PBS, NBC Team for Conventions: Smart ‘Synthesis’

TV or not TV . . .

CHANGING TIMES: The teaming of PBS and NBC to cover the summer’s Democratic and Republican national conventions could be the sleeper in TV’s campaign reporting.

PBS producer Les Crystal calls it a “synthesis of two highly developed, highly respected broadcast news traditions.”

Not only is the idea cost-effective at a time when TV networks are hurting, it also seems appealing to discerning viewers looking for something novel.

With the Democrats gathering next month in New York and the GOP convention set for Houston in August, PBS and NBC have smoothed out final details for the unprecedented venture. Here’s how it will work:

PBS will have gavel-to-gavel coverage every day--airing live from about 5 to 8 p.m. locally on KCET Channel 28. The first 1 1/2 or two hours will be a combined effort of PBS’ “MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour” and an NBC team led by Tom Brokaw.

After that, the two broadcast organizations will split off, with each providing coverage for its own network for the remainder of the sessions.

Each network’s on-air cadre of correspondents is impressive. PBS, in addition to Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, will have Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Judy Woodruff, Kwame Holman, David Gergen and Mark Shields.

NBC, besides Brokaw, has lined up John Chancellor, Tim Russert, Maria Shriver, John Cochran, Andrea Mitchell, Lisa Myers and Bob Kur.

In another shrewd move, each night’s joint coverage will have a specific theme. Says NBC producer Bob Wheatley: “Conventions used to be largely about the selection of nominees. Now they’re about pre-selected candidates and what they stand for.”

It’s up-to-date thinking, and certainly worth a look.

QUAKE FOOTNOTES: Sure was nice to see KTLA Channel 5, led by Hal Fishman, stop riding on its reputation and remind us of its fine tradition in Sunday’s quake coverage . . .

The virtual treetop telecopter coverage by KTLA and other stations was often simply breathtaking . . .

KNBC Channel 4 anchor Wendy Tokuda was cool, balanced and thoughtful throughout her lengthy duty on camera . . .

The reports from Palm Springs station KMIR-TV added on-the-spot authority and depth to KNBC’s coverage . . .

KABC Channel 7’s Harold Greene and KCBS Channel 2’s Hosea Sanders, in their open-collared, I-just-threw-something-on garb, looked more natural than all The Suits, especially at dawn on a Sunday morning . . .

ONE A DAY FROM JAY: Noting that Phil Donahue expressed interest in running for office, Jay Leno wondered what party he’d choose: “He’s wealthy, so he could be a Republican. But then again, his show is all talk, so he could be a Democrat.”

By the way, Mrs. Gayle Winesburg of Simi Valley hopes it’s noticed that closed captioning has been added to “The Tonight Show” under Leno.

BATTLE ROYAL: That’ll be some slugfest on Wednesdays come fall when ABC’s “Home Improvement,” NBC’s “Seinfeld,” CBS’ “In the Heat of the Night” and Fox’s new, hotshot series, “Melrose Place,” all go head to head.

Don’t be surprised if “In the Heat of the Night” is the spoiler despite its generally older demographics. Star Carroll O’Connor has given fits in previous competitive battles with Robin Williams of “Mork & Mindy” and Roseanne Arnold of “Roseanne.”

Next season will also see one of our favorite series, NBC’s “Reasonable Doubts,” with the wondrous Marlee Matlin, squaring off against heavy favorite “Roseanne.” Alas.

THE ENTERTAINER: You certainly don’t want to miss the weeklong salute to the great Eddie Cantor on the American Movie Classics channel July 20-24. AMC is running the Cantor films “Palmy Days,” “Roman Scandals,” “Kid Millions,” “Whoopee!” and “Strike Me Pink.”

STEADY WORK: Mary Hart wasn’t the first woman host of “Entertainment Tonight”--Marjorie Wallace was. But Hart soon won the job, and this summer marks her 10th anniversary with “E.T.”

TITLE MATCH: In case you didn’t notice, TBS ran the double feature “The Birds” and “The Bees.” Everybody knows Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”--but “The Bees”? Well, our “Video Movie Guide” lists it under “horror/suspense” and sums it up as follows: “Despite all temptation to label this a honey of a picture, it’s a drone that will probably give viewers the hives.”

SLOW DANCE: Do you think maybe ABC has the makings of a surprise success in “Jack’s Place,” the new series with Hal Linden as the owner of a neighborhood cabaret? For most of its brief tryout run, it has done quite well in the ratings.

TALKING HEADS: Pretty nifty being able to watch the state Assembly and Senate hash things out on cable’s California Channel. On June 16, the channel’s legislative programming was increased from 20 to 35 hours a week.

PRIORITIES: If I watched only the David Letterman show and ABC’s overnight series “World News Now,” I’d have all the entertainment and news I really need from TV.

“World News Now,” anchored by Aaron Brown and Lisa McRee, is so cool that it sometimes lists Cicely, Alaska--the fictional setting of “Northern Exposure”--in its nightly weather report. The last reading we saw was 60 and cloudy.

BUILDING BLOCKS: ABC isn’t setting the world afire in the ratings, but advertisers think it looks solid in the fall because it is sticking with seven freshman series from last season: “Home Improvement,” “Civil Wars,” “The Commish,” “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” “Room for Two,” “Homefront” and “Step by Step.”

BEING THERE: According to David Letterman, one of the Top 10 things overheard at New York City pay phones is: “911? . . . Sure, I’ll hold.”

Say good night, Gracie . . . .