THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 6, 1996 TAG: 9607040084
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: 91 lines
WITH FOUR STARS signifying the best, here is how I rate the men and women who do the 6 p.m. local newscasts in this TV market, the 38th largest in America.
This ranking has nothing to do with ratings (WVEC is No. 1 at 6 p.m.) and it has nothing to do with their qualifications as journalists.
This is strictly one humble columnist's opinion about how the folks we see every night present themselves.
News
Terry Zahn, co-anchor, WVEC ``13 News at 6'' - The ABC affiliate showed it had bench strength when it promoted Zahn to the 6 o'clock newscast after Jim Kincaid retired recently. If anchoring the news were as easy as Zahn makes it look, everyone would be doing it. He's the Gibraltar of local anchors. No flash. No dash. Just granite. Three and a half stars
Tom Randles, co-anchor ``News Channel 3 News at 6'' - The best dresser on local TV since Tony Burden was anchoring the news for WVEC. Randles has almost everything it takes to be a great anchorman. He's a hunk with a smooth delivery, good voice and nice tailoring. But he's a bit aloof, a little distant. I don't think he connects with viewers very well. Two stars
Les Smith, co-anchor WAVY ``News 10 at 6'' - Local boy makes good. Viewers here have seen Smith grow and develop as a TV journalist and anchorman. Now he's just a beat behind Zahn. Three stars
Cynthia Lima, co-anchor, WVEC - Lima has a soft image. Maybe too soft. Lima has shown that she has the right stuff to cover wars, political conventions and natural disasters. But she is not a commanding presence at the anchor desk. I swear, she whispers the news at times. Lima is married to a Navy captain. Maybe he'll teach her how to project authority. It's moot for this market - she's leaving the area in August. One and a half stars
LeAnne Rains, co-anchor WTKR - Her partner, Randles, isn't exactly Mr. Warmth. And Rains is the Ice Princess of local news with her cool blonde looks and harsh, grinding delivery - the way she says ``Nor-fick''! Ouch! When these two are in the studio, the temperature must be 30 below. Jane Gardner was too laid back when she had Rains' job. Rains practically leaps out at the viewer. I'd like to see somebody in between. Two stars
Alveta Ewell, co-anchor, WAVY - She's not dazzling. She's not annoying. She's just Alveta. Ewell didn't get in Zahn's way when he was her partner. Now she's helping to make Smith look good. A team player. I wish she'd keep the happy talk to a minimum. How many times do we have to hear that she hates cold weather? Why can't the WAVY management spring for a hot-water bottle? A wardrobe with some chic? One and a half stars
Weather
Jeff Lawson, meteorologist, WVEC - In double-breasted blazer and glasses, he looks more like a grad student than a TV weatherguy. Good forecaster, though. Love when he rings the bell to signal the five-day forecast. Now that Duane Harding is history in this market, Lawson is the guy I go to first in a weather crisis. Uses homespun expressions such as ``the forecast looks mighty fine, indeed.'' That's no sin. Tell me if I'm wrong. But hasn't WVEC of late been copying WTKR's approach to neighborhood forecasting? Three stars
Greg Padgett, meteorologist, WTKR - Rooftop weather forecasting swallows up Padgett, almost makes him secondary to the scenery. I do like his gardening tips, such as grinding eggshells into the soil to thwart tomato rot. But I have a hard time keeping up with his mile-a-minute delivery. Will the young, busy, busy Padgett make viewers forget scholarly Harding, who is officially off Channel 3's payroll (as of July 1)? Not likely. Two stars
Don Slater, WAVY weather reporter - Dean of the area's TV weather watchers. On camera, he's a flea in a suit and tie, but that's OK because Slater brings up the energy level of the telecast when he comes on, waving his arms and bouncing around the studio. We've been comfortable with Slater for a decade. We knew him when he had hair. He's the guy who conducts the TV Weatherschool, where purple rain doesn't have anything to do with the artist formerly known as Prince. Two and a half stars
Sports
John Castleberry, WTKR sports reporter - He's an athlete - a good golfer, I hear - but doesn't project the sweat of the locker room on camera. He's heavy on local sports, which is good. One and a half stars
Scott Cash, WVEC sports reporter - Don't give this man any chocolate or Coke. He's already too hyper. Others report the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Cash experiences both with his Sports Challenge, dabbling in games including fencing during the newscast. Bush. I never see the guys on ESPN ``Sportscenter'' fencing. One and a half stars
Bruce Rader, WAVY sports reporter - So, his voice isn't from the golden school of broadcasting. And his hair changes color with the seasons. With his arms waving like a windmill, finger pointing at the camera and his call to ``ROLL THE TAPE,'' he's still doing an imitation of a big-city TV sports guy named Warner Wolf. But so what? I like my sports guys on the rowdy side. Rader was the first in this market to put hard emphasis on local sports, and is still at it. Didn't I see him carrying the Olympic torch when it was making its way through Virginia? That's Scott Cash stuff, Bruce. Two stars MEMO: If you want to comment on how I rated Rader and the others, call
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