New GM Named in Cleveland

WOIO in Cleveland has named a replacement for GM Bill Applegate.

Applegate announced that he was retiring from the station after a tenure that was controversial to say the least.

Taking over as the GM is Dominic Mancuso.

Mancuso comes to Raycom station from Sinclair Broadcasting  where for the last 4 years he has been GM of WZTV (Fox), WUXP (MyNet) and WNAB (CW) in Nashville, TN. 

Prior to Nashville, Mancuso was VP Programming and Promotions for the Fox O&O WFLD/ WPWR in Chicago. Before that, Dominic held the positions of Account Executive, National Sales Manager, Local Sales Manager, Director of Sales, and Station Manager for Tribune Broadcasting's WGN in Chicago. He brings a very successful background in all facets of station operations and revenue development.

Sweeps Piece in the Can

FTVLive told you back on the first day of the book that KCBS kicked of ratings by trotting out former LA Anchor Bree Walker.

Walker was a longtime SoCal Anchor that was busted for DUI and has been fighting her addiction. 

Well, it appears that KCBS has packaged up that story and sent it off to sister station WCBS in New York.

The Big Apple O&O is running a promo for "Bree Walker's struggle of a lifetime...a CBS 2 Special Report tonight at 11."   

Walker did anchor the news on WCBS, but that was so long ago it's a Trivial Pursuit reference now.  And of course the promo included the obligatory copy "she had it all...what happened?"

Many viewers watching the story will be saying, "WHO?"

Don't you just love ratings?

Headed Down The 5

KGO main Anchor Carolyn Johnson is headed down I-5 from San Francisco to LA and KNBC.

Johnson was anchoring the 5 and 11PM newscasts and will be doing the Noon and 6PM at KNBC. 

Some LA insiders believe that Johnson will eventually replace the veteran Colleen Williams as the main 5PM and 11Pm anchor at the NBC O&O.

At least one insider thinks that this move was also a way for Valari Staab, the NBC O&O chief, to tweak her old station, KGO, where she used to be GM.

In the past two weeks, KNBC has absorbed two new weekday anchors, Johnson, as well as a new morning anchor from WMAQ, the NBC O&O in Chicago.

Word is that Staab is the one orchestrating the talent moves.

Oh My God! Drone Video!!!!

A train derailment in Lynchburg was the big story for WSET and the station got their hands on drone video of the accident.

The video actually is pretty good and having a drone in this situation works.

But the anchors seem more excited about the drone's work, than actually covering the story. For some reason TV Anchors think drones are the greatest thing since hairspray.

Anyone can walk into a Brookstone, plunk down a couple of hundred bucks and walkout with a drone. 

Let's cue up the video:

WSET.com - ABC13

FAA Looking into Drone Use by Stations

Speaking of drones and TV news.

The battle between drone journalists and the Federal Aviation Administration is starting to heat up. 

The FAA is looking at the use of aerial drones by journalists in Arkansas to survey tornado damage.

 It is the latest move by the FAA as it attempts to regulate unmanned aerial systems, which may or may not fall under its jurisdiction.

Brian Emfinger, a stormchaser and photojournalist for KATV, the ABC affiliate in Little Rock, Arkansas, tweeted out footage that he shot from a drone just after a tornado ripped through the town of Mayflower.

Emfinger declined to comment the the FAA's action.

Drone use by journalists has become a sensitive issue. The FAA has tried to limit the practice, even going so far as to send a cease and desist letter to the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Moves by the FAA to limit or punish the use of drones by journalists could fun afoul of the First Amendment, which precludes the government from infringing on the freedom of the press.

The FAA has already attempted to regulate commercial drone use, having tried to fine a commercial photographer. A court ruled the FAA did not have that authority — a ruling the agency is appealing.

H/T Mashable

Farrow's Blue Eyes are Fake

We can live with the fact that Ronan Farrow sucks as a host of his own show on MSNBC.

We can live with the fact that Farrow's ratings have been awful since day one.

But, now we find out that his baby blue eyes are fake?! OMG! How can MSNBC put up with this?!

Page Six says that the son of Mia Farrow and possibly “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Frank Sinatra wears colored contact lenses to make his eyes a brighter blue, sources confirmed to Page Six.

The MSNBC host landed his show soon after Mia claimed that Sinatra, and not Woody Allen, could be Ronan’s father, sparking a debate about whether he shares the legendary singer’s piercing eyes.

But Farrow was spotted fueling the speculation by wearing contacts to make his eyes appear Sinatra blue during the Time 100 Gala Tuesday at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

“You could see the outline of his contacts,” said a spy.

A friend confirmed of Ronan’s colored contacts, “He’s blind as a bat, they are prescription contacts. They are tinted white, but they do make his eyes brighter blue.”

Shirtless Man Asks LA Reporter Out During Live Shot

You can't blame the guy for asking.

KTLA Reporter Courtney Friel was reporting live from a fire in Rancho Cucamonga near Los Angeles. 

During her live shot, a shirtless man carrying a dog asked her out on date. It's good to see that even with his neighborhood burning down, the guy still had his priorities right.

Let's go to the video:

Devlin Design Group Wins Best News Set

Another year, another win for Devlin Design Group.

The set designer has just won set of the year for the set they did for KTVA in Anchorage, Alaska. The contest was run by our friends at NewscastStudio.com 

DDG was also voted Best Local News Set in 2011 and 2012, making this year’s honor its third straight win! DDG received three nominations in this year’s competition. KSAZ in Phoenix made it to the semi- finals, and voters this year also liked WTVC in Chattanooga through the second round.

