WESH-2 weekend meteorologist Malachi Rodgers looks like he’ll finally have some weekends off. NewsBlues.com reports Rodgers is heading home to South Carolina to be the new weekday morning meteorologist on WSPA-CBS 7 in Spartanburg. According to his bio on WESH.com, Rodgers’ hometown is Jonesville, S.C. He was “formerly a meteorologist at WIS-TV, WACH-TV, and WOLO-TV…
News 13
Lisa Bell joins WKMG, Jayme King to Fox 35 and Jim Van Fleet starts job
Some personnel moves for a couple of Orlando TV news stations … Former News 13 morning anchor Lisa Bell is coming back to Orlando TV news. In January, she’ll be a reporter and occasional anchor on WKMG-Local 6. “She will report for the 5, 6 and 7 p.m. news and fill in as anchor wherever…
Orlando TV news anchor Scott Harris passes away
Word came this morning that longtime Orlando TV news anchor Scott Harris had passed away. He was 64 and had been battling kidney cancer. “Scott died peacefully this morning at Hospice of the Comforter,” News 13 General Manager Robin Smythe told the Orlando Sentinel. Harris, whose real name was Vincent McGough, started at WESH-Channel 2…
Veteran Orlando TV news anchor Scott Harris in hospice care
Anchor/reporter Scott Harris, a familiar face to Orlando TV news watchers since the 1970s, is now in hospice care. David Waters, Harris’ former colleague at Central Florida News 13, posted this update Saturday on Facebook: “For friends of Scott Harris, stop by if you are up to it. His family is moved by all the…
News 13 to start mornings with Marla Weech
Central Florida News 13 announced Monday that Orlando TV news veteran Marla Weech is now the anchor for Your Morning News. Weech, who has been on Orlando TV since the 1980s on channels 6 and 9, joined News 13 earlier this year. “I can’t think of a better person than Marla to help Central Florida…
News 13: Viewers alerted station about ‘finger’ guy
Central Florida News 13 says it was its viewers who first noticed Matthew Bartlett’s “middle finger of affection” — as Judge Belvin Perry called it — during the Casey Anthony trial. Bartlett, the 28-year-old restaurant server, admitted in court that he flipped a bird at prosecutor Jeff Ashton. But Ashton didn’t see the incident —…
Casey Anthony trial TV turns R-rated with finger, F-bombs
If the Casey Anthony trial were a motion picture, the action over the past two days would earn an R rating. Unlike Wednesday, there were no F-bombs spoken on Thursday — but the bird was the word. A local restaurant server flipped a bird at prosecutor Jeff Ashton. If you weren’t looking, you probably would…
Casey Anthony trial outdraws NBA Finals in Orlando
Interesting tidbit about Orlando TV ratings for the Casey Anthony trial, courtesy of TVNewser.com… “Bob Jordan, news director of ABC affiliate WFTV, tells TVNewser more people watched the trial on his station as well as on Fox O&O WOFL and cable station CFN13 combined, than watched the Miami Heat – Dallas Mavericks NBA playoff game…
Changes afoot at Bright House’s News 13
Wow — I need to go buy a lottery ticket. Just a day after I made my 2011 predictions for the Orlando TV market — looks like one has come true — and another may be about to. I received this communication Tuesday afternoon: “CFN13 just laid off news director Sean McNamara. The general manager,…
Former Orlando newsers talk about O-Town days
Orlando Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker catches up with a group of O-Town TV alumni, asking about their days covering the news in Orlando. The roster includes CBS News’ Byron Pitts (1986-88 at WESH), CNN’s Jessica Yellin (1998-2000 at News 13), ABC News’ Deborah Roberts (1997-90 at WFTV), CBS News’ Wyatt Andrews (1977-79 at WFTV)…