Morale Sinks at CNN Atlanta

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Insiders say that morale at CNN in Atlanta continues to sink as Jeff Zucker moves more and more of the operations to New York. 

A week ago the Editors, Producers and Media Coordinators who were told they'd be laid off a few weeks go, worked their last day.

Sources say that on that same day, interviews were conducted for the newly posted jobs that were the replacements for those laid off. Of course, at lower pay grades.

Insiders say that CNN hired 4 new editors (22 laid off in ATL) in New York.

Zucker has claimed to the folks in Atlanta that he isn't planning to relocate jobs from ATL to NYC, but that is exactly what is happening.

Most of the editing and producing that was done in Atlanta is now being down in CNN's New York studios. 

One insider says that to make matters worse, Zucker is not a fan of some of the company benefits, including CNN's tuition reimbursement program. If an employee wants to go back to school the company pays half. 

Some think that Zucker will get rid of that benefit soon.

Stay tuned.... 

O-Town Anchor is Done

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After 13 years and on the first day of the May book, WKMG announced that Anchor Lauren Rowe has left the station.

"I love journalism and I love the work I do, but my family and I need a fresh start," Rowe told the Sentinel. "This is such an amazing community that continues to show me love and support. I have no immediate plans right now, but I'm excited to see what opportunities pop up."

In a memo to the staff, WKMG General Manager Skip Valet explained that Rowe "had decided to step away from the anchor desk, effective immediately."

He shared a statement from Rowe:  "I have made the difficult but necessary decision to focus my full attention on my health and family. The outpouring of support I have received from all of you has been heartfelt and greatly appreciated and I will truly miss the privilege you have afforded me by inviting me into your homes each day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

In January, Rowe announced she was taking a break to seek treatment for depression, which she has suffered for many years. Rowe's last day on the air was Jan. 13, and the CBS affiliate announced on Jan. 17 that she would be away.

H/T Orlando Sentinel 

Anchor Pulled from the Newscast on First Day of the Book

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KGPE made a main Anchor change on the first day of ratings.

The station ditched Anchor Evy Ramos (pictured) and replaced her with Lindsey Pena as co-anchor of the 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Matt Rosenfeld, general manager said knowing Ramos was planning to leave the station in June, plus the impending start of the important May ratings period, led to the abrupt change.

May is one of the four periods during the year when viewing numbers are tracked to determine advertising rates.

Rosenfeld said Ramos resigned. "Evy told station management she was leaving in June. That her husband was pursuing work outside the market. We decided to make the change earlier," Rosenfeld said.

But Ramos said that the change has nothing to do with her husband, and she doesn't have a job in another market. She wouldn't comment any further on the matter.

She wrote on Facebook: "Today is my last day at CBS47. It has been a wonderful 5 years and I have loved every minute of my time here. Thank you all for being a part of my life."

Ramos previously worked in San Diego and at Fresno's KMPH Fox 26.

H/T Merced Sun Star

Hmmmmm?

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WBBH in Fort Myers just won a regional Murrow but some insiders say that the station was not truthful on their submission for the award.

The station won for a series of stories on an underwater art museum off the coast of Lee County, FL. 

One source says that what WBBH won't tell you is that one fourth of their video was shot by a third-party and the station never properly credited them. The source says they instead passed it off as their own work.

Here's a link their submission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbjZ1wn46Yw and here's one to where our source says they got their underwater video: http://ussmohawkmedia.com/

Our source says that almost 25% of WBBH's video submission was third party, professional video belonging to the Lee County Visitor Center and Convention Bureau, and was never labeled or verbally mentioned as not being theirs.

Breaking it down to the second shows that of the 9min 45sec submission, 2min 17sec were third party, professionally shot, underwater video; that's just over 23% of all video in their submission.

It appears that WBBH is in breach of the RTDNA Code of Ethics. 

In the RTDNA Code of Ethics under TRUTH: "Clearly disclose the origin of information and label all material provided by outsiders." 

Not that any of those awards mean anything other than a chance for the station to brag, but shouldn't the station be on the up and up when submitting the for the award?

Just asking.... 

Will You Watch Our News if We Buy your Groceries?

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KVVU the Meredith station in Las Vegas obviously doesn't think their news product alone will get viewers to watch the station. 

So, the station has come up with the "Surprise Squad."

The Surprise Squad is made up of news talent that shows up at the grocery store and pays for viewer's (or they hope they are viewers) grocery bill.

Also, if you like them on Facebook, you have a chance for the Anchors to buy your groceries for a full year.

I would think during the book, the news talent should be out covering the news and not sitting in the grocery store.

But that's just me.

Let's go to the promo:

Post by FOX5 Local. Las Vegas.

