NBC Makes it Official

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NBC News has made it official, Deborah Turness is the new President of NBC News. ​

Turness was running ITV News but will take over at NBC News in August.​

"It is quite simply the greatest imaginable honor to be named as the next president of NBC News. I am hugely excited by the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to working with the talented journalists and technicians who make it one of the great global news operations. I owe so much to ITN for nearly 25 fabulous years of adventures and challenges. It has been a huge privilege to be the editor of ITV News, and to work alongside such a wonderful team of motivated, brave and loyal people," Turness said in a statement. 

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Chicago Anchor Headed for the Exits?

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FTVLive was the FIRST to tell you on Friday that WBBM in Chicago had parted ways with morning Anchor Susan Carlson.

With still 3 days left in the very important May ratings, the station kicked Carlson to the curb. ​The station has yet to make any official announcement about Carlson leaving. 

But, that might not even be close to the biggest Anchor change at the CBS O&O.​

Sources tell FTVLive that WBBM has started a quiet search to replace ​primary anchor Rob Johnson.

One source tells FTVLive that Johnson will be leaving the station in the very near future and the hunt for a replacement is one.​

No word yet if Johnson is leaving the station voluntarily or forcibly, but either way it is a blow to the station that continues to struggle in the ratings.

Johnson came to WBBM in August 2006 from WLS-TV where he worked since 1998 as weekend anchor and reporter.

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St. Louis Anchor's Facebook Page is Gone

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St. Louis Anchor's Facebook Page is Gone

Yesterday (yes we updates 7 days a week) FTVLIve told you that St. Louis Anchor Larry Connors had been barred by the station from posting on Facebook.​

Now, his Facebook page has disappeared all together. ​

Connors made some waves last week when he claimed on his Facebook page that he became a target of the IRS after his interview with President Obama.

Connors then admitted that his IRS trouble started before the interview with the President.

Connors was taken off the air, but the station stopped short of calling it a suspension (even though that is exactly what ii is).

Connors who has become a figure for the right wing for calling out Obama and then facing heat for the move has hired an attorney. ​The attorney claims that the company has barred Connors from posting on Facebook or talking about the incident.

There is no doubt that there's now some bad blood between Connors and ​KMOV parent company BELO. 

More after the jump.   
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LA Anchors Appear on Price is Right

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LA Anchors Appear on Price is Right

As far as sweeps stunt ago, this one was fairly low.

Last Friday, KCBS main anchors Pat Harvey and Paul Magers appeared on The Price as Right.   

​The Anchor duo was not on the air as contestants, but as "models" helping shill the products for The Price is Right showcase.

It was cringe worthy as you watched the Anchors of the CBS O&O in the number 2 market whore themselves out for a sweeps stunt.​

Some ​newsroom staffers tell FTVLive that they think Magers and Harvey should've put their foot down on this sweeps promotion and refused to do it.

The video that promises to make any Journalist's skin crawl after the jump.  

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Flower Show Loses Big $$$ and Blames TV Weather Anchors

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Flower Show Loses Big $$$ and Blames TV Weather Anchors

A flower show in ​Pennsylvania lost a bunch of money and they are putting the blaming on the TV weather anchors for costing them. 

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society usually makes about $1 million in profits from the Philadelphia Flower Show.

But not this year.

The 2013 show actually fell short about $1.2 million. PHS president Drew Becher is now scrambling to cut costs - and to raise $1 million for programs and $200,000 for Flower Show expenses from PHS members and an insurance policy.

For all this, he blames local TV weather Anchors and their hype for the financial mess. 

More after the skip.   
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NBC Pressuring Ann Curry to "Get" Angelina Jolie

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NBC Pressuring Ann Curry to "Get" Angelina Jolie

Word is that the brass at NBC wants Ann Curry to land an interview with her friend Angelina Jolie.

Jolie made news when she announced that she secretly had a double mastectomy, 

Now according to Radar Online, the news division chiefs at the Peacock want Curry to capitalize on that close relationship and “convince her to give her first television interview about the procedure,” said one source.

The network is prepared to offer the Academy Award-winning actress a two-hour, primetime special for the interview, along with airtime on Today, the insider added.

“Ann would be prominently featured in all of the promotions and publicity if Angelina agreed to do it,” the source said.

More after the jump.   ​

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Anderson Cooper Gets Fake Gay Married on SNL

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Anderson Cooper Gets Fake Gay Married on SNL

We're fairly sure that Walter Cronkite flipped over one more time on Saturday night.​

On NBC's Saturday Night Live, it was cast member Bill Hader's last show. Which means there will be no more weekly updates from "Stefon", the flamboyant New York City nightlife correspondent on Weekend Update.

In his final appearance, try not to get choked up as Stefon finally finds the strength to get away from Seth Meyers and go marry a man who deserves him: Anderson Cooper (who appears as himself).

The video after the leap.  ​


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Move Over Anderson...Here comes Charlie

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Move Over Anderson...Here comes Charlie

It's hard not to turn on your TV and not see Anderson Cooper. ​

He has his show on CNN, is also on 60 minutes, has his own talk show (sort of, it's been canceled) and even is popping up as a character ​on The Simpsons. There is no doubt, Cooper gets a lot of exposure on TV.

