Widening the Lead in Chicago

With the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals in June, NBC O&O WMAQ was catching up to longtime blowtorch WLS in the late news ratings. 

But now, in the July book, WLS has once again widened the lead. 

Halfway through the July ratings book, WMAQ had notched a 5.5 rating, compared to WLS's 7.7 rating. CBS-owned WBBM'ss late news is in third place at 10 p.m. with a 4.0 rating. 

The NBC O&O has begun to air more investigative pieces on its late local newscast in an attempt to attract more viewers.

But nothing seems to have worked as well — or a quickly — as the final rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs last month. 

H/T Chicago Business Journal  

Take That Rolling Stone

Boston Magazine writes that the Rolling Stone cover featuring the suspected Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has, of course, set off a firestorm of controversy across the country.

Critics believe that the cover glamorizes Tsarnaev, depicting him as a kind of rock ‘n roll outlaw rather than a terrorist who has been charged with killing four people and seriously wounding hundreds of others.

More from Boston Magazine 

EXCLUSIVE: Demoted Miami Met Dallas Bound

This morning FTVLive told you that KTVT in Dallas had parted ways with veteran meteorologist Garry Seith.

Seith, who has been working the weekday morning shift is out the door and it looks like the station has already found a replacement

South Florida sources tell FTVLive that WPLG Weather Anchor Scott Padgett is going to KTVT to fill the hole in Dallas. 

As FTVLive FIRST told you Padgett got bumped down the food chain at WPLG when the station hired weather hottie Julie Durda.  

Now word is Padgett is leaving SoFlo for the Big D. 

Stay tuned and remember where you read it first.  

In and Out of the Office

Starting Today through Monday, FTVLive will be on a bit of a wacky schedule. 

The Jacksonville Golf Association City Amateur starts Today and I have a 8:09AM tee time. 

If I make the cut, the tournament is 4 days long. If I don't then I am wrapped up by Friday afternoon.

On Sunday evening, I have to go to Orlando for a Monday qualifier for another tournament. Again, I have a very early tee time on Monday.

Monday night it will be a 3 hour drive back to the FTVLive World Headquarters and hopefully a fairly normal day on Tuesday.

Then Wednesday, I have another deal that will have me out of the office.  

I really thought about just taking the week off. But, I haven't taken off a single day in over 6 months...and I just don't want to do that just yet.

FTVLive is on track for a month like we have never seen before. The site continues to grow and the traffic continues to increase. 

So, I will continue to update the site, but it might be on different schedule (like the middle of the night) than you have been used to. I will travel with my laptop in the car and try to hit WiFi hotspots where and when I can. 

There are some great perks to owning a one person company, but when you have some outside events planned it makes it a bit more difficult.

It's not like I can just schedule the Weekend Anchor to takeover while I'm gone.  

Thanks for understanding, you guys truly are the best.  

It's the Job you Always Wanted

If you have grown sick of the day to day job on Journalism, we might have a job for you. 

The best part is no Journalism skills are required what-so-ever.  

TMZ is looking to hire someone for their new venture TMZ Sports. 

TMZ writes that they're NOT looking for lazy, camera hoggin' fame-whores (we've already got enough of those) -- we need some hard-working, motivated people with FIRE in their bellies to help us get the content our users want to see. Plus, you'll also be on camera. 

So hurry up and apply now, you're Mom will be so proud.  

Dumped in Dallas

KTVT has parted ways with Veteran meteorologist Garry Seith.

Ed Bark says that Seith, who has been working the weekday early morning shift at CBS11, is “no longer with the station,” director of communications Lori Conrad confirmed Wednesday evening.

His bio already has been removed from the CBS11 website, and Seith could not immediately be reached for comment on his future plans.

He spent seven years at CBS11 and sister station TXA21, arriving in August 2006 from KPLR-TV in St. Louis, where he also worked for seven years.

Conrad said that incumbent meteorologist Jeff Jamison is filling in on weekday early mornings while the station seeks a replacement.

Houston Weather Anchor Headed Back to the Left Coast

KPRC Weekend Weather Anchor Mary Lee and her pet Chihuahua Rosco are packing up and leaving the Lone Star State.

