Why not bring out the crystal ball and make some predictions for the new year? OK, glad you asked. Here are 11 predictions for 2011:
- Barbara West will return to Orlando TV. (As she made clear in her final comments on air, it wasn’t her idea to leave WFTV. Some area station will hire her.)
- WESH moves ahead of WFTV in the evening ratings after Oprah leaves. (WESH finished ahead of WFTV at 5 p.m. in December and has been slowly closing the gap. Once WFTV loses the Oprah advantage, look for 2 News to overtake Eyewitness News.)
- WKMG abandons 7 p.m. news, goes with a half hour newscast at 6 p.m. (Nice try, but the audience that wants local news at that hour probably won’t justify the newscast. Plus, just to spite you Local 6, WFTV will launch at 7 p.m. newscast on WRDQ to end any momentum you might gain.)
- At least one Orlando TV station changes owners. (Once the economy improves, someone will want to get out of broadcasting and someone will want to get in.)
- Another station will join Fox 35 and drop sports coverage. (Most likley what will happen is that a local station will outsource its sports news to Bright House Sports Network.)
- Bright House will combine operations for Bay News 9 and Central Florida News 13. (OK, maybe a longshot here, but seems to make sense.)
- Bob Opsahl will retire. (The WFTV anchor legend can’t be expected hang around forever. Time for him to go out on top.)
- Some station will be smart enough to broadcast the Casey Anthony trial in its entirety on its digital sub channel. (Duh!)
- WFTV will launch its own 24 hour news/weather channel on its digital sub channel. (Have you seen News 13’s ratings? They are getting better. With digital subchannel WFTV-9.3 just sitting there with a test pattern, why not try the same news-wheel format that has been successful for 13.)
- WKMG will finally go HD for its newscasts. (I believe it’s the only Post-Newsweek station that hasn’t gone HD. I suppose they will finally take the plunge — if they intend to stay in the news business.)
- At least two Orlando TV news directors will be shown the door. (Sad but true fact of life in television — the minute you are hired, the clock starts on when you will be fired.)
I would not exactly bet the mortgage on all of those predictions, but I suspect more than half come true. Add yours in the comments area