How do you know that there are too many college bowl games?
When the place that is sponsoring one of the bowl games doesn't care about it either.
This note was posted at Buffalo Wild Wings, who was the tittle sponsor of the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
You could watch it at BWW, but you couldn't listen to the game.
Former longtime News Director Dick Tuininga was found dead in his home in Las Vegas, apparently of a heart attack. In May, he breezed through quadruple bypass surgery. The exact date and cause of death have yet to be determined, pending all the customary tests.
Dick was a blue collar news director with a heart of gold. Like many in the business, his existence was a nomadic one. Dick ran newsrooms in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and worked in many other markets - occasionally more than once. All Dick needed was a newsroom and he was in his glory. He often referred to television news as his "mistress," blaming it for a few failed marriages. Until the day he died, Dick would set his alarm for 3AM Las Vegas time so he could watch and critique all the national news programs.
Tuininga had been retired for approximately 4 years but couldn't come to terms with it. He had hopes for "one more season."
He was 70 years old.
H/T Joe Rovitto
I will admit that before this whole uproar, I thought Duck Dynasty was a cartoon on the Disney Channel.
That being said, there is one anchor in Madison that should have stayed silent on the issue as well.
Christine Bellport, a morning anchor at WMTV in Madison, when she weighed in after a report on the remarks about gays made by Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty."
Robertson was suspended by the A&E network, and conservatives have rallied to his defense. Bellport had little of substance to add to the debate.
"Sad to say when you look at the guy ... I'm not surprised," she said. "And I don't know why" anyone else is.
Credit to her Co-Anchor tries to jump in for the save.
Here's the video and BTW what the hell is up with the sweaters? Just saying....
When you work in TV News (or run a TV news website) you have to have some very thick skin.
Viewers can say some nasty things about you and then again they can just be downright mean.
Take the example of WIVB (Buffalo) Reporter Ed Drantch.
Viewers invite Drantch into their homes every day when they tune in to WIVB Channel 4 News. He’s got a stellar resume, a lively personality and he’s the kind of reporter that colleagues say makes them proud to be in the industry.
He’s also gay, and after casually mentioning his boyfriend during an April interview with the Buffalo News, just about everybody knows it.
That’s fine with him, he said. No regrets. But apparently his sexuality is not fine with everybody.
When Drantch walked into work on Christmas Day, he opened a card from a viewer that can only be described as hate mail, and a snapshot of it has made its way around local social networks.
It’s not the first less-than-classy reaction he’s gotten since the Buffalo News published the article, he said, although this took it to a different level.
" I was very proud of the article. It's not every day that someone from the Buffalo News wants to interview you. And then I got that in the mail. It hurt. It really hurt", said Drantch to MyBuffaloPride.com.
"When I showed it to my news director, she said, "Laugh it off." At first I was taken aback by her response. But the more I thought about it, I realized she was right. I mean, who does something like that? In 2013, for someone to take the time to find the article, cut it out, write that and send it in. It's ridiculous."
As we said....it takes a thick skin.
How would you like to be entering a class to learn about Journalism, your teacher in the class has anchored exactly one newscast and was fired?
AJ Clemente (yes this guy) says he will be teaching a broadcasting course at a private school in Manhattan.
Yep the Anchor whose first words on air were "fucking shit" and could not ad lib one sentence when asked to talk about himself, is going to be teaching kids about broadcasting.
If this doesn't tell you how fucked up the education system is....nothing will.
Oh!
But, it gets sooooooo much better!!!
Clemente talked to Tuned In and says that he’ll continue to chase his dream wherever that takes him. Even though his on-air experience is extremely limited, Clemente thinks he’s ready for New York.
WTF?!
This guy is about as ready for New York as Jacksonville Jaguars are for the Super Bowl. Him saying that is an insult to every person that has a TV job in New York.
“These are the cards I’ve been dealt,” Clemente admits. “If taking a job in New York is what I may have to do, then I’m going to.”
So in other words.... he's better than New York, but if he has to....he will work there. Are you F'ing kidding me?!
He’s planning to send tapes to smaller markets throughout the country, but notes, “My agent wants me in New York.”
