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It took KVBC TV-3 a few years, but the station has turned the 6p.m. time period into a real horse race.
The November and Arbitron ratings show Channel 3 edgingperennial ratings leader KLAS TV-8 in one book, and in a virtual dead heat in the other.
Channel 3 News Director Mike Cutler and Executive Producer Eric Hulnick deserve credit for taking the station out of the news ratings dumper and making it a contender. He's done it with a generally soft news format, which obviously appeals to a good-sized segment of Las Vegas viewers.
And anchors Dave Courvoisier and Gwen Castaldi apparently wear well over a long period of time.
At Channel 8, panic hasn't set in yet, but some fine tuning might be in order. News Director Bob Stoldal said he wasn't really surprised by the tightness of the race. He's realistic enough to know that Channel 8 couldn't have maintained such a huge ratings lead as it once enjoyed, not when a serious contender showed up.
And Channel 8 does win the 5 p.m. time period, thanks to some risky programming moves at Channel 3 that didn't pay off _ mainly "Challengers" and "Preview," two shows that air as lead-ins to "First News 3."
Stoldal has brought in a new set to fight viewer eye fatigue, but its impact may not be felt for another...