Posted by chicagomedia.org on December 19, 2008 at 12:47:35:
In Reply to: CBS2 News Gets News Director & VP posted by chicagomedia.org on December 16, 2008 at 13:23:16:
Channel 2's hope
Future news boss Kiernan knows a good story, and results back him up
December 19, 2008
BY LEWIS LAZARE Sun-Times Columnist
Of course it's impossible, based on one telephone conversation, to take the full measure of a man and his skills as a television news director. But we'll say this much about Jeff Kiernan -- he does seem to have a vision about what a good local TV newscast should be. And come Jan. 19, Kiernan will have ample opportunity to prove he can execute when he formally takes over the job of news director at beleaguered WBBM-Channel 2.
Kiernan, 43, flew in Wednesday from Boston (where he is now posted), to introduce himself to the troops in the WBBM newsroom, who no doubt have been severely frustrated in recent years by the station's inability to improve its newscast ratings. But that frustration may not last much longer, if, as WBBM boss Bruno Cohen hopes, Kiernan can quickly work the kind of turnaround magic he displayed at two CBS stations in Boston over the past 18 months.
What has made Kiernan something of a wunderkind? Well, if our chat revealed anything, it's that he believes in good storytelling.
And Kiernan's idea of storytelling includes not only the who, what, when and where, but also the how and why. He is hugely respectful of local TV news viewers and of the need for local newscasts to deliver relevant content for a particular market.
WBBM's new news director also looks to be a fairly shrewd judge of talent. In Boston, he apparently proved adept at finding new ways to use the on-air talent. We pressed Kiernan for one example of what he did in Boston that helped quickly improve the ratings at WBZ, where the 11 p.m. newscast jumped to first place under his watch.
While Kiernan indicated some helpful changes in the WBZ newscast had been made prior to his arrival, he takes credit for the decision to let the political reporter, who had proved a pro at telling good stories, do more stories on a wider range of topics. "We let that reporter be provocative and thought-provoking and let him actually challenge our viewers to think," Kiernan explained.
We reminded Kiernan that Chicago isn't anything like Boston. He knew that, because he grew up in nearby Munster, Ind., and, though he has never before worked as a television newsman in Chicago, he grew up watching the city's legendary TV news talent, like Fahey Flynn. Thankfully, Kiernan didn't do a lot of bragging about what he could make happen at the station. But he does have an encouraging track record. "Local news needs to provide the best content and serve local viewers," Kiernan said. That may be enough to start taking WBBM in a new direction.