Channel 3 plans to nix sports

Tim Graham

Friday, April 30, 1999 | 11:38 a.m.

The KVBC Channel 3 slogan is "Where News Comes First."

The station could change that line to "Where Sports Comes Last."

Channel 3, the news ratings leader in Las Vegas for years, has decided to drop sports from its newscasts, likely effective in August. It will become the only network-affiliated newscast in Southern Nevada without sports in its regular repertoire.

The change, according to a source, was done to "try something new." It had nothing to do with performance.

Sports director Andrew Smith deflected all questions to Channel 3 news director Mike George, who did not return messages left Thursday and this morning.

"I'm not going to say much about it," Smith said. "Mike is the one who is making the decision and that's pretty much it."

Smith has been offered the chance to stay aboard by covering major local sports stories for the general newscast and working weekends. His contract runs through February of 2000.

"I'm not going anywhere," Smith said.

Channel 3 weekend sports anchor Brian Lippai's contract will not be renewed when it runs out in August. If he can find work elsewhere sooner, the station will drop sports sooner, the source said.

Rick Strasser, the only full-time sports producer in the market, will be retained until his contract expires in December.

KTNV Channel 13 sports director Ron Futrell, a Las Vegas sportscaster for 15 years, was stunned when told of Channel 3's decision.

"Shocked and a little bit disturbed," Futrell said of his reaction. "I don't understand it. I've been in this business for 30 years, and I think I can figure out a few things, but this one I can't comprehend.

"Sportscasts are getting scaled back all the time. But this is much more dramatic, taking it out of 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock, than anything I've ever seen. I can't recall any station ever totally taking sports out Monday through Friday."

KLAS Channel 8 sports director Dave McCann claimed the other stations can benefit from Channel 3's change.

"From a strategic standpoint, it gives us a chance to make a statement that local sports is important at Channel 8," McCann said.

Futrell agreed with McCann, but added that viewers will get shortchanged in the long run with a thinning out of the competition.

"It makes our sports stronger because now there are fewer options out there," Futrell said. "But when there's less coverage, it hurts sports overall in Las Vegas."

Neither Futrell nor McCann are concerned their sports departments will suffer the same fate as Channel 3's, but both will closely monitor the situation as it unfolds.

"Whenever something like this happens -- and let's say it's wildly successful -- it takes you aback and makes you wonder about possible trends," Futrell said.

Added McCann: "I don't think it's trend-setting. I know our management is dedicated to sports, which is comforting. But it definitely makes you stand up and take notice."

Channel 3 vice president and general manager Rolla Cleaver was out of the country and unavailable for comment. But in an April 16 Sun story on local sportscasts, Cleaver spoke about the difficulty local stations have competing with the myriad national shows such as ESPN's "SportsCenter" and networks such as CNN/SI.

"Those people who care a lot about national highlights have access to that material and it's done very, very well," Cleaver said. "For us to compete with them in the highlight business is not a competition we're going to win."

Cleaver agreed his station focused on nationally oriented material and needed to concentrate on local stories. He added, however, that resources are limited and prioritized for hard news over sports.

"There's a pretty good argument that we don't (cover enough local sports)," he said. "That's something we want to fix. We're trying to ease out of the highlight business."

KVBC is the largest of eight stations in the western U.S. owned by Sunbelt Communications. The Las Vegas-based company also owns KRNV Channel 4 in Reno and KPVI Channel 10 in Elko.