Longtime DC Reporter is Out

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Another staffer at Sinclair's newly purchased WJLA is headed for the exit.

After 25+ years at the station, Reporter Greta Kreuz is leaving.  

Kreuz was a veteran reporter and anchor at WJLA joined the station in 1988 and covered a wide variety of beats, including education, transportation and religion. During her time at the station she anchored both the weekend and morning newscasts.

Kreuz retired on Wednesday with a newsroom celebration and new owners Sinclair dug deep in their pockets and sprung for a farewell cake.

Ummmm.... No! That is Not an Exclusive

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Cable news network and future movie channel CNN had an "exclusive" interview with freelance Photographer and Ebola survivor Ashoka Mukpo.

CNN's Don Lemon sat down with Mukpo to talk about how he caught the ebola virus and what he went through. 

What is very strange about CNN's exclusive...... 7 days ago, NBC also had an exclusive with a Photographer named Ashoka Mukpo that caught the ebola virus.

What are the odds that two different people, with the same name and job would both get ebola and then talk about in on the news?

We thought NBC claiming it was "exclusive" was lame, CNN's labeling their's "exclusive" is just plain sad. 

Just saying.... 

Judge Says MSNBC Host Scammed Real Estate Broker

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A judge ruled that MSNBC Donny Deutsch scammed a real estate broker out of a $1.2 million commission in the sale of Deutsch’s $30 million Hamptons home.

Page Six reports that Justice Charles Ramos says Deutsch’s lawyer Jonathan Tarbet was acting on his client’s behalf when Sotheby’s broker Edward Petrie was schemed out of his 4 percent commission.

Petrie had brought a potential buyer, LA hedge funder Howard Marks, by Deutsch’s Tyson Lane home in 2010.

After Deutsch realized he knew Marks, he went behind Petrie’s back and brokered the sale privately to avoid the fee, Petrie claimed.

“This court considers that and refusal to acknowledge [Petrie] as the broker to be marks of dishonesty and greed,” Ramos writes in the Oct. 23 decision awarding Petrie’s employer, Sotheby’s, $1.2 million.

“Both characteristics are particularly unbecoming when exhibited by those blessed with great wealth,” the judge scolds.

A representative for Deutsch says, “Mr. Deutsch is shocked and outraged by this ruling, which is wrong based on law and fact. The ruling was based on the Sotheby’s broker’s contention that Mr. Deutsch agreed to a 4% commission arrangement. This is an outright and absolute lie. There was no such agreement, neither verbal nor written, and internal Sotheby’s email communications confirm this. Mr. Deutsch will vigorously defend his position in court and is very confident this decision will be reversed on appeal.”

Two Des Moines Reporters Pleads Guilty to Drunk Driving Charges

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WHO (Des Moines) television Reporter/Anchor Sonya Heitshusen pleaded guilty operating while intoxicated after her arrest this past summer.

When Heitshusen was arrested she originally entered a not-guilty plea.

Heitshusen was pulled over in early June near downtown Des Moines' entertainment district around 1 a.m. driving the wrong way down a street, authorities said. Police said she at first refused to exit her vehicle, then had trouble balancing and refused any field sobriety or breath tests.

Heinshusen anchors the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts for WHO. She now faces up to one year in jail  (which will never happen)and a fine of $1,250.

Her sentencing is set for Dec. 15.

A second WHO-TV reporter was arrested for first-offense OWI the same weekend as Heitshusen. Erik Wheater, 25, has since also pleaded guilty.

H/T Des Moines Register

Well.... If Anyone Would Know, It would be Piers Morgan

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Fired CNN Anchor Piers Morgan, who desperately wants to be on TV again wrote Wednesday's f̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶w̶r̶a̶p̶Daily Mail that the New Jersey nurse who came back from West Africa and resisted to be forcibly quarantined is hyping up her situation to become a “media superstar.”

And if anyone should know, it would be Piers. 

After the nurse, Kaci Hickox, returned this weekend to New Jersey from Sierra Leone, where she was treating people infected with Ebola, Christie ordered that she be isolated since she had exhibited fever at an airport screening. After further testing, however, she was deemed Ebola-free

Morgan writes:

“[H]er behaviour since she returned to America has been … astonishing – in its reckless selfishness,” wrote Morgan. “If I were running this Ebola fight in America — and I am just as qualified to do so as the newly appointed Ebola Czar — I wouldn’t trust America’s medics to ‘self-quarantine’ because as we have seen, they will either refuse to comply or lie about it.”

Morgan seems to be showing up a bit late to the ebola party, but hey, we're glad he made it. 

Party on Piers!

H/T Mediaite

Despite TV News Best Efforts, Americans Fears of Ebola are Fading

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Local stations and the networks have tried their best to scare the hell out of the American people with fear that everyone was going to die from ebola.

But, a new study shows that the scare tactics are losing their effectiveness. A Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that Fears among Americans about the Ebola virus appear to be waning.

More bad news for the TV networks, there is only one patient in the entire United States that is being treated for ebola right now. No American has died of ebola in the U.S. and despite news scare tactics, there has only been 7 cases total in the US and all but two of them were people that had traveled to West Africa. 

Unfortunately, American's fears in ebola are starting to wane, just as the all important November book is getting ready to start.

