LIVE AT FIVE

The St. Paul-based Haynes (Right By My Side, 1993; Somebody Else's Mama, 1995) continues to display a light comic touch in this satire about midwestern newscasting and the media's portrayal of black folk. Set in the Twin Cities, an area not noted for its racial problems, this gently uplifting story explores the socio-politics of multi-hued African-Americans, a group less unified (as Haynes presents it) than media honchos would have us believe. Brandon Johnson, a 38-year-old broadcaster, co-anchors an evening newscast that consistently loses to reruns of Facts of Life. A child of the black middle-class, Brandon quickly comes to resent the new station manager, who suggests that Brandon (renamed ``Brad'') black-up his style for the white liberals in Minnesota. ``The Dexter,'' as this pony-tailed, hyperactive trouble-shooter calls himself, displays a fondness for ``black talk'' that Brandon (of course) finds offensive. His plan for Brad is even more disagreeable, and involves live broadcasts from the local ghetto. There, Brandon meets Bonita (``Nita'') Sallis, a hard-working single mom who defies all the stereotypes. Brandon's stories of a community striving to survive in adversity raise the ratings but still don't satisfy Dexter, who lusts for tales of gangsta culture. Things come to a neat end when Nita orchestrates a deal that gives everyone what they want, from big-city careers to better homes in the ghetto. Haynes's pointed little comedy relies on standard criticism of media amorality and the ``deals with the devil'' we all sometimes make. An oddly conventional novel for a small press. (Author tour)