More Scripps Layoffs

FTVLive FIRST told you about layoffs going down at Scripps stations and while the company has tried to downplay it, the cuts have been significant.

Sources now tell FTVLive that the axe has swung at WXYZ in Motown.

Word is that at least three EPs and Senior Producer all caught the falling blade.

A number of staffers that have been cut are longtime employees, i.e. higher salaried. 

FTVLive also FIRST told you Scripps is looking to put digital content people in the ND chairs. As we FIRST reported, it has already happened at KNXV in Phoenix. FTVLive now hears that Denver and Tulsa are expected to be the next two stations on the list. 

Stay tuned....  

Live Gunfight Airs on LA Newscasts

It was your normal LA newscast on Friday, some celebrity news, a bit of weather, a car chase and some sports.

But this car chase got a bit more news worthy when the suspect stopped his car, got out with a gun and started waving it around. The police, didn't really like that too much and that started to throw some hot lead his way.

The suspect was hit and you could see him bleeding. Some stations cut away and others pulled back. 

The suspect did end up getting back up in his blood soaked shirt and police cuffed him.

Let's go to the video: 

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) - Police pursued a possible kidnappinf suspect in South LA Friday evening and then engaged in a shootout with the suspect at the end of the chase. Before the shootout, officials told CBS2 and KCAL9 the suspect was armed and dangerous.

You Might Want to At Least Close the Door Next Time

Word is that a WJZY (Charlotte)  was running late to a press conference about stolen cars when they left the Fox 46 news car in the parking lot with the door wide open.

Jake Howes took to Twitter to point out to the station that really isn't the safest way to leave the news vehicle in the parking lot.

Wait! What was the press conference about again?!

#tvnewsfail @FOX46News video sent to me from anonymous source pic.twitter.com/EO5toAHZgD

— Jake Howes (@RandomSoleil) March 12, 2015

Charlotte Photographer Whistles Dixie, Staff Meeting is Called

An all hands on deck staff meeting was called at WBTV in Charlotte after a Photographer was heard Whistling Dixie in the newsroom.

Management held meetings in the newsroom to address staff concerns about racial sensitivity.

The Charlotte Observer says that the Photographer was heard whistling in the newsroom the folk tune “Dixie,” whose origins date to the blackface minstrel shows of the 1850s before becoming an anthem for Southern forces in the Civil War.

Several African American staffers were in earshot.

Two meetings were held with staffers and WBTV general manager Nick Simonette and news director Dennis Milligan.

“We wanted the staff to know that we don’t tolerate things in the workplace that make people uncomfortable,” Milligan said. “We encourage people to come forward. I think it was handled in an appropriate way.” 

Milligan said the matter was a personnel issue and he could not comment further on whether any disciplinary action was taken. He did say that the incident was an “extremely unusual” one in the station’s newsroom.

Alexis Mitchell, president of the Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists, a chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, issued a statement calling the situation “unfortunate.” 

“I am grateful that our station’s management addressed the issue immediately,” said Mitchell, a news content specialist at WBTV who was in the newsroom when the incident occurred. She said the local chapter and the national organization would continue to monitor the station’s response.

“This is a learning lesson for all and we hope this will never occur again.”

Sinclair Swings the Ax in Champaign

Word is that Sinclair pink slipped a number of staffers both on and off air at WICD in Champaign. IL.

The company announced that starting in April,  WICD will begin airing "market-wide" newscasts originating from its sister station, WICS in Springfield.

Sinclair is also going to start up a one hour 9PM newscast on Fox affiliate WCCU in Champaign.

“This reallocation of news resources, from ABC to FOX, in Champaign, will allow us to create the best possible product in the increasingly important 9pm time period for our viewers in Champaign,” said General Manager Rick Lipps.  

So how does Sinclair spin the fact that they are kicking staffers at WICD to the curb?  "The reallocation of resources will require fewer staff members in Champaign and more news staffers in Springfield. The company plans to retain as many of its Champaign staff as possible."

By the way, WICS is the station where former Anchor Vince Dementri and a Reporter where let go after getting into a fight at a local Hooters. So, we're guessing the the staffers at WICD that aren't fired are really excited to be going to such a classy station like WICS.

