IN MEDIA WE (DON’T) TRUST MUCH
Americans trust in their news sources remains near a record low
Category: For the Record
THE VIEWERS SAY THEY WANT TOUGHER QUESTIONS
RTDNA publishes a study on local news election coverage and trust
THE BOSS HIRES HERSELF AS CO-ANCHOR
She’s been a familiar face to Lexington, KY viewers
BRITAIN’S HIGHEST-PAID ANCHOR AT THE CENTER OF SEX PHOTO SCANDAL
Huw Edwards has been a BBC presenter (anchor) for 29 years
HERE WE GO AGAIN
Another first-time FCC nominee goes before a Senate panel
FIRST THE BOOK LAUNCH, NOW THE LAWSUIT
Dumped Cincinnati anchor celebrates being published and plots her payback
FORMER SOUTH DAKOTA REPORTER PLEADS GUILTY IN PRANK PHONE CALL CASE
His misdemeanor plea means it will not be on his record
TODAY IS HER HOMECOMING DAY
Elizabeth Klinge debuts in Waterloo
MSNBC HIRES WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS VET
April Ryan will a contributor
AND NOW THEY ARE CALLED “MULTI-PLATFORM REPORTERS”
ABC News spirits away two local reporters to serve on the coasts
CNN NAMES A NEW CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
She’ll continue filling in on the anchor desk
GROUND-BREAKING HARTFORD REPORTER MAKES ELITE LIST
She first broke new ground in US tv news back in 2019
A COVID OUTBREAK HITS BAY AREA NEWSROOM
Those Christmas parties might be hazardous to your health
DROPPED ANCHOR SELF-REFLECTS
Former KTVU vet Frank Somerville puts himself on the analyst’s couch
ALL HE EVER WANTED WAS TO BE A GOOD STORYTELLER
The curtain has fallen on a 40-year career in tv news
THE BBC THINKS THERE’S A VOID IN US MEDIA
And this exec thinks they’re just the one to fill it.
EAU CLAIRE FORECASTER ANNOUNCES LYMPHOMA DIAGNOSIS
Keith Edwards starts chemo this month.
CNBC ANCHOR APOLOGIZES FOR NOT DOING BASIC JOURNALISM
Which is more than we can say for certain other cable newsers
A NEW MORNING FACE IS WAKING UP AUSTIN
It's a return to his home state
ICONIC WACO FORECASTER IN A CANCER BATTLE
“Think about all the blessings you have - the blessings far outweigh the struggles.”
CINCY ANCHOR EXPLAINS EXTENDED ABSENCE
A serious medical issue sidelines her.
CNN ANCHOR EXPECTED TO RETURN AFTER SUDDEN LEAVE OF ABSENCE
His return date is TBA.
MIA METEOROLOGIST EXPLAINS HIS ABSENCE
Mark Rowlett, chief meteorologist for Sinclair’s KTXS in Abilene, TX for the past 13 years has been MIA of late. So much so that viewers began to ask questions. And Rowlett answered them. http://
NEW NEWS/CONTENT LEADERSHIP COMES TO INDY
Management changes at Tegna’s (someday Standard Media’s) WTHR in Indianapolis, IN moves up station veteran Scott Hums to director of content and brings in Nicole Block, currently the assistant ND at KDKA in Pittsburgh, ...
A NEW FACE IN TULSA
Three years after joining Tegna (Standard Media yadayadayada) station KWES in Midland, TX, anchor Tatum Guinn has taken her talents to locally owned KOTV in Tulsa OK. And just to make her debut interesting, ...
HANDING THE REINS OVER IN BATON ROUGE
Big changes are coming to a family owned station in Louisiana. General Manager Rocky Daboval (left) is retiring at Baton Rouge’s WBRZ after 44 years at this Manship-owned station, the last 18 years as ...
A MADISON MYSTERY
His LinkedIn page says he’s “open to work.” But now-former WKOW evening anchor George Smith is NOT open to talking about the circumstances that led to his abrupt and unannounced departure from Allen Media’s ...
