sparkling including mmmm Jonathan Hartzer and photographer Mike Kaminski ride News- - - - - - r ■ • • watch 1? s SKY 17 jet helicopter, which came to town and caused a stir in September of this year. Changes brought good, bad news for TV viewers By Nancy McAlister “ ‘ “ i Editor Television It was a year of shake-ups and re alignments in Jacksonville’s TV scene. Viewers benefited when com petition led to better programs. They didn’t when it led to gimmicks. And 1985 also will go down as a year the city became a national TV production'site. sonville station. The TV-17 special Missing: Are we Finding the Chil dren? won the station’s news division its first Florida Emmy. ' Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s two in dependent stations locked horns. Once the undisputed movie station in Jacksonville, WAWS TV-30 has found a stronger challenger in WNFT TV-47, which also has had an impact While WXTV TV-4 and CBS remain': in children’s programming and wres- on top in Jacksonville, the main battle for viewers was for the No. 2 and No. 4 spots. The traditional second-place sta tion, WTLV TV-12, received a strong challenge from WJKS TV-17. At year’s end, however, that challenge had noticeably cooled. Because of faltering ratings, TV-12 owner Harte-Hanks changed its top management team and announced sweeping changes in its news an chors. Competitors at TV-4 and TV-17 em barked on a war of technologies in 1985. Newswatch ITs SKY 17 jet helicop ter came to town and caused a stir. So far, the aircraft’s primary value appears to be promotional Eyewitness News was a founder of Florida News Network, a cooperative venture that links TV-4 to other Flor ida TV stations by satellite for daily newsfeeds. Two news departments boasted “first" awards during 1985. TV-4’s documentary The Smell of Money won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, the first by a Jack- tling. Viewers have benefited by' more viewing options. The city made headlines in other TV-related stories. Jacksonville was chosen as the site of the CBS movie ‘ Intimate Strangers this fall A Home Box Office movie starring Bette Da vis and Jamie Lee Curtis was filmed in Valdosta, Ga. In November, Universal Television produced an episode of the new series Dalton at Jacksonville locations. A crew from Dancin’ U.S.A., a series on cable’s The Nashville Network, spent five days capturing Jacksonville dancers performing such dances as The Cotton-Eyed Joe and the Texas Two-Step. Another name in TV news was Steve Senn, a Jacksonville author known primarily for his children’s books. His The Double Disappear ance of Walter Fozbeck was selected as an entry on CBS’ Storybreak this season. The man described as the dean of broadcast journalism in Jacksonville died in 1985. Bill Grove, who helped establish TV-4’s news image during his 30-year tenure there, succumbed after a long battle with cancer.