Just saying.... 

Ummmm...You Might Not want to Wear That Again

Female TV News Anchors get close scrutiny when it comes to the clothe they were on air. It's not really fair, but it is the reality.

Sometimes, the criticism is well deserved.

Check out this green jacket worn by Network Ten Anchor Natarsha Belling. Check out the neck line and tell me it doesn't look like a .......ummmmmmm... well you know what it looks like.

Worst of all, once you see it, you can't un-see it.

Now imagine you are a viewers watching the newscast and all you see is this Anchor with a penis on her neck. 

As we said, sometimes the criticism is well deserved.

Awe....Sam Misses You

If you are a Verizon FIOS customer, The Weather Channel wants you to know that Sam Champion misses you.

Not enough that TWC will give up asking for more of your money from Verizon subscriber fees, but he still misses you.

Now, don't you feel loved?

Not Missing The Weather Channel....

While Sam Champion might be missing you, not everyone is missing Sam, or the rest of the gang at The Weather Channel.

Rob Lucus, who is a morning radio jock at one of the top stations in Buffalo, NY sent along this email and didn't seem to miss the Weather Channel one bit.

Here's his email that The Weather Channel really does not want you to read:

Hey Scott, I just noticed last night that Accu Weather was in the place of Weather Channel on Fios here in Tonawanda.  Watched the cast for about 20 minutes, and really liked it.

They had ACTUAL WEATHER reports, not storm stories, not trucking on ice, but actual weather!  it was fast paced, well delivered, and hit the correct cities for our area in the local weather section, Buffalo, Rochester Syracuse, and into the BIG North East metros of Boston, BYC, Philly, and Baltimore.  Seemed to be accurate as well.  

While I only watched and judged based on 20 minutes, it seemed like Accu Weather had their act together for what I needed.  And after being in media for 30+ years, I know 20 minutes is what what viewers and listeners will make a like/dislike decision on.  Take out the commercial, and sitcoms are only 22 mins!

And then today, I saw your blog report that it was a change due to a re-transmission rights dispute.  Had no idea.  I thought it was a bonus channel that was added.  But knowing now that it is based on a dispute, I need to say PLEASE FIOS...DON’T GIVE IN!  And if you do come to an agreement, put the two weather casts on channels next to each other...keep them on their toes!  See how well stories of storms 30 years ago play against REAL WEATHER...no matter how boring a Summer forecast can be!  (Except for Mike Seidel...worked with him in Ocean City, MD...his reports should always be front and center!)

Rob Lucas
Buffalo NY

Damn that's Cold

The Weather looked nice on the Left Coast this weekend, with one exception.

According to KABC it was minus 176 degrees in Ojai.

That's damn cold for March in Southern California.

Just saying.... 

Greta Floods Neighbor's Home

The water pipe broke at the home of Fox News host Greta Van Susteren and ended up flooding her neighbor's house last month.

The homeowner, Margaret Evans says she isn't mad at Van Susteren, but is pissed off at the city of Annapolis for not responding sooner. 

Evans says she called the city numerous times to get them to shut off the water when they eventually realized where it was coming from.

The problem, says City Attorney Michael Leahy, was that the city couldn't shut off the water without permission from Greta or her husband, both of whom were out of town at the time.

The city eventually got in contact with Van Susteren's property manager, but Evans says that was after five days of her calling.

"When people have a flood it's over," said Evans. "A pipe bursts. You turn off the water. We couldn't turn off the water."

Evans believes the city was negligent on not quickly identifying where the water came from and for not sending out a city engineer when she called.

"I bailed water for five days in our basement," said Evans. "I'm angry the city doesn't understand this is going to happen to somebody else."

WBFF spoke with Greta Van Susteren's husband by phone this afternoon. John Coale said he wished someone would have contacted him or Greta about the broken pipe, but they never immediately heard from anyone.

Coale said they are waiting to hear back from their insurance company before figuring out how to take care of the damage.

As FTVLive reported, Van Susteren has put the home up for sale. 

H/T WBFF

Viewers Continue to Tune Out TV

The February ratings show that viewers continue to find other options to watching TV. 

Commercial ratings cratered across broadcast and cable networks, marking the fifth straight month of double-digit declines for the industry.

“It’s clear the downward spiral in TV ratings continues with no end in sight,” media analyst Michael Nathanson wrote in a research note on Friday.

Overall prime-time broadcast network ratings were off 12 percent last month compared to a year ago, while cable networks dropped 11 percent, according to his report.

While a couple of networks that carried the Super Bowl and the Olympics last year clearly suffered because of tougher comparisons, almost every channel was hurting.

Looking at total-day C3 ratings, only three networks boosted their audience: HGTV, Discovery and TBS, while TNT, History and Nickelodeon fell the most.

Typically, TV ad sales executives can increase prices to compensate for a ratings decline, citing scarcity. But Nathanson said seismic changes are pressuring networks to hold the line on pricing.

Although some of the ratings declines can be blamed on changes to Nielsen’s measuring methods, among other changes, “we believe these terrible ratings trends are also indicative of changing viewership habits,” he wrote.

The numbers underscore the rapid changes in how TV viewers are consuming content.

Americans are increasingly watching TV shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming and other services. Some 40 percent of households now have subscription video service, Nielsen reported earlier this week.

FTVLive will be one of those dropping our cable service in April and relying more on streaming and over the air television. 

H/T NY Post

Traffic Anchor Crashes

Who says being a traffic anchor is easy? Ask WTTV in Indianapolis' Katie Solove. 

She crashes hard during the morning news. Thankfully, she's OK. She was a good sport about it. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

We're not sure how to interpret the station posting the video on their website, though. 

That's Going To Leave A Mark

Viewers of WGN's Morning News got quite an eyeful this morning. We haven't quite figured out the sequence of events, but at some point, WGN showed a woman with fireworks coming from her crotch.

As you can imagine, that sent social media into a frenzy. AM anchor Larry Potash posted an apology, but you know what happened next.....

We'll bet the video is even better.

Cord Cutters vs Cord Cheaters

Remember the stories your Dad told, about opening the outside cable box and unscrewing the filters so you could get HBO for free? Premium TV has come a long way but the desire to not pay for it hasn't changed.

A TV consumer behavior group did a survey that shows more than 20% of people watching streamed content, use someone else's credentials. That's a lot of revenue if a company relies solely on subscriptions.

The biggest loser? Netflix.

Click here to see the survey in The Denver Post.

First Tournament of the Year

Today is the start of the first golf tournament of the year for me in what I hope is one of my best seasons yet on the course.

I'm play in the Florida Azalea which is 54 holes starting with the first round Today.

Never fear, you will still have some updates, as the FTVLive Intern steps into the big chair and will guide you through the rest of the day. 

I'm looking forward to knocking the rust off my golf game and trying to start the year off right.

FORE! 

Pushing Out the Doctor at NBC

FTVLive told you yesterday that NBC News had parted ways with Dr. Nancy Snyderman and you can bet your bottom dollar she was pushed.

Although NBC and Snyderman are trying to make it look like it was the Doctor's idea, no one inside 30 Rock is believing it. 

Also, you just have to look at the statement from NBC, announcing Snyderman's leaving: “Throughout her career with NBC News, Dr. Nancy Snyderman has provided her expertise on countless health and medical topics that are vitally important to our audience. She’s been a valuable voice both on air and in our newsroom, and we wish her all the best.”

The statement comes from an NBC Spokesperson and not one NBC News executive is quoted about Snyderman and her time at NBC.

Snyderman was suspended from NBC after breaking a ebola quarantine and being spotted at a local restaurant. Snyderman refused to accept responsibility or offer a real heart felt apology for her actions.

In February, Snyderman went on the air for a report about peanut allergies and many thought she was drunk. 

NBC News bosses, Patricia Fili-Krushel and Deborah Turness seemed to turn a blind eye to the problems with Snydermann, while many others in the newsroom thought she should be gone.  

Now with new sheriff Andy Lack on board, the mess is slowly getting cleaned up and Snyderman is taking more time off to spend with Brian Williams.