Heartland export

As a native of the Midwest, which isn’t nearly so “staid” as certain Angelenos believe, I find it bizarre that some Times readers think a longtime anchor from that region, Paul Magers, isn’t up to doing the news in Los Angeles (Letters, March 21).

I admit, when I lived in Chicago, I thought local TV news was pretty bad; it was infected by the “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality, and anchors and reporters were notable more for their good looks than their journalistic abilities. But that looks like Jim Lehrer’s “NewsHour” compared to L.A. stations’ parade of car chases, celebrity gossip, reports on cosmetic surgery and video clips of building demolitions and noninjury plane crashes even if they happen in faraway locales -- no relevance to Los Angeles needed, as long as there’s video!

I’m willing to see if a Minneapolis broadcaster can improve the quality of L.A. TV news, Minneapolis being not exactly a rural Podunk. It’s actually quite progressive and culturally diverse, like a lot of Midwestern cities (Chicago being as world-class as Los Angeles or anywhere else).

Trudy Ring

Burbank