Category Archives: WKMG-6

Judge: Doctor not at fault for McEwen’s stroke

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Mark McEwen

Mark McEwen

A Maryland doctor will not be held liable for failing to diagnose the pre-stroke symptoms of former CBS and WKMG  anchor Mark McEwen.

The Associated Press reports that Monday’s ruling in U.S. District Court in Baltimore is a setback for McEwen, who was diagnosed by the doctor with stomach flu two days before he suffered a massive stroke while flying home to Orlando in November 2005. McEwen and his attorneys claimed the stroke could have been prevented if McEwen had been given drugs including aspirin and anti-coagulates when he was examined by Dr. Michael Bond at Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

“I was very disappointed,” McEwen told The AP. “When you’re up against something that’s kind of murky, it tends to throw a person who’s used to knowing the difference between right and wrong.”

McEwen’s stroke and his recovery have been documented by WKMG  as well as the networks. Despite an amazing recovery, McEwen was never able to return to the anchor chair.

Read the full AP story here.

WKMG really wants advertisers

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wkmgad2Here’s a clip posted on YouTube of WKMG anchor Laura Diaz and weatherman Eric Wilson taking part in a pitch to an advertiser. WKMG really, really wants attorney Dan Newlin to air his spots on Local 6. Dan hasn’t responded to emails and the station has been after him this past year, says sales guy Mike Oliver. So Mike “interrupts” the morning news last Friday with a special message:

Without American Idol, Fox 35 falls behind WRDQ

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WRDQ beats WOFL at 10 -- but the gap was not as large as this WRDQ graphic would make it appear on first glance

WRDQ beats WOFL at 10 -- but the gap was not as large as this WRDQ graphic would make it appear on first glance

Catching up on some Orlando TV News after taking a short blogging break…

Yes, it’s really true. For the first time since its launch in 2002, WRDQ’s 10 p.m. newscast knocked off the No. 1 early-late news in town: Fox 35 News at 10. According to a WRDQ news release, Eyewitness News at Ten won the time period with adults 25-54 Monday through Friday in the August ratings period. TV27 delivered 1,113 more adults than Fox 35, despite having a lower-rated lead-in. TV27 grew 136 percent off its Oprah rerun lead-in while WOFL lost 33 percent of its lead-in audience. “The tremendous growth Eyewitness News at Ten has shown in August is a testament to TV27′s dedication to provide viewers with a quality fast-paced newscast,” said WFTV/WRDQ GM Shawn Bartelt. “I’m excited to see this trend continue for our Eyewitness News brand.” …

And after being dethroned in July as the morning news king by WESH, WFTV was back on top in August. From 5-7 a.m., Channel 9′s Eyewitness News Daybreak pulled in 20,538 adults 25-45. WESH 2′s Sunrise was No. 2 with 14,440, followed closely by Local 6′s Morning News with 14,180 and Fox 35 Morning News with 12,250. …

WFTV won all the news time periods in August, including the iconic 6 p.m. time period where it had 49,042 adults 25-54, followed by WESH (29,152), WKMG (14,665) and WOFL (11,775) …

A new Twitter site is posting Orlando TV ratings daily.OrlandoRatings has the scoop. The numbers look legit, but analyze at your own risk.

WFTV’s West back in news with Biden visit

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bidenWith Vice President Joe Biden due to visit Orlando on Wednesday, Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker revived the discussion about WFTV anchor Barbara West’s controversial interview with Biden during the 2008 campaign. Boedeker asked WFTV News Director Bob Jordan if West would cover Biden’s visit for Eyewitness News. 

“Just for old time’s sake? That’s a great idea,” Jordan told Boedeker with a laugh. Turning serious, Jordan said, “I saw a brief e-mail that he’s coming. I haven’t discussed how we’ll cover him. We certainly will cover him.”

One of the issues that West sparred with Biden in her interview was health care. On Monday night at a town hall meeting by Rep. Alan Grayson to discuss President Obama’s hot-button health care plan, West’s husband was on hand. According to Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, who was live blogging from the event: “Wade West, husband of WFTV anchor Barbara West, just stormed out, yelling ‘Shame on all of us!’ at the entire room.  West was reacting to Grayson saying he wasn’t going to be able to take questions from everyone – and complaining about the number of Democrats front-ended loaded into the forum.”

After the jump, why one local TV web site has closed, plus more notes

Continue reading →

Hurricane Charley anniversary telethon Thursday

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Credit: Orlando Weekly

Courtesy Orlando Weekly

WKMG broadcast fascinating recollections of Hurricane Charley — and the other storms of 2004 — on Wednesday night. Reporter Donald Forbes had a particulary moving tale of riding out the storm in Port Charlotte crouched next to a wall, finally reaching the safety of the station’s satellite truck only after the storm’s eye arrived with an eerie orange glow.

A reminder that on Thursday — the fifth anniversary of Charley — WKMG-Local 6, WOFL-Fox 35 and Central Florida News 13 are teaming up for a daylong telethon to benefit the Red Cross. The stations will be providing coverage of the telethon, which runs from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. To donate, you can call 1-888-288-9279.

Finally, I couldn’t let the Charley anniversary pass without another look at one of my favorite Orlando Weekly cartoons from 2004. Tom Terry and Tom Sorrells became the most popular people in Central Florida for their endless hours of on-air work during Charley, Frances and Jeanne — but, no offense guys, we don’t ever want to see that much of you two again!

King of Orlando TV? Tom Sorrells, of course

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smackdown-tomsorrellsThe Orlando Sentinel’s fun summer online contest, the Orlando Celebrity Smackdown, has its championship match up.

The winner among all the local television personalities is WKMG chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells. He reached the finals by knocking out fellow Channel 6 weatherman Eric Wilson in opening round, then dispatching Fox 35 morning meteorologist Jim Van Fleet in the second round, upsetting WFTV chief met Tom Terry in the third round, then rallying late to defeat WESH-2 anchors Jim Payne and Martha Sugalski in the semifinals.

Facing Sorrells from the radio side of the contest bracket are Doc and Grace, morning DJs on K92FM. They made it to the finals by upsetting the Monsters of the Morning from Real Radio 104.1.

On Wednesday night, Doc and Grace were leading Sorrells. Voting concludes this week. You can make choice for ruler of O-Town airwaves by clicking here. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 19.