Anarchy in Columbus

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Sources tell FTVLive that WCMH News Director Michael Fabac has announced that he is leaving the station. His last day is Dec. 5th.

With Fabac leaving it means that when the Media General/Lin merger becomes finalized, the station will be without a News Director, a General Manager (the current one is retiring in early December), and a General Sales Manager.  

Most stations seem to have too many chiefs and not enough indians, it will be the total opposite at WCMH.

Who's betting the place will run better than ever?

Anderson Cooper Hits All Time Low in the Ratings

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CNN's golden boy Anderson Cooper is a bit tarnished after hitting rock bottom in the ratings.

On Monday night,, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 at 9PM had just 181,000 total viewers and 53,000 in the demo. 

It was CNN's lowest number since October 1st, 1991. 

How bad was it?

If 2 million viewers of Fox News Channel's the Kelly File would have tuned out, Megyn Kelly still would have doubled CNN's ratings. 

Ouch! 

CNN's Zucker Doesn't Give a Shit About Critics

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Many have been critical of CNN's choice to dump news coverage for reality shows and CNN films on fish, strippers and gay rodeos.

What does Jeff Zucker think about those of you that thinks the cable news channel has lost his way?

He doesn't give a shit.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Zucker talked about his critics:

“Sometimes CNN gets caught in the crosshairs because CNN is CNN. When you’re a huge, shiny object, people like to throw darts,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t give a shit. None of the people that do that stop to think about the incredible quality that is assembled by the people in this room. Take all the shots you want, but I think the quality of films on CNN Films is unassailable.”

Well ok then. 

Mr. Zucker Comes to Washington

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Yesterday, FTVLive had a post about how morale was sinking at CNN, especially in the DC bureau, where anxiety is running very high after weeks of layoffs and buyouts.

After we posted the story, the staff at the DC bureau were told in an email that the king himself, Jeff Zucker would be coming to Washington to meet with what is left with the staff. 

"I want to hear from you. So I hope you can join me next week for an informal employee gathering," Zucker wrote in the email.

"No agenda, no talking points. Just a chance to spend some time, answer your questions, hear what’s on your minds," he continued. "I hope to see you there."

You know...if we don't lay you off between now and then.

H/T Politico

NBC Suits Still Deciding on Snyderman

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There is no doubt that every time Dr. Nancy Snyderman does a story on NBC News, someone will be thinking about how she broke her ebola quarantine.

Page Six says that NBC execs are still divided over how to deal with Snyderman.

The TV Doc kicked off a firestorm when she voluntarily agreed to quarantine herself for 21 days after returning to the US from West Africa, but was spotted getting takeout from a New Jersey restaurant.

NBC has to decide if her credibility is too damaged for her to continue reporting on medical issues.

One network source said: “Nancy’s quarantine was up two weeks ago, but there is still a debate going on at NBC News among senior managers, some who feel she should be fired for not following advice to quarantine herself. But others feel that NBC News should stand by Snyderman, since she was sent by them to Liberia to report.”

NBC News President Deborah Turness had issued a memo to staff in late October saying that Snyderman and those who traveled with her to Liberia would take “some time with their families” and would return “next month (which is this month).”

So far, Snyderman has yet to be seen on air.

Stay tuned...  

Well That Didn't Work Out So Well

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After KSTP Reporter Jay Kolls filed a racist report that accused Minneapolis's Mayor of throwing gang signs, Kolls was (rightly so) lit up on the Internet.

At first he used his Twitter account to try and argue with the people that did not like his report. That didn't work out very well.

So Kolls decided to go Twitter silent.

After 3 days of no tweets, Kolls tried once again, but figured he would stay far away from the gang sign flashing mayor story.

He tweeted a tease for a story and soon learned that the Internet does not forget.

Check out just some of the replies after his tweet. He has since gone silent again: 

Man Sues Nancy Grace for Defamation

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A man is suing Nancy Grace and it's not because she wears a black leather jacket on the air almost every night (which she does). 

The guy, who was branded a “selfie stalker” after his picture turned up on a crime victim’s cellphone is suing Grace for defamation, saying she refused to stop airing his photo even after authorities had cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The lawsuit says Grace incorrectly told millions of viewers that Ben Seibert invaded a woman’s home and snapped a photo of himself on her phone, which she described as a “textbook serial killer’s calling card.”

The NY Post says that Seibert said Grace humiliated him with her commentary, which went viral on an array of social media sites where readers called him a weirdo, a sicko, a rapist and a pervert. The suit says Grace didn’t check the facts and didn’t care.

