Tag Archives: WESH-2

Recent RogerSimmons.com Orlando TV News reports involving WESH-Channel 2, the NBC affiliate for Central Florida. The station calls its newscasts WESH 2 News.

September ratings: Most Orlando news down year-over-year

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So much for keeping the audience that was glued to Orlando TV news stations during the Casey Anthony trial. In the just completed September ratings period, most of the O-Town stations saw year-over-year declines in household and demo numbers for nearly every newscast. One of the few bright spots was WOFL-Fox 35 — which increased its 5, 10 and 11 p.m. news audiences over the same period from 2010. Read the full ratings report from TV Guy Hal Boedeker. And read the 2010 September ratings here.

5 p.m. weeknights (households):

  • WFTV with 77,700 (86,800 in 2010)
  • WESH with 51,000 (66,700 in 2010)
  • WOFL with 31,000 (27,000 in 2010)
  • WKMG with 18,600 (no 5 p.m. news in 2010)

5 p.m. weekdays (25-54 demo):

  • WFTV with 19,400 (31,400 in 2010)
  • WESH with 18,800 (27,300 in 2010),
  • WOFL with 12,900 (11,900 in 2010),
  • WKMG with 7,000 (no 5 p.m news in 2010)

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While No. 1 in our hearts, Orlando is still No. 19 with Nielsen

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Some quick takes on Orlando TV news before the holiday weekend …

The Nielsen market rankings for the 2011-2012 TV season have been released, and Orlando remained No. 19 in the nation. Nielsen estimated the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne market grew from 1,453,120 TV homes in 2010 to 1,465,460 this year. We continue to gain ground on No. 18 Cleveland-Akron, which Nielsen said lost about 12,000 TV homes. See the full Nielsen list here. …

The Orlando Sentinel reports that memorial services for longtime Orlando TV anchor Scott Harris have been set for Sept. 8 at Bourne Chapel at Lake Highland Prep Middle School, 741 N. Mills Ave., Orlando. The service will start at 7 p.m. Sentinel colleague Scott Maxwell had another great column on Harris, who died earlier this week at age 64. …

Former WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Robert Maxwell, who left Orlando for a gig at KTVX-ABC 4 in Salt Lake City two years ago, has been taken off the 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 p.m. news shows. NewsBlues.com says he’s been told his contact is not being renewed. …

Former WESH 2 News reporter Jeff Lennox, who left the station and the TV biz in April for a job with AAA in Tampa, is coming back to TV. NewsBlues reports that Lennox announced on his Facebook page that he would start at WSVN-Fox 7 in Miami later this month. …

The great FLNewscenter.com site reports that former WFTV meteorologist Tom Johnston will be forecasting again in the Sunshine State, taking the morning gig at Jacksonville dupopoly WAWS-Fox 30 / WTEV-CBS 47. …

And, finally, thanks to all of you who emailed comments about our new galleries showcasing newspaper ads from TV stations in Orlando and South Florida. I am excited to say that I have already added about 50 more images to the South Florida gallery, including ads for long-gone TV stations WFTL/WGBS-Channel 23 (Florida’s third TV station) and and WITV-Channel 17 (the state’s seventh TV station). See the South Florida gallery here.

Orlando TV news history chronicled in new galleries

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Channel 9's news team in 1978

Bob Jordan never looked so young. Same with Danny Treanor.

And remember Dave Walker from CNN’s early days? Before he went to cable, he was on the anchor desk at WESH-Channel 2, reporting “Newscope” each evening.

Those are just a few of the many images you can view in three new galleries being posted on RogerSimmons.com today. We’ve spent the past several months going through thousands of pages of online archives of several area newspapers to create galleries of advertisements promoting Orlando TV news. We have compiled advertisements from the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. And we’re only getting started. So click around and take a look back at Orlando TV history.

Veteran Orlando TV news anchor Scott Harris in hospice care

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Scott HarrisAnchor/reporter Scott Harris, a familiar face to Orlando TV news watchers since the 1970s, is now in hospice care.

David Waters, Harris’ former colleague at Central Florida News 13, posted this update Saturday on Facebook: “For friends of Scott Harris, stop by if you are up to it. His family is moved by all the people who love him. It is time to mention it like this since a few people hadn’t heard he was in hospice, and have raced to be with him.”

Orlando Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker reports that Harris has been battling kidney cancer.

Harris spent his entire career in Florida and is widely regarded for his political knowledge, coverage of the space program and great sense of humor. In the 1970s and ’80s at WESH 2, he co-anchored the evening news with Wayne Bennett and later Carol Granstrom. He also worked as a reporter for WCPX-Channel 6 before joining Central Florida News 13 for its launch in 1997. He was at News 13 until March of this year, when he stopped anchoring. Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell had a great post in March about Harris’ changing role.

Our thoughts — and those of countless others — are with Harris and his family.

Scott Harris from his anchoring day at WESH -- with Wayne Bennett in this 1978 advertisement, then with Dave Marsh, Don Gould and Carol Granstrom in 1982.

Hurricane Irene: Orlando TV’s connection

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Former WESH anchor Tom Schaad (right) anchors storm coverage on WAVY-10 in Norfolk.

A couple of notes from a weekend of TV news dominated by Hurricane Irene…

HLN spent Saturday showing coverage from affiliate stations along the East Coast, including Norfolk’s WAVY-NBC 10. On the desk there was former WESH 2 anchor Tom Schaad — a veteran of Orlando’s hurricane-filled season of 2004.

Meanwhile on Sunday, WFTV News Director Bob Jordan – a man who doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind – was busy on Twitter critiquing the New York-centric, doom-and-gloom storm coverage. Some samples of his entertaining tweets:

  • Watching network coverage of the (marginal) hurricane. All I can say is, “Oh, the hyperbole.”
  • In 2004, 5 named storms hit FL. 3 of them (Charley, Frances & Jean) had winds in excess of 115MPH. Sorry NYC, your storm is puny.
  • Some of these network reporters (networks shall remain unnamed) look downright foolish.
  • ABC Reporter informs us that winds are about 20 miles per hour at his location. That’s no typo. TWENTY miles per hour.
  • GMA anchor open at 9A references “MONSTER hurricane.” This is not, has not been and will not be a Monster hurricane. It is a tropical storm.
  • WFTV had more boots on the ground covering the ’04 hurricanes than ABC News does covering this “monster hurricane.”
  • Not much evidence of social media on ABC this morning. They are behind the curve.
  • At 11AM, ABC graphics and copy still refer to Irene as a “hurricane.” This is beyond hype, this is deliberate misinformation.

WESH reporter gets a surprise from Hurricane Irene

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WESH reporter Dan Billow gets an unexpected visit from Hurricane Irene.

As Hurricane Irene passed by Central Florida, Orlando’s TV news crews were camped out along to coast to watch waves and report on beach erosion. WESH 2 reporter/meteorologist Dan Billow got an up-close-and-personal interaction with Irene — as he was drenched by a wave on Satellite Beach moments before a live shot.  He wasn’t injured — well, except for perhaps his pride as his crew broke out laughing at Billow’s misfortune. Click here to see the video on YouTube.com.