CONSUMER INVESTIGATORS NAMED IN CONNECTICUT
NBC’s WVIT in Hartford-New Haven, CT. has rolled out its new consumer watchdog team of Caitlin Burchill and Steve Pancione. http:// Burchill returned to New England three and a half years ago after a ...
UNIVISION NEW YORK STATION NAMES NEWS EXEC
WXTV, the Univision affiliate in New York, has named Fernando Cardenas its new executive producer of Multimedia Content. As such, Cardenas will work weekdays, picking and choosing material from the AM and midday newscasts ...
EL PASO GETS A NEW SPORTS GUY
He’s been on the payroll since May, but James King just debuted on camera this week as the new sports director for Sinclair’s KFOX in El Paso, TX. http:// It’s official, I’m a Texan! ...
ONE FAMILIAR FACE WILL REPLACE ANOTHER IN BUFFALO
When anchor Ashley Rowe hits the exit at Scripps’ WKBW on June 10, she will be replaced three days later by someone Buffalo viewers have been watching off and on for awhile. Lia Lando ...
KTVU GETS AROUND TO OFFICIALLY REPLACING FRANK SOMERVILLE
After 17 years at Fox-owned KTVU in Oakland, CA, Mike Mibach is officially the replacement for the departed Frank Somerville on the station’s late newscast. The official announcement came in a station’s Zoom meeting. ...
AND A TIP OF THE HAT TO THIS GUY….
It is not often we get to acknowledge someone who appears to have spent their lifetime in news – especially a lifetime in news spent at one station!! Dave “Buzz” Baker started his tv ...
TELEMUNDO SHUFFLES NATIONAL ANCHOR ASSIGNMENTS
Telemundo has finally gotten around to finishing the personnel juggling begun last fall when Julio Vaqueiro was named principal anchor and reassigned to the 6:30 pm ET/5:30 CT edition of “Noticias Telemundo.” He was ...
A “STANDING O” TO ONE VERY BRAVE PERSON
KAKE 9 pm anchor Katie Taube shared some powerful personal news with her Wichita, KS viewers about a huge change in her life that probably saved and prolonged it in the process. http:// A ...
AUSTIN REPORTER’S UNSETTLING FIRST LIVE SHOT
Well, no matter the topic, his first live shot will always be a memorable one. Blake DeVine, newly arrived to the Lone Star state from KEYT in Santa Barbara, CA, was about to do ...
ANOTHER GROUP OWNER SETS UP A TV TRAINING PROGRAM
Following the news that Sinclair’s Reporter Workshop is returning, we learn that Gray Television is planning a similar venture, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale, for now. The Gray Media Training Center, with a ...
BYRON ALLEN TURNS TO SPORTS OWNERSHIP
Now that it is increasingly apparent that Tegna has slipped through his grasp and into the embrace of Standard General, Byron Allen is turning his attention toward acquiring an interest in professional sports. Specifically, ...
A BRIEF RUN AT POLITICS AND A FORMER NEWS ANCHOR IS OUT
His hat is out of the ring. Gary Metivier left the anchor desk at Gray’s KWQC in the Quad Cities back in 2018, saying he wants to give more time to his passions of ...
A NEW TRAFFIC SHERIFF (BUT A FAMILIAR FACE) IN HOTLANTA
It’s been official for a day. Mike Shields has taken the traffic center reins at Cox flagship WSB in Atlanta. Shields, who joined WSB back in 2018, takes over for Heather Catlin, who is ...
ABC NEWS TAPS A NEW EP FOR “THIS WEEK”
Dax Tejera had has an interesting run leading ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” for the last nearly two years. And now he has been rewarded by being named executive producer of the ...
J-LO HIRED TO DO WEATHER….WAIT, WHAT??!?!
Yes…that’s right…Apollo Cox-owned WSB in Atlanta has hired Jennifer Lopez to do the weather. No…not THAT Jennifer Lopez. THIS Jennifer Lopez is not new to WSB, having worked as a fill-in for several years ...
IN THE MEANTIME…
A former executive producer at CNN has been hired by NewsNation to help launch “Morning in America.” Wil Surrat will helm the three-hour weekday morning news show, anchored by Adrienne Bankert. It is slated ...
