Weeters 2173 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 On 3/7/2026 at 6:19 AM, NowBergen said: It is typical Sinclair cheapness. Not just that they are an ABC affiliate, but, a DC station with so much going on because of those in power in DC. Another example of how the two big trump positive station groups don't really support investment in real news. Sinclair (or anyone else for that matter) isn't going to cancel a show unless it's not turning a profit. It's not "cheap" to not want to flush money down the toilet on a broadcast that barely anybody is watching. Weekend morning newscasts aren't big draws, which is why the latest round of Nexstar cuts targeted them, too. Nexstar is trying to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic, while Sinclair is being realistic. I suspect we're going to see this trend continue through the year, and probably come to a peak at the very end. Everyone will try to make it through election season before, I strongly suspect, weekend morning newscasts become increasingly rare. 1
MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 Long time Las Vegas meteorologist Sherry Swensk did not renew her contract with KLAS. Her last day will be April 16.
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Another Atlanta legend is giving up the weather clicker... WAGA's David Chandley. After 42 years in the business with 25 years at WSB and the last 11 at WAGA, he's retiring. His final day is late April. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fox5atlanta.com/news/david-chandley-retiring-chief-meteorologist-fox-atlanta.amp 3
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 14 Posted March 14 She will be missed, that's for dang sure. However, after 11 years at WESH 2 and two decades in journalism, Summer Knowles is leaving the station and the business. April 17th is her last day at WESH 2. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2131579010928516&__cft__[0]=AZaPUvNU4Hk-k3aqaA2mddW6QGDbEbpPQAca8TRJVVSTxrBO2gZTRtHu9If4BaURJkvAKJwfo-v5Wf5Gom2tnLQn0_EmWj5WmC2WbTKAcMN4AbDReph4kMQmEKUTzLfbn_rWQXiDYiz0iuZGjh5dZfZ5f3CAHHlH2I7IPHcUkI9cZdbU-l62dBdUyxF6fDMSx79kI2NSAKgwjJyq5r1DZXYj&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R 1
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 14 Posted March 14 On 2/17/2026 at 6:32 PM, TheRolyPoly said: Please send your best wishes over to WJXT's Bruce Hamilton. He has announced that he's fighting cancer and will be in and out of the station from time to time. He celebrates 25 years with WJXT this month. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/02/17/news4jax-anchor-bruce-hamilton-cancer-diagnosis/88721654007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z111701p001750c001750v111701&gca-ft=46&gca-ds=sophi I have to send more of my best wishes to another Jax legend. This time, WTLV/WJXX's Jeannie Blaylock has announced that she, too, has cancer. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/03/12/first-coast-news-anchor-jeannie-blaylock-reveals-breast-cancer-diagnosis/89122992007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z111801p001850c001850v111801&gca-ft=83&gca-ds=sophi&fbclid=IwY2xjawQhwWVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExQ2xxV3I0d085MkRvUkJMc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgdujd6OD2O-MDNEeTbTVu1r-wwDFr6Z48mQlpPlTof6IyGwLACkZb_zTQTY_aem_zi85VQlgz4exb7jDP5NwVA&link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=69b376bc4b3c2a0001d57e5a&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook 1
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 14 Posted March 14 34 years in television was more than enough for Erie News NOW's John Stehlin. At the end of the month, he's retiring from television. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1348161193786161&id=100057768801924
Georgie56 3661 Posted March 16 Posted March 16 (edited) Marty Bass is retiring from WJZ effective May 31st. Edited March 16 by Georgie56
Recovering Producer 410 Posted March 16 Posted March 16 10 minutes ago, Georgie56 said: Marty Bass is retiring from WJZ effective May 31st. Will he be joining his toupee in South Florida? (That was sent there after Marty Bass found himself under... interesting circumstances.) 3
nathannah 2792 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 Sinclair looks to be cutting at KGAN, with a Friday date to renew or leave.
GraphicsMan 345 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 On 3/13/2026 at 4:51 AM, Weeters said: weekend morning newscasts become increasingly rare. Only on affiliates not the network-owned stations. A little off topic but network-owned stations are really the ones that are gonna survive all these changes in local tv. Luckily I live in a market with an O&O 3 if you count the Spanish-language stations. btw a personal friend of mine who’s a met a KVUE in Austin was affected because of this soon to be failed (hopefully) merger. On 3/10/2026 at 4:50 PM, Recovering Producer said: The last time ABC purchased a TV station was in 1995 and the Flint/Toledo deal closed before Disney's purchase of ABC was finalized. Disney has always been a reluctant broadcast TV owner in the 21st century. Kermit the Frog will replace Mickey Mouse as Disney's main character before ABC/Disney owns another U.S. broadcast license. Flint and Toledo was a gun to the head for ABC they just wanted to retain there Detroit and Cleveland affiliations. ABC didn’t want them.
