris sat down with Scott for an extensive interview. The first of Pat's stories about Scott's experiences will run Friday night, May 18, at 11 p.m. Please watch. You won't want to miss this spellbinding story. - Rod Gramer, Executive News Director

]]> Virginia Tech shooter video tag:www.beloblog.com,2007:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268822 2007-04-20T00:09:31Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z NBC and the rest of us in the media have received a lot of criticism for releasing the video and pictures sent by Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung Hui. Critics say that the video victimizes the Virginia Tech students,... NBC and the rest of us in the media have received a lot of criticism for releasing the video and pictures sent by Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung Hui.
Critics say that the video victimizes the Virginia Tech students, faculty and parents again. They say it could even lead to copycat crimes on college campuses.
Like virtually every media outlet, Northwest NewsChannel 8 used the Cho video in stories yesterday and this morning. We did not make that decision lightly. We, too, found the video very disturbing and were aware of the good arguments against using the video.
After much discussion, we decided to limit the amount of video we used. We decided not to use the more blatant material outside the newscast where it could not be put into context. We produced two stories that evaluated whether it was a good idea for us to release the video.
That said, we believed that the video and pictures gave us an insight into the twisted thinking of this mass murderer. We believed that we might learn something that could help us identify others in our society with the same, dangerous tendancies. We thought we could provide some context and perspective on the material.

]]> That view was supported by crime experts from around the country that I heard interviewed. One of them was Dr. Frank Colistro, a Portland criminal psychologist that we often interview for insights into the criminal mind. He told us, "The fact of the matter is that there are people like this out there, there are lots of them."
But this morning we made the decision that any public service gained by airing the video had been served. The public had a chance to see and hear Cho's words. People had the chance to assess the potential threat from people who think like Cho. There was no sound journalistic reason for airing the material again.
So starting at noon today we stopped using the video on television. We will only use it again if there is a compelling and relevant journalistic reason to do so.
Some of the material will be used on our web site, kgw.com, where people choose to seek it out. Also, I must draw a distinction between KGW and NBC. Even if we decide not to use it, NBC may make a different decision. We are two separate and independent news organizations. NBC may use it, so you may still see it on KGW.
On a personal note, journalists are not immune from the pain of this story. Many of us have college-aged students living away from home. Many of us can identify with the concern all parents have about the safety of their chilren. We feel for all of those who lost loved ones. And, like everyone else, we were disturbed and disgusted by the Cho video.
We, too, do not want the country further traumatized by this crazed killer.

Rod Gramer
Executive News Director
KGW Northwest Newschannel 8

]]> KGW decision regarding Cho Seung-Hui images tag:www.beloblog.com,2007:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268821 2007-04-19T18:42:12Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z KGW Northwest Newschannel 8 has chosen not to show any more of the video or still photos on TV that Cho Seung-Hui sent to NBC news. We will only air any of this material if it is relevant to future... Teresa Bell KGW Northwest Newschannel 8 has chosen not to show any more of the video or still photos on TV that Cho Seung-Hui sent to NBC news. We will only air any of this material if it is relevant to future stories.

We believe the public interest in using this material has been served and there is no good journalistic reason to use it further.

Rick Jacobs
Assistant News Director
Northwest Newschannel 8

Kgw.com's web site has removed all the graphic images of the Virginia Tech shooter from display on its home page. The information will remain available on the site but only via a link that contains a disclaimer that users must knowingly choose to click on, so that users won't be exposed to these images against their choice...while those who want access to the information have that option.

Frank Mungeam
Internet Site Manager
kgw.com

]]> Growing pains for kgw.com web site tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268820 2006-11-17T20:19:15Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z 11/30 update: This week, our IT team finished 'optimizing' our new site with Microsoft's new browser, Internet Explorer version 7.0. MS released their new browswer right after we launched our new site, so for the first few weeks some of... Frank Mungeam 11/30 update:

This week, our IT team finished 'optimizing' our new site with Microsoft's new browser, Internet Explorer version 7.0. MS released their new browswer right after we launched our new site, so for the first few weeks some of our pages didn't display properly. Our coders have now finished adapting the site for the new browser so all our features should be accesible with the upgraded IE7. Thanks for your patience on that one.

