End of the Old Boy Networks? : Television: A Latino and a woman now head news operations at Channels 2 and 4. But will their stations’ coverage change?

Winds of change.

Suddenly, a woman and a Latino are news directors of two of Los Angeles’ three major network TV stations.

When Jose Rios was named news director of KCBS Channel 2 this week, he became the only Latino to hold that post at one of the town’s seven top English-language TV outlets.

When Nancy Valenta was named news director of KNBC Channel 4 six months ago, she became the first woman to get that job at a network station in Los Angeles.

Winds of change. . . .

Suddenly, also, a black executive, Johnathan Rodgers, is the new president of CBS’ stations division.

When Rodgers was appointed boss this week of CBS-owned-and-operated stations in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Miami, he became the first black to head up a major division at one of the Big Three networks.

Last November, meanwhile, another black, Jennifer Lawson, was put in charge of PBS programming as executive vice president of national production.

While it’s hardly time to send up the balloons and declare that TV’s long history of inequality is over--because it isn’t--a new world is clearly dawning.

True, the number of women and minorities in top TV management still is piddling.

But for women, for instance, the determination of such pioneers as Stephanie Brady, former news director of independent station KHJ Channel 9 (before it became KCAL), is paying off.

There’s a danger, however.

With growing pressure to crack open and democratize TV’s executive suites, there are always touchy and nasty suggestions that people may be getting key jobs because they are women or minorities.

This nerve-end issue apparently was on the mind of KCBS General Manager Robert Hyland when he appointed Rios. The station’s license had been threatened by Latino critics of KCBS hiring practices.

In a letter to Esther Renteria, chair of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Hyland not only defended KCBS’ hiring record but--because of strained relations with the group--felt compelled to add:

“Under the circumstances, I find it necessary to stress what would otherwise go without saying: Jose has earned this job entirely on his own merits, and in fairness to him, I hope it will not be suggested otherwise.”

It’s not unusual for TV stations to hire on-air talent of various backgrounds to appeal to specific audiences in specific cities. Asian American anchors, for instance, are considered good TV business in such Pacific Rim cities as Los Angeles and San Francisco.

But understandably, both on-air personnel and executives who may be women or minorities have a right to be infuriated at having to undergo scrutiny the old boys never had to worry about.

Rios, for instance, is a solid 12-year veteran at KCBS whose professionalism needs no defense from Hyland.

The facts about Rios speak for themselves--assistant news director at KCBS since 1987, assignment editor and winner of a number of awards.

But while KCBS defends its record on minorities, it has seemed to react to Latino criticism over the last few years. Perhaps it was good intentions. Perhaps it was fear of having its license jeopardized.

In any case, press releases from KCBS seemed, more than ever before, to emphasize the Latino appointments, tie-ins with Latino doings around town and good deeds for Latino causes.

Hyland’s letter to Renteria on Tuesday, responding to a letter from her, was angry, but the depth of his concern on the Latino issue was indicated by the following passage:

“Since the beginnings of my tenure (as general manager) in 1987, KCBS-TV has taken numerous steps and achieved specific results in terms of addressing employment and other Hispanic concerns.

“Specifically, among other things, we have: increased the presence of Hispanics both in front of and behind the camera in our news department; achieved greater outreach to the Hispanic community, including close involvement with a number of Hispanic organizations and activities; strengthened our regular and special programming coverage of issues of interest and concern to Hispanics.”

It would be fair to say that, by whatever motivation, KCBS’ consciousness was raised.

And it was not the only station in town to feel the sting of threats--or realize the enormous financial clout wielded by Los Angeles’ vast, television-watching Latino population.

Now that Rios and Valenta--who is not a Latina--are news directors at two of L.A.’s three biggest stations, what will they do over the long run? Will TV look any different, make any new priorities? Will Rios bring even more KCBS attention to Latino life here? Why shouldn’t he?

Or will nothing change in local TV except for the fact that there is a female news director at KNBC and a Latino news director at KCBS? On taking over at KNBC, Valenta said she felt the two top local news stories of the 1990s would be crime and the environment. She never mentioned women’s issues. The station’s news doesn’t look much different now than it did six months ago.

Valenta’s boss is a highly successful, iron-fisted general manager named John Rohrbeck, who wields major power in the NBC structure. It is not likely that she can do more than he allows. As for Rios, we will see shortly just how much leeway he has under Hyland, and what direction the station’s news will take.

There is one story that no TV station covers enough--the new Los Angeles emerging as a Third World city. There is a new, emerging audience waiting to see this story properly presented. That is the big story.