Wbal

WBAL-TV has hired Katherine Green, a news producer from Florida, to succeed David Roberts as news director, station management announced yesterday.Ms. Green has been an executive producer at WFLA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Tampa-St. Petersburg, since 1993. She joins WBAL on March 25."I felt here's a station that's got some great things to offer and some real momentum," Ms Green, 35, said in a telephone interview."We are pleased to have Katherine joining our staff," said Phil Stolz, vice president and general manager of WBAL.

The July ratings period wrapped up last night, and the city's two leading TV stations - WBAL and WJZ - can each claim victories of sorts for their programs. For the late news at 11 p.m., WBAL-TV (Channel 11) and WJZ (Channel 13) are effectively tied, with roughly the same number of households in the Baltimore region tuning in from Monday through Sunday, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen. (Monday through Friday, Nielsen shows WBAL with a bit of a lead at 11 p.m.) The ratings estimates show WBAL to be securing a slightly greater edge on WJZ for the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts.

Public education in America is one of those targets like the side of a barn -- in other words, easy to hit with criticism. What is vTC harder, but probably more useful, is to find and examine some of the things that may be working.That is the premise of "Promises to Keep," the latest special in WBAL-Channel 11's year-long "Great Expectations" project on community education. It airs at 8 tonight, with host anchor Pat Minarcin.Although the hour-long show originated as a product of WCVB-TV in Boston, a WBAL sister station in the Hearst Broadcasting organization, Channel 11 has responsibly taken advantage of a chance to produce and insert segments on Baltimore-based model education programs.

Baltimore's long-running tug-of-war continues, as WBAL, Channel 11, and WJZ, Channel 13, once again staked competing claims for TV dominance in November. For the November sweeps period, which ended Wednesday, WJZ emerged as the region's top-rated TV station for total viewers, thanks in no small part to the large number of football fans who continue watching the Ravens, in spite of the team's five-game losing streak. Measured from 6 a.m.-2 a.m., the average rankings for each quarter-hour were: 1. WJZ: 5.7 rating, 13.3 share 2. WBAL: 4.7 rating, 10.9 share 3. WMAR, Channel 2: 2.5 rating, 5.9 share 4. WBFF, Channel 45: 2.3 rating, 5.4 share.

The Hollywood writers' strike safely behind them, Baltimore's TV watchers are flocking back to the network affiliates, with viewing levels up 2.3 percent over last year, according to figures released this week by A.C. Nielsen, a national ratings firm. The increase marked the first time since May of last year that overall ratings had gone up during the "sweeps" months of February, May and November, when stations traditionally put on their best programming and set advertising rates. In February, for instance, the overall audience was down 3 percent from a year ago. In November, the audience was down 5 percent.

How do you celebrate having put together the country's best radio news story?That's easy, said WBAL News Director Mark Miller, who faced that happy dilemma yesterday when told the Associated Press Broadcasters was handing its Best of Show award to Baltimore's dominant AM station."

BALTIMORE'S talk-radio fans now have to do some irksome changing of listening habits and time schedules. Their loyalties are being tested as both AM talk stations, WBAL and WCBM, take on new talkmeisters and revamp their lineups.For many years, for example, WBAL's afternoon host, Ron Smith, and morning man, Allan Prell, provided a comfortable symmetry. This duo satisfied the ideological needs of most area listeners, conservatives choosing Mr. Smith, liberals listening to Mr. Prell, and many of each opting for both.

Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks is coming to Baltimore television.WBAL (Channel 11) yesterday announced that the 67-year-old executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is joining Channel 11 as a political analyst. His debut will be at noon today with a piece on the Pennsylvania primary."The 1992 election season is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in history . . . and there are a number of developments in the campaign where the insight of Dr. Hooks will prove to be beneficial," said David Roberts, the station's associate news director.

The November ratings period that helps to set advertising rates is all but complete. And both of the Titans of Television Hill are busy bragging. For the "sweeps" period ending tonight, WBAL-TV seems highly likely to take top ratings for its 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts, and for the 11 p.m. news programs on Monday through Friday. The NBC affiliate also has the highest-rated weekend morning shows as of the figures available early yesterday morning. Yet it is possible that WJZ, a CBS station with the No. 1 prime-time lineup in the market, will snare highest ratings for the 11 p.m. newscasts when the full week is considered.