Also this week, we were able to resolve an overlapping-text problem in several site sections. In Nation/World, Entertainment, and National Sports, text from the first story was overlapping our top-of-page graphic. Right after we 'fixed' it, Associated Press made changes to our feed, which then created a different display problem. All that's been resolved, so those pages now display properly.

At the corporate level, we were also able to increase server capacity this week, to handle what has turned out to be a record month of site traffic for kgw.com.

Thanks for choosing us as your source for news during an amazing November - from flooding and record rain to windstorms, ice storms and snow. And thanks for being patient as we work out the remaining bugs with our site re-launch. We're gratified to have a record number of page views and unique users in November for our site content, and are committed to continuing to improve users' experience on our site from a technical standpoint.

Frank Mungeam, Internet Site Manager

11/21 update:

The biggest concern we've heard about our re-launched site has been the time it takes for the home page to load. I'm happy to report we implemented changes today that decreased the home page download time by 20 percent! We're not done, and hope to have a second phase of changes in place after the holiday that will further speed the page's download time. Just wanted to let you know we have heard your feedback and are working on it.

Of course, we continue to stomp out technical fires as we find them. Yesterday and today, a story page display problem cropped up where on some stories the page appears black where the story should be. Hitting the "refresh" button your browser will fix this for you, but of course we're working on making sure the story pages load properly the first time. Also, a few of our content pages come directly from the AP wires - our Nation/World section and our Entertainment section. On these pages, the text from the first story has been overlapping our top graphic. Again, we've noted this and the IT team is working on these display issues.

I'll continue to keep you posted here as we clean out the 'bugs' in our new home.

Frank Mungeam, Internet Site Manager


Original Entry, November 17, 2006

A few weeks ago, kgw.com re-launched its site with the first site-wide upgrade in more than three years.

In my previous blog, I described in detail the enhanced features of the new site, including imbedded video players, more video, more interactive features, and streamlined navigation.

Our users have loved our new video player imbedded on the home page, and the ten-fold increase in video clips available on the home page. This month, video views have doubled.

But loyal kgw.com visitors have encountered challenges on our new site, some foreseen and some unexpected. I'd like to talk about some of kgw.com's "growing pains" and let you know what we're doing about them.

Here are some of the comments, questions and concerns users have shared with me:

Your new site is confusing - I can't find anything!
Our loyal visitors knew their way around our previous web site. Overnight, we still had the same great team of writers and reporters, and even more video content...but the navigation and look of the site changed.
I liken it to moving into a great new house. In the long run, you're glad to have the benefits that come from a newer, better, bigger house. But in the short run, stuff is hidden away in boxes and you can't find it. The furniture is all the same, but it's in different places and it takes a while to get used to the newness.
We hope and believe that when the dust settles, the upgraded features of our 'new house' will be worth the initial confusion. And, from a navigation standpoint, we received lots of feedback before that our long list of 25 navigation links was way too much. We purposely tried to streamline our navigation, with just 8 core links at the top of the page. Check them out - you might like what you find!


The web site loads slowly
The web site does take longer to load than before. Part of that is on purpose: We have 'optimized' the web site for video and other broadband (high-speed) features. Portland is consistently at the top of lists of most wired cities and highest broadband penetration. Studies of our web site traffic reveal that more than 90% of our visits come from computers with a high-speed connection. The site is designed to provide a rich-media experience that takes advantage of the increasingly high-speed connections available.

However, we are not satisfied with the time our page takes to load and in the coming weeks we'll be making changes behind the scenes in our coding and design that should noticeably improve page-loading while maintaining our rich-media features.


What's with the site being off line?
I have the same question! Twice since October, our web site has been off line. No one is more upset about that than we are. The servers that host our site failed, and the best technical people we have are working to figure out why that happened and how to prevent it in the future.


Your video doesn't play on my computer / The page is displaying funny
We all use "browsers" to access and surf the internet. Internet Explorer is the most commonly used browser, and 70 percent of visitors to kgw.com use IE 6.0. Kgw.com was designed to work and display well in IE6 and it does.

