Wait a Minute?
/Did the writers of Married with Children know something that we didn't know?
Married With Children, Roy Jones, and Bo Jackson predict the future....
Posted by Ishe Smith on Sunday, April 26, 2015
Atlanta Station Hires New Weather Anchor
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WXIA announced that they have hired Samantha Mohr as the station's newest meteorologist.
Mohr comes to the WXIA from across the street at The Weather Channel.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to bring Samantha's meteorological expertise to the 11Alive Storm Trackers," said News Director, Jennifer Rigby. "She shares the team's passion for forecasting and tracking severe weather. We know how important weather is to our audience and Samantha's knowledge and experience with severe weather makes our excellent, dedicated team even stronger."
Mohr was previously a part of the weather team at WXIA from 2011-2012, where she gained experience as a storm chaser during severe weather. She has also held meteorologist positions at CNNi/Headline News in Atlanta, Georgia; KPIX-TV in San Francisco, California; KTVK-TV in Phoenix, Arizona; and KRIV-TV in Houston, Texas.
Shuffling Off to Buffalo
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Patrick Hammer, the popular meteorologist at KSTP (Minneapolis) was bounced in November 2013.
He did some fill in work across the street at KARE and was hoping to stay in Minnesota. But, in the world of TV news you don't always get what you want.
He will still get to have snow.
Hammer is headed to WGRZ in Buffalo.
Hammer tweeted the news on Thursday morning. “Totally fired up. My wife and family wanted to be buried in blue sky. So Buffalo it is. Not goodbye just a new hello.”
Longtime Waterloo Anchor Leaving the Business
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You can give longtime KWWL Anchor Bob Waters the hook...he's leaving TV news.
Waters, the station's weekend evening anchor the past 10 years, is going to into PR (Shocking, I know) with the Amperage Marketing in Cedar Falls.
“Bob notified us well in advance of his contract expiration that he was ready for a change and, in particular, a position with normal hours,” KWWL station manager Jim McKernan said. “He did an outstanding job for the station and was well liked and respected by his colleagues and the station’s viewers. Our parting was very amicable and we wish him the best in his new position.”
Waters was fifth in seniority among the KWWL on-air staff, behind anchor Ron Steele, sports director Rick Coleman and meteorologists Mark Schnackenberg and Eileen Loan.
McKernan also confirmed KWWL reporter Michael Crowe has left the station after two years to join television station WBIR in Knoxville, Tenn.
A search for Waters’ replacement is underway.
OKC Reporter Headed to SoCal
/KWTV Reporter Heather Hope is headed back to the Golden State.
Hope announced on Facebook that she is leaving Oklahoma City for San Diego. She's going to work at KFMB on the left coast.
Hope came to KWTV from Bakersfield in 2013.
Ummmm....
/Here is a screen shot from KHSB (KC) last night. Don't looked for a misspelled chyron, that's not the problem.
Check out the bridge in the middle of the screen.
Oops! Looks like someone missed the big penis.
Class Picture
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The WABC morning news team stopped by the Good Morning America set to snap a picture with the GMA team.
WABC then posted the photo to social media.
No word if George Stephanopoulos asked any of the WABC folks for donations.
Pink Slips Fly in Sin City
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FTVLive FIRST told you that layoffs were going down at Nexstar owned KLAS in Las Vegas yesterday.
Word is that somewhere between 16 and 20 people including News Director Ron Comings (pictured) were sent packing.
We also hear that the Chief Photographer and 3 other shooters got the ax.
Nexstar purchased the station from family owned Landmark Communications and took over back in February. Insiders say that Nexstar's shareholder driven strategy has been a morale killer almost since day one.
"It's not about covering news, it's all about the stock price," said one staffer to FTVLive.
One source tells FTVLive that more cuts are coming to the Sin City station.
Fuzzy Math?
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WSOC (Charlotte) Research Director Robert Wendt made a very bold claim on social media.
Wendt claimed that during the month of May, WSOC 44,632,500 Comments on their Facebook page. He also claimed they got 224,790,500 Likes 60,820,500 Shares.
In May, WSOC posted 490 stories to Facebook, which means the station had to average 457,000 "likes" per post to reach the numbers that Wendt was claiming.
Yesterday, FTVLive wrote a story about how screwed up ESPN is in giving their ESPY Courage Award to Caitlyn Jenner and not Lauren Hill. That story got about 500 Likes on Facebook.
Clearly we are doing something wrong, or Robert Wendt is really bad a math.
The Twitterverse chimed in on WSOC's claim:
Wendt ran away from the social media chatter and turned his Twitter account to private.
After getting 300 billion comments from his 435 followers that is.
Someone was Just Shot.....Smile!
/WPBF Reporter Terri Parker was all smiles heading to the shooting scene.
Wait?! What?
Out the Door in Houston
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KRIV Reporter Kristine Galvan says she is taking a break from TV News and might not come back.
In a Facebook post, Galvan says she is taking some "me time" and talks about how now having to one man band could keep her out of TV news for good.
Here is her post on Facebook:
My contract with Fox 26 expires tomorrow. I'll be away from Houston TV news for at least six months, if I return at all.
It's bittersweet.
I've had an amazing ten years with KRIV and have met some pretty remarkable people along the way, but it's time for some 'me' time.
As some of y'all know, I had a right knee scope in January to fix a badly torn meniscus, medial ligament tear and lateral ligament tear.
'On the job' recovery was difficult- especially during cold snaps and the Houston rodeo.
Last week, I had my left knee scoped to repair the left meniscus, as well as tears to the left knee medial and lateral ligaments.
I have no idea how I've been able to wear heels all this time, but for the next few months I'm going to shelf the heels in favor of running/ cross training shoes and work on strengthening my knees and legs.
I'll be 37 years old later this month. I can't imagine the complications I could face twenty years from now if I don't focus on correcting the problem now.
I've always loved my job. I love reporting. I love writing, but the news industry is changing.
Reporters and photographers have always traditionally worked in teams, but reporters are now being asked (and in some cases required) to work alone. No photographers. No editors. Total DIY.
I don't know if I'll return to TV news, but I do know returning won't be an option if I fail to strengthen my knees. There's no way I'll have the mobility, flexibility or strength needed to carry or use the necessary equipment.
So there you have it.
It's definitely not the only reason for my departure, but it is the biggest.
I need some 'me' time.
And since it is 'me' time (and my first summer off in 15 years) I'm hoping my latest incisions will heal quickly. I'd love to get a little beach time in without worrying about scarring. Cross your fingers for me 😉.
Big thank you's to all of my Fox 26 colleagues, past and present, but huge gratitude to those who make or break field reporters:
Ray Williams, Joe Lanford, Torrey Walker, Matt Matejka, Eckhart Von Ellenrieder, David Nevarez, David Lanier, Raymond Ramirez, Todd Smith, Gil Gredinger, Harry Hulsey, John Starling, Alan Barlow, Darlene Faires, Stu Brown, Rodney Pearson, (anyone I may have forgotten who is currently on staff as a Fox 26 photographer) as well as those of you I've worked with in the past.
Thank y'all. For everything.
Besos,
-K
Longtime Austin Reporter is Leaving the TV News Business
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Shelton Green, one of the city’s longest-tenured and most recognizable TV news reporters, will leave KVUE this week after 27 years in the news business – 19 of them on the air right here in Austin.
Austin 360 writes that, Green, who joined the station in December 1995, is set to become a mortgage loan officer for Colonial National Mortgage, a Fort Worth-based company with offices in several states.
“I’ve done my research and they have a great reputation,” Green said.
His final day at KVUE is tomorrow.
It’s a pretty big change, but Green said he’s ready.
“There have been so many conversations, so many brains picked, so many prayers and so many tears,” he said. “This is about me taking a risk. I needed to learn something else. I’m excited. I feel giddy about it.”
Green’s new job will keep him here in Austin – something he says was very important. While many other TV reporters come and go after a few years, bound for bigger markets, Green opted long ago to stay put in Central Texas.
“Austin produces a lot of great media talent,” he said. “I love this city. I loved it before I even moved here. It’s the only place I’ve ever wanted to be.”
NY News Director is Out
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José Morales has resigned as VP of News for WNJU Telemundo 47 in New York.
His last official day at the station is Tomorrow.
Marisol Seda, WNJU’s Assistant News Director and Ozzie Martinez, VP of News and Standards for the Telemundo Station Group, will lead the news team while the station conducts a search for a new VP of News.
Morales joined WJNU in October of 2009, after spending a year as Director of Digital Content for Telemundo Local Media. He was previously Director of News Operations for the NBC Television Stations Division. Before that, he was Director of News Operations for the Telemundo Television stations.
H/T Media Moves
Pushed Out in Charlotte
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Longtime WCNC Anchor Dave Wagner has been told that his contract is not being renewed and that his services are no longer needed.
Wagner has been the franchise anchor at WCNC since 2008.
His departure comes as Gannett is making changes to build audience for its Charlotte newscasts, which have long run a distant third to market leaders WSOC and WBTV.
The May book was the nail in the coffin for for Wagner.
In the May ratings sweeps, WCNC’s 6 p.m. newscast attracted only 15 percent of local news viewers in the time slot; WSOC’s No. 1 newscast commanded 50 percent.
WCNC began advertising on industry job sites for a new anchor last month, saying it would consider candidates with as little as three years anchoring or reporting experience.
New Anchor Hire in the Springs
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KMIR (Palm Springs) has announced that they have hired Audra Streetman as the new co-anchor and producer of their morning newscast.
Streetman started her career in news as a reporter with WFFT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she produced and anchor the 10 p.m. show.
David Reese, KMIR News Director says, “Audra’s enthusiasm and passion for news is infectious. She’s a perfect fit with Dan (Ball) and Soumada (Smith).” Reese adds, “Viewers in the valley are going to enjoy starting their day with the expanded KMIR News Team.”
She starts on KMIR News morning newscasts beginning June 29th.
