Casey Anthony Judge Opens up

Casey Anthony Judge Opens up

We know what will be leading the newscasts this evening in Orlando, even though the O-Town stations had nothing to do with getting the story.

The judge that presided over the Casey Anthony trial went on the Today Show and was very open about what he saw during the trial. ​

Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. said he was shocked to see Anthony found not guilty of the murder of her daughter Caylee.

He also said that Anthony "very manipulative" and and acted different when the jury was not in the courtroom.

"There were always two sides to Casey," Perry told Savannah Guthrie. "There was the public persona that she wanted the jury to see. And there was that side she showed when the jury was not there."

More after the hop.  ​

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Colorado Station's Email Being Held for Ransom

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If you sent KXRM (Colorado Springs) and email, you might not hear back from them for awhile. ​

The station's email has been hacked and is being held for ransom. ​

The station writes on their website "​Sometime overnight Sunday the server that stores our emails was hacked, and the person(s) responsible is literally holding our information for ransom, asking for $5,000 to unlock the data he scrambled."

The station said their engineers and the FBI is on the case, but neither have been able to restore the station's email as of yet.

Also, it doesn't look like the station is going to fork over the 5 G's.​

They might just want to try signing up for a free Gmail account.​

Works for us. ​

Living Below the Line

Living Below the Line

The Global Poverty Project came up with an idea.

Last week they challenged ​everyday people to live on the equivalent of the extreme poverty line for five days. 

You basically had to try and feed yourself for a $1.50 a day for 5 days. The challenge was called ​"Live Below the Line".

Many people took the challenge including movie starts like Ben Affleck.

Of course the "Live Below the Line" challenge also happened to fall in the May Ratings period, so you know what that means. ​

At WHNT in Huntsville ​Anchors Greg Screws, Clarissa McClain and Reporter Alicia Esteban, took on the challenge, because after all it's ratings you know.

So how did they do?​

Find out after the jump.  ​

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Roger Ailes Ordered Control Room to Cut Geraldo's Mic

Roger Ailes Ordered Control Room to Cut Geraldo's Mic

In a new book coming out, one story shows how Fox News boss Roger Ailes ​rules the conservative network with an iron fist.

The book by Jonathan Alter is about the 2012 Campaign and it's called "The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies.”

There is an interesting excerpt when Fox News was going bonkers for Benghazi. ​

“Roger Ailes covered the Benghazi story as if it were Watergate just before Nixon’s resignation, with almost wall-to-wall coverage,” Mr. Alter writes before describing Mr. Rivera as the only Fox anchor who was “allowed to offer a dissenting view.”

But see how Ailes silenced Geraldo after the leap.  ​

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Howard Kurtz Says Sorry with PR Stunt

Howard Kurtz Says Sorry with PR Stunt

​In a PR stunt to try and rebuild what is left of his reputation, TV (except for CNN) Critic Howard Kurtz went on his CNN show Reliable Sources and apologized for being anything but reliable.

Kurtz said he was sorry for screwing up the story of NBA anchor Jason Collins, he was also sorry for making fun of Collins and he was sorry for the he corrected his correction on the story for Jason Collins.

“It was a mistake that I made and it was sloppy and inexcusable," Kurtz said at the top of his show.

He then brought on two media critics to quote "turn the tables" on him and ask him how he could screw up a story so bad.​

More plus the video after the jump.  ​

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CBS Beats ABC and NBC on Sunday Morning

CBS Beats ABC and NBC on Sunday Morning

CBS has never really been a player when it comes to the morning shows rating race, except on Sunday.​

CBS News Sunday Morning is beating both Good Morning America and the Today Show. ​

And while both GMA and Today have  made a number of changes over the years, Sunday morning is basically the same show it was when it started back in the late 70's. 

Its theme music is the same. Its logo, a stylish sun with a face, hasn’t changed much, and its host has only changed once: Charles Osgood took over when Charles Kuralt stepped down in 1994.

At least on the surface, the program is almost a time capsule from the kinder, gentler days before we became shackled to the 24-hour news cycle and 1,000 channels.

“Apples to oranges,” says a “Today” show exec, brushing off any comparison between the embattled NBC program and “Sunday Morning.”

More after the leap.  ​

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E! Online has Twitter Account Hacked

E! Online has Twitter Account Hacked

To the shock of many teenage girls, E! Online tweeted that Justin Bieber admitted he was gay.​

But it ends up the story wasn't true and E! Online is the latest media outlet to have their Twitter account hacked. ​

“Exclusive: Justin Bieber to E!online: I’m a gay,” the E! Online account announced — prompting 1,200 retweets and 351 favorites.

