Off to a Good Start

Yesterday WGN in Chicago expanded their Morning News from 4-10am, airing an extra hour of news from 9-10am. 

It looks like the station is off to a good start. On their first day, WGN Morning News was #1 in the time period from 9-10am as well as #1 overall from 6-10am.  

WGN Morning News (9am hour) beat “LIVE with Kelly & Michael,” which recently made its move to WLS-TV.  The added hour is fronted by anchors Larry Potash, Robin Baumgarten, weather anchor Paul Konrad and sports anchor Pat Tomasulo, featuring a lighter, more conversational take on the news of the day.

The first show got off to a rousing start with an accidental hang-up during a phone interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Bill Maher Asks Leno Why NBC Keeps Firing Him?

Bill Maher went on the Tonight Show and asked Jay Leno why NBC keeps firing him when he's number 1 in the ratings?  

Here's the clip:  

The Pros and Cons of Being Self Employed

After 20 plus years working in TV News, I have spent the past 13 years working for myself. 

Many people dream of working for themselves, sitting home all day doing what you want, when you want. 

Let me give you a little taste of that dream.  

More, plus a list of some of the Pros and Cons to working for yourself at this link to ScottLand

FTVLive Talent Spotlight - Lacey Lett

Today's Talent Spotlight is Lacey Lett Anchor\Reporter\Host. Lett was most recently the host of 'Great Day Green Country' in Tulsa Oklahoma. You can contact her at laceylett@gmail.com 

You can watch her demo reel by clicking below: 

If you want your Resume featured on FTVLive.com, talk to your agent or email us.

You will be seen by thousands of News Managers without the phone calls or the postage. It's a deal you can't pass up.

Leaving The Weather Channel

After 3 years, Crystal Egger is leaving The Weather Channel and headed to the Left Coast. 

Egger came to TWC from Denver, but is now headed back to California which is home.  She is not tipping off where she is headed just yet, but rumor has it she is going to a SoCal station.

Here is the internal memo sent out to the staff at TWC announcing that Egger is leaving: 

From: Jennifer Rigby <jennifer.rigby@weather.com>
Date: September 2, 2013, 6:26:14 PM EDT
To: DL OCM Department <OCM_Department@weather.com>, DL Producers <Producers@weather.com>, 
Subject: Crystal Egger

I am sorry to announce that Crystal Egger is leaving us.  That lure of home is just too strong and Crystal has a great opportunity that will take her back home to California.  She can't reveal the details yet but stay tuned.  

Crystal joined us three years ago and has been an important member of the Weather Center Live team and always a dedicated team player for live programming.   We and her fans will certainly miss her on TWC.  

Her last official day is Friday, September 6th, but she'll be in town packing through the 15th and will jump in if the tropics act up before she leaves Atlanta. 

Please join me in wishing Crystal much success in her next adventure and we hope to see her again on the air.
Jennifer 

Charlotte Anchor to Resurface in Denver

FTVLive FIRST told you last week that after 3 years at WCNC in Charlotte, Morning Anchor Kellie Patterson is leaving the station.  

She is headed to KMGH in Denver.  

No word yet on what show Patterson will anchor in the Mile High City. 

Patterson is known as the anchor that competed on CBS's 'Amazing Race.' She did that while still a student at the University of South Carolina .

ND Out the Door in Louisville

WHAS News Director Mark Neerman has "resigned" from the station.

The station isn't commenting on the real reason, but Neerman's "resignation " effective immediately.

The staff got word that Neerman was gone in an email from GM Linda Danna. 

Neerman had been at the station since 2009.  

Longtime Bakersfield ND Retires

Longtime KGET News Director John Pilios is getting out while the getting is good.

After 14 years at the station, Pilios retires from the station Today.

Before coming to Bakersfield in 1999, Pilios was news director at KCOY TV in Santa Maria, the city where he broke into broadcasting as a radio disc jockey in 1977.

When he came out of the Navy in 1970, John Pilios kicked around for a while, trying to find the right job. 

"I did a lot of jobs that you could say I wasn't very good at. But I'd always wanted to be in broadcasting", Pilios said.

His dream was to be a baseball play-by-play announcer. Vin Scully was his idol.

But, his wife Cindy was not dialed in on John's dream.

"I always felt a little guilty about it. I wouldn't let him do it...dragging our daughter around the states doing what I thought was a stupid thing," she said.

So, John and wife Cindy and baby daughter Dawn established roots in Santa Maria.

"Being a compassionate journalist and a pursuer of the truth and the two things can coexist easily, and that's what I've tried to impart on the people I've worked with," Pilios said.

More at KGET

Jon Stewart Returns

Jon Stewart made his return to The Daily Show and it was a very funny opening bit. And unlike Keith Olbermann, he worked Carlos Danger into his return to the air.

Let's go to the video:

Off and Streaming

WLS in Chicago started streaming their Noon newscast this week and so far "ABC 7 To Go," has gone on without any major glitches.

As FTVLive reported back in June, the station dumped their 11AM newscast and replaced it with a web only version.  

The station said they expected the streaming cast to last somewhere in the 8 to 10 minute range, but they went past that mark on the first day.  

The streaming cast was anchored by  Alan Krashesky (pictured). He fronted the newscast from the newsroom.

So far the newscast is airing without commercials. But we're sure the station's sales staff will be working to change that.  

The Monster is Dead

Cleveland stations had a very busy night, when the news broke late last night that Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who kidnapped three young women and kept them captive in his basement for ten years, was found hanging in his cell at about 9:30 p.m.

Castro was pronounced dead at 10:52 pm. at a Cleveland hospital. 

WOIO Reporter Ed Gallek said that Castro had been on suicide watch. Guards were supposed to checked on him every 30 minutes.

His body was reportedly discovered during a regular security check.

BriWi is Back!

Brian Williams who took time off to have knee surgery was back Tonight on NBC Nightly News.  

Williams opened the newscast with the latest on Syria.  

It looks like BriWi has comeback just as things are heating up.The slow news days of Summer and gone.

Let's hope his knee holds up.  

It was Either a Very Small Car....

....or a really fat body.