Cincinnati Wins Fight to Air ISIS Suspect Interview

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American Terror suspect Christopher Cornell made a collect call to WXIX in Cincinnati and talked about joining ISIS and his planned attack to blow up pipe bombs at the US Capitol and kill the President. 

Cornell talked to the station for an hour, but it took WXIX much longer than that to get approval to air that interview. 

The terror plot suspect's desire to talk to local media put him at odds with his attorneys and landed a Cincinnati television station in federal court. 

Cornell's attorney, Richard Smith-Monahan, argued that WXIX was in contempt of court for violating a January order "directing the detention facility holding the Defendant not to permit outside contact by anyone with the Defendant without [defense counsel's] express approval."

Cornell spoke with reporter Tricia Macke. In that interview, he refuses to tell Macke how or when he first came in contact with ISIS, but he did give the reporter details on a plot to kill President Barack Obama, members of Congress, as well as an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

The station won their court fight and was able to air the interview:

H/T CNN

The New Newsplex

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The New Newsplex

WSVN in Miami took the wraps off their renovated Newsplex last night.

Lots of red, lost of blue and lots of neon was part of the new look. The station also added a new graphics package to the mix.

The new look is pure WSVN, it's loud, in your face and totally works for the Miami station. 

Screenshots and video of the first newscast from the new Newsplex are up after the jump. 

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Out the Door in Chicago

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Three years ago, WMAQ Anchor Rob Elgas moved from the 4:30AM newscast at the station to the 4:30PM newscast.

Now he's moving again, but this time it's out the door.

Elgas said he is leaving the station to pursue a “new opportunity" that he has not yet said what it is yet. 

Elgas has been with the NBC O&O since 2002. 

He posted this message to his Facebook page:

Hello everyone!

If you haven't heard, I'm leaving NBC5 next Friday. It's the toughest career decision I've ever had to make. 

I turn 41 next week (yes I'm that old) and my family and I decided this is the perfect time to pursue some new opportunities. 

NBC5 has been such a great place to work. Thirteen years ago they found a suburban kid anchoring the news in El Paso, Texas and brought him back home. I'm forever grateful for that. From the top down it's a terrific place, and I will miss everyone there. 

Working the night shift for the past 3 years, I'm really looking forward to dinners with my family, driving to practices with the kids, and tucking everyone in at bedtime. 

I will still be active on social media! I can't stay away too long. I enjoy interacting with all of you too much. 

Finally, thank YOU. I've always been humbled by your messages, both positive and negative. It's a great privilege to be able to tell stories and meet new people in the place you call home. That's a great honor. 

I want to thank all of you who take time to read my posts, comment on them, and often give me great story ideas. We have a strong connection and I hope that continues. 

Join me for my last week on NBC Chicago! I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Best,
Rob

A Much Better View

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It seems now that Rosie O'Donnell is gone ABC's 'The View,' everyone is happier on the show and even the ratings are better.

“The show is running much smoother now," said one insider, explaining that O’Donnell had been notorious for pushing back against ideas that she didn’t like told the NY Daily News. “There’s much less negative resistance now,” added the source. “Nobody is walking on eggshells anymore, and the whole show is much lighter.”

An uptick in ratings that began before the veteran broadcaster’s exit has continued. ABC, which airs the long-running daytime show, reports that the most recent figures show the numbers growing for six straight weeks starting Jan. 19.

Like We Said....

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FTVLive FIRST reported that NBC would make the Andy Lack announcement by the end of this week and they have.

NBC News confirmed morning that Andy Lack will return to the division as chairman of NBC News and MSNBC.
 
 Lack replaces Patricia Fili-Krushel. The network says that she will be moved into another role within the company. 

NBC News president Deborah Turness keeps her job...for now. Many expect that Turness will also be moved into a different role and it is likely to happen soon. 

“Andy is an accomplished journalist who began his award-winning news career in 1976 at CBS and rose through the newsroom ranks until he joined NBC News as president in 1993,” said NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke in an internal memo.

Many inside a NBC News are very happy about the change and finally get the sense that NBC News is moving in the right direction for the first time in a very longtime.  

 

Clock is Ticking on NBC News Bosses

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NBC will soon announce (Today?) that Andy Lack is returning to NBC to take over the job of Patricia Fili-Krushel, chairman of NBC Universal’s News Group.

