S.D. TV Fishes for Local GOP Angles

The horse’s name was Killer, Channel 10’s Jack White said. It had the special honor of dragging little-known Assemblyman Larry Stirling (R-La Mesa) and his family around New Orleans in a carriage, which made it news for White. Stirling is a San Diegan, and White was in New Orleans to cover the local angles of the Republican convention. So while the Republicans were deciding how to control the future world, White was gleefully trotting through the French Quarter with Stirling and Killer.

KCST-TV (Channel 39) was in New Orleans too. However, it opted not to interview Killer, nor did it send back the seemingly obligatory travelogue features on New Orleans. The station probably would like to have included more “light” features, Channel 39 News Director Nancy Bauer said, but it had only one reporter in New Orleans, the overworked Cathy Clark.

Both Channel 39 and Channel 10 sent two reporters to Atlanta last month to do stories on the heat during the Democrats’ convention. But Channel 39 cut back to one reporter, as did Channel 10, for the Republicans.

“We looked at how many people watched the Atlanta coverage and we realized interest was not as high as we anticipated,” Bauer said. “So we cut back.”

KFMB-TV (Channel 8) decided long ago that few of its viewers care about the conventions’ local angles, so it didn’t send crews to either convention.

“When you go, you establish a presence there,” Channel 8 Managing Editor Marty van Housen said. “But I don’t know if you do anything more than that.”

Channel 39 estimates it spent $10,000 to send Clark and a crew to New Orleans. With satellite time to beam back signals, hotel rooms, work space and assorted expenses, Channel 10 estimates it spent a little less to establish a “presence” in New Orleans.

“If they ate at McDonald’s, like I told them to, we probably came in a little under $10,000,” Channel 10 News Director Paul Sands said.

White’s presence was all over New Orleans, even in the convention hall sometimes.

“We did not expect any major news to come out of the convention,” Sands said. “We wanted to show the California and San Diego delegations and what they were doing. And I think we accomplished that terrifically.”

Well, the California delegation wasn’t doing a whole lot, judging by Channel 10’s coverage.

Delegate Stirling, of course, spent an afternoon touring the city. And when White did a feature on New Orleans’ ancient trolley system, there was Stirling again to say what a keen idea it would be to have a similar trolley along the Embarcadero.

The big news on Tuesday: The California delegation was eating chips sent to them by a San Diego restaurant!

“I found them crispy with just a little salt--just the way I like them,” White said.

“You can’t eat just one,” Congressman Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad) said.

Channel 10 also did interviews with Gov. George Deukmejian and Senator Pete Wilson, who were eager to talk to anyone with a microphone, and local delegates like Steve Garvey and Carol Alessio.

When White settled down to cover the convention, he did provide Channel 10 viewers with quick, succinct summaries of the day’s events. But there was always a hick-goes-to-the-big-city feel to the coverage. Deukmejian had to point out to White that he withdrew from the vice-presidential derby two weeks ago when White asked him if he were disappointed about not being chosen. And when Sen. Dan Quayle surprisingly was chosen as Vice President George Bush’s running mate, White was there to cover the local angle.

“I couldn’t find anyone in the California delegation to say bad things about Quayle,” White informed viewers, “but I couldn’t find that many who knew Quayle.”

Channel 39 seemed to work a little harder to get interviews. In addition to Wilson and Deukmejian, Clark interviewed people like banking executive Gordon Luce and Tom Stickel, Bush’s San Diego campaign manager.

Clark was good. She was able to offer some insight and analysis, such as pointing out the party’s efforts to aid Wilson’s reelection bid by including him in all the big schmooze events. With a straight face she could reel off a comment chock full of political jargon, such as: “What (Quayle) represents as far as Bush’s campaign is concerned is an ideology that absolutely mirrors George Bush’s, and a conservative line that the party believes it must have to continue what it calls the Reagan legacy into the Bush Administration.”

Clark even attempted to come up with real story angles, instead of just random interviews. On Monday she did a feature on the increasing role of Hispanics in the Republican Party. Clark interviewed Gaddi Vasquez, an Orange County supervisor, introducing him as “the only Hispanic representing even part of San Diego County’s delegation,” which seemed to suggest that a better angle might be the continued dearth of Hispanics in the GOP.

“There are more Hispanics registering Republican than ever before,” Vasquez said. Clark moved on without bothering to challenge the statement.

This was the Republicans’ week, and maybe such negative coverage would have seemed superfluous. The local coverage was meant to spotlight the Republicans (and, earlier, the Democrats), not challenge them. And, of course, it was a great opportunity to see New Orleans.

“I enjoyed watching Jack White walking up and down the restaurants,” Channel 8’s Van Housen said. “But I don’t know if that’s a reason to” send San Diego reporters to a convention.