Media Buzz | News/views about local media

Emmy noms announced

El Paso television stations once again raked in the nominations for the Lone Star Emmy. The awards honor the best television news programs in Texas and will be handed out on Oct. 16 in Dallas. I don't know about you guys, but I sure would love to see the Emmys kind of rotate their awards ceremonies in cities around the state.

Here are the list of nominees from El Paso:

• Best evening newscast in smaller market: KFOX, Kate Coley producer and Shauna Ziegler executive producer; KVIA, Johnathan Eaves producer and Ozzie Carrillo director; KVIA, Andy Guerra producer; KTSM, Nicole Skaggs producer and Oscar Garcia producer/reporter.
• Best crime news feature: "Border Lost Generation" by reporter Angela Kocherga and photographer Hugo Perez from Belo's border bureau in El Paso.
• Best sports news feature: "Historic Sports Venue In Jeaporday of Closing: Ruidoso Downs" by Paul Cicala from KVIA.
• Best Texas Heritage Program: "Biggs Fly Girls: Heroines of the Sky" by producer/photographer/editor Rudy Reyes, executive producer Shauna Ziegler and anchor Hema Mullur from KFOX.
• Best public service campaign: "Race for the Cure 09" by producer Sergio Rodriguez from KTSM.

Good luck to all the nominees. Bring home the prize!

Estela Casas to discuss life with cancer at Press Club event.

KVIA anchor and long time El Paso journalist Estela Casas revealed earlier this year that she had thyroid cancer. Since then, she has gone into remission and is now advocating for regular cancer screening.

Please join the El Paso Press Club at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Sept. 18, as it hosts a conversation with Estela Casas about life before, during and after cancer. The event is at the El Paso Times, 300 N. Campbell. Parking is available across the street.

Joining Casas will be local oncologist Maria Chona Aloba, who will discuss treatment and support groups in El Paso for people living with cancer.

This event is part of the El Paso Press Club's "Meet the Press" series, which brings monthly programming of hot topics and news items to the public. The event is open to members of the press club and the public in general.

For more information please call 546-6133 or email greveles@elpasotimes.com.

KFOX postpones 5 p.m. newscast

KFOX-TV Channel 14 (cable Channel 8) did not start its 5 p.m. newscast this week as originally announced. The station will retain its 6 p.m. newscast until further notice.

John Witte, the station's general manager, said in an e-mail that the 5 p.m. newscast idea is not yet dead.

"We decided we needed to do more research. We will be doing that research sometime in the very near future," he said.

KFOX went ahead and proceeded with some other programming changes. Dr. Phil is no longer on at 5 p.m. and instead the station used a successful formula: putting on an episode of The Simpsons on that time slot. They're also starting to air syndicated episodes of How I Met Your Mother at 5:30 p.m. and Two and a Half Men at 6:30 p.m.

Diario beats Times in soccer, then writes about it.

The El Paso Times newsroom didn't learn about the soccer challenge the El Diario de El Paso had issued until last Friday -- one day before the match was scheduled to start. The Times managed to field a team (although only one journalist, Aaron Bracamontes, participated) of only nine players. El Diario showed up with about 20 guys.

In the end, there was strength in numbers. El Diario beat the Times 5-1. The El Diario journalists that scored were photographer Álvaro Ávila and reporter/editor Alberto Ponce de León. The Times' lone score came from a scab: the brother of a player for El Diario.

The game was a friendly before a scheduled game between pro teams at Patriots Stadium. That's why it was surprising to see a five-column story in today's El Diario about the match. The headline: "El Diario beats El Paso Times." Ouch.

Still, it was nice to see Bracamontes featured in a picture on the competing daily.

Bracamontes is now trying to schedule a softball match between the Times and El Diario. "Let's see how they do at our game," he said.

The Times' softball team has only lost one game this year (against the 49's from KTSM/KDBC) so the team has a chance to get revenge. One promise, though: The sports staff won't write about it for the paper.

Times trio's triathlon triumph

Monday's story about the Eagle in the Sun Triathlon didn't have enough space to print the winners of the relay competition. Too bad, too, since the winners were none other than a trio made up of El Paso Times staffers.

Photographer Mark Lambie swam, Government Reporter Martie Schladen ran and Senior Editor Armando Durazo biked. The three called their team "The Deadliners."

The Deadliners came in first overall among all relay teams. Their combined time would have been good enough for a sixth-place finish in the general competition. Not bad.

The Deadliners celebrate their relay team victory at the Eagle in the Sun Triathlon. The team is made up of El Paso Times staffer Martie Schladen, 47, Mark Lambie, 37, and Armando Durazo, 57.