Report: Vice Media, HLN Talks Breakdown

The NY Times is reporting that Time Warner has ended negotiations to buy a major stake in Vice Media, according to a person briefed on the discussions.

The two companies started talking in June about the possibility of a joint venture. One scenario included Time Warner’s giving Vice control of the cable channel HLN, which would have provided Vice with a 24-hour network that reaches more than 100 million households.

The conversations collapsed after the two companies were unable to agree on a valuation of Vice, a fast-growing media business with a strong following among millennials.

A spokesman for Vice was not immediately available for comment.

Stay tuned.... 

The Redheaded Stepchild Pushed Out @CNN

A few days ago, FTVLive told you that layoffs starting to go down in CNN's DC Bureau.

One of those that caught the falling blade was CNN's Capitol Hill reporter, Lisa Desjardins.

It sucks when a company eliminates your positions, but Desjardins saw a bit of humor in getting whacked.

She posted her goodbye to CNN video on YouTube and it is worth the watch. With and attitude like that, we expect she should land a new gig soon. 

Let's go to the video: 

H/T CNNCommentary 

Chelsea Clinton Leaving NBC News

Not sure how Journalism will survive, but Chelsea Clinton says she's leaving NBC news.

Clinton says she's leaving the Peacock to focus on mom duties. Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky are expecting their first child. 

Clinton did a couple of stories a year for NBC and made $600,000....why the hell would you leave that job?

Clinton, 34, says the highlights of her job included meeting people like Annette Dove, whose TOPPS program in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, "continues to fill the hunger, education and safety gaps for kids of all ages in her community." 

She also thanks viewers who responded to her stories by helping to fund and expand programs she featured.

It is not likely that NBC will fill Clinton's job, but if they are.... I want to apply. 

H/T People

Former Sacramento Anchor Heads to Court

 Former KTXL Anchor Sabrina Rodriguez had a date with the judge yesterday morning.  

The former Anchor made her first court appearance – and her first public comments – since being charged with three felony counts July 31 and "resigning" from her job five days later.

“First appearance in court and the start to a long road of clearing my name and re-establishing my reputation, so it’s something that I’m really looking forward to,” Rodriguez told The Sacramento Bee in brief statements after court. “As you saw in court, there are a number of people out there who have just been unbelievably supportive.

“And it’s been really heartwarming and inspirational and has given me strength. I didn’t expect the overwhelming support that I’ve gotten.”

Rodriguez did not enter a plea Thursday and is scheduled to return to court Sept. 9.

Is that a Coach handbag she's holding?

Just asking....

Former News Director Michael Ward is Dead

Sad to report that former News Director Michael Ward has passed away.

Ward was last the ND at WUSA in Washington, DC, but he spent time working at a number of NBC O&O's. 

Ward was the ND for WMAQ in Chicago, VP/Creative Services for WCAU in Philadelphia, and GM for WNCN-TV in Raleigh when NBC owned that station.

Ward started his career as a News Photographer.

Remember the days when people just used to yell "Hi Mom!"

KRGV (Mcallen.TX) Reporter Steve Soliz was going live from the scene home invasion. A couple of kids were hanging out behind Soliz in the live hit.

One of the kids moved closer to the camera and can you guess what he yelled into the mic?

Let's go to the video:

Remember the days when people just used to yell "Hi Mom!"

Bounced at AJAM

9 days ago, Al Jazeera America  Miami correspondent Natasha Ghoneim tweeted this:

Well, what's next for Ghoneim is a trip to the unemployment office, as AJAM parted ways with the Reporter.

It's alsmot like it's a contest between AJAM and Turner as to who can dump more people faster.

Stay tuned.... 

CNN Co-Founder Offers his Condolences to CNNers

CNN Co-Founder Reese Schonfeld took to Facebook to offer up his condolences to those that work or did work at CNN.

As the cable news network seems to be growing further and further from its roots, Schonfeld offered up these words.

I think he's looking squarely at you Jeff Zucker.

CNN Reporter Talks Senators Rude Comments

Just in case you needed another reason to hate Congress.....

HuffPo writes that CNN's Dana Bash revealed on Thursday that she has been on the receiving end of some pretty gross comments from male senators during her career as a congressional reporter.

Bash was talking with Brooke Baldwin about Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's eye-opening disclosure that male colleagues of hers had openly and lewdly discussed her weight on repeated occasions.

Bash agreed with Gillibrand's statement that only older men said these kinds of things, but she was very clear that they occurred.

"After I had my son three years ago, I got some comments that would blow you away from male senators...talking about getting my figure back and things like that," she said.

Former Bay Area Reporter Going Behind the Camera

Former KNTV Reporter George Kiriyama is moving behind the camera and into news management (talk about going to the dark side).

Later next month, Kiriyama will become the Managing Editor at KCOY in Santa Barbara. 

"For so many years, I have been the one hitting the pavement and reporting the stories from the field. Now, I will be a leader in the newsroom guiding the reporters as we tell and share the stories of our communities," Kiriyama said in a Facebook post talking about his new job. 

