'`barenaked' Film Coming To Kirby

Area's Charity Drive Raises $4.8 Million, Plus $300,000 For Endowment Fund 
United Way Celebrates Record Success

VAN ROSE
 Thursday, December 14, 2000 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D 





Last season, WSWB-TV Channel 38 hit a home run by televising the Red
Barons' win over Pawtucket that clinched a berth in the playoffs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Next year, the local WB Network affiliate will step up to the plate at
least six times. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; According to WSWB General Manager Jon Cadman, Channel 38 has reached an
agreement with St. Ann's Media to co-produce a minimum of six
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre home games in 2001. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We're very excited about televising the Red Barons,'' Cadman said.
``Channel 38's success is going to be based on local programming. We need to
separate ourselves from other WB stations that are spilling into the market
place, and this affords us a great opportunity to do that.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Red Barons' victory over Pawtucket last Sept. 3 was Channel 38's first
live sports broadcast. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It was our first opportunity to get into local sports programming and it
was very successful,'' Cadman said. ``We produced a high-quality program at a
reasonable cost and gave it back to the viewers of Northeastern
Pennsylvania.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Channel 38 has not decided which games it will televise in 2001. ``We'll
cherry pick them at a later date,'' he said. ``Channel 16 has the right of
first refusal for Opening Day.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There's a possibility that some of the games televised by Channel 38 could
be uplinked to an opposing team's station, Cadman added. ``If that happens, we
would get some road games uplinked to us in return.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Veteran sportscasters Jim Miller and Sid Michaels will again handle the
broadcasting duties, Cadman said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Channel 38 also is exploring the possibility of producing a weekly Red
Barons' highlights show, he added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Thanks to their success, there's a tremendous amount of interest in the
Red Barons.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In early January, the newscasts at WBRE-TV Channel 28 will have a new look,
thanks to a major renovation project at the station's headquarters on South
Franklin Street. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Work is set to begin next week on the building of a new studio, and is
expected to take about five weeks, said Channel 28 News Director Al Zobel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We're blowing up our old studio,'' Zobel said jokingly. ``Actually, we're
tearing it down. We're going to build a much bigger set. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We're installing new lights and it will have a new design,'' Zobel added.
``The studio will have a completely different look, much more modern. It's
quite a project.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zobel said the new studio's centerpiece will be a state-of-the-art weather
center. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It will enable us to do a much better job of presenting the weather,''
Zobel said. ``It will be easier for viewers to follow and more interesting to
watch.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The new studio will also feature a casual look, he said. ``It will be very
high-tech, but at the same time it will be warmer and friendlier.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While the new studio is under construction, the Channel 28 newscasts will
be conducted from a makeshift set in the newsroom. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's only temporary,'' Zobel said. ``We're very excited about our
forthcoming new look.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WNEP-TV Channel 16 has beefed up its Central Pennsylvania coverage by
adding a second reporter to its bureau in the Lycoming County Mall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kara Moorcroft, a native of Indianapolis, joined WNEP on Dec. 1. She is
working as the nightside reporter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Before joining Channel 16, Moorcroft worked for KAMC/KLBK in Lubbock,
Texas. She was the lead nightside reporter for the evening newscasts. She also
produced and anchored the weekend newscasts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Moorcroft is a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism.
She received the Wells Scholar, Indiana's highest scholastic honor. She also
studied at the Institute for European Studies in London. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Central Pennsylvania is a very big part of our coverage of the area,''
said WNEP General Manager Rene LaSpina. ``We want to make sure that entire
area is covered.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tim Brucker serves as Channel 16's daytime reporter in Central
Pennsylvania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Van Rose is a Times Leader staff writer. His television column appears
every Thursday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wswb-tv Will Take Us Out To The Ball Game