Sucking Up to Martha Sugalski

The Orlando Sentinel TV Critic Hal Boedeker writes yet another piece on Anchor Martha Sugalski. 

Sugalski is the longtime WESH Anchor that defected to WFTV. She had to sit out a year non-compete and finally hits the air tonight on WFTV.

The Orlando Sentinel and Boedeker have appeared to give more coverage to an Anchor that has been off air, then to the ones that are on air. 

In his latest story, Boedeker writes about how viewers either love or hate Martha Sugalski.

Boedeker writes, "A reader blasted our coverage: "I would really like to know the back story behind all the coverage the Sentinel has bestowed on Martha Sugalski. Her maternity leave and new job have been followed closer than a Kardashian. Is she in tight with someone at the Sentinel? Does she have an expert publicist? Why is the Sentinel obsessed with making her a celebrity?"

Boedeker the writes, "Sugalski needs no publicist; she is an expert publicist, as she demonstrates every day in social media.

I wrote an assigned story about her year off the air to help launch Orlando Signature magazine. I wrote another story about her social media skills earlier this month to explain why WFTV would want her.

If she ever decides to leave TV news, she could give seminars on personal branding."

The TV Critic sure seems to gush about the Anchor.

Here is Boedeker in the black shirt, sitting on the step holding the baby next to Sugalski. 

When one of her kids is bouncing on "Uncle Hal's" lap and posing for pictures, it appears that the journalism line was been crossed and wiped out. 

Yes, Martha Sugalski has done a good job growing her brand, but it doesn't hurt, when you have the local TV Critic in the palm of your hand.

Just saying.... 

Note: An earlier version of this story said that Boedecker was at Sugalski's kids birthday party. Her agent said that he was not there. We have corrected the story. 

OK...Something Doesn't Seem Right Here

There is a website for women's beauty tips and it features a story on Fox News Anchor Megyn Kelley.

But, as you start to read the story, something just doesn't seem right.

First off, the site is designed to look like it is part of People magazine. But when you start seeing Kelly's answer to questions, the red flags start going up. 

Read this exchange:

What about family life?

The stress took a toll and eventually started affecting my career and family life. After all the years of living a beautiful life together, I overheard my husband, Doug, say to one his friends… "She's starting to look older than her age… I am thinking about leaving her to be with Nancy… she's amazing… and so much younger looking..." I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I began to ask myself… "how could this be?". "He was no spring chicken himself at 49 years old!" At first I cried, my heart was broken. "How could the man I loved be so shallow?" A couple of days later all of that sadness turned to anger and what I did next changed my life…"

So what did she do? Well according to the site, Kelly says that, "like a gift from above, I was watching the Ellen Show and Diane Keaton revealed Dr. Oz's skin care secret. Dr. Oz had worked with several celebrities over the years and found a series of ingredients that when applied to the face were just as powerful as Botox and had none of the associated risks. I knew this was what I had to do and immediately ordered it…the results after 1 week of use were absolutely shocking…

OK there is no way that Megyn Kelly is saying this crap. Right?

I have a feeling that the Fox News lawyers will be on the phone first thing this morning.

Just saying.... 

H/T Johnny Dollar

Jamaica Me Crazy

Ummmmm....Can someone tell CBS that they moved the entire population of Puerto Rico to Jamaica?

Thanks.

That's Not Up Chuck

Can someone show Chuck Todd how to hold his camera phone?

Anyone?

Testing Facebook live feed with Angie Goff

Posted by Chuck Todd on Sunday, August 23, 2015

Tweaking the Today Show Set?

It appears that NBC might be tweaking the Today Show set. 

This past weekend, the Weekend Today Show did not broadcast from the usual studio 1A. The cast and crew were located upstairs.

Brittany Haviland a Today Show Producer confirmed on Twitter that some changes are being made:

Stay tuned....

We Take It Back

FTVLive has shown you a number of News Anchors attempting to dance and we long ago came to the conclusion that TV News Anchors just can't dance.

Well, we have to eat our words a bit here.

Check out this video from WMC (Memphis) and pay attention to Kendall Kirkham in the purple dress.

The lady has some moves now. 

WMC Action News 5's morning team 'hits the quan'

Because...Friday!#HitTheQuanChallengeLet's hear it for Janeen Gordon, Kym Clark, Jerica Phillips, Kendall Kirkham, and Meteorologist Brittney Bryant!

Posted by WMC Action News 5 on Friday, August 21, 2015

LA Reporter Leaves for El Paso Anchor Job

It's a big drop in markets, but a bump up in gigs.