OH MY GOD! Seriously?! Somebody needs to bring this guy back down to earth.
Forget earlier that we said that Larry Connors has the biggest ego in TV.
Clemente wins this award hands down.
Any station that hires him will prove that they have no clue as to what the hell they are doing and will deserve what they get.
It takes a lot for this to happen....but I am at a loss for words.
The Local TV stations are now officially owned by the Tribune Company.
Tribune announced today that it has completed the final steps necessary to close its acquisition of Local TV Holdings, LLC. The transaction creates the largest combined independent broadcast group and content creator in the country.
“This is a historic day for Tribune and Local TV,” said Peter Liguori, Tribune’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Combining these two great media companies will deliver tremendous benefits for our viewers, advertisers, and most important, the communities we serve. This is a transformational acquisition for Tribune, providing us with significant scale to drive our business objectives and create substantial shareholder value.”
As a result of this acquisition, Tribune now owns 39 television stations across the country. In addition, Tribune will provide certain services to support the operations of three former Local TV stations owned by Dreamcatcher Broadcasting LLC.
Time to hand out another FTVLive Slammy award and this one was a tight race.
The award for the "The Biggest Ego in TV".
In this business this picking a winner is a very hard chore. You have soooo many people that are deserving of the prize. But, the Slammy can only go to one person.
When it comes to huge egos, Keith Olbermann is always near the top of the list. But Olby didn't get the Slammy. Bill O'Reilly is deserving of the award but did not win. Neither did Piers Morgan or Jeff Zucker.
The Slammy goes to a person that is no longer working in TV News. This person was fired and his ego was what led to him getting the axe.
The FTVLive Slammy for the biggest ego in TV goes to..... find out after the jump.
Read MoreAnderson Cooper told a story about a guy that was giving his 85 year old mother great oral sex.
Yes.....this really happened.
Jeff Zucker must be so proud.
The video:
KSL in Salt Lake City is not going to kiss and tell.
It seems that when the station shows video of gay couples kissing, the phones light up in the newsroom and people just don't like to see it.
The Salt Lake Media have been reporting on the court decision overturning Utah's ban on gay marriage. Obviously since gay couples kiss a lot, the station's file footage of the gays is of them kissing.
So a memo went out to the staff to quit showing gay or heterosexual couples kissing.
Here is a copy of the email sent to the staff:
But, despite the above email, KSL news executive, is not station policy.
"While we don't seek to include it in the news, KSL has no official policy on kissing - either heterosexual or homosexual," said Tanya Vea, KSL's executive vice president of news and cross-platform development.
The Salt Lake Tribune writes that it's sort of a weird sidebar to the story that has dominated the news in Utah since the judge issued his ruling on Friday. But rumors have run rampant that KSL has banned gay kissing on its newscasts, despite the fact that Channel 5 has aired video of just that since Friday.
"I can guarantee you we have aired people kissing on our air," Vea said. "And, yes, we do have complaints about it.... We wouldn't have those complaints had we not aired the video."
She said it's not uncommon for reporters to be cautioned about what video to use - that "as a matter of daily business, there are frequently cautions on video of all sorts."
There are copies of an email floating around that includes just such a caution. It instructs KSL staffers to "avoid using kissing videos in your stories about Amendment 3" — both gay and straight kissing — because that is "the number one complaint we've been receiving."
Vea, who's on vacation, said she had not seen that email, but acknowledged that it could be genuine.
"There may have been a caution that went out on this, but there is no policy - that's definitive," Vea said. "And if there's a policy, that would have come from me or higher. There is no policy on this."
She also lamented that KSL itself had become part of the story - at least in the minds of some.
"It seems in a story of this magnitude, with emotions so high on both sides, this is a silly diversion at best," Vea said. "Or, at worst, an attempt to further a personal agenda and incite controversy that doesn't exist."
H/T Salt Lake Tribune and Jim Romenesko
As The Weather Channel's deal with DirecTV comes up, it appears that the satellite provider has a trick up their sleeve.
The satellite broadcaster with more than 20 million subscribers around the country, has quietly started distributing a network called WeatherNation just as its deal to carry the Weather Channel is set to expire.
