KNBC Offers Its Own Five-Ring Coverage

Let the “Channel 4 News” games begin.

Seeking to capitalize on NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics, KNBC-TV is launching its own Olympic platform, as members of the station’s news team travel to Salt Lake City for newscasts and specials that will originate from the Winter Games site.

Some observers have raised questions about how extensively KNBC’s planned emphasis on Olympic coverage will affect time afforded to other significant stories, among them the war on terrorism, the battle over a second term for LAPD Chief Bernard Parks and the current governor’s race.

“There is always a danger that while reporting on something that is relatively innocuous, a story that is very important could happen and be overshadowed,” said Cynthia Rawitch, chair of the journalism department at Cal State Northridge.

KNBC’s daily 4 and 6 p.m. news will be based in a “specially designed” studio overlooking the Games’ Medals Plaza. The morning, midday, 5 and 11 p.m. newscasts will be broadcast as usual from Burbank, supplemented with live reports from Salt Lake City. Paul Moyer and Colleen Williams will anchor those newscasts.

In addition, a nightly news and entertainment show at 7 p.m., “Channel 4 News: Olympic Edition,” will present behind-the-scenes stories and features from the Olympic site, as well as interviews with athletes based in Southern California.

KNBC news director Kim Godwin maintained that despite the promotional synergy between the network coverage and the station’s newscasts, KNBC’s focus on the Olympics will not eclipse other news stories.

“News is what we do, no matter what the backdrop is,” Godwin said. “We don’t like hard and fast rules, but it’s just going to be like any other day. We’re in the position where we can’t ignore the news. Our viewers will get all the news of the day.”

She added, “There may be times when the 4 p.m. news will come on and our Olympic anchors Chuck Henry and Michele Ruiz will say, ‘We need to go back to Burbank.’ That’s how we’ll handle [breaking] news.”

According to Rawitch, however, the widely employed practice of using local news time to promote network coverage is “not good journalism. But it’s so routine to do this now, to do that kind of promotion. I just feel there are better things to cover in that 22 minutes of news....

“On the other hand, the state of communication is such that even if all the top people were at the Games, the station could get back for a big local story,” Rawitch continued, adding that KNBC and other stations don’t devote much time to covering such stories in general. “I just don’t think they do a good job,” she said.

Godwin, who joined KNBC last October, acknowledged that stories surrounding the Olympics will be prominently featured, adding that the station is poised to take advantage of its resources and what it hopes will be heightened interest in the Games.

“Post-Sept. 11, there is a real surge of pride and patriotism, and our athletes are going into the games with that attitude,” she said. “We can tie into that feeling with the news. And it’s right in our backyard. It’s a perfect place to tie into the pride of America, which is really a big story right now.”

Still, Godwin stressed that the station will not hesitate to shift its focus to local news if the situation warrants: “We will probably go back and forth a bit,” she said.

In addition to Henry and Ruiz, 17 members of the station’s news team--including eight anchors and reporters--are being sent to Salt Lake City.

KNBC’s coverage of the Winter Games will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Friday, before the opening ceremonies, with a one-hour special, “Fred Roggin’s Road to Salt Lake.” The longtime sports reporter will profile several local athletes, including figure skaters Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen.

The live “Channel 4 News: Olympic Edition” will also be anchored by Henry and Ruiz, with Pat O’Brien--co-host of the syndicated “Access Hollywood,” another NBC property--providing segments for each installment.