Brian Williams Says Sorry to Arsenio Hall
/NBC's Brian Williams blames lack of sleep for dissing Arsenio Hall and misspelling Philadelphia.
He said sorry to Arsenio in last night's broadcast.
HLN to Try to be the Internet on TV
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Albie Hecht
One thing is clear if you're looking for news, HLN will soon no longer be a choice.
It used to be called Headline News, then it was changed HLN and now it's about to become..... immmmm.....YouTube maybe?
The NY Daily News says that HLN is looking to become the TV network for people who watch the Internet.
Born years ago as Headline News, the short-form sister of CNN, HLN is rebranding itself to target younger audiences whose primary dialogue is social media.
Accordingly, the network Wednesday announced six new shows inspired by popular Internet search pastimes.
“Our goal,” says HLN executive vice president Albie Hecht, “is to debunk the myth the world of social media is only about videos of cats riding skateboards.”
Several of the shows, for which there are no premiere dates yet, will aggregate material that even the most devoted Net addicts might not discover on their own.
Working titles include:
— “Keywords”: A game show where contestants get five keyword clues and must guess a search term.
— “I Can HazNews Toons”: Fred Siebert from “Adventure Time” finds “the best satire cartoons,” from e-cards to doodles, on social media. Also showcases cartoonists from the paleolithic world of, yes, print.
— “One.Click.Away”: Backstories to those “unused wedding dress” ads or the weird roommate world.
— “Vacation Hunters”: Two travel teams compete to put together the best actual vacation that one chosen viewer has fantasized about in a tweet.
— “Videocracy”: Countdown of the most popular entertainment stories on social media.
— “#What’sYourFomo”: An app designed to cure “fear of missing out” by rounding up everything from “J-law gifs” to “lamping.” (Hint: Until the show starts, you can Google it.)
Former O-Town Anchor at the Top of the World
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Former Orlando Anchor and Cancer ass kicker Wendy Chioji is celebrating her climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The former WESH-Channel 2 anchor sent out the message today: "#survivorsummit @LIVESTRONG a 100% summited. We rock. Powerful team effort for an incredibly difficult adventure. Life changing."
How to celebrate? Why go on safari at Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
Chioji wrote on her Facebook page: "
At Ngorongoro Crater. Victory for the greatest adventure of a lifetime. I am a bad ass. We all are. Livestrong. More to come."
Chioji, a breast cancer survivor, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with others have beaten cancer. They were joined by supporters for the Survivor Summit, which benefits the Livestrong Foundation.
In related news, FTVLive thinks we pulled a hamstring getting out of bed this morning.
H/T Orlando Sentinel
I Just Read what was in the Prompter
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Move over Ron Burgundy.
A Springfield Anchor made a comment while moderating a debate that raised some eyebrows.
Of course her excuse was, she just read what was in the prompter.
The Illinois Observer says that the GOP gubernatorial debate in Springfield on Tuesday was marred by a tactless comment by the debate’s moderator aimed at Treasurer Dan Rutherford.
Liz Foster, who moderated the WICS/ABC Channel 20 debate at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, closed the first segment of the debate with a thinly veiled reference to Rutherford’s legal problems, which include a sexual harassment charge by a now former male employee.
Closing the debate’s first round, Foster said to the TV and hall audience, “…But there’s much more to come. Where do they four men stand on taxes, state jobs, and the skeletons in their closest. Stay with us. We’ll be right back.”
More after the jump.
Read MoreIs He or Isn't He? (Update)
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The Boston Globe reported that Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was out as a contributor at Fox News.
Brown says that report is wrong.
The Boston Globe reported that an unnamed Fox News spokeswoman said Brown is "currently out of contract with the network" -- a move that would be seen as a potential precursor to a run for Senate in New Hampshire, which Brown has been eyeing for close to a year.
Brown said the report is wrong, though.
"It is incorrect," he told Washington Post in an e-mail.
Brown has not responded to a request for further comment and clarification.
The Post has also reached out to Fox News for comment.
Brown is eyeing a potential run against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) but is also thought to be looking at running for president.
