On Top in the Twin Cities

/

Between reading headlines and bantering with co-host Jamie Yuccas Thursday on the“WCCO Morning Show,” Jason DeRusha decided to have a snack on the air.

He choked down a raw egg.

“The egg tasted pretty good, actually. Silky, with the eggy essence you’d expect,” De­Rusha said later of his bit that mimicked David Letterman’s from the night before. “Who am I kidding? It was pretty gross. But anything for the show.”

That attitude also led DeRusha to tweet passionately from Miley Cyrus’ concert and pose in downtown Minneapolis as David Caruso’s character on “CSI: Miami.” Not behavior typically exhibited by a local news anchor, but it’s a key reason why Channel 4’s morning program has grown 18 percent in total viewers since a new anchor team was installed in June — a remarkable feat considering that early risers are slow to trade allegiances.

Not only is “WCCO Morning Show” now the top-rated wake-up program in the Twin Cities, but “CBS This Morning” also has ascended to No. 1 in the Twin Cities for the first time in recent memory.

In fact, “CBS This Morning” has jumped 19 percent, making the Twin Cities the largest market in the country in which CBS is ahead of ratings heavyweights “Good Morning, America” and “Today.”

“I’m surprised there has been this much growth this quickly,” said Norah O’Donnell, who co-hosts the national show with Charlie Rose and Gayle King. “That we’re No. 1 in Minneapolis means we’re really putting points on the scoreboard.”

More on the story from the Star Tribune

See how Jason DeRusha Works - FTVLive Exclusive

Landlord Arrested for Assaulting Phoenix Photographer

/

Police handcuffed a Mesa landlord and took him to jail Friday night after he knocked a KTVK (Phoenix) photographer to the ground.

Tenants of the Miles Motel in Mesa contacted KTVK with complaints that their landlords were not taking care of a problematic beehive.

As the KTVK crew began capturing video of the hive and interviewing residents, a man drove up and demanded the crew leave the property. The man, Mike Djordejvich, then used his shoulders to butt the photographer, who went tumbling to the ground.

Djordejvich owns the Miles Motel.

"You guys are jerks. You're crazy," he said before speeding off in a pickup truck.

After looking at the video of Djordejvich butting the KTVK photographer, Mesa police arrested the man on suspicion of assault.

Let's go to the video:

More Zucker Experimenting

/

Stand by as CNN mad scientist Jeff Zucker will be conducting another experiment.

On March 28th, Piers Morgan will wrap up his awful show at CNN. Because Jeff Zucker can never just make a clear cut decision, we won't know who will be taking over for Morgan.

Word is that Zucker is going to give Michael Smerconish, Jake Tapper, Bill Weir, and Don Lemon all a tryout for the slot.

Weir seems to be the odds on favorite to get the gig, but Zucker can never make things that easy.

So, each guy (yes notice they are all guys) will get a chance to impress Jeff and land the job.

Of course, until the ratings suck and CNN decides to go a different direction. 

Stand back the mad scientist is working. 

Case Against Motown Reporter is Dropped

/

It appears that WJBK Reporter Charlie LeDuff can enjoy St. Patrick's Day again this year. 

Last year's St. Patty's Day, LeDuff got into a scuffle with a Security Guard and was arrested. 

But now the charges have been dropped. 

 Both accused each other of assault and filed conflicting police reports, claiming the other started the fight. The guard says he was breaking up a fight between an intoxicated LeDuff and others when the reporter attacked him. And LeDuff says the guard assaulted him first when he refused to leave a private party without his brother.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says there was not enough evidence on either side to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.

H/T CBS Detroit 

Boston Reporter: I'M Cancer Free

/

Some good news out of Bean Town.

WBZ Reporter Bill Shields got good news earlier this week. “I’m cancer free,” he said gleefully on Thursday, from the newsroom, where he was, of course, working on a story.

Shields, who’s been with the station for 33 years, was diagnosed with lung cancer in October, but despite an initially grim “inoperable” diagnosis, Shield said, two Dana-Farber Cancer Institute doctors said, “ ‘We’re going to see what we can do about this.’ They maxed me out on chemo and radiation, and I had my final PET scan on Tuesday.” The results left Shields and his wife, Katherine Rossmoore , a yoga teacher and health coach, hugging, and his doctors, David Jackman and Raymond Mak , high fiving, he said.

He also tweeted the news. “Now, I am back to work full time . . . minus my hair!” Shields was off the air for six weeks while undergoing treatment and says he’s returned with a new appreciation for life. “I’m almost 62. I told my photographer I’m going to stop and smell the roses.” That more Zen approach, by the way, is something he’s yet to mention to his news directors. “I haven’t gone over that with them. I’m sure they’re hoping I don’t relax during the day.”

H/T Boston Globe

Best Hairstyle in Journalism

/

Super-Hair.net handed out their awards for the best hairstyles.

After weeks of online voting the winners are in. The best long hair award when to tennis player Victoria Azarenka. Zooey Deschanel won for best bangs.

But, in the category of Best Hairstyle in Journalism in was an anchor from Shreveport, LA.

KTBS's Jody Lowery brought home the award for the best hair in journalism.

We're sure she will be adding that to the old resume. 

Shepard Smith to Attend Gay & Lesbian Benefit

/

Fox News Anchor Shep Smith is going to do something that he never has. 

