MD TV

Entertainment reporter Bobby Rivers dead at 70: https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/bobby-rivers-dead-movie-critic-tv-personality-1235851583/ He worked for various NYC stations and VH1 among other places.

Axios is reporting that Paramount is in talks to be merged with WBD: https://www.axios.com/2023/12/20/warner-bros-paramount-merger-discovery-streaming?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=social

WRC chopper photographer Brad Freitas died a few days ago at 42: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/remembering-friend-and-colleague-chopper4s-brad-freitas/3495164/

Veteran WJLA investigative reporter Horace Homes passed away at 66: https://wjla.com/news/local/horace-holmes-wjla-7news-on-your-side-remembers-anchor-i-team-reporter-journalist-investigations-dc-virginia-maryland-baltimore-news-channel-8-wmar-death-passed-obituary-local-news-dmv-washington

Yeah, they had one around then. I think Inside Edition aired between the newscasts.

The CW will air the Barstool Arizona Bowl: https://deadline.com/2023/11/the-cw-college-football-barstool-sports-arizona-bowl-dave-portnoy-1235644378/amp/

WKYC meteorologist Hollie Strano was arrested for a DUI last week: https://www.clevescene.com/news/wkycs-hollie-strano-off-air-following-thanksgiving-eve-dui-arrest-crash-43206523

And Dr. Frank Field July 1st.

Here's her exit interview: In other DC news, WRC's Eun Yang has been off tv due to an Achilles tendon injury while playing pickelball: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz9U9IBLAhZ/

WMAR is a perennial bottom-feeder and Scripps seems to be making cuts here and there. Not to mention WMAR's standing is so bad that they don't even bother with any Saturday newscasts. On the flip side, I've never heard of any mass budget cuts/layoffs with the ABC O&Os throughout it's history.

In the new tv deal announced today for the NWSL, ION gets the rights to 2 weekly Saturday night games, plus the draft: https://scripps.com/press-releases/nwsl-announces-landmark-media-partnerships-with-cbs-sports-espn-prime-video-and-scripps-sports/

They’re going to host the next Republican primary presidential debate: https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-election/newsnation-hosting-gop-presidential-primary-debate/ It will be simulcast on the CW in the Eastern and Central time zones and Megyn Kelly is among the moderators.

Update: Kathy Sabine is back in Danielle’s timeslots.

Bill Ritter is anchoring this morning with Chantee Lans. That's even more unlikely than working a weekend night, imo.

Here’s an interview with Dagmar. Sounds like she really needed to leave tv: https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2023/10/08/marketink-tv-weathercaster-dagmar-midcap-survives-cult-boyfriends-suicide-now-unemployment/

Yeah, hearing the backlash to her first couple of weeks it seems like the problem wasn’t merely Chuck.

Up to 40 have been laid off across News 12: https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/altice-lays-off-up-to-40-at-news-12/

WDVM was finally added to YouTube TV a few months after they said it was coming. Wondering if other missing Nexstar stations were just added.

WLNY (at least the Long Island feed) was allowed to air Oprah at 7PM during her run. They somehow got the rights to air quite the number of high-profile syndicated series before CBS bought them (ie, Jeopardy and Wheel aired at 6pm, and I think before the sale they were airing at 5pm). One relic from that era that still exists is that they air an hour of Judge Judy at 10pm.

I swear it's a Hearst thing. WBAL and KCRA also don't air Hoda and Jenna, and those are two market-leading stations.

The Nexstar-Directv dispute is completely over: https://deadline.com/2023/09/directv-nexstar-restore-stations-nfl-football-carriage-deal-1235548791/amp/

On the same WNBC Live at Five newscast, a Sue Simmons 20th anniversary tribute and a farewell to Al Roker, who stopped doing local forecasts on that same day (January 7, 2000):

Nexstar stations are temporarily back on DirecTV while they hammer out a final deal: https://deadline.com/2023/09/directv-nexstar-restore-stations-nfl-football-carriage-deal-1235548791/

I mean I laughed when they decided that Maryland-Charlotte would be on NBC (and I’m a Maryland resident).