Update: This statement comes from Bill Shine at Fox News: “Senator Brown has renewed his contributor agreement with FOX News. The previous year long agreement expired on February 11th and was never terminated — this was purely administrative. We look forward to his continuing political analysis and insight across the network.”
How I Work - Linda Yu
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For Today's segment of How I Work, we head to the Windy City and longtime WLS Anchor Linda Yu.
Location: Chicago .. at ABC7, WLS-TV
Current gig: Anchor/reporter
Current computer: At work … it says ASUS
Current mobile device: iPhone4
One word that best describes how you work: Thorough
What are your favorite Apps that you can't live without?
I must be a total news person … mostly news apps, and my indulgence ..the New York Times crossword puzzle app.
What's your workspace like?
Chaos. Things are a mess, but I know where everything is. I’m also surrounded by panda things (stuffed, on boxes, night lights, photos, paintings) … our audience knows I love pandas and they send them in all forms, shapes and sizes. Audience also seems to know I love orchids .. so my office usually has 1 or 2 or 5 orchid plants. Right now, things are crowded, since I have a walker and wheelchair, until the spring when I hope I can walk again!
Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?
My iPad!
What Music are you listening to?
Since the Beatles big anniversary special, I’ve gone back to pulling out all my old Beatles ALBUMS and CDs.
What's your sleep routine like?
I’m lucky enough now to work a normal day … so I was able to sleep a normal schedule. Lately, after my accident and 2 surgeries on my broken leg, I am ecstatic if I can get 4 or 5 hours straight of sleep!
Best Advice you Ever Got?
My mentor in this business was Bill Fyffe. It was not what he said, but what he did. When he first gave me a vacation relief writers job, he criticized my scripts every day. This went on for weeks until one day, I took my scripts, looked at his notes, ran into the bathroom and burst into tears. But very quickly, I got angry … walked straight out of the bathroom and into his office … threw the scripts down on his desk and said … I know I’m a good writer and there’s no reason for you to pick on me. He leaned back, smiled and said.. I was just waiting for you to get angry and tell me you believed in yourself!
Best Thing About your Job?
Early in my career, I got to do a story that helped some people. I was hooked and have always felt I am in broadcasting because sometimes, we are able to do a story that helps people. Also … years ago, when there was a major breaking story , I was on the air all day. The next day, people said they had watched the whole day. One woman told me: when bad things happen, you make me feel safe.
I always remember that when I’m doing breaking news.
Worst thing about your Job?
People think you’re a celebrity. We aren’t. We have jobs that happen to be on television.
Here is some past How I Work stories:
Now This is an Honest Weather Forecast
/This is how the Weather Channel should have covered Winter Storm Anus.
A Gift from the Ratings God
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WVLT (Knoxville) Reporter Hilary Magacs was covering a story on a woman that was stabbed to death.
When the woman's daughter showed up and admitted to killing her Mom and it was all because of Satan.
Satan may be the reason for the murder, the ratings god let this happen in the book.
What the ND Says and What they Mean
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FTVLive is here to help you people figure out the world of TV News.
We know how frustrating it is to get a News Director on the phone and Today FTVLive is going to pull back the curtain a bit.
You see, News Directors speak a totally different language than the rest of us. They also work on a much different time schedule than anyone else on the planet.
So head over to ScottLand and let us tell you what News Directors like our buddy Bob Longo and the rest of them are really saying when they talk to you.
Today Beats GMA for First Time in Almost 2 Years
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It's a win that comes with an asterisk, but for the first time in nearly two years "Today" has finally beaten "Good Morning America" for a full week in the ratings.
Today is getting a huge boost from the Sochi Olympics and as everyone expected has passed GMA in both the total viewer and the demos last week.
That's the first time "Today" has been able to do that since the week of August 6th, 2012 — which just happens to be the last time the Olympics were on TV.
The margins of victory were relatively slim—"Today" beat "GMA" by 4 percent in the total viewer category and 8 percent in the demo—but Matt Lauer and company will take the victory. At the very least, it assures "Today" that there is no chance it will trail "GMA" in the ratings for 16 straight years, as "GMA" did before beating "Today" in 2012.
