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Date Posted: Thu 11/06/03 - 3:54:47 PM
Author: TV Watcher
Subject: Full Text of above article
In reply to: henry 's message, "Re: TV thread- Canal 66" on Wed 11/05/03 - 4:43:51 PM

I realized that everyone probably doesn't want to register (or subscribe to) the Standard-Examiner. Full text reproduced below, C. Sunday, July 13, 2003 Ogden Publishing Corporation.
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News channels into Hispanic community
By Nancy VanValkenberg
---
Less than a mile down the road from the expansive newsroom of KSL Channel 5, there"s another set of broadcast journalists toiling in a tiny room to report the news of Utah.

Utah"s newest -- and smallest -- television news team is Santiago Lucero and Isabel Peralta, who report for one of the state"s Spanish-language stations, KUTH Channel 12 (cable) and 58 (broadcast).

"We could use a few more reporters," said Peralta, 28 and a native of the Dominican Republic.

Two camera operator/video editors round out the staff of four.

"We stay pretty busy," Peralta added, laughing.

KUTH carries Univision programming and breaks away for local news at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays. The target audience is Utah"s Hispanic population, estimated at 202,000 people -- nearly 10 percent of Utah"s population.

KUTH"s broadcasts compete with those of KULX Channel 68 (cable) and 51 (broadcast, in Ogden), a Telemundo affiliate with offices in Ogden and a studio in Murray. KULX has been offering Spanish-language local broadcasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays for the past five years.

KULX produces its news -- or some days, an abbreviated newscast followed by a local interview show -- with a skeleton staff of five, who report, shoot, anchor, direct and produce the news. For perspective, KSL has more than 25 full-time reporters, who do not edit, anchor, direct or shoot footage.


A new system


How does KUTH get news on the air with an even smaller crew than its competitor? The answer lies in an innovative approach taken by KUTH"s parent company, Arkansas-based Equity Broadcasting.

The KUTH news crew shoots Utah stories here and edits them in that tiny back room at the station"s offices in Salt Lake City. In late afternoon, the staff uses the Internet to feed the video packages to a news facility in Iowa.

That facility takes the Utah footage and adds an on-set anchor for introductions and transitions. Sometimes, nonlocal stories are added to fill out the half hour. Next, the feed goes to Equity"s studio. Equity adds commercials and then feeds the signal to KUTH, which airs the feed live.

Using the same procedure, Equity Broadcasting produces local news for many of its stations, making newscasts profitable in markets where advertising revenues might not support more traditional, costly broadcasts.


A Utah tradition


John Terrill, president of AirWaves, Inc., which owns KUXL (known as KEJT Channel 50 in Salt Lake City), said the KUTH broadcast cannot compare to what his crew produces and contributes to Hispanic audiences.

"We have an experienced news director with solid news sense, and you see that in the broadcast," Terrill said. "And our news is all from Utah, not from Little Rock."

KULX also has an established audience.

"We were here first," Terrill said. "We were the first Spanish-language station in the state, and we"re celebrating 10 years of service."

That service has included broadcasting local sports; offering a live, Spanish-language telecast of general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and sponsoring events geared toward the Hispanic community.


A shared mission


Setting competition aside, why are these Spanish-language newscasts important to Utah"s Hispanic community?

Three basic reasons:


The news is the native language of many members of Utah"s Hispanic community. For many, English is a second language. For others, Spanish is the only language they understand. The language barrier makes mainstream broadcasts inaccessible to many.

"We have a lot of migrants here, and if they speak English, it"s a second language to them," said Arlene Urias, KUTH general manager. "Close to 70 percent of Hispanic people speak Spanish at home, and they want news in a language they understand."

Without the option of local news broadcasts in Spanish, many Utah Hispanics would not be aware of major news events, Peralta added.

"Laws could change and they wouldn"t know," she said. "Someone could be missing and they wouldn"t know."


High priority is given to stories that are meaningful to the Hispanic community. Since the community contains many recent arrivals to this country, topics of education, voting and immigration are of special interest.
A recent immigration raid in Provo earned one-night coverage from mainstream stations, but KUTH is following defendants through the courts, Lucero said.

In addition, non-Hispanic stories are reported from a Hispanic perspective. Peralta asked Hispanic people their views on the recent cat mutilations in Salt Lake City"s Avenues area.

"Hispanic people also have pets, and want to keep them safe," Peralta said.


Hispanic reporters can cover their community more fully and perhaps more fairly.
"I can report on the crime and discrimination, and I can also report on the best, most award-winning Hispanic student in high school," Peralta said. "I can report on the worst but also on the best."

"A good thing for everyone"


Who will end up with the lion"s share of Hispanic viewers? That remains to be seen.

KULX has the advantage of strong ties to an established audience. KUTH is gaining a following, in part because of its number on the cable dial. Cable subscribers surfing the local broadcast channels will come upon KUTH 12 when they click between low-number channels. It takes a lengthier surf to happen upon KULX on Channel 68.

KULX news director Mario Vasquez, 35 and a native of Mexico, said he is proud of the newscasts his team produces, but he"s also pleased to see another Spanish broadcast in the market.

"People who watch us can watch them, too," Vasquez said. "It"s more coverage of the community, more stories on the air. It"s a good thing for everyone."

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