Lee who's been at KPRC for 3 years told her fans on Facebook that she's leaving: 

I just wanted to let you know I've decided to move back to the West Coast to be closer to my family. I really miss them. But before I head back home, I want to thank you. Over these last three years, I have come to love Houston and all of you. Ever since I first started at KPRC, you have welcomed me and embraced me. Your support, your kind words, every encouraging email, your sweet tweets and FB comments have meant so much to me. I feel so blessed and grateful for my time in Houston. I will truly miss you!

No word yet on where she's headed in California.

Stay tuned...  

Olbermann: I'm Not Going to Waste It

As FTVLive told you, Keith Olbermann is coming back to the scene of the crime. 

ESPN and Olby made official what everyone had been reporting, the ego is coming back to the sports channel to host his own show. 

The show will be titled "Olbermann" (go figure) and will air at 11PM on ESPN 2. 

"Apart from the opportunity to try to create a nightly hour of sports television that no fan can afford to miss, I’m overwhelmed by the chance to begin anew with ESPN," Olbermann said in a statement. "I'm grateful to friends and bosses – old and new – who have permitted that opportunity to come to pass. I’m not going to waste it."

Yes he will. 

MSNBC Legal Analyst Found Dead

Attorney Jay Fahy, who appeared on MSNBC as a legal analyst was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot near his office in Rutherford, New Jersey. 

“Something happened in the last two weeks. But none of us can figure out what it is.”

Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli confirmed Fahy’s death, which he said was “the result of a single gunshot wound to the head, fired with a handgun.”

Two men walking under a railroad trestle near the Castle Billiards Lounge found Fahy’s body around 5 o’clock tonight, barely 1,000 feet from his Route 17 office and down the street from his Ridge Road home, Molinelli said.

“There doesn’t appear to be any evidence of foul play. But with the East Rutherford police, we will try to determine what happened.

H/T Cliffview Pilot

Sharpton's Squezze

For some reason the The NY Daily News  (and Drudge) think that Al Sharpton's dating habits are news. 

The paper writes that the civil rights activist and MSNBC star, 58, is dating 35-year-old Aisha McShaw, a Westchester “personal stylist” who has been seen on Sharpton’s arm at several recent black-tie affairs.

Two things shock me...

First, if Sharpton is a "star" at MSNBC, no wonder why their ratings suck. Second, he's only 58?! He looks like he's 75. 

AJR to Stop Printing

The American Journalism Review is going to stop printing their magazine and become a student run website that will be subscription based.  

AJR says they will end production of its print edition and launch a redesigned website in Fall 2013 as it becomes an online-only publication, the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism announced Wednesday.

Most of AJR's content will be produced by Merrill College students under the guidance of Merrill faculty members Leslie Walker and Sean Mussenden.

"The model for publishing has clearly shifted to digital formats as online readership has grown," said Merrill College Dean Lucy A. Dalglish. "It no longer made financial sense for the award-winning AJR to continue producing a print magazine because most AJR readers accessed content on the Web. In addition, philanthropy has long been an important source of funding for print magazines devoted to media criticism. That support has steadily declined over the past 10 years."

A Photographer's Dream

A fireworks store when up in flames in Indiana. The fire at Windy City Fireworks broke out last night and pretty much destroyed the entire store.

But, it was one damn good looking fire for local news Photographers.  

The Rolling Stone Cover

Two media outlets called me and 3 more sent me emails asking me for my take on Rolling Stone magazine cover?

The cover features Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and both CVS and Walgreens had said they will not stock the magazine. 

I have no clue why people are calling me and asking for my opinion, who cares what I think? 

But since they asked, here's my thought.

I feel as a Journalist and I think that every Journalist feels the same way...Rolling Stone has every right to put what they want on the cover. CVS and Walgreens have every right not to put the magazine on their shelves.

That's what makes this a great country.

End of story, over and done.  

The Guy That Hired Jeff Zucker at CNN is Stepping Down

Phil Kent is going to leave his post as CEO of Turner Broadcasting in January.

Kent is the guy that hired former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Zucker to run CNN. 

The Change was announced Wednesday morning in a memo to Turner staffers.

Kent will remain chairman of TBS for a period in 2014. He will be succeeded by Time Warner chief financial officer John Martin.

H/T Variety  

This Guy is Better Than Your Weatherman

I don't care what you think, this guy is better than the Weatherman at your station. How he hasn't been hired by a top market station yet is beyond us.?

Here's his forecast for Today.