Two weeks on the road can make you appreciate San Diego's local news. My husband and I just spent 14 days traveling through Tucson, Ariz., San Antonio, Lubbock, Texas, Santa Fe, N.M., and the Grand Canyon.

In today's television, where local news is the only way to sample the local flavor, watching the 5 p.m. news helped distinguish one town from another. I can tell you anchors in other towns are allowed to get older and heavier than news stations in Southern California will tolerate. Some of the anchors looked old enough to be considered active grandparents in San Diego. I can also report that what's considered local news in those towns was sometimes questionable. One morning the San Antonio news chopper flew over a trash bin fire as part of its traffic report. (A trash bin fire?) I can also recommend to the news directors of San Diego's stations one idea I saw worth repeating. In every town I visited, the stations posted each anchor's and reporter's e-mail address in the on-air graphic stating the person's name.

Newspapers have done this for years, and until I left town I never realized television news was doing it.

By the way, if you want to reach me, you can send me an e-mail through my editor, Pam Kragen, at pkragen@nctimes.com.

A couple of readers did ask us about two local news reporters/anchors. Susan Taylor has returned to KNSD/Channel 39's weekday newscasts from vacation, while Jason Austell has stopped covering the action on the freeways from Chopper 8 for KFMB/Channel 8. Instead, Austell is pursuing a real estate career. His coverage of a police car chase in 1998 that ended in a horrific crash at Highway 78 and Coast Highway in Oceanside earned him wide attention when the footage was replayed on shows such as "Greatest Police Chases."

We were driving down a farm road in northern Texas, but I still heard the unbelievable news that former Santee resident Dat Phan won NBC's "Last Comic Standing." His comedy is certainly accessible but not as polished or as insightful as the other comics on the show, all more experienced and polished.

And Del Mar's Christena Ferran won the whole thing -- rich fiance and four nice kids -- on "Who Wants to Marry My Dad?" Ferran gave no indication that she beat out all the contestants when I interviewed her a month ago, so I wouldn't suggest playing poker with the new bride-to-be. I did ask if she would actually marry a man she met while competing on the television show and she said she was open to the possibilities. However, the morning after the final show, Ferran was interviewed on KNSD and admitted she and her fiance have not set a date and need to spend a lot more time together. We'll have to see if we need to buy wedding gifts.

XETV/Fox 6 and UPN/Channel 13 are showing a "Happy Days" marathon this weekend. Episodes of the 1970s hit that's set in the '50s will air from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday on UPN/Channel 13 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday on Fox 6.

PBS will produce 13 new episodes of "American Family," with Edward James Olmos as the head of a Los Angeles Latino family, according to Broadcasting & Cable. Raquel Welch co-stars as Aunt Dora. No announcement yet on when the episodes will air. … Home & Garden Television is borrowing another idea from the BBC. "Outer Spaces" will surprise a homeowner with a new yard, similar to the BBC's "Ground Force." The new HGTV show will begin Sept. 30, Broadcasting & Cable reported. … Also new to HGTV is "Date With Design," in which a woman chooses one of three bachelor pads to redecorate, and "Hey Remember," a nostalgia show of home decor from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. No air dates yet for "Date With Design" and "Hey Remember." … And entertainment channel E! has ordered more episodes of "Celebrities Uncensored," in which celebrities are chased by paparazzi, and "Love Chain," in which celebrities' love lives are analyzed.

Best bets for the week include the conclusion of "Amazing Race 4" at 9 p.m. today on KFMB/Channel 8 and the conclusion of "The Restaurant" at 10 p.m. Sunday on KNSD. … In addition to creating an early TV comedy classic, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball created one of the first TV powerhouses in the form of Desilu, the production company they formed. The history of their marriage and their creative empire are profiled at 9 p.m. Sunday on Bravo. … If you believe family television is a thing of the past, there's apparently enough of the stuff to give awards for it. … The "Family Television Awards" airs at 9 p.m.

Monday on KSWB/Channel 5. Categories include actor, actress, drama, comedy, reality and movie. It's worth tuning in just to see what reality program could win a "Family Television Award." … The newest

reality show on the networks is "Performing As" on Fox. It combines a reality show/talent show with karaoke and makes me wonder if this genre can get any worse. It premieres at 8 p.m. Tuesday on XETV/Channel 6. One of the TV promos announces that a contestant performing as Christina Aguilera is from San Marcos. … Best bets for classic movies continues to be Turner Classic Movies' "Summer Under the Stars" series with a different star featured each day. Judy Garland is highlighted today, including "A Star Is Born" at 7 p.m. "It Happened One Night" (5 p.m.) is the highlight of Clark Gable's day on Friday.

Ann Zivotsky writes about television for the North County Times.