Former CNN Anchor has Arm Amputated

Former CNN and now current PBS science correspondent Miles O'Brien said Tuesday his left arm was amputated above the elbow after an apparently minor injury put his life in jeopardy.

In a blog post on his personal website O'Brien recounted the Feb. 12 blow to his arm he suffered while on assignment in Asia and the medical emergency that followed.

He was diagnosed with "acute compartment syndrome," O'Brien said, in which blocked blood flow in an enclosed space in the body can cause life-threatening consequences.

Part of his arm was removed in a choice between "a life and a limb," O'Brien said, quoting his doctor. He is grateful to be alive.

O'Brien has continued working despite the ordeal, PBS spokeswoman Anne Bell said.

According to his blog, O'Brien was securing cases filled with camera gear on a cart as he wrapped up a reporting trip to Japan and the Philippines. One of the cases fell onto his left forearm, he wrote, adding, "It hurt, but I wasn't all '911' about it."

The arm was sore and swollen the next day but worsened on the next, Feb. 14, and he sought medical care.

At the hospital, as his pain increased and arm numbness set in, a doctor recommended an emergency procedure to relive the pressure within the limb, O'Brien wrote.

"When I lost blood pressure during the surgery due to the complications of compartment syndrome, the doctor made a real-time call and amputated my arm just above the elbow," O'Brien wrote.

He typed the blog post with one hand and help from speech recognition software, he noted, and ended it with dark humor.

"Life is all about playing the hand that is dealt you. Actually, I would love somebody to deal me another hand right about now - in more ways than one," O'Brien wrote.

Orlando Anchor Asks to be Let out of his Contract

WFTV Anchor Mark Joyella asked the station to let him out of his contract so he can head back to New York and family.

Joyella came to WFTV in June 2012 from CNN in New York. He writes on his blog that leaving New York, where our entire extended family lives, was far harder than expected. The old cliche is that living in Florida means you’ll see a lot of your relatives. Turns out, we didn’t. It’s a short flight, but it’s still a flight—and when somebody back home falls ill, or has a birthday party, we can’t be there the way we’d like. 

The homesickness—and for me, with my Mom now living alone in Maine and recovering from cancer—the guilt, became overwhelming. 

So today I handed in my resignation, and the bosses here were kind enough to release me from my contract. My wife was offered her old job back at CNN, a great company that has treated both of us well, and that gave us enough security to make the decision: it’s time to go home.

CNN Feb Ratings in Free Fall

CNN boss Jeff Zucker might be parting ways with Piers Morgan, but he needs to take a hard look at the rest of the prime time line up as well.

In the February cable ratings Piers isn't the only one to suck in the ratings.

Golden boy  Anderson Cooper's numbers dropped 47%, February to February, in overall audience, to average 421,000 viewers, and 46% in the news demo, to 127,000 news-demo viewers for the month.

Cooper's lead in Erin Burnett's Outfront tumbled 39% to post an average of 293,000 viewers in February, and slipped 32% in the news demo, to 100,000 viewers.

Morgan’s numbers were down 48% in viewers and 38% in demos. 

Zucker has said that he would be focusing on the prime schedule and after looking at these numbers, he might want to hurry up. 

H/T Deadline

CNN to Run Reality Series Thursdays at 10PM

Jeff Zucker and CNN will push news aside starting March 6 to bring you the reality series Chicagoland.

Being billed as a  riveting real-life drama of the non-fiction ensemble series will air on eight successive Thursdays, beginning March 6, 2014, at 10:00pm ET and PT.  Beginning Saturday, March 8, the prior week’s episode will encore on Saturdays at 8:00pm and 11:00pm ET and on Sundays at 10:00pm and 1:00am ET.

CNN says the show explores the challenges and triumphs of a beloved heartland American city, where a mayor, community organizers, business leaders, teachers, entertainers, and residents unite to make a difference in the lives of Chicagoans.

Oh.... I remember the days when CNN was a cable NEWS network?

H/T TVbythenumbers

Barbara Walters Literally Kissing up to the Vice President

On 'The View" Barbara Walters was kissing up to the Vice President. Literally.

Vice President Joe Biden stopped by the biddies and he brought along gifts for the co-hosts. "Is one allowed to kiss the vice-president to say thank you?" Barbara asked.

