New Main Anchor named in New Mexico

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Albuquerque's KOB announced they have hired a new main anchor.

Tessa Mentus will join Tom Joles as co-anchor of the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts Monday through Friday.

Mentus comes to KOB from WTVY in Dothan, Ala., where for the last three years she was an evening anchor and reporter. 

Let's see what quotes the Creative Services Department made up for Mentus and News Director Michelle Donaldson: 

"Tessa stood out because of her experience and passion for providing comprehensive coverage of the issues that are important to people," News Director Michelle Donaldson said. "She brings an energy and fresh perspective to the newsroom. Her personal connection with both her audience and her stories is a perfect fit for KOB 4's commitment to New Mexico."

"KOB 4 has a long history of producing quality news and I'm excited to join the team," Mentus said. "I'm also looking forward to exploring New Mexico and getting to know the unique culture here."

Willard Scott Pulls a Savannah

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Longtime Today Show Birthday man Willard Scott made a surprise announcement. the 80 year old just got married.

Today Anchor Savannah Guthrie surprised many when she had jetted off to Arizona for a quickie wedding and at the same time announced she was 4 months pregnant. 

Willard Scott followed suit by announcing this morning that he also just got married.

As far as we know, Willard is not pregnant though.

Smuckers for everyone!

Internal Review or Sweeping it Under the Rug?

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On Monday FTVLive reported that CNN Producers Yon Pomrenze and Connor Fieldman Boals were told by higher ups to try and gain access to the 1 World Trade Center site.

The two 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.

Our CNN source said 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.

The source claims the two were told by Senior VP of Domestic News Gathering Andrew Morse to try and gain access to the WTC.

A CNN spokesperson told the website Politi co (they spell FTVLive as FTV Live, so we will spell Politico as Politi co) that Morse did not instruct producers to try to breach security at the World Trade Center site, network sources said Monday.

The network then claimed they are currently conducting an internal review to determine exactly what instructions were given to the two producers, and by whom?

How can CNN say that Morse had no role, when according to then they are currently still doing the internal review?

At the time of the two's arrests, CNN said they two acted on their own to try and trespass of the WTC site. Yet, now they are doing an internal review.

Huh?

Politi co writes that what's unclear is whether or not someone below Morse instructed or encouraged the producers to gain access to the site, if the producers misinterpreted the instructions, or if the producers decided to try to breach the site on their own.

Wait! CNN said after they were busted that they acted on their own. Now, they are looking into what happened. So, did CNN lie when the two were arrested? 

We're not sure about you, but FTVLive is not going to put my faith in CNN's findings of their "internal review."

Sounds more like sweeping it under the rug to us.

Just saying... 

GMA Adding Former NFL Star

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With Josh Elliott gone, Good Morning America has made another hire and it's a big one.

Former NFL star Michael Strahan, one half of Live! With Kelly & Michael, also soon will be seen on ABC‘s morning infotainment program Good Morning America. 

Deadline says that Strahan will continue to co-host his daytime talker with Kelly Ripa. 

Ripa also had been approached about joining GMA, but she declined, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. 

Talks with Strahan began about a month ago, which predates news anchor Josh Elliott’s decision to depart GMA, announced over the weekend. Expect to see Strahan on GMA a couple days a week, initially. Elliott, formerly of ESPN, left the show to join NBC Sports. The addition of Strahan gives GMA an anchor with a sports background to take over that responsibility from Elliott — Strahan having spent 15 years playing for the New York Giants.

Live! With Kelly & Michael is having its best season in seven years, ratings-wise, averaging nearly 4 million viewers — up 13% versus same time last season.

Don't Let the Door Hit you on the Ass on your Way Out

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When Sam Champion signed off from Good Morning America it was a love fest.

Champion passed the torch (boots) to Ginger Zee and everyone toasted Sam for all his years at GMA.

It's not happening with Josh Elliott.

It has gotten so bitter so fast between Elliott and ABC.

How bad?

He most likely won't be back on "Good Morning America" to say goodbye to his colleagues or fans.

Sources say that ABC Boss Ben Sherwood feels as if Elliott stabbed him in the back and Sherwood is not happy with some of the things that Elliott and his agents have said about the network.

You can bet one thing, the happy, fun-filled loveliest that Sam Champion got when he left, isn't happening for Josh Elliott.

Or as one staffer at GMA was heard joking yesterday "Josh who?" 

