MEDIA : KPBS Broadens Its Options by Simulcasting in Spanish

Four years after KPBS-FM (89.5) took steps to decrease its commitment to Spanish-language programming, the station has developed a novel approach to expand its Spanish-language audience.

Last week, the public broadcasting outlet began simulcasting its 8 p.m.-11 p.m. weeknight show, a blend of news, talk shows, features and music aimed at the Latino community, on the Tijuana-based XHITT-FM (88.7). It is believed to be the first regular binational radio simulcast between Mexico and the United States.

“It is something that allows us a lot of latitude in increasing coverage and exposing the programming to a different audience,” said station manager Craig Dorval. “We will be able to pick up a lot of listeners that otherwise wouldn’t be able to hear the show.”

In 1986, the station announced that the Spanish-language show would be moved to weekend evenings, only to revoke the switch a few days later. The change “wasn’t well thought out,” Dorval said, in terms of maintaining the Spanish-language audience.

He still believes that the nightly Spanish-language programming doesn’t necessarily fit with the rest of the KPBS programming, which features classical music and National Public Radio shows.

“It doesn’t serve either (the Spanish-language or daytime) audience as well as it might,” he said.

The simulcast provides the station with more “options,” Dorval said. One option may be to have another station, such as XHITT, carry the programming exclusively, allowing KPBS to use the weeknight show to program something more compatible with the rest of its lineup.

Dorval said there are no plans to drop the Spanish-language programming from KPBS. But he acknowledged that airing it exclusively on another station is one of several possibilities for the future.

“Our goal is to better serve the Hispanic radio-listening community,” he said.

The “Second Look News Magazine,” a half-hour show produced by San Diego State students, which debuts tonight at 5 and 11 p.m. on Cox Cable’s Channel 5, includes a revealing look behind the scenes at a KNSD-TV (Channel 39) news story.

The program follows reporter Gene Cubbison’s quest to find video to illustrate a story about a murder. With no one home at the house of a relative of the suspect, the Channel 39 crew shoots pictures through a window, in order to get footage of photos on the wall.

Don Shafer, the news director of the station that brings it “straight to you,” refused to answer on camera the students’ questions about the ethics of the tactic.

The show, which also features a lengthy segment on white supremacist Tom Metzger’s legal battles, is Eric Longabardi’s student project. He expects to produce at least two more editions sometime in the future, paying Cox Cable for the air time.

A letter from sixth-graders at Sunset Elementary School in San Ysidro prompted a change in style from KGTV (Channel 10). The students were upset that Channel 10 reporter Leonard Villareal used the term “illegal aliens” in a story. Such terminology, the students noted, is offensive to many Latinos. Channel 10 now will use “undocumented workers” or similar expressions. The station nominated the students for a Channel 10 leadership award. . . .

Presidential son and KSDO-AM (1130) afternoon talk host Michael Reagan apparently has learned an important lesson about the talk radio game--that the best way to generate a little publicity is to make stupid and borderline racist comments. Or maybe it just comes naturally for Reagan. He made Newsweek magazine last week for suggesting on the air that the Jewish Anti-Defamation League had pressured the Miss America pageant to prevent Miss America from singing a Christian song. The group would not have complained “if she sang Hava Nagilia,” Reagan said. He later apologized for his remarks, the magazine reported. . . .

As of Friday, no protests have been filed with the Federal Communications Commission against the sale of KUSI-TV (Channel 51) to Michael McKinnon. If no protests are filed, it takes 45 to 60 days for the FCC to process applications, which means the sale could be approved as early as this week.

The FCC’s Equal Employment Opportunity division has completed its investigation of charges of unfair hiring practices levied against KFMB-TV (Channel 8), which held up the renewal of the station’s operating license. The staff’s recommendations should go to the full commission sometime next month. . . .

The purge continues at KKYY-FM (Y95). Nina Loffredo is out as promotions director. It was not a big surprise. She and the ex-program director were personally linked to the stars of the “Jeff and Jer” morning team, which recently left for KFMB-FM (B100). A source at the station says Loffredo “resigned” due to a “conflict of interest” with another station, i.e. B100. . . .

The recently released Nielsen ratings show Channel 10 with a more comfortable lead in the news sweepstakes than the Arbitron rating book. The Nielsens even have the Channel 10 news winning the 6:30 p.m. slot by a ratings point over the Channel 8 news and Channel 39’s “Jeopardy.” According to the Nielsens, channels 8 and 39 are tied at 11 p.m. with a 5 rating, trailing Channel 10 by 4 rating points. . . .

The Journal of International and Intercultural Relations praises San Diego State professor Michael Real’s book “Super Media” as a “very readable text” and “the smartest and most accessible volume available that introduces the fundamental theoretical and methodological positions and practices in cultural studies.”

The California Medical Assn. gave the KPBS-TV-produced “Victims of Birth” a first place award in the major market category. . . .

San Diego veteran Lee Mirabal reportedly is the new general manager at XHRM-FM (92.5). . . .

On Cox Cable’s “Cabletalk” show last week, Channel 8 sportscaster Ted Leitner, refered to William Hurt’s character in “Broadcast News” as a “dummy anchorman, which may be redundant”. . . .

Some early morning Channel 10 viewers did a double-take when announcer Lisa Kim said a man commited suicide and then murdered a woman. . . .

And several viewers noticed that a Channel 10 anchorwoman last week refered to the Society for the Preservation of Cruelty to Animals, which probably didn’t thrill animal lovers.