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Introduction

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  The Year in Review 2001
Media

Goodbye Harry, Hello Jack

The new blood of 2001 wasn't confined to the world of politics. The Knoxville News-Sentinel saw its first change of newsroom chieftains since the Reagan era when trolley and feta cheese enthusiast Harry Moskos rode off into the New Mexico sunset. In his place came longtime Scripps reporter and editor Jack McElroy, an even-keeled Westerner who seems sure to mark a departure from his predecessor's sometimes stormy and sometimes gushy approach to local news. The new guy's still getting the lay of the land, but reports from inside the newsroom so far are mostly favorable. Of course, McElroy answers to publisher Bruce Hartmann, a dollars-and-cents man whose commitment to journalism per se has always seemed secondary. So don't expect any revolutionary changes in your one and only daily newspaper. Our question is, where will go now to find out about the doings of Patriarch Bartholomew?

Bye Bye Bill

It marked the end of an era in local TV news when venerable newsanchor Bill Williams retired from full-time status at WBIR Channel 10 at the juncture of 2000 and 2001. Williams, who first came to the Knoxville market from a station in Missouri, was lead anchor for the area's most popular newscast for more than 20 years.

A versatile gentleman with myriad hobbies, Williams will continue to do the station's weekly Mission of Hope segments, as well as the Monday's Child feature that has seen countless foster children placed in permanent homes since its inauguration more than a decade ago. But mostly, says one staffer, Williams will probably "do lots of fishing and spend lots of time with his grandchildren."

Point of View

After 18 years of publishing in the Knoxville market as a business-to-business "advertorial" publication, the CityView name and franchise were purchased in 2001 from previous owner Betty Lou Sharp by local businessman Nathan Sparks. Sparks re-launched CityView with an eye-catching cover shot of Knoxville Survivor diva, Tina Wesson, and soon followed up with a much-discussed cover photo of UT Bad Girl Pamela Reed reclining provocatively in a bed of roses.

Currently priced at $2.95 on the newsstand and distributed to major outlets such as Wal-Mart and Bi-Lo by Anderson News, CityView has a circulation of approximately 30,000, according to Sparks. It remains to be seen, however, whether a magazine launched in the midst of a serious nationwide publishing recession can stay afloat.

Gene Therapy

In early January of 2001, Knoxville's favorite mild-mannered anchorman (next to the gone-but-never-to-be-forgotten Bill Williams, of course) Gene Patterson made his return to the airwaves. After a stint as a aide in the Ashe administration following his nearly two decades with WBIR-TV's news department, Patterson replaced Clay Thomas as Lori Tucker's co-anchor at WATE-TV. Patterson's vacancy at the city was quickly filled by Knoxville News-Sentinel associate editor Frank Cagle (who has since left that post—see the Government/Politics section), continuing Knoxville's long tradition of a perpetually revolving door between local government and media. With Patterson's move to Channel 6, the station beefed up its efforts to overtake WBIR's long-time first place ranking in ratings by ditching many of the schmaltzy "extras" that are a staple of local broadcast operations in favor of its own version of hard-hitting, no-nonsense journalism. No "straight from the heart" claptrap from these hardboiled WATE news professionals! No-siree. Of course they do still have Don Dare reporting stories of irritated local consumers ("This muffler they sold me is worthless!") with all the breathless grandiosity of Geraldo Rivera on the ground in Afghanistan...

At year end, the strategy appeared to be paying off, with small but significant gains in viewers for WATE matching some attrition from WBIR.

Just Wait for Puberty!

Finally, this year saw the unexpected 10th birthday of a certain scruffy little free weekly newspaper. Happy birthday to us! And happy holidays to all of our readers.
 

December 20, 2001 * Vol. 11, No. 51
© 2001 Metro Pulse