Now That's a News Producer

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Sodos

Sodos

Stockdale

Stockdale

We’ve heard how producers save shows? But one Milwaukee Producer went above and beyond. 

Word is that yesterday, during the AM show on WTMJ, morning anchor Samara Sodos passed out and stopped breathing.

Producer Adam Stocksdale immediately jumped in and started CPR. He stayed with it until paramedics arrived and took over.

The quick action worked - and Samara was resuscitated. 

Bounced Chicago Anchor Lands Across the Street

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Veteran Chicago newswoman Susan Carlson has been named a full-time reporter and fill-in news anchor at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5.

Her promotion from part-time status, effective April 28, was confirmed Tuesday by Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5.

“I’m extremely delighted that Susan will be joining us full-time,” Whittaker told Robert Feder. “She’s a born and bred Chicagoan who knows our city and suburbs well. Her years of local reporting will be a great addition to our staff.”

Carlson joined NBC 5 last July — two months after her release as morning news anchor at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, where she had been a reporter and anchor for more than 10 years. She began her television career at Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9 and also worked at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7.

At NBC 5, Carlson will continue as part of the anchor rotation on the station’s weekend morning newscasts. 

Headed From DC to Houston

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It seems like ever since Sinclair announced that they were buying WJLA in DC, a number of staffers have left or are looking to get out of the station, before Sinclair takes charge.

The latest staffer to bolt WJLA is Natasha Barrett.

Barrett, who joined WJLA in 2006, pulled double duty by contributing live reports to ABC 7 News at 5 and 6pm, plus hosting the daily talk show, Let's Talk Live.

She is headed to KTRK in Houston were she will be the weekend anchor and consumer reporter at the ABC owned television station. 

Before WJAL, Barrett worked at WVEC Norfolk, Virginia, KCEN Waco and a station in Corpus Christi. 

H/T Mike McGuff

Georgia Reporter Headed to the NFL

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Alexandra Vitale has left WTVM in Columbus, GA as a Sports Anchor/Reporter and is headed to the Buffalo Bills.

She won't be playing for the team, although as bad as they have been, she might be able to. She joins the NFL team as a new member to its team of reporters covering the National Football team for its website and other media ventures.

According to the Bills, Vitale will cover the team and report on community, marketing and business initiatives and off-the-field endeavors for buffalo bills.com and other Bills media properties.

More Problems for RT America

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Let's face it, most people had never even heard of Russian television's RT America until one of their Anchors quit of air saying that the network was nothing more than a mouthpiece for President Putin.

Now, as there is a bit more focus on the network, more things are starting to come out. 

Like this.....

The Washington Free Beacon repots that the president and owner of RTTV America is facing up to three years in prison for federal tax fraud after he admitted to cooking the books for the Washington-based Russian news channel by filing over $1 million in phony corporate tax deductions.

RTTV America president Alexei Iazlovsky pleaded guilty to submitting false tax returns, a felony, last July. However, his role at the Russian news outlet has not been reported until now.

Sources tell FTVLive that although it hasn't been reported, another correspondent quit the network.

Sources also say that 2 people working on a new show said they didn't want their faces on it. And a producer walked away because she couldn't deal with the drama. 

Sounds like a great place to work. NOT!

Anderson Cooper Won't Inherit A Dime from Mom

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CNN's Anderson Cooper may come from a family with money, but he won't be seeing a dime of it.

Though his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, inherited a fortune before making her own millions, Cooper will not receive an inheritance.

"My mom's made clear to me that there's no trust fund. There's none of that," he told Howard Stern. "[And] I don't believe in inheriting money."

Cooper, 46, said that inherited money is an "initiative sucker" and a "curse." Because of that, he's grateful that his mother always gave him an incentive to work.

"Who's inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their own life?" he asked. "From the time I was growing up, if I felt that there was some pot of gold waiting for me, I don't know that I would've been so motivated."

Calling his mother "the coolest person I know," Cooper also praised her for instilling within him a great work ethic. And, he said, should he become a father one day, he'd likely follow in her footsteps.

"I would want them to start working early on and start to have a sense of responsibility," he said. "If maybe I felt like they had a good sense of responsibility, maybe I would try to leave some money. I don't know."

Although Cooper won't  get a cent of his Mom's fortune, we have a feeling that he will do OK.

Just Saying....

H/T ABC News