Media Buzz | News/views about local media

Talk show host: "I drove drunk. I was arrested"

If admitting to being stupid takes tons of courage, David Karlsruher is a walking lead weight. The likable but frequently half-cocked and rant-prone KQBU (AM 920) talk show host, who calls himself DavidK on the radio, sent out a message on his blog refusethejuice.com Tuesday: "No need to blackmail me - I admit I was arrested for DUI." The infraction apparently took place some months back. Soberly, Karlsruher wrote on his blog, "I drove drunk. I was arrested. It's the dumbest thing I've ever done that's fit to print. I'm sorry I put all of you in danger." For the record, I happen to like young Karlsruher's spirit and admire his chutzpa. But like others, I wonder why he waited for someone else to bring up his motorizing misdeed before admitting to it. I don't particularly care to make a big deal out of Karlsruher's massive indiscretion. However, I must point out that any notable person in the community who gets popped for something as intolerable as drunk driving can't expect to escape the resulting public scorn and ridicule - especially when it involves a guy who goes on the radio every day and moralizes against such things. No need to martyr yourself, Dave. Just take it like a man.

Name Game

It's an issue that would never see the light of day in El Paso, but it's developed into a full-blown media   debate in Dallas. WFAA-TV (ABC Ch.8) news anchorwoman Cynthia Izaguirre is fending off criticism from viewers who object to the way she pronounces her name. Izaguirre, who is of Ecuadorean ancestry, takes pride in the appropriate rolling of the two r's in her name. However, many viewers in her largely conservative TV market would prefer she anglicize her name by softening the "r" sound. "Some people said it felt I was throwing my name in their face," Izaguirre told the Dallas Morning News. By the way, you can see Izaguirre in El Paso on Texas Cable News (TXCN) on Time Warner Cable Ch. 18. As far as I  know, no Hispanic TV news person in El Paso has ever been criticized for the way they pronounce their name. Frankly, I think it matters little to viewers in El Paso if someone like  KTSM-TV's Oralia Ortega rolls it - or not.

Rachel Maddow show to air on KHRO-AM

Rachel Maddow, the rapidly-rising political pundit on MSNBC and Air America Radio, will soon be heard on Entravision-owned El Paso radio station KHRO (AM 1150), station officials announced last week. "We thought it was a good move," said station promotions director Abel Rodriguez. The Rachel Maddow Show, whose political punditry swings decidedly to the left, is tentatively scheduled to air from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday preceding KHRO's conservative morning talk show featuring Greg Freyermuth and occasional co-host and KDBC-TV (CBS Ch.4) weatherman Gene Savard. Although the official launch date hasn't been announced yet, General Manager David Candelaria was heard promoting the show last week on KHRO. The 35-year old Maddow, a Rhodes Scholar who holds a doctorate degree in political   science, has become one of the most popular political commentators on the national scene in recent months. Scheduling Maddow in the morning time slot is seen by some as a pre-emptive move by Candelaria against competitor KQBU(AM 920), which just recently launched an opposite morning  talk show lineup with ex-KHRO talkers DavidK and Paul Strelzin.

El Paso Style Magazine

The premiere issue of El Paso Style Magazine, published by the El Paso Times, is now available and getting good reviews. On the cover of the first issue is accomplished El Paso musician Mario Otero and his wife Hortensia, ostensibly among El Paso's elite couples. Otero also happens to be the brother of KHRO talk show host and former politician Barbara Perez. During an on-air interview last week, Perez spoke proudly and lovingly of her little brother. The glossy magazine also features a short profile of former KTSM-TV (NBC Ch.9) news director Eric Pearson and his wife Charlotte. The upscale magazine is being distributed by mail to thousands of homes in El Paso and is available at some advertiser locations such as The Magic Pan Restaurant at 5034 Doniphan and Tulip's Antiques at Peppertree Square, 5411 N. Mesa. It can also be found anywhere on the University of Texas-El Paso campus.

Wine Furlough

During my unscheduled but fully expected and not entirely unproductive furlough from the El Paso   Times last week, I made one happy discovery. While traversing the wine trail along Highway 28 south of Las Cruces, I stumbled upon a brand new winery called The Rio Grande Winery. Opened just two days on Sunday, the tiny winery offered me a taste of a very good cabernet and a light and fruity red called Tempranillo. As with all of my other favorite New Mexico wines including St. Clair and Blue Teal, I can best describe Rio Grande's entry as not bad. Not bad at all. My new hero is vintner Gordon Steel, who retired a few years ago from Holloman Air Force Base and started his own little winery from scratch. I'm an aging newsman and I find Steel's story truly inspiring. I take great pleasure in thinking about life after journalism, drinking wine, and swinging lazily on a rope hammock beneath a shady cottonwood tree while watching the grapes grow. I could find no better way to spend my time while on furlough. 

I'll be drinking merlot while on furlough

A college professor of mine once compared journalists to shoe makers and wine drinkers - they'll always be around. So I drank the Boone's Farm and became a journalist. Certainly in the last 35 years, my journalism and my taste in wine have gotten better. But for the next week, I won't be around. Starting Monday, I'll be enjoying/enduring a five-day, fun-filled company-sponsored furlough during which I plan to sit back and contemplate the future of journalizing, shoe making and wine appreciation. Guess which one of these topics I'll be spending most my time thinking about?

Publishing struggles

  Some subscribers of El Paso Magazine tell me they suspect big financial trouble at El Paso Media Group, which publishes the slick style magazine. EPMG also operates the popular news site newspapertree.com and two other local Web sites. Rumors began circulating last week when some subscribers noticed the February issue of the magazine was delivered later than usual. They also noticed that the magazine was missing from some newsstands for a while. Lisa Degliantoni, spokeswoman for EPMG, tells me the magazine is out and available at the usual places. In fact, she provided me with several copies of the issue. To her credit, Degliantoni didn't hide from any suggestion that things are bad at EPMG. Her boss, publisher Keith Mahar, had been rumored  to be struggling to keep his publishing empire going. "Keith  has sold 2 cars, one motorcycle, four bars and taken on a second job in order to keep this project going. If we can find a buyer for his kidney, he's on," wrote Degliantoni in an e-mail. Adding to the problem is a magazine distributor, Anderson Distribution, which stopped its operations last week when publishers across the country refused to pay an additional 7-cents per copy to distribute magazines. Also on the block is Mahar's home. Degliantoni provided me with this quote from Mahar: "The house has been for sale for almost a year in order to continue our project so we can attempt to kick a publicly funded media company's ass." That's a clear swipe at the El Paso Times, which admittedly is dealing with economic issues of its own amid a worsening economic crisis that is proving devastating to media outlets all over the country.

It should be noted that the El Paso Times is owned by Media News Group, which is a privately-held company - not publicly funded.

KVIA slaps back

Stung by a Super Bowl ad on KTSM-TV (NBC Ch.9) last week that portrayed them as fat and complacent, the folks at KVIA-TV (ABC Ch.7) have come back swinging. A new KVIA promo pokes fun at KTSM's decision last year to air a half-hour informercial in place of its noon newscast. "We actually had the idea for this promo before KTSM ran their Super Bowl promo poking fun at us," said KVIA Promotions Director Mark Ross. "Their spot just prompted us to ramp up production of ours." Nothing like a little friendly competitive sparring to make things interesting again. See the KVIA promo here.

Strelz is back

Following a week of fits and starts due to technical problems, El Paso's newest talk radio station is finally on the air. KQBU (AM 920) launched its programming schedule Monday with Paul Strelzin at the helm. Also featured are hosts DavidK, Lisa Degliantoni and Sito Negron. The talk programming is a partnership between the Univision-owned radio station and the El Paso Media Group.

Best local Super Bowl Ad

On the morning after the Super Bowl, the television networks all offered their views and reviews of the most talked-about Super Bowl ads this year and so did we. Except, we'd like to narrow things down to the best and most cleverly-produced local ad. Without question, KTSM-TV (NBC Ch.9) ran away with this one at the expense of their No.1 news competitor, KVIA-TV (ABC Ch. 7), a clear pun if you saw the ad. If you didn't, here it is:

 

No Strelz, No DavidK

Listeners who tuned in to the scheduled launch Monday morning of El Paso's newest talk radio station, KQBU (AM 920) were disappointed to hear a continuation of the old station's Spanish music format. Unofficially, we learned the new talk format, which is a partnership between Univison and the El Paso Media Group, is being delayed while engineers install new equipment. The station, which will feature Paul Strelzin and DavidK in the morning, hopes to provide a competitive kick to the local radio talk show environment. Over the weekend, DavidK went on a wild rant against his former station on his popular blog, Refuse the Juice. DavidK, aka David Karlsruher, took specific aim at KHRO (AM 1150) morning conservative talker Greg Freyermuth, whom he described as being "scared to death" of the new station. Sounding like a chest-thumping wrestler right before entering the ring against his opponent, DavidK wrote "Freyermuth can smell his death looming." Cool.

Family Talk

Speaking of talk radio, a popular Spanish-language show that focuses on discussions about personal family issues has moved from KXPL (AM 1060) to KAMA (AM 750). The show, "Un Hombre Y Una Mujer" (One Man and One Woman), has developed a strong following among some local listeners. "We talk about personal family relationships and it's a local show that seems to appeal mostly to women, but a lot of men listen, too," said producer Guillermo Castaneda, Jr. The show features Castaneda's father, Juarez psychologist Guillermo Castaneda Sr. and co-host dentist Amapro Barquera. The show will air at 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on KAMA and on www.unhombreyunamujer.com