Longtime News Director Ron Bilek is back in the chair, working as the interim ND for WCNC in Charlotte.
The station has been without a News Director or GM, so they called on Bilek to help out.
This isn't Ron's first go around in Charlotte, he also worked as the ND at WBTV and WSOC in the market.
Bilek also worked for Gannett owned WXIA in Atlanta. Gannett also owns WCNC.
KOMO Anchor Liz Dueweke is going across the street to KCPQ and will help shore up the station's morning newscast.
Here is the internal memo that News Director Erica Hill sent out to the staff:
I’m excited to announce that we are adding to our team at Q13 FOX and enhancing the roles of our very talented morning show team!
Over the last several months, we have been working diligently on ways to evolve our morning show by strengthening the roles of our very important team and casting everyone in the areas where they shine. So I am thrilled to announce that Liz Dueweke will be joining us as co-anchor of Q13 FOX News This Morning from 5am to 10am alongside Bill Wixey, MJ McDermott and Kaci Aitchison. Kaci will be taking on an important hosting role for segments and features, designed to bring life into the show through her incredible talents, her content, and her personality. This is an elevated role for Kaci which puts her in a position of showcasing some of the what we love most about Kaci. She is excited about this new role, as am I.
Liz joins us from across the street where she has been the AM anchor at KOMO for the last year. Before that she anchored 5a-10a at the FOX affiliate in Oklahoma City and has worked in Michigan and Arizona in a variety of on air roles.
Brien Blakely, Kelly O’Connell and Tim Joyce will continue to co-host our 4:30am newscast. Brien will then showcase important breaking news from the newsroom throughout the show and Kelly will be a presence all morning by hosting important, local content. I am excited to work with both of them on ways to further develop our content in the morning show. Tim Joyce will support our weather story throughout the show along with continuing as the face of our Eye Opener Portland cut ins.
I could not be more thrilled to work on our continued growth and ways for us to build upon the amazing talents of this team. It is my belief that we are at the precipice of significant development that will put us at a competitive advantage in the marketplace and have the right team in place to build our content around.
Please join me in welcoming Liz to the team when she arrives on April 21st. Her first official day on the air will be April 28th!
Erica Hill
NBC Today's Al Roker has been off the air after having shoulder surgery.
One FTVLive visitor wonders if Roker didn't hurt his shoulder when he and Matt Lauer crashed doing a 2-man luge run in Sochi.
Roker and Lauer did one run down the mouton that went fine, they decided to try it again and it didn't end so well.
Is this where Al hurt is shoulder?
Let's go to the video:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
FTVLive told you that Josh Elliott would not be back to say good bye on Good Morning America and he wasn't.
GMA ran about a 3 minute taped piece on some of Elliott's highlights on the show, but Elliott himself wasn't there and had to watch it on TV.
Elliott left GMA for NBC Sports.
Sam Champion also left GMA for the NBC owned Weather Channel, but Champion left ABC on much better terms than Elliott and was allowed to say good bye to viewers.
CNN and their nauseating coverage of the missing plane, saw their ratings rise in March. Although it should be pointed out the network had one of their worst fist quarter's on record, even with the bump in March.
But, as April kicks off, it appears that viewers are growing tired of CNN's non-stop coverage of the search for the plane.
The numbers for the 1st day of April show that the ratings are starting to slip for CNN.
Prime time is down and Anderson Cooper, who did pull off a few rare demo ratings wins against FNC's O'Reilly in March, has slipped behind MSNBC.
Last night CNN broke away from their plane fascination to cover the shooting at Ft. Hood.
Could CNN boss Jeff Zucker actually be back to covering real news?
Stay tuned.....
An anti-Obama protester interrupted WBBM's (Chicago) Reporter Jay Levine during a live shot yesterday afternoon.
Obama was in Chicago to attend a fundraiser.
“Obama is a war criminal,” the unidentified protester shouted as he grabbed the microphone from Levine. The CBS reporter swung back and another man appeared to tackle the demonstrator.
WMAQ's Mary Ann Ahern was also doing a live hit just steps from Levine. She heard the commotion and the WMAQ Photographer panned over to show what was going on. In fact, WMAQ's video showed more of the action than WBBM, Including showing Levine taking a swing at the protestor.
