The Grim Reaper came Calling for Larry King

Larry King might not be buddies with Piers Morgan, but he has found someone nicer and with more talent:

Ft. Worth Police Lashed out at Dallas Station

The Ft. Worth Police Officers Association is not too happy with KTVT in Dallas.

Police says that the Ft. Worth Police Department had not yet released the name or photograph of the Fort Worth Police Sergeant that was shot in the line of duty.

They said that they had asked the media "respect the wishes of the family until a decision was made to release his information."

KTVT did not do so and Reporter Aerzow Doost posted Sgt. Shane Drake’s photo on Twitter stating “Sources say Fort Worth Sgt Shane Drake was shot after responding to a call. Details coming up at 11 @CBS11”. Later they posted the officers photo again on Twitter stating:

The Fort Worth Police Officers Association said they reached out to KTVT and Reporter Aerzow Doost and asked that she respect the family’s wishes to remove his photo and name from social media. The station did not comply with the request. 

Cops say they then called KTVT News Director Mike Garber and asked him that the posts on social media be removed and for station to respect the family’s privacy.

Police say that Garber was uncooperative with the request for privacy and relayed that he had editorial decisions to make and a business to operate.

Police took to Facebook and posted, "The FWPOA understands that the media market is highly competitive in being the first to report news. However, when a simple request for privacy is blatantly disregarded, the respect and character of a media source is diminished. The unprofessionalism by CBS 11 News Director Mike Garber and reporter Arezow Doost will NOT be tolerated in regards to the request for privacy of an officer who is shot in the line of duty." 

They then added, "The Fort Worth POA would like to specifically thank FOX 4 News, NBC 5, WFAA 8, and all other media partners for honoring the wishes of the police family during an extremely difficult time."

In other words, look for a lot of traffic stops involving KTVT news vehicles over the next few weeks. 

Married By Robin Meade

We can't all be lucky enough to be married to Robin Meade (God knows, I have been waiting that marriage out for 20+ years), but you can get married by Robin.

HLN's Morning Express with Robin Meade is offering a couple the chance to get married right on the show and Robin and her staff will do all the work.

Can you say sweeps stunt?

I knew you could.

On 2/13, Morning Express will pick your wedding cake, choose your wedding attire, decide on your song – and then walk down the aisle of their new set.

If you want it to be you, head over to the show's Facebook page and tell them why they should pick you. 

BriWi Raps Snoop Dogg

The Tonight Show gave us another installment of NBC Anchor Brian Williams and his rap.

This time BriWi raps Snoop Dogg's 'Who Am I" and it is a classic.

Take it away Brian:

NBC Nightly News managing editor and anchor Brian Williams raps Snoop Dogg's classic "Who Am I (What's My Name)?"

O'Reilly: There's not enough money on earth for me to work for Al Jazeera

There is no doubt that Fox News host Bill O'Reilly is not a fan of Al Jazeera America.

"I consider it a lobbying group for the Islamic jihad," O'Reilly said. He also took shots at some known Journalists that work at AJA.

O'Reilly singled out former CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston along with three other American journalists, Soledad O'Brien, Joie Chen and John Seigenthaler, inferring that they were  unpatriotic sellouts.

O'Reilly pointed out that Pinkston was "a friend." Pinkston said that he and O'Reilly worked at the same station's years ago, but have had little contact since. 

"There's not enough money on earth for me to work" for Al Jazeera, he said after rattling off the names some of the American journalists who do. "I just don't get it."

Al Jazeera puts out "all kinds of propaganda that help the terrorists," O'Reilly said. He referred to an e-mail that FTVLive posted on January 28th from the head of Al Jazeera's U.S. operation sent to staffers directing them not to use the terms "terrorists, militants, Islamist and jihad" in their reporting.

"They are banned" from Al Jazeera, O'Reilly said.

"Linking Mr. Pinkston to 'jihadist terrorists' by virtue of working as a journalist for Al Jazeera TV is a misplaced assault upon the reputation of a solid professional and a good man you dared call 'a friend,'" Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize winner and real friend of Pinkston, said in an e-mail he fired off to O'Reilly last week.

Remind me not to get on Bill O'Reilly's friends list.

Just saying..... 

