Gannett/BELO Deal Moves Closer to Being Done

The Gannett/ BELO deal moves a step closer to being a done deal, but it looks like KMOV's future in St. Louis is still up in the air.  

Today, the Justice Department endorsed the Gannett-Belo Merger but with divestiture Of KMOV.

Deadline reports that Gannett already owns the local NBC station in St. Louis, KSDK. 

So it isn’t terribly concerned about the Justice Department’s insistence that it unload “substantially all” of the assets at Belo’s local CBS station, KMOV, as a condition to win antitrust approval for its $1.5B acquisition of the TV station power. 

“The synergies associated with KMOV-TV were nominal” and won’t change their forecast to realize $175M in savings for each of the first three years after the deal closes, the companies say. Gannett’s local clout “will not be impacted” when KMOV is divested, expected sometime next year. 

Gannett and Belo still have to win the FCC’s endorsement before the deal can close. But investors are encouraged. Gannett shares are up 1.9% today

Taking the News out of Headline News

If you want more proof that Jeff Zucker is taking the news out of Headline News, check out his latest hires.

HLN announced three new executive hires and you can put their news experience in a thimble. 

The network hired former Nickelodeon executive Adrienne Lopez. She'll be the special projects director at HLN.

The new senior VP of programming is Keith Brown and he comes from that news beast (sarcasm) Spike TV.

Lastly the new VP of programming development is Karl Kim and he comes from Worldwide Biggies, which is basically a production house. 

HLN continues to move further away from news, which is what the channel was originally known for. It's kind of like if ESPN changed to a cooking channel. 

LA Reporter Learns to See Again after Brain Tumor Operation

KTTV's Julie Chang is learning to see again, weeks after her brain tumor was removed. 

KTTV's 'Good Day LA' entertainment presenter was diagnosed in September when she underwent a CT scan following a surfing accident.

Now the show's hosts have assured fans that Chang, nicknamed 'One Eyed Willie' due to her vision troubles, is well on the way to recovery.

'One of the difficulties in her road to recovery has been her eyesight. It's improving everyday but it's definitely not 100%. But, trust me it's not holding her back! She's learned to roll with it,' 'Good Day LA' anchor Maria Sansone wrote on KTTV's website.

Chang suffered a black eye about three months ago when her surfboard struck her in the face. 

The accident prompted a scan in which doctors spotted the tumor in the young woman's brain. 

'LA, thank you,' she said. 'If it wasn't for my move to Southern California, I would've never taken up surfing, which in a way, may have saved my life.'

Chang, who underwent surgery in late November, shared updates on her condition on Instagram and Twitter, thanking her fans for their support.

'My @gdla family not a day goes by w\o 1 of you checking in on me. THANK U & love you. #roadToRecovery,' she wrote on December 5.

'Day 5 post brain surgery. Pretty weak in strength but high in sprits. Overwhelmed by all ur love (sic),' she posted on Twitter on November 25.

Chang relocated to LA about a year ago after four years at WNYW in New York City, where she was an entertainment reporter. 

Previously, she was a general assignment reporter at WPIX.

Chang is originally from South Korea, but moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, when she was nine-years-old. At the age of 15, her family returned to Korea, but Chang stayed in the United States.

She graduated from the University of Michigan with a B. A. in economics. Chang also attended Oxford University, in Oxford, England, before embarking on a career in journalism.

H/T Daily Mail

It's a Bone Chilling 62 Degrees

While the East coast has been getting pounded by snow and temps are struggling to get out of the teens, LA has also had some chilly weather.

The temps in Los Angeles dipped way down into the 50's and news crews were still sent out in these dangerously cold temps to report. And it wasn't just the cold, there were also a few leaves blowing around.

Oh the humanity! 

Cops Still Investigating Fargo Reporter

FTVLive told you last week that police were investigating a Fargo Reporter after her station KVLY aired a story about school security. 

And it appears that the school's security tapes might tell a different story that what the station did. 

The Duluth News Tribune writes that after school officials here reviewed their own security tapes, a third metro law enforcement agency has opened an investigation into whether a Fargo television news reporter broke the law by entering three area elementary schools without permission.

The district’s superintendent is also questioning the accuracy of the Valley News Live report.

Lt. Joel Vettel said Friday the Fargo Police Department has opened an investigation of the Valley News Live reporter after school officials dropped off security video from the school.

The Moorhead and West Fargo police departments said Thursday they were investigating whether the reporter broke state or city laws in the hidden-camera report about school security that aired Wednesday.

Fargo Superintendent Jeff Schatz said Friday that the security cameras at a district elementary school show Valley News Live Reporter Mellaney Moore entering the school near the office and taking a quick left. Schatz said a faculty member then noticed Moore wasn’t wearing school identification in the hallway and asked her what she was looking for. The staff member then directed her to the office to sign in.

The video shows Moore walking back toward the office, stopping momentarily, then heading out the door without checking in, Schatz said.

In the full report that aired on Valley News Live on Wednesday, Moore said she entered elementary schools in Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead and was allowed to walk freely, without anyone stopping her in two of them.

“I expected to be intercepted by security but again I walked right in,” Moore said of the Fargo school in her report. “I met one faculty member that was more than willing to direct me to any classroom.”

Moore said the faculty member did not ask her why she was there or if she had signed in at the office.

Schatz said he was concerned the report misrepresented the teacher’s actions, which were in line with school protocol. He said the faculty member did ask Moore if she had registered at the office and asked her to return to the office and register.

“(Moore) made it sound as if nobody had approached her and that just flat out is not true,” he said.

