Tempering Troubled Waters
Date: 20 February 1995
By Catherine S. Manegold
Catherine Manegold
At a noisy time in an organization never known for its quiet understatement, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has turned to a leader who has shown that her silences can be as powerful as any oratory. When Myrlie Evers-Williams took her place before a restless crowd of supporters on Saturday night after a raucous day of chants, shouts and loud complaint, the packed ballroom fell quiet. The newly elected board chairwoman of the rights organization calmly adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses and smiled. Without a word, she raised her hands to her lips. Then she blew the room a kiss.
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Simpson Case Gives Cable An Edge on the Networks
Date: 20 February 1995
By Lawrie Mifflin
Lawrie Mifflin
While jurors and trial watchers ponder the DNA factor in the O. J. Simpson trial, it's the CNN factor that is worrying people inside the news divisions of the three major television networks. A news story as big and juicy as Mr. Simpson's murder trial would once have attracted huge audiences to the networks' evening news programs. But in the age of CNN, which is available in about two-thirds of the nation's households, the Simpson trial has done the opposite: it has taken viewers away from the newscasts, reducing their weeknight audiences as much as 10 percent. While specifics are hard to come by, those audience losses, if sustained for a few months, could cost the networks hundreds of thousands of dollars a week. When a big story breaks -- or unfolds, as with the Simpson trial -- Americans need not wait to get home and hear a brief account of it from Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings or Dan Rather and Connie Chung. Instead, they can flip to CNN at their convenience for the latest -- often live -- coverage. And they can do so from offices, hotels or airport lounges. The Simpson case is the most dramatic, and melodramatic, example of this phenomenon to date. Because the trial is taking place in Los Angeles, live coverage on CNN and Court TV continues well into the evening in the East and Midwest -- often as late as 8 P.M., but certainly through the network news time slots. And the fact that a trial is a continuing defined event makes it easy to know when to tune in. With other kinds of dominant news events -- a foreign war, an earthquake or other disaster -- viewers might be better served by the summing-up coverage offered in a scheduled newscast. "You just have to look at CNN's ratings and Court TV's ratings," said Andrew Lack, president of NBC News, "especially in the 5 to 7 P.M. Eastern time period, and the correlation is so strikingly clear: O. J. is the only explanation." CNN's afternoon ratings for the first three weeks of the Simpson trial coverage were 5.1, 5.6 and 6.3 -- far above its 0.7 average for that time period. And the ratings for Court TV were even higher -- as much as double those of CNN in the 20 million homes that receive both CNN and Court TV. At the same time, the evening news ratings for ABC, CBS and NBC have declined, collectively, nearly two ratings points from the period in 1994, to an average of 9.4 from 11.3 last year. CNN's ratings do not directly compare with the networks' because CNN is available in about 64 million homes, while all three main networks reach about 95 million homes. A CNN rating point represents 658,000 households, while a Court TV rating point equals 200,000 households. A network rating point represents 954,000 households. The Simpson trial has aggravated an overall decline in the network nightly news ratings. The collective audience for network news has shrunk from a 77 share in 1979-80 -- that is, network news was on 77 percent of all sets that were tuned to something -- to a 58 share last season and a 54 so far this season. That shrinkage is costly. In the last year, the three networks have each added a minute of commercial time to their nightly newscasts to make up some revenue. But it is too early to tell how costly the Simpson-related defections will be. Generally, advertisers buy commercial time in news packages that include the evening news and morning shows like "Today" or "Good Morning America" and prime-time news programs like "Dateline" or "20/20." So as the year progresses, the ratings for these packages may recover enough so that the networks meet their minimum-ratings guarantees to advertisers. "Still," Mr. Lack of NBC said, "if this trial goes on for four or five months and the audience for it remains undiminished, we'll take a significant economic hit." A media buyer with many clients who advertise on news programs, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "I think