Station Break

San Francisco— CBS-owned KPIX-TV and KCBS(AM) are collaborating with the San Francisco Chronicle. The alliance, announced last week, has the TV station, the all-news radio outlet and the newspaper working together on news projects and polls, cross-promotion, new-business development and co-sponsorship of events.

"This partnership represents a great opportunity for more in-depth news reporting in the Bay Area, utilizing the unique strengths of newspaper, television and all-news radio," says KCBS VP/GM Frank Oxarart.

KPIX-TV News Director Dan Rosenheim adds, "We are pleased to have joined forces with one of the best newspapers in northern California. The combination of the KPIX news department with the Chronicle's newsroom will deliver to Bay Area news consumers a new level of journalistic excellence."

In addition to the news partnership, the Chronicle and KPIX-TV will co-sponsor major area events and broadcasts.

Boston— David O. Ives, longtime head of noncommercial WGBH-TV (and WGBH-FM), whose leadership built the television station into a major provider of public-broadcasting programming, died May 16 in San Francisco, where he was visiting family. He was 84.

Ives joined WGBH-TV in 1960 as director of development. He became the station's president in 1970, held that post until 1984 and then served as vice chair of the station's board of trustees until 2001. During his tenure, the station produced shows and series that received the highest critical and popular praise, including Nova, Frontline, Masterpiece Theatre, Mystery! and Evening at Pops, as well as "how-to" programs from Julia Child's cooking shows to This Old House.

He was unflagging in his efforts to promote his station, becoming familiar to viewers during pledge drives, when he would cheerfully demonstrate pledge-gift umbrellas, perform songs and skits he had written, and even ride an elephant. Every spring, he would trade his signature bow tie for a red apron and urge viewers to "Bid, bid, bid!" during the WGBH Auction, an event he created in 1966.

He received public broadcasting's highest honor, the Ralph Lowell Award, in 1985.

Ives is survived by his second wife, Patricia, two sons and five grandchildren. Services are scheduled for May 29 at Harvard Memorial Church, Cambridge, Mass.

New York— Telemundo O&O WNJU(TV) New York anchor Jorge Ramos and the station's Noticiero 47 were honored last week by the Crime Stoppers Program of the New York City Police Foundation for their help in solving a 10-year-old crime and their promotion of the Crime Stoppers program. On April 3, during his "Crimenes Sin Resolver" segment of Noticiero 47, Ramos reported on an unsolved crime committed in 1993. Although the crime had been reported earlier on America's Most Wanted, no suspects had ever been identified. Following Ramos's report, the Crime Stoppers unit received an anonymous phone call from a WNJU viewer, and an arrest was made three days later.

Separately, after seeing a picture of a fugitive on a WBRE-TV Wilkes-Barre, Pa., newscast last week, a viewer alerted police to his whereabouts, and he was recaptured. The man, who had been in custody after threatening to harm himself and his 6-year-old daughter during a standoff with police, had escaped from the hospital where he was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.

Kansas City, Mo.— In response to the tornadoes that devastated Missouri and Kansas earlier this month, Meredith Broadcasting's KCTV(TV) raised more than $50,000 for storm victims with an on-air fundraiser. In addition, the station donated $2,500 to the Salvation Army.

Philadelphia— Nearly 15,000 viewers cast votes in the final round of WCAU-TV 's "Best Summer Gig Ever" contest, with the prize of being a traffic reporter at the station from June through August. The winner: John Ogden of Marlton, N.J., a recent communications graduate of La Salle University.

Dan Trigoboff is recovering from surgery and will return. In his absence, Mark Miller is writing Station Break and can be reached by e-mail at mkmiller@comcast.net. Readers and contributors may also send e-mails to dtrigoboff@reedbusiness.com.