Al Jazeera Hires the Has Beens and the Never was's

FTVLive was chatting with a Network Executive on Friday Afternoon and we started discussing the upcoming launch of Al Jazeera America. 

We both agreed that the channel will be hard pressed to pull any decent ratings for any of their shows.

But, the Net Exec said something about the Al Jazeera hires. "They are hiring a bunch of has beens or never was's and they are lacking a major star," said the Executive. 

The statement seemed kind of harsh, but was it off base? Al Jazeera has hired some people of have heard of in the past, but many of them were out of work and on the beach.

The network suit called them the  "B-listers of TV news" Antonio Mora, John Seigenthaler, Joie Chen and Del Walters are some of the names. Yesterday they announced former MSNBC anchor David Shuster was also joining the network.

AJA seems to be lacking that big name that might induce viewer sampling when the network is expected to hit the air in 10 days.

You can bet that there will be many times the network will get just hash marks for ratings. 

As he Network Executive said, the other cable news channels may watch them out of curiosity, but no one else will. 

As we said, it sounds cold, but it may in fact be true. 

Stay tuned...  

Out the Door in the Twin Cities

After 3 years, former CNN Anchor Heidi Collins is out at KMSP in Minneapolis. 

Collins last day on air was July 29th, but the station is just getting around to announcing it now. 

No one is saying anything in regards as to why Collins is leaving, but sources tell FTVLive the two sides could not agree on a new contract.  

"It has been gratifying to contribute to the success of Fox 9 during these past 3 years," said Collins in a prepared statement. "However, I have decided to explore new opportunities. It has been entirely my honor to serve the great people and communities in and around Mpls./St. Paul. Without a doubt, it is my much-appreciated viewers I will miss the most. I am blessed to have several opportunities both in television and global business to pursue. Neither of which will be without my continued non-profit work of 17 years supporting our brave troops and their families."

Collins was hired by the station in Sept. 2010 to replace longtime anchor Robyne Robinson, who left the station in May of that year.

Carol Rueppel, vice president and general manager of KMSP, said in the same statement: "We want to thank Heidi for her contributions to the FOX 9 news team and we wish her much success in the future."

How Tall is He?

Watching NBC's preseason NFL game last night, I surprised that more wasn't made about Cleveland Cornerback Trevin Wade. 

It appears that Wade is the shortest player in NFL history and it's likely it is record that will never be broken. 

According to the NBC graphics department, Wade is only 1 foot tall.  

As KTVU would say Sum Ting Wong.  

LA Station Pulling Plug on News

While news departments around the country are adding newscasts, one LA station is giving up. 

KCOP is yanking te plug on their 7 and 11PM newscasts and replacing them with The Simpson's and The King of Queens.

The FOX O&O is part of the LA duopoly along with KTTV. 

Fox says there will be no layoffs, but sources tell FTVLive some contracts will not be renewed as they come up. 

Former Anchor Says Even He Can't Fix It

Former WCCO (Minneapolis)  anchor Don Shelby has come to his senses and says he won't run for Congress.

Shelby realizes that Congress is now broken beyond repair. The former anchor says the current gridlocked Congress is not a place where important issues can be resolved.

Democrats approached Shelby to consider running for office, but Shelby told his old station he's not willing to give up time with his family or his 50-year career as a journalist.

Shelby says he's not comfortable getting labeled a Democrat or Republican. He says he's neither.

With the way Congress acts, can anyone blame him? 

Salisbury Station Sells for Nothing

While this has been the Summer of the TV station sale, one station was stolen.

Delmarva Broadcast Services is selling WMDT (Salisbury, Md) to a couple for just $9 million bucks.  

Brian and Patricia Lane are getting into the TV owership biz with WMDT as their very first station.  

And to pick up up the station for just $9 million, or roughly the same amount of cash you can find in Jeff Bezos couch cushions, is a good deal. 

What's up with you Dude? Vol. 7

Time to open up the email and clean out the inbox with another of the very widely popular "What's up with you Dude?"

So let's dive right in: 

Email 1 - I have landed a job in TV news and I hate it. There is so much drama in the newsroom and everyone talks behind everyone else's back. I feel like I wasted 4 years of going to J-school, to now work in an industry that I hate. What's your advice?

The answer to that question and more in ScottLand

MSNBC to Turn to Actor into Anchor

Just when you thought MSNBC could not get anymore shallow, they seem to drain just a bit more water out of the pool. 

The cable news channel that admits it doesn't like to cover news is looking to give a show to actor Alec Baldwin.

Mediaite reports that the so far untitled show will air Fridays at 10 p.m. ET and will feature a large dose of Baldwin’s outspoken liberal politics.

MSNBC has long given up on Journalism when it started giving shows to people like Al Sharpton. Now, they are looking to make actors, anchors. 

