Media Watch

KOLD Streams Gunfight at OK Corral

History rendezvoused with the future when KOLD Channel 13 presented the 125th anniversary re-enactment of the Gunfight at the OK Corral live from Tombstone on its Web site. It's an effort on the part of the local CBS affiliate to provide information at any time, not just during its on-air news programming.

"We call the Web site our 25th hour," said KOLD Internet Services Director Robert Hernandez. "One of the things (the news department) loves is that we have streaming-media capabilities. We can't cover it live (on the air), but we can on the Internet."

Video streaming is certainly not unique, but KOLD seems to be the most aggressive of all of Tucson's news-related Web sites with the technology. The move has met with positive results. The live re-enactment of the gunfight in Tombstone--it's believed to be the first Internet exclusive event of its kind broadcast online by a Tucson television station Web site--pulled close to 5,000 unique visitors.

For KOLD, the advantage is simple: It can run live material at any time on the Web site. Even if someone isn't home for a news broadcast but is interested in something that might be occurring locally, that person can simply pop online from the coffee shop and get an update.

"We did cut-ins for election results," Hernandez said. "We were rebroadcasting those same live cut-ins, so you could log on to the Web site and actually see our anchors live. That's the key word: You could watch it. Anywhere there's a camera, we can get a feed back to the station. We've set up the pipelines. We're looking at the reporter in the field who can send stuff back.

"The whole culture has changed. You can go to the Web site first and get the information, and then if you need more information, you can watch the newscast."

Hernandez says the station is discussing options for implementing the technology during the holidays.

"We're trying to figure out ways to interact more with the community," Hernandez said.


NEW TV FACES

KOLD has hired Suleika Acosta as a general-assignment reporter. Acosta is a 2004 graduate of Texas Tech who rapidly worked her way up the ranks at Lubbock, Texas' NBC affiliate KCBD. She began her career as an intern before garnering a paid position as the station's health and medical producer. From there, she was promoted to a general-assignment reporter position. Acosta was tabbed as KCBD's first morning show reporter prior to her Tucson move.

KVOA Channel 4 has added a reporter as well. Ed Tribble has given up the dreary Midwest winters in favor of Old Pueblo sun. A graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, Tribble garnered 2004 and 2005 Iowa Broadcast News Excellence in Writing awards and an Illinois Associated Press Best Newswriter first-place accolade in 2005.

Tribble worked at Iowa NBC affiliate KWQC prior to accepting the position with Tucson's NBC affiliate.