FIRST on FTV: Harrisburg ND Busted in Prostitution Sting (Updated)

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WHP (Harrisburg) News Director Dave Baer was arrested by police Thursday night after they set up  an undercover prostitution sting in Dauphin County.

Baer was arrested was after law enforcement conducted an enforcement detail at hotels throughout Swatara Township area.

Baer was arrested along with two women that police have charged with prostitution. Baer was charged with with soliciting prostitution.

Baer joined WHP in late April. At the time of his hiring WHP GM Arthur Hasson said “We are very excited about the arrival of our new news director David Baer. He has an amazing background with extensive news room experience highlighted by excellence at every step."

Not sure how the GM feels now, but we're guessing he may not be as excited as he was a couple of months ago.  

Update: WHP GM Arthur Hasson will not even confirm that his News Director was arrested. “We do not comment on personnel issues,” Hasson said. “I am not going to confirm anything to the press. It is an internal matter.”

Does anyone else this the hypocrisy bullshit in that statement? We have news for Mr. Hasson, he is the press...duh! 

While other stations in town have now reported on Baer's arrest, no one has made mention to the fact that he is WHP's News Director. WHP has ignored the story.  

Live News Anchor Auditions Going on Now

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You think applying for that anchor job and going through the interview is nerve-racking, how about if the entire thing was streamed live.

That's what is happening right now at AOL. The company is looking for a new Internet news anchor and the job pays $700 a day. What?!

Hundreds of people have applied  and the auditions are being streamed by AOL.

We haven't seen AJ Clemente, but you never no. 

Fuckin shit

Here's a link to the live stream  

 

Picking up Steam

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Picking up Steam

The George Zimmerman Trail Express is starting to pick up steam.

The Florida murder trial scored its biggest TV audiences yet Thursday morning and afternoon across local Orlando stations..

Viewers flocked to see Rachel Jeantel, the state's star witness, continue her testimony Thursday morning. The total audience was 244,200 across the five local stations.

WFTV-Channel 9 averaged 76,200 viewers, the biggest audience. The rest: WOFL-Channel 35 with 60,900 viewers, WESH-Channel 2 with 44,500, Central Florida News 13 with 39,200 and WKMG-Channel 6 with 23,400.

WFTV General Manager Shawn Bartelt has attributed the station's strong showing to the team of anchor Greg Warmoth and legal analyst Bill Sheaffer, which she says resonates with viewers.

More after the bounce.  

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Greta: CNN F'd Up when they Got Rid of Larry King

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Greta: CNN F'd Up when they Got Rid of Larry King

Fox News Anchor Greta Van Susteren appeared on Larry King's Ora TV show Thursday night and basically said that CNN F'd up when they got rid of Larry.

King asked her about Howard Kurtz leaving CNN and joining Fox News. Of course since Kurtz is coming to her network, she loved the idea and said it was a loss for CNN. 

But, then she turned to King....saying that CNN getting rid of him was "getting rid of the brand." 

After 25 years, CNN pulled the plug on King's show and replace him with Piers Morgan. King spent 25 years with CNN and left in 2010. Van Susteren described King's departure as CNN's "biggest loss."

"How do you get rid of the brand? I mean they got rid of Larry King, which was the brand at CNN," Van Susteren said. "I used to watch your numbers and every single night till the day you left, you were the top rated show. How do you get rid of the brand? That was really stupid."

The video after the leap.   

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One Year Ago

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One year ago Today, Ann Curry sat on the Today Show couch with Matt Lauer and Natalie Morales to her left and Al Roker to her right.  

Out of the commercial break, she welcomed the viewers back to the Today Show and then told them that she had been fired from the morning program.

The day had a huge impact on Curry, who in the past year has made sporadic appearances on other NBC News programs and will have her first prime time special on the network air tonight (NBC said at the time that Curry would have specials not special on the network). 

That day also had a huge impact on Matt Lauer. 

In the time it took for Ann Curry to say goodbye, Lauer's reputation did a 180 degree turn. 

Right or wrong.... Lauer came out of the Ann Curry mess the most bruised...many would argue even more so than Curry herself.  

Lauer and NBC have spent the past year doing all they can to rebuild his reputation.

Many inside the Today Show thought that dumping Curry would move them back to number 1 in the ratings.  

In the year since Curry has been gone, The Today Show has only been number 1 in the ratings for 2 days.  

Good Morning America passed the Today Show and has continued to keep their foot on the accelerator.

Behind the scenes, The Today Show has changed just about everyone that was in a management position. They are looking to build a new studio and make other changes.

It appears that Today has slowed down the ratings slide and at this point, not going backward is seen as a victory. 

Most inside NBC are hoping that in the next year, Today will be back in the top spot, ahead of Good Morning America.

Maybe the only person inside NBC not hoping for that is Ann Curry.  

"He Fired at Me"

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"He Fired at Me"

A photographer for WFSB in Hartford was shot at by a suspect police were searching for. 

Cops were looking for Andrew Samuolis, who was wanted for shooting a police officer and murdering his father.

While the search was on, the WFSB Photographer spotted the suspect wearing a bulletproof vest in a wooded area.

At first the suspect place gun he was carrying to his head. But as he sees the Photographer, he points at him and fires. 

The Photog retreats back to the news car where Reporter Kim Lucey is already inside the vehicle calling the cops and Tweeting.  

The video and more after the jump.    

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Former Motown Anchor Goes Missing

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Former Detroit Anchor Charles Pugh is missing.

Pugh is the current president of the Detroit City Council has apparently gone missing without a trace.

Pugh had missed multiple council meetings over the last month and requested a four-week medical leave Tuesday. The request was denied and the city's emergency manager gave Pugh until 5 p.m. Wednesday to show up for work.  

He did not and now has been stripped of his pay and his power. 

But that isn't the only bad news for Pugh. 

A Motown attorney held a press conference claiming the Pugh had an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Ivan Land, an Oak Park attorney representing the teenage boy's mother, claims Pugh took the student off campus in a city car and bought him gifts. Pugh was her son’s mentor through a leadership program.

“I have text messages to substantiate some of the things I am telling you...." Land said, adding that he would not be releasing the text messages at this time. 

For for ten years Pugh weekend anchor at WJBK in Detroit. He was very active on social media, but now all those accounts have been shutdown.

The mystery of where he is continues.  

Sinning in Sin City

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Sinning in Sin City

It looks like one Las Vegas Reporter might want to update her resume. 

When the news came down that U.S. Supreme Court had thrown out a federal law called the Defense of Marriage Act stations all over the country covered the story. 

Las Vegas's KLAS Reporter Sharrie Harvin covered the story and it included a sound bite from Pastor Kelcey West of Nehemiah Ministries Christian Church.

Harvin said "Some people are extremely concerned about the direction this takes our nation" and cited God as "the ultimate judge" of same-sex relationships.

What Harvin did not say is that West is her pastor and Nehemiah Ministries is her church.

Oh! And she is the public relations director for the church.

Oops! 

After the leap, what the News Director has to say and how this is the first time this Reporter did this.  

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One Day at a Time

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Paula Deen's loss is the Today Show's gain. 

The NBC morning show beat it's rival Good Morning America in the ratings, although it was only for one day.  

Ratings showed "Today" got 168,000 more viewers than "GMA" on Wednesday, when Lauer interviewed Deen about the controversy over her use of the n-word.

This is the first win for Today over GMA since Hurricane Sandy last November.

Again...it was only one day, but for the staff at the Today Show, they'll take any good news at this point.  

What did Matt Lauer do after his interview with Deen? He played golf at Manhasset’s Deepdale Golf Club.

Good man. 

Changing Channels

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Adams Broadcast Consulting reports the following client news:

Julie Durda, morning meteorologist for WPLG-TV in Miami, will be filling in on Good Morning America on July 6th and 7th

Troy Hirsch is promoted to Sports Director at KSWB-TV in San Diego from weekend sports.

Jenn Strathman moves to WPTV in West Palm Beach where she will head up a new consumer investigative unit , leaving WEWS-TV in Cleveland where she was a consumer reporter.

Julie, Troy and Jenn are represented by Dana Adams.  Adams Broadcast Consulting is a full service boutique agency.  Visit ABC on the web at www.adamsconsulting.tv.

 

FindJodi.com Live Tweets Event 18 Years Later

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In an effort to keep the search active for missing anchor Jodi Huisentruit, FindJodi.com is live tweeting what happened 18 years ago Today when the TV Anchor went missing as she was leaving her apartment headed to the station. 

The site is live tweeting the 24 hrs before & after Jodi's disappearance, 18 years after the fact.

FindJodi.com site founder Josh Benson and board member Tara Manis are tweeting as the events unfolded at the time. You can follow the Twitter feed at this link. 

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This is your 15 Minutes Dan...Enjoy it

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This is your 15 Minutes Dan...Enjoy it

The Today Show has officially run out of guests and are now interviewing NBC Interns. 

This morning, Dan Stein was on the Today Show talking about how he ran with the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA to NBC Correspondent Pete Williams. 

Stein was featured on a umber of websites showing him running to Williams. 

It was interesting when Natalie Morales was introducing Stein she said because of Stein's running "Pete was first, or near first with the news." 

I can see the promo now, "NBC we are First....or near First with the news as it breaks."

Video of Stein's 15 minutes of fame on Today is up after the Jump.  

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Tucson Talent Leaving in Contract Disputes

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Tucson Talent Leaving in Contract Disputes

Three TV Newsies are leaving their TV news gigs in Tucson. 

Two of the three of are bolting because of contract disputes.

FTVLive FIRST told you that KOLD news anchor Scott Kilbury was leaving the station.

Kilbury's next stop is upstate New York, KVOA sports director Ryan Recker has taken a job in Pittsburgh, and KVOA reporter Lorraine Rivera is leaving the industry to spend time with her family.

But there is more to the stories of Kilbury and Rivera - both of whom say they would have stuck around had they managed to work out their contracts.

Anchor Kilbury, 46, had been with KOLD since 2001. He had been been working without a contract since August, when he declined to sign an extension while negotiating for higher pay. He said KOLD pulled its offer and told him he could stay until he found a new job.

Kilbury said he was willing to accept the original offer two days after he declined it, but KOLD management would not budge. He didn't start seriously looking for a job until February.

More after the jump.    

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Miami Anchor Desperately Searches for his Dog

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Miami Anchor Desperately Searches for his Dog

As a huge animal lover, this story breaks our heart and we can totally feel for WFOR (Miami) Anchor Elliot Rodiguez.

The WFOR anchorman has lost his dog and is desperately trying to find him.

Rodriquez 6-year-old silky terrier Freddie is the unofficial station’s night-shift mascot.

Rodriguez used to bring the 10-pound Freddie to the studios, and Freddie was known to lie down and guard Rodriguez as he did his on-air thang at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.

But Freddie bolted from a dog-sitter Monday morning and Rodriguez is worried sick.

During his dinner break at work, the newscaster now drives to the Miramar Parkway complex and distributes flyers.

“It’s like losing a family member,” Rodriguez said.

More after the jump.   

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