RogerSimmons.com Orlando TV News

Nancy Grace is coming to Orlando

January 26th, 2010 No comments »

Nancy Grace

Nancy Grace, the caustic and controversial HLN talk show host, will be coming to Orlando … in the fall of 2010.

Her new syndicated show, “Swift Justice with Nancy Grace,” has been cleared for 90 percent of the country, including O-Town. The show is being distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Here’s what one salesman for CBS said about the show: “Nancy is a powerful force in television with a built-in audience that tunes in to hear her point of view. We’re thrilled to have gotten such an immediate response from all of these groups, and their enthusiasm proves we’ve got the right show for them at the right time.”

Orlando must certainly hold special meaning for Grace. Her nightly coverage of the Casey Anthony-Caylee Anthony case helped make her the top-rated talker on HLN. Her interview with Melinda Duckett, the Lake County mom of another missing toddler, gained national attention when Duckett killed herself shortly after an interrogation by Grace. That incident has landed Grace in a legal fight where she’s trying to avoid publicity.

Since CBS has signed national deals with both the Fox and Cox station groups to carry the show, my only question is which Orlando station(s) gets Miss Nancy? The Fox-owned duopoly of WOFL-Fox 35 and WRBW-My 65 or the Cox-owned duo of WFTV-Channel 9 and WRDQ-Channel 27? Any guesses?

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Posted in Orlando TV, WFTV-9, WOFL-35

Tags: WFTV-9 WOFL-35

Lose Fox on Bright House Networks? There are alternatives

December 30th, 2009 4 comments »

The clock is ticking, and Fox is ready to pull the plug on its channels on Bright House Networks at the stroke of midnight tomorrow.

Orlando attorney John Morgan took the mammoth media company to court today to try to stop it from cutting off its signals for the cable system. But, according to the Orlando Sentinel, Fox countered that a Florida court was not the right one to hear this issue since some of Fox’s channels are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission. Therefore, the media company’s attorney argued, this issue should be taken up in federal court. Morgan countered that this was just a stall tactic by Fox. Read the full story here.

Assuming the two sides do no reach agreement on retransmission compensation, Bright House customers may be without Fox 35, MyNetwork 65, Sun Sports, Fox Sports Florida and other Fox-owned channels as early as New Year’s Day. So, if you have Bright House, what should you do? Here are some tips on how to get Fox channels and programming:

First, if you have a digital television — one that gets HD signals — relax. You can easily pick up WOFL-Fox 35 and WRBW-My 65 with an indoor rabbit-ears antenna.

If you have an old analog TV, don’t panic. All you need is a digital converter box. These will run you between $40 and $55. Click here to see examples from Best Buy. With one of these boxes, you can pull in all the local stations — including Fox — with an indoor rabbit-ears antenna.

OK, so you’re set for all the BCS bowl games — including Tim Tebow’s finale as the Florida Gators face the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Sugar Bowl. What about those Orlando Magic games on Sun Sports and Fox Sports Florida?

To get them, you’re going to either (a) have to find someone who has a television provider other than Bright House, (b) sign up with one of those providers or (c) find a sports bar that doesn’t use Bright House.

For you home programming, choices include Dish Network and DirecTV for satellite. (By the way, Fox and DirecTV are owned by the same company, so chances are you will never lose any Fox programming on DirecTV). In some areas of Central Florida, there is another option: AT&T’ U-verse service.

Like all disagreements, this one will come to an end at somepoint. Hopefully, you won’t miss to many of your favorite shows or sports events.

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Posted in Orlando Magic, Orlando TV, WOFL-35, WRBW-65

Tags: Bright House WOFL-35 WRBW-65

WKMG: Urban Meyer told Gators he had heart attack

December 28th, 2009 1 comment »

"Ping"

WKMG-Local 6 sports anchor David “Ping” Pingalore said Monday evening he stands behind his Saturday report that Florida Gators Coach Urban Meyer had a heart attack during mid-season — one health reason that may have led to the coach’s decision to take an indefinite leave of absence from the team.

During WKMG’s “The 6 O’Clock News,” Pingalore reported live via phone from New Orleans, where the Gators are set to play Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. He elaborated on his Saturday report, saying Meyer himself told the Gators players he had a heart attack.

“On Saturday night I did report from a source that head coach Urban Meyer did tell the team sometime on Saturday that in mid-season he suffered a heart attack, and that source continues to stand by that story. We stand by that story,” Pingalore said. “Coach Meyer on Sunday denied any kind of rumor or fact or whatever it is that he suffered a heart attack. He said he did not suffer a heart attack. But our source inside that team meeting did say that Coach Meyer did tell the team he did suffer a heart attack. And Meyer, he kind of walked around a lot of those questions that were asked of him about his health [during Sunday's news conference.]”

“Ping” has been right with other Gators scoops, so that’s why this claim is being taken seriously by many despite UF’s denials.

Also one other interesting note about the Urban Meyer saga: WOFL-Fox 35 — which got rid of its full-time sports anchors and segments awhile ago — is running promos touting that it was the only station in town to carry Meyer’s Sunday afternoon news conference.