Bumped up in Grand Forks

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WDAZ in Grand Forks made a couple of changes to their anchor line-up. The station announced that Terry Dullum has been promoted to the 6pm anchor at WDAZ News.

Dullum has been with WDAZ for the past 39 years, first as a reporter and then as the 5pm anchor. Viewers will be pleased to learn that Terry will continue to anchor the 5pm news as he takes on his new position anchoring the 6pm news. Stacie Van Dyke will co-anchor with Terry Dullum at 5 & 6.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to co-anchor WDAZ News at 5 with Stacie Van Dyke and now joining her on WDAZ News at 6 as well," said Terry. "There's simply no one I'd rather work with."

At the same time, WDAZ is excited to announce that reporter Victor Correa has been promoted to the 10pm anchor. He will co-anchor with Stacie Van Dyke.

"I'm very honored to have been given the opportunity," says Victor Correa. "It has been an honor working as a reporter for WDAZ and serving the amazing people of this area. I'm ready to step up to the challenge, in my new role as the 10:00 anchor."

"So excited to work with victor and for more viewers to get to know his infectious personality," said Stacie.

"This is an exciting time at WDAZ TV, I am thrilled to be promoting Victor Correa to 10pm anchor," says News Director Julie Moravchik. "Victor is a hard worker, a positive person and he's earned this position. It's always nice when you can promote within." 

SO......

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ABC's World News was crowing about the fact that the ABC show just passed 1 million "Likes" on Facebook.

What does this mean for Diane Sawyer and the gang over at ABC?

Absolutely nothing. 

And while ABC is proud of reaching this "major" milestone, let's put it into some prospective. World News is still 18 million "Likes" behind Kim Kardashian. Kardashian is closing on 20 million and Diane Sawyer just topped 1 million.

That should tell you everything you need to know about Facebook and their "Likes".

Just saying......

Local Stations to Test Interactive Services for Viewers

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Some of the first news to trickle out of the NAB convention is that some broadcast groups  have announced that they will be testing interactive content and advertising services delivered to LG Smart TVs.

The services will be tested in three markets during live newscasts.

The tests will occur in Atlanta, Cleveland and Orlando.

Stations participating in Atlanta are WSB (Cox), WGCL (Meredith) and WXIA (Gannett). In Cleveland, WOIO (Raycom), WEWS (Scripps), and WKYC (Gannett) will test the idea and in Orlando, participating stations are WKMG (Post-Newsweek), WFTV (Cox), and WESH (Hearst).

During the tests, broadcasters will offer additional photo and map overlays to viewers wanting more information about particular news events and weather reports, as well as personalized traffic information and content from the station’s own websites.

The interactive material will be shown in the lower third of the screen so it doesn’t interfere with the program or broadcast TV ad.

The technology also makes it possible for viewers to interact with advertising by requesting more information such as store locations or receiving coupons.

The tests are expected to run through the spring and examples of the technology will be shown at NAB.

H/T Broadcasting and Cable 

Walters Will Sign off in the May Book

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Barbara Walters has set her date to sign off from The View and surprise, surprise it will happen in the May book.

Walters plans to make her final appearance on "The View" on May 16, part of a daylong retirement celebration that will include ABC News naming its New York headquarters after her.

Later that night, ABC will air a two-hour primetime special on her career. Walters, who is 84, began in television in 1961 and became the medium's best-known interviewer. 

Walters will remain involved behind the scenes as an executive producer at "The View," the daytime talk show she invented.

"It's a special day for me," Walters said on Monday's View, reiterating the finale date news. But she noted she'll "keep my eye" on all of you, as she continues to executive produce the daily gabfest.

"I don't want to get too weepy," she said.

H/T USA Today

MSNBC's Al Sharpton Worked as FBI Informant

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Al Sharpton might be a host of his own show on MSNBC, but he was once known as "CI-7" to the FBI.

"CI" stands for "confidential informant" and that is exactly what Al Sharpton was for the feds.

The Smoking Gun writes that he has had ear of the President of the United States, an equally remarkable and perplexing achievement for the former FBI asset known as “CI-7,” the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Beginning in the mid-1980s and spanning several years, Sharpton’s cooperation was fraught with danger since the FBI’s principal targets were leaders of the Genovese crime family, the country’s largest and most feared Mafia outfit. In addition to aiding the FBI/NYPD task force, which was known as the “Genovese squad,” Sharpton’s cooperation extended to several other investigative agencies.

TSG’s account of Sharpton’s secret life as “CI-7” is based on hundreds of pages of confidential FBI affidavits, documents released by the bureau in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, court records, and extensive interviews with six members of the Genovese squad, as well as other law enforcement officials to whom the activist provided assistance.

Like almost every other FBI informant, Sharpton was solely an information source. The parameters of his cooperation did not include Sharpton ever surfacing publicly or testifying on a witness stand. 

Genovese squad investigators--representing both the FBI and NYPD--recalled how Sharpton, now 59, deftly extracted information from wiseguys. In fact, one Gambino crime family figure became so comfortable with the protest leader that he spoke openly--during ten wired face-to-face meetings--about a wide range of mob business, from shylocking and extortions to death threats and the sanity of Vincent “Chin” Gigante, the Genovese boss who long feigned mental illness in a bid to deflect law enforcement scrutiny. As the mafioso expounded on these topics, Sharpton’s briefcase--a specially customized Hartman model--recorded his every word.

Task force members, who were interviewed separately, spoke on the condition of anonymity when describing Sharpton’s work as an informant and the Genovese squad’s activities. Some of these investigators provided internal FBI documents to a reporter.

Read more from the Smoking Gun

Florida Weatherman Seriously Injured in Bicycle Accident

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WBBH NBC 2 (Ft. Myers) Weatherman Jim Reif was involved in a tragic bicycle accident Sunday afternoon. While riding his bike on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, his bicycle hit a sign, throwing him to the ground.

Jim hit his head on the curb and he has suffered traumatic injuries to the head.

He just recently got engaged to be married.

Reif is a household name in Southwest Florida.

 He joined Waterman Broadcasting in 1999 as the Chief Meteorologist for ABC7, and more recently he moved to NBC2 and became the Director of Meteorology for the company's television stations.

Reif's family is asking friends and fans keep Jim in their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.

H/T NBC 2

Pushed out in Portland

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Bruce Sussman, a veteran weather forecaster on Portland TV stations, is no longer the chief meteorologist at KOIN, the CBS affiliate in Portland.

On Sussman's Facebook page, KOIN reporter Joel Iwanaga shared a photo of Sussman and himself, with the following post:

Bruce is more than a colleague, but a trusted friend. Bruce delivered his last weathercast tonight and will be leaving our tv station. Bittersweet for us in the newsroom because while he will be missed ... We know he will be successful in his next move. Bruce is a true class act. He loves his family, God, and.. Of course .. Weather. Bruce, we love you, your compassion for others and your passion for television news. All my best!

Sussman responded:

Thanks to Joel for his kind words. And thanks to you for our interactions on Facebook. Your posts and messages have helped with covering storms and showing off the beauty of the northwest. And I appreciate the great comments too!

H/T Oregonian 

Oops! Cleveland Station Says Sorry for Wrong Report

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WEWS in Cleveland says they made a big mistake on their website on Friday.

The station apologized on their site for an inaccurate post saying Pilot Flying J CEO Jimmy Haslam had been indicted.

The station said on its website that the post has been removed, and that "an internal investigation is underway to determine how the erroneous report was posted."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Haslam has never been charged in connection with the FBI's ongoing investigation into fuel rebate fraud that came to light in April 2013 after the FBI and IRS raided the company's corporate offices in Knoxville, Tenn. Haslam has denied any knowledge of the scheme.

Haslam, who is also the owner of the Cleveland Browns, said in September that Pilot Flying J was working to pay back, with interest, any trucking company that was duped in the rebate fraud.

Group Says Sacramento Station Lied in Report

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A Pro-Life group is calling out KOVR in Sacramento, accusing the station of staging video for a report.

Project Truth accuses KOVR of misleading and slanderous reporting of a pro-life outreach campaign by group at Cordova High School in the City of Rancho Cordova.

Here is the report that Project Truth is calling into question.

In a letter to News Director Tom Bell and GM Kevin Walsh, Project Truth writes: 

"Your news story, which depicts a man wearing a black shirt, dark colored  pants and a baseball hat purportedly putting a Project Truth leaflet on Larry Blount’s car in his driveway, was misleading and slanderous. First, the man depicted in the video is not a participant with Project Truth and did not put the leaflet on the car. It appears as though this was staged for the news story. If your story was truly about “Getting Answers” as you claim it was, then why didn’t your reporter, Anjalie Hemphill, attempt to interview the man in the cap?"

The letter goes on to say:

"The obvious bias and lack of true reporting demonstrated by Ms. Hemphill is deplorable. We are demanding that your news station 1) issue an apology to Project Truth for the false report, 2) report a follow up to the story correcting the falsehoods promulgated by Ms. Hemphill, and 3) denounce the threats of violence and hate speech listed in the comments section of the story on your station’s website."

So far, KOVR has not responded to the letter questioning their report.

Boston Station Reports and then Deletes "Exclusive" story

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WHDH in Boston got some heat after publishing, and then deleting, an “exclusive” story announcing the arrest of two suspects in connection with the high-profile shooting death of an Iraq war veteran in Malden.

That report and related tweets were deleted from the station's website following comments from Malden Police Chief Kevin Molis indicating that, in fact, “no arrests [had] been made” in the case.

The station later changed the report to say two men arrested in a Thursday night drug raid are considered “persons of interest” related to the investigation of a fatal shooting.

Here's a screen shot of the original story:

Pushed out in Peoria

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It looks like WEEK Ashley McNamee who was in contract negotiations with the station is getting pushed out.

The two sides could not agree on a new contract and McNamee’s "visibility" was “lessened” and she began to anchor only at 10 p.m., next to Tom McIntyre.

A memo went out to the WEEK employees, including McNamee saying:

“Please welcome Libby Derry as our new 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weekday co-anchor. She comes to us from Charlottesville, Va. Libby is a graduate of Western Illinois University, a native of Galesburg and looks forward to returning home with her family. Her first day will be April 28.”

In other words, McNamee will be pushed off the 10PM newscast and out the door. 

Neither side is talking in public, but one thing is apparent: McNamee is liked in living rooms. Viewers recently passed petitions in support of her. A month ago, when she was a guest speaker at a Bloomington Kiwanis breakfast gathering, McNamee drew a "near-record" crowd. A "most viewed" TV-25 personality poll on the station's own website lists her No. 1.

It seems the station was more interested in saving a few bucks than what the viewer thought.

Gots to love TV news. 

H/T Pantagraph.com

NABJ Founder is Dead

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Charles (Chuck) Stone Jr., a prominent and pioneering American journalist who touched and shaped many lives as a big-city newspaper columnist, university professor and a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists, died over the weekend at an assisted living facility near Chapel Hill, N.C. 

His death was confirmed by his daughter Krishna, who said he had been suffering from congestive heart failure.

Stone was so trusted by the readers of his Philadelphia Daily News column that dozens of homicide suspects insisted in surrendering to him.

He was 89 years old.

H/T Washington Post 

Stephanopoulos Not Happy with GMA's Direction

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If you believe the New York Post's Page Six, then you'll want to know that “GMA” co-anchor George Stephanopoulos is frustrated with “GMA” staff changes as he begins to negotiate his contract with ABC, sources tell the gossip page. 

Page Six says that multiple sources told us George, the last man standing at the morning show after Sam Champion and Josh Elliott departed in recent weeks, is concerned about the softer direction of “GMA” — and the addition of yet more entertainment personalities.

Stephanopoulos, who also anchors ABC’s Sunday news show “This Week,” is in early contract negotiations with the network. The newsman earns around $8 million a year, just over half of the $14 million “GMA” co-anchor Robin Roberts is said to have received when she re-upped her contract in December. Elliott jumped ship to NBC a week ago after he demanded $10 million from ABC and didn’t get it.

News reporters including Cynthia McFadden and Bill Weir have all followed Champion and Elliot out of ABC recently. Meanwhile, ABC is in talks with “Live with Kelly and Michael” co-host Michael Strahan to join the “GMA” team. “They continue to bring in all of these people like Strahan, who is not a news person,” our source sniffed.

Insiders told us Stephanopoulos has already made clear that he wants to do more serious news programming and take over for Diane Sawyer on “World News” when she eventually steps down. While David Muir is still seen as the heir apparent to “World News,” another TV insider said, following Elliott’s recent ugly departure, “They can’t afford to lose George. He’s going to get a serious pay increase. He could easily up his salary to $12 million a year or more.”

But Stephanopoulos told us last night, “So much of what you’ve been told is false. What I can say is that I’m proud of our continued success at ‘GMA,’ ‘This Week’ and ABC News, and I’m confident that will continue.”

An ABC rep added, “George and all of ABC News are all thrilled by the success of his two No. 1 shows, ‘GMA’ and ‘This Week,’ and we’re confident that success and our partnership will continue.”

Don't Judge...But the Show isn't Happening

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Casey Anthony trial judge Belvin Perry won't be going Hollywood.

" 'The Judge Belvin Perry Show' isn't going to happen," Jim Lichtenstein, who would have been executive producer, said Saturday night. "We've officially pulled the plug on the project."

Perry, the Orange-Osceola chief judge, gained national fame during the Casey Anthony trial.Lichtenstein covered the Anthony trial as a freelance producer for NBC's "Today."

Lichtenstein's agent, Mark Itkin of the William Morris Endeavor agency, originally tried to sell the syndicated show for fall 2014. Then they tried to sell the show for fall 2015 with a new concept.

But now they have abandoned the project.

"While all of the syndicators really like Judge Perry, they are just not buying any judge shows," Lichtenstein said in an email. "In fact, they're getting rid of some."

H/T Orlando Sentinel