Category Archives: Orlando TV

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Not a fan of WFTV’s new weather channel

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Some quick thoughts on recent Orlando TV News:

Put me down as not a fan of  WFTV’s revamped weather channel, 9.2. Sure, Severe Weather Center 9 has forecasts, temperatures and a radar — but just give me the radar. The former 9.2 had the live WFTV radar almost 24-7 — and in HD — making it convenient to check anytime (especially during storms). It also ran the audio from whatever was running on the main WFTV channel, so when you flipped over for a minute, you didn’t missing anything. Now, the station is streaming audio from Cox radio station WMMO. Sorry, I liked the old channel better. …

Speaking of WFTV’s digital channels, I suspect part of the reason behind the change on 9.2 has to do with what’s coming on 9.3 — the future home of Spanish-language station WAWA. There’s likely not enough bandwidth for two HD channels and a third.  WKMG (LATV) and WESH/WKCF (Esteralla) already have deals for Hispanic programming on their sub-channels, so it only seemed like a matter of time and company for WFTV to add one. Still, the FCC lists WAWA has being assigned Channel 47 in the Orlando market. Is there really a WAWA on channel 47?  …

One question. All the local stations have multiple digital channels — except’s Fox’s duopoly of WOFL-Fox 35 and WRBW-My 65. What’s the deal there? …

WESH debuted its new HD camera on Chopper 2. Very cool. …

WKMG anchor Jacqueline London was married over the weekend to former NFL player Tony McGee. Saw a couple of folks Tweet about the wedding and reception — sounds like it was quite the bash. Best of luck to the new couple. …

Former WFTV sports anchor Zach Kline was also Tweeting some important news on Sunday. Kline, now at Cox mothership WSB in Atlanta, was among the lucky few media members to win the Masters lottery and earn the opportunity to play the Augusta National course on Monday. He Tweeted: “Who says dreams do not come true. Just found out I’m playing Augusta National tomorrow at 11:10 am. Anyone know the course record?”

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WKMG’s ‘Newsroom Summit’ causing a stir

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By now you have likely heard about the upcoming WKMG Newsroom Summit — the station’s mandatory all-day meeting on Saturday, April 17, to discuss “what makes bad TV news,” and who are the “battery chargers” and “battery drainers” at Local 6.

One person who emailed me about the meeting had this to say about the plan: “In a stunning move to further demoralize a ratings challenged and overworked staff, the news director at WKMG has decided that rather than evaluate employees himself, he’s asking newsroom employees to do it for him! That’s right, he’s ordering everyone in the newsroom to submit a list of the three employees they hate the most, and put their selections in a ballot box in his office. The newsroom secretary will check off the names of employees to make sure they comply with the order. Also, in what WKMG staffers are calling a newsroom “concentration camp” (the station is locking employees in a studio), employees will be expected to openly criticize the company’s product in front of station management. Pitting co-workers against each other with a popularity poll!”

But it’s not just folks at WKMG who are taking notice of this unusual newsroom retreat. The “memo” sent by news director Steve Hyvonen has gained national attention on some Web sites. Among them:

Maybe I’ve been drinking too much corporate Kool-Aid recently, but  here are a few thoughts. Does the memo sound ominous? Sure, it could be taken that way. Is it meant to be ominous? I doubt it.

Face it, WKMG ratings have fallen dramatically. It’s Web traffic is dropping too. The station needs to do something, right? This daylong meeting to talk about the future of TV news and the culture of Local 6 might be a step in the right direction. All journalists (me included) are notoriously skeptical about anything involving team building or culture-changing. Most journalists are creatures of habit — they don’t like change. But change is what WKMG needs. Local 6 is already close to dead last — what does it have to lose by trying something different?

Sure, there’s a chance the “newsroom summit” could be nothing but B.S., but it could also be the thing that changes Local 6 from als0-ran into a contender again. Stay tuned. I’m sure we’ll hear about what happens.

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Early-bird WESH adds 4:30 a.m. newscast

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WESH on Tuesday began airing an additional half hour of morning news, starting at 4:30 a.m.

“We are always looking for opportunities to serve the local news and weather needs of our viewers at times that are both convenient and valuable to them,” WESH GM Jim Carter said in a news release. “We saw that need in this time period and we filled it.”

Many stations across the nation have been moving up their morning newscasts to 4:30 a.m. The reason? With longer commutes, folks are getting up earlier. And, as one TV wag once said, the best lead-in to news is news.

WESH 2 News Sunrise usually runs No. 2 behind WFTV’s Eyewitness News Daybreak. Will getting a 30-minute jump on the competition at 4:30 a.m. make a difference?

The new  half hour of news will be anchored by Syan Rhodes, with meteorologist Amy Sweezey and traffic reporter Kimberly Williams, WESH said.

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On Fox 35: ‘Former Vice President’ Sarah Palin

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Came across this on YouTube. It’s a report that aired on Fox 35 News at 10 over the weekend — an account from the Tea Party tour out West.

In it, the reporter refers to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as “former vice president Sarah Palin.” Of course, he meant to say, “former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.”

Now, from what I can tell, this was a report fed to WOFL by Fox — not national video with a local voice over.

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It’s spring, so time for Fox 35′s hawk

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Fox 35's unwelcome annual visitor

While not quite as famous as the swallows returning  to San Juan Capistrano, the folks at WOFL-Fox 35 have their own spring tradition: the return of the big, bad mama hawk.

It started several years ago, when the mama hawk decided to take up residence in a tree outside the station’s Lake Mary studios. Being protective of her young, the hawk became aggressive and started swooping down on Fox 35 employees outside the building. Last year, it actually attacked then-sports guy Kevin Holden.

The bird’s return this year has the Fox folks buzzing again. Anchor Heidi Hatch posted an update on her blog, “We have a hawk that lives our News station- but only in Spring. She’s not very nice. In fact she attacks people she doesn’t like. She’s officially back and attacked her first victim today. We’ve been told to wear a hard hat or always walk with an umbrella because it’s illegal to kill it. I’m not one to kill… but what about bird nap ….”

Anchor Sonni Abatta even Tweeted about the big bird: “I find this picture in our work cafeteria to be simultaneously entertaining and terrifying.” She attached the picture below:

I find this picture in our work cafeteria to be simultaneousl... on Twitpic

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Has WFTV found Bob Opsahl’s replacement?

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Josh Benson

Come July, you’ll see a new face weekends on the WFTV Eyewitness News anchor desk. But could he ultimately be Bob Opshal’s replacement?

The newcomer is Josh Benson, who is currently morning anchor at KVOA-NBC 4 in Tucson, Ariz. According to AZBiz.com,  Benson will be  leaving Arizona at the end of May and begin his new weekend gig at Channel 9 on July 6.

But it’s what else AZBiz had to say about Benson that’s very interesting: ”WFTV is owned by Cox Enterprises — parent of the company that owns Tucson’s cable system — and has been Orlando’s news ratings leader for most of the last 20 years. The station’s main weekday anchorman, Bob Opsahl, has been in that position since 1984 and the word is he is planning to retired in about a year, which could propel Benson into the top spot in the market if things work out.”

Back in December, it was reported that WFTV was beginning to think about who would replace Opsahl — and the weekend anchor position was mentioned.

According to Benson’s bio, he joined KVOA in June 2005. Previously, he was the 6 and 10 p.m. anchor at KAAL in Austin, Minn. He interned at KSTP and WCCO in Minneapolis.

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