With Vice President Joe Biden due to visit Orlando on Wednesday, Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker revived the discussion about WFTV anchor Barbara West’s controversial interview with Biden during the 2008 campaign. Boedeker asked WFTV News Director Bob Jordan if West would cover Biden’s visit for Eyewitness News. “Just for old time’s sake? That’s a…
Tom Sorrells
Hurricane Charley anniversary telethon Thursday
WKMG broadcast fascinating recollections of Hurricane Charley — and the other storms of 2004 — on Wednesday night. Reporter Donald Forbes had a particulary moving tale of riding out the storm in Port Charlotte crouched next to a wall, finally reaching the safety of the station’s satellite truck only after the storm’s eye arrived with an…
King of Orlando TV? Tom Sorrells, of course
The Orlando Sentinel’s fun summer online contest, the Orlando Celebrity Smackdown, has its championship match up. The winner among all the local television personalities is WKMG chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells. He reached the finals by knocking out fellow Channel 6 weatherman Eric Wilson in opening round, then dispatching Fox 35 morning meteorologist Jim Van Fleet in…
Orlando Magazine readers pick TV favorites
The fine readers of Orlando Magazine have once again selected the choices for “Best of Orlando” in a number of categories. Alas, RogerSimmons.com didn’t place among best local Web sites this time, but here are the results for the television categories: Best Local TV Station: (1) WFTV-Channel 9, (2) WESH-Channel 2, (3) WOFL-Channel 35 Best TV News…
WKMG’s Tom Sorrells and ‘the most important story I’ve ever done’
WKMG is living up to its “Local” 6 moniker Wednesday night, taking an hour of prime time to focus on something that impacts Central Floridians nearly every day: Lightning. “Lightning Strikes,” which airs at 8 p.m., is a program that looks how we cope with living in one of the world’s lightning hot spots. “We do stories…
WESH anchors keep rolling in Celebrity Smackdown game
The WESH duo of Jim Payne and Martha Sugalski dispatched WKMG’s main anchors to move into the third round of OrlandoSentinel.com’s Celebrity Smackdown game. Also advancing to face the Channel 2 Cinderellas — the anchors of WFTV’s top-rated Daybreak show, Greg Warmoth and Vanessa Echols. Earlier, Payne and Sugalski upset WFTV evening anchors Bob Opsahl…
Demos leaving WFTV/WRDQ for Miami
Some news nuggets for you, even if you aren’t headed back to school today… WFTV/WRDQ anchor Cynthia Demos is heading to Miami after five years in O-Town, NewsBlues.com reports. Where’s she headed in Miami? The station that seems to be filling up former O-Town folks — CBS O&O WFOR. … We all know…
WKMG’s new look is a little familiar
WKMG unveiled its new set — as well as new graphics, news music and a new weather center on Tuesday. The Local 6 Big Picture Weather Center is out — in is the Storm Tracking Center. But a couple of people have noticed this new WKMG weather center looks a lot like another one here…
Local 6 Puts Forecast First
How important is the weather in Central Florida? That’s like asking if Disney World is a popular tourist spot. The local importance — even perhaps obsession — with weather here hasn’t gone unnoticed by the folks at WKMG. I noticed this week the station now starts its 5 p.m. newscast with "Forecast First"…