Television Broadcasting The broadcast division had its best year ever in 2000. Operating income rose 6 percent to $177.4 million in 2000, from $167.6 million in 1999. The stations’ revenue rose 7 percent. Political and Olympics advertising totaling approximately $42 million in the third and fourth quarters generated most of the increase. WDIV-Detroit continued to be the dominant local station in its market and was the number one NBC affiliate in the top 20 U.S. markets in 2000. Several Local First News investigations resulted in major public policy changes in 2000. One investigation exposed dangerous problems in the Detroit Fire Department. The city responded by allocating millions of dollars to the department and adding seven new trucks to the firefighting fleet. Another investigation revealed extensive problems with head gaskets on a popular mini-van. As a result of the investigation, steps were taken to cover the cost of expensive repairs. WDIV introduced ClickOnDetroit.com, a 24-hour news and information site. In six months, ClickOnDetroit.com became one of the top ten broadcast web sites in the country. Partnering with Detroit-area food banks, WDIV helped fight hunger in the community. A month-long “Target 4 Action” campaign focused on recovering the tons of food that go unused every day by area restaurants and markets and on redistributing the food into the community. The successful campaign culminated with a major community fundraiser for area food banks. KPRC-Houston continued to improve its news ratings in 2000 despite increased competition. Another Houston television station entered the local news wars in 2000. The Tribune-owned WB affiliate started a 9 p.m. newscast. There now are seven nightly newscasts on the air in Houston, two of which are Spanish-language. Nonetheless, in the November sweeps, KPRC was number one in late news in the key advertiser demographic, adults ages 25 to 54. KPRC created African American Health Week, a ten-part, on-air health initiative targeting the health concerns of Houston’s black community. The outreach program included the distribution of pamphlets about warning signs, treatments, and where to go for screenings for illnesses of special concern in the African American community. For Buddy Check 2000, KPRC teamed up with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to screen over 2,000 men for prostate cancer. In the spring KPRC was the first Post-Newsweek station to launch a web site as part of the PNS partnership with the Internet Broadcasting System (IBS). Click2Houston.com, supported by heavy cross promotion on KPRC’s air, quickly became the most dynamic online source of local news, weather, and other information available to Houstonians. Traffic on this web site for the first six months of operation exceeded expectations. WPLG-Miami/Fort Lauderdale extended its strength in news and community affairs in 2000. The station finished first in late news and led the market in delivering key young demo-graphics at 11 p.m. WPLG led the market in covering major breaking news events, including the custody battle over Elian Gonzalez, scandal and corruption in local government, and, of course, the national focus on South Florida during the presidential election. Michael Putney, Rad Berky, and the Eyewitness News team covered every aspect of the election from Miami to Tallahassee to Washington, D.C. WPLG’s tough investigative reports, produced by investigator Jilda Unruh, uncovered major inconsistencies in construction contracts in the Dade County school system. Her stories have led to a call for a federal grand jury investigation. Eyewitness News followed the saga of Elian Gonzalez at every turn. The station’s crews were in Cuba, Atlanta, Washington, and New York as the world watched and waited to see the outcome of this emotional and politically charged story. WKMG-Orlando achieved gains in prime-time audience share and key demographics. Popularity of the reality-based CBS network adventure series “Survivor” helped attract a new, younger audience to the station. WKMG also ranked as one of the top-performing CBS stations in the country for the new fall prime-time programming. WKMG launched a local news segment called “Problem Solvers” that uses a team of investigators. The station broke a story about local banks that routinely discard bank records without shredding the documents. Now WKMG’s reporting has raised the issue of whether statewide and national legislation is needed to ensure proper disposal of confidential financial and medical records. In August, WKMG was honored by Florida’s Department of Children and Family Services for its stationwide effort to improve the foster care system in Florida. WKMG helped revise the state’s foster parent recruiting program and promoted the need for new volunteers in a news and promotion blitz. Over 1,000 viewers responded to the call. WKMG created Winter Spectacular, a free, family-oriented event including snow and a fireworks display. Winter Spectacular also collected truckloads of donated clothing and thousands of cans of food for the Salvation Army. KSAT-San Antonio continued to lead in local news and local programming in 2000, topping the market in ratings for adults 18 to 49 and 25 to 54. In most cases, KSAT 12 news delivered more key demographics than the other network stations combined. 2000 was a big year for KSAT’s community involvement. With diabetes so prevalent among Hispanics in South Texas, KSAT offered free diabetes screenings and educational counseling for a full week and screened more than 11,000 people. When the summer temperatures skyrocketed to triple digits, KSAT called on the community to donate window fans for low-income families who have no other way of cooling their homes. Viewers responded immediately, donating thousands of badly needed fans. KSAT stayed on top of the weather with the addition of a state-of-the-art weather graphics system that features a touch screen telestrator to track storms. 2000 also saw the launch of ClickOnSA.com, KSAT’s dynamic new web site, and the debut of KSAT CHAT, an innovative 30-minute summertime program featuring viewer feedback from KSAT CHAT kiosks. WJXT-Jacksonville emerged the clear market winner in 2000 in the first full year competing against Gannett and Clear Channel duopolies. Going head to head in local competition, Eyewitness News finished first in every contest. More important, WJXT’s gains came at the expense of WTLV, which has suffered a ratings slump since it began simulcasting its local news on both NBC and ABC outlets. WJXT’s loyal news viewership expanded with the launch of its web site, News4Jax.com, which is an integral part of the station’s on-air identity. Election month proved challenging to Florida stations. Resources were poured into covering the endless recounts and court challenges. In the midst of chad chaos, the Reverend Billy Graham brought his crusade to Jacksonville for the first time, and the NFL announced Jacksonville had been chosen as the site for Super Bowl XXXIX – two new indicators of Jacksonville’s emergence as a first-tier city. WJXT returned to its long-form investigative roots throughout the year with several prime-time events. The station hosted a town hall meeting that put the mayor of Jacksonville on the hot seat for his proposed tax hike. WJXT also was the originating station for a marketwide simulcast about the issue of teen pregnancy. The most dramatic effort was a documentary months in the making that took viewers behind closed doors at a domestic violence shelter. An all-female crew followed women through the system, from emergency room to the courts. The day the documentary aired, WJXT focused on domestic violence in each broadcast and throughout the day and night staffed a phone bank with counselors from shelters.