Not long after Lack takes charge, he will push Deborah Turness, President of NBC News out the door and many inside 30 Rock will be happy to see it.

Insiders at NBC say that the team of  Fili-Krushel and Turness has been a disaster to NBC News and they will welcome a change in leadership.

Under the duo's watch, Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams was suspended for lying, Meet the Press floundered in the ratings and David Gregory was fired, the Today Show continues to be adrift and in second place in the ratings and worst of all, most staffers has lost faith in the two. 

NBC has finally figured out that they need a change at the top. When Andy Lack comes in it will be interesting to see who gets pushed out first, Turness or MSNBC boss Phil Griffin. Insiders think it will be Turness.

Although MSNBC is completely lost, it will not be at the top of Lack's radar. He needs to get the NBC News mothership back on course and that will be his first priority says NBC insiders to FTVLive.

One insider thinks that getting rid of Fili-Krushel and Turness is a slap in the face of women. But, others say that are not losing their jobs because they are women, they are losing them, because they were bad at their jobs.

The bottom line is NBC has made the decision to replace News management and many inside could not be happier. Time will tell if Andy Lack was the right guy at the right time for the job.

Could Lack Bring BriWi Back? Doubtful

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Andy Lack and Brian Williams are very good friends and some think that Lack coming back to NBC News will be good news for BriWi.

You can bet that before that it was agreed that Lack would return to NBC, William's future was talked about and decided on.

NBCUniversal boss Steve Burke suspended Williams, and Burke will be the one to decide if and when the anchor returns.

There is no way NBC hired Lack and did not discuss what the plans with Williams will be? Whether Williams returns or not, you can bet that it has already been decided and Andy Lack knows exactly what that decission is. 

For the rest of us, we'll just have to wait and see. 

Ummmmm....I Don't Think That's Larry

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During the coverage of the Delta plane skidding off a New York runway, MSNBC went live on the phone to NY Giants Tight End Larry Donnell who was on the plane.

Problem was, we're fairly certain it was NOT Larry Donnell that was calling in, despite the fact that Andrea Mitchell seemed to think it was him.

Take a look and see if you agree:

A man impersonating Larry Donnell of the New York Giants called into MSNBC Thursday afternoon and claimed to have been on the Delta airplane that skidded off the runway in La Guardia. He was not any of those things. "Where were you sitting on the plane and when did you first know you were all in trouble?"

Ummmmm....I Don't Think I'm Going to Make Slot

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We're going to go out on a limb here and say that this Photographer did not get the signal in for the 5:00 live shot.

A live truck from WJAC in Johnstown, Pennsylvania slid of the ice and flipped over. The station posted on social media that the Photographer that was driving the truck was taken to the hospital and was checked out, but is fine. 

Other drivers stopped at the scene to offer their help and said that the road was extremely icy in the area. 

Truck Spins Out During Memphis Station's Live Shot

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The roads were so bad in Memphis that authorities advised people to stay off the roads and to not drive. 

Of course that meant that WREG sent a news crew out on the roads to not only drive around, but to report live while doing it.

WREG Reporter Jessica Gertler was driving and reporting while Photographer Ramon Johnson was shooting video.

about a minute into the live shot, a pickup truck next to the new car spun out of control and it was captured live. Gertle then said, "it's not safe out here." She then continued to drive and report on the not safe roads.

You gots to love local TV news.

Let's go to the video:

Drunk Man Busted for Jumping in News Car

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WLZ in Baltimore had crews covering the winter storm and even sent out the "Mobile Weather Lab."

The "Mobile Weather Lab" and Reporter Mike Schuh were setup in front of a grocery store, the same store where Baltimore County police got a call for a report of an intoxicated man in the store yelling at customers.S

Schuh reported that police asked him to leave the store, but on his way out, he jumped into the station’s Mobile Weather Lab.

It seems there is a law against drunk guys going into a Mobile Weather Lab and the man was arrested. But not before he left a half gallon of unopened ice cream in the MWL before he was arrested. 

Which means, now if there are some chocolate chips in the vehicle, it could turn the Mobile Weather Lab into the Blizzard Mobile.

Never mind if you don't get the joke.

Let's go to the video: 

Post by WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore.