Columnist Tim Graham: Alleged comments at UNLV handled differently by TV

TIM GRAHAMis a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. His media column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]

There is more than one way to cover any story.

But for those who want to witness the extremes, tune in to the sportscasts on KLAS Channel 8 and KTNV Channel 13. Each is handling the alleged racism and sexism charges against UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro in bipolar fashion.

Channel 8's Dave McCann, who also is employed by UNLV as a football and basketball announcer, has ignored the situation. Meanwhile, Channel 13's Ron Futrell has been at the forefront in tracking the controversy.

KVBC Channel 3 has been somewhere in the middle, reporting the story with temperance.

Cavagnaro has been accused by athletic department sources of referring to black UNLV athletes as "gorillas" and "monkeys" and the softball team as "dykes in spikes."

"Charlie is my boss," McCann said. "The ethical thing for our office is to have our news office cover it.

"I'm emotionally tied to Charlie, and I believe he is innocent. My opinion is skewed to begin with. It wouldn't be professional of me to go on with my own campaign of distortion."

The only mention Channel 8 made of the Cavagnaro controversy was after university president Dr. Carol Harter announced an internal investigation.

Futrell, conversely, has been ultra-aggressive in his approach. He caused a stir when he interviewed an anonymous source -- whose face and voice were masked -- on camera.

"We've got to have something more than a former disgruntled employee in a shadow box before we go on and tag a public official as a racist," McCann said. "That's the ethical, professional way to do this."

Futrell also has been quick to report on related stories, such as the NAACP's interest in the case.

"There are a lot of great stories that would not have been told if not for unnamed sources," Futrell said. "But it can be dangerous.

"You always have reservations about using unnamed sources. I would imagine (Bob) Woodward and (Carl) Bernstein had reservations when they used unnamed sources for Watergate.

"But I made seven phone calls to make sure what I heard was accurate. They all confirmed what (Cavagnaro) had said. Only one was willing to go on camera. Since then I have had four more come forward and confirm (Cavagnaro) said those things."

The allegations surrounding Cavagnaro have placed McCann in a difficult position. While his first duty is to report the news, he also must watch his step with tough UNLV issues.

"I've thought about that a lot," McCann said. "But when I look at the big picture, I wouldn't have it any other way. I look at my relationship with UNLV, and we have taken advantage of it with the stories we've gotten. It's probably the envy of my colleagues and I'd just as soon keep it that way.

"I don't feel I'm cheating the public if I step back and let (the news department) do their job."

McCann claimed if hard evidence is produced against Cavagnaro, KLAS will move ahead with the story.

"It's gotta be done," Futrell said. "At some point you have to decide when the story is serious or not. Either there's a lot of people over there making up stories or this thing is accurate.

"To me, there are all the factors of a story there."

No Mayne attraction

ESPN's "SportsCenter" marks its 20,000th show with a 60-minute special Sunday at 8 p.m. But Kenny Mayne isn't a part of the celebration.

The former UNLV quarterback and current co-anchor of the Sunday night "SportsCenter" prefers to step aside and let the original stars of the show grab the attention.

"I'm just riding their coattails," Mayne said. "The guys like Tom Mees, Bob Ley, Chris Berman and Dan Patrick are the guys who deserve it."

All of them made an impact on Mayne. The latter three will host the special. Mees died in 1996.

"In '79, when I first went to Vegas, is when they started ("SportsCenter")," Mayne said. "At the time, they did what they could with their resources. Today, it's part of the culture."

Mayne was the center of the most publicized promotion in sportscasting last year when he replaced Keith Olbermann as Patrick's Sunday night co-host. But Mayne admits he still is trying to reach the rungs of his predecessors.

"I still feel like I'm tagging along," he said.

Lack of prep

KVBC Channel 3 weekend sports anchor Brian Lippai came away disgusted following his station's recent attempt to showcase one of the best high school baseball teams in the country.

KVBC intended to dedicate 3 1/2 of its four-minute segment Friday to Green Valley's program, rated No. 7 in the nation by USA Today. Lippai claimed he and a cameraman arrived an hour before the Gators' 4 p.m. game Southern Zone playoff game against Cimarron-Memorial at Durango High.

But Lippai, who did not approach players for interviews, was rebuffed by Gators head coach Rodger Fairless.

"If we came up 15 minutes before gametime I would understand. But an hour?" Lippai asked, noting even Major League Baseball rules allow interviews up to 45 minutes before gametime.

"I just think it was a disservice to his team and his players," Lippai said. "For the kids of a great program -- like Green Valley is -- to not get their coverage, I just think it's a horrible disservice for the entire school."

archive