HE WORKED UNTIL THE VERY END
Veteran news director Rod Jackson’s last stop was at Nexstar’s WOWK in Charleston, WV, where he spent the last two years. He died this week of esophageal cancer. http:// Jackson, whose LinkedIn page proudly ...
FORMER TRUMP SURGEON GENERAL JOINS MEDICAL TEAM IN INDY TV NEWSROOM
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams will join the Circle City-owned WISH medical reporting team as the station’s Medical Expert. The caps add a certain gravitas, doncha think? “I am eager to get ...
NOT AS MUCH FUN AS IT USED TO BE
The folks at RTDNA at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University have presented us with some sobering statistics to ponder as we go about our newsgathering days. More than 1 in 5 U.S. television ...
NOT AGAIN!!!!
You have to wonder if they get hazard pay in the Bay Area. Once again, a tv news crew recording a news story in San Francisco was attacked by a robber – this one ...
SHOULD THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE RETURN?
Over the past few months, we noticed quite a bit of pining for the good ol’ days of the Fairness Doctrine – a piece of government work born in 1949 and wiped out of ...
CHIEFS ARE IN, BUT SHE IS OUT IN KC
"It has been a brutal year for our industry with unexpected cuts, and sadly, today was my last day"
AND THIS IS WHAT IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT
In its quarter-century history, FOX News has certainly become a phenomenon, garnering primetime ratings that, while short of what the network nightly newscasts regularly post, are the envy of the cable world. And as ...
NBC NEWS HIRING ON A REGIONAL BASIS
NBC News Digital has hired four reporters, its first hires under the regional reporting initiative announced in July by Cesar Conde, Chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group. The reporters are all based outside of the ...
“RATHER THAN QUESTIONING THE CREDIBILITY OF THE MEDIA, WE NEED TO REINFORCE IT.”
Ted Koppel returned to “Nightline” this week to offer some insight into media coverage of the COVID-19 public health emergency and it was nice to see him back. “It’s time more than ever in ...
NM REPORTER SELF QUARANTINE
Christian Marquez is a reporter for KOB 4 partner, Searchlight New Mexico, who had recently attended a journalism conference in New Orleans. When he returned to New Mexico, he was notified that multiple people at the ...
COLLEGE STUDENTS REPORT ON CORONA
Wow. Check this out. University of Oklahoma students reporting on the Coronavirus from the comfort of their homes. Rather than get a suntan and drink loads of Fraternity punch during their mandated days off, ...
WASHINGTON STATE REPORTERS “ESSENTIAL”
Governor Jay Inslee has issued a “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” order for the state of Washington effective immediately, with non-essential businesses directed to close by Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 5:30 pm. The ...
PUTTING THE KID IN CHARGE: BIG MISTAKE
“The New York Times” came out with a great read over the weekend about the troubles at the very top of Fox News. That would be Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert’s 48-year-old son, who was gifted ...
REPORTER TALKS CORONAVIRUS
WZTV (FOX) Nashville Reporter AJ Abell opened up about being diagnosed and recovering from novel coronavirus: “On Monday, March 9, I became sick while skiing with my family in Aspen, Colorado. My symptoms began ...
THIS WEEK IN PANDEMIC CONSEQUENCES PT 1
This Sunday’s scheduled Democratic Presidential debate on CNN has been moved from Arizona to Washington, DC and there will be no studio audience. If, indeed, it takes place at all. The lack of an ...
ALEX JONES ARRESTED
Austin-based conspiracy theorist and Info-Wars radio host Alex Jones was booked into the Travis County Jail on a charge of driving while intoxicated just after midnight Tuesday, the Austin Statesman reports. Jones, 46, was booked ...
REPORTERS SELF QUARANTINED
Politico, the Washington Post, the Daily Beast, and Mother Jones have asked reporters who covered CPAC to self-quarantine and work remotely due to concerns that they may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. ...
OFF THE GRAPEVINE
Rick Gevers tells us all to be on the lookout for new hires at two Nexstar stations. Both WTAJ (aka “The Dime” to station alumni) in Altoona, PA, and WDHN in Dothan, AL, are ...
BUH-BYE TO THE TV DRESS
You remember the “tv dress” don’t you? The $23 schmatta hit the airwaves like a hurricane about 5 years ago as a way for budget-strapped tv newswomen stretch their wardrobe dollars in an age ...
MERGER ON THE WAY?
Dish Network on Wednesday said it lost 194,000 net pay TV subscribers in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of 334,000 in the year-ago period when carriage disputes with Univision, which has since ...
APOLLO COX STICKS WITH FOX
Four Cox Media Group properties airing FOX Network programming will be staying in FOXWorld. A multi-year agreement has been reached between Apollo Global Management’s reborn Cox Media Group and Fox Corporation. The deal keeps ...
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Yeah, we know, most of you out there tend to think of news directors as a bunch of self-important know-it-alls. But there are more than a few who keep trying to learn more. Take ...
MAYBE YOU CAN GROW THEM ON TREE – OR UNIVERSITIES
Anyone who has ever been in news management, now or in the days of yore, know that the one constant has been the struggle to find news producers. Over the years, an awful lot ...
NEWS CHANNEL CREATOR HONORED
The creator of NBC News Channel, the feed service for local NBC News affiliates and NBC’s international partners, Bob Horner served as President for 27 years and made it possible for countless stories to ...
AND YOUR PROBLEM IS?????
TV viewers. There’s no pleasing all of them all of the time and social media has somehow encouraged the more idiotic among them to share their unsolicited (and largely unwelcome) “observations”. But Evrod Cassimy, ...
SCRIPPS LAWSUIT ENDS
Scripps Broadcasting has agreed to pay $1,130,000 to settle an FCC investigation into TV tower lighting issues with stations it purchased from Cordillera Communications. The investigation was prompted by the crash of a small plane into ...
CHICAGO ANCHOR HONORED
Ron Magers, who retired in 2016 after a distinguished career as one of Chicago’s all-time greatest news anchors, will be back in the spotlight to take a bow this spring according to robertfeder.com. Magers ...
SENATOR SAYS NO TO 2022 OLYMPICS
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is asking NBC to refuse to air the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The Orlando Setninel reports Scott and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, (R-MO), penned a letter to NBC Universal CEO ...
AMARILLO ICON BATTLES CANCER
Doppler Dave has been an iconic member of the Amarillo community since the ;ate 80’s. He has been a long time trusted source of weather information, and friend to many including this reporter. Before ...
NETFLIX HEAD WINS AWARD
Ted Sarandos is about to add another trophy to his cabinet. Netflix’s chief content officer has been tapped to receive the Golden Slate Award by the California Film Commission and Film Liaisons in California ...
THIS WEEK IN (MORE) LITIGATION
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) passed up few opportunities to bash the media in the recent impeachment hearings, and now he’s suing what he calls the “mother of fake news” — CNN. Nunes, who as ...
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
NewsBlues will be taking the Thanksgiving holiday off to visit with family and friends and enjoy the camaraderie. We will be back next Monday, December 2 Have a safe holiday, try to avoid the ...
HMMM
A year ago this past September, Tribune shut down operations at KDAF (CW 33) sending over two dozen News and Production staffers to the streets. Fast forward a year and Nexstar Broadcasting acquired KDAF ...
“I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT”
Well at least the president of NBC News didn’t say “No comment.” That would have been the ultimate irony. But if Andy Lack truly doesn’t know much, if anything, about the cloud hanging over ...
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
We’re a little tardy in telling you that Brandon Sherer started in October as the new ND for Morris Multimedia’s WWAY in Wilmington, NC. He most recently was the ND for Spectrum’s Central North ...
FORMER REPORTER ARREST
Dr. Bruce Hensel, a former TV medical correspondent, was arrested Wednesday morning after he asked a 9-year-old girl to send him sexually suggestive pictures, according to prosecutors and law enforcement. The Los Angeles Times ...
REPORTER ARRESTED
Veronica DeKett, a noon anchor and senior reporter at WEVV (CBS), has been charged with two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated after she was pulled over after a night of drinking. ...
