Nevada is going wild for outdoors on the airwaves

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1998 | 11:04 a.m.

Tim Graham's column appears Thursdays. His media notebook appears Wednesdays on page 3. Reach him at tim@lasvegassun.com or 259-4078.

Mention the phrase "Nevada wildlife" to the average Valley resident, and chances are it will provoke thoughts of booze, bets and brothels.

But to a growing number of residents, Nevada wildlife simply means the great outdoors. As radio and television shows geared toward the outdoors continue to crop up, more and more people apparently are catching on.

"People come to Vegas and all they see is the neon," local outdoors broadcaster and writer Barb Henderson said.

But even when the unenlightened get beyond the Strip, it's still difficult for some to understand what's out there, according to "Outdoor Nevada" executive producer Dan Garrison. KLVX Channel 10 carries the magazine show Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.

"You look out there and see a lot of dirt," Garrison said. "And that's all people will see until they learn from a mentor or an outdoors show that there's a lot out here."

There are four outdoors shows running on TV or radio with a fifth on the horizon. All deal with hunting, fishing, shooting and hiking, in addition to camping and other earthly diversions.

Henderson hosts "Hooked on the Outdoors with Barb," a studio TV program that airs Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. on Prime Cable Channel 42. Her radio show, "Outdoors with Barb," runs Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on KNUU 970-AM.

She soon will begin another series on Prime Cable Channel 4. "Clark County Outdoors," a biweekly program tentatively set to air Sundays at 3 p.m., will be shot on location. It will debut Oct. 18.

"Outdoor Adventures," hosted by Peter Liakopoulos, recently began on KLAV 1230-AM. It runs Thursdays at 9 p.m.

And with hunting season starting last Saturday, there's no better time to tune in.

"We teach people how to look at this great desert," Garrison said. "We teach them how to see Nevada, and in so doing we hope they appreciate it and preserve it.

"There are a lot of people who appreciate it. The longtime Nevadans are praising it because they know what's out there and they want to share it."

Garrison claimed even those not accustomed to outdoor adventures can find value in such shows.

"If you take a camera almost anywhere in Nevada, you're going to get something thrilling to look at," he said. "Then all you need to do is find a story. If we write it well, it will educate and entertain people."

Friday night's all right

The debut of ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" didn't deliver a knockout, but it at least it came through with a narrow victory for boxing fans.

The inaugural show featured standard cable boxing fare, on par with USA Network's discontinued "Tuesday Night Fights" series. Super middleweight Thomas Tate and heavyweight Andrew Golota recorded ho-hum decisions sandwiched around an early Muhammad Ali retrospective.

The program also has its inherent problems with advisor Bill Cayton (still a practicing manager) and matchmaker Russell Peltz (still an active promoter). That conflict-of-interest combination could cost fight fans by hindering ESPN2's ability to air the most competitive bouts. In fact, the first "Friday Night Fights" card was a Peltz promotion.

But if those internal problems ever get ironed out, "Friday Night Fights" should be all right. The series marks the first steady broadcast work for former trainer Teddy Atlas, who offered profound insight.

"Friday Night Fights" also implemented a studio portion that included interviews with George Foreman and Las Vegan Floyd Mayweather Jr. ESPNews anchor Bill Kenny is effective behind the desk, but sidekick Max Kellerman looks like he stepped off the pages of a cheesy comic book.

Static

TNN will telecast the Indy Racing League's Las Vegas 500K live Sunday at 1 p.m. Mike Joy will handle lap-by-lap duties, while Tom Sneva will add color commentary. ... It's baffling why KTNV Channel 13 insists on keeping Tanja Anguay as co-host of "Monday Night Quarterback." ... Fox Sports West 2 will carry five Long Beach Ice Dogs games this year, the most ever for any International Hockey League team.