KABC Reporter Robert Holguin is leaving Los Angeles to become prime-time anchor at KFOX in his hometown of El Paso.

Holguin has been at KABC since 2006.

“My time in Los Angeles was exciting, unforgettable and incredibly rewarding,” Robert tells Media Moves. “I had a chance to work alongside extremely talented journalists in one of the most competitive markets in the country. But after careful consideration, I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return home and assume a leadership role at what I consider to be the best local news outfit in the Borderland.”

He starts at the El Paso station next month.  

Out the Door in Erie

Word is that longtime WICU (Erie,PA) Sports Director Jay Puskar has been told his services are no longer needed.

Puskar has been at the station over a dozen years and sources say that he was told his contract would not be renewed. 

His bio has already gone missing from the station's website. 

Puskar isthe 4th on air Anchor to be let go from the Lilly operation in the past 15 months.

Last one out, get the lights. 

Charlotte Anchor Headed to Bean Town

WSOC Anchor Blair Miller is packing his bags for Bean Town.

Miller, who has been the main Anchor at WSOC for the past 5 years, is headed to WFTX Fox Boston as the Weekend Anchor. 

Miller joined WSOC and moved to the main Anchor gig in 2010. 

“I’ve had interest in moving on to a bigger city and this worked out,” he said. “It’s also a hard decision because Charlotte and Channel 9 have been so good to me.”

“We are glad to have Blair expand his role in our company and provide strong investigative reports to the viewers in the Boston area,” Joe Pomilla, WSOC’s general manager, said in a statement.

His last day at WSOC will be Sept. 4.

H/T Charlotte Observer

Warrant Issued for Norfolk Reporter

Former Norfolk mayoral candidate Michael Muhammad, whose driver was shot in the head Aug. 10, said he has filed a criminal complaint against WTKR Reporter Margaret Kavanagh alleging harassing phone calls.

A warrant for Kavanagh appeared on a city list of outstanding warrants Thursday.

In a news conference Thursday, Muhammad said Kavanagh harassed him and his family.

WTKR News Director Tina Luque said the station supports Kavanagh.

"Margaret Kavanagh is a very competent journalist," Luque wrote in an email. "Sometimes, journalists have to ask tough questions. WTKR supports Margaret and her pursuit of the story."

Police have been searching for Kevon Danarus Whitehurst, 22, and Isaiah Walter Wilson, 50, both wanted on warrants for malicious wounding. Neither has been arrested. Police have said the men are armed and dangerous.

The driver remains in a hospital.

Kavanagh interviewed Whitehurst on Tuesday. He told WTKR that he shot in self-defense.

At the news conference, Muhammad also criticized police for not finding the two men.

"We have no confidence in the Police Department, and we have no confidence in the media, so we will protect ourselves," Muhammad said.

He declined to say what means he would use to protect his family.

In the WTKR interview, Whitehurst admitted he had fired at Muhammad's car. He said Muhammad and another man in the car had guns.

"He rolled down his window and started shooting, and then you speak about gun violence, but you're out here shooting pistols. That doesn't make no sense," Whitehurst told WTKR.

When asked to address the allegation that someone in his car the day of the shooting had a gun, Muhammad told reporters, "You go address that with the Norfolk Police.... The Norfolk Police have not identified me as a suspect nor have they identified anyone in my vehicle as a suspect in any crime."

H/T The Virginian-Pilot

"Let's Get the Fuck Out Of Here" Anchor is Running for Office

Politics is Easy, Comedy is Hard....

Back in December 2013, FTVLive was the FIRST to tell you that KSN (Wichita) Anchor Justin Kraemer was fired for dropping the F-Bomb on air. 

Kraemer worked as a weekend Anchor for KSN from 2008 through 2013. He lost his job when an open microphone caught him saying to his colleagues “Let’s get the fuck out of here” at the end of a Saturday night newscast.

After he was sacked, Kraemer sent up a fundraising site to earn money so he could go to California and try his hand at comedy.

Now, he's back in Kansas and running for office. The former Anchor, turned Comedian, is now a politician running House District 98, which covers parts of south Wichita and Haysville. 

“It’s been a long year and half since that whole incident happened and it’s given me a lot of time for personal reflection and trying to figure out the best way to move forward from here as far as what I want to do next,” he said.

Kraemer, who is running as a Democrat, said his main issue is tax fairness.

Kraemer said that because of the notoriety of cursing on air – an incident many found similar to a scene in the Will Ferrell movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” – some people might look at him as a protest vote. He’s OK with that. He said that unlike most novice politicians, he won’t have trouble with name recognition.

