Tag Archives: WKMG-6

Recent RogerSimmons.com Orlando TV News reports involving WKMG-Channel 6, the CBS affiliate for Central Florida. The station calls its newscasts Local 6 News. Channel 6 was the first TV station in Orlando and has previously used the call letters WDBO-TV (Way Down By Orlando) and WCPX

WKMG employee arrested in sex sting

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A production technician at WKMG has been arrested as part of an Internet sex string. Christian Rodriguez-Torres, 19, was among 28 caught in the Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s latest operation targeting men wanting to have sex with under-age girls.

Detectives, posing as 13-and-14-year-old girls, lured suspects from Internet chat rooms to a rented house in Polk County. The men — which also included three Disney workers and two UCF students — were arrested over four days after they arrived at the undercover home.

WKMG-TV General Manager Henry Maldonado said, "These charges are severe and we are shocked that one of our employees was involved. The employee was suspended. Local 6, of course will aggressively report on the arrests and continuing investigation."

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CO poisoning sends 6 photog to hospital

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Scott Schroeder, a photographer for WKMG, suffered severe carbon monoxide poisoning inside a Local 6 live truck earlier this week while on assignment in Cocoa Beach. NewsBlues.com reports that Schroeder was found sitting upright in the front seat, passed out and foaming from the mouth. The truck’s CO alarm was sounding. The reporter with the crew called 911, and when fire department investigators arrived they found carbon monoxide levels in the vehicle were "off the chart." Schroeder — who fire officials said was lucky he didn’t die or suffer brain damage — was later released from the hospital and was resting at home.

For longtime market watchers, the incident was eerily similar to what happened in 1992 to then-Channel 6 reporter Shepard Smith. Now a Fox News Channel anchor, Smith was rushed to the hospital after he was found passed out from carbon monoxide fumes inside a Channel 6 news van. Smith had been editing for about two minutes inside the aging van when he collapsed. Photographer Chris Kennedy got Smith out of the van and called for help.

Station management at the time cited the poor condition of the news vehicle, saying there were expecting a replacement soon and didn’t want to bother fixing any problems with it.

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Changes keep coming at Local 6

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Lots of personnel moves happening at WKMG.

First, morning anchor Jacquie Sosa — who was supposed to return from maternity leave on Monday — was told her contract had not been renewed. She’s not expected to appear on the air again at the station, according to an insider. Sosa’s original co-anchor in the morning was Mark McEwen, who suffered a stroke in 2005.

Main sports anchor Todd Lewis signed off for the last time during Tuesday’s 6 p.m. show. His contract was not renewed either. Lewis had been with WKMG since 1997, first as weekend sports guy, then morning news guy and back to sports as the main weekday anchor. No word on his replacement — if there will be one. WKMG has cut back on its sports coverage, canceling its longtime Sunday night highlight show. Holding down the sports fort is weekend sports anchor Lee Goldberg. When Ryan Baker left as WKMG in 2003, Goldberg worked an incredible 59 consecutive days covering all the sports shifts while before the station moved Lewis into the main sports seat.

And an insider at WKMG says reporter Samantha Knapp has told staff that she’s out of at the end of this month. She reportedly has been working month to month without a contract.

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Local 6′s cookie caper: Here’s the tape

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I had a post Wednesday about listening to Local 6′s 6 p.m. show on my car radio Tuesday and hearing a bizarre exchange between anchors Bob Frier and Jacqueline London. During a report about Girl Scout cookies, London got smacked with a box of cookies. It was all an accident and left everyone laughing — and no one injured. I had several people provide copies of the video, and you can click here to see what happened.

Now, don’t think Frier is a cookie monster. It was an accident, albeit a funny one. He said in an e-mail that the mishap was "a shoe-in to headline this year’s blooper tape." He continued, "I’ve made co-anchors laugh with ad-libs before but nothing like THAT has happened to me … I think what stands out about it is that Jackie laughed so hard. She’s such a pro… and takes great care to always be professional on the air… to have her dissolve into tears of laughter was what made it so funny for me."

London said, "I just couldn’t believe it happened, and that I couldn’t stop laughing. I love sitting next to Bob and that definitely hasn’t changed. I just may wear a helmet from now on. Just kidding!"

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Guetzloe’s supporter strikes back at WKMG

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Local 6 has been riding Tony Pipitone’s "The Guetzloe Files" as its showcase sweeps series this month. Now, a supporter of the political consultant is trying to get back at the station.

She has created a Web site called www.boycottlocal6.com. The domain name was registered on Feb. 18. The woman who created it, Cheryl, said she’s trying to set it up and encouraged me to talk to Doug Guetzloe.

On the site, there are links to other sites that discuss invasion of privacy by the media. Also included is a message board, including a message by Guetzloe himself. Posted on Feb. 25, Guetzloe writes, "The Tony Pipitone attacks have continued unabated with misinformation; distortions fake information; innuendo; clever editing and down right lies." Guetzloe encourages his supporters to e-mail Local 6 in support of him.

The site, while called boycottlocal6.com, doesn’t really come out and ask people to boycott the station. It also plays up that Guetzloe is going to sue the station for invasion of privacy, but it doesn’t mention any possible slander suits over the content of Pipitone’s reports on the political gadfly.

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Time for a lot of local TV goodbyes

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Goodbye, Sports Jam. The WKMG Sunday night sports highlight show is apparently getting the ax. According to a Local 6 insider, a memo was circulated saying the 10-plus-year-old show will end after its Sunday, March 4 broadcast. As you may know, WKMG is not renewing the contract of sports anchor Todd Lewis – and now with Sports Jam being canceled, I think sports fans can see the writing on the wall about the future of sports on the station. And if you can’t see that writing, how about this, from the memo that went to the staff from News Director Susan Forbes: "As many of you know, we are reviewing our sports franchise with the goal of focusing and redefining it for our viewers. It is our belief that the strengths of our franchises belong in our newscasts and that we keep our resources focused on our main product."

Goodbye, Jim and Wendy. With all the anchor shuffling going on at WESH, the latest casualties are Jim Payne and Wendy Chioji. Oh, and Sally Schulze. And Tom Schaad, too. No, they’re not going off the air — only off the building. The massive posters of the WESH anchors on the station’s tower next to I-4 are expected to come down this week, making way for new CW 18 branding now that WESH owns WKCF.

Goodbye, Jim Van Fleet? We’re hoping this isn’t a goodbye, but WOFL is advertising for a morning weather guy. That job is currently filled by singing weatherman Jim Van Fleet. I haven’t been able to track anything down on this but perhaps Van Fleet wants to focus on his growing county music career. Or — again, pure speculation on my part — with WOFL adding an 11 p.m. show, maybe Fox 35 is moving Van Fleet to Fox at 5 so Glenn Richards can do the 10 and 11 p.m. shows? Stay tuned.

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