You state that if its first outing was typical, then KCBS-TV's news format, featuring 20-minute varied-interest segments, is so soft "that Channel 2 is essentially out of the news business."

I think this new format actually has the potential for unprecedented depth in local news reporting. It could produce segments that include not only specialized, sometimes mostly entertaining sidelights, but also in-depth, local angles on the top stories.

And as a gardener, [I think] personable Kevin O'Connell should keep on doing some reports on zucchinis and other squash -- I'm just nuts about produce!