Right after we launched our new site, Microsoft released an 'upgrade', Internet Explorer 7.0. In IE7, text on our story pages sometimes bled into pictures; we know about that conflict and are working to optimize the site for IE7 as well.

A small but loyal group of users visits our site and others using browsers like Firefox (9 percent) and Safari (3 percent.) We have received reports of video playback problems for some users of these browsers and are working on that as well.

We are eager to optimize our site for each of these browsers so you can enjoy our content no matter which browser you use. We've created a special email box where you can report 'browser' or page problems. Details, like the URL of the page that's not working, and even screengrabs, are very helpful. With your input, we can make the site look great on all these browsers. Shoot us a note at: webtek@kgw.com.


A page / link is broken
New or old, every site has broken links here and there. With more than a thousand pages of content on our site, some links inevitably break.

And we actually appreciate it when you tell us because it helps us find and fix those problem areas. You can report broken pages to us at webtek@kgw.com. In the category of "It would be funnier if it weren't true," the 'contact us' link was broken on our site for a few days! I'm happy to report that it has been fixed.


When I load the home page, I get the top banner but its black where the content should be...
Clicking the "refresh" button on your browser should solve this one. And the good news is that our content is there, you may just have to scroll down 'below the fold' to find it. This is an intermittent problem some folks are reporting. It's one element of our effort to optimize the site for the many browsers, and browser versions out there.


When I scroll down on the page, it displays all kinds of funny rows...
You're not dreaming and your computer is not broken. It takes 4-6 seconds for our home page to load on the average broadband connection.
If you wait until the page is finished loading, then "scroll" down, the pages work.
If you try to scroll down BEFORE the page is still loading, you'll see the funny rows until it finishes loading.


These are the most common questions and comments I've received so far. We are proud of kgw.com's tradition of online journalism excellence, and through this site change we've been reminded of what a loyal and passionate audience we have. We're committed to continuing to improve our web site to meet your needs. Please feel free to click on the comments button (below) and share your feedback, good and bad. And check back here - I'll share more of your comments and provide updates as we 'unpack the boxes' in our redesigned kgw.com house.

Regards,
Frank Mungeam
Internet Site Manager, kgw.com

]]> Kgw.com gets a new look tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268819 2006-10-11T23:41:53Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z by Frank Mungeam Internet Site Manager, kgw.com We're excited about the new features included in Thursday's 6:30 p.m. re-launch of kgw.com. What hasn't changed is our commitment to be the leader in coverage of breaking news, led by the best... Frank Mungeam by Frank Mungeam
Internet Site Manager, kgw.com

Ice3_screengrab_1006.jpg


We're excited about the new features included in Thursday's 6:30 p.m. re-launch of kgw.com.

What hasn't changed is our commitment to be the leader in coverage of breaking news, led by the best staff of web writers at any local TV station - the very attributes that earned kgw.com the Edward R. Murrow Award for best TV news web site in the northwest region.

What has changed is a new focus on letting our visitors choose their news, and control their experience on our site.

You'll still find the top headlines of the day, as selected by our news team. But now visitors can also view a list of the day's most-read stories, reflecting which stories are most popular among our readers. In addition, we have a new section in NEWS called NEWS NEAR YOU. Here, you can choose a neighborhood like SW Portland or one of our major cities like Vancouver, Salem or Bend - and get news stories, weather and traffic specific to that area. These three options let you choose your news.

We've also added features that let you customize kgw.com for your preferences. You can choose to have "Headlines" displayed on the home page, or "Weather." A third option, "My kgw.com" allows you to create a home page that collects ALL your favorite web sites on a single page.

Along with our news content, we also recognize that we all need a little fun in our day. We've added two great new features to our Entertainment & Lifestyle section. New kgw.com entertainment reporter Drew Carney takes us "Out & About" every day to fun events in the Metro area in his web-exclusive videos. You can also join us for an "8 Break", our daily escape into the world of strange news and amazing videos.

Finally, we've tripled the amount of video available on our home page. We've also made it easier to choose your preferred video, with three separate categories: "News" video, most "Popular" video, and "Raw" video, where we'll feature extended and uncut scene video and interviews.

