Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth is.... (Link Fixed)

This morning FTVLive reported EXCLUSIVELY that  Fox News Anchor Alisyn Camerota is headed to CNN.

As often happens when FTVLive breaks a story, other blogs question if our story is right or not?

It seems that some of these people are slow learners. FTVLive has broken stories time and time again and yet the haters are going to hate. 

After FTVLive posted the story, two bloggers took to Twitter to wonder if our report was correct?

Read the rest of the story in ScottLand

That Didn't Last Long Now Did it?

Word is that struggling Fox O&O WFLD (Chicago) has already cut ties with Morning Executive Producer MJ Witt.

She had only been with the station for just 5 months. 

Witt started at WFLD station in November, just as the stations was getting two new anchors, Jon Kelley and Melody Mendez.

Now, after putting up with a brutal Chicago winter, just as spring hits, Witt is out the door. 

That's not good.

H/T to Kevin Eck @TVSpy

It's OK MSNBC....No One Saw It

MSNBC'S Ronan Farrow Daily, which is living of borrowed time, made a boo boo today while reporting on the death of  Ray Hutchison, who was the husband of former Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Farrow showed a photo of Bailey Hutchison with her husband. There was just one small problem, it wasn't her hubby, it was former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Farrow eventually got around to making the correction, but at this point, does it really matter?

EXCLUSIVE: Alisyn Camerota Headed to CNN

This morning, former Fox News Anchor Alisyn Camerota sent out this photo on Twitter:

The former Anchor at 1PM on Fox News seems to be enjoying her time on the beach.

But, FTVLive has learned FIRST and EXCLUSIVELY from CNN sources that Camerota will be soon headed to CNN.

"It's still months away, but she is 100% going to end up on CNN," our source tells FTVLive.

Many were shocked when Camerota announced that she was leaving Fox News after 16 years. She said at the time she would be "taking some time off before seeking out her next gig."

She has already found the next gig and it's at CNN.

No word yet on what her role will be at CNN, but you get bet the house that it's where she is going to end up.

Just remember where you heard it first.....as always. 

Tribune Bumps Cleveland GM up the Food Chain

Tribune Broadcasting is reaching out to its station in Cleveland to fill the longstanding vacancy for president and general manager of Chicago flagship WGN-Channel 9.

Robert Feder says that moving up from the 19th largest market to the third is Greg Easterly, a 17-year veteran of WJW, Cleveland’s Fox affiliate. Tribune Co. picked up WJW last December as part of its $2.7 billion acquisition of 16 stations owned by Local TV Holdings. Easterly spent his first 10 years at the station as news director before he was named general manager in 2007.

His promotion to WGN, effective April 14, was announced Monday by Larry Wert, president of Tribune Broadcast Media. Easterly also will head the CLTV cable news channel.

“Greg is a proven leader, both at the head of a station and in the newsroom, and he has a keen understanding of the management and operations of a legacy station with market dominance,” Wert said in a statement. “WGN programs a powerful schedule of news, sports and entertainment for itself and CLTV, with more news than any other Chicago station — I’m confident WGN will continue its growth and success under Greg’s expert guidance.”

Easterly, 52, succeeds Marty Wilke, who left in September 2012 to become president and general manager of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2. For the last 18 months, Steve Farber, senior vice president/operations for Tribune Broadcasting, has been acting general manager of WGN.

How Long Before MSNBC Say Farewell to Farrow?

MSNBC boss Phil Griffin says that he knew he was going to hire Ronan Farrow after just talking to him for 20 minutes.

Griffin might want to spend more time on his next job applicant interview.

Word is that Farrow’s MSNBC talk show is facing cancellation because of dismal ratings.  

“Ronan Farrow Daily”premiered in late February and has bombed bad in the ratings. 

How bad is it? 

Wednesday’s show was 708th among all programming ranked by Nielsen, in both total viewers and the 18-to-49 age group advertisers covet. The midnight airing of “Baggage” on the Game Show Network came in ahead of it, at No. 707, and the 8 a.m. “Golden Girls” on the Hallmark Channel (No. 700) crushed it.

The show is a miserable failure, but how long will MSNBC take to admit such and move on?

If I was Phil Griffin, it wouldn't take more than 20 minutes. 

H/T Daily News

NBC Tries to Dismantle GMA

When Good Morning American passed longtime leader the Today Show in the ratings, NBC panicked.

The Peacock was so shocked at being passed, they didn't know what to do?

