Come July, you’ll see a new face weekends on the WFTV Eyewitness News anchor desk. But could he ultimately be Bob Opshal’s replacement? The newcomer is Josh Benson, who is currently morning anchor at KVOA-NBC 4 in Tucson, Ariz. According to AZBiz.com, Benson will be leaving Arizona at the end…
Space shuttle Challenger anniversary: Video from 1986
Today, Jan. 28, marks the 24th anniversary of space shuttle Challenger’s explosion during liftoff. Just like the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks years later, the Challenger accident was one of those “where where you when it happened” moments in our history. Besides being national news, the shuttle accident as big news locally. The…
Weather forecast for WFTV: More Tom Terry
You may watch him or you may not — but you most certainly know about WFTV chief meterologist Tom Terry. The man who helped Central Floridians “hunker down” during the historic hurricane season of 2004 is going to be with Channel 9 through at least another six storm seasons. Sentinel TV…
WESH’s Claire Metz recovering after crash
Veteran WESH 2 News reporter Claire Metz gives Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker an update on her condition. She and her videographer were injured last week when a car slammed into the side of a WESH live truck in Daytona Beach. “I have four broken ribs and a broken, displaced clavicle,” Metz…
Nancy Grace is coming to Orlando
Nancy Grace, the caustic and controversial HLN talk show host, will be coming to Orlando … in the fall of 2010. Her new syndicated show, “Swift Justice with Nancy Grace,” has been cleared for 90 percent of the country, including O-Town. The show is being distributed by CBS Television Distribution….
Lose Fox on Bright House Networks? There are alternatives
The clock is ticking, and Fox is ready to pull the plug on its channels on Bright House Networks at the stroke of midnight tomorrow. Orlando attorney John Morgan took the mammoth media company to court today to try to stop it from cutting off its signals for the cable…
WKMG: Urban Meyer told Gators he had heart attack
WKMG-Local 6 sports anchor David “Ping” Pingalore said Monday evening he stands behind his Saturday report that Florida Gators Coach Urban Meyer had a heart attack during mid-season — one health reason that may have led to the coach’s decision to take an indefinite leave of absence from the team….
WFTV preparing for Bob Opsahl’s retirement
Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings and Dan Rather were iconic anchors for their networks. But Bob Opsahl has them beat. Opsahl has been anchoring the news at WFTV-Channel 9 for more than 30 years — even before Rather, Brokaw or Jennings took over the lead roles on their network newscasts. Granted,…
A new look for Central Florida News 13
Last week, Central Florida News 13 introduced updated graphics and music. Have to say, they both are a big improvement — and the biggest changes the 24-hour cable channel has made to its on-air appearance since starting in 1997. The graphics are bold, but the colors are softer. The familiar jingles…
WESH pioneer Nick Pfeifauf dies
Former WESH 2 pioneer Nick Pfeifauf, 77, died last week after having a heart attack. Pfeifauf was the anchor for WESH news when I first started watching Central Florida television back in the 1970s. According to WESH.com, Pfeifauf worked as news anchor, news director and vice president of research and development at…