MELTON TO HEAD DRUG AGENCY

Melton Was CEO At TV Station

The chief operating officer of a Jackson television station with no law
enforcement background will lead the state's largest narcotics agency.

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove appointed Frank Melton of WLBT-Channel 3 the new
director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Wednesday. Melton replaces
Don Strange Jr. who resigned last month.

"I've been in TV for 27 years running the company but that doesn't mean I
can do what you guys do," Melton told reporters during a news conference
Wednesday in Jackson when pressed about his experience. "I would like to be
measured by the number of people we are able to help."

Mississippi law does not require the head of the narcotics bureau to have
law enforcement experience, said Jonathan Compretta, special assistant
attorney general. State code states that the director must be a resident of
the state and complete a course at a U.S. Justice Department Bureau of
Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs school.

Melton has been active in promoting anti-drug programs and in efforts to
get children off the streets. He is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin
University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and is chairman and chief executive
officer of the TV-3 Inc. Foundation. He sits on the board of directors of
Liberty Corp., which owns WLBT and 14 other television stations, 18
newspapers and seven radio stations.

Strange told the Hattiesburg American Wednesday afternoon that he does not
know Melton but will offer help to smooth the transition.

Strange said he is familiar with Melton's editorial "Bottom Line" segments,
which air on WLBT.

"He was always very supportive and complimentary on many things he said
about me and the bureau," Strange said. "I would like to be there for him
if he ever needs to consult with me. It's very tough to come in from the
outside. If he wants me for anything, I'll be there for him."

Strange, a former chief of intelligence for the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration, resigned the state post after the Legislature cut bureau
funding from more than $15 million to $9 million in three years.

There's no sour grapes on my part," he said. "I wish him well."

University of Southern Mississippi criminal justice chairman Stephen
Mallory, who served as deputy director of the MBN for five years, said
Musgrove's appointment surprised him.

"Certainly, Frank Melton is a charismatic person with management skills,"
he said. "But having an intimate knowledge of narcotics enforcement is
essential to running that agency. Understanding drug enforcement at the
state level is a complex subject dealing with organized crime, as well as
street crime."

Mallory said he wishes Melton well but also said Strange embodied the
charisma and knowledge the agency needs.

"Don Strange seemed to have all the qualities," h e said. "I thought his
knowledge and vision was excellent. But the budget destroyed his vision.
Frank Melton will face that same obstacle."

Musgrove said during the news conference that he considered Melton "the
right guy for the job. Part of leadership is having a passion to make a
difference."

He said he was looking for three qualities in his new director - management
skills, an understanding of the legislative process and an ability to work
with law enforcement.

Melton said he will meet with field agents before discussing the direction
in which he wants to take the drug enforcement agency.

He also plans to take a leave of absence from his commentary role at WLBT.

State senators must confirm Melton's appointment, but he can begin working
immediately, a spokesman for Musgrove said. The Senate will return to
session in January 2003.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.