All these changes are designed to provide you with more news, and more choices in news. We hope you'll take a few minutes to use the Navigation tabs at the top of our home page to explore these new features.

Frank Mungeam

]]> Tough call on airing Glenn 911 tape tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268818 2006-09-19T23:38:32Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z Just before our early newscasts Monday afternoon we received a copy of Hope Glenn's desperate call to a 911 dispatcher. Her son, Lukus, was drunk, breaking windows and threatening to kill himself. I listened to the entire 10 minute call.... Just before our early newscasts Monday afternoon we received a copy of Hope Glenn's desperate call to a 911 dispatcher. Her son, Lukus, was drunk, breaking windows and threatening to kill himself. I listened to the entire 10 minute call. It was hard to listen to it. Real hard.

We had to make a decision about how much of the call we would use on air and on kgw.com. When we face these journalistic questions, I often gather around several members of the editorial staff to discuss the issue and get different points of view. This time four or five of us listened to the call again, taking notes on the sections we knew we would include and putting question marks by the sections we wondered whether we should use.

The questionable section of the tape basically covered the last three minutes of the call. It was clear at that point that the situation at the Glenn house was getting worse. The anguish in Hope Glenn's voice was heartbreaking. Then you heard the shots, presumably first the bean bag shots and then the real bullets.

We decided to use excerpts from the early and middle part of the call which set up the events that unfolded that night. We wouldn't use the last few minutes when Hope Glenn's anguish reached a fever pitch and when you heard the bullets flying. Even a disclaimer that "the story contained graphic material" would not prepare the viewer at home for what they would hear. This section of the call could add little insight into what happened that night at the Glenn's Washington County home. We already knew how the confrontation ended. Using that part of the call would take advantage of a grieving mother who already regretted calling 911.

With stories like this, it is the media's job to ask the tough questions, to find out exactly what happened and why. It is not our job to shock and awe. That is how and why we decided to use most, but not all, of Hope Glenn's desperate call to the Washington County 911 Center.
- Rod Gramer, KGW Executive News Director

]]> Election coverage tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268817 2006-05-16T17:10:02Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8 and kgw.com will have special coverage today of the Oregon Primary Election. Start off by going to our special election page on kgw.com. We have information about the candidates in case you are still making up... KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8 and kgw.com will have special coverage today of the Oregon Primary Election. Start off by going to our special election page on kgw.com. We have information about the candidates in case you are still making up your mind and we have a list of the ballot drop-off locations in case you are making a last-minute decision. Tonight we will have a special half-hour election report at 8 p.m. on Northwest NewsChannel 8 with the first election returns. Starting at 8 p.m. we will have election results continuously updated on kgw.com. On NewsChannel 8 we will be updating the results at the bottom of your screen during NBC's prime time programming. Throughout the night you can go to kgw.com for live election updates from our reporters in the field. We will have official updates on kgw.com at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. But we will also be doing live impromptu updates in between. If any of the candidates for governor give victory or concession speeches we plan to carry those live on kgw.com. Of course, we will have the very latest results and interviews on Northwest NewsChannel 8 both at 10 p.m on Portland's WB and at 11 p.m. on KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8. Thanks for keeping it on NewsChannel 8 and kgw.com for your best election coverage. - Rod Gramer, Executive News Director

]]> Traffic on Demand tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268816 2006-05-02T00:30:29Z 2008-05-02T16:01:16Z If you ever catch yourself stalled in traffic, we have a new tool to help you out of that traffic jam. On Wednesday we are launching Traffic on Demand. Here's how it works: You can go to kgw.com and click... If you ever catch yourself stalled in traffic, we have a new tool to help you out of that traffic jam. On Wednesday we are launching Traffic on Demand. Here's how it works: You can go to kgw.com and click on Traffic on Demand. Then you will find a page where you can sign up for customized, personal traffic alerts. You choose the route you normally drive, even the time of day you drive the route. When there is a delay on your chosen route, you will be notified with a message that will be sent to your pager, blackberry-like device or your cell phone. Check out Traffic on Demand. The whole idea is to help take the pain out of your daily drive.
- Rod Gramer
Executive News Director

