"Tamron Hall Took my Job"

/

Yesterday, FTVLive told you that Natalie Morales might be looking to leave the Today Show, while Tamron Hall looks to fill her position.

Well, it appears that it wouldn't be the first time that Hall is weaseled her way into someone else's job.

Robert Feder writes that fourteen years after she lost her morning news anchor job to Tamron Hall at Fox-owned WFLD (Chicago)  Marianne Murciano is speaking out about it.

“Tamron Hall moved in and took my job while I was on maternity leave,” Murciano said Monday on the midday radio show she co-hosts with her husband, Bob Sirott. Murciano’s  comments were prompted by the Page Six report about a behind-scenes power struggle on NBC’s “Today” show between Hall and Natalie Morales.

“I’m reading about all this and I’m thinking, wow, yeah, I can see how Natalie Morales must be feeling,” Murciano told listeners of the Tribune Media news/talk station.

“It was kind of a shock that I went off to have a baby and that while I was on maternity leave, Tamron Hall was filling in for me, and then she became very close with management, which sounds like what’s happening now, and then suddenly she had my job. . . . Like I was never able even to come back and say ‘I’m leaving’ or anything. It was just done.”

More from Feder

She Knows it's Ratings...Right?

/

It seems that Kelly Osbourne was upset following her appearance on “Today” yesterday.

Osbourne begged producers not to include questions about her late E! colleague Joan Rivers during an interview.

But it's sweeps month, so they did anyway.

Page Six says that Osbourne made clear to “Today” brass she wouldn’t talk about her former “Fashion Police” co-star during an appearance to promote a clothing line. But a source told us that while Osbourne was in a makeup chair before the interview, a “Today” producer appeared to inform her the anchors would ask about Rivers.

“Kelly begged her, ‘Please don’t ask about Joan, I’m here to talk about my clothing line,’” the source said, adding that the producer told Osbourne if she didn’t feel comfortable answering, “We won’t do the segment.”

Another source countered that Osbourne was advised she would be asked about Rivers, but “No one threatened to pull her from the show.”

But while on with Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Tamron Hall and Natalie Morales, the purple-haired designer was visibly uncomfortable when asked about Rivers.

“It’s something, to be honest with you, I really don’t like talking about,” she said before appearing with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, who again asked about Rivers. Osbourne called her “the grandmother I never had,” then, “Please can we move on so I don’t cry?”

An NBC rep told us: “We think Kelly is a great guest and we love having her on the show.”

Longtime Wichita Anchor to Sign Off

/

After 51-years, KAKE Wichita, Kan., Larry Hatteberg announced he’s stepping down from the anchor desk.  His last show will be the 10 p.. newscast on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

"KAKE TV is the only job I've had in my adult life,” Hatteberg said.  “But five decades is long enough even at the job I love. At this point in my career, I'm looking for a bit more freedom to pursue the video and still photography projects that I want, without the deadlines that TV news brings.”

Hatteberg was a decent Anchor, but he was a world class News Photographer. The guy had an eye that you just could not teach.

We always felt that putting him on the anchor desk was a huge waste of a rare talent. But, you can't blame him. Last we looked, Anchors make a lot more money than Photogs.

Which sucks if you ask us. 

H/T TVNewsCheck

Longtime Houston Anchor to Step Down from Station's Late Newscast

/

Yesterday, KTRK anchor Dave Ward celebrated his 48th anniversary with the Houston ABC owned station. Today, the station issued a press release saying Ward will cut back on newscasts with the start of 2015.

Ward announced today that he will reduce his workload later this year. Ward, a trusted journalist who successfully steered KTRK’s news broadcasts to new heights, told the Eyewitness News team that beginning in 2015, he will only anchor ABC-13's 6:00 p.m. newscasts.

His last regularly scheduled 10:00 p.m. newscast will be December 23rd, though he will occasionally join the 10:00 team for Special Reporting on topics of interest.

Ward told viewers, “You have invited me into your hearts and into your homes, you have trusted me with the day’s news, and I have trusted you to be there, and you have been, for almost 48 years. I am honored and humbled to still be doing the work I love, anchoring ABC-13 Eyewitness News. So let’s be clear...I’m not going anywhere! I’m just going to go home a little earlier, that’s all.”

H/T Mike McGuff

MSNBC's Shitty Election Night wrapped up in 90 seconds

/

If you heard about how bad MSNBC's election night coverage was, but did not get to see it.

Just take a minute and half to watch this video and it should tell you everything you need to know. 

As MSNBC's party of choice takes a beating in the polls, the pundits and anchors react with foul language, bad predictions and poor cell phone etiquette.

H/T Washington Free Beacon 

Fox News Apprentice Program marks a Decade

/

Later this week, the Fox News Channel will graduate the four people that make up the 10th class of its Ailes Apprentice Program.

The program was started by Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes and every year four Fox employees, interns or freelancers from diverse backgrounds are picked for a one-year paid fellowship that involves training in multiple divisions and creating diversity-oriented content for the network.

Each participant is assigned a mentor from the executive ranks, and gets a one-on-one meeting with Ailes himself. 

“Throughout the past 10 years, the Ailes Apprentice Program has provided opportunities that young minorities otherwise wouldn’t have to become stars in the media field of their choice,” Ailes said.

Francisco Cortes was a production assistant and was in the very first class of the Ailes Apprentice Program, today he is VP, Fox News Latino.