Well look out Anderson, because here comes Charlie Rose!​

What the CBS Morning Show Anchor is up to after the bounce.  ​

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Bumped up in Lex

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Staring Today longtime Lexington news anchor Jennifer Palumbo will begin leading a 4 p.m. weekday newscast on WKYT in addition to anchoring the 10 p.m. newscast on sister channel WDKY.

Palumbo got her start at WYMT in 1994, and then moved to WKYT, where she worked her way up from weekend producer to weekday anchor. She took a break from the business in 2005, returning in 2007 for the launch of Fox 56 Morning Edition. For the past four years, she has anchored the 10 p.m. news.

H/T Kentucky.com

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St. Louis Anchor Barred from Facebook

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St. Louis Anchor Larry Connors has been barred from posting on Facebook according to his attorney. ​

Last week, Connors claimed on his Facebook page that he became a target of the IRS after his interview with President Obama.​

Connors then admitted that his IRS trouble started before the interview with the President.​

KMOV has taken Connors off the air but the station stopped short of calling it a suspension (even though that is exactly what ii is). BELO the parent company of KMOV felt that Connors crossed the line in his post on the social media website.

“As a news anchor, he owes a duty to our viewers to report in an unbiased manner. His Facebook post and his Twitter posts, as a result, were inappropriate. And we don’t condone personal posts that jeopardize the journalistic nature of our business. It’s really that simple, ” said BELO's Mike Valentine.

Since Connors has been off the air, he has not posted on Facebook and has hired and attorney. ​

The attorney claims that the company has barred Connors from posting on Facebook or talking about the incident. The lawyer sent out this statement: ​

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The Top 5 Most Read Stories on FTVLive This Week

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So what are the stories that you guys found most interesting on FTVLive this past week. Here are the Top 5 most read stories from the week.​

No. 5 -​ Dallas Anchor has Been Served in Lawsuit

No. 4 -​ F-Bomb Anchor Now Tending Bar

No. 3 -​ NY Anchor Tweets Racy Message on Twitter By Mistake

No. 2 - Hoda and Kathie Lee Talking about FTVLive

And the No. 1 most read story on FTVLive last week was: ​Not Sure We'll see Scott Pelley Do that

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60 Minutes Goes Through Michael Jackson’s Stuff

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60 Minutes Goes Through Michael Jackson’s Stuff

​The King of Pop died nearly a half-billion dollars in debt — but he squirreled away quite a lucrative legacy.

A lifetime of Michael Jackson’s most treasured possessions are gathering dust inside five massive California warehouses, each one about 20,000 square feet.

Among the items is the sequined glove he wore on the “Billie Jean” tour, worth an estimated $80,000.

The storage spaces are chock-full of Jackson memorabilia — including a 1983 Grammy for best vocals on “Billie Jean” — and private gifts from celebrity friends, according to “60 Minutes,” which will air its private tour of one warehouse Sunday.

​More after the jump.  

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Chicago Anchor Gone from CBS O&O

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In a head shaking move, WBBM in Chicago has parted ways with their morning anchor,while still in the all important May sweeps.​

Susan Carlson who has been at the station for 11 years is out.  Her bio scrubbed from station's website.​

Carlson anchored the CBS O&O's Morning News at 4:30 AM, 5:00 AM, and 6:00 AM. She spent five years at the station working six days a week.

Now she is gone and no replacement has been named.​

Stay tuned on this one. ​

St. Louis Anchor off the Air After IRS Tax Claims

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FTVLive reported the story that KMOV (St. Louis) Anchor Larry Connors claimed they he was a target of the IRS after he did an interview with President Obama.

It appears that the anchor may have left out a tiny little detail...like the fact that his IRS troubles started well before he did the interview with the President.​

Oops!​

Now, Connors has been taken off the air. The station isn't calling it a suspension but instead he is going “take a few days off”.​

​After his post, Connors went on the air with a brief explanation of his post. He didn't exactly apologize, but he did admit that his troubles with the IRS actually started years prior to his 2012 interview with President Obama.

Connors may or may not have ticked off the President, but he most certainly pissed off BELO, the company that owns his station.​

“Any issue he has with the IRS are personal issues. They have nothing to do with our television station KMOV or him as a journalist,” Mike Valentine, vice president for content at Belo.

So while the station is not saying that Connors has been suspended....he totally has been. 

In this Case a Tie is a Win

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Don't count the Today Show out just yet.​

The NBC morning show tied No. 1 ABC's Good Morning America in the demos.​

For the week of May 6-12, NBC's “Today” posted a 1.8 rating in the key demo A25-54 tying with GMA.

​This was “Today’s” best delivery in the demo since February 13, 2013. Year-to-date, “Today” has narrowed the gap with GMA by 52% (51,000) versus the prior season-to-date average.

If used to be that the Today Show was so solidly at Number 1 that a tie with GMA would be a disaster. But, the time have changed and it this case, NBC is looking as the tie as a win.