H/T USA Today

Don Lemon Posts Topless Selfie with Wrong Info

When CNN's Don Lemon isn't making and idiot out of himself on air, he takes to Twitter to do the same.

Lemon, took off his shirt and posted this pic, and wrote, "My #measles shot scar from childhood. Do we still need it?"

Of course, the scar that Lemon was referring to was from the small pox vaccine and not the MMR. The MMR is a simple shot and leaves no scar. 

The reply tweets to Lemon;s screw up were priceless as always:

No!!! Not 6 More Weeks of Window...Wait! What?!

The forecasting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday and according to KMOV in St. Louis that means we have 6 more weeks of "Window."

WTF?!

Anchor Ink

KIAH (Houston) Anchor Greg Onofrio - he prefers just "Grego" - isn't your typical tie-and-jacket, clean-shaven, straight-arrow news Anchor.

Grego doesn't wear a tie or jacket, he's bald with a devilish goatee, and about half of his body is covered with 27 tattoos …

And counting. 

We doubt that Brian Williams will be following Onofrio's lead. 

"It's a hobby, and I still have some open canvas," Onofrio said. "When I find the right artist, I'd like a Japanese back piece, and the ribs on my right side done. And my legs and stomach, but not the head. I don't want to push it."

His arms are done, thank you, and smack in viewers' faces on KIAH Channel 39's quirky newscast, the 9 p.m. NewsFix. 

Grego has been the one and only anchor on NewsFix since 2011. It's a different kind of news show, covering top stories of the day, but also oddball features the other stations overlook. Grego does the voiceovers, and is seen only at the opening and end of the show, when he does a closing commentary.

It is jarring - at first - to watch a newscast anchored by someone who looks more like the guy taking ride tickets at a parking lot carnival than a crisp, starched anchorman. But after four years of sticking with Grego as anchor, NewFix is finding an audience. 

"One reason that management liked me for the anchor position is that I didn't come with previous traditional news training, vocal affectation or habits that would go against the different vibe of Newsfix," Grego said.

"When I interviewed for the job I wore a shirt with the sleeves rolled up. When we got on the air, management insisted that I wear a short sleeve shirt for almost four years."

He got his first tattoo in 1989, by "the late Houston tattoo legend John Stuckey in Montrose."

"My favorite tattoo? It's a tie between the Japanese leg piece that Larry Shaw at Shaw's Tattoo in Montrose inked on me, and the finger painting my then 4-year-old did that I had tattooed on my right forearm. That one is very special."

He has no tattoo regrets, isn't looking to have anything removed or done over. 

"Every tattoo has a story behind it. They tell about an experience, where I was at that time in my life, the people I met, the fun I was having. Amazingly, I survived it all!"

H/T Houston Chronicle 

What Kind of News Coverage?

In a post Super Bowl promo, WOWT in Omaha promised viewers that they would be giving them, "Comlete Beaking News" coverage.

Not sure what "comlete beaking news" is, but I'm sure it's something the consultants drummed up for the Feb book. 

Little Rock Station Hires Former NFL Player to Anchor

Former Green Bay Packers tight end DJ Williams was known as an entertaining interview during his time in the NFL, occasionally regaling reporters with stories of his “cow wrestling” days (non-fiction stories, he notes). Now he’s the one doing the interviewing.

“They want me to be the Michael Strahan of Arkansas TV,” said Williams.

Williams is currently a free agent hoping to catch back on with an NFL team, but in the meantime he has been hired at KARK to work the morning newscast Little Rock, Arkansas.

The tight end says it’s a good thing he’s always been an early riser: his alarm clock these days is set for 3:30am.

He’s working on reading off a teleprompter, but is already branching out to interview guests on the show, not just talk about sports. Working in TV, he says, is less structured than the football world.

“I’m used to having an idea of what we’re doing for practice the day before, if not two days before,” said Williams. “[In TV] I get there at 4 o’clock, 4:30, I go on at 5, they say, ‘ok, this is what we might talk about today. I’m like, ‘oh crap.’

“Right now I pretty much have somebody holding my hand, putting me in front of the camera, telling me which camera to look at. They say, ‘just be DJ.’”

So, for you kids getting out of J-School and trying to land a job, maybe you should go to the NFL first.

Just saying....

H/T Fox11online.com

Longtime Pennsylvania Anchor to Retire

It seems not a day has gone by in the Feb book, where some longtime news Anchor has announced their plans to retire.

