Media picking up story of Mark McEwen’s return to CBS

Mark McEwen on CBS' Early Show

Mark McEwen on CBS' Early Show in 2006 (courtesy CBSNews.com)

As we mentioned earlier this week, former WKMG-Local 6 anchor Mark McEwen returns to television this Saturday when he fills-in as the weatherman on CBS’ Saturday Early Show.

Now, media outlets around the country are picking up the feel-good story — noting McEwen’s miraculous recovery from his massive stroke nearly five years ago. …

  • “Mark McEwen is a survivor, who has beat all odds and is returning to his true passion — reporting,” CBS News reports.
  • “Mark McEwen will return to ‘The Early Show’ on Saturday. But it’s more than a homecoming — it will be McEwen’s first nationally televised weather forecast since suffering a devastating and debilitating stroke in 2005,” the New York Post reports.
  • “Mark McEwen returning to visit ‘The Early Show,’ ” The Associated Press reports.
  • “Weatherman Mark McEwen will return to CBS News and The Early Show Saturday for the first time since recovering from a near-fatal stroke,” Broadcasting & Cable reports.
  • “Mark McEwen, who worked for CBS from 1987 to 2002, will appear in his first nationally televised weather forecast — and he’ll sit down for an interview — since recovering from a near-fatal stroke in 2005,”  USA Today reports.

By the way, this won’t be his first appearance on the CBS morning program since his stroke. He returned in 2006 to discuss it and his recovery.

Laura Diaz, Todd Romero news at WKMG

Finally … news from WKMG-Local 6 about folks who AREN’T leaving.

MediaStars talent representation reports that weekend sports anchor Todd Romero has signed a contract extension with WKMG.

FTVLive.com, citing MediaStars, says morning anchor Laura Diaz signed a multi-year deal with WKMG — but that bit of information is not listed on MediaStars’ website. So maybe she did, maybe she didn’t — but at least she’s not leaving.

Mike Garofalo leaves Local 6; Erik von Ancken on desk

Local 6 NewsIn the summer of surprising changes at WKMG Local 6 continued Tuesday with word that main 6 and 11 p.m. anchor Mike Garofalo has left the station.

This switch “started with Mike’s decision,” WKMG GM Skip Valet told Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker. Garofalo was married in October to a reporter at Post-Newsweek sister station WPLG-10 in Miami. Apparently the two decided they wanted to live in Miami.

Garofalo arrived at WKMG in December 2008 from KOAT in Albuquerque, where he worked with his now-wife. In Orlando, he’ll likely will be best remembered as the man who replaced longtime popular anchor Bob Frier on Channel 6′s anchor desk.

Garofalo’s replacement — at least for now — will be Erik von Ancken. He has the 6 and 11 p.m. co-anchor slot next to Lauren Rowe on an interim basis and is a candidate to take the job permanently. “I have a lot of confidence in Erik and want to give him a chance to do the job,” Valet told Boedeker.

In an odd arrangement, von Ancken was anchoring on Saturday evenings and Garofalo was anchoring Sunday evenings. Now that both are off the weekend shift, who’s going to anchor? WKMG said that task falls to Bridgett Williams, who arrives at Local 6 from WAGT, the NBC affiliate in Augusta, Ga.

Garofalo  joins the other high-profile departures from the station in the past several months, including longtime anchor Jacqueline London, morning weather guy Eric Wilson and reporter Donald Forbes.

“I don’t think we have any more turnover than the other stations,” Valet said. “Ours are coming a little quickly. I’m back to fix our product.”

Mark McEwen returning to network TV

Mark McEwenGood news for former WKMG-Local 6 anchor Mark McEwen. He’s returning to network TV.

However, it’s just for a day — next Saturday when he presents the weather on CBS’ Saturday Early Show.

“It’s very heartening to be back on TV,” McEwen told Orlando Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker. “I want to show people you can overcome a stroke or anything. I got in touch with them [CBS] about by doing entertainment pieces. They came back and said, ‘How about the weather?’ I said OK. It’s a one-day fill-in.”

As you likely know, McEwen suffered a massive stroke in 2005, just a couple of months after he was named the new morning anchor for Local 6.

Since then has come lots of therapy, public appearances to raise awareness about strokes and a book he wrote about his experience, “After the Stroke: My Journey Back to Life.” He even has a website to promote the publication.

McEwen told Boedeker that while he’s “doing fine,” “I’m still kind of dealing with the aftermath of a massive stroke.”

Read more with McEwen here.

You tell us: Eyewitness News or Local 6 at 6:30?

Labor Day will mark the launch of WFTV’s 6:30 p.m. newscast on sister station WRDQ-TV 27. The new Eyewitness News at 6:30, anchored by Vanessa Welch and Josh Benson, will go head-to-head against WKMG-Local 6′s The 6 o’clock News with Lauren Rowe and Mike Garofalo. So Central Florida … which local newscast at 6:30 p.m. do you think will have the most viewers at the end of the month?

Local 6 has been doing news at 6:30 for more than year. Eyewitness News is Central Florida’s top-rated news, but will viewers who watch at 5, 5:30 or 6 follow the Channel 9 gang over to WRDQ at 6:30?

Florida primary election results coverage plans

Here are some of the primary night coverage plans of the Orlando TV stations:

Central Florida News 13 will start broadcasting results beginning at 7 p.m. The cable news station will also be hosting a live chat beginning at 6 p.m.

WRDQ-TV 27, sister station to WFTV-Channel 9, will offer a one-hour special “Central Florida Spotlight” beginning at 9 p.m. Expect to see Eyewitness News reporters as well as local politicos giving their analysis of the results.

WKMG-Local 6 will offer a live 4-hour webcast on ClickOrlando.com, starting at 7 p.m. Erik von Ancken will host the webcast.

And all the area stations plan to present results on parts of your TV screen during regular network programming.

If you need information about the candidates before you vote, check out the very fine OrlandoSentinel.com voter guide.