Eye on the Anchors

Because the staff is smaller than at other stations, the FOX anchors do more reporting, they say.

"You get to go out and meet people. That's why we like doing public appearances; that's who we're doing news about," says Fogelsong.

"A lot of times, people contact us with story ideas or information because we're the most visible part of the station," says Nolan. "Sometimes, big or official organizations tend to drive the agenda in the media, and it seems like they have all the power and sometimes viewers feel powerless," he adds. FOX4 tries to give them a voice.

But the anchors have to walk a fine line; sometimes that personal involvement threatens to drag them into individual battles. "You want to hear what people want, but in a way that's beneficial to everybody," says Fogelsong. "You have to be practical. Some people want us to help them raise money or file lawsuits, and we can't do that; we're there to report the news."

On public appearances:

Public appearances have boosted their visibility, especially when both were new.

"No one knew who we were. We were a very new anchor team. It was a way for us to get our name out there," says Fogelsong.

The appearances are often on their own time, including weekends, but they say they enjoy it. "We get to go to balls [and other events] and we're helping with noteworthy causes," she says.

The new marketing director will be reviewing requests for public appearances, partly because they get so many now, they add.

And they try to be careful not to let community involvement undermine their work. "We will never let a commitment to an organization supercede our commitment to be critical journalists," says Nolan. "Our community involvement is also a tool to get news stories and build trust."

On FOX News Network:

"People tend to associate us with that, which can be good or bad," says Fogelsong. It seemed to help during national elections, when the national network carved a niche to counter other news networks, but FOX4 also bears the burden of the national network's reputation for programming lowbrow shows.

"If [viewers are] not watching the shows, it's hard to get them to watch us," says Fogelsong.

"It's really good for us to hear feedback, to avoid becoming what at the national level has been, 'I like this news because they have this agenda or that agenda,'" says Nolan. "We concentrate on local news, and oftentimes those issues aren't politicized in terms of Democrat versus Republican; they're things that affect everybody."

On competition:

The 10 p.m. time slot has worked in their favor, especially when its lead-in, the popular American Idol, had Vonzell Solomon of Fort Myers as a finalist.

Although the FOX network tends to draw the commercially desirable younger audience, the 10 p.m. local newscast also attracts older viewers who don't want to stay awake for 11 p.m. newscasts. The biggest challenge is keeping viewers through the hour.

Although the 10 p.m. newscast airs again the following morning, says Nolan, "We do hear from people who say they'd like to see more news in different parts of the day from us."

On their image:

Their image is "younger and hipper" than competitors, says Fogelsong. "We're a little more relaxed; we do have a young staff, a little more energetic."

"Because of the network we're associated with, because of our personalities, we might be able to present the news with a little more edge, a little more casual style than our competitors," says Nolan. "We see that as a freedom and because that's true to who we are; it's not like we're trying to be news with a 'tude."

The hour-long format lends to a more casual approach, he adds. "Think of it as an hour-long conversation. You don't want to be serious the entire hour. [We get] folks who have to get up for work the next day, a few who like the style and think Krista's cute," he says with a grin.

"Or who want to make fun of our hair," Fogelsong adds, laughing. She's talking about attention Nolan has received for his hair, which is uncharacteristically long for an anchor.

"We have a smaller staff than our competitors, and we haven't been in the [Southwest Florida] market as long, so we recognize we have to be scrappy and work a little bit harder," Nolan adds. "It pushes us, and I think our viewers sense that in our presentation."

WZVN (ABC7)

Sharon Gregory and Len Jennings

ABC7 is owned and licensed by Montclair Communications, but operated through a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Waterman Broadcasting, the owner and licensee of NBC2. The two share a building, a news director and other resources.

Gregory, 43, arrived in 1997 from Texas and worked as a reporter and part-time anchor at NBC2 before slipping into the main anchor's seat at ABC7. Jennings, 38, came from a

background in sports reporting, including a stint at FOX4, before joining ABC7 in 2001 as an anchor.

They lead the way to a second-floor conference room in the Waterman Broadcasting center near Edison Mall, a facility with a distinctly more upscale, polished flavor than its competitors. Both are congenial, polite and professional, and Gregory takes the lead, answering questions with an air of confidence and directness. Jennings seems more reserved, weighing his words; or perhaps it's the journalist in him, assessing the situation with a critical eye. Questions about the relationship with WBBH are met with hesitancy and diplomacy. Neither says so, but ABC7, which trails the other stations in ratings, seems to carry less weight at Waterman than its partner, and is struggling for a shot to shine.

On the LMA:

Although Gregory made the jump from NBC2 to ABC7, staff crossover isn't common; when it does happen, it's not a lateral move, say Jennings and Gregory. The news teams share resources on big stories, such as brush fires and, notably, hurricanes, when the two have provided round-the-clock coverage. Otherwise, ABC7 works to produce its own news product. "It's a unique situation and there's no perfect formula as far as trying to be able to have our own identity and not seeping over to the other side," says Jennings. "Sometimes in the [mutual] afternoon meetings, we fight over exclusivity [for stories]," but in practice, reporters are expected to "give a little taste" of what they are working on.

On ABC7's identity:

It positions itself as "the advocate station," says Jennings. "We're constantly trying to establish that 'works for you' angle. We're here to help you out. ABC7 is not only going to tell you the story, but we're going to tell you what to do, who to call.

"We take it a step further, make a couple of phone calls for you," and the station provides additional opportunities through its Web site to learn more and share information.

On public appearances:

Gregory and Jennings are connected to certain organizations, such as the ALS organization in tribute to their late colleague, Harry Horn, and Gregory is spokesman for the local March of Dimes and committed to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

But much of their charitable work is under the radar. Jennings makes a point of trying to keep his work-related community service separate from his personal volunteerism.

On ratings:

Although ABC7's ratings have trailed the competition, "[they] haven't skyrocketed, but they haven't plummeted, either," says Jennings. "My work speaks for itself."

The station, however, does pay attention to ratings, even to the point of shifting its anchors' schedules. With strong ratings from shows such as Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey's Anatomy, the station wanted its lead anchors on Sundays. "When you have a better show leading into your newscast, it's more of an opportunity for people to see your product," says Gregory.

So throughout November, Gregory and Jennings were on at 11 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Thursday. Saturday was their only day off, which they spent hosting a fund raiser and working promotions at local cinemas.

On competition:

For Gregory, the station's competition is "everybody who's not ABC7," she says. "I want to take ratings. I want higher viewership. I want people to view our product, and I think we have a good product."

WBBH (NBC2)

Craig Wolf and Jessica Stilwell

WBBH and WINK run neck-and-neck in the ratings, and their anchor teams are arguably some of the most recognizable people in Southwest Florida.

Senior anchor Wolf, 51, has been with NBC2 since 1993 and has manned the main anchor desk for 10 years. Stilwell, 32, started in 1995 with a cable station in Collier before moving to ABC7, and then to NBC2, where she was happily working mornings before moving to the evening position. (Stilwell's predecessor, Kellie Burns, returns to anchor the 5 and 6 p.m. slots in April; Stilwell will continue anchoring the 5:30 and 11 p.m. segments.)