“I’m not proud of it, but it happened and whatever name recognition I built up from it I hope to be able to use that for something good,” Kraemer said.

Kraemer has struggled to find full-time work since he was fired, which he said has given him perspective on what many Wichitans are going through after layoffs in aviation and other industries.

“I know firsthand it is extremely difficult to find meaningful work in Kansas. Albeit my situation is a little bit different from most, but I still understand the anguish and pain of going through these ads and looking for a job to support your family,” he said.

H/T Wichita Eagle

Hmmmmm? What Cable Network is That?

CNN, which has completely lost their mind with Donald Trump coverage had another interview with the Presidential candidate this week.

And in case you didn't know, you watched it on CNN:

H/T Newscast Studio

Longtime Chicago Weatherman is Dead

Back on July 27th, FTVLive told you that longtime Chicago Weatherman Harry Volkman has been hospitalized and was seriously ill.

Sadly, Volkman passed away yesterday. 

His career spanned more than 50 years at four Chicago stations.

Volkman was a popular, trusted and respected weather forecaster who brought wisdom, warmth and wit to the science of meteorology.

He also made history: In 1952 he was the first weatherman to issue a “tornado alert” during a live broadcast, prompting a change of government policy and saving many lives.

Volkman, who was 89, died Thursday surrounded by family at Oakton Pavillion nursing home in Des Plaines, according to his son, Eddie Volkman, the Chicago radio personality.

“It was a peaceful passing,” Eddie Volkman said. “Over the last several weeks, he said he was tired, he was ready, and he understood that he had lived longer than any of his older brothers, who all died before they were 80. He was very spiritual about it."

H/T Robert Feder

Media Stocks on a Big Slide

Things are about to get real tough for media companies.

Yesterday, media stocks got killed as more doubts about the TV industry’s ad-supported business model surfaced.

Todd Juenger, an analyst at Bernstein Research, downgraded prominent media stocks Thursday, including Walt Disney and Time Warner, after concluding that TV advertising is undeniably in decline and affiliate fees from pay-TV providers are increasingly at risk.

“The market is now valuing U.S. ad-supported TV businesses as structurally impaired assets. We believe this is fair and warranted,” he wrote. “We have come to believe the affiliate fee revenue stream deserves a higher risk premium than it did before.”

With viewers flocking to online streaming options and skipping ads on their DVRs, the decline of cable or satellite TV customers is widely expected to accelerate, which would lower affiliate fees and advertising rates. And media stocks have been struggling since a flurry of recent industry earnings, most of them released in the last 30 days, underscored the concern.

Viacom fell 6.3% Thursday to end at $40.42. Disney, which lowered its cable network’s profit outlook in early August, was down 6% to $100.02.

Keep your head down gang, look for pink slips to start flying. 

H/T USA Today

Second Job in San Diego

The days of toiling away in several small and mid markets before moving on are over.

Kids are landing their second TV jobs in markets like Chicago, Miami and Phoenix.

Renee Nelson came to KTVZ in Bend, OR has an intern a few years ago. She worked her way up to Anchor and is now moving on to her second job in TV news in San Diego.

Nelson signs off Today and then is headed to KGTV in SoCal. 

"I've enjoyed being a part of this community and NewsChannel 21." She expressed gratitude to her colleagues who "supported me and cheered me on."

KTVZ General Manager Bob Singer wished Renee a fond farewell in a message to staff and acknowledged her "superb efforts," including her involvement with "21 Cares for Kids partner Healthy Beginnings and "her passion of helping us maintain the high standards of our news organization."

He noted that Renee arrived at the station as an intern four years ago and, as a new mom with two young boys at home, with husband Troy "made the necessary sacrifices and rearranged their lives in order for Renee to fulfill her dream. Well, as you know, she made it. Now she’s making the big leap from Bend, Oregon to San Diego in three short years."

"On behalf of the station, we wish her all the luck in the world and we thank her for her hard work and dedication over the last three years," he wrote. "We’re very proud of Renee."

Burgh Reporter Heads to Houston

WTAE (Pittsburgh) Reporter Courtney Fischer has signed off and has popped up again in Houston. 

Fischer has been hired by KTRK as a Reporter. She got the job after following her husband to Texas. 

"My husband has a big career opportunity in Houston, Texas, so we are heading south," Fischer wrote. "For years he's supported me in this crazy news business. Now it's my turn to support him," she said on Facebook. 

For some reason, her bio is still listed on the WTAE website.