TheRob

This is also awkward. Television station owners don't have much sense of timing this week.

http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wtkr-news-director-fired-as-staff-prepared-to-celebrate-her-birthday/156586

Hearst/Weather Channel partnership

http://www.wcvb.com/tv/contact/wcvb-weather-channel-team-up-for-local-content-ad-partnership/35398320

Hearst is launching a new Sunday morning show.

http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/hearst-to-launch-sunday-morning-interview-show/155472

These family broadcasters really like Gray.

 

That $100 million valuation is quite high. If the station weren't in Iowa, would it fetch quite that much of a premium?

I doubt it. It's a good move for the local owners, taking their chips off the table close to the Iowa Caucuses, getting the maximum price for a station in a 90-level market.

Gray Television acquires KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids.

http://gray.tv/index.php?page=press-releases&releaseid=2084226

Gray is acquiring KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids.

http://gray.tv/index.php?page=press-releases&releaseid=2084226

Former KCTV anchor Karen Fuller has landed in Cedar Rapids to anchor evenings at KGAN.

WGN-TV is adding a 10:00 p.m. newscast this October. I don't think WGN has run news in that time slot since the 1980s.

WAGA-TV will expand its late news by 30 minutes, going all the way to midnight.

http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2015/08/03/fox-5-expanding-news-to-midnight/

One of my co-workers, Katie Ferrell, is going to Columbus to be weekday morning anchor at WCMH.

Today marks one year of The Now in Kansas City.

I don't know if this still counts as the Gannett/Tegna thread, but the company had a morning show strategy meeting in Texas this month to try to "re-invent" the morning shows at Tegna stations, I've heard, focusing on KHOU, WFAA and KVUE first. I imagine we'll see whatever they came up with in a few months.

This is not unique to Scripps, but they want to do more with less. The problem is one can only do less with less. The List, Right This Minute, etc., is nothing more than America's Funniest Home Videos packaged as news. It looks cheap. It is cheap. It carries over to some of the real news product too. People are still buying the ad space, though.

The Salt Lake City Tribune wrote about recent demographic numbers. KSTU and KUTV rank well in the key demo. KTVX has the best lead-in ratings, but the worst newscast ratings.

http://www.sltrib.com/home/2656192-155/utahs-kstu-kutv-battle-it-out

I wonder how quickly the station knew about it. They didn't cover the actual crash, and made no mention of it in the 6:00 news. The weekday team anchored at 10:00 and dedicated the whole a-block to Barry. They had an obituary pkg and a string of soundbites from various writers, sportscasters, coaches and the mayor.

Friday night's aircheck is still in the KFOR queue. He didn't even technically say goodbye for the night. The last thing he did was toss to a golf package, and the show ended on that story.

This is how he started his sportscast Friday.

Is a "real-time desk" just a fresh name for an assignment desk, with the people working on it earning less money?

http://www.ftvlive.com/todays-news/2015/6/8/phoenix-station-ditches-their-assignment-desk

KSHB anchor Jadiann Thompson is leaving to be the weekend anchor at WHDH in Boston.

 

Here is the new open for The NOW Detroit:

 

The mustard-yellow wall in the background of the shot is a nice touch.

KCTV will soon announce Ellen McNamara as its new female anchor, replacing Karen Fuller. McNamara comes to KC from KSTP-TV.

KMBC/Kansas City is moving morning anchor Kris Ketz back to evenings, making him the lead anchor. Len Jennings will do sports (can't imagine this is his decision). Matt Flener will take over as primary morning anchor.

Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote about the ownership changes in the market.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/news-landscape-las-vegas-undergoing-historic-shift

Official KSHB announcement on Mike Marusarz

http://www.kshb.com/about-us/kshb-tv-names-mike-marusarz-evening-anchor

 

WFOR morning anchor Rhiannon Ally & her husband WSVN afternoon/evening anchor Mike Marza leaving Miami and heading back home to Kansas City:

 

http://www.gossipextra.com/2015/03/11/wsvn-mike-marza-wfor-rihannon-ally-leaving-4571/

 

http://www.ftvlive.com/todays-news/2015/3/12/leaving-soflo

 

 

I think KSHB has found their new lead anchor. Calling it now.

 

It is the only primary male anchor opening in town right now.

Back to the layoffs...

At our station, the Assistant News Director is in charge of the investigative pieces. We just have one reporter and a part-time producer for investigations, so it's not a priority any way you slice it. But I can see the logic behind laying off a special projects manager and giving the responsibility to another manager. I think at KSHB, they moved their special projects manager to their open nightside E.P. position.

KSNW reporter arrested

http://ksn.com/2015/03/03/ksn-reporter-arrested/