Two Reporters from Same Station Busted for DUI

It seems like more and more TV news people are getting busted for DUI these days. But this is the first time that we know of that two on air talent from the same station are arrested for driving drunk in the span of 2 days.

WHO (Des Moines) Reporter Sonya Heitshusen, charged with first-offense OWI and driving on the wrong side of the street early Saturday morning.

The day before, WHO Reporter Erik Wheater, 25, was charged with first-offense OWI early Friday morning.

Police pulled over the vehicle Wheater was driving near Second and Court avenues for not having a front license plate, authorities said.

Heitshusen, 47, of Des Moines was stopped shortly after 1 a.m. near Fifth Avenue and Walnut Street.

She at first refused to exit her vehicle and refused any field sobriety tests or a preliminary breath test, authorities said.

Heitshusen had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and swayed and staggered as she stood, according to Des Moines police reports.

At the Des Moines police station, she stumbled and had to use the wall of the OWI testing room for balance and appeared to fumble and have trouble using her phone when she tried to place calls, police reports show.

Heitshusen again refused to take a breath test and was taken to the Polk County Jail, authorities said.

As for Wheater, cops say he seemed unsteady on his feet and fumbled looking for his license, registration and insurance, according to police reports. He failed several field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test showed a .125 percent blood alcohol level.

We're guessing that there will be a couple of Reporter openings soon at WHO. If there's not, there should be.

Just saying....

H/T Des Moines Register

That Didn't Last Long....Did it?

Barbara Walters retirement is over in just a few weeks.

Everyone doubted that Walters could walk away from the spotlight and the doubters were right.

Walters has agreed to interview Peter Rodger, the father of Isla Vista shooter Elliot Roger for ABC News. 

So, while Anderson Cooper has made a pact not to mention Elliot Rodger's name, Barbara Walters will be doing a special edition of 20/20 that will focus on the killer. 

Looks like Elliot Rodger and Barbara Walters will both get the limelight they both crave. 

ABC's Live Well is About to Die

ABC says they will discontinue its Live Well Network in mid-January.

Focused on food, fashion and travel, Live Well was viewed as an example of what broadcasters could pull off in the multicast space, with original programming and partner stations both within the ABC owned group and outside of it. But the numbers were not working for ABC.

“Despite Live Well's tremendous accomplishments in distribution and original programming, we made a strategic decision that our priority must be local content, and we want to maximize our investment in our core local news brands in the digital space,” said Rebecca Campbell president of ABC Owned Television Stations, and Peggy Allen, Live Well VP of programming and operations, in a letter to Live Well partners.

Live Will was brought to life by WLS (Chicago) General Manager Emily Barr, the ABC-owned stations launched Live Well Network, initially known as Live Well HD, in the spring of 2009. In the fall of 2010, five Belo stations began airing it.

H/T Broadcasting and Cable

Now that's a Shitty Story

I'm not sure if you can call this great investigative reporting, but KTVI (St. Louis) Reporter Chris Hayes (pictured) tracked down the man that was responsible for placing hidden cameras in restrooms around Chesterfield, Mo. and posting videos of men pooping to the internet. Because you know....who doesn't want to see that?

"When I saw myself pooping, I was just like you've gotta be kidding me," Rob Cheney told KTVI and Reporter Hayes. Cheney added that he'd just moved to Chesterfield  "Three weeks and I'm already on a poop cam pretty much. So three weeks and everybody's seen me poop? That's terrible. Hahaha."

So, how did Hayes sniff this story out?

He was first tipped off about the filming scheme when someone found a hidden camera in a bathroom at the Chesterfield Mall, noticed that many of the secretly-videoed men were wearing they same uniform. That led him to Cheney, who he asked to remember what bathrooms he'd recently used.

KTVI launched a full investigation saying: "Fox 2 checked his list of rest rooms, comparing the online video to each bathroom. Then we found a perfect match, from the floor tiles to the drain by the toilet."

The key break, according KTVI, came when Hayes noticed that the pooping bathroom webpage, which shut down during the investigation, linked to a house in St. Charles County owned by the suspect, later identified as Officer David Cerna, a six-year veteran of the Chesterfield Police Department.

Cerna was arrested after a raid on his home and charged with invasion of privacy in St. Louis and St. Charles counties.

"The Chesterfield Police Department has arrested one of our own officers, working from a tip from an investigative reporter Chris Hayes from Fox 2 News." Chesterfield Police Chief Ray Johnson said at a press conference. "It was rather shocking of course and took a minute to sink in, but we realized the severity of it and just set out to deal with it immediately as we would with any other suspect."

So now if you are in St. Louis and you want to poop in private, you can thank Reporter Chris Hayes.

Here is our No. 1 Reporter when we go No. 2.

If That isn't a promo on KTVI by the end of the week, something is wrong. 

H/T Gawker

How My Life Changed Dramatically 20 Years Ago

20 years ago I was at 875 South Bundy in Brentwood, California.

