As of last week, KUAT-TV’s standard definition and high-definition programming are now showing programs on the same schedules. Previously, the high-definition channel operated on a different schedule. At one point the HD channel had no locally-produced programming. Then in late August when KUAT-TV upgraded its studio operations for HD, local programming was inserted but ran a schedule different from Channel 6’s standard definition. Now they’re together.
KUAT-TV has also been the most aggressive of the local stations in using the added capabilities of digital transmission for more programming and has added yet another new channel, called PBS World, available on KUAS digital channel 27.3.
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In addition to high-definition PBS on KUAT-TV 6.1 and KUAS 27.1, the UA’s Arizona Public Media has PBS Kids on digital channels 6.2 and 27.2, V-me in Spanish on channel 6.3 and Create how-to programming on channel 6.4. All of those options are also available on Cox and Comcast cable. PBS World is new enough that it’s not yet available on cable.
Truce in time for playoffs
Just in time for the start of high school football playoffs Friday (Oct. 24), the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) and the Arizona Newspapers Association (ANA) called a truce on their standoff over the terms of issuing media credentials to AIA sports events.
Paula Casey, executive director of the ANA, said a rewritten version of a media credentialing document was sent to the AIA Oct. 20 and the following day, Chuck Schmidt, assistant executive director of AIA responded, saying “We concur that in the spirit of cooperation and acknowledging our continuing efforts to arrive at an amicable resolution of this issue, effective immediately we have suspended the credentialing process for a period of 14 days. We will promptly communicate this information to our member schools and issue a press release. We reserve the right to extend this suspension.”
Now it’s up to the two sides to hammer out the details. As noted previously in this column, this is largely an issue confined to the Arizona Daily Star and the East Valley Tribune in the Phoenix area, as they were the two largest newspapers objecting to previous credentialing requirements that restricted use of photographs taken at games to editorial use only.
Green Valley News cuts
The Green Valley News told readers last week it is suspending its printed Friday editions next month publishing two days a week, Sundays and Wednesdays.
According to the announcement in an Oct. 22 editorial, the cut was made “in order to meet the challenges we face in our industry and in the country.”
The editorial went on to explain that while other newspapers continue to focus on trying to find new readers “We believe that enhancing our product and better serving our readers who love their printed paper and our ever-changing Web site is better than chasing a non-reader.”
Partly to that end, the Green Valley News is inviting readers to vote on syndicated columns it carries.
Founded in the mid-1960s as a weekly newspaper published on Wednesdays, the Green Valley News expanded to publishing a Friday edition in the 1980s after being acquired by Sierra Vista-based Wick Communications. The Sunday edition was added in 2005. Circulation averages about 12,500 per edition.
Contact David Hatfield at hatfield@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4237. Inside Tucson Media appears weekly.
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