“I’ve obviously gotten a little reinforcement here from one of the protesters who decided to speak his mind on live TV,” Levine said afterwards. “Obviously that’s his right to do.”
The video from both live shots is up after the jump.
Read MoreAn abandoned building on fire in downtown Dayton was the lead story on WRGT in last night.
Well, sort of, the lead story was on the fire scene but it was the drones flying about the scene that topped the station's newscast.
Anyone can go to the mall and plunk down a couple of hundred bucks and buy a drone. But, for some reason, local news is obsessed by the toys. It's as if aliens were swooping down out of the sky.
"When I saw the smoke, I thought it would be a good idea to get some good aerial footage. It's a hobby of mine that I do on the side," said drone operator, Bob Ellis to WRGT.
"I like to do my part and help out any way I can. Anything we can do to help the police and fire department. We're all about that," said Ellis.
The footage shot by the drone was no more spectacular than anything shot by the stations Photographers, but my God it was a Drone!!!
Here's a link to the video of the stations lead story on the drone.
WLS Anchor Linda Yu whose amazing longevity is exceeded only by her popularity, marked her 30th anniversary at WLS-Channel 7 Wednesday by doing what she’s always done — anchoring a top-rated newscast on the ABC-owned station.
“It’s been a lucky, fascinating, learning, productive, wonderful time,” she told Facebook fans. “I’m grateful and humbled by your support all these years!”
Robert Feder says that Yu came to Chicago in 1979 as a 32-year-old weekend anchor at WMAQ-Channel 5, eventually moving up to the 10 p.m. weekday newscast. After five years at the NBC-owned station, she jumped to ABC 7. “Linda Yu hits air, signs 3-year contract with Ch. 7,” read the headline of Feder's Sun-Times column on April 3, 1984.
Earlier this year, Yu, 67, was sidelined for a month after she broke her left left in a traffic accident while vacationing in Florida. Following two surgeries, she’s still undergoing physical therapy, but hasn’t missed a scheduled day since she returned.
KTRK Investigative Reporter Brian Collister is leaving Houston, but not Texas.
Collister is joining KXAN in Austion.
KXAN News Director Chad Cross announced the addition of longtime investigative reporter Brian Collister to the KXAN Investigates team.
KXAN says that Collister specializes in uncovering stories of fraud, corruption and government waste. He is a licensed private investigator and board member of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Collister is also a widely-recognized member of the national organization, Investigative Reporters and Editors.
“Brian has earned a reputation throughout Texas and across the country as a powerful investigative reporter who gets results and holds powerful people accountable,” said Cross. “His hire speaks volumes about our station and company; investigative journalism is a top priority.”
Joining KXAN is a return to Austin for Collister. He started building his career as an investigative reporter in Central Texas, then continued his work in Phoenix, San Antonio and Houston.
WCAX (Burlington, VT) Morning Anchor Molly Smith has signed off from the station.
"Thank you guys, I'm going to miss you a lot!" Smith told you morning Co-Anchors as she anchored her last newscast at the station.
Smith is moving to Memphis. She heads to Tennessee TV after four plus years in the Green Mountains.
She started her reporting career with WCAX near Killington, her hometown. She covered the Rutland region for the station before being bumped up to the morning Anchor.
The station says that, whether it was on the set or in the field, Molly reported the good and the bad for us. She's a journalist who will take a bit of Vermont to the South with her. We wish her the best on her new journey and say thanks for a job well done.
Josh Elliott says that his leaving Good Morning America and ABC was not about the money.
"In the end, it had nothing to do with money," he told People in his first interview since news broke that he's heading to his former network's rival, NBC Sports.
Early reports indicated Elliott was in a contract negotiation war with ABC asking for $10 million a year while the network offered only half that.
But when news hit that he reportedly signed on with NBC for $4 million a year, questions arose about whether money was truly at the center of his decision to leave "GMA" or not.
"There were two great offers on the table and it certainly was a difficult choice to make," he said. "I feel I made the best one."
The 42-year-old TV journalist added, "It wasn't at all about anyone or anything at ABC," he told People. "It was about what lies ahead for me at NBC Sports."
