Man Busted for Stalking Robin Roberts

ABC's Good Morning America is the ratings leader and they also seem to be leading in ratings in creeps.

Not long ago, some idiot was arrested after he said he wanted to stab GMA's Michael Strahan.

Now, cops have busted another guy that they say was stalking Robin Roberts. 

The punk was arrested after he threatened to slug Robert's in the face, court records show. 

Page Six says that security called cops after Troy Warren, 43, showed up outside ABC’s Time Square studios at least eight times and threatened her.

He made the creepy visits to the 1500 Broadway location while Roberts was inside the studio between June 10 and June 24, according to the criminal complaint. 

He asked to see Roberts several times despite being asked to leave.

“When I see her I’m going to punch her in the face,” the loon told Michael Centrella the security director of “Good Morning America” at 8 am June 24th. “

“Due to the defendant’s above described conduct Ms Robin Roberts fears for her physical safety and well-being,” records show. 

Warren was arraigned Wednesday in Manhattan Criminal Court on misdemeanor stalking and harassment raps. 

A judge set bail at $3,000. He has two sealed priors, cops said.

Gone in Portland

Viewers of KOIN in Portland have been wondering where popular Anchor Kelley Day has been?

She hadn't been seen on air and her bio has been scrubbed from the station's website.

Sources tell FTVLive that new owners Media General, decided not to renew Day's contract and have kicked her to the curb. 

The station has quietly replaced Day with Jennifer Hoff.

Viewers have been kept in the dark about the moves....because you know, the communications business. 

Milwaukee Anchor Headed to Portland

Speaking of KOIN in Portland....

The station has hired WITI (Milwaukee) Anchor Anne State as the station's mew 11PM Anchor. 

State signed off from WITI yesterday and is packing her bags for the left coast. 

"It's bittersweet," said State, "I owe a great debt of gratitude, everyone was so unbelievably warm and welcoming. I felt so much at home here," she said.

The move allows State to be closer to home, where her sister is, "a great caretaker," for her parents. Now, she will be around to help a bit more.

H/T OnMilwaukee.com

Another Katie Couric Teary Sign Off

First we watched Katie Couric tearfully sign off from the Today Show. Then, a few years later we watched her sign off from the CBS Evening News.

Now, Katie gets all misty eyed as she signed off from her cancelled talk show. Tune in a few years from now to see Katie's teary goodbye as Yahoo's Global Anchor....ok maybe not.

Here's Couric's goodbye from Katie:

Proud Dad

On last night's Nightly News, Brian Williams reported the news that his daughter would be playing the lead role when NBC does a live broadcast of Peter Pan.

The network picked Allison Williams to be the show's star and you could see that dad Brian was beaming to report the news.

He never let on that Allison was his daughter, but then again he didn't have to.

Let's go to the video:

Strangely, World News and the CBS Evening News did not cover this story.

Albuquerque Station Loses its Dick

After 51 years, KRQE Anchor Dick Knifing signed off from the station yesterday. 

Knipfing started his TV career in 1961 at KGGM, which later became KRQE. He was just a junior at the University of New Mexico at the time. Knipfing shot film, he reported, and then he found the anchor chair.

The station took like to look back on Knifing's career as he signed off:

Meredith Vieira on Ann Curry and Today: "Shit Happens"

There are a lot of reasons to like Meredith Vieira. First and foremost is the woman is as honest as the day is long.

Vieira will always give you and honest answer and in a business that is full of liars, that's very refreshing.

The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Vieira to talk about her new talk show. They also asked about The Today Show, her old show and about how NBC dumped Ann Curry from Today.

In true Vieira fashion, she pulled no punches:

"That was such a bad time," says Vieira, referring to the botched handover from Ann Curry, who replaced Vieira, to Savannah Guthrie in 2012. "I really felt for Matt a lot. And I felt for Ann, too. It turned so nasty, really nasty. Every day you're reading this stuff that is just beyond cruel from angry, angry people who felt that Ann had been slighted and embarrassed and humiliated. And they basically pointed to one person on whom to take out all of their anger. I don't know if I would have survived that."

She says she did not offer Lauer advice through the turmoil. "I just told him I loved him and I was there for him. But I never sugarcoated what had happened. I thought it had not been handled smartly from the very beginning, because I don't think they ever felt that was the right fit for Ann so they should never have put her in that position to begin with. And then the ending was so mishandled. But you know what, shit happens. People make mistakes. We all do."

NBC Cast Main Role for Peter Pan Live

On December 4th, NBC is going to broadcast Peter Pan Live and the star of the show will be Allison Williams.

Allison is one of the stars on HBO's Girls and she is also a classically trained singer. So, NBC's choosing her was not way out of left field.

But, Williams might have had a bit of an in with the big wigs at NBC. Her dad is also live on NBC each weeknight doing the Nightly News.

Brian Williams daughter said that she has wanted to play Peter Pan since she was 3 years old.  

“What could go wrong in a live televised production with simultaneous flying, sword fighting and singing?” Allison said.

Heck....sounds like Dad's show every night. 

Best Bloopers for July

It's that time of the month again.

Time to sit back and enjoy the best news bloopers from the past month.

Enjoy!

Oh Come On Now! Really?!

Sometimes you just have to shake your head....

There was a water break near the UCLA Campus that flooded Sunset Blvd and like other LA stations, KABC was covering the story.

The station then took a call from the DWP Spokesperson Louis Slungpue....yes that is slung poo. You would have thought just that name would have never gotten the prank caller on the air. But, he made it on the air and the KABC Anchors interviewed him.

Mr. Slungpue told the station that the water break was caused by someone putting a cherry bomb down a toilet, or that someone "took a very large dump."

And EVEN after that statement, one Anchor continues to try an interview him.

Are you freaking kidding me?!

Let's go to the video:

The Reason Stations are Adding Newscasts

It seems that not a week goes by without FTVLive reporting that some station, in some market is adding more news to their schedule.

But, do you know why all these stations are adding more news?

I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that it is all about money.

I know, you were thinking it was about community service and keeping viewers informed....right?

Nope, it's just a cash grab.

You see, from now until the elections in 2016, more political advertising money will be spent on TV than ever before. It's a big pie and TV stations are trying like hell to get the biggest piece.

When politicians and political parties buy ad time on a TV station, the first place they look is news. They figure that the people that are watching a newscast are more likely to vote that say someone watching 'Keeping up with the Kardashians."

In battleground markets newscasts will be able to fill their entire ad inventory with political spots. They will sell every spot available and still campaigns will be looking for more time in newscasts that they can buy.

So, TV stations are adding newscasts wherever they can, because they know they will be able to fill the available commercial time with political.

From now to the 2016 elections, many stations will bring in record profit, because of political advertising. 

Of course, since you guys are the ones doing all the work as new newscasts are being added, I'm sure your station will share all that money with each and every one of you, by giving you all huge raises.

Maybe not.....

Must Have Been a Really Slow News Day in Orlando

How slow has the news been in Orlando? This slow:

"I wonder if I wonder, if it will make WESH News?"

Tune into tonight to WESH when they break news that, "Puppies are Cute."

New Newscast with an Old Face

And speaking of expanding news....

KHON in Hawaii is launching a new newscast on September 8th and they are bringing back a familiar face to do it.

Veteran newscaster Howard Dashefsky is returning to the news desk with the launch of the new 9PM show.  

“We look forward to offering Hawaii viewers a comprehensive late news option at 9 p.m. We have been wanting to add a 9 p.m. news for a while, and we think the time is right and Howard is the perfect addition to our newsteam,” said Kristina Lockwood, KHON2 general manager. “We are committed to serving the viewers of Hawaii and providing more local news content both on-air and online.”

