Spring 1998
KRON Gambles on Race Series in Sweeps
By Pat Ford
Had KRON-TV gone crazy? Not only was the San Francisco station launching a lengthy, weighty series about the serious subject of race relations in the Bay Area, it was doing it during sweeps month. The time of year has become notorious for sending local TV newsrooms reaching for the sensational. But KRON news director Dan Rosenheim had faith in his project. “I just kind of happen to feel that it was a way of making a statement of how important we think the project is,” said Rosenheim. “And my hope, my gamble, is that you can succeed in the marketplace with pretty good quality stories in sweeps. You don’t have to do breast enlargement stories.” The ratings showed Rosenheim’s gamble paid off. KRON, an NBC affiliate, finished the month a strong second, with a 7.0 rating at six o’clock — higher than last February’s showing. Rosenheim says the series may not have attracted new viewers but it did not drive them away; they stuck with the series despite the length of many of the pieces, including a 17-minute first part.”We’re pleased with the quantitative response,” said Rosenheim, “but we’re overjoyed with the qualitative response. We’re getting a lot of e-mail saying ‘Thank you so much for doing this’ and ‘This is the best application of prime-time TV journalism I’ve seen.’ What we’re hearing is that we made a positive contribution to the conversation about race in the Bay Area.” KRON’s series is just one facet of “About Race,” a cooperative effort with Bay TV, the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED-FM. The four news organizations first formed a partnership four years ago, for a civic journalism project about the gubernatorial elections. The project was so successful the partners extended joint coverage for the mayoral elections in 1995. Last year, the partnership explored public transportation. “About Race” started in January with a poll published in the Chronicle, examining race relations in the Bay Area. On its Op-Ed page, editor Dean Wakefield asked readers to participate. “We want to hear from religious leaders, educators and just plain folks who are dealing with the issue of race on a daily basis,” he wrote. “We want honest views and comments that will help all Bay Area residents understand race and how we can deal with it — and each other — better.” The response was immediate. The next day, in the Chronicle’s on-line forum, a reader wrote, “If 72% of people in the Bay Area think racism is still a big problem, there’s hope for change.” Reader input has become steadily more sophisticated, looking at layers of the problem. “One of the real knotty centers of the discussion on race is what happens with well-meaning people who don’t want to have racist inclinations but, who, in their heart of hearts, really do,” said one. Editorial page editor John Diaz says the paper has gotten a real conversation going. “People are reacting not only to the things that we’ve done but to pieces that have come in from the public.” Diaz cited one Op-Ed piece written by a minister and city supervisor, Amos Brown, suggesting that the United States should not only apologize for slavery but should pay reparations. “That got a huge reaction,” said Diaz. Meanwhile, on the cable service Bay TV, KRON anchor Peter Wilson is devoting every Monday edition of his daily “Take Issue” show to the subject of race.KQED news director Raul Ramirez says the National Public Radio station plans to air a series of “conversations” on the subject of race relations, both as host and as “eavesdropper” on discussions that are already taking place in the community. KRON used its top special projects producer for its 6 o’clock news series then ran all five parts during the critical final week of February. “People say that it’s not promotable,” Rosenheim said, “but it is if you do it right. “I think we can do serious stuff at some length in a way that is interesting and compelling and not underestimate our viewers. It’s not going to be a litany of 200 years of racial woes. Let’s look at what’s hopeful, what’s encouraging.” Day one of the series focused on genetics and race. Other parts looked at race in the workplace and education. The week ended with what Rosenheim called an “uplifting” story about a San Diego woman who witnessed the police beating of Rodney King and created “Community Cousins,” a group that brings together families of different racial and ethnic make-up in a social setting. “I think this is an outgrowth of the civic journalism projects that we’ve been doing for four years,” said Rosenheim. “I think we all feel that it has enriched our respective stations and newspapers to approach stories in a way that incorporates viewer and reader response. “We don’t give up our newsroom’s expertise but the average person has real concerns and insights and if you can include that, you enrich your coverage.” Pat Ford is a former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio.
Gambling on Quality
Inviting Participation
Partnering with Other Media