people will get tired of this trial as it drags on. But if audiences stay down or erode further, and the trial lasts until mid-May or June 1, it could cost a network $1 million or more per week." David F. Poltrack, executive vice president for planning and research at CBS, said, "Even after accounting for the normal pattern of erosion we've been seeing, the network news audiences are down about 10 percent since the O. J. Simpson trial began" on Jan. 24. The trial also provides daily fodder for tabloid television, talk shows and local newscasts, as well as radio programs -- all potential competition for the network newscasts. "It's a relatively recent phenomenon of our business that people have so many choices at any given time," said Mr. Brokaw, the anchor and managing editor for the NBC Nightly News. "I sometimes say, in not entirely mock frustration, that when I started out in the 1960's, there were effectively two network news programs, and at 6:30 P.M. people turned on either Huntley-Brinkley or Walter Cronkite and got their news for the day. And I'd like to have that back again." The networks will never regain such a near-monopoly. But not all agree that the Simpson trial will accelerate the long-term erosion of the network news audience. "The O. J. trial is unique in terms of the huge interest in it and the availability of live coverage on a regular schedule," said Lane Venardos, a vice president for news and special events at CBS. "Those two streams converged to make this a larger-than-life event, and I don't think we'll see that again soon." Mr. Lack seems to agree. "Last year, when we had the L.A. earthquake, for example, CNN's ratings didn't spike up the way they have for O. J.," he said. "Most people still tuned in to us at night to get the major news coverage." This time last year, intense interest was focused on the assault on the Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan by men said to have been commissioned by her rival Tonya Harding. "With the Nancy-Tonya story, people couldn't get any better or more coverage from CNN than they could get on the network news," Mr. Poltrack said. "But a lot of people would rather watch O. J. itself live, instead of the network news account of it later." Indeed, figures from CNN show that Simpson-related events have been the highest-rated programs on cable television in the last 14 months excluding National Football League games. Mr. Venardos of CBS said the network news divisions had offered extended live coverage of the 1989 and 1994 California earthquakes and of the Persian Gulf war. They also covered the opening statements in the Simpson trial live and will presumably televise the closing statements and the verdict. "Any time there's a big enough event, we can break in and go live," Mr. Venardos said. "CNN does not have the franchise on live coverage of news events." But CNN, which will celebrate its 15th birthday in June, does not have to worry about pre-empting lucrative entertainment programming. A broadcast network loses money whenever it bumps afternoon soap operas or prime-time shows to cover news live. The same big news story can earn extra money for CNN because its ratings go up. Mr. Brokaw cautioned those who would conclude that the cable ratings for the Simpson trial were an omen of future decline for network news audiences, because of this story's "soap opera quality." "In most instances," he said, "a big story will take away from us for 24 hours or so, and then the country gets back to normal."
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Press Protests 'Gag' Bills In Argentina
Date: 19 February 1995
By Calvin Sims
Calvin Sims
The administration of President Carlos Sal Menem sent three bills to Congress last month that could muzzle the press in this an election year if they are approved, advocates of free speech say. The bills, which have a good chance of passing the Menem-controlled legislature, would greatly increase the penalties for libel and slander, make it a crime to offend the memory of the dead, and force news outlets to take out costly libel insurance.
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Book Links Former British Labor Party Chief to K.G.B.
Date: 20 February 1995
By Richard W. Stevenson
Richard Stevenson
A British newspaper reported today that Michael Foot, the leader of the opposition Labor Party in the early 1980's, had met with Soviet K.G.B. agents during the 1960's and accepted a series of cash payments for a left-wing newspaper he ran. The report in The Sunday Times said that at the time the Soviet intelligence service considered Mr. Foot, who is now 81 and retired from active politics, to be one its "agents of influence" in Britain.
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By Any Name, Is It Garbage?
Date: 20 February 1995
By William Glaberson
William Glaberson
It is true that newspapers have been insulted forever. Birdcage liner. Fish wrap. That kind of thing. But Judge Don Gladstone of the Municipal Court in Sparks, Nev., could earn a place in the antimedia hall of fame with a recent ruling. He made a formal determination that the local paper in Sparks qualified as "garbage, rubbish or waste" under the law. It seems that a Mr. Donald Glock, a resident of Sparks, which is on the outskirts of Reno, had made it clear that he did not want The Daily Sparks Tribune left on his driveway, either by the neighborhood 12-year-old newspaper carrier or anyone else. The 7,000-circulation paper, like many other publications, sometimes gives out free copies to attract subscribers. This promotional tactic definitely did not work with Mr. Glock. He filed a criminal complaint. According to legal documents, "Mr. Glock received three (3) unsolicited newspapers on his driveway between May 2, 1994 and Nov. 17, 1994." The City Attorney pursued the case under section 7.08.040 of the Sparks municipal code, which declares it unlawful to "deposit, or cause to be deposited, any garbage, rubbish or waste" within the city limits. After a trial, Judge Gladstone found the paper guilty and fined it $1,000 plus $100 in costs. Randy C. Frisch, president of the Sparks Tribune Publishing Company, the newspaper's parent, filed an appeal in January arguing First Amendment protection to distribute newspapers. The Nevada Press Association has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Sparks Tribune. Publishers in several states have resisted littering laws that aimed to free homeowners from the annoyance of unwanted newspaper deliveries. But in the Sparks case, the constitutional battle seems to be quite personal. Mr. Frisch said Judge Gladstone was biased. Why? "Because I have spent six years writing editorials about how incompetent the judge is," Mr. Frisch explained. Judge Gladstone said he decided each case on its legal merits and would not respond to Mr. Frisch. But he hinted that the publisher simply resented his independence. "I work for the City of Sparks," Judge Gladstone said. "I do not work for a newspaper or any other group." Despite the heat of the dispute, however, Mr. Frisch insisted that he was not insulted by the legal interpretation that his newspaper could be described as garbage. "You have to have respect for the interpreter before you can be insulted," he said.
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NEWS SUMMARY
Date: 20 February 1995
International A2-7 PRICE OF A BAILOUT The U.S. is preparing to announce details of its plan to help rescue Mexico from its currency crisis, including toughened restrictions that will most likely send interest rates in Mexico soaring. A1 RESPITE IN AFGHANISTAN WAR A 13-month siege of Kabul has ended with the city in ruins and much of Afghanistan in the hands of a new and mysterious force led by Muslim clerics known as the Taliban. A1 WEDDING OF SERBIAN NATIONALIST The paramilitary commander known as Arkan married Serbia's best-loved folk singer in a wedding that fused Serbia's nationalist harkening for a folkloric past and its embrace of the spoils of war. A3 EGYPT CRITICIZES ISRAEL Egypt's Foreign Minister says serious difficulties have emerged in his country's relations with Israel over its nuclear weapons program and the state of peace talks. A3 CORRUPTION CASE HITS CHINA A prominent steel company chairman and close friend of Deng Xiaoping has resigned and his son has been arrested for "certain commercial crimes," Chinese officials said. A2 BRITON IS LINKED TO K.G.B. A British newspaper reported that Michael Foot, the leader of the opposition Labor Party in the early 1980's, accepted payments from Soviet agents during the 1960's for a left-wing newspaper he ran. A6 SOUTH AFRICA DEATH SQUAD TRIAL In the new South Africa's first hard look at its recent past, a court is scheduled to begin the trial of the colonel who presided over a notorious police unit that fought the opponents of apartheid. A7 New evidence is offered against a former Italian leader. A6 Corofin Journal: Harsh memories of Ireland's potato famine. A4 National A8-13 REPORT FAILS SCHOOLS A national study says employers are rapidly losing confidence in the ability of the nation's schools to adequately prepare young people for the workplace. A1 AND NOW, THE NEXT . . . With the primary just a year away, contenders for the 1996 Republican Presidential nomination made early pitches to challenge President Clinton. A1 'A RELUCTANT REBEL' Woman in the News: Being "very vocal" is a familiar role for Myrlie Evers-Williams, but it was not always that way. She was, in fact, a reluctant rebel at first. A1 NEW FOCUS FOR N.A.A.C.P. The N.A.A.C.P.'s