]]> More NBC Prime Changes for Saturday, April 22! tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268815 2006-04-21T23:25:33Z 2008-05-02T16:01:15Z Last minute scheduling changes are becoming more frequent at NBC. Today they changed the line-up for tomorrow, Saturday, April 22. The two episodes of the Celebrity Cooking Showdown that they yanked from the schedule last night and tonight are now... Last minute scheduling changes are becoming more frequent at NBC. Today they changed the line-up for tomorrow, Saturday, April 22. The two episodes of the Celebrity Cooking Showdown that they yanked from the schedule last night and tonight are now scheduled for tomorrow from 8:00-10:00 PM. So those of you who were following the show will at least get to see its conclusion. Here's the line-up:

Saturday, April 22
8:00 PM Celebrity Cooking Showdown Episode #4
9:00 PM Celebrity Cooking Showdown Episode #5

That's the latest. Watch for my postings on upcoming changes and the season finales coming in May.

Brenda Buratti
Director of Programming and Creative Services

]]> Prime time schedule changes tonight & Friday!! tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268814 2006-04-21T00:44:50Z 2008-05-02T16:01:15Z This afternooon....yes this afternoon...NBC made program changes for tonight and tomorrow night! Due to the extremely low viewership of the Celebrity Cooking Showdown program across the country, NBC is canceling the show immediately! They are not even airing the final... This afternooon....yes this afternoon...NBC made program changes for tonight and tomorrow night! Due to the extremely low viewership of the Celebrity Cooking Showdown program across the country, NBC is canceling the show immediately! They are not even airing the final two episodes that were scheduled for tonight at 8 PM (Thursday 4/20) and tomorrow night, Friday 4/21 at 8 PM.

We are still airing at 7 PM tonight the Celebrity Cooking episode that was pre-empted last night by the final Blazer game of the season. For those viewers who like that show and were looking forward to the final two shows...they just are not available to us to air.

Here's are the programs NBC will now be airing in place of the last 2 cooking shows:

Tonight at 8 PM: Will & Grace repeat
Tonight at 8:30 PM My Name is Earl repeat

Friday 4/21 at 8 PM Deal or No Deal repeat of episode #24.
(KGW will still air the Deal or No Deal episode from Monday 4/17 at 7 PM on Fri 4/21.)

This is the first time NBC has made a program change for prime time on the same day. This demonstrates why I tell viewers that print publications are just not reliable anymore for getting accurate TV listings. By the time changes are made, the print deadlines are long past. Please refer to our online schedule. I will continue to post blogs when we have unusual things like this happening to keep you informed.

Brenda Buratti
Director of Programming and Creative Services

]]> Rescheduled Programming this week tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268813 2006-04-19T18:10:09Z 2008-05-02T16:01:15Z Tonight, Wednesday, April 19, is the last Blazer game of the season and here are the remaining shows that are being rescheduled. For Apprentice fans, please note the NBC did not schedule an Apprentice episode this week due to the... Tonight, Wednesday, April 19, is the last Blazer game of the season and here are the remaining shows that are being rescheduled. For Apprentice fans, please note the NBC did not schedule an Apprentice episode this week due to the Celebrity Cooking Showdown program, so you are not missing an episode. The Apprentice returns to its regular time period on Monday, April 24 at 9 PM.

Tonight's episode #3 of Celebrity Cooking Showdown will air Thursday, April 20 at 7 PM leading into episode #4 which will air at 8 PM.

Tonight's Heist episode will air on Saturday, April 22 at 7 PM.

This week's episode of Deal No Deal from Monday 4/17 will air on Friday, April 21 at 7 PM.

After this week our schedule will not be disrupted by Blazer games. We understand that this season has been frustrating for viewers as the team's poor performance lessened interest in the games. We hope that the team will rebuild and return to a winning team that the community can be proud of.


