Washington City Paper: Contents for Dec. 3

The News Kids on the Block
Some said it would never amount to more than Cable Snooze Network, but after two years of offering round-the-clock coverage, Joe Allbritton's Newschannel 8 is opening some eyes.

Cover Story

Only 10 minutes to air time, but Newschannel 8's cavernous news room is nearly deserted, and producer Katya Wright is doing her worst Holly Hunter impersonation: Unlike Hunter's frenetic character in Broadcast News, the 23-year-old Wright, a mere 10-month veteran of the TV news wars, looks so relaxed that you almost want to feel for a pulse.

But if Wright doesn't fit the TV-news stereotype, neither does the operation that employs her. Tucked away in a Springfield industrial park 15 long miles from downtown D.C., Newschannel 8 has spent the last two years trying to rewrite the sacrosanct, decades-old rules of television journalism. Gone are the high-paid anchors, the expensive union salaries, and the blood-and-guts news diet on which other stations exist. Instead of beaming hour-long evening packages to viewers, News 8 offers news round-the-clock to the subscribers of eight area cable systems. Local stories that the city's four over-the-air stations shun—ribbon cuttings, grade-school mentor programs, police academy graduation ceremonies—are a staple of the Newschannel 8 lineup. While the competition broadcasts regional news to the entire area, News 8 cablecasts specially tailored reports to viewers in the District, Virginia, and Maryland. For instance, Virginia House of Delegate races are banished from District TV screens; Maryland viewers have Gov. William Donald Schaefer all to themselves; D.C.'s murder count remains a mystery outside the Beltway.... Continued

Issue of Dec. 3 - 9, 1993

News and Features

The News Kids on the Block
Some said it would never amount to more than Cable Snooze Network, but after two years of offering round-the-clock coverage, Joe Allbritton's Newschannel 8 is opening some eyes.
Cover Story By Alan Green
SHHH!
The Cold War Is Over, So Who Are We Keeping All Those Secrets From?
Feature By Benjamin Wittes
Kid 'n Pray
The Feds—and the D.C. Council—Throw the Book at Christian Scientist Parents
The City By David Plotz
Yorkers Old and New
The City By Christine Van Lenten
Tanks for the Memories
Jack Atwater's Heavy-Metal Detector Scores a T-72
The City By Michael Dolan
No Interference
The Mail By Ray Cardinale
Balancing Act
The Mail By Marilyn Reis
Fork Off
The Mail By Jolynn Brooks
Village People
The Mail By Connie Sharp
Good to the Last Drop
The Mail By Betty Hager Francis
Singles Overboard
The Mail By Stan Hendler
Shiver Me Timbers
The Mail By T. Patrick Flaherty
White Bred
The Mail By Carol Wayman
Narrowcasting
The Mail By Steven Kiviat