"I'd love that," Biden said, getting a smooch on the cheek. "This is the most comfortable couch I've ever been on," he joked.

Barbara wiped his face, joking, "I don't want you to go home to Jill with my lipstick.

Later, when asked whether he plans to run in 2016, Biden told Barbara, "If you stick around, I will announce my decision with you."

Over at Fox News we're guessing that Elizabeth Hasselbeck threw up in her mouth. 

H/T HuffPo

Pompous Piers Fires Back

The NY Daily News says that the staff that work with CNN's Piers Morgan are happy to see him go.

The paper writes “He was always such an a------ to people working for him,” one insider says of the bombastic Brit. “The makeup girls suffered the worst — he was rude and belligerent,” says our source. “The general feeling is Morgan didn’t show any respect to anyone working under him — the people who were trying to make him look good.”

Morgan took to Twitter to fire back at the NY newspaper:

Of course, if Piers is looking of an apology, so is FTVLive. When we reported that CNN was going to cancel his show, Morgan called FTVLive a liar and a "mad blogger."

So Piers, while you're waiting for your apology, maybe you can send one our way.

Just saying....

Jeff and Rick's Secret Meeting

Rick Kaplan

Yesterday, FTVLive told you that CNN President Jeff Zucker had a hush hush meeting with former CNN President Rick Kaplan.

Many wondered what the former failed CNN President was doing talking to the current failing CNN President?

CNN sources tell FTVLive that Zucker was talking to Kaplan about struggling morning show 'New Day.'

Without a doubt, New Day has been Zucker's biggest failure so far at CNN. The network spent millions of dollars on the show and it has flopped.

Word is that Zucker is contemplating taking Executive Producer Jim Murphy off the show. 

It was one year ago that Jeff Zucker stood up in an editorial meeting and announced that Murphy would be the EP of the new morning show at CNN. Murphy was a former Senior Producer at GMA and also had stints in both the morning and evenings at CBS News.

Now, it appears that Murphy may get pushed aside from New Day.

Could Kaplan becoming back to the network he once ran to try and help save the morning show? 

Stay tuned.... 

Could CNN's Top Sales Guy be Out?

Greg D’Alba

Jim Murphy isn't the only one on the hot seat at CNN.

Sources tell FTVLive that CNN boss Jeff Zucker and Greg D’Alba president, CNN News Networks Turner Digital Ad Sales and Marketing are not seeing eye to eye.

Word is that Zucker does not believe that D'Alba is on board with CNN's new plan to move away from covering news. 

D'Alba is well liked both inside and outside at CNN, but sources say Zucker has had some quiet talks about replacing the top sales guy.

This all comes as the up fronts are just around the corner and CNN doesn't have winning successful show to sell.

One network source thinks  that alone is causing much of the tension between the two. 

D'Alba is also very close friends with New Day Anchor Chris Cuomo and sources tell FTVLive, he played an integral role in helping bring Cuomo over to CNN. Which has not worked out very week at all. 

Replacing Piers Morgan

FTVLive told you last year that Piers Morgan was going to be pushed out of his 9PM time slot at CNN.

Now that it went down exactly as FTVLive said it would, speculation is now turning as to who and what will replace Piers Morgan at 9PM.

It has been widely speculated that former ABC Anchor Bill Weir will takeover the Morgan time slot. 

Sources tell FTVLive that Weir's contract states he will have a show in prime time.

So, even if Weir isn't slated at 9PM, you can expect to see him somewhere in PT. It just depends how Zucker might might to shuffle the struggling prime time schedule.

Wherever Weir lands and 9PM is likely, word is that Weir's show would not be a Piers Morgan/ Larry King type show.

Weir will be more focused on technology and innovation. It is expected that Weir will be taking closer looks at the products and people that are part of the "next big thing."

In other words, Weir will be doing a show much like Donny Deutsch did on MSNBC.

I wonder how that worked out?

Stay tuned.... 

Making and Ass of Yourself on Live TV

KPRC reporter Samantha Ptashkin didn't know that some guy's ass was the focus of her report. Ptashkin was going live when some ass showed is ass behind her during a live shot from Galveston's Mardi Gras celebrations. 
"We go to great lengths to make sure things like this don't happen," said Deborah Collura, KPRC News Director to the Houston Chronicle. "But sometimes unfortunately you cannot avoid the stupidity of some people." 

