Patsy Smullin says that small-market broadcasting business ain't what it used to be and, better than most, she knows what it used to be.

Her late father, Bill, founded the broadcast company she now runs from Medford, Ore., in 1932 when AM radio was still new media and a novelty in a lot of places. In time, Bill embraced TV and cable.

California Oregon Broadcasting Inc. now owns two NBC affiliates (KOBI and KOTI) in Medford-Klamath Falls, Ore. (DMA 141); the Fox affiliate (KLSR) in Eugene, Ore., (DMA 120); a cable system serving small communities north of Medford, Crestview Cable Communications; and a video production company specializing in HD, COBI DigitalHD.

What small-market broadcasting used to be, according to Patsy, is a lot more profitable. Now, staying in the black means strategic partnerships and relentless searches for operational efficiencies, she says.

One thing Patsy has not yet sacrificed at the altar of efficiency is service—to the industry or to her communities. She has contributed much time to industry boards, including the NAB.

And, in this interview with TVNEWSDAY Editor Harry A. Jessell, she gushes when asked about exactly what she means by “community involvement” at KOBI.

Despite the leaner P&Ls of contemporary small-market broadcasting, she not asking for any special Washington help—just a recognition by the policymakers that “small markets do still exist and that there are television stations that are incredibly responsive to the viewers.”

An edited transcript follows:

How is business these days in markets 120 and 141?

It's difficult, but doable.

I love broadcasting. I love the localism side of it, the power of the tube to help in communities.

The days of making a lot of money are history, but as long as we can stay in the black and can afford to do new things every year, I'm happy and my managers are happy. We attract managers who love that old-fashioned community involvement.

Other than news, what else counts as community involvement in Medford?

Lots of stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. One thing we do is Academic Challenge, which is a local show that's like the College Bowl in some ways. It results in major scholarship dollars for schools throughout Oregon. It has wonderful local sponsors involved in it.

Meth abuse has been a big problem in the I-5 corridor. Medford is just getting over being called Methford. Right now, we're in the middle of the three-year [Southern Oregon] Meth Project. It's one of those don't-do-meth-not-even-once projects that has everybody involved, from the drug rehabilitation places to the police to local businesses. Our news anchor goes into schools all over our coverage area working with young kids, finding out where they want help.

Another one is Docs on Call, which has been a fantastic success. It's once a week for a full hour. Anybody can call in with their questions on their medical care to a panel of three or four doctors. People call in from all over the coverage area, thousands of calls. The doctors love it. They can spend an hour on one call or they can spend a minute. It's all confidential.

We do it during the news, so every few minutes the newscasters will say, “Don't forget it's Docs on Call night,” and they'll flash to the video of the doctors feverishly taking their calls.

What a wonderful idea. How long have you been doing it?

The Asante medical center has been sponsoring it for six years.

Another one that's been with us a decade is Buddy Check, which is a breast cancer awareness campaign that goes on all year. On the 25^th of every month, the TV station focuses on getting people to call their buddies and remind them to do their self exam. That's also in partnership with the Asante medical center. We've been able to catch a lot of breast cancer early.

How is the economy in metro Medford.?

It's pretty good.

What do people do there?

It's the home of Harry & David, which employs thousands of people. Then, there's the medical center. That's also a huge employer. And it draws tourists because of the Rouge River that runs through the area.

The Oregon Shakepeare Festival in Ashland is pretty much No. 1 in the country now. It's extremely well known.

So a lot of tourism.

A lot of tourism and a lot of moving from Los Angeles to here. It's kind of the first stop in Oregon after they've decided to get the hell out of LA and San Francisco.

So there's an upside in just the growth of the community.

A lot of the demos skew older; certainly those Californians do.

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