What Happened to my Feet?
/WXYZ Weather Anchor Dave Rexroth lost both his legs during his weather forecast.
Let's go to the video:
Miami Sports Anchor Celebrates 25 Years
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WSVN Sports Anchor Steve Shapiro has been doing his gig for 25 years. office is like taking a quick tour of South Florida sports history. He's the longest-running sportscaster currently on the air in the Miami market.
At 61, Shapiro endures on South Florida TV as viewers have watched some of his contemporaries, including WTVJ-Ch. 6 sports anchor Joe Rose and WFOR-Ch. 4's Kim Bokamper, sign off last year.
When Shapiro arrived in South Florida, first as a sports anchor at the former WCIX and then WSVN, there wasn't a baseball or ice hockey team. The Heat was just beginning. And Shapiro's hair was brown.
To celebrate his TV anniversary, several sports celebrities sent Shapiro congratulatory video tributes, some poking fun at his longevity in the industry. Even longtime sports and news anchor Tony Segreto called him "a warrior" for his stamina.
"Wow, 25 years, that's pretty old, man. Good graces and you've got the grays to prove it,'' teased former Heat player Alonzo Mourning in his TV tribute to Shapiro.
The clips were shown on Shapiro's Sunday night "Sports Xtra" show. In all, Shapiro has hosted more than 900 episodes.
WSVN staffers also surprised the animated Boston native with a chocolate cake that came with a photo of Shapiro when he started in Miami in 1990.
"It was a football town and it's still a football town. I didn't know when I came here that it would turn into a four sports town,'' recalled Shapiro, whose office is lined with jerseys that each local team gave him. The shirts say his name and the #7 (for Channel 7, of course.)
How does Shapiro maintain his energy?
"I joke about this but there is some truth to it and I always say that I can do anything for three minutes,'' said the father of three grown daughters. "When that red light comes on, the viewer gets my best for those three minutes. I never mail it in and I'm proud of that…I have an expression, I don't want to fill the sack. Let's make some good television, let's make it memorable."
Shapiro said he'll sign off from WSVN in about five years at 66. By that time, he would have been on South Florida television for 30 years.
"It will just be time,'' said Shapiro. "It's a young good-looking business and I will be neither of those in five years…That's one of the advantages of being the old timer in the market or even in life, you say what you feel and hope that everybody appreciates it.''
H/T Sun Sentinel
Could Josh Elliot be Headed Back to ABC?
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It looks like Josh Elliott is not happy with his role at NBC and might be looking to move back to the mouse house.
Page Six says that Elliott left “GMA” in April 2014 for NBC Sports, saying the decision to leave was a “deeply personal” move.
He’s anchored horse racing and football, but had been expected to play a larger role on “Today,” with the hope he’d be an heir to Matt Lauer — which hasn’t materialized.
A source said, “There’s speculation Josh could go back to ABC because NBC doesn’t seem to be using him. He’s being paid $5 million a year to do basically nothing. He is represented by CAA, and agents not formally representing him but advocating on his behalf, have had exploratory conversations with ABC.”
Another added, “Josh burned a lot of bridges when he left ABC. Why would they take him back? But others at ABC believe he could help in the ratings war with ‘Today.’ ”
But Elliott’s contract still has at least two years: Unless NBC decides to release him, he cannot enter formal talks with ABC. A rep for Elliott said, “Josh is under contract with NBC Sports and the claim that either he or his agents have had any negotiations with NBC about leaving, or ABC about returning, is categorically untrue.”
An ABC News rep added, “This rumor-mongering is ridiculous. None of this is true. We have the best on-air team in the business. We’re all good.”
CNN Host Says he Was Sold Fake Autograph Picture
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CNN turned a fake ISIS flag into an "exclusive" report, but it is another fake that has one CNN host seeing red.
CNN's Michael Smerconish says that an art gallery sold him a phony photo of Winston Churchill with a bogus signature of the late British prime minister.
In a complaint filed four days ago Smerconish says he was regular customer of Walter Graham Arader III and his Arader Galleries business, between 1992 and 2004.