“I‘m excited about coming back to KHON2,” Dashefsky said. "I still have great passion for television news and look forward to teaming up once again with some great friends including Joe (Moore, KHON2 anchor). He and I worked together more than 20 years ago. I’m excited to be working together again, and to have his support is immeasurable.“

Moore calls Dashefsky a tremendous addition to the news team. “Howard‘s a class act, and I‘m delighted my old pal is rejoining us,“ he said.

“In recent years, Dashefsky developed a communications consulting business, served as a writer, producer and host for his Emmy-award-winning show “Sports People Hawaii,“ and served as an on-air personality for OC Sports.

Former Reporter Returns Across the Street as The Deuce

Former KSAT Reporter Jennifer Dodd is returning to San Antonio TV news, but she is doing so across the street at KENS.

She also won't be on air. 

Dodd is going behind the scenes and will work as KENS’ new Assistant News Director.

KENS News Director Triston Sanders said she’s happy to have Dodd on her team. “She is a familiar face to San Antonio viewers,” Sanders wrote in an e-mail, adding: “Her role as the ‘Eyewitness News’ assistant news director is of critical importance. We are happy to have her knowledge of this unique and growing city.

She starts August 25th. 

H/T MySanAntonio.com

Hey ESPN......Little Late Aren't We?

ESPN finally did something that they should done days ago.

They suspended Stephen A. Smith for his comments.

ESPN says that have removed Smith from  programming for about a week in the wake of controversial remarks the popular host made about women and domestic violence.

Variety reports that Smith's controversial comments came last Friday when, during a discussion of the NFL’s two-game suspension of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice over allegations he beat his fiancée. Smith suggested that victims of abuse might also be responsible for provoking it. “In Ray Rice’s case, he probably deserves more than a two-game suspension, which we both acknowledged,” he said. “But at the same time, we also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation. Not that there’s real provocation, but the elements of provocation.”

The remarks drew the ire of ESPN personality and host Michelle Beadle, who took to Twitter to voice her concern about what Smith had said.  Beadle’s tweets illustrate the divisive nature of the Smith remarks, as it is likely rare for one ESPN host to take on another in a social-media venue.

“ESPN announced today that Stephen A. Smith will not appear on First Take or ESPN Radio for the next week.  He will return to ESPN next Wednesday,” the Walt Disney-owned outlet said in a statement.

Ummmmmm.... well I guess better late than never.

Bumped Up at NBC News

NBC News announced that Madeleine Haeringer has been promoted to Executive Producer of International News. 

In her new role, she will manage the editorial agenda for NBC’s foreign news coverage as well as continue to lead Richard Engel’s production unit (talk about a busy job).

Here is the internal note to staff from David Verdi, SVP of Newsgathering:

I am pleased to announce that Madeleine Haeringer has been promoted to Executive Producer of International News.  In this expanded role, Madeleine will manage the overall editorial agenda for the network’s foreign news coverage, and identify and develop our long-range international story planning. She will also continue to lead Richard Engel’s production unit as well as maintain oversight of our Olympics news coverage. Madeleine will continue to report to me and will work closely with Adrienne Mong, our Director of International News Gathering, to shape and drive NBC News’ international reporting across all platforms.  

Madeleine spent more than a decade in the field covering wars, revolutions, and political transitions around the world.  She was part of our award winning team covering the tumultuous events of the 2011 Arab Spring, including the revolutions that toppled the entrenched regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.  As Richard Engel's lead producer covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Madeleine earned almost every major broadcast journalism award, including six News & Documentary Emmy Awards, five Edward R. Murrow Awards, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, a Peabody Award,  and an Overseas Press Club Award.  Most recently, Madeleine oversaw NBC's in-depth coverage of the election of Pope Francis, the death of Nelson Mandela, and the Sochi Olympics.

I am certain that we have the best international team in the business and, under the leadership of Madeleine and Adrienne, we are poised to produce the most compelling journalism from all over the world for our audiences here at home.   Please join me in congratulating Madeleine in her new role.

David