In Yakima, there's WAY too much work to do in this market.
First, KNDO needs a separate newscast from KNDU. Who gives a crap about a car wreck way down in Kennewick, over 75 miles from Yakima? Bring back a real studio for NBC in Yakima...not just a sales office in downtown on Yakima Ave. Bring a real news staff...anchors, reporters, directors, producers, camera operators, etc. to channel 23.
They also need a weekend weather anchor who is BASED in Yakima and Tri-Cities. The weekend weather guy, Ryan Overton, comes from KHQ-6 in SPOKANE. 150 miles away!!
Second, KAPP needs to get a MUCH better news set. The news set they use right now is unbelievably laughable. It looks like a news set for a high school announcements show. KAPP needs a separate newscast from KVEW. Again, ditto to KNDO, who gives a crap about a car wreck way down in Kennewick, over 75 miles from Yakima? Bring back a real studio for ABC in Yakima...not just a transmitter on the Ahtanum Ridge that feeds KVEW programming to Yakima with separate ads.
The weather lady at KAPP/KVEW, Kris Crocker, comes from KXLY-4 in SPOKANE!! Just like KNDO on weekends!
Bring back weekend news. They cut weekend news entirely after 2008 budget cuts/bloodbath.
KIMA - Beg for a 5/6PM news anchor. After Jim Niedelman left for WHBF in Rock Island, IL, no one has taken his place...and it's been 4 1/2 months! Reporters, anchors at KEPR (namely Annie Andrews), and even an anchor at KLEW 3 in Lewiston, ID, Scott Stovall, who drove 160 miles to sub in this week. Get the word out...look for people out of college even! Just get someone at the anchor desk every night for a few years at least.
Mike McCabe needs to either work only at KEPR, or only at KIMA. He does weather for both markets and tapes it for KIMA earlier in the day. After Stu Seibel left in 2007, no one has taken a local position.
KIMA also needs a new news set...right now. The news set they use is two TV monitors that only display the "KIMA Action News" logo, and a desk. Bland, isn't it? About 10 years ago, ch 29 used a news set that had a desk that could fit 4 people, not three like today...and behind the anchors, a backdrop picture of the Yakima Valley and Mt. Adams. There were actually TWO anchors working on 5 and 6PM newscasts...and 11PM was local.
KCYU - Much like with KNDO, KCYU needs a separate "Fox First at 10" newscast from KFFX-11. Both Yakima and Tri-Cities stories are covered, but once again, who cares about a car wreck in Kennewick, 75 miles from Yakima?
Many syndicated shows are not cleared in this market, and there is no My Network TV station in town. There was at one point (a simulcast of KXMN-LP from Spokane on KAPP 35-2, but that's now MeTV). Our market does not clear several shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, Access Hollywood, Judge Faith, Wendy Williams, or the two trash fests Maury and Jerry Springer. The latter two are a sign of relief however. Countless weekend shows are also not featured in this market.
There is also no Antenna TV in Yakima/Tri-Cities as well. That's a major classic TV subchannel...and gets lots of viewers.
If anybody who worked in the news biz checked out Yakima's market...they would laugh all the way to the bank. Makes the Seattle newscasts look like New York City's.
-crainbebo