Not many communities of our size have local TV news. In terms of size, I've been told KAVU-TV is the 205th out of 212 TV markets.

A letter writer yesterday took a KAVU newscaster to task for a laughing fit about a story.  I didn't see this particular newscast, so I don't have any opinion about it.

I have laughed or groaned at other newscasts, but then I've laughed and groaned (mainly groaned) at Advocate mistakes. It's a tough business we're in, and we should be held accountable for our mistakes. We regularly publish criticism of the Advocate in letters to the editor, Speak Out calls and online article comments. I note this because we intended no slam against KAVU-TV by publishing yesterday's letter. In fact, we publish almost all letters to the editor we receive unless they're libelous or contain some other problem. Our goal is to engage the community in a conversation, not to dictate what is said.

I've lived in a city larger than Victoria that had no local TV news. All of the TV news came from the metro stations about 60 minutes away. I don't consider that a good situation for getting as much news covered as possible. Those metro stations almost never came to our community, even to cover an NCAA-IAA football team.

As would any TV viewer or newspaper reader, I might criticize what I see or read from time to time. But I think we're all much better off with as much news coverage as we can get. I see a time when the newspaper and the TV station might work together to provide even better coverage of the community.

With the Internet blurring the lines between print and video, the media world is changing rapidly. Already, you can watch local video all of the time at VictoriaAdvocate.com. Check out our video player on our home page.

Another new exciting feature of our home page is AP video. Whenever it's convenient, you can watch the latest news from around the world. If you want just sports video, go to our sports section. You no longer need to wait for the morning or evening news.

Our increased emphasis on video has given me new appreciation for what TV newscasters do. Yes, you certainly can look foolish on live TV. They're working without a net, and most in Victoria are relatively new to the business.

But I don't take any delight in their mistakes. Despite any past conflict between print and broadcast journalists, KAVU is not our competition. Those who watch local TV news likely will turn to the local newspaper or Web site for more. 

The greater good is keeping you informed and involved. Our biggest competition comes from those who don't care to be either.