At the time, Smerconish was practicing law in Philadelphia, and he says he often purchased antique maps, prints and watercolors from the gallery. Smerconish describes himself as a Winston Churchill "aficionado." He owns an original watercolor painted by Churchill, and says he has also visited the former prime minister's home, war room and archive center.
According to the complaint, Smerconish paid $5,000 in 2000 for a photo of Churchill purportedly taken by Yousuf Karch, who specialized in portrait photos of world leaders, great thinkers and movie stars in the mid-20th century.
The photo came with a certificate of authenticity stating that Churchill signed the photo, "Yours Sincerely, Winston S. Churchill, 1942.
Earlier this year, Smerconish says, the autograph began to fade, so he sought help in getting it restored. A conservator told him that the print is not a photograph. He found out both the picture and the signature were fake and had been reproduced out of a book.
Smerconish has Arader Galleries for fraud and intentional misrepresentation, citing the certificate of authenticity's statement that the print was "the only one of this, the quintessential photograph of Churchill we have ever seen offered for sale in the United States."
He also sued for breach of contract and breach of warranty, asking for a total of $150,000.
H/T Courthouse News
Cincy Station Hands out Bulletproof Vests to the Staff
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Today, Prosecutors charged University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing in the killing of Sam DuBose, a black man, during a traffic stop two weeks ago.
Prosecutors released video from Tensing’s body camera that shows him shooting DuBose in the head.
Cincinnati news crews seem to be preparing for some unrest.
Crews at WLWT were issued bulletproof vests.
Reporters want to know if it comes in something besides dark gray.
Philly Anchor's Husband Indicted in Racketeering case
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WCAU Anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah's husband has been indicted on racketeering charges.
The Anchor's husband, longtime Philadelphia congressman Chaka Fattah was indicted today in a case stemming from the alleged misappropriation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal, charitable and campaign funds after his failed 2007 run for mayor.
Fattah and four associates were charged with bribery; conspiracy to commit wire, honest services, bank and mail fraud; money laundering and other charges.
Prosecutors said the charges covered several schemes, including the use of federal grants and charitable contributions to Fattah's educational foundation to pay back part of a $1 million loan from a wealthy campaign supporter and arranging a federal grant in lieu of a $130,000 payment to a political consultant.
"The public does not expect their elected officials to misuse campaign funds, misappropriate government funds, accept bribes or commit bank fraud," U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger said. "These type of criminal acts betray the public trust and undermine faith in government."
WCAU briefly mentions the relationship between the two in the story posted on their website.
H/T WPVI
Worldnow Being Sold for $45 Million
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Worldnow, the company that helps build, design and run very bloated station websites is being sold.
The CMS and digital tech provider owned by Gary Gannaway and Raycom Media is being purchased by publicly traded Frankly, a San Francisco-based provider of messaging technology. After the deal closes, Raycom will have a 20% interest in the combined company.
Based in San Francisco since its inception two years ago, Frankly also owns the direct-to-consumer messaging app Frankly Chat for iOS and Android devices. It was launched in September 2013.
After the deal closes, Raycom will have a 20% interest in the combined company. Joe Fiveash, VP of digital media, strategy and business development at Raycom, will join the Frankly board.
H/T TVNewsCheck
Bumped Up in Cleveland
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A couple of part timers have been bumped up to full time at WOIO in Cleveland.
Here is the internal memo from News Director Fred D'Ambrosi and obtained by FTVLive:
It’s with pleasure that I announce two recent changes to the 19 News Family.
Denise Zarrella (pictured) will now be full-time. After working part-time for a number of
years, it was time for Denise to jump back into the swing of things … along
with continuing to anchor our Sunday morning show, Denise will be reporting
on a full-time basis.
And…
Laura DeMaria is officially our Full-Time “Traffic Anchor/Reporter”. This allows Laura
to be more involved in our morning and noon shows and offer more content aside
from her great traffic reports.
Please join me in congratulating both Denise and Laura.
Mother Nature Tries to Defend Tom Brady
/When Boston station's headed to Foxboro to report on Tom Brady's deflated balls and the NFL Commissioner upholding his 4 game suspension, fans were not happy and either was Mother Nature.
Watch WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong trying to tell the story while getting almost blown over.
