Florida has 106 full-power television stations today, and many more channels when you consider their digital offerings. It’s a far cry from what the FCC envisioned for the Sunshine State in the early days of television.
WKCF-18
Another news channel for Orlando cable TV?
Between lots of travel for business (and some for pleasure), I’m playing catchup with the latest Orlando TV news… Interesting — and unconfirmed — rumor passed on by a tipster: Bright House may be getting ready to add its Tampa Bay news channel, Bay News 9, to its Orlando channel lineup that already includes Central…
CW18 locks up Maury, Springer, Wilkos
If you’re a fan of Maury Povich, Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos, you’ll be happy to hear this news. Hearst Television, parent of Orlando’s WKCF, has signed a deal to keep the talk shows on CW18 though the 2014 season. According to TVNewsCheck.com, “For the 2009-10 season Maury posted a 2.0 rating up 11% in households…
May sweeps: WFTV, CBS big winners in Orlando
Just as predictable as afternoon thunderstorms in the summer: WFTV and CBS were the big winners in Orlando in the just-completed May sweeps. The juggernaut that is Channel 9’s Eyewitness News showed no signs of weakness. WFTV’s newscasts won in all time periods — morning, noon, evening and night. According to results in the Orlando…
WKCF-CW 18 named CW’s top affiliate
What’s the station the CW Network wishes all of its affiliates would be like? Well, just turn on Orlando’s WKCF-CW 18 and find out. The station announced Thursday that it received the APEX Award from The CW for being the network’s “Model Affiliate of the Year.” According to the press release, “The Model Affiliate is the highest…
Sabrina Fein leaves Fox 35; WESH adds more Aixa Diaz
A couple of changes to report on the local news scene… WOFL-Fox 35 meteorologist/traffic reporter Sabrina Fein — declared by some to be the “hottest” woman on Orlando TV — has left O-Town. Posting on her Facebook fan page on May 19, Fein wrote, “For all of you that are wondering and asking, I have…
Not a fan of WFTV’s new weather channel
Some quick thoughts on recent Orlando TV News: Put me down as not a fan of WFTV’s revamped weather channel, 9.2. Sure, Severe Weather Center 9 has forecasts, temperatures and a radar — but just give me the radar. The former 9.2 had the live WFTV radar almost 24-7 — and in HD — making…
Early-bird WESH adds 4:30 a.m. newscast
WESH on Tuesday began airing an additional half hour of morning news, starting at 4:30 a.m. “We are always looking for opportunities to serve the local news and weather needs of our viewers at times that are both convenient and valuable to them,” WESH GM Jim Carter said in a news release. “We saw that need in…
Health care debate: Is Oz better than Phil?
Some interesting news, considering WKMG’s schedule shuffle that replaced its early evening newscasts with Dr. Phil … Local 6’s Post-Newsweek sister station, KPRC in Houston, has yanked Dr. Phil from its schedule — replacing the doc’s show with another doc — Dr. Oz. Here’s what Broadcasting and Cable reported: KPRC decided to remove Dr. Phil from its…
Estrella now set to launch Monday on WKCF
The debut of O-Town’s newest Spanish-language offering has been pushed to Sept. 14. Back in July, WESH-2, WKCF-CW 18 and parent Hearst Television announced a partnership with Liberman Broadcasting to offer its Estrella TV to Central Florida viewers on WKCF’s digital sub-channel 18.3. The original start date was sometime in in mid-August; now Estrella will go live on…