KFSM-TV in Spotlight After Arrest, Order

Liza Danver

Two high-profile incidents involving staff members at KFSM-TV, Channel 5, in northwest Arkansas made national news this month.

The arrest of anchor Liza Danver and a judge’s contempt finding against Managing Editor Larry Henry that was resolved with a story assignment both grabbed headlines around the state and at national outlets, including Adweek’s “TV Spy.”

Danver was arrested late on the night of June 13 after police say she was stopped traveling 74 mph in a 65-mph zone on Interstate 540 in Van Buren. Danver was charged with refusing to submit to a chemical test, driving while intoxicated, driving left of center and speeding.

Danver bonded out of the Crawford County Detention Center on June 14. A court date was set for July 15.

You might recall that KFSM announced late last month that Danver was joining the station’s weeknight news team.

News Director Bill Cummings said in an email that Danver resigned from KFSM after the arrest.

The same week as Danver’s arrest, the station also made national news when Henry agreed to produce a news story as punishment for tweeting the verdict in the rape and murder trial of Zachary Holly in Benton County.

In an order dated June 19, Judge Brad Karren wrote that Henry had violated a court order that “prohibited broadcasts inside the courthouse while court was in session” and that the court had to “balance the interest between preserving the Court’s integrity and courtroom decorum with the seriousness of the case at hand.”

Karren found that “Mr. Henry’s proposal to produce and broadcast a public service piece regarding the Child Advocacy Center … adequately addresses the above competing interests of judicial integrity with the seriousness of the above case and public awareness to child victim’s rights.” The order gave Henry and the station 30 days to broadcast the segment, with a review hearing set for July 16.

The order caught the attention of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s editorial page, which referred to the resolution of the case as “cozy” and to Karren as KFSM’s “new assignment editor.”

“Why would Henry turn over the reins of the news division to a judge? To get himself out of trouble,” the newspaper wrote.

The editorial later added: “Seeing a judge and a news organization so eager to negotiate what should be covered so an editor can extricate himself from poor judgment should be uncomfortable for everyone.”

Cummings said in an emailed statement that “KFSM did not, nor would we ever, relinquish control over our content or editorial process.”

“In this case we did acknowledge that Mr. Henry unintentionally violated Judge Karren’s rules regarding tweeting in his courtroom. In additional [sic] to apologizing to the court, we deemed it appropriate to take a positive step and offer to do a public service piece on children’s advocacy — a topic we have covered many times on 5NEWS. There was never any discussion with the court on content of that public service piece nor was there any quid pro quo to avoid a fine or other action.”

In other news at the station, morning anchor Heather Lewis is leaving for a morning co-anchor position at KOLR-TV in Springfield, Missouri. Lewis, who was hired in 2011, wrote on her station Facebook page last week that it was her final week at KFSM.