MSNBC Sees Ratings Growth in March

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They still have a long way to go and a number of changes are still going to be made, but MSNBC did get some good ratings news in March.

A number of MSNBC’s core programs saw ratings increases in March 2015, with MSNBC’s M-F Primetime beating CNN in total viewers for the month, and “Morning Joe” beating CNN’s “New Day” in total viewers. 

“Hardball”, “All In with Chris Hayes”, “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” all came in second in total viewers for the month and MSNBC’s primetime (8-11pm et) was up in the A25-54 for the month.   

“Morning Joe” beat CNN’s “New Day” in total viewers for the month 338,000 vs. 324,000.  “Morning Joe” also continues to beat CNN with influencers, beating them in the demo in New York, Washington and Boston – where America’s leaders start their day. (Source: NSI, March 2015 A2554)

“MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts”, which debuted in March, is showing early ratings growth with both the demo and total viewers.  It is up 22 percent with the demo from the same time block in February and up 7 percent in total viewers.

Spring Movers

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3 Kings Entertainment has clients on the move for Spring.  Here is the agency's  following job placements: 

KEITH RUSSELL becomes the lead sports anchor and Sports Director at CBS O&O KTVT in Dallas from  freelance sports anchor at WTXF in Philadelphia. Previously, Keith worked at ESPN, WPVI, WRC & HLN.

DESMOND PURNELL signs a new contract with NFL Network and continues as a Dallas based reporter.

DIANE PATHIEU is promoted to full-time Reporter at ABC O&O WLS in Chicago from part-time reporter.

VIC FAUST moves back to his hometown of St. Louis and joins KTVI Fox Channel 2 as the lead anchor of the station’s 5pm and 9pm newscasts from morning anchor/reporter at WXYZ-TV in Detroit.

SETH LEMON joins KTVI Fox Channel 2 in St. Louis as a Reporter/Anchor from WVIT in Hartford, CT.

SHYANN MALONE joins WPLG in Miami as Weekend Evening Anchor from reporter at WTSP in Tampa.

DREW MICHAELS becomes Chief Meteorologist at WDJT in Milwaukee from KHBS in Fort Smith, AR.

STEFAN CHASE moves to WNCN in Raleigh as the Morning and 11am Anchor from WGCL in Atlanta.

BEN BECKER joins WJAX/WFOX in Jacksonville as Anchor/Reporter from WPEC in West Palm Beach.

ASHLEY BAYLOR becomes a Meteorologist at WAVY in Norfolk from WWLP in Springfield, Mass.

WILL KUNKEL joins KWCH in Wichita as the lead sports anchor from WNWO in Toledo, Ohio. 

Keith, Desmond, Diane, Vic, Seth, Shyann, Drew, Stefan, Ben, Ashley and Will are all represented by 

Matthew Kingsley - President & CEO of 3 Kings Entertainment, LLC. P: (713) 248-1210  Email: matthew@3kingsentertainment.net  W: http://www.3kingsentertainment.net

New Daily Show Host Already Catching Heat for Tweets

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It appears that the honeymoon is already over for newly named Daily Show host Trevor Noah.

Comedy Central named Noah as Jon Stewart's replacement and the biggest reaction was, "Who?"

The South African only made three appearances on the Daily Show before being bumped up to the main gig. the network announced that Noah would be the host of The Daily Show when Stewart steps down.

You have to wonder if Comedy Central checked out some of Noah's past tweets on Twitter before making their decision?

Noah seems to not respect Jewish people or women very much:

It does seem interesting that Comedy Central is replacing the jewish Jon Stewart with a guy that really does appear to have a problem with Jews. 

We'll wait and see how or if the network responds.

Stay tuned....

Houston Station Expands Midday News to 1 1/2 Hours

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Let's be honest, for most stations the Noon newscast is the bastard stepchild of the news department. 

No matter what the bosses say, no one really cares about the Noon show and there is no doubt it gets the least attention. Just ask anyone that produces a Noon newscast and you'll see.

But, one Houston station is going into new territory at the midday.

KPRC already was running a hour long newscast at 11:00AM and now they have tacked on another half hour starting at Noon.

An hour and a half of news in the middle of the day is almost unheard of from an affiliate.

Of course, with a very profitable 2016 election season, KPRC just opened up a number of prime avails for those politicians that are looking to buy time during newscasts.  

Which begs the question, how much longer before other stations start following KPRC's lead?

Stay tuned... 

"Fuck It" Reporter: I Have Done Everything Right

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When cops raided the house of former KTVA Reporter Charlo Greene, she said they went too far. Greene took to YouTube with a video saying she stared down the barrel of a cop's gun and is now planning lawsuits and possibly a run for Mayor.

"I have done everything right," Greene says on the video. She refers to herself as a freedom fighter and she wants you to join her army. 

She also drops another, "fuck it" at the end of the video.

You can watch it here:  

If you'd like to show your support, head to gofundme.com/charlogreene2015

Philly Sports Guy to Resurface in Dallas

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Keith Russell, who most recently worked at Philly’s WXTF, is joining KTVT in Dallas starting Today. 

Russell is not scheduled to debut on-air till next week. Russell, who fills the slot vacated by Babe Laufenberg, who left in January after 17 years with the station.

 Russell has also worked for WPVI in Philadelphia, as well as stations in Hattiesburg and Jackson, Miss., and Providence, R.I.

Russell spent 7 years at WPVI, but was only at WXTF since September of last year.  He also has some ESPN and CNN in his background, as well as a news-anchoring gig at WRC in Washington., D.C. 

H/T Robert Philpot

Signing Off in San Antonio

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KABB Anchor Monica Taylor is leaving the station and TV news altogether. 

After 7 years anchoring the station's morning newscast, Taylor says he has accepted the position of Director of Brand and Image with CPS Energy.

Jessica Headley, who has co-anchored with Ernie Zuniga in a fill-in role in the past, will take over Monica’s duties on the morning newscast as the station begins a national search for a new morning co-anchor.

“Monica has done a great job for us since the inception of FOX News First and I wish her the best in her new role with CPS Energy. I’m sure she’ll be a hit for them as well,” said KABB/KMYS General Manager Dean Radla.

“I am confident that Jessica Headley will step in and make this transition seamless for our viewers, as she has on so many occasions, regularly substituting for Monica on FNF. Jessica is an outstanding broadcaster that has handled all her assignments with our stations with professionalism and I am confident that she will do so again,” added Radla.

NY Anchor Takes Leave of Absence

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WABC Anchor Diana Williams signed off from the station for a leave.

Williams husband is undergoing a bone marrow transplant and she wants to be by his side every step of the way.

She posted this message to sicial media about her leaving the station for a while: 

For those who have been following me via social media my husband will begin a bone marrow, now referred to as a stem cell transplant, starting today. And I will be at his side as he gets a new birthday. I bid farewell to the best team you could ask for on Friday as I take a leave of absence from work. I don't know how long I will be gone but I couldn't do this without the support of my amazing co workers. God bless them and all of you.

Like We Said again....Philly GM Headed to New York

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FTVLive tipped you off on March 16th that this was going to happen and Today it was made official. 

NBC announced that WCAU GM Eric Lerner will replace Michael Jack as GM of WNBC in New York. 

“Eric Lerner has done a great job revitalizing WCAU and making it a strong and very competitive station in a difficult market,” said Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations.. “With his vision and leadership, I know Eric will continue to build on the momentum generated by Michael Jack and his team and take WNBC to the next level.”

Lerner came to WCAU from KIRO in Seattle 2 years ago. Also, don't be surprised if WCAU News Director Anzio Williams isn't be far behind in moving to the Big Apple.

CBS Sports Reporter Whines about Aaron Rodgers at NCAA Game

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Wisconsin beat Arizona to move onto the Final 4 of the NCAA basketball tournament. Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sitting court side supporting the Wisconsin Badgers.

After the Badgers won, Rodgers and girlfriend Olivia Munn went on the court for post game celebration. 

CBS Sports' Reporter Dennis Dodd wanted to interview Rodgers and the QB said "no." So Dodd went on a Twitter rant about why Rodgers was allowed on the court in the first place?

It wasn't long before it was a one person whine party at the post game:

Rodgers grew tired of Dodd's whine a cheese (get it...Wisconsin?) party and sent off some Tweets of his own: 

Hate to side with the million dollar athlete on this one....but Dodd's Twitter bitching is way out of line in this case. 

Just saying.... 

Like We Said....

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The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Rodney Ho writes, "A reliable source told me Saturday night that CBS46’s longest running (WGCL) anchor Stephany Fisher is out.

Of course, Rodney could have logged onto FTVLive 7 days ago and read, "Rumors flying inside WGCL is that (Sharon) Reed could be replacing main Anchor Stephany Fisher. Fisher Anchors the 4,5,6 and 11PM newscasts and has been with the station since 2003.

Fisher changed her Twitter handle overnight from @fishercbs46 to @stephanylfisher, which has 1,864 followers. Her Twitter description: “Evening news anchor at CBS46. Being wife to my college sweetheart, mother to our teenage daughter and spoiler of 2 dogs is my life.”

Fisher was also absent from the newscasts on Friday.

Stay tuned and remember where you read it first (by over a week). 

TV News Pays the Bills

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Many are surprised to learn that the number one station in Jacksonville. FL is not a NBC,ABC, CBS or Fox affiliate.

WJXT lost it's CBS affiliation back in 2002 when it refused to give into the demands of CBS. Many thought the station would soon die and become a vast wasteland for awful syndicated shows and infomercials.

But WJXT doubled down on news and it has paid off. 13 years after losing their affiliation, WJXT is still number one when it comes to news. And when it comes to news  nothing pays the bills better than local TV news.

“Local news relative to the business of WJXT is critical,” General Manager Bob Ellis said. “It’s the single largest revenue driver on our television station.”

“The news shows are the cash cows. OK?” agreed former local news anchor Marcia Ladendorff, now a communications professor at the University of North Florida. “The news operation is also the image of the rest of the station.”

WJXT uses its independence to offer more than nine hours of local news per day, far more than its competitors, though WTLV and WJAX offer dozens of hours per week.

And when it comes to political ad dollars, WJXT has more time to sell.

None of the three news stations would divulge its revenue, but public information about what the stations charge for political ads tell why the competition for each ratings point is so intense.

As the Jacksonville mayoral campaigns heated up in late January and early February, WJXT charged Mayor Alvin Brown’s campaign $925 for one 30-second ad during the 6.p.m. newscast. WJXT led the 6 p.m. ratings at 8.1 (based on 2014 data), which is 52,650 households. Though WTLV rating was 6.7, the Brown campaign paid only $500 for a 30-second spot there. Challenger Lenny Curry paid $450 for his 30-second ad on WJAX, which had a 4.6 rating for that period in 2014.

Rates change at different times of day, but the higher ratings rule then, too. WJAX charged only $125 for a 30-second ad during news programming between 6 and 9 a.m. WJXT charged $375 per 30 seconds from 7-9 a.m.

That advantage multiplies rapidly: There are about 15 to 20 advertising availabilities for every half hour of news programming. WJXT 9.5 hours of news per day is more than its competitors.

So, if you're wondering why TV stations are expanding news as the 2016 election starts to heat up, you have to look no further than Jacksonville for your answer.

Bottom line, TV news pays the bills and makes stations rich. So go in and demand that the boss give you a raise.

Believe me, they can afford it. 

H/T Florida Times Union

Chicago Anchor Responds to "Giant Boobs" Comment

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On Friday, FTVLive told you about the Chicago Radio guys  that made comments about Comcast Sports Anchor Aiyana Cristal.

WSCR-AM midday co-host Matt Spiegel sent out a thought on Twitter about the sometimes stiff on-air performance of CSN Chicago sports anchor/reporter Aiyana Cristal.

Spiegel wrote: "Aiyana Cristal makes me uncomfortable. I feel how hard she's trying, & end up awkwardly rooting for her to finish cleanly."

Spiegel's WSCR-am co-host Dan Bernstein quickly responded to that tweet by Spiegel, saying: "I have no rooting interest in her work, but enjoy her giant boobs."

Both apologized for their comments and now Cristal is speaking about it publicly. In a statement, she never uses the radio guys names, but she didn't mince words about how she feels about their comments:

"Thank you to everyone for the kind words and supporting me in regards to the recent cyberbullying attack.

This incident serves as a gross reminder that women continue to fight everyday to be treated equally. My female colleagues share my frustration in knowing the sports industry presents us with challenges of equality in an arena that is often filled with misogyny.

We seek the same footing, but when ignorant comments are shared it shifts the business in the wrong direction.

Sexual harassment is never acceptable and as journalists we are all responsible for setting a better example when utilizing a platform that reaches the masses. We should all be held accountable for our actions.

In the immortal words of Maya Angelou, 'You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.'"