Gene Cox has a distinguished career and history in television journalism and has been a consistent broadcast figure in Richmond for a long time (“In the Genes,” Cover Story, Feb. 24).

You correctly stated that NBC-12 is the most-watched newscast in the Richmond area. I regularly watch it as well; not because of the quality, but for its hi-def broadcasts. Daily newscasts at the station are plagued with gaffes, technical issues and an uneven flow, and at times have an amateurish presentation. When I watch other local newscasts on occasion they consistently outperform NBC-12, and when they move to the hi-def format, more competition will be inevitable.

You astutely observed that Cox curmudgeonly refuses to engage in any on-screen banter in his newscasts. To say Cox has a wooden persona would be an understatement. He makes Ed Sullivan look like Robin Williams. His stiff on-air presence makes the newscast even more awkward and shallow for both viewers and his colleagues. He needs to loosen up and allow the newscast to breathe naturally. But at this stage of his career, that will probably never happen.

Brendan M. Mahoney
Richmond