Catching up on Orlando TV news after being busy Christmas shopping … Former WESH anchor Wendy Chioji has reunited with former Channel 2 colleagues Marc Middleton and Bill Shafer on their Growing Bolder television venture. She’s joining the show for its second season on public television. She was at the show’s Maitland headquarters recently to…
Skip Valet
Mike Garofalo leaves Local 6; Erik von Ancken on desk
In the summer of surprising changes at WKMG Local 6 continued Tuesday with word that main 6 and 11 p.m. anchor Mike Garofalo has left the station. This switch “started with Mike’s decision,” WKMG GM Skip Valet told Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker. Garofalo was married in October to a reporter at Post-Newsweek sister station…
WKMG anchor duties change for London, Rowe, Diaz
Something is up at WKMG — and it’s not the ratings. That’s one likely reason the station is playing musical anchors. GM Skip Valet told the Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker that morning anchor Lauren Rowe will now anchor the 11 p.m. newscast — displacing Jacqueline London, who will still anchor at 6 p.m. Moving into Rowe’s…
News 13 jumps out of news-sharing pool
It didn’t take long for Orlando’s news pool to spring a leak. The Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker reports that Central Florida News 13 has left the news-sharing pool that also included WKMG-Local 6 and WOFL-Fox 35. “I don’t think it’s as beneficial to our organization as we hoped,” News 13 GM Robin Smythe told Boedeker. “We’re…
Shake up at WKMG: Layoffs, newscasts shuffled
Thursday was a sad day for those at WKMG-Local 6. Hit hard by the sagging revenue and sagging ratings, the CBS affiliate reportedly laid off 20 staffers and canceled its 4, 5 and 5:30 newscasts. Starting Monday, WKMG will air Dr. Phil from 5 to 6 p.m. and an hourlong newscast from 6 to 7…
New GM hints of changes at Local 6
Former Local 6 news director Skip Valet returned to WKMG last week as its new general manager. He’s replacing retiring GM Henry Maldonado — and it sounds like he’s ready to get to work to push WKMG out of the ratings cellar. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Valet said, “I don’t think a great newscast…
Weekend A.M. News Off WKMG
You now have one fewer choice for weekend morning news. WKMG has pulled the plug on its weekend First News shows, with the last one airing this past Sunday morning. WKMG started the weekend morning newscasts three years ago, with Steven Cooper anchoring and Michele Cimino reporting the weather. When the shows debuted in April…