Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Local 6's cookie caper: Here's the tape
 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!"
Labels: WKMG Local 6
Guetzloe's supporter strikes back at WKMG
 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. Labels: Guetzloe files, WKMG Local 6
Monday, February 26, 2007
Time for a lot of local TV goodbyes
 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.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Local 6 wins appeal to air Guetzloe files
A week later than planned, WKMG on Monday night was able to air a report relating to "The Guetzloe Files." Those are the documents that once belonged to political consultant Doug Guetzloe -- files handed over to Local 6's Tony Pipitone from a man who bought them from a storage facility after Guetzloe didn't pay his bill. Guetzloe went to court to block the story -- and succeeded until WKMG won an appeal on Monday. So, after all the hub-bub, what did the files show? That Guetzloe accepted money from Casselberry strip clubs to try to keep anti-strip club commissioners from being elected in the city. Guetzloe has denied ever accepting such money -- but Pipitone produced the canceled checks to prove it and an interview with a strip club owner who confirmed the whole thing. More to come, we're told. ...
Congrats to a former O-Town TV couple on their latest production. Kim Dean, formerly of WKMG, and Penn Holderness, the former Fox 35 sports guy, are the proud parents of Lola Zelle, their first child. She was born last Wednesday. Dean now works for Inside Edition and Holderness for HGTV. Details here ...
NewsBlues.com reports that Kirsten Wolff, longtime executive producer at Hearst-Argyle's KCRA-3 in Sacramento, and her husband Frank, assignment manager at the station, are coming East to H-A sister station WESH. Kirsten will become assistant ND -- a position held not too long ago at WESH by Anzio Williams, who was just named ND at KCRA. It's a small world after all. ...
WFTV held a tornado recovery effort over the weekend and is seeking to help prevent future storm-related tragedies. It's working with Publix to make weather alert radios available for $29.99. WFTV even has a video on its site from chief met Tom Terry showing how to properly set the radios for storm alarms.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
6 may not get to show Guetzloe's files
If you've watched Channel 6 during the past two weeks, you couldn't have missed the promos for Tony Pipitone's report about what's in the personal files of political activist Doug Guetzloe.
Since the station obtained the files, it's been the most-hyped sweeps story -- and it's supposed to air on Monday's 11 p.m. newscast. But it may not happen.
An Orange County judge is barring the station from airing any of the material it obtained from the personal files of Guetzloe, according to the Orlando Sentinel. WKMG plans to appeal the decision. "I’m confident we’ll prevail, and I’m confident the First Amendment will prevail," Local 6 GM Henry Maldonado said.
So, will the report air? You'll have to tune in at 11 -- which is just what WKMG wanted all along, files or no files. Labels: Guetzloe files
Stations deliver with storm coverage
 All of the area media outlets did an outstanding job with coverage of Friday's deadly tornadoes. They alerted viewers overnight about the tornado warnings and then went wall to wall with more than 12 hours of coverage of the storms' destruction.
Even before their regularly scheduled 5 a.m. newscasts Friday, the meteorologists at WESH, WKMG and WFTV were providing weather cut-ins before and after midnight. All those stations stayed with coverage from 5 a.m. through 6:30 p.m. WOFL-Fox 35 was also in storm-coverage mode, but returned to regular programming long before the other Big 3 did. CFN 13 also did well providing coverage during its regular 24-hour news schedule. WESH not only pre-empted programming on Channel 2 for storm coverage, but also ran its news for hours on sister station WKCF-CW 18. Much of WESH's coverage was also broadcast on MSNBC, and CNN was taking feeds from WESH, WFTV and WKMG. WESH and WKMG closed out Friday night with extended editions of their 11 p.m. newscasts.
iVillage Live gets renewed through 2008
 iVillage Live!, the daily NBC-Universal TV show based at Islands of Adventure, has been given a green light through June 2008. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the 10 NBC O&O stations that have been airing the show since it began in December are apparently pleased enough with its performance to extend their relationship with the program. And, another two TV stations are picking it up -- in Seattle and Oklahoma City.
The show is broadcast live from Islands each Monday-Friday from noon to 1 p.m. If you want free tickets to attend a show, call 1-866-448-5360 or e-mail a request to ivillagelivetickets@nbcuni.com.
At home with the news (from 1982)
Thursday, February 1, 2007
6 scratches Lewis from sports lineup
 WKMG main sports anchor Todd Lewis will be leaving Local 6 at the end of March, when his contract with the station expires. It is not being renewed.
Local 6 GM Henry Maldonado told the Sentinel's Scott Maxwell that the decision to part ways with Lewis was mutual. Others say the move was not that unexpected. Still, Lewis hopes to remain in the area. "I love Central Florida," Lewis told Maxwell. "So I'm going to make every effort to keep my life here." Who will replace Lewis has yet to be announced. The logical choice would seem to be No. 2 sports guy Lee Goldberg. He was bypassed for the top sports job 3 years ago when Ryan Baker left. At that time, the station decided to bring Lewis back to the sports desk after he had been moved to mornings as news anchor. Lewis' replacement will join a growing list of new sports directors in Central Florida. WFTV (Zack Klein in for Dan Hellie) and WESH (Guy Rawlings in for Pat Clarke) have also changed their main sports guys within the past several months. Labels: WKMG Local 6
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