They first kicked Ann Curry to the curb. When that didn't work, the Today Show started moving people out behind the scenes. Producers and bosses were changed out and yet NBC was still not able to catch GMA.

So after dismantling the Today Show with no success, NBC has set their sights on dismantling GMA.

First, NBC property the Weather Channel scooped up Sam Champion and given him a role would make the witness protection program proud. Champion has his own show on the Weather Channel that no one is watching, but it's keeping Sam busy and that's all that counts.

Now, NBC Sports has snatched up Josh Elliott.

Elliott will be given a role at major sports events broadcast on NBC which is few and far between. In other words, Elliott will also be out of sight and out of mind for most viewers.

You can look for both Champion and Elliott to pop up from time to time on the Today Show. Not really to bring in ratings as much as to rub GMA's face in the fact they stole two of their players.

But, the New York Yankees have shown, no matter how much money you spend, you still can't buy a championship every year.

There is no question that NBC overpaid for Elliott and ABC made the right move in letting him go. ABC offered Elliott more than 3 times his current salary and he said no.

ABC gave Elliott his break at both ESPN and GMA and this is how he paid them back. It was an Josh Elliott money grab and nothing more. 

But, Elliott was just a "News Reader" and losing him is a akin to the Yankees losing a middle reliever (like all my baseball references of Opening Day?), they would have liked to keep him, but it likely won't hurt them.

Amy Robach (formally of NBC) is more than capable of taking on Elliott's role at ABC.

As for NBC?

Unless they can steal away Robin Roberts, they latest strategy is also going to fail. 

Source: CNN Staffers Told to Try to Get onto World Trade Center Site

When police arrested two CNN staffers after they tried three times to enter the World Trade Center, CNN bosses tried to distant themselves from the story.

 The NY Port Authority said that CNN Producers Yon Pomrenze and Connor Fieldman Boals tried going through one gate, but were stopped by a police officer; one of them was seen twice climbing the fence, but was stopped; and they tried to push their way through a gate before finally being arrested.

CNN claimed that the producers were assigned to do a story about the recent break-ins, but weren’t asked to actually sneak onto the site.

ot so says a CNN source to FTVLive.

Our source says that Pomrenze and Boals were told to try and get into site of 1 World Trade Center. And our source says that it wasn't just some Assignment Editor or a low level employee that told them to do so.

Word is that the two were told by Senior VP of Domestic News Gathering Andrew Morse to try and gain access to the WTC.

Word is there is also a paper/email trail that shows that Morse was involved in the stunt. 

Our source says that CNN boss Jeff Zucker is livid at Morse.

"Zucker hates that there is documentation that shows Executives at CNN did know that the employees were trying to gain access to the site," says our tipster.

When the two were arrested they were equipped with small GoPro cameras. GoPro is also a CNN sponsor.

We hear that CNN is hoping that this all goes away quietly and that police will not dig anymore into it. 

As for right now, it's back to the missing plane coverage. 

Josh Elliott Leaving GMA, Amy Robach to Takeover

ABC offered more than triple his salary to stay at Good Morning America, but in the end, Josh Elliott turned down the deal and his headed to NBC.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Elliott's will have a robust role on all of NBC Sports' signature franchises including the network's coverage of the Triple Crown, the Olympics and Sunday Night Football.

Sounds like he is taking over Bob Costas role at NBC sports, but sources there stress that he will not replace any of NBC Sports' current on-air analysts and talent.

So, will Elliott be the heir apparent to Costas? 

An announcement from NBC Sports is expected later this week. Expect NBC to tiptoe in the announcement to make sure they aren't stepping on anyone's (i.e Costas) toes. 

ABC's Be Sherwood sent a memo out to the staff announcing that Elliott is bolting the network.

"As many of you know, we have been negotiating with Josh these past several months. In good faith, we worked hard to close a significant gap between our generous offer and his expectations," wrote Sherwood. "In the end, Josh felt he deserved a different deal and so he chose a new path." 

Sherwood also said in his memo that Amy Robach would takeover Elliott's role.

"Amy is a world-class anchor and correspondent who is beloved by our morning audience and all who know her," Sherwood said.

Although, NBC would hope that stealing Elliott away will hurt GMA, it is more than likely his departure will have little impact on the ratings. 

Stay tuned.... 

CNN Interrupt's Plane Coverage for....Plane Coverage

You know CNN has gone completely off the deep end when the break into their missing plane coverage for news on the missing plane.

