After Zimmerman Trial, CNN Slips Back to 3rd

George Zimmerman did something John King could not...he raised CNN's ratings. 

The cable net saw big ratings gains during the Zimmerman trial and especially right after the verdict.

On Monday CNN had two exclusive interviews related to the George Zimmerman trial verdict, lead by Anderson Cooper's interview with a Juror from the trial.

But with the Zimmerman case over and now all the cable nets just fanning the racial flames, CNN has slipped back in the ratings.  

Wednesday's numbers show that CNN fell back to 3rd place in prime time. 

FNC: 2,197,000 in P2+ (416,000 in 25-54)

MSNBC: 734,000 in P2+ (241,000 in 25-54) 

CNN: 575,000 in P2+ (219,000 in 25-54)

It might be time to order up another trial of the century. 

Haven't we had like 8 of those over the past few years? 

We're Guessing it Was a Slow News Day

The dog days of Summer can make for some slow news days and that appears to be the case in Albuquerque and KOAT. 

The station has found a shitty way to fill the gaping news hole.

If you don't believe me...watch this: 

Out in Atlanta

Word is that WGCL CBS Atlanta will not renew Anchor/Reporter Brandon Rudat’s contract.

Rudat joined the station May 2010. He was the morning anchor on Better Mornings Atlanta from 5 a.m. – 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Trey Fabacher, general manager, said they were going a different direction in the mornings.

The serach for a replacement has started.  

CBS Pitches in with Back Up Power

The heatwave in the Northeast (or Summer as we call it here in Florida), it's putting a stain on Power companies. 

Brown outs have occurred as people are doing what they can to stay cool. The power companies having been urging customers to try and conserve power as the system is being taxed to the max.

CBS is done their part during the heatwave to not strain the system. The CBS Broadcast Center in NYC has been operating on generator power, pulling itself off the grid, to help ease the power demand on Con Edison. 

From the Burgh to the Windy City

WTAE Weather Anchor Demetrius Ivory is bouncing from the Burgh and blowing into the Windy City.

Ivory is headed to WGN in Chicago. He is being added now that WGN has decided to expand its morning news block to six hours this fall.

Ivory will share duties with meteorologist Paul Konrad on “WGN Morning News.” 

Before he joined WTAE as morning meteorologist in 2005, Ivory worked at WYTV-TV in Youngstown, Ohio, and WOHL-TV in Lima, Ohio.

He's an Ohio native and a graduate of THE Ohio State University.

H/T Rober Feder  

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