Damn you ebola!

Please Stop with the "Likes" already

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WPTV in West Palm is the latest station to ask their Facebook fans to "Like" a car crash. 

The difference with this one is the crash happened 3000 miles away. 

The accident happened in Southern California, which is a hell of a long way from South Florida, but the station figured it would be another chance to grab some "Likes" on their Facebook page.

Of course, if they got enough "Likes" Facebook would give the station $100,000. Oh wait! Facebook pays them nothing and the "Likes" are worth absolutely zero.

So why the hell do stations do this crap?

Just asking.... 

David Gregory Demanded too Much $$$ From CNN

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For the last few years, on election night, David Gregory was watched by millions of people on NBC.

This year he will be seen by almost no one as he covers the election for Yahoo (yes Yahoo does still exist).

On August 14, after NBC kicked David Gregory to the curb, FTVLive wrote, "Don't be surprised when you see CNN announce that David Gregory is joining the cable network."

So, months later, why hasn't CNN announced that they hired David Gregory?

Because, Gregory's huge ego, demanded a huge salary and CNN wasn't going to pay it. Page Six reports that the two sides didn’t reach a deal to bring him onboard because of his big salary demands amid crushing company cost-cutting.

The paper writes that Gregory had met with his onetime NBC champion Jeff Zucker at CNN in August, and the two were then spotted having lunch as Gregory’s embarrassing ouster at ratings-challenged “Meet the Press” became imminent.

“Jeff was really considering hiring David,” a source familiar with the talks told us. “But they could not come up with a number to get him there.”

The source added that staff cuts of around 10 percent at CNN and its parent, Turner Broadcasting, made the deal impossible. “They were meeting around the time of the crazy layoffs at CNN, and it would have looked really bad giving out a huge contract while people were being laid off.”

So, on election night Gregory will be banned to a web portal that no one uses anymore.

That will hurt the old ego a bit. 

Howard Kurtz is Just an Idiot

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Look...I totally get that there are many people at Fox News that do not like the President. Just like I get the fact that CNN's Carol Costello is not a Sarah Palin fan.

But, Fox News Media Critic (and obviously Presidential critic as well) Howard Kurtz will blame anything bad that happens on President Obama.

Check out this Tweet he sent out late yesterday:

Really?! What the hell does the rocket and ebola have to do with each other? Kurtz is basically blaming Obama for ebola and the rocket blowing up. And what the hell is "ebola season"? Is it anything like "Toyotathon"?

Howie uses his Twitter feed all the time to bash the President, in fact he does more of that then he does critique the media, which is what we thought he was paid to do.

Howard Kurtz is an idiot.

 

"Stinky" Josh Elliott on Today

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Yesterday, former Good Morning America Anchor Josh Elliott popped up on NBC's Today Show as the news reader, filling in for Natalie Morales. 

Elliott is expected to be back on Today this morning.

It appears from Elliott's appearance yesterday on the show, that he might have forgotten to take a shower. Notice how his co-anchors are staying away from him and Actor Jim Carrey is even sporting a mask. 

Or maybe he just has ebola. 

Huh?

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Normally in TV news, when a person lands a job across the street at another station, the old station kicks that person out the door ASAP.

Two days ago, FTVLive told you that WIVB Executive Producer Aaron Mason is moving over to WKBW as the station’s Assistant News Director.

But, here's where it gets weird, Mason is staying on at WIVB for a few weeks before heading over to the competition.

This is unheard of and is really strange when it involves a news manager. 

Word inside WIVB is the station is so shorty on bodies and they really need Mason to stick around. Insiders say he was also a very big part of the station's election coverage plans and WIVB really needed him to stick around to help the station in their coverage.

But still, you let the guy that is about to become the Deuce at your competitor still have free run in the newsroom?

Very odd indeed. 

Pittsburgh Anchor Headed to Motown

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Speaking of KDKA in Pittsburgh....

Anchor Kimberly Gill is leaving the station and headed to Motown. 

Gill came to the Burgh three years ago after a stint with WEWS in Cleveland. She anchors her last Pittsburgh newscast Nov. 7. before heading off to WDIV in Detroit as a Reporter and fill-in Anchor.

"While this is no doubt a nice opportunity for Kimberly, we will most certainly miss her," said KDKA news director Anne Linaberger in a statement.

Gill currently co-anchors the noon and 4 p.m. news.

H/T Pittsburgh Post Gazette 

Carolina Weatherman Dies Suddenly

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WCTI (Eastern Carolina) Chief Meteorologist Skip Waters died suddenly in his home.

Waters passed away at his home from what appeared to be natural causes, Trent Woods Police Chief Tony Lee said Tuesday evening.

WCTI Vice President and General Manager Lyle Schulze recalled seeing Skip Monday afternoon. Skip initially said he was not feeling well.

"He called me [Monday] night at 7 o'clock and said he was feeling much better and he was looking forward to coming in to work [Tuesday]," said Schulze.

"Our hearts are saddened with the news of Skip's passing," Schulze continued. "The WCTI family is a tight-knit group who works hard to bring news and weather to all of Eastern North Carolina and Skip was a huge part of that family. There are no words to describe his loss to the WCTI family."

 He was 61 years old.

H/T WCTI