Starting with Kentucky Derby coverage in May, Elliott will be a key player in reporting other big sporting events such as the Olympics, the NFL and the Triple Crown, which is exactly the direction he wanted to take his career.
"I have always wanted to be part of an Olympics broadcast and the opportunity to cover sports that captivate America was too good to pass up," he continued.
Elliott had a successful run on "GMA," which he joined in 2011 after leaving ESPN. Now with his eyes on the prize, he departs from the morning show family that bumped the "Today" show to second place in the ratings after 16 years at No. 1.
H/T NY Daily News
FTVLive told you last week that Kathie Lee Gifford was getting her own line of wine.
But, don't expect her to be pushing the product on air. Word is that NBC has told Gifford, no plugging her wine on the Today Show.
"They (NBC) let me announce it and then they've asked us to please not discuss it right now," Gifford said. "We're in the middle of the big takeover of a major corporation (Time Warner Cable). I think they just want to be — and rightfully so — very careful. Everybody wants to dot i's and cross t's and you notice the wine is still sitting there but they've just asked me to be a little careful while they're under great scrutiny and I'm happy to do that."
A representative for "Today" said, "We love and support Kathie Lee and as always, we let her comments speak for themselves."
Although Gifford can't plug her wine on air, don't expect either her or Hoda Kotb to stop drinking wine while hosting the show.
Legendary TV sports director Sandy Grossman has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 78.
The Hollywood Reporter says that the eight-time Emmy winner directed 21 seasons of NFL coverage fronted by analyst John Maddenand play-by-play man Pat Summerall for CBS and Fox. He came to Fox from CBS with Madden and Summerall for the 1994 season, when Fox first got NFC rights -- a major boon for the network.
Grossman directed a record 10 Super Bowls -- seven for CBS and three for Fox -- five Stanley Cup Finals for Fox and 18 NBA Finals for CBS during his career.
"The key to anything is, 'What does the viewer want to see?' " Grossman said in a 2011 interview with the Palm Beach Post. "It's not just what I want to show. Somebody out there is an aficionado of the sport and I didn't want to offend them. I always made a point to treat every event I did like it was the Super Bowl because, for them, it is."
Grossman worked with Madden and Summerall for 21 years. "How many guys can say that? It was an unbelievable experience." They were three of about 20 staffers who moved from CBS to Fox as a result of the 4-year, $1.58 billion deal in 1994.
He earned an Emmy for directing the 1980 Super Bowl and other statues for events such as the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games, where he directed hockey for CBS in Albertville and Lillehammer, respectively.
Longtime radio personality and former KARK reporter Gene Stewart passed away early Tuesday morning at the age of 71 from complications following a surgery.
Stewart began his media career in the late 1960s as a DJ and the news director for KBTA radio in Batesville, then moved on to similar positions with KCON in Conway, and KAAY in Little Rock. In the 1970s, Stewart switched to television, joining KARK-TV in Little Rock as a producer, news editor, and reporter, specializing in police and traffic reporting, frequently providing updates from the Sky 4 Eyewitness News helicopter.
Stewart also had a keen, lifelong interest in law enforcement and fire fighting, leaving KARK for a time to pursue that career path, serving as a patrol sergeant and information officer for the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department. While serving with PCSD, he provided "Sgt. Gene's" air traffic reports for the Little Rock metro area.
Stewart rejoined KARK for a time as a crime reporter, before returning to Batesville where he continued his media endeavors, forming his own company.
H/T KAIT
It appears that DirecTV is moving on from the Weather Channel after the Comcast owned company tried to hold out for more retransmission money.
DirecTV has officially signed a multi-year deal with WeatherNation.
“This new multi-year agreement strengthens our relationship with WeatherNation and ensures our customers will have a service that is fully committed to providing all weather related information all the time,” said Dan York, chief content officer for DirecTV, in a statement.
Michael Norton, president of WeatherNation added, “We’re looking forward to being a primary TV destination for instant access to the latest weather news, radar imagery, forecasting and severe weather coverage for years to come.”
Al Roker was not on the Today this morning, because he had a date with the Doctor.
Roker tweeted out that he was undergoing surgery for his shoulder.
No word on how long he'll be off the air, but expect to see him in a sling when he returns.
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