If you're under the age of 40, it is likely that address means nothing to you. But, if you're over 40 and work in TV News then it is likely that I don't have to tell you why I was there.

20 years ago, pulling up to that address, I was shocked at the amount of blood on the walkway up to the house. Working for years in TV news and spending many of them as a news photographer, I have seen a lot of blood.

I have been to the scene of more car accidents, shootings and stabbings than I can count. But, even for someone that has seen so many gruesome crime scenes, this was still shocking.

The blood was thick and it had just flowed down the front walkway of this residence.

That thick blood came from two people, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

It was the very start of a story that would change TV news. But, more importantly, it changed me.

Read the rest in ScottLand  

Breakfast with Jeff Zucker

When Jeff Zucker took over as the President of CNN, he started holding "breakfasts" with staffers.

He stated that he wanted to meet every single employee, 50 at a time, by invitation only. They were in both Atlanta and NYC.

Insiders say that the breakfast meetings stopped well before he met all the employees.

But, a few weeks ago, Zucker brought back the breakfast idea,

Sources tell FTVLive that all employees in Atlanta received an email that let them register for breakfast with Zucker. The email said that it would be on a first come first served, 100 at a time. It was voluntary and self-managed: the invite said you should not register if you've been before.

So 100 staffers broke bread with the CNN boss and got to hear him talk and ask a few questions.

FTVLive sources tell us that when Zucker was asked if Atlanta would remain CNN's "World Headquarters"....he paused and then answered that yes Atlanta would be the world HQ..... "for now."

A number of people at the breakfast said that the "for now" comment was the interesting part.

As FTVLive FIRST reported, Zucker has been moving a large number of CNN staffers and just about all the decision makers to New York. So, while Atlanta might be CNN's World HQ, it appears that Zuck might have other plans down the line. 

Sources say that Zucker was also asked about the elimination of the CNN "idea box," called Fuel, and weekly brainstorming meeting called Free Thinking Fridays. Both were backed by former SVP Sue Bunda and her team, which was decimated after she departed.

Insiders say that Zucker instructed his representatives at the meeting to reinstate the Fuel box and told people they could send ideas directly to him... "you have my email."

As for the reports that CNN will be part of the budget cuts that Turner is proposing across the board at all of their networks?

Zucker was asked about that as well at the breakfast. First off Zucker poo-pooed the title of the Turner cuts, The program to make the cuts is called "Turner 2020". Zucker said he thought it was a bad name but "we all have bosses." More surprisingly Zucker claimed to know as much about the 2020 program as the rest of the staff. He said that what he knows comes from same email that everyone got from Turner boss John Martin.

"Considering that Zucker reports directly to Martin, that's either an outright lie or the reports that Martin wants to replace Zucker are true," said one CNN staffer to FTVLive. 

Insiders say that the breakfasts are not doing anything for morale and that Zucker's trips to Atlanta have become much less frequent.

"I think most employees at CNN Center realize our days are numbered. Even if Atlanta does remain open in some form, we'll be the donkey's ass," said one CNNer to FTVLive.

Stay tuned.... 

Ummmmm... I Don't Think so....

If you ever watched the eHarmony ads and wondered if they really could find you a mate? After reading some of their advice, I'm going to say, NO that can't.

eHarmony posted on their site the 15 reasons you should date a Reporter.

For any of us that have spent time in TV news and in a newsroom, we know the last person on earth you would want to date is a Reporter (ok maybe the last person would be an Assignment Editor, but Reporter is close second).

Some of the reasons eHarmony thinks you should date a Reporter:

- Reporters are usually self-employed and have flexible schedules. If you’re free for lunch on a Wednesday, your significant other might be able to join you.

Ummmm....has eHarmony ever even been in a newsroom?

- Your date will always have interesting stories to tell.

h yeah, who doesn't want to hear about that day's city council meeting?

- Reporters have great “B.S. radar.” They expect honesty and transparency — and know how to find out the truth if it’s not being told.

That line is B.S. 

- Reporters are trustworthy. And when you’re in a relationship with one, everything is off the record.

HA HA HA HA HA OK this one is just crazy wrong. 

Sorry Guys....

We have some bad news for some of you guys out there.

GMA Weather Anchor Ginger Zee is off the market.

The ABC News meteorologist Ginger Zee married her NBC New York beau, Ben Aaron, on Saturday.

Zee tied the knot in a "charming" ceremony in Michigan according to People magazine.

"Ben is my partner for life," Zee told People of Aaron, 32. "I knew it as soon as I met him. I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

The wedding took place close to Zee's hometown, with an intimate gathering of only 55 family and friends.

Bounced Columbus Anchor Channels Ron Burgundy

It's been one week since WBNS in Columbus parted ways with longtime Anchor Kurt Ludlow. 

Ludlow updated his Facebook fans as to what he has been doing since being kicked to the curb. 

Move over Ron Burgundy: 

Post by Kurt Ludlow.

And here is the original:

Former News Director Becomes Game Show Host

When Granite Broadcasting was in the midst of driving WKBW (Buffalo) into the ground, the station had trouble finding (and keeping) a News Director.

