New ND Named at Providence Station

WLNE has tapped Nicole Moye to be the station's new news director.

Moye comes from WPMT Harrisburg, Pa., where she was assistant news director, and previously was news director at KOHD Bend, Ore. Moye also held a producer post at KRON San Francisco, Calif. She succeeds Robert Rockstroh, who resigned in July.

"Nicole has over 20 years of experience in local broadcast news as a producer and news director," said Chris Tzianabos, VP and general manager. "I am confident that she is the ideal person to continue to build on WLNE's recent success and bring us to the next level in making this station a competitor in the TV market."

She starts the new job Today. 

H/T B&C

Alert The Media...We're Taking A Day Off

After 196 straight days of work (more than 6 months) FTVLive is going to take a day off. 

Yep, we have updated this site everyday since February 4th. But Today there likely will not be any updates. 

As anyone that has worked in TV News longer than 10 minutes knows, August is the slowest news month of the year. Why do you think Brian Williams picked this time to have his knee replaced?

FTVLive has been macking it hard for almost 200 straight days and we have a busy day planned with some personal stuff we need to get done. 

We plan on taking off maybe one or two days more this month and then we'll try and go another 6 months without a day off.  

If you really miss us and want to show your appreciation you can always Click here and Support FTVLive.

Thanks for making our first 196 days as a free site a bigger success than we ever even imagined.  

You guys truly are the best.

By the way, since we are taking a day off, we want you to know it's OK if you want to take the day off as well. Go ahead and tell your boss that we have approved your time off.  

See you back here on Wednesday. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. 

Thanks
Scott

Chicago Station Names New Anchor

FTVLive has learned that Jeff Herndon is the new late news anchor at WFLD in Chicago.

He is replacing Bob Sirott who is leaving to do a radio show with his wife. Herndon is coming from KAKE in Wichita. 

He has been at KAKE since 2004 and was the sports anchor at one time before moving over to news.  

The staff was told of the announcement today, Herndon starts at the Fox owned station on  Oct 1st.
 

Ed Schultz Back To Weekdays on MSNBC

When MSNBC demoted Ed Schultz to weekends, Schultz swore up and down it wasn't a demotion and that he wanted a lighter workload. 

Well, now MSNBC is moving Schultz back to a Weekday slot, so we're guessing that Schultz no longer wants a "lighter workload." 

In other words, he was full of crap. back then.

MSNBC is in full panic mode and they have come to realize that Chris Matthews is losing his luster.

So cable news network that doesn't like to cover news is pulling the plug on one of Matthews' weeknight shows and replacing him with the guy they had demoted to weekends (are you following me here?). 

MSNBC is trying to spin it their way, but the bottom line is it does not bode well for Matthews. 

Sources: NBC Backing Away from Clinton Miniseries

You know that Hillary Clinton miniseries that has the RNC all up and arms and people at NBC News all worried? 

Well it is more than likely not going to hit the air at NBC. 

NBC sources tell FTVLive that the NBC suits have figured the Clinton miniseries " just isn't worth it."

Word is that NBC is going to let it quietly go away without saying a word. 

NBC does not want to make it look like the RNC or their own news people "got their way," so the project will likely die in the "in development" stage.

One NBC source told FTVLive that the miniseries has gone from a 90% "go" to more like a a 60% "No go." 

"They just want it to quietly die before it ever goes into production," said our NBC source. 

If people keep asking about, NBC might be compelled to make the miniseries so they don't look like they caved to demands of the RNC.  

Stay tuned... 

Hasselbeck is Pissed at Babs

Word is that Elisabeth Hasselbeck was not very happy when she watched the girls from "The View" say goodbye to Joy Behar.

Behar got a star studded send off and it was a far cry from the "few minutes" that Hasselbeck got to say goodbye to the show.  

Word is that the now Fox News employee is not happy with Barbara Walters or the rest of "the View cast after they fawned all over Behar on her last day.

The other thing that has Hasselbeck seeing red is that Walters did not even invite her back to say her goodbye to Behar on her last show. 

Ouch! 

Just When you Thought it was Safe....

Just when you thought your TV might be Olbermann free....he's back.

Al Jazerra America Launches Tuesday and then next Monday, Keith Olbermann launches his new show on his old network ESPN.  

Here's a sneak peak of Olbermann doing some rehearsals and he gets into old groove of doing sports highlights once again.

FTVLive is still hoping that somehow Olby will name us his "worst person in the world"

We can dream can't we?  

TV Anchor and Crime Fighter

One Jacksonville Anchor might start wearing a cape as he also fights crime.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says that WTLV Anchor Phil Amato helped nab a armed burglary suspect.

Amato explained that he was driving home from breakfast in his pick-up truck earlier this week when he spotted the suspect fleeing from the officer on foot.

"The suspect ran out from between two houses and I just happened to be right there," Amato said.

The suspect jumped in the back of Amato's pick-up truck, giving Officer Blanton enough time to catch up and make the arrest.

"He might have thought I was a getaway vehicle or something," Amato said.

The JSO posted photos of the arrest and Amato and Blanton shaking hands and giving a thumbs-up with Amato's truck visible in the background. 

"Thank you both for a job well done," was the message posted to the JSO's Facebook page. 

H/T WJCT

Longtime News Director Pens Crime Drama (Sponsored)

Our old buddy and longtime News Director Forrest Carr has a new book out and it is a great read. Forrest writes a "buddy cop" crime drama using TV news as the hook. It is well worth the read and you can download the book off Amazon at a great price. 

Forrest contacted FTVLive about placing an ad on our site. We are currently sold out of ad space, but because we liked his book and thought TV news people would as well, we decided to give Forrest some space here with our first ever sponsored content. Here's more about the book:

"In the crazy, cutthroat world of TV news, sometimes the only thing worse than missing the big story, is getting it."

Messages, the new novel by TV news veteran and textbook author Forrest Carr, is now available for the Kindle and Kindle reading apps.   Messages follows three friends as they embark on television news careers at the height of the golden age of local TV journalism.  In their search for Truth, Justice, and Ratings, they'll risk it all.  And before it's all over, one of them will be fighting for his job, another will be fighting for his sanity, and the third will be fighting for his very life.

"Messages is sort of a 'buddy cop' crime drama," Carr said, "featuring reporters instead of police officers.  It tells a captivating story, but also sheds a rare light on a bygone era of TV news, a time that put the industry on the path to become what it is today – for better or worse.  Most popular works of fiction dealing with TV news have focused exclusively on big-city and network operations, which are very different from the medium-to-small stations where most Americans get their local news.  Messages gives readers unique, sometimes hilarious, and often surprising insights into a process that's central to the American way of life."

Messages is available for download on Amazon.com.  Search "Messages by Forrest Carr" or follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECK0DBK

Watch Out Pam!

It's only preseason, but Fox Sports Sideline Reporter Pam Olver is in mid season form:

All Hands on Desk Meeting Called in Fresno

As Nextar continues their plan of merging KGPE and KSEE into one station, they called a mandatory meeting for the staff.

At the meeting the station will unveil it