The latest longtime newsie to say he's retiring is WJAC's (Altoona) Bill Brown.

Brown says will leave the station after more than 32 years on the air.

Brown joined the station in 1982 and has anchored the station's morning newscast since it began 29 years ago. He's also been the station's noon anchor for 30 years.

Brown says it's "been my privilege to work with an incredible group of professionals here at WJAC and to have served the wonderful people in this region."

He leaves the station at the end of the Feb book. 

MSNBC's Sharpton's Tax Woes Continue

Sometimes, you have to wonder how Al Sharpton is not sitting in a jail cell somewhere?

The National Review Online says that every for-profit enterprise started by the MSNBC Anchor has been shut down in at least one jurisdiction for failure to pay taxes, a review of public records in New York and Delaware reveals.

The NRO writes that records show that Sharpton’s beleaguered for-profit entities often overlap and intertwine, some sharing ties with the reverend’s nonprofit organization, National Action Network. Their financial records are copious, confusing, and sometimes outright bizarre, and together, they depict persistent financial woes for Sharpton, who also personally owes New York State nearly $596,000, according to active tax warrants.

“He clearly appears — based on the information that’s available to us — to have a history of noncompliance with tax obligations,” says Bernadette Schopfer, the director of taxation at New York’s Maier Markey & Justic, a certified public-accounting firm that has had no dealings with Sharpton or National Action Network. “It appears that [Sharpton] does not file [taxes for his businesses], and then opens up something else. At all the entities we see he has opened up, he has not been compliant with the obligations of the owner of a business. . . . He’s either willful in his behavior, or he’s just sloppy.”

Sharpton, who was traveling internationally, was unavailable for an interview, despite NRO’s numerous queries over several days.

Somehow, Sharpton stays out of jail and stays on the air at MSNBC.

Shaking my head. 

ABC's DiSy Scoops NBC with Bruce Jenner Story

It looks like ABC's Diane Sawyer is getting the scoop over NBC and the Peacock is not happy.

Page Six says that Bruce Jenner will open up to Sawyer about transitioning to life as a woman.

The Olympic legend is set to sit down with the ABC News journalist for and interview about his change from man to woman.  The special is slated to air in the May book.

Last week, Us Weekly reported that Jenner planned to grant a TV interview and star in a docuseries for E!, which airs the family’s reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

Jenner’s decision to go with ABC has caused “internal consternation” in NBC’s news division, since NBCUniversal owns E!, according to BuzzFeed, which first reported that Jenner was in final negotiations for an interview with Sawyer.

“I think everyone goes through things in life and I think that story and what Bruce is going through, I think he’ll share whenever the time is right,” said Kim Kardashian. “I feel like that’s his journey to talk about.”

Ex-wife Kris Jenner has not spoke publicly about reports of Bruce’s life changes.

ABC and NBC declined to comment.

Inside Edition Hires Zoey (Used to be Bob) Tur

If you didn't know it was sweeps month, just check out Inside Edition.

The tabloid news program has hired Transgender television news reporter Zoey Tur.

Tur used to be known as Bob Tur and was an LA News Chopper pilot that covered some of the biggest stories on the west coast. He/She is also the father of NBC Correspondent Katy Tur. 

Inside Edition says that Tur will be featured as a special correspondent.

“We are thrilled to have Zoey join Inside Edition as Special Correspondent and make some TV history,” says executive producer Charles Lachman.

“There’s diversity in nature, so why not the media? I want to thank Inside Edition for their support in what’s shaping up to be America’s last civil rights fight,” says Tur.

NFL Network Star Busted for Solicitation

NFL Network Analyst and former NFL Stand out Warren Sapp was arrested in Phoenix this morning for soliciting a prostitute around 7AM.

Sapp was busted in a Phoenix hotel and was also arrested for assault. 

Sapp was in Phoenix covering the Super Bowl for the NFL Network.

Early this afternoon, the NFL The NFL Network has removed Sapp's bio from the "On-Air Talent" section of the website. 

On January 17th, FTVLive told you that CBS/TBS Sports Basketball analyst and former NBA player Greg Anthony has been arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute.

He has been suspended by both networks. 

Looks like at least the same thing is happening to Sapp.