l_miro 245 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 2 hours ago, GraphicsMan said: Only on affiliates not the network-owned stations. A little off topic but network-owned stations are really the ones that are gonna survive all these changes in local tv. Luckily I live in a market with an O&O 3 if you count the Spanish-language stations. Around 2008 , early 2009 NBC considered selling their entire o&o group. Certainly wanted to offload Wtvj to wplg/Graham, I was part of an effort to block that, and the other non top ten station they have. WTVJ were left to survive on their own until about 2011-2012, NBC hollowed them out while Hoping someone will step up with an offer. Ed Ansin toured the Wtvj building in Miramar but Graham made an offer first and he declined to go in a bidding war, then the Fcc blocked the sale. Retrans is the biggest reason networks aren't unloading o&o, and sports, thanks to the Fcc rules forcing cable/satellite to negotiate "in good faith" (and UHF auction). Why you see broadcasters want that rule applied to YouTube and all streamers so bad
NowBergen 924 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 5 hours ago, l_miro said: Around 2008 , early 2009 NBC considered selling their entire o&o group. Certainly wanted to offload Wtvj to wplg/Graham, I was part of an effort to block that, and the other non top ten station they have. WTVJ were left to survive on their own until about 2011-2012, NBC hollowed them out while Hoping someone will step up with an offer. Ed Ansin toured the Wtvj building in Miramar but Graham made an offer first and he declined to go in a bidding war, then the Fcc blocked the sale. Retrans is the biggest reason networks aren't unloading o&o, and sports, thanks to the Fcc rules forcing cable/satellite to negotiate "in good faith" (and UHF auction). Why you see broadcasters want that rule applied to YouTube and all streamers so bad That was during the GE cost cutting era. Under Comcast, NBC has invested in many of their O&Os and there has been no talk of selling actual stations publicly. What Comcast and NBCU has done is sell sports networks and NECN that seemed to become a second thought that was outside their focus. They have also grown their Telemundo O&O presence. My DMA is (except for one station - still considered a flagship though owned by a sidecar) is all network O&OS and as mentioned probably safer from many of the changes facing local TV and affiliates. 2
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 The current longest-running anchor team in DFW and one of the longest in the entire country... Steve Eager and Heather Hays. 25 years together, and still counting, at KDFW. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1483715459782045&id=100044308155592 2
GraphicsMan 345 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 11 hours ago, l_miro said: Around 2008 , early 2009 NBC considered selling their entire o&o group. Certainly wanted to offload Wtvj to wplg/Graham, I was part of an effort to block that, and the other non top ten station they have. WTVJ were left to survive on their own until about 2011-2012, NBC hollowed them out while Hoping someone will step up with an offer. Ed Ansin toured the Wtvj building in Miramar but Graham made an offer first and he declined to go in a bidding war, then the Fcc blocked the sale. Retrans is the biggest reason networks aren't unloading o&o, and sports, thanks to the Fcc rules forcing cable/satellite to negotiate "in good faith" (and UHF auction). Why you see broadcasters want that rule applied to YouTube and all streamers so bad Yeah what was going to WTVJ was scary I’m glad they survived and they were a major market with a doupoly and for them to be put on the auction block must’ve scared the hell out of employees at the time. Plus WSCV being all alone in the Miramar building had that gone through people were protecting that station. 11 hours ago, l_miro said: Retrans is the biggest reason networks aren't unloading o&o That also why they won’t buy anymore stations either especially ABC.
JRyan 694 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 Longtime Knoxville meteorologist Matt Hinkin has died. He was 62. He retired from WATE in 2021. https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/retired-storm-team-6-chief-meteorologist-matt-hinkin-dies-at-62/
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 17 Posted March 17 Staci Spanos is returning to her longest-serving home: WJXT, The One and Only Channel 4, on April 13th. This time, she'll do evenings plus be a part of their I-Team. https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/staci-spanos-returns-to-wjxt-jacksonville-as-evening-anchor-investigative-reporter/
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 18 Posted March 18 You will no longer see Jay Gray on NBC O&O's and affiliates moving forward. He's leaving the broadcaster after 32 years there. https://www.instagram.com/p/DVytCgUESYA/?igsh=MWF1ejhmaTI2dTU2ZA==
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 18 Posted March 18 Paul Poteet is leaving WKRC-TV Cincinnati after today's 12 Noon broadcast after a 8-year stint there. He wants weekends free, as he's doing more than just the weather... print, radio, several mini companies, he does it all. https://www.wvxu.org/media/2026-03-17/paul-poteet-wkrc-tv-retiring
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 18 Posted March 18 That didn't last long, but I'm also glad he's back. Jon Keller is back at WBZ-TV to do his Keller at Large commentaries and interview program. A 21-year run that continues but was briefly interrupted by his October 2025 layoff. This time, he's back as their Special Contributor. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/16/business/jon-keller-back-wbz-news/
MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158 Posted March 19 Posted March 19 Beloved former WESH meteorologist Kellianne Klass is reappearing at TEGNA's Corpus Christi station KIII. She relocated to Texas since her husband is in the military (assuming he's stationed nearby)
Georgie56 3661 Posted March 20 Posted March 20 WXYZ sports director Brad Galli is leaving the station.
MediaZone4K 2661 Posted March 21 Posted March 21 (edited) On 3/14/2026 at 12:24 AM, TheRolyPoly said: I have to send more of my best wishes to another Jax legend. This time, WTLV/WJXX's Jeannie Blaylock has announced that she, too, has cancer. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/03/12/first-coast-news-anchor-jeannie-blaylock-reveals-breast-cancer-diagnosis/89122992007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z111801p001850c001850v111801&gca-ft=83&gca-ds=sophi&fbclid=IwY2xjawQhwWVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExQ2xxV3I0d085MkRvUkJMc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgdujd6OD2O-MDNEeTbTVu1r-wwDFr6Z48mQlpPlTof6IyGwLACkZb_zTQTY_aem_zi85VQlgz4exb7jDP5NwVA&link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=69b376bc4b3c2a0001d57e5a&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook Wishing her the best!!! https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/staci-spanos-returns-to-wjxt-jacksonville-as-evening-anchor-investigative-reporter/ Also in Jacksonville....Staci Spanos is returning to WJXT after eight years, to become their FIFTH evening anchor! What's partially visible in the Jeannie video is that WTLV/WJXX also has about 4 to 5 evening anchors. Both duopolies alternate evening anchor lineups on the half hour. First Coast & News 4 Jax must have money. By comparison the competition WJAX/WFOX Action News Jax follows current trends. The same two anchors do just about all of their evening shows. On 3/17/2026 at 6:07 AM, NowBergen said: That was during the GE cost cutting era. Under Comcast, NBC has invested in many of their O&Os and there has been no talk of selling actual stations publicly. What Comcast and NBCU has done is sell sports networks and NECN that seemed to become a second thought that was outside their focus. They have also grown their Telemundo O&O presence. My DMA is (except for one station - still considered a flagship though owned by a sidecar) is all network O&OS and as mentioned probably safer from many of the changes facing local TV and affiliates. Yes! I was just thinking about this the other day. I remember even WNBC was in bad shape around this time. They dropped Live at Five for a generic 5 o'clock newscast, and information tips show News 4 You at 5:30. They eventually dropped one of their 5 o'clock shows in favor of Extra then a lifestyle show. They abandoned studio 6B in favor of a dull content center studio. It really turned around by 2012. Edited April 28 by MediaZone4K 2
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 21 Posted March 21 Sara Sanchez is NOT waiting for the possible repercussions of the Nexstar/TEGNA merger. She's leaving WTIC on April 19th before more changes can be implemented. For the record, Nexstar will soon have WTNH/WTIC/WCCT but is selling WCTX. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1385537246714168&id=100057737184805 2
MediaZone4K 2661 Posted March 22 Posted March 22 (edited) On 3/21/2026 at 3:35 PM, TheRolyPoly said: Sara Sanchez is NOT waiting for the possible repercussions of the Nexstar/TEGNA merger. She's leaving WTIC on April 19th before more changes can be implemented. For the record, Nexstar will soon have WTNH/WTIC/WCCT but is selling WCTX. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1385537246714168&id=100057737184805 I know she said she's not doing it because of her family but that's got to be exhausting... constantly moving to be upwardly mobile in your career. It's a real benefit is when a local tv journalist has family in a big market. They can stay at the station long-term with decent pain and exposure. The hard part is, they'll likely have to work for years to reach that big home market. At least advancement times between markets are a lot shorter now. Edited March 29 by MediaZone4K
TheRolyPoly 3510 Posted March 24 Posted March 24 For the first time ever, a local broadcast station has debuted ESPN 8: The Ocho on a digital subchannel. The honor... WKCF Clermont/Orlando on DT 18.3, moving Estrella TV to another subchannel announced later. That 20% stake in ESPN is finally coming in handy for Hearst (though not the first time... WCVB's SportsCenter 5). What a unique idea! https://tvnewscheck.com/programming/article/wkcf-orlando-launches-espn8-the-ocho/ 2
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