Worker's Transfer Stuns Courthouse Employees

Accepting Blame And Developing Trust Refines Humanity 
The Community Of Inter-faith Action (cifa) Is Composed Of Representatives Of 
Several Faiths, Including Many Denominations Within Christianity. All Of Us, 
Whether Christian Or Jew, Hindu Or Baha'i, Work Together Toward Peace.

Wednesday, January 10, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





`Steeling' the show &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WBRE just doesn't get itThe station which every night comes screaming into
our homes -- albeit less and less of them all the time -- should win an award
for unbalanced news coverage for its handling of the Pittsburgh Steelers
football team this season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Day after day, week after week, viewers have been subjected to lengthy,
puff-pieces on the Steelers, while their in-state rivals -- the Philadelphia
Eagles -- have gone virtually ignored. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of course, Channel 28's brash, new management team -- some of which have
Pittsburgh roots -- is responsible for this little maneuver. These are the
same people, remember, who have turned your nightly newscast into something
out of the WWF, complete with enough hype and in-your-face style of reporting
to turn one's stomach. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Or TV channel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The only thing missing thus far has been packets of blood spurting from the
mouths of the anchors and reporters (you'd love that, Pete, wouldn't you?).
But give Micah Johnson, Art Daube and the rest time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meantime, local sports fans, at least those who aren't Steeler fans, will
continue turning to No. 1-rated WNEP (Ch. 16) and WYOU (Ch. 22) for balanced
coverage of all the "local" NFL teams. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Around here, that means Eagles, Jets and Giants. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 According to my handy "Road Whiz" pocket travel companion, all three of
those teams are located in cities a heck of a lot closer to WBRE's target
audience than Pittsburgh, which is a minimum five-hour drive from
Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's not to say WBRE is completely off base in its coverage of the team. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After all, there are hundreds of Steeler fans in this area, especially so
now that the club is on the brink of making it to Super Bowl XXX. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Interest in the team has no doubt skyrocketed over the last couple of
seasons. (Hey, everybody loves a winner.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, last but no least, WBRE is an AFC station. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, none of the above can adequately justify the suits' decision to turn
28 into the "Steelers Station," not when it comes at the expense of the rest. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Take the Eagles, for example. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Why didn't 28 do a half-hour special last weekend on the
Philadelphia-Dallas game, which was every bit as important as the
Pittsburgh-Buffalo matchup the day before? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yet, while the Steelers were given the full-blown, 30-minute production
Saturday morning, all Eagles fans got were a few brief highlights and a sound
byte or two from coach Ray Rhodes and a few players. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Also, doesn't management understand that its on-air personalities are also
journalists, who are required only to report the news as fairly and
responsibly as they can, and not serve as shameless promoters of the
"Station's Team?" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sports director Jim Miller, who in the past year has come into our homes
wearing everything from Berwick Bulldog caps to Steeler sweatshirts, and
faithful sidekick Sid "The Boy Wonder" Michaels have proven they will do just
about anything to keep the brass at WBRE happy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What better example than the moronic "Sports Friday" show during the fall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rather than just show us the highlights of the night's key high school
football contests (the presumed intent of the show), Miller and Michaels waltz
around from room to room in the station in various stages of dress -- and
undress! -- annoying viewers with stunts ranging from Miller introducing
virtually everyone in the building, to a half-naked Michaels comparing biceps
with a bodybuilder. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You look great, Sid, now give us the scores. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ironically, these are the same two guys that used to love to mock the
competition for doing similar stunts in past years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then again, none of this is really their own doing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Guys like Miller and Michaels are simply following the orders of corporate
fools bent on being No. 1 -- no matter the price. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jerry Kellar is a Times Leader sports writer. His column appears on
Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`steeling' The Show Wbre Just Doesn't Get It.