CNN's New Day Tops MSNBC in the Ratings

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On Wednesday, CNN's New Day showed some ratings life when it knocked off MSNBC's Morning Joe in both the Demo and in total viewers.

In fact, New Day almost doubled MSNBC’s Morning Joe in the 25-54 demo.

CNN’s morning show had 158K viewers in the demo compared to MSNBC’s 81K. That put Morning Joe in fourth place overall, behind HLN’s Morning Express, which had 85K. Fox News’ Fox & Friends was #1 with 252K.

In total viewers, New Day also beat Morning Joe, 399K to 314K. Fox & Friends remained in first place with 1.032M viewers.

H/T Mediaite

Hannity Reacts to Racist Comments

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Sean Hannity found himself in a spot of bother, when his new best friend, turn out to be nothing more than an open bigot.

Rancher Cliven Bundy, who Hannity has devoted much of his recent shows to wondered during a public press conference if “Negro” people were “better off as slaves."

Uh-oh!

Fox News and especially Hannity had hooked their wagon to the Bundy land stand off like CNN had to the missing plane.

Now it turns out their story's star is just a plain old racist after all.

Fox News was noticeably silent on Thursday morning as others reacted to Bundy's controversial remarks on race, published Wednesday night by The New York Times.

Props to Greta Van Susteren who was the first Fox News staffer to quickly condemned Bundy’s remarks on her blog.

But still, many wondered how Hannity was going to handle his buddy Bundy. 

Hannity acknowledged the media attention Thursday by welcoming the “liberal media," who were “waiting for my comments breathlessly."

“His comments are beyond repugnant to me,” Hannity said of Bundy's remarks. “They are beyond despicable to me. They are beyond ignorant to me."

While distancing himself from the racist remarks, Hannity still argued that the way federal agents had tried to seize Bundy’s cattle was wrong. The host stressed that he has been, and will continue to be, opposed to "government overreach.”

Hannity said he was angry Thursday because people who "for the right reasons saw this case as government overreach now are like branded because of the ignorant, racist, repugnant, despicable comments of Cliven Bundy."

Looks like Bundy won't be invited to Hannity's house warming party when he moves (if he moves) to Texas or Florida like he has said that he's going to do.

H/T HuffPo

Walking and Talking the News

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FTVLive tipped you off about the Sweeps stunt that WLTX had planned for the first day of the ratings book. 

The Columbia, SC station had Anchor Darci Strickland do the Noon newscast from a treadmill.

Why?

Well, mainly because it's ratings, but the station spun it as it was all part of "Walk at Lunch Day," an effort by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina to get people to use their lunch break to engage in healthy behavior.

You just Gots to love the rating book.

Let's go to the video:

Popping Up Across the Street in Houston

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Former KTRK Anchor Katie McCall is about to resurface across the street at KRIV.

The Fox O&O announced that McCall joining the as a Reporter starting Monday.  

Before KTRK, McCall was an Anchor/Reporter positions at WBBM in Chicago, KHCW in Houston and KGUN in Tucson, AZ.

Earlier, McCall was a producer for WSMV in Nashville, TN.

She began her career as an assistant to producers for MSNBC in New York.

Signing Off in The Springs

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KOAA (Colorado Springs) Anchor Jennifer Horbelt is reuniting her family in Paducah, Ky., and will be leaving station at the end of May.

Horbelt, who joined the station in 2012 as anchor for News 5 Today will be returning to WPSD in Paducah as evening anchor. WPSD had been her television home prior to her move to Colorado Springs/Pueblo.

Horbelt was popular with viewers in the Colorado Springs area. She was named favorite TV anchor by Gazette readers in the annual Best of the Springs, which was published last week.

"My sister and her husband have just had their first child," said Jennifer. "Spending so much time with them as they prepared for this amazing event in their lives, made it clear that I, and especially my mother, needed to move close to them so we could all be a regular part of each other's lives again."

H/T The Gazette

Tribune Names Katherine Green SVP of News

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All the Tribune News Directors are about to get a new boss.

The company has hired TV news executive Katherine Green SVP of News.

Green will be responsible for overseeing all news production and news operations for Tribune Broadcasting’s 42 owned or operated stations. 

She starts on May 5 and report to directly to Larry Wert, Tribune’s president of Broadcast Media.

Green spent six years at CNN where she was most recently SVP/managing editor of HLN, responsible for the programming, operation and editorial direction of the network.

Green has local news experience as well, she was News Director at WTTG Washington. Before that she was at WBAL as ND. Green began her career as a reporter at WTLV-TV in Jacksonville, Florida and then later she became a producer. She has produced at stations in Miami, Florida; New York, New York and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida.