Columnist Tim Graham: Cleaver clears the air on Channel 3 sports

Tim Graham's media notebook appears Wednesday. His page 1 column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4078 or [email protected]

The KVBC Channel 3 sports staff might disagree, but at least from an outsider's perspective, the situation surrounding the department is starting to clear up.

Up until Tuesday afternoon, when Channel 3 vice president and general manager Rolla Cleaver went on the record about the sports department's future, the situation was rather cloudy. Each local media report seemed to contradict the others.

First, let's rehash the confusion. Then Cleaver can clear it up.

The Sun first reported on April 30 that Channel 3, owners of the highest-rated newscast in Las Vegas, was planning to eliminate its traditional sports segment from weeknight newscasts.

The change will be effective in August, when weekend anchor Brian Lippai's contract expires. Sports director Andrew Smith then will become a sports reporter rather than an anchor. The station basically will cover sports as it does city hall.

Although Channel 3 news director Mike George didn't return messages until after deadline that day, he did confirm the story.

Since then, George has refused to talk to the Sun, stating the various accounts circulating have not been accurate.

"There's been a lot played out in the newspaper right now, so I really don't want to get into it anymore," he said last week.

But George's quotes cropped up in Las Vegas Weekly and Las Vegas Business Press reports.

And his words weren't too clear.

George told Las Vegas Weekly, a Sun sister publication, "I'm scaling back the sports staff," and "I want to focus on important issues. That's what television news is for: health issues, women's issues, education, growth. But again, when you look at the newscast and you look at how much time is available for the news, there's not that much. To dedicate three minutes (to sports) every day, just because that's the way it's always been done, is ridiculous."

A few paragraphs later, George added "Where can you go for local sports? I want to own that area."

So which is it? Is Channel 3 scaling back and de-emphasizing sports or is it trying to corner the local market, something it hasn't come remotely close to doing since Colin Cowherd left in 1994?

Even with the resources -- including Rick Strasser, the only full-time sports producer in Southern Nevada -- Channel 3 has failed miserably to cover local sports. Now how will it compete, with a reduced staff, against KLAS Channel 8 or KTNV Channel 13?

Then there's this headline in Monday's edition of the Las Vegas Business Press: "Channel 3's news director says sports won't get dumped." The subhead read "Media reports based on unfounded 'rumors,' George says."

"Not correct," George is quoted as saying in regard to local newspapers reporting Channel 3's decision. "We will have sports. ... Watch and see."

Calls also have been coming in from publications as far away as Boston and a radio station in Wilmington, N.C., with reporters asking why George told them Channel 3 is not dropping sports.

According to Cleaver, the station technically will cover sports -- only it won't be done in a traditional manner.

"The stories in the paper are saying we're cutting out sports," Cleaver said. "That's not true."

Cleaver confirmed the original Sun story that reported the usual, three-minute segment will be done away with Monday through Friday. He added the sports stories that do appear will be entirely local, focusing on boxing, UNLV, high schools and community events.

"We won't continue to guarantee a three-minute block," Cleaver said. "I think that demands the stories are selective and have impact. They'll be well done and have interest.

"Sports is going to compete with the rest of the stories in the newscast and have a strong emphasis on local sports."

When asked how Channel 3 will be able to cover more local sports with a smaller staff, Cleaver answered that it's merely a matter of channeling energies elsewhere. Instead of concentrating on Cleveland Indians highlights, Smith can be working on a story at Las Vegas High.

"There's a lot of time spent on highlights and that stuff right now," he said. "And ESPN does a lot better job on that than we do."

Cleaver said the move was made because of the proliferation of sports information outlets such as ESPN, CNN-SI and the Internet.

"If viewers are interested in national sports they have all that information long before we go on at 11 o'clock," Cleaver said.

Channel 3 is owned by Sunbelt Communications, which operates eight stations in the West, including KRNV Channel 4 in Reno. According to Cleaver, Channel 3 is the only Sunbelt station making such changes to its sports coverage.

* STATIC: HBO's latest installment of "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" airs May 25 with features on hockey goons, sports riots and boxer Elvir Muriqi, whose family fights in the Kosovo Liberation Army. ... FX has purchased the rights to The Toughman Contest and plans to show the series this summer on Friday nights.

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