Brenda Buratti
Director of Programming and Creative Services

]]> Remembering Garrett tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268812 2006-04-14T21:29:44Z 2008-05-02T16:01:15Z I hope you get a chance to watch a moving and important story Reporter John Becker and Photographer Casey Nolen produced for tonight's (April 14) 6 p.m. newscast. The story is about the suicide of Senator Gordon Smith's son, Garrett,... I hope you get a chance to watch a moving and important story Reporter John Becker and Photographer Casey Nolen produced for tonight's (April 14) 6 p.m. newscast. The story is about the suicide of Senator Gordon Smith's son, Garrett, just before his 22nd birthday. John and Casey spent a day at the Senator's eastern Oregon home doing the interview with Senator Smith and his wife, Sharon. The Smiths talk about Garrett and about how they missed the warning signs that Garrett was moving toward taking his own life. But this is also a story about a family's recovery from that tragedy and how they turned such a tragic death into an effort to prevent other youth suicides. After you watch the story, go to kgw.com. We have a special page "Preventing Teen Suicide." You can find the link on the home page. On the page you will find tips on the warning signs that a youth might be sliding toward suicide. There will also be an extended excerpt from the interview John and Casey did with the Smiths. On a personal note, I want to congratulate John and Casey for producing such a moving story on a very difficult subject. This story is television journalism at its best. - Rod Gramer, Executive News Director

]]> Director of Programming & Creative Services tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268811 2006-04-12T16:46:26Z 2008-05-02T16:01:15Z Our last four Blazer games of the season are causing some shows to be rescheduled. Here's where to find the NBC shows that are being moved over the next two weeks. Note that two epsiodes of NBC's new Celebrity Cooking... Our last four Blazer games of the season are causing some shows to be rescheduled. Here's where to find the NBC shows that are being moved over the next two weeks. Note that two epsiodes of NBC's new Celebrity Cooking Show next week are rescheduled. They will still air in order because this show is a continuing competition from one episode to another.

This week:
The Deal No Deal original episode from Wed 4/12 will air Saturday, April 15 at 7 PM.
The Heist original episode from Wed 4/12 will be seen late that same night at 2:05 AM.
The Deal No Deal REPEAT episode from Fri 4/14 will air late that same night at 2:35 AM.
The Las Vegas repeat episode from Fri 4/14 will air late that night at 3:33 AM.

Next week:
The Deal No Deal original episode from Mon 4/17 will air Fri 4/21 at 7 PM.
The Celebrity Cooking Show #1 from Mon 4/17 will air Tues 4/18 at 7 PM (leading into episode #2 at 8)
The Celebrity Cooking Show #3 from Wed 4/19 will air Thurs 4/20 at 7 PM (leading into episode #4 at 8 PM)
The Heist original episode from Wed 4/19 will air Sat 4/22 at 7 PM

That concludes this year's Blazer games on KGW this season. No programs will be disrupted in May when all the season and series finales will air.


Brenda Buratti

]]> Emotional family reunion tag:www.beloblog.com,2006:/KGW_Blogs/managers//665.268810 2006-03-22T02:22:54Z 2008-05-02T16:01:15Z At noon today we learned that the Stivers family was found after spending three weeks in the deep snow of the Oregon mountains. We immediately sent reporter Pat Dooris, photographer Jon Gudgel and satellite truck operator Dan Dugan to Glendale... At noon today we learned that the Stivers family was found after spending three weeks in the deep snow of the Oregon mountains.

We immediately sent reporter Pat Dooris, photographer Jon Gudgel and satellite truck operator Dan Dugan to Glendale to cover the story. Our quick action paid off because we were the only Portland television station there live during the 5 p.m. news for the emotional family reunion. Mom and Dad Stivers did not want to talk to reporters, but grandpa gave Pat Dooris a compelling live interview off the top of the newscast.

We sent a second crew - reporter Jack Penning, photographer Alex Lynch and satellite truck operator John Waikart - to Ashland to get family and community reaction in the family's home town. As we speak, we are planning to have both Jack and Pat live with their respective stories during our 10 p.m. newscast on WB and our 11 p.m. newscast on Northwest NewsChannel 8. Stay tuned tonight for the best coverage of this compelling story of survival.

When breaking news happens, minutes count. That was demonstrated today. Even a few minutes of delay in sending a news crew could have made the difference between us being there live for the reunion or missing it. I'm glad we moved so fast because you, our viewers and web users, got to see this wonderful story unfold live.

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