Channel 4 not only has hired the first "backpack journalist’’ to work in the sports department of a major St. Louis television station, it also will not be providing live coverage from Rams training camp for the first time since the club moved to town in 1995. And because of cutbacks Steve Savard said he has been scheduled to work 21 days in a row. Savard, the station’s sports director as well as the radio play-by-play voice of the Rams, said he was told "they don’t have money in the budget for’’ live coverage of Rams camp.

"I’m not happy at all,’’ he said. "But it is what it is and you move on. Whining about it doesn’t do any good.’’

Todd Schumacher, the ‘‘backpack journalist’’ who has been hired to replace Jeff Skversky, will be at camp but providing only taped coverage. "Backpackers’’ not only report, but shoot video and edit — a cost-cutting arrangement that formerly was reserved for small-town operations.

Management at the other TV stations with newscasts say they either will be live at camp, or are awaiting a decision.

"The only thing we won’t have is live, and a lot of the stuff is over by the time news time rolls around anyway,’’ KMOV news director Sean McLaughlin said. "It seemed a way to get what we need, and we needed somebody back here as well.’’

That "somebody’’ is Savard, who has been scheduled to work three weeks in a row in the studio beginning Sunday because of the way KMOV’s sports department has been restructured. Schumacher, who had been working as a freelance photographer at KMOV and KSDK and has received accolades from some co-workers for his work ethic, isn’t viewed as ready to anchor on a regular basis. McLaughlin said Schumacher has "primarily a shooting-reporting job. Anchoring is when both our other options are unavailable.’’

Skversky used to anchor in shorthanded situations, but with the current arrangement KMOV is down to two people fit for the role — Savard and Doug Vaughn. And with Vaughn beginning a lengthy vacation next week, Savard has been assigned to anchor about 60 consecutive sportscasts.

"I’ve been cut out of the decision-making process as far as the hire of Todd and how he is utilized,’’ Savard said.

He does plan to see the Rams work out before he broadcasts their first exhibition game, using vacation time to go to Nashville next month when the club has workouts with the Titans. He said he probably will file reports to Rams flagship radio station KLOU (103.3 FM), but not KMOV, and was philosophical about the situation.