The LA Times writes that although talks between the two companies are ongoing, DirecTV's decision to add WeatherNation is seen as a not-so-subtle threat that it is willing to drop the Weather Channel.
Not only is DirecTV carrying WeatherNation, a small channel with very little reach or viewership, it has placed the network next to the Weather Channel on the dial, a move that could confuse viewers — and has already annoyed Weather Channel executives.
More on the story after the jump.
Read MoreBored in the newsroom?
Are you working while all the higher ups are home enjoying the week off?
Well, if you want to kill 15 minutes, here's a look back on the best bloopers from the past year. Many you have seen and a number you haven't so take the time and watch.
Hell, it's not like the boss is around to see you screwing off anyway.
FTVLive FIRSt told you that CBS Correspondent John Miller was leaving CBS News and headed to the NYPD.
Miller joined CBS News in 2011 and used his background and contacts in law enforcement to provide in depth reporting on a host of major stories, including the Times Square bomb plot, the Boston Marathon bombing and the Newtown school shooting, for which CBS News has earned the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award.
Miller worked for various television stations and networks from 1973 to 1994 before joining the NYPD as a deputy police commissioner during Bratton’s first stint leading the nation’s largest police force. Miller returned to journalism in 1995, working for ABC News. In 1998, he secured an interview with the then-largely unknown al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
His career veered back to law enforcement in 2003, serving under Bratton in the Los Angeles Police Department as the head of the Counterterrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, overseeing the department’s major crimes division, hazardous materials unit and bomb squad.
It was at the LAPD where Miller launched a system that helps to identify potential terrorist targets
Beginning in 2005, Miller served in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ending his tour as Deputy Director of the Analysis Division. Miller worked across the Intelligence Community with the CIA, NSA, FBI, and other agencies.
Bratton will take over from outgoing Commissioner Ray Kelly when Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is sworn in Jan. 1. Miller didn’t reveal his specific role in the department, but suggested in an interview with WCBS-TV that law enforcement’s focus should be on deterring attacks similar the Boston Marathon bombing rather than large-scale attacks like 9/11.
“The trend is leaning towards low-cost, low-tech, high-impact,” he said.
H/T CBS News
FTVLive told you a couple of weeks ago that CBS Correspondent John Miller was this/close to jumping to the NYPD.
Well, word just came down at CBS that Miller is leaving Black Rock for NYPD Blue.
Miller is leaving CBS for a top post under incoming NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton.
Bratton and Miller are longtime friends and Miller has worked for Bratton in the past.
FTVLive told you months ago that Police were investigating a Philadelphia sportscaster Don Tollefson.
The investigation started after questions surfaced about his charity and Eagles tickets promised to people who made donations. Those people claimed they never got the tickets.
Now it appears that Tollefson is going to be charged.
The Philly Daily News writes that criminal investigators in Bucks County have been sifting through mountains of financial transactions since calls started coming in about Tollefson from irate Eagles fans. The IRS and a grand jury are involved, according to a person who was contacted by an investigator.
"We're into multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars," a law-enforcement source told the Daily News this week. The source said that Tollefson is almost certain to be charged criminally, and that prosecutors are deciding what charges to file.
Bucks County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Hyde declined to confirm whether a grand jury is involved, but he has said investigators have interviewed more than 100 alleged victims.
Stay tuned....
The Today Show will end 2013 by going back to the past.
On Monday, Dec. 30, former TODAY anchors Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley will join Matt Lauer to co-anchor the show.
It'll be like old times for Gumbel and Pauley. Gumbel left the TODAY in 1997 after 15 years in an anchor slot, and Pauley left in 1989 after 13 years, the last seven of them as Gumbel's co-anchor.
But their reunion next Monday won't be the first time they've gotten back behind the anchor desk.
Former Today Show anchor Ann Curry is not invited.
H/T Today Show
FTVLive continues to hand out our Slammy awards until the end of the year.
Today's category goes to best Reporter and Animal act.
The Slammy goes to WTVT Reporter Charley Beicher and a couple of sea lions. For some reason Charley thought he should mimic the sea lions and starts waving to the camera.
The wave did not do much for Charley's masculinity, but it did win him an FTVLive Slammy Award.
Let's go to the video:
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