For the first time ever he is attending the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association’s “Headlines and Headliners” benefit.

So, many are wondering if Shep is finally going to come out?

Don't bet on it. 

Jim Romenesko asked Fox News and NLGJA if Smith – outed by Gawker last October – plans to announce anything at next Thursday’s event.

“Not to my knowledge,” NLGJA membership coordinator Matthew Rose told me. “Our special guest list is filled with allies,” straight and gay. (Another NLGJA member noted that Anderson Cooper attended the “Headlines and Headliners” bash during his closeted years.)

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti tells me: “Fox News is an annual sponsor of the NLGJA event and Shepard Smith is attending the benefit along with numerous other Fox News Channel & Fox Business on-air talent and staff.”

The event is being hosted by ABC News Anchor Amy Robach 

Anderson Tops Bill O in the Demo

/

CNN's Anderson Copper had a rare ratings win against FNC's Bill O'Reilly in the demos on Wednesday night. 

Cooper pulled in 63,000 more viewers in the demo, while O'Reilly was still far out in front in total viewers.

CNN has turned the missing Malaysia Airlines jet into their new poop ship and are going wall to wall on the story. 

Cooper spent most of his show focusing on the missing plane. 

Richard Engel was put in Time Out

/

NBC's Richard Engel says that he and his team were temporarily detained by pro-Russian militia in Crimea Thursday.

Engel said that the team had purposefully taken the train to avoid any checkpoints, but militia are now reportedly positioned at train stations as well.

Engel took to Twitter to talk about his detainment, which sounded more like a couple of bullies picking on the nerdy kid. 

ESPN Demotes Brent Musburger, Rick Reilly

/

ESPN has decided to demote a pair of their biggest names.

Rick Reilly, the longtime journalist who joined ESPN from Sports Illustrated in 2008, will no longer write his column for ESPN.com; instead working on a part-time basis for television only. He’ll write his final column June 30.

Brent Musburger, meanwhile, will no longer call ABC’s college football game of the week. He has been named anchor of ESPN’s new SEC Network alongside Jesse Palmer.

The 74 year-old Musburger, who also called the national title game alongside Kirk Herbstreit, has been with ESPN and ABC for more than 20 years.

“I’m delighted to be staying with ESPN, thrilled to be able to call the best football conference in the nation every week and am really looking forward to working with Jesse, who I covered while he was at Florida,” Musburger said in a statement. “Jesse has tremendous football knowledge, knows this league very well and does his homework.”

One of the top choices to replace Musburger is ESPN’s Chris Fowler, according to reports.

H/T Variety

VA Anchor Suspended

/

WCYB Bristol, Va anchor Garick Zikan escorted from the building last night after sources say he acted like an idiot in front of a News Director candidate.

Word is that Zikan, who is also applying for the open ND job, pummeled the ND candidate with loaded questions and accusations. He did it all while in front of other staff members.

The station told Zikan to pack up stuff and leave the building.

He has been given a few days off without pay. 

That's a Well Timed Promo wouldn't you say?

/

KOKH says it was a mistake. 

Not everyone believes them. 

The Fox affiliate in Oklahoma managed to remove the only mention of evolution from Sunday night’s Cosmos science documentary by cutting only 15 seconds from the broadcast.

The much-anticipated reboot of Carl Sagan’s legendary Cosmos premiered on Sunday with an overview of the history of the Universe, from the Big Bang to the advent of humans.

It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the show that host Neil deGrasse Tyson hinted at human evolution.

“We are newcomers to the Cosmos,” he explained. “Our own story only begins on the last night of the cosmic year.”

“Three and a half million years ago, our ancestors — your and mine left these traces,” Tyson said, pointing to footprints. “We stood up and parted ways from them. Once we were standing on two feet, our eyes were no longer fixated on the ground. Now, we were free to look up and wonder.”

But for viewers of KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City, that 15 second paragraph was replaced by an awkwardly-inserted commercial for the evening news.

The station claimed in was a mistake in a Tweet:

Here's the video:

H/T Raw Story

Christmas Jammies Anchor could Land Reality Show

/

When FTVLive posted the video of then WNCN Anchor Penn Holderness and his wife, former ‘Inside Edition’ correspondent Kim Dean Holderness doing a rap in their Christmas Jammies, it only had a few hundred views on YouTube.

Now the video has over 13 million and the Christmas jammy family might be landing a reality show. 

Penn Holderness tells me multiple production companies have contacted them about a reality show.

“Reality shows, they go in cycles and they’re all looking for the same thing all the time,” he says. “For awhile, it was strong crazy women. Then it was big, outrageous groups of characters. And the next thing people are looking for is a family business.”

And the success of “Duck Dynasty” didn’t hurt that cause, he points out.

Holderness and team have narrowed the field to one undisclosed company. And, while he won't let me print the name, he does say they've had some past reality television show successes.

And they’re interested in filming a pilot. Legalities could stand in the way. Holderness says the new company, dubbed GreenRoom, is signing several deals, which could impact a reality show. But it’s a possibility that, some day, the Holderness clan will stack up against the likes of “John and Kate.” A pilot could start filming this week.

There will be one big difference, however.

“We’re not going to do a show where our kids are going to be the forefront of it,” he says. “We don’t want them to be Honey Boo Boo.”

Thank God for that. 

H/T Triangle Business Journal