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While Sacramento is rarely the first location that comes to mind when one thinks of the California, residents can become a bit indignant when their city is referred to as an hour-and-a-half's drive from more high-profile neighbors such as San Francisco and the Napa Valley. After all, Sacramento and surrounding communities in the foothills of central California were at the center of the action during the Gold Rush of 1849. In recent years, California's state capital region has become a serious competitor to Napa and Santa Barbara as a wine-producing center. The fast-growing region's economy is diversifying, and its population is projected to triple by 2040.
In broadcast television, the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto market is the 19thlargest in the country, with 1.2 million TV households. (Stockton, the county seat of San Joaquin County, is 40 miles south of Sacramento; Modesto, the seat of Stanislaus County, is about 50 miles south.)
Among recent changes in the market, Hearst-Argyle Broadcasting in February formed the first TV duopoly in Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto by acquiring privately held WB affiliate KQCA-TV Hearst bought the longtime market leader, NBC affiliate KCRA-TV, from Kelly Broadcasting in December 1998.
Hearst-Argyle is scouting for a new executive to run the two outlets. Paul "Dino" Dinovitz, the current president/general manager, will soon leave to become vp/gm of Young Broadcasting's KRONTV and cable channel BayTV in San Francisco.
KCRA-s local newscasts earlier this year got a makeover, including a new set, new graphics and new music, none of which had been updated in "quite some time," Dinovitz says. "We've been the market leader in news for the last 45 years," he says. The gm attributes KCRA's news ratings strength (see Nielsen chart on page 36) in part to its coverage of the entire DMA, not just the immediate Sacramento area.
KCRA and KQCA produce a combined eight hours of local news per day. KQCA has a 7-9 a.m. morning news show, along with a half hour at 10 p.m. On the syndicated programming front, KQCA this fall picked up reruns of Dharma dr Greg and That '70s Show.
An unusual contender in the 10 p.m. late news race in Sacramento-StocktonModesto is CBS affiliate KOVR-TV, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. In household ratings, KOVR's hour-long 10 p.m. news handily beats its...