LET’S REMEMBER THOSE WHO SERVED
NEXSTAR AND FOX BUY/SELL STATIONS
Nexstar Media Group and Fox Corp. announced Tuesday afternoon station sales between the two companies. Nexstar will purchase from Fox Corp., the Charlotte, N.C. (DMA 21), Fox affiliate WJZY and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYT for ...
ANOTHER INVESTIGATION, SAME RESULT
It turns out that, despite having said all was resolved after an investigation of Fox Nation host Britt McHenry claims of sexual misconduct against colleague Tyrus last June, Fox News acknowledged that it conducted ...
20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
In Houston, KTRK (ABC) weekend anchor Tom Abrahams is celebrating 20 years with the Walt Disney owned Television station. He took to social media Wednesday to pass on a special message. He arrived Houston ...
WILDFIRE DAMAGE
Just when folks in Northern California thought they were safe from a major fire this season the Kincaid fire erupted over the weekend and destroyed miles and miles of brush, trees and structures in ...
POT MEET KETTLE
Trying to stay relevant and employed, CNN President Jeff Zucker slammed Fox News, saying the competitor was “not a journalistic organization.” Zucker likely also brought tears to the eyes of CNN media reporter Brian ...
THE GOLDEN MIKE AWARD
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has named Tegna president and CEO Dave Lougee as the recipient of the 2020 Golden Mike Award. Lougee, who also serves on Tegna’s Board of Directors, will be honored during a gala ...
DIG DEEPER IN YOUR WALLET
Customers will pay $10 to $15 more a month AT&T’s TVNow starting in mid-November, according to The Dallas Morning News. The streaming service, formerly called DirecTV Now, will jump in price from $50 to $65 ...
CHRIS MATTHEWS SURGERY
MSNBC host Chris Matthews probably won’t be back on the air for a while, but it’s safe to say his prognosis after prostate cancer surgery is excellent, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. Matthews’ temporary replacement, Steve ...
THIS WEEK IN BODY SHAMING
No excuses, no anger, no recriminations. Just some refreshing defiance. Still another bonehead with a social media account and too much time on their hands decided to deliver some unsolicited advice to a tv ...
FUNNY COMMENT NOT SO FUNNY
Scanning through Twitterverse, I came across the following “PSA” from a media guy. Today’s PSA: When you call a TV station with a story idea, expect a reporter to ask you to do an ...
NEW WEEKENDER IN PHOENIX
KTAZ, the Telemundo O&O in Phoenix, AZ, has brought Victor Hugo Rodríguez on board as the station’s new weekend anchor and multi-media journalist. It’s a return to the Telemundo affiliate for Rodríguez, where he ...
NOW IT’S SINCLAIR AND AT&T BUTTING HEADS
Here we go again. Friday of this week is the drop-dead day for Sinclair and AT&T to come to a retransmission agreement. Or, 136 Big Four network affiliated stations in 86 markets owned by ...
VAPING ADVERTISING UP IN SMOKE
CBS, CNN and other major media companies are starting to pull e-cigarette advertising off their airways, as the death toll from a mysterious vaping-related illness continues to climb and health regulators across the world ...
STAYING PUT AT FOX
Fox News has signed Maria Bartiromo to a new, multiyear, deal for duties on both Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel. Bartiromo is currently anchor of FBN’s Mornings with Maria and Maria Bartiromo’s ...
30 YEAR ANNIVERSRY
Congratulations, Brenda Braxton Thirty years of broadcasting in one city, at one station, is no easy feat. That’s exactly what Brenda has done though, and she celebrated her 30th Anniversary at KGW (NBC) last week. Not ...
TEENS GET NEWS FROM YOUTUBE
We’ve known for years that teens today don’t really matter when it comes to the advertising dollar, but there is some bad news for local channels according to a new survey. Teens today are ...
ANCHOR DEATH UPDATE
The autopsy of longtime Miami TV news anchor Todd Tongen found no evidence that Tongen suffered from Lewy body dementia, contrary to what the 56-year-old may have thought at the time he took own ...
