Category Archives: WKMG-6

Changes keep coming at Local 6

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Lots of personnel moves happening at WKMG.

First, morning anchor Jacquie Sosa — who was supposed to return from maternity leave on Monday — was told her contract had not been renewed. She’s not expected to appear on the air again at the station, according to an insider. Sosa’s original co-anchor in the morning was Mark McEwen, who suffered a stroke in 2005.

Main sports anchor Todd Lewis signed off for the last time during Tuesday’s 6 p.m. show. His contract was not renewed either. Lewis had been with WKMG since 1997, first as weekend sports guy, then morning news guy and back to sports as the main weekday anchor. No word on his replacement — if there will be one. WKMG has cut back on its sports coverage, canceling its longtime Sunday night highlight show. Holding down the sports fort is weekend sports anchor Lee Goldberg. When Ryan Baker left as WKMG in 2003, Goldberg worked an incredible 59 consecutive days covering all the sports shifts while before the station moved Lewis into the main sports seat.

And an insider at WKMG says reporter Samantha Knapp has told staff that she’s out of at the end of this month. She reportedly has been working month to month without a contract.

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Local 6′s cookie caper: Here’s the tape

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I had a post Wednesday about listening to Local 6′s 6 p.m. show on my car radio Tuesday and hearing a bizarre exchange between anchors Bob Frier and Jacqueline London. During a report about Girl Scout cookies, London got smacked with a box of cookies. It was all an accident and left everyone laughing — and no one injured. I had several people provide copies of the video, and you can click here to see what happened.

Now, don’t think Frier is a cookie monster. It was an accident, albeit a funny one. He said in an e-mail that the mishap was "a shoe-in to headline this year’s blooper tape." He continued, "I’ve made co-anchors laugh with ad-libs before but nothing like THAT has happened to me … I think what stands out about it is that Jackie laughed so hard. She’s such a pro… and takes great care to always be professional on the air… to have her dissolve into tears of laughter was what made it so funny for me."

London said, "I just couldn’t believe it happened, and that I couldn’t stop laughing. I love sitting next to Bob and that definitely hasn’t changed. I just may wear a helmet from now on. Just kidding!"

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Guetzloe’s supporter strikes back at WKMG

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Local 6 has been riding Tony Pipitone’s "The Guetzloe Files" as its showcase sweeps series this month. Now, a supporter of the political consultant is trying to get back at the station.

She has created a Web site called www.boycottlocal6.com. The domain name was registered on Feb. 18. The woman who created it, Cheryl, said she’s trying to set it up and encouraged me to talk to Doug Guetzloe.

On the site, there are links to other sites that discuss invasion of privacy by the media. Also included is a message board, including a message by Guetzloe himself. Posted on Feb. 25, Guetzloe writes, "The Tony Pipitone attacks have continued unabated with misinformation; distortions fake information; innuendo; clever editing and down right lies." Guetzloe encourages his supporters to e-mail Local 6 in support of him.

The site, while called boycottlocal6.com, doesn’t really come out and ask people to boycott the station. It also plays up that Guetzloe is going to sue the station for invasion of privacy, but it doesn’t mention any possible slander suits over the content of Pipitone’s reports on the political gadfly.

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Time for a lot of local TV goodbyes

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Goodbye, Sports Jam. The WKMG Sunday night sports highlight show is apparently getting the ax. According to a Local 6 insider, a memo was circulated saying the 10-plus-year-old show will end after its Sunday, March 4 broadcast. As you may know, WKMG is not renewing the contract of sports anchor Todd Lewis – and now with Sports Jam being canceled, I think sports fans can see the writing on the wall about the future of sports on the station. And if you can’t see that writing, how about this, from the memo that went to the staff from News Director Susan Forbes: "As many of you know, we are reviewing our sports franchise with the goal of focusing and redefining it for our viewers. It is our belief that the strengths of our franchises belong in our newscasts and that we keep our resources focused on our main product."

Goodbye, Jim and Wendy. With all the anchor shuffling going on at WESH, the latest casualties are Jim Payne and Wendy Chioji. Oh, and Sally Schulze. And Tom Schaad, too. No, they’re not going off the air — only off the building. The massive posters of the WESH anchors on the station’s tower next to I-4 are expected to come down this week, making way for new CW 18 branding now that WESH owns WKCF.

Goodbye, Jim Van Fleet? We’re hoping this isn’t a goodbye, but WOFL is advertising for a morning weather guy. That job is currently filled by singing weatherman Jim Van Fleet. I haven’t been able to track anything down on this but perhaps Van Fleet wants to focus on his growing county music career. Or — again, pure speculation on my part — with WOFL adding an 11 p.m. show, maybe Fox 35 is moving Van Fleet to Fox at 5 so Glenn Richards can do the 10 and 11 p.m. shows? Stay tuned.

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Local 6 wins appeal to air Guetzloe files

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A week later than planned, WKMG on Monday night was able to air a report relating to "The Guetzloe Files." Those are the documents that once belonged to political consultant Doug Guetzloe – files handed over to Local 6′s Tony Pipitone from a man who bought them from a storage facility after Guetzloe didn’t pay his bill. Guetzloe went to court to block the story — and succeeded until WKMG won an appeal on Monday. So, after all the hub-bub, what did the files show? That Guetzloe accepted money from Casselberry strip clubs to try to keep anti-strip club commissioners from being elected in the city. Guetzloe has denied ever accepting such money — but Pipitone produced the canceled checks to prove it and an interview with a strip club owner who confirmed the whole thing. More to come, we’re told. …


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6 may not get to show Guetzloe’s files

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If you’ve watched Channel 6 during the past two weeks, you couldn’t have missed the promos for Tony Pipitone’s report about what’s in the personal files of political activist Doug Guetzloe.

Since the station obtained the files, it’s been the most-hyped sweeps story — and it’s supposed to air on Monday’s 11 p.m. newscast. But it may not happen.

An Orange County judge is barring the station from airing any of the material it obtained from the personal files of Guetzloe, according to the Orlando Sentinel. WKMG plans to appeal the decision. "I’m confident we’ll prevail, and I’m confident the First Amendment will prevail," Local 6 GM Henry Maldonado said.

So, will the report air? You’ll have to tune in at 11 — which is just what WKMG wanted all along, files or no files.

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