MSNBC released a statement not denying the story but not confirming it either. “We’re fans of Alec but we’ve got nothing to say regarding this unconfirmed report.”

So yeah...it's totally happening. 

Sorry Sean, You're Out!

Fox News appears to have too many stars and not enough time. 

Ever since the network announced that daytime host Megyn Kelly was moving to prime time, tongues have been wagging as to who's slot she was going to get?

Many expected Kelly to push aside Greta Van Susteren, but that does not seem to be the case. It looks like Sean Hannity is moving aside to make room for Kelly.

FNC is not talking, but now speculation is Hannity is getting knocked down to 7PM with Van Susteren remaining at 10 p.m. O'Reilly would keep anchoring the night at 8 p.m.

Since the Presidential election, Hannity's ratings have fallen off quite a bit at the 9PM slot. It appears that Fox News is ready to move some new blood into that time period and Kelly is the perfect fit.

Stay tuned...  

Houston we got a problem!

Word is that the first 10 minutes of KTRK's (Houston) 10PM Newscast last night was just one commercial after the other. 

Either the ABC O&O has just given up on news and going all commercials or the station had some technical problems that was keeping the newscast off the air.

August is a notoriously slow news month, but this might be a bit extreme.

The station made no mention of the problem on their Facebook page or Twitter page.

BTW that would have been the perfect place to let viewers know what was happening.  

Springfield Station's News Set is Recognized

WICS in Springfield, IL has one very cool looking news set and now it is getting some recognition.  

WICS has just received an Emmy nomination for excellence in set design.

The station launched their new HD News Set late last year to rave reviews. the set was created by Devlin Design Group

"By keeping in mind our client's need for a more modern and versatile environment, we created a news set that is fresh and contemporary, mixing new technology and design seamlessly while providing WICS with a multitude of storytelling venues. We are thrilled about our client's Emmy nomination, and very excited to be a part of their success." ~Dan Devlin, Creative Director, Devlin Design Group.

"The main focus of this design was to create a visually stunning set that was vibrant and versatile

with a sleek, modern vibe to it. We're thrilled and privileged to receive the Emmy nomination for WICS Set" ~Kartik Dakshinamoorthy, Scenic Design Director, Devlin Design Group.

Combining all of the news set components; warm wood and stone textures, sleek metallics mixed with modern technology and led lighting, elevated WICS above their competition. The dynamic and versatile set design provided WICS with the flexibility they needed for presenting breaking news stories, weather, sports and entertainment.

More images of this awesome set, plus video can been seen here http://www.ddgtv.com/projects/wics

Ummm Yeah...They Went Too far

When KTSM Adrienne Alvarez was arrested at her home for domestic violence, KVIA was licking their chops.

The station thought they had a sensational story that would bring in viewers and make the other station look bad. 

It backfired and the only station looking bad was KVIA. 

Viewers saw the story as an attempt to kick Alvarez while she was down. After the viewers let KVIA have it, the station starting apologizing for their tabloid journalism gone wrong. 

"Well last night we aired a story about KTSM's Adrienne Alvarez. It was a misguided attempt to provide someone accused of wrongdoing a chance to explain her side of the story. However, we exercised an error in  judgment. That type of report does not meet our standards for ethics or journalism and what you've come to expect from ABC-7. We assure  you this has been a learning experience for those involved. We apologized at the end of yesterday's newscast and we apologize again tonight."

One viewer posted a mug shot of former KVIA morning weatherman Jorge Torres, 
who was arrested in January on the station's Facebook page.

Torres was busted on a public intoxication charge, which was later dismissed. KVIA officials responded by stating they aired a story about Torres' arrest, and that a search of their website would result in a link to the story.

The El Paso Times did just that, and could not find the story.  

It is just another example of how stations clam up when one of their own is in trouble. But in this case, the station decided to delight in the troubles of an anchor at a competing station.  

You can't have it both ways, in KVIA had it blow up in their face.  

H/T El Paso Times

Fox Sports Swipes US Open from NBC

NBC sports has had the rights to the US Open (Golf) for years, not anymore.

The United States Golf Association has sold the rights to the US Open for Fox Sports. The deal includes the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open Championships, as well as the USGA’s national amateur championships and other live content, beginning in 2015.

“This is an exciting and remarkable day for the USGA, as our partnership with FOX Sports is a game-changer for our organization and for the game of golf,” said USGA President Glen D. Nager. “The game is evolving and requires bold and unique approaches on many levels, and FOX shares our vision to seek fresh thinking and innovative ideas to deliver championship golf. This partnership will help us to better lead and serve the game in new and exciting ways.”

“It’s with tremendous excitement and pride that we’ve added events with the prestige and magnitude of the USGA’s U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open to the big events FOX Sports is set to cover for years to come,” said FOX Sports Co-President and COO, Randy Freer.

The deal is for 12 years.  

It is a big blow to NBC which also owns the Golf Channel.