Category Archives: WFTV-9

WESH, WFTV to launch mobile video

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You’ll soon be able to watch the news from WESH and WFTV on your cell phone.

At last week’s annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Open Moible Video Coalition announced a group of broadcasters would launch mobile digital television service this year. Hearst-Argyle’s WESH-Channel 2 and Cox’s WFTV-Channel 9 were among 62 stations in 22 markets who will take part in the digital launch.

The new technology will provide live over-the-air digital television signals to folks with cell phones and other mobile devices. In a news release, WESH said “users will be able to receive the broadcast signal throughout the Central Florida viewing area, even while riding in vehicles.”

The new technology also represents a new way to generate revenue for local TV stations and a way to reach more viewers – no matter where or on what they might be watching.

You can find out more here.

 

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Hori welcomes twins; see WFTV video from 1978

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A couple of quick items to start off the new year …

Congrats to former WESH anchor Shannon Hori, now at WFOR-CBS 4 in Miami. Last week she welcomed twin boys, Colt and Cade. “The best Christmas present ever,” Hori told the Miami Herald. The boys are the first children for Hori, 36, and husband Kendall Cogan, 42. who owns Firehouse Subs franchises. Click here to read more. …

Believe it or not, apparently it wasn’t “all Caylee coverage, all the time” for at least one local station in 2008. WOFL’s Web site, MyFoxOrlando.com, listed its top 10 stories on the site for 2008. Here are the top five:

  1. Girl called racist for wearing Palin T-shirt;
  2. City vehicles painted with anti-Obama sayings; 
  3. Student who took religious icon getting death threats;
  4. Florida teens confront Fox 35 after mom’s arrest;
  5. Car wash mom pleads no contest.

Not sure what that lists says about MyFoxOrlando’s visitors. You can see the full list by clicking here. …

And finally, here’s a trip down video lane: Part of WFTV’s Eyewitness News from 1978, complete with anchor Bob Jordan, weatherman Burd Bullock and sports with Mike James (now of NewsBlues.com fame.) There’s also a credit roll at the end of the show … see if you recognize any of the names.

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Cabrera leaves WESH, Garofalo and Longo come to town

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It’s been a good, long while since I’ve blogged about anything. Buy my resolution for 2009 is to write more — so I’m getting an early start. Here’s some of the stuff that’s been going on recently in O-Town’s TV Land …

Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera has left WESH. Cabrera’s agent, Rob Jordan, told Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker, “He signed a confidentiality agreement and is not commenting. It was all very amicable.” According to Boedeker, WESH space reporter Dan Billow — who has a meteorology degree — may be helping out with the weather now that Channel 2 is down to just four mets. Cabrera had been with WESH since May 2006, but what’s next for him? Well, he is doing voiceover work. He has a Web site where you can hear some of his samples.

Is Bob Frier getting pushed out at WKMG? We hope not, but it sure looks suspicious over at Local 6. The station has brought in Mike Garofalo from KOAT in Albuquerque to anchor the 4 and 6 p.m. newscasts with Jacqueline London. Frier will now co-anchor the 5 and 11 p.m. shows with London, and Garofalo will report for the 11 p.m. show. There is an O-Town connection with Garofalo. Back in New Mexico, working with Garofalo at KOAT was former WOFL-Fox 35 anchor Shelly Ribando.

Do you realize that as we head into 2009, the only news director who started 2008 with an O-Town station and is finishing the year is WFTV’s Bob Jordan? Bob Longo at WESH is the newest ND in town, coming from WTAE in Pittsburgh to replace Barb Maushard, who took a corporate job with Hearst-Argyle. WOFL-Fox 35 brought in Gavin Maliska in November to replace Bob Clinkingbeard, and in February WKMG hired Steve Hyvonen from WEWS in Cleveland in replace Susan Forbes.

 

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Video vault: Eyewitness News from 1984

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As any avid visitor to this site knows, I love news and old news video. I came across some new “old” video that I hope you’ll enjoy too. Here’s a WFTV Eyewitness News promo from nearly 25 years ago — 1984. It features then-Channel 9 anchor Bob Jordan (now the station’s news director — again), anchor Martie Salt (before she left Channel 9 to go to Tampa), iconic weatherman Danny Treanor and anchor Bob Opsahl. Just after the promo is another with Salt, then a middle-of-the-night news update from anchor Ted Russell.

 

 

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Fox 35 hires Maliska as new news director

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 Here’s your Friday Fast Five:

Gavin Maliska is the new news director for WOFL-Fox 35, according to NewsBlues. Maliska comes from Tribune-owned Fox affiliate WXIN in Indianapolis, where he was the ND. His Fox-heavy background includes being the deuce at WJBK in Detroit and managing editor at WFLD in Chicago. He also was managing editor for an internet sports company, and he was formerly the deputy business editor at the Chicago Sun-Times (got to like those newspaper guys!). …

Good news for Maliska is that the also-ran station he’s arriving to lead didn’t finish last in Tuesday night’s election coverage. According to Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker, WFTV led the local ratings race with an 11.1 rating, followed by WESH (8 rating), CNN (7), Fox News Channel (6.7), MSNBC (4.6), WOFL (3.8) and — ouch! — WKMG (3.8). That placed Local 6 ahead of only Central Florida News 13′s 1.9 rating. …

WKMG sports anchor “Ping” — aka David Pingalore — is playing sports instead of covering it this week. He’s playing as an amateur in Disney’s Children Miracle Network Classic tournament that started Thursday. According to the Sentinel’s Josh Robbins, Ping played college golf at Jacksonville University, lettering during the 1993-94 academic year.  “Just being out here on the driving range now, I feel the adrenaline,” Pingalore said before the event. “But I can only imagine Thursday. It’ll be the equivalent of six Mountain Dews.” Ping shot a 65 on the par 72 course and was tied for 51st place among the amateurs after the first round. Click here for the leaderboard. …

Don Smith is leaving WESH’s creative servics department to head West to Salt Lake City for a similar role with the ABC/CW duppoly. Smith came KHOU to WESH back in 2005, ane he helped change the station’s on-air look with some memorable campaigns. And he likes barbecue, so you know he’s a good guy. …

And finally, Andy Fisher — former general sales manager at WFTV — is retiring his post as president of Cox Television. Fisher has been with Cox for 24 years and he has been the company’s president since 2001.  Cox, of course, owns Channel 9.

 

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Too many hugs for Casey Anthony? That’s what local stations say

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Orlando’s local TV stations are so obsessed over Casey Anthony – especially now that it’s sweeps – maybe they just all need a hug? Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker takes the local stations to task for overplaying a story about Anthony attorney Jose Baez hugging Casey twice while in jail.

Boedeker wrote: “No way, Jose,” WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Bob Opsahl said in opening the 5 p.m. Friday news. “Now hugs have him in trouble.” Anchor Martie Salt added: “Lawyers are never supposed to touch their clients, especially like this.” It was all rather breathless.

Meanwhile, WKMG’s Tony Pipitone has been trying to trace Anthony’s movements via her cell phone records and checking into movies she rented before Casey disappeared.

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