It got so bad that, then WKBW GM Bill Ransom turned to the station's Program Director John DiSciullo and named him News Director at the station.

DiSciullo had almost no news experience and had none as a news manager.

WKBW's news department continued to decline under Disciullo and dropped into last place in the ratings for every newscast.

DiSciullo eventually left the station and is about to become a game show host.

He will host the show “Bragging Rights!” on WBBZ in Buffalo.

“I can exert my personality and be a talent I’d always wanted to be,” said DiSciullo to the Buffalo News.

As long as the guy stays away from the newsroom, everything should be fine. 

Former Miami Anchor in ICU

Former WSVN and WPLG Anchor Kelley Mitchell is in intensive care at a Miami Hospital. 

Mitchell, who was a main Anchor at WSVN when the station went independent and launched if-it-bleeds-it-leads style of news with flashy graphics that was copied by stations across the country, suffered a collapsed lung.

Mitchell, 58, now an afternoon anchor on WLRN radio, says her doctors are still trying to figure out how she ended up with a right lung that could barely inflate.

“It’s sorta of a mystery,” Mitchell said. “All I know is that I started wheezing during Memorial Day weekend and the nurse at the urgent care facility sent me to the hospital.”

At times, Mitchell’s trademark gravely voice still sounds like she inhaled helium, but she says she expects to be sent home or transferred out of ICU by Tuesday.

“I still have a bunch of tubes inside of me,” she said. “I hope they’ll take them out soon.”

She added she hopes to return to work within days. She is, she admitted, a little bored.

“Some people have taken to texting me pictures of their dogs,” she said.

Twelve years ago, Mitchell was very public about her winning battle with breast cancer, something she chronicled on the ABC affiliate WPLG.

H/T Gossip Extra

Al Jazeera wants Court Case Kept Secret

So much for transparency in the media.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Al Jazeera America is trying to avoid unsealing a lawsuit it filed last year accusing AT&T of improperly keeping the news channel off AT&T's U-verse cable-television lineup.

Al Jazeera got into the U.S. cable market by acquiring Al Gore's Current TV. But AT&T refused to give space to the U.S. version of the Qatar-based channel on U-verse, although it had carried Current TV.

Each side said the other breached the affiliation agreement that governs their relationship, but the details on how aren't known because much of the case is under seal.

After being ordered to unseal the complaint, Al Jazeera said it would drop the case, wiping the public record clean of the lawsuit. Journalists, including a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, objected to the sealing last year. Several news organizations continued efforts to unseal the case.

AT&T didn't appeal the order to unseal the case, but Al Jazeera, which has won dozens of journalism awards, fought on.

Ordered by the Delaware Court of Chancery to unseal most of the heavily redacted complaint, Al Jazeera appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court. The newest entrant to the U.S. news market said it would suffer competitive harm if details of its gripe with AT&T were made public.

The Delaware Supreme Court on May 30 declined to take the case, leaving Al Jazeera no further avenue of appeal.

On Wednesday, Al Jazeera went back to the Court of Chancery and said the channel had come to terms with AT&T and would seek to have the case dismissed, erasing the complaint and related papers from the public record.

Watch Out Bill O'Reilly! The Queen has taken your Ratings Crown

Megyn Kelly better watch out, she trending on Bill O'Reilly's turf.

O'Reilly has been the king of the ratings at Fox News, but the king has been overthrown by the queen.

Thursday night,  The Kelly File was #1 in both total viewers and the adults 25-54 demo, delivering nearly 3 million and 469,000 respectively. 

This is the best night for Kelly's show this year and is only the second time ever that The Kelly File has beat The O’Reilly Factor with total viewers. 

Keep doing that and the king is going to be pissed about being dethroned. 

H/T TVbythenumbers

Come on O'Reilly Get with the Times!

Bill O'Reilly was on the Today Show this morning and he took a shot at technology.

O'Reilly says that the young people don't know what is going on and he blames technology. 

“These machines are taking over the world,” O’Reilly said "These little BlackBerrys or iPhones....."

 Come on Bill! Get with the time....only the olds are still using BlackBerrys anymore.

But hey, we get what you're saying.

Let's go to the video: 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Nexstar Selling Off 3 Fox Affiliates

Nexstar Broadcasting Group is selling three Fox affiliates to Marshall Broadcasting Group for $58.5 million. 

Nexstar has agreed to sell  KMSS Shreveport, La. (DMA 82); KPEJ Odessa-Midland, Texas (DMA 150); and KLJB Quad Cities, Iowa (DMA 100).

“We believe the proposed transaction announced today presents an ideal framework for introducing and incubating a new, minority-controlled entrant (MSB) to broadcasting, and for bringing additional news, information and specialized programming to MBG’s markets at the earliest possible opportunity.”

I Think Georgia is About to Get Pounded

According to this weather graphic from WJHG (Panama City) it looks like Georgia might get pounded. 

But the storm might just stay limp.

Stay tuned.....