“It hasn’t been easy for him as a result of this,” Seibert’s attorney, John Pineau said.

Police released Seibert’s photo on Jan. 29, after a woman called police saying a man had entered her home while she was putting her children to bed. Police said she was especially fearful because she believed the man had taken a selfie with her phone inside of her home.

But further investigation showed the picture was Seibert’s Facebook photo that had been taken elsewhere. Seibert, who was working in California, called police Feb. 8 after friends told him his photo was being associated with the Denver home invasion. He was not charged.

The same month, police told Grace her broadcast was false, but she continued to air it, according to the lawsuit, which seeks more than $100,000 in damages.

The Weather Channel Sics the Legal Department on FTVLive

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Yesterday, FTVLive posted a video that we obtained that showed the big wigs at The Weather Channel preforming in a rap video.

Sources tell FTVLive that video was shot at a great expense to shown to clients. TWC President David Clark came up with the idea for the video that showed TWC talent, sales and executive staff partying down with expense champagne and smoking fine cigars. The video was inspired by Jay Z’s “Roc Boys".

The video was wrapped in irony when you consider that The Weather Channel has been laying off people left and right and cutting costs everywhere they can.

Their million dollar baby, Sam Champion, who was featured in the rap video, has turned out to be a bust. His AMHQ morning show is a ratings dud and it cost TWC millions of dollars. 

Shortly after posting The Weather Channel's Bad Rap video we received a call from Sheri McGaughy VP of legal at The Weather Channel, demanding that we pull the video from FTVLive.

Which kind of surprised us that the Weather Channel hadn't laid off the legal department yet.

Sources tell FTVLive when TWC suits saw the story on FTVLive that we fuming. Calls were quickly made to try and get this story pulled from our site. 

Weather Channel Shirley Powell, released this statement to Slate.com:

"This video was created for an internal ad sales meeting earlier this year.  Like many videos that get made for internal purposes only, it was made in the spirit of fun by our TV group to energize our ad sales force. It was never intended for external use. We are not authorizing any publication of the video."

The Weather Channel knows how bad this video makes them look, but what is really bad is that they shot the video to begin with. In the same year you are laying off numerous people, you're spending thousands of dollars for a video that was shown only in house.

Management deserves the bad rap (you see what I did there?).

You can bet if FTVLive posted a video of the American Bald Ego Jim Cantore saving a puppy, the legal department would have never called.

TWC can do all they want to try and censor the video, but you can't censor the stupid.

Just saying.... 

Stations.... This is NOT how to Use Social Media

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Another example of how many TV station's do not get social media and have no clue how to use it.

WPLG in Miami posted a video on their Facebook page that was nothing more than a tease for a sweeps piece on how to get rid of unwanted fat.

When some of the station's viewers made some comments about the promo, WPLG snapped back at the viewers.

Ummmm...Not sure talking down to the viewer is what you need to be doing. Here's another example:

Really? Dose WPLG really think this is helping? If you ask us, the social media person should be fired. 

Morale Sinks Even Lower at CNN

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While CNN still looks for the missing plane and continues to turn the cable news station into a reality show channel, morale among those that are left is sinking fast.

Politico writes that CNN's Washington bureau is suffering from low morale and high anxiety in the wake of weeks of layoffs and buyouts — with one employee likening the place to the Redskins’ locker room.

Sources at the bureau spoke of tension in the office as several longtime staffers have been let go while others are being promoted and given raises. On Friday, during the most recent departures, "people were crying all over the bureau," one D.C. employee said.

"Morale at the CNN Washington Bureau is about as strong as it is inside the Redskins’ locker room — and the management is just as bad," another CNN staffer said.

The latest round of layoffs and buyouts was meant to cut roughly 300 positions from across CNN’s bureaus, or 8 percent of its total staff. In Washington, roughly 50 employees were let go — 27 through layoffs and roughly two dozen through buyouts. Meanwhile, CNN DC has created 20 new positions on the digital side. The network said that a few of the laid-off employees have reapplied for new positions at the network, and at least three have been accepted so far.

The latest exit was Michelle Jaconi, an executive producer and D.C. bureau stalwart, who declined to relocate to New York and bid adieu to her colleagues in a lengthy email on Friday. Jaconi was escorted out of the bureau immediately after sending the email.

Edie Emery, the senior director of public relations in Washington, declined to comment on newsroom morale.