CNN interuptted Reliable Sources which was talking about the missing plane for breaking news about......the missing plane!

What was important enough to interrupt plane coverage for plane coverage?

Four new objects were spotted in the Indian Ocean but there was no evidence that the objects were tied to the missing plane.

CNN's Fredricka Whitfield broke into coverage of the plane to report more news on the plane and the 4 new objects. However, as her discussion with a CNN correspondent suggested that the four items could very likely just be trash.

"When you actually get down to the ocean and you recover the items, it might turn out to be a different story," correspondent Will Ripley said. "That seems to be the case that we are now learning."

Now back to your missing plane coverage.

H/T HuffPo 

Sorry Money Honey, It Looks the Same to Us

Fox Business Anchor Maria Bartiromo kicked off her new Sunday morning talk show with a promise that her show would be different from all the other Sunday morning talk shows.

"Unlike other Sunday morning programs who only bring you Washington's talking heads, we'll discuss how to recreate opportunity and get America back into a position of economic and financial leadership," Bartiromo said.

Her first guest?

It was U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

Isn't Larry Summers a poster child for a Washington talking head?

The Money Honey then spent much of he show talking about the Affordable Care Act (i.e Obamacare) and what effects it will have on the economy and the job market. 

hich is exactly what the other Sunday talk shows discussed. 

So much for being different. 

NBC Correspondent Leaving for San Francisco Anchor Gig

NBC's Veronica de la Cruz is leaving the Peacock for local news.

De La Cruz tweeted out the news that she is becoming the main Anchor at KPIX in San Francisco.

You Do what you Got to Do

It's hard to believe that in the world on instant information, we still have rules that state a non-CBS stations can't show March Madness highlights until the day after the game,

But we do and that makes it tough on the sports department's trying to cover local teams in the tournament.

But, props to ABC affiliate WCJB in Gainesville recapped the Gators' win over Dayton with its own recreated footage.

Anchor Zach Aldridge, Meteorologist Mike Gismondi, and a couple of other station members represented Florida and Dayton in their Elite Eight matchup.

Aldridge does the commentary over footage of himself so you don't get lost. 

Good job guys!

Vickie Burns is Out at WPIX

Former New York News Director Vicki Burns had been working as a news consultant at troubled WPIX in New York.

"Had" being the keyword, because she is now out at the station.

Tuned in writes that Burns had been a major sounding board for news director Mark Effron since surfacing during the summer. Because of her strong programming resume, which included stints running newsrooms at WNBC and KNBC, and the poor ratings, Burns was always considered a wild card to attain a larger role at WPIX.

While it’s not clear why Burns is out, one thing appears certain: the new GM Rich Graziano is feeling pressure to right the ship.

“Graziano inherited Effron,” a source tells Tuned in. “He has the option to go a different route at
anytime.”

The station is badly trailing WNYW in the morning and not doing much better at 10 p.m. WPIX has made slight inroads in the crowded 5 p.m. field.

Burns’ exit could, once again, place the spotlight on Effron. With his tenure now at one year, many speculate that he won’t survive the next ratings book in May.

“The problem is there’s a severe lack of confidence in Effron and his managers,” the source says “Everyday, the station is hindered by a weak leadership team. We’re always a step behind.”

Stay tuned....

Watch Your Step!

It appears that working at FOX O&O WFLD (Chicago) can be hazardous to your health.

Robert Feder writes that Melody Mendez, news anchor at the Fox-owned station, bailed out of the final hour of “Good Day Chicago” Friday after she tripped and fell over loose cables on the newsroom floor. Co-workers said she seriously injured her wrist.

By the time she returned that night to anchor Fox 32’s 9 p.m. newscast (filling in for Dawn Hasbrouck), Mendez had a large covering on her lower right arm, which appeared to be immobilized. Though concealed behind the anchor desk through most of the show, it was clearly visible during the closing shot with co-anchor Jeff Herndon.

Co-workers said Mendez was the second Fox 32 employee to be injured in the newsroom last week. Producer Melinda Tichelaar required medical treatment Monday after she tripped over an electrical box buried under loose carpet tiles.

Both incidents are believed to be related to an ongoing newsroom rehab project, which has been proceeding at a slow pace.

“The loose carpeting is so bad that [the human resources director] walked through the newsroom last week warning employees not to trip,” one staffer said. “Comical as they didn’t fix the problem. Just warned employees not to trip.”

Hey at least it's better than this HR boss is doing.