His start date is Monday, September 22

Another San Antonio Anchor Starts Crying on Set

Earlier this summer, KSAT’s Isis Romero, who gave birth to a baby boy on Saturday, apologized to her viewers on Facebook. “My apologies everyone,” she wrote. “We did a story about a 4 month old baby that got burned by fireworks, and then a story about another baby who was left abandoned on a subway platform, and I just couldn’t get through it. As a mommy-to-be, my heart just couldn’t take it. Those poor, precious babies. Thanks to Steve (Spriester) for jumping in for me.”

Viewers really reacted to Romero and reached out to her for showing her feelings on air. 

Fast forward to this week and another San Antonio Anchor broke down during the newscast. This time it was on WOAI. Randy Beamer came to the rescue of  Evy Ramos earlier this week when Ramos became "too emotional" to finish a story about two young children seriously injured in an automobile accident. 

Viewers who saw the TV moment wrote on Ramos’ Facebook page that her very human reaction only endeared them more to the anchorwoman.

“Thank you guys for your kind comments,” she responded. “It is always tough for me to talk about stories that involve sweet little children. I have three of my own, and it just hurts. I don’t like to lose my composure like that, but it happens.”

The anchorwoman, who came to WOAI-TV from California just last May, said she usually avoids such moments by preparing in advance. She’ll read this sort of tragic story before the broadcast, “so I can let it all out;” you know, steel herself for the news.

This time, however, the emotions took over.

And viewers seem to love it. 

H/T San Antonio Express News

Producer Shoots and Kills Host of TV Show

I have seen a lot of fights between talent and their producers, but this one tops them all.

Baton Rouge TV personality Scott Rogers, host of the Around Town show, died in a shooting Wednesday, Police say he was shot by the producer of the show, who also happens to be his son-in-law. 

Cops believe that Matthew Hodgkinson, shot and killed Rogers before turning the gun on himself, according to WAFB. Hodgkinson survived and was transported to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital where he is listed in critical condition.

"We have detectives at the hospital," Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi told the TV station. "He's on a ventilator and he's sedated, but he's still alive at this time."

The cause of the shooting, which occurred in St. Gabriel, is not yet known, though Iberville Sheriff's officials believe the event was a murder, attempted suicide.

Rogers reportedly was involved in an ongoing legal battle but details were not immediately available.

WAFB also reported Wednesday evening that Hodgkinson called the station earlier this week, leaving a voicemail message that he planned to cancel the weekend show because of a "family catastrophe."

Around Town, a feel-good show featuring local events and personalities, airs Saturday and Sunday mornings on WAFB.

H/T The Times-Picayune

St. Louis Reporter is Pink Slipped

KMOV Reporter Chris Stanford says that he was called into the bosses office on Friday and told his services were no longer needed. 

"I showed up at 2 p.m. (Friday) with every intention of working for the 10 p.m. newscast," Stanford said in an interview with the St. Louis Post Dispatch. 

Stanford said that when he met with some station managers to talk about a different matter, "they then told me they were going to exercise an option in my contract" to dismiss Stanford without cause.

Stanford had been a regular contributor to KMOV's coverage of the unrest in Ferguson. His Twitter feed shows his last dispatch from the scene to be: "Calm in #Ferguson tonight."

Stanford said KMOV managers complimented him on his work in Ferguson, and did not point to any specific problems with his previous work.

"They basically were saying that (Stanford's employment at KMOV) wasn't a good fit. I don't know what to say to that, since my last review was around the end of 2013. And at that time, they said I 'met expectations,'" he said.

"It was a surprise to me," he said.

KMOV news director Brian Thouvenot said he could only say Stanford "no longer works at the station."

Don't you just love TV news? 

Very Hot Rumor! Vice Media Acquiring HLN

OK, I want to give you guys a very hot rumor that I'm hearing but have not been able to confirm it from a second source.

FTVLive hears that Vice Media is acquiring HLN and that the deal will be announced in the next couple of days. Word is that Time Warner would still hold a stake in HLN, but it would be a minority stake in the network. 

If this is in fact true, expect HLN to break away from CNN. Word is that Vice will basically tell everyone that is not under contract that they will have to re-apply for their jobs.

At this point FTVLive only has this from one source and has not been able to nail down confirmation from a second source.

But, our single source on the story says the deal could be announced as early as tomorrow.

REPEAT: This is a rumor that the deal is done. FTVLive has not confirmed the story through a second source.

Stay tuned.....  

What Happens When One of them Leaves?

KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi decided to plaster some of the talents faces on a production trailer. It's something stations do all the time, but where KRIS screwed up was the number of talent they used in the picture. 

10 people! Are you kidding me?

There are very good odds that one of these 10 will be gone in the next serval months and now your are driving around a production trailer with the face of someone that no longer works at the station. 

Will that just cover that person up after they leave?

Rule number one in promotions never put more than 4 faces on billboard, news truck or trailer. And make sure they have a longterm contract. 

One last thing, you parked your trailer in a handicap spot! MOVE!