new chairwoman, Myrlie Evers-Williams, struck a conciliatory note, hoping to take the focus away from the organization's internal problems and toward a new era of renewed relevance. A10 RESEARCH FUNDS MAY BE REDUCED After decades of strong support, the National Institutes of Health and its annual research budget of $11.3 billion are now being scrutinized by House Republicans looking to cut the Federal budget deficit. A8 THE CONNOISSEURS OF COLD Scientists who live and work at an observatory 6,288 feet above sea level call themselves weather junkies. They crave extremes. And when it comes to extreme winter, Mount Washington is the place to be. A8 MORE TANGLING OVER NOMINEE The Senate majority leader, Robert Dole, said the White House ought to withdraw the nomination of Dr. Henry W. Foster Jr. as Surgeon General, but the President gave no indication that he would. A11 GINGRICH COURSE QUESTIONED The House ethics committee is looking into a course being taught by Speaker Newt Gingrich after critics questioned the use of his House office and political contributions to set it up. A12 GAY BLACKS PLEDGE FIGHT Organizers of a weekend gathering of the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Summit said they needed to work harder to counter the efforts of religious conservatives and the new Congress. A13 Metro Digest B1 PEQUOTS ADJUST TO JACKPOT The cash-raking phenomenon of Foxwoods Casino has given the Mashantucket Pequot tribe of Connecticut a rocket ride to a new world. But it has its stresses, like cultural shock and racial tension. A1 FULL SERVICE, BUT NOT ABORTION Slowly, quietly, over the last 10 years, almost all New York City's full-service hospitals have backed out of the abortion business, driven away in part by economics and in part by fear. A1 Sports C1-8 Auto Racing: Marlin holds off Earnhardt. C1 Baseball: Jays spare Gaston. C1 Managers work, and hope. C4 Basketball: Knicks and Ewing top Rockets. C1 Loss to cost Tar Heels No.1. C2 UMass makes a statement. C2 Columns: Vecsey on the tax. C4 Araton on Riley. C8 Skating: Another controversy. C3 Sports People C8 Business Digest D1 Neediest Cases B2 Obituaries B8 Massimo Pallottino, an Italian archeologist. Arts/Entertainment C9-16 "King Arthur" in France. C9 Lawrence L. Langer's view of the Holocaust. C9 Theater: "A Dybbuk." C9 Music: Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Neeme Jarvi. C14 Slayer at Roseland. C14 Books: A goal for Amerian education. C15 Television: "Dance in America." B6 Editorials/Op-Ed A14-15 Editorials Microsoft back in the dock. An investment worth saving. Strengthening public housing. Letters William Safire: Cover-up triumphs. Anthony Lewis: Crime and politics. Harvey Ginsberg: Everyone owned a Lincoln. John F. Heimerdinger: Help the blind? Change the dollar. Bridge B6 Chronicle B6 Crossword C16
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NEWS SUMMARY
Date: 19 February 1995
International 3-18 RUSSIA'S DECLINING HEALTH Russia is caught in a health crisis. Curable diseases have reached epidemic levels, and cancer and heart disease are higher than in any other industrialized country. 1 TURNING POINT IN AFGHANISTAN A U.N. effort to bring peace to Afghanistan reached a critical point as an envoy launched an effort to bring the main warring groups into a new coalition Government. 3
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World News Briefs; Iran Urges Revisions In Nuclear Treaty
Date: 19 February 1995
Iran said today that it would oppose an unlimited extension of the treaty against the spread of nuclear weapons, which expires in April, and called for a revision in the accord binding signatories to a deadline for the destruction of nuclear weapons. Iran's delegate to the United Nations, Kamal Kharrazi, told the official Iranian press agency that although Teheran agreed with the treaty, it would oppose any agreement extending it indefinitely.
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World News Briefs; Bosnian Forces Battle Rebel Muslims
Date: 19 February 1995
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Feb. 18
Sarajevo
Government troops and the forces of a renegade Muslim leader fought today for control of Bosnia's northwestern Bihac enclave, ignoring a United Nations call for an immediate cease-fire. The fighting began at dawn when the rebels apparently launched an offensive to reclaim territory the Government forces had recently captured.
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SUNDAY, February 19, 1995: CLICHE WATCH; Call It Infectious
Date: 19 February 1995
When a snappy first sentence is needed, there's one that's very much in favor now. "Call it Rickigate." On a fur protest by Ricki Lake, talk show host. New York Post, Nov. 16, 1994.
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