Valley News Live News Director Ike Walker said Friday the report was clear the reporter was stopped in at least one school.

“We said all along that she was stopped by a teacher,” Walker said.

Yahoo to Pay Couric $6 Million

Katie Couric's part time job at Yahoo is going to pay her $6 million dollars a year.

Nice work if you can get it.

Couric will get paid millions to be the "Global Anchor" for Yahoo.

The job with the giant Internet portal will be Couric's secondary focus while the veteran television journalist finishes out the second season of "Katie," her national talk show on ABC, the source said Sunday.

The NY Daily News says that the Yahoo deal represents "a significant pay increase" for Couric compared to the job she left a few weeks ago as a special correspondent with ABC News, the source said.

But the media maven could be looking at an overall reduction next year if ABC, as rumored, decides not to renew "Katie" after the season wraps up in May.

Couric's company is paid $20 million to produce the show, of which about half goes to the star herself. 

Couric told the Associated Press in November that she hopes to conquer the Internet after 22 years as a TV talk show host and news anchor.

"We are in a major, transformative time in terms of media in this country," the 56-year-old Virginia native said.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said Couric will become "the face" of the multi-faceted web giant. But it was not immediately clear what her role will entail at the company.

$6 million bucks for a part time job that no one really knows what you do?

Where do I sign up?!

It's 99.44 percent Sure that John Miller is Leaving CBS

Last week, FTVLive told you that CBS Correspondent John Miller was looking to leave TV news to become a cop....again.

Now Page Six says that it is a 99.44% done deal that he is headed to the NYPD.

They write that the CBS is negotiating his exit as a senior correspondent to join his old friend Bill Bratton back at the Police Department, a reliable source tells me.

Miller has twice left the news business to serve under Bratton, first in the NYPD and later during the veteran top cop’s stint as commissioner of the Los Angeles Police Department.

In the past two years, Miller has been a prominent presence discussing national security and crime on “CBS This Morning” and on the “CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley.”

“John has been doing great on television,” commented a close friend, “but at heart, he’s a ‘buff.’

“He wants the badge, the gun and the adrenaline — to be in the center of the action.”

Miller is expected to land a top intelligence or counterterrorism role with Bratton.

RIP NY1

This morning at 5AM, NY1 is no longer. 

The New York City local cable news channel, which sports a devoted following, unveiled a new look starting at 5 a.m. featuring new graphics, new music, a new logo and other changes.

NY1 is now Time Warner Cable News NY1

“When we come out of a commercial, you’ll see the phrase ‘Time Warner Cable News NY1,’ and it will resolve down to the company logo of the eye and the ear with a NY1 next to it.” GM Steve Paulus said to the NY Daily News. “And then the time and temperature will be right there.”

He noted that NY1 has not had a sorely needed makeover in more than a decade.

“Nobody can accuse us of overchanging our formats like other broadcasters do,” he said.
The fresh look comes at a cost — or at least a mouthful of a new name.

The name change, which adds “Time Warner Cable News,” was cooked up by top brass at the cable company, sources said, because they believe viewers considering a switch to a rival like Verizon FiOS need to know that if they ditch Time Warner, they lose NY1.

Fans and channel staff have been grumbling about the change for months.

“It’s the cable company, so of course they have to mess around with something that works fine,” a newsroom source said.

H/T NY Daily News

New ND Hired in Motown

WXYZ announced that Dave Manney will join the station as News Director. 

Manney is the managing editor of WNBC in New York, where he oversees daily news coverage. He also has managed daily television and online news coverage as managing editor at WPIX in New York.

Manney will be returning to WXYZ, a station where he worked early in his career. He spent eight years at Channel 7--as an investigative producer, the executive producer of programming and the station’s assistant news director.  He also worked as the station's online news manager, creating  ground-breaking interactive digital efforts.

Let's cue the oblatory sound bites made up by the creative services department:

"Having covered and been a part of many pivotal moments in Detroit's recent history, it's thrilling to return during its most important hour," said Manney.  "As the city rises, sharp, insightful, creative coverage will be more important than ever.  WXYZ is where I grew up.  It's also where I learned the power and responsibility of TV and online news--and the obligation we have to make a difference."

"Dave is an award-winning journalist whose varied background provides him great insight to lead our newsroom into the future," said WXYZ station manager Mike Murri. "We look forward to Dave's leadership and vision as we work to become the best station, not only in Detroit, but for Detroit."

Adding News in Piedmont

WGHP announced that they are adding news in 2014.

On February 3, 2014, WGHP will premiere two new half hour newscasts.

The FOX8 News at Noon will be extended by 30 minutes to an hour from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Also, the 6 p.m. newscast will be extended by 30 minutes and will air from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

It's always nice to see stations add as opposed to subtract news. 

Throwing Down The F-Bomb in Wichita

As they wrapped up the newscast last night at KSNW, they teased the up coming Saturday Night Live episode and then said "Let's get the fuck out of here".

We're going out on a limb here and guessing that was not what was typed in the teleprompter. 

Let's go to the video:

Top 5 Most Read Stories on FTVLive This Week

It's the end of the week and that means it is time to look back on the Top 5 stories that you guys clicked on the most.

No. 5 - WELL THIS SUCKS

No. 4 - IS ABC UNDERGOING A BRAIN DRAIN?

No. 3 - HMMMMM VERY INTERESTING

No. 2 - SHOULD CONSULTANT REFUND ST. LOUIS STATION'S MONEY?

And the Top story of the week was: RALEIGH ANCHOR MAKES AWESOME CHRISTMAS VIDEO