A group billing itself as the Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility for the takeover. The SEA was also behind the April hijacking of The Associated Press Twitter feed.

More after the leap.  ​

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Houston EP Moves to the Other Side of the Camera

Houston EP Moves to the Other Side of the Camera

KHOU Executive Producer Mike O'Neill is moving over to the other side of the camera to do movie reviews for the station's website.

O'Neill's segment is called "Movie Minute with MikeO" and he starts off with the Weekend hit Iron Man 3 as his first review.

O'Neill is a movie buff and he gets to talk about his passion with his reviews. But he's not quitting his day job. He will continue to be the EP at KHOU.​

Check out his Iron Man 3 review after the jump.  ​

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LA’s 1st Asian-American Newscaster, Dies At 78

LA’s 1st Asian-American Newscaster, Dies At 78

Mario Machado, Los Angeles’ first Asian-American newscaster, has died.

Machado died Friday. He was 78.

During his long and storied career, Machado won eight Emmy Awards as a newscaster and TV host in Los Angeles starting in the 1960s.

Machado, who played collegiate soccer, called soccer games on CBS and Spanish-language television, and helped found the AYSO soccer organization. A family friend recalls that Machado was a strong advocate for allowing girls to play in the organization.

More after the skip.  
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Looking to Break Into the TV Business?

If you're looking to get into the TV business, a New Orleans station has a couple of entry jobs open that could help you get your foot in the door.​

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WWL-TV has an immediate opening for two part-time Desk Assistants.

The successful candidates will have a background in writing, an interest in news and current events, and a strong educational foundation.

Responsibilities include: writing for newscasts and our digital platforms; assisting on our assignment desk; working with social media.

This is an entry-level position with the opportunity to grow in our news organization.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Bill Siegel, Executive News Director, at bsiegel@wwltv.com.

Missing Anchor is Missing from The Air

Missing Anchor is Missing from The Air

KEYT (Santa Barbara) News anchor Paula Lopez has been noticeably absent from behind the news desk the past two weeks, less than a month after an inaugural broadcast return that followed her brief disappearance.

Whether the hiatus has been prompted by the same medical issues she said led to her disappearance in February — and the all-out search to find her — is unknown.

What is clear, however, is that Lopez returned to the airwaves of the Central Coast’s ABC affiliate station on April 8, alongside CJ Ward, and was last seen on air April 19.

KEYT General Manager Mark Danielson told Noozhawk that he could not comment on an employee’s health or personal issues.

“I can tell you that KEYT and NPG continue to wish Paula well,” Danielson said. “I don’t have any information on when Paula might be able to return to work.”

More after the hop.  ​


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Double Duty at the Derby

Double Duty at the Derby

The AP says that Gary Stevens will be pulling double-duty at the Kentucky Derby by riding in the race and reporting on it.

The Hall of Fame jockey will be aboard Oxbow, a 30-1 long shot in Saturday's race. Stevens has ridden in 18 Derbies and won three times. The 50-year-old jockey is four months into a comeback after being retired for seven years.

During his years out of the saddle, Stevens joined NBC as a racing analyst. Since he can't be in two places at once, Stevens will contribute a taped interview to the broadcast and will be miked for sound during the Derby.

"Gary is still on our announce team but he is a jockey trying to win a Kentucky Derby and we respect that," producer Rob Hyland said.

NBC host Tom Hammond jokingly chided Stevens "because he has abandoned me at the desk."

More after the jump.  ​

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60 Minutes Sunday

Here's what's in the hopper for TV's number 1 News magazine this Sunday:​

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COUNTERINSURGENCY COPS – Counterinsurgency tactics they used overseas in the military are helping law enforcement officers take back the streets of Springfield, Mass., from criminal gangs.  Lesley Stahl reports. Andrew Metz is the producer.

ROBIN HOOD – Inspired by a 1986 60 MINUTES story, Paul Tudor Jones founded the Robin Hood Foundation, a charity that has given over $1.25 billion to New York’s neediest. Scott Pelley reports. Henry Schuster is the producer.

INVISIBLE WOUNDS – Tens of thousands of battlefield veterans now suffer permanent brain injuries from concussions — or traumatic brain injuries — received in Afghanistan and Iraq.  David Martin reports on a situation the military is only recently coming to grips with. Mary Walsh is the producer.