Posts Tagged ‘WKMG-6’

Duh, NFL! Dolphins-Jets top Orlando TV ratings

December 31st, 2008

Now you know why WKMG was scrambling to try to get the NFL to let it show the Dolphins’ season finale against the New York Jets. Our buddy Jerry Greene reports on his blog that the last quarter of the Dolphins-Jets game — the only part of the game the NFL would allow Local 6 to show in Orlando — was the top-rated show of the week. Not the top-rated game — the top-rated show … the thing that was watched by more people in the Orlando TV market than anything else!

Jerry reports, “It got a 13.6 rating (more than 190,000 households) and a 22 percent share of the sets in use.” And he rightly asks, “What kind of numbers would the entire game have produced?”

As any long-suffering Dolphins fan can tell you, the Jacksonville Jaguars claim the Orlando market as part of their territory. And, WKMG is forced to show all Jaguars road games broadcast by CBS and home games that sell out. This wouldn’t be so bad if there actually were Jaguars fans in Orlando — or at least in the neighborhood of the number of Dolphins fans.

Perhaps the latest TV numbers will help convince the NFL to remove the Jaguars’ claws from O-Town territory … but my guess is don’t bet on it.

» Read more: Duh, NFL! Dolphins-Jets top Orlando TV ratings

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Posted in Orlando TV, WKMG-6

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Cabrera leaves WESH, Garofalo and Longo come to town

December 30th, 2008

It’s been a good, long while since I’ve blogged about anything. Buy my resolution for 2009 is to write more — so I’m getting an early start. Here’s some of the stuff that’s been going on recently in O-Town’s TV Land …

Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera has left WESH. Cabrera’s agent, Rob Jordan, told Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker, “He signed a confidentiality agreement and is not commenting. It was all very amicable.” According to Boedeker, WESH space reporter Dan Billow — who has a meteorology degree — may be helping out with the weather now that Channel 2 is down to just four mets. Cabrera had been with WESH since May 2006, but what’s next for him? Well, he is doing voiceover work. He has a Web site where you can hear some of his samples.

Is Bob Frier getting pushed out at WKMG? We hope not, but it sure looks suspicious over at Local 6. The station has brought in Mike Garofalo from KOAT in Albuquerque to anchor the 4 and 6 p.m. newscasts with Jacqueline London. Frier will now co-anchor the 5 and 11 p.m. shows with London, and Garofalo will report for the 11 p.m. show. There is an O-Town connection with Garofalo. Back in New Mexico, working with Garofalo at KOAT was former WOFL-Fox 35 anchor Shelly Ribando.

Do you realize that as we head into 2009, the only news director who started 2008 with an O-Town station and is finishing the year is WFTV’s Bob Jordan? Bob Longo at WESH is the newest ND in town, coming from WTAE in Pittsburgh to replace Barb Maushard, who took a corporate job with Hearst-Argyle. WOFL-Fox 35 brought in Gavin Maliska in November to replace Bob Clinkingbeard, and in February WKMG hired Steve Hyvonen from WEWS in Cleveland in replace Susan Forbes.

 

» Read more: Cabrera leaves WESH, Garofalo and Longo come to town

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Posted in Orlando TV, WESH-2, WFTV-9, WKMG-6, WOFL-35

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Fox 35 hires Maliska as new news director

November 7th, 2008

 Here’s your Friday Fast Five:

Gavin Maliska is the new news director for WOFL-Fox 35, according to NewsBlues. Maliska comes from Tribune-owned Fox affiliate WXIN in Indianapolis, where he was the ND. His Fox-heavy background includes being the deuce at WJBK in Detroit and managing editor at WFLD in Chicago. He also was managing editor for an internet sports company, and he was formerly the deputy business editor at the Chicago Sun-Times (got to like those newspaper guys!). …

Good news for Maliska is that the also-ran station he’s arriving to lead didn’t finish last in Tuesday night’s election coverage. According to Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker, WFTV led the local ratings race with an 11.1 rating, followed by WESH (8 rating), CNN (7), Fox News Channel (6.7), MSNBC (4.6), WOFL (3.8) and — ouch! — WKMG (3.8). That placed Local 6 ahead of only Central Florida News 13′s 1.9 rating. …

WKMG sports anchor “Ping” — aka David Pingalore — is playing sports instead of covering it this week. He’s playing as an amateur in Disney’s Children Miracle Network Classic tournament that started Thursday. According to the Sentinel’s Josh Robbins, Ping played college golf at Jacksonville University, lettering during the 1993-94 academic year.  “Just being out here on the driving range now, I feel the adrenaline,” Pingalore said before the event. “But I can only imagine Thursday. It’ll be the equivalent of six Mountain Dews.” Ping shot a 65 on the par 72 course and was tied for 51st place among the amateurs after the first round. Click here for the leaderboard. …

Don Smith is leaving WESH’s creative servics department to head West to Salt Lake City for a similar role with the ABC/CW duppoly. Smith came KHOU to WESH back in 2005, ane he helped change the station’s on-air look with some memorable campaigns. And he likes barbecue, so you know he’s a good guy. …

And finally, Andy Fisher — former general sales manager at WFTV — is retiring his post as president of Cox Television. Fisher has been with Cox for 24 years and he has been the company’s president since 2001.  Cox, of course, owns Channel 9.

 

» Read more: Fox 35 hires Maliska as new news director

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Posted in Orlando TV, WFTV-9, WKMG-6

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Too many hugs for Casey Anthony? That’s what local stations say

November 3rd, 2008

Orlando’s local TV stations are so obsessed over Casey Anthony – especially now that it’s sweeps – maybe they just all need a hug? Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker takes the local stations to task for overplaying a story about Anthony attorney Jose Baez hugging Casey twice while in jail.

Boedeker wrote: “No way, Jose,” WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Bob Opsahl said in opening the 5 p.m. Friday news. “Now hugs have him in trouble.” Anchor Martie Salt added: “Lawyers are never supposed to touch their clients, especially like this.” It was all rather breathless.

Meanwhile, WKMG’s Tony Pipitone has been trying to trace Anthony’s movements via her cell phone records and checking into movies she rented before Casey disappeared.

» Read more: Too many hugs for Casey Anthony? That’s what local stations say

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Posted in Orlando TV, Public Broadcasting, WFTV-9, WKMG-6

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Quick hits: WESH’s Share Your Christmas, and paying for Casey coverage

October 24th, 2008
 
Four Friday quick hits to end the work week:

  • With the economy being in the tank, WESH’s annual Share Your Christmas takes on added importance. The drive is already under way in its planning stages. The station has posted a list of needed items and is listing where the drop-off points will be during its collection drive, Dec. 8-12. The station is also looking for volunteers. To get the full scoop, click here and help.
  • If we’ve learned anything from the Caylee Anthony coverage, it’s that network news isn’t as pure as we might like to believe. National blogs have reported that the Anthony family received $200,000 from ABC for its 20/20 episode about the missing toddler. NBC shelled out a reported $5,000 this week for George and Cindy to appear in New York  » Read more: Quick hits: WESH’s Share Your Christmas, and paying for Casey coverage

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Posted in Orlando TV, WESH-2, WFTV-9, WKMG-6

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