Here are a few more of the program's success stories:

H/T B&C

Ouch! That Has to Hurt....

/

There is an online auction happening right now at Chairty Buzz that will give the winning bidder the opportunity to visit the set of CNN's New Day and meet anchor Chris Cuomo in NYC.

CNN sweeten the pot by also offering New Day items, including a t-shirt, hat, and mug!

The auction price is valued at $1000, which we're sure Chris Cuomo would tell you is a bargain price. 

Unfortunately, with less than a day left, the auction hasn't even reached the halfway mark and sits  just over $400.

Could it be that Chris Cuomo is not as big of a deal as he thinks he is?

Just asking..... 

Scripps Extends CEO's Contract

/

Scripps announced that they have extended the employment contract for CEO Rich Boehne, to Aug. 7, 2016. His contract was set to expire in August of next year.  

 The Scripps board of directors approved the contract extension for Boehne at its quarterly meeting.

Boehne’s employment agreement began Feb. 15, 2011, and had been set to end Aug. 7, 2015. He became president and CEO and joined the board in 2008 when Scripps spun off its cable network assets into a separate publicly traded company. Prior to the split, Boehne was chief operating officer of the combined enterprise. He was elected chairman on May 2, 2013.

The Weather Channel's Bad Rap (Updated)

/

Weather Channel sources tell FTVLive that about ten months ago TWC President David Clark asked his team to produce rap video because he thought that things were going so well and that TWC "had it's swagger back". 

At the time, they had recently hired had hired Sam Champion for millions of dollars, initiated a huge new studio build that cost big bucks and started taking over The Weather Channel's airwaves with less weather and more shows like "Fat Guys In the Woods."

The rap video was to be used as a sales tool as it showed The Weather Channel's talent, sales and marketing people all partying it up. 

In the video, champagne was flowing, the expense cigars were lit and the big bucks party was in full swing. 

Not long after this video was made, The Weather Channel started dropping staff and cutting corners wherever they could.

100 layoffs later and it makes this video a bit ironic and really kind of sad.

Clark is shown at the end of the video dropping the mic and walking off. Some would say, he dropped the ball. 

Update: Just before noon Today, FTVLive received a call from Sheri McGaughy VP of legal at The Weather Channel, claiming a copyright violation. According to McGaughy, the video we posted has never been seen outside TWC and they demanded that we pulled the video and the photo that we posted. FTVLive received the video from a Weather Channel staffer, who McGaughy claims was not authorized to give it to us. 

It appears that The Weather Channel suits are having second thoughts on the video and maybe now realize that it was a stupid idea to do the video in the first place. 

The Weather Channel does not want any of you guys seeing the video.

We have to wonder, if they saved the money from this video, maybe they would not have had to layoff so many people.

Just saying....

Stay tuned..... We will have much more on this story soon. 

Twin Cities Station Doubles Down on Racist Report

/

On Friday, FTVLive told you that KSTP (Minneapolis) Reporter Jay Kolls did a story in which he accused the Minneapolis Mayor of flashing a gang sign in a photo.

The photo of Mayor Betsy Hodges posing with a convicted felon while throwing up a gang sign. The felon, Navell Gordon was working as a volunteer to help get people to vote, yet the station painted him as a thug and a gang member.

If Gordon was white and not black, it is more than likely KSTP would not have touched the story. The Mayor seems to be pointing and the volunteer, but KSTP's Jay Kolls says she's throwing a gang sign.

The station relied on an interview with an ex-cop, who likely have an agenda to bash the Mayor and claim that this photo puts "police officers lives in danger".

The report was at least awful reporting and at worst, outright racism. 

The station was bashed for their reporting across the Internet and social media. Instead of issuing an apology for their first report, they doubled down and aired a second report, trying to justify the first one. 

It appears that the station, which is a dog in the ratings is trying to stick by a sweeps story that has backfired on them. 

Reporter Kolls tried to defend his racist report on social media, but after the heat, his Twitter account has now gone silent. 

As for convicts? Kolls does have some expertise in this area. He was arrested for DUI back in 2007. No word if he spent anytime with gang members while he was behind bars. 

If KSTP wants to continue to report that Mayor Betsy Hodges is throwing gang signs, FTVLive would like to help out.

We found this picture of Mayor Betsy flashing a double gang sign under her picture of Wonder Woman in her office. 

Not sure how many gang bangers keep a picture of Wonder Woman on hand, but then again we have never been in the Bloods or Crips hangout.

Also, we came across this photo of KSTP's Kolls throwing a gang sign as well. 

Guess he picked that up while he was spending time in the crossbars hotel.

Here is the station's second report in which they try to explain their first racist report. 

Like Little School Kids

/
Like Little School Kids

When I was in 3rd grade, sometimes word would leak out that there was going to be a fight on the playground after school.

You would run out as the final bell sounded to watch a couple of immature school kids mainly just call each other names and never throw a punch. 

Now, the immature kids do all this on Twitter. 

 Fox Business Reporter Charlie Gasparino (pictured) and CNBC’s Ron Insana got in an epic Twitter fight that would have made any 3rd grader proud.

It started with Gasparino getting all excited over an ad he was featured in. Then Insana commented that CNBC's David Faber was the real news breaker.

Watch how fast this gets ugly after the jump. 

Read More