"We do feel badly about it," said Collura. She said the station only got a handful of complaints.

One Man's Trash is...ummmm....still trash

FTVLive told you last week, the contents of two storage units in Philadelphia rented by former sports television anchor Don Tollefson will be put up for auction.

The local paper thought the bidding on the storage unit would be hotly contested.

It was not.

The two storage units and a Chevrolet Blazer belonging to former sportscaster were auctioned off yesterday for a total of $875.

 Tollefson has been charged with theft and other offenses for allegedly scamming dozens of people out of more than $100,000 meant for charity.

The storage contents and SUV were up for bid after the units went into delinquency when Tollefson failed to make payments for their rent. 

One storage unit sold for $175, the other for $600. The contents of each were sold as a unit; people couldn't bid on individual items.

Bidders got brief views of the lockers from outside; only the winners were later allowed inside to take a closer look and handle the items.

The first locker largely appeared to contain trash. It was packed with cardboard boxes and plastic bags, with broken glass covering the floor. An old jar of Progresso white clam sauce rolled on the ground.

The other had a plaque honoring Tollefson, lamps and other decorations and sports memorabilia, including hockey sticks, a large wooden "Sussex Cricket Club" sign and a box labeled "Cubs," among other items. 

The blue Blazer, which came without keys or paperwork and bore an old "press" sticker on its cracked windshield, sold for $100.

The auction attracted about 20 people. Most weren't impressed with Tollefson's belongings.

"It looked like a lot of dumpy stuff," one woman remarked after viewing the lockers.

"That's a lot of trash," another said.

"That guy was a hoarder!" a man exclaimed as he walked away from the units.

H/T Philly.com

Twin Cities Anchor Headed back to Colorado

WCCO Anchor Aristea Brady is leaving the station early next month and is heading back to Colorado.  

Brady came to WCCO in July 2011 after two years as a weekend anchor and reporter at KUSA in Denver.

 Brady's husband, Nathan has a business opportunity in the area and the couple is headed back to Colorado.  

Her last day at WCCO will be March 8.

Farrow Steers Away from Woody on Day One

If you were hoping that Ronan Farrow would open up his new show on MSNBC  talking about his sister Dylan’s relationship with their estranged  father Woody Allen, you were likely disappointed.

Farrow also stayed away from MSNBC's usual dose of progressive finger-wagging as well.  

The host of MSNBC’s new 1 p.m. program steered the show away from anything salacious or argumentative in favor of something more reasoned and intelligent.

Over the course of an hour, Farrow demonstrated a detached, bemused stance toward the stories he presented. He didn’t appear to be a cheerleader for a particular cause (a slip made by more seasoned MSNBC host Alex Wagner, who used the phrase “why we chose Chuck Hagel” when reacting to the U.S. Defense Secretary’s decision to trim the Pentagon’s budget).  And he tipped his hand several times to social media, asking his viewers to use Twitter to express their opinions about a story on the show or to send a picture describing their problems with college debt.

In his opening program, Farrow tried to mix topics on serious segments, with small doses of youthful levity, such as his use of “weed” or “pot” to talk about marijuana during a segment about the drug. His first segment, all about the unrest in Ukraine, relied on NBC’s Richard Engel, then Obama adviser David Axelrod and former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen. Other pieces centered on U.S. governors’ reaction to President Obama and a bill being mulled in Kansas that would sanction spanking. Farrow even tried to suss out whether Alex Wagner had been spanked in her youth.

H/T Variety 

CBS Offers Sweepstakes for Free Colonoscopy

We have heard of stupid stunts and sweepstakes for ratings, but this offer from CBS has to take the cake for the worst ever.

The network is running the Colonoscopy Sweepstakes....Seriously, we are not kidding.

CBS says we are pleased to team up with NewYork-Presbyterian, which is New York’s top-ranked hospital according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals. If you are the grand prize winner, we will fly you and a companion to New York for three nights in a luxury hotel. And then the main event – you will be driven to the Center for Advanced Digestive Care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center for a free colonoscopy!

Oh Boy!

Click here for more info.