In doing the KTVA set, DDG says it was an unprecedented opportunity to use scenic and graphic design to define the vision and brand of an entire station. And this story gets even better! Just last week, KTVA was honored as Best Newscast of the Year by the Alaska Press Club.

The folks at KTVA say their award winning DDG set was the catalyst for this honor.

“From the beginning of the station re-build we wanted the set to make a statement to Alaska, that the new KTVA is going to be big, bold, and in beautiful HD. That's why Dan and team DDG were among the first to contribute their vision to the project. The set wasn't an afterthought, it was THE first element around which the rest of the station was built. And it makes a big statement every night.”—John Tracy, KTVA Broadcast Consultant

What is really remarkable about this award is that the KTVA set in Anchorage designed by DDG beat an impressive field of much larger market stations such as KTTV in Los Angeles, KPRC in Houston, KTVT and KXAS in Dallas, KCNC in Denver, KCTV in Kansas City and KSNV in Las Vegas!

Innovation and versatility are hallmarks of KTVA’s award winning news environment. The dazzling HD set includes large LED cube wall displays and color-changing backlit graphics that can be programmed to change the mood and style of each newscast. The limitless venues of the set provide story telling opportunities only limited by a producer’s imagination. Anchors are energized by the variety of visual backgrounds all meant to enhance and highlight their appearance and performance.

Layoffs Happening at Former BELO stations Bought by Gannett

Word is coming into FTVLive that Gannett is swinging the ax at some of the BELO stations the company just took over.

Sources tell FTVLive that heads are rolling at WFAA in Dallas and at KHOU in Houston.

No numbers has to how many are being pink slipped, but sources say the cuts are happening in departments throughout the station.

News Editors, Master Control and the Art Departments have had cuts according to sources.

Gannett completed their acquisition of BELO late last year and this is the first we are hearing of widespread cuts.

If anyone has more info on what is going down, please email FTVLive.

Stay tuned....  

Fox News: Gawker Story on Shep is 100% False

Gawker came out with a story this morning that claims that Fox News Anchor Shepard Smith wanted to come out of the closet and admit that he was gay.

According to Gawker, Fox News boss Roger Ailes said that Smith could not come out and would not let it happen. 

Gawker writes:

The newly attached anchor was eager, at the time, to finally acknowledge his sexuality. “It’s time,” he told Ailes and other colleagues. “It’s time.”

Instead, Ailes informed Smith that the network’s famously conservative audience would not tolerate a gay news anchor. Ailes’ answer was definitive: Smith could not say he’s gay.

Fox News fires back and claims that the Gawker story is completely wrong. “This story is 100% false and a complete fabrication,” Ailes and Smith said in a joint statement.

hen Fox News executive Bill Shine also chimed in with a statement of his own. “Throughout his entire tenure here, Roger Ailes and I have fully supported him in both a professional and personal capacity. We have never asked Shep to discuss or not discuss his private life, and the notion of us having an issue with anyone’s sexuality is not only insulting, but pure fiction," said Shine in another statement released by Fox News.

Really if Shepard Smith is gay or not really shouldn't make a difference either way as long as he does his job as a professional.

But, this much is clear, Gawker is trying like hell to drag Smith out of the closet and Fox News is doing their best to keep the door shut.

Why anyone cares either way? We don't have a clue.

Just saying.... 

When you Got to Go...You Got to Go

Sometimes when nature calls, you have to stop what you're doing and answer the call.

Even if you are on the air at the time. 

Bob Costas needed to pee so bad that he took off in the middle of the 7th inning of the Yankee's game and handed over his play by play duties to color man John Smoltz.

Let's cue up the video:

He looks a lot Shorter Now

According to KRIV Fox Houston Kareem Abdul-Jabar has shrunk a few inches since his playing days. He also turned white.

Monkey Punches Houston Anchor in the Face

KHOU's "Great Day America" morning show host Deborah Duncan got upstaged by a monkey on the show.

The monkey named Wilson was enjoying his time on the air, until Duncan teased him but not giving him a grape that he wanted.

So Wilson punched the anchor in the face.

Let's go to the video:

Many Dead, Houses Gone, Let's Take a Selfie

As the deadly storms ripped through the South, killing people, destroying homes and just plain wrecking people's lives, it's a good time to put on a big smile and take a selfie.

Back to SoFlo

A familiar face is coming back to South Florida TV screens.

WFOR (Miami) announced they hired John Gerard as the weekend Meteorologist.

Gerard is batting around the order of Miami stations. For years he worked at WPLG, before crossing the street to WTVJ.

Gerard left WTVJ  in 2010 and headed for San Antonio's WOAI as the station’s Chief Meteorologist.

Now he's leaving Texas and is headed back to SoFlo. 

His first day on air is expected to be June 15th. 

H/T SFLTV

Ummmm...Maybe you were in a Rush?

Yesterday, FTVLive told you that media outlets, led by NBC were once again wrong while more worried about being first on the Donald Sterling story.

FTVLive told you how NBC was wrong on a story they said they had confirmed.

The Poynter Institute also covered how the media made a misstep in their effort to be first, even if it didn't mean being right.

The interesting thing is the Poynter also made a mistake and one can only wonder if that mistake was made, because they were trying to rush the story online?

Here's the last line of the Poynter story, followed by the correction.

Oh the irony....