Bounced Atlanta Anchor to Land Across the Street
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Back in March, FTVLive told you that WGCL had parted ways with main Anchor Stephany Fisher.
Fisher was replaced by Sharon Reed (FTVLive also reported this news first).
Now we hear that Fisher is about to resurface across the street at WAGA. Fisher is currently sitting out a non-compete.
We also hear, that after 2 years, WGCL Reporter Annalee Penny is also out the door. Word is that she will resurface at a South Florida station.
Rumor has it that WGCL will also be parting ways with Meteorologist Jim Loznicka soon as well.
The revolving door continues at the station.
Stay tuned....
Another One Out the Door in St. Louis
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KMOV in St. Louis has a number of on air job openings.
And now the station can add one more to the list.
Julian Johnson, a reporter/sometimes anchor at KMOV, is leaving the station and headed to WGCL in Atlanta according to KMOV GM Mike Murphy.
Last week, 40-year veteran Robin Smith, 16-year vet Craig Cheatham and rising reporter Brittany Noble-Jones all announced they were leaving the station. Anchor Sharon Reed got the departure ball rolling in May, when she left KMOV to become a main anchor at the CBS affiliate in Atlanta.
Murphy said departures are "part of the business," noting that Smith is retiring; Cheatham is moving into management as an assistant news director in Minneapolis; and Noble-Jones is taking an anchor position in Jackson, Miss.
"These are opportunities" for those leaving, Murphy said. "They're all leaving with blessings."
Murphy noted that Johnson is going to join Reed in Atlanta, where former KMOV general manager Mark Pimentel is now in charge.
"Mark was close to his newsroom people," Murphy said, also noting that Atlanta is a bigger market than St. Louis.
Murphy, like Danielski, said the moves were not part of any budget cutbacks. In fact, Murphy said, KMOV will add a 4 p.m. newscast in September.
"It'll be a full newscast" of news, sports and weather, he said. "We'll probably just go with one (as yet undetermined) anchor on that."
Also in September, the morning news with Andre Hepkinsand Emily Rau will start at 4 a.m. instead of 4:30, Murphy said.
Not So Good Day
/Cara Delevingne was doing a satellite tour to pimp her movie 'Paper Towns'.
One of the interviews was with KMAX's "Good Day Sacramento" and it was more than a bit awkward.
It seems the Anchors did not get the actresses sarcastic humor.
It didn't get off to a good start when the Anchor introduced her as "Carla," instead of Cara.
It didn't get much better after that.
Let's go to the video:
Earthquake Hits During Anchorage station's Newscast
/KTUU (Anchorage) was in a commercial break when an earthquake could be felt in the studio.
Let's go to the video:
Look Behind You!
/WCHS (Charleston, WV) Anchors Stefano DiPietrantonio and Whitney Wetzel had no clue that a spider was crawling on the tower cam in the monitor behind them.
Moving from Sports to News
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NBC affiliates and sister MaineTV stations WCSH 6 in Portland and WLBZ 2 in Bangor are making changes to their sports staffs.
Jessica Gagne, the weekend Sports Anchor at WLBZ will move over to anchoring news at WCHS and Johnny Mehler will take over her sports gig next month.
Gagne will be the early morning weekend news anchor at WCSH and will be a reporter the rest of the week.
Mehler will handle weekend sports at WCSH while sports director Lee Goldberg will continue to anchor during the week.
Gagne said WCSH 6/WLBZ 2 news director Mike Redding asked her to fill in as the morning weekend news anchor for Jackie Ward, who moved to California, and it led to her being offered the job permanently.
She said she will miss sports but will still get to develop sports stories.
“This will be another tool for my toolbox. This will be another thing to have on my resume and allow me the opportunity to grow as a news person,” said the 28-year-old Biddeford native.
“I talked to Lee about it extensively because I had worked so hard to get into sports and I didn’t want this to close a door,” said Gagne, a Northeastern University graduate. “Lee has been a wonderful mentor and told me this wasn’t closing a door, it was a new adventure and will open up doors for me.”
“Jessica is a rock star and this shows her diversity,” said Goldberg. “I’m going to miss her but this is a good opportunity for her.”
