Indianapolis Station Expands Morning Newscast

WISH has moved up the start of their morning newscast, Daybreak.

The show is now hitting the air at 4:30 a.m.

Why? 

“We have seen an increase in viewers’ desire for earlier news, so we wanted to deliver our great Daybreak news product to that audience,” said WISH-TV news director Steve Bray.

How the station saw the viewer's  "desire for earlier news" was not explained by Bray. 

But he did add that “from bringing viewers up-to-date on overnight news, and breaking news, weather and traffic; our team works hard to get our viewers ready for their day ahead with all the information they need.”

God those viewers are so lucky to get all that. 

Really Wolf?!

I guess you can call them The Syria Six..... 

HuffPo says that the six anchors who were due to interview President Obama about Syria on Monday posed for a group photo at the White House.

PBS host Gwen Ifill said that the snapshot was Wolf Blitzer's idea.

Looks like Wolf just was looking for a chance to steal second base on Savannah Guthrie.

Just saying....  

Tell Me No One Saw this Coming....

Human train wreck George Zimmerman is being questioned in Central Florida after an incident involving a gun with another person.

Lake Mary police say they were called to a house on Sprucewood Road Monday afternoon after a report that Zimmerman was involved in an altercation with another person with a threat involved.

According to Lake Mary Police Chief Steve Bracknell, Shellie Zimmerman called 911 claiming George Zimmerman had a gun and was making threats.

"He’s in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying 'step closer' and he’s just threatening all of us," Shellie Zimmerman said in the 911 call, adding that George Zimmerman was "trying to shut the garage door" on her.

How this guy doesn't win citizen of the year is beyond me.  

H/T WKMG

That Didn't Take Long

Back on June 11th FTVLive told you that WCCB (Charlotta) Anchor Morgan Fogarty was leaving to take a job with Al Jazeera.

She's already decided working for the cable news station was not for her and she's headed back to Charlotte and WCCB. 

Fogarty said the idea of going to New York seemed like the right thing to do but she came to the decision with her husband, Jeremy, to return to Charlotte. She is excited to re-unite with her colleagues at WCCB.

In other words she sees that Al Jazeera is going to be a complete failure with viewers just as FTVLive said it would be.  

Why Waste People's Time with this Idiot?

Anthony Weiner has as much chance as winning the NY Mayoral election Tomorrow as I do....yet NBC's Today Show had Carlos Danger on this morning to talk about his chances.

Despite the fact that Weiner is 4th in the polls, the Today Show did not interview the 3 candidates that are ahead of him.  

Weiner took issue with Savannah Guthrie bringing up his wife Huma and not talking just about him.  

So, why did Today wastes everyone's time with this freaking idiot? 

Here's the video: 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Today Show Set Debut Pushed Back

If you tuned into NBC's Today this morning to see their new set, you were disappointed.  

This morning's show was once again broadcasting from outside 30 Rock despite previously announced plans to debut a new set this morning. In the background, the windows of Studio 1A were still covered.

During the show, the talent said next Monday, Sept. 16, is the new debut date for Studio 1A.

This coincides with the scheduled “Fox & Friends” set debut and Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s debut as coanchor.

Anchor Savannah Guthrie subtly acknowledged the delay in the opening segment, adding that she had a dream over the weekend that the new set “had a jacuzzi.”

H/T Newscast Studio  

Spotted in Phoenix

KPHO the Meredith station has been looking for a News Director since Michelle Donaldson left last month to go to KOB in New Mexico.

FTVLive spies spotted former Salt Lake City News Director Larry Perret at the KPHO studios interviewing for the ND job. 

Perret has been on the beach since he was pink slipped in Salt Lake back in February.  

Perret was a former ND in LA before heading over to the dark side as a consultant with Magid. 

He's now pitching the ND job in Phoenix. 

Stay tuned... 

Babewatch News

Here's a promo for WSVN's (Miami) morning newscast Today in Florida.

At least we think it's a news promo, it might be a photo shoot for Victoria's Secret.

Only two guys are shown in the entire promo for a total of less than two seconds.  

Here is the Babewatch news promo: 

Dodging The Crossfire and the Teleprompter

CNN's relaunch of Crossfire kicks off tonight and it might be worth tuning in just to watch Newt Gingrich try and use a teleprompter. 

The new CNN host said in a Friday conference call that he is still trying to adjust to using a prompter.

HuffPo writes that Gingrich and his co-hosts Stephanie Cutter, Van Jones and S.E. Cupp spent the past week rehearsing for the revived debate show, which premieres Monday at 6:30 p.m.When asked what has surprised him during rehearsal, Gingrich said that the "technical" aspect of being on cable news has required getting used to. 

"Getting cued to go to the teleprompter is much more disruptive if your normal behavior is to be the guest," the former Speaker of the House told reporters on Friday. "As the guest, you don’t care that they’re screaming, you know, get out, get out, you know?"

He added, "At least in my case because I learned slower than these other guys, we have been practicing just at basic stuff, which I never experienced when I was the guest."

Sam Feist, CNN's Washington bureau chief, noted that the debate show is unscripted and that the teleprompter is used to introduce subjects and cut to commercial breaks.

Stay tuned....  

Out the Door in Dallas

After 7 years on the air, veteran KDFW reporter Emily Lopez has left the station.

Her last day was yesterday.

Yup, it’s true,” Lopez confirmed via email to Ed Bark. “My husband got a job out of state and I will be joining him. It’s hard to leave a place after seven years.”

Asked to elaborate on where she’s heading, Lopez said, “No, I cannot elaborate.”

The Brooklyn native previously worked at TV stations in San Antonio, Lubbock, Asheville, NC and Raleigh, NC, where she spent three years before joining Fox4 in May 2006.

Charlie's Big "Get"

While President Obama continues to drum up support to drop some bombs on Syria, CBS/PBS may have landed the biggest interview in the hotly-contested international crisis yet.

Charlie Rose sat down with one with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday morning.

Charlie Rose interviewed the Syrian leader in Damascus, and discussed with the prez his alleged use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians on August 21. Per Rose, who called in to CBS’ “Face the Nation” and relayed details of the interview, Assad wholly denied the allegations.

Assad “denied that he had anything to do with the attack,” Rose said. “He denied that he knew there was a chemical attack, notwithstanding what has been said and notwithstanding the videotape. He said there’s not enough evidence to make a conclusive judgment. He would not say even, even though I read him the lead paragraph of the New York Times today in the story  about their chemical weapons supply. And he said I cannot confirm or deny that we do have them.”

Interview with Rose marks Assad’s first interview with an American news outlet in roughly two years.

Rose’s interview with Assad will be aired in segments beginning Monday on “CBS This Morning,” which Rose co-hosts, and the full-length interview with air on PBS’ “The Charlie Rose Show” Monday night.

H/T Variety