H/T HuffPo
Sam Champion Preps New Show
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Sam Champion is preparing his new show on the Weather Channel and he says "I think it's something you haven't seen before."
Hmmmm?
Could it be Weather? That's something you don't see much of on the Weather Channel anymore.
The new showed called America's Morning Headquarters with Sam Champion," or, for short, "AMHQ" will launch March 17th and run from 7-10AM.
"When you wake up, you get your first news, texts and updates on your smartphone and laptop, not television," Champion tells the AP. "What you need from TV is a very thorough understanding of what's going on in your environment. Your weather needs become, 'What's it like right now, and every hour through the day for me and my home team as we're heading out into the world?'"
More after the hop.
Read MoreSan Antonio Anchors get More Serious?
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According to the San Antonio Express News, when female Anchors cut or straighten their hair and throw on glasses they are much more serious as anchors.
Huh?
The paper writes that San Antonio's anchorwomen are getting more and more serious — at least that's what their outward appearance on the TV news tells us.
A couple have been donning glasses. Another darkened her hair. Others now wear their tresses shorter and neater. One newscaster, who has a mane of wild curls, goes to the trouble to straighten them professionally for her weekend broadcasts and has been wearing more conservative outfits of late.
The paper then gives a rundown as how these former hussy News Anchors are changing their looks to a more conservative and serious approach.
They take a look at the changes made by the news women.
What they have to say after the jump.
Read MoreHartford Photog Sues Police
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WFSB Photographer Pedro Rivera has filed a lawsuit alleging that Hartford police officers violated his free-speech rights by questioning his use of a remote-controlled aircraft to record images of a car wreck.
Rivera asked a federal court to weigh in on the appropriate uses for aerial drones as policymakers try to catch up with technology that has made them far more versatile.
The AP writes that his complaint says that officers demanded that Rivera stop flying the remote-controlled aircraft, asked him to leave the area and told his employer that he had interfered with a police investigation.
"I told them I was there on my personal time," said Rivera, who was suspended for a week from his on-call job with a Connecticut television station. "They went to my employer and caused a lot of problems for me and my job."
More after the jump.
Read MoreAtlanta Anchor Signs off for the Twin Cities
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Longtime WGCL Anchor/Reporter Jennifer Mayerle has announced that she is leaving the station and headed to Minneapolis.
Mayerle has been at the Atlanta station for eight years and is now going to WCCO in the Twin Cities.
Mayerle broke the news of her leaving on Facebook:
Well friends, my time in Atlanta is coming to a close. It's been an incredible 8 years working at CBS Atlanta. I've been given opportunities that exceeded my expectations, worked with talented people and grown as a journalist and person. And soon, I'm heading home - home to take a reporting position at WCCO in Minneapolis. It's the station where I had my first internship, the station I grew up watching, and the station I wanted to work at if I ever decided to live and work in Minneapolis. While bittersweet, I couldn't be more excited to be joining such a great team. I have plenty more stories to tell in the two months before I say 'so long' to the South. To those in Atlanta, don't be a stranger. To those in Minnesota, see you soon.
Crossing the Street in Sin City (Updated)
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The Las Vegas Review Journal says that Chris Saldana has joined the morning news at KVVU, Channel 5, as a reporter. S
Saldana was a weekend anchor at CBS affiliate KLAS, Channel 8 for 6½ years.
Believed to be the city’s first openly gay anchor, Saldana left in late 2012.
Among the reasons he cited for his departure was not being given a chance to pursue the afternoon anchor job vacated by Gary Waddell.
Update: Chris passed along this email that he sent to the Las Vegas Review Journal:
I just wanted to reach out to you about the information you wrote regarding my move to Fox5. First of all, it's a temporary position, I have signed no contract, and helping them by reporting for the morning show through the February book. Also, I was at KLAS for 8 1/2 years not 6 1/2.
Geraldo: I don't want to Outlive my Fame
/Geraldo Rivera sat down with The Blaze's Will Cain and says that his kids and ex-wives are on his payroll and that he wants to die with his boots on.
He says he's been trying to get "killed in action" for years and that he doesn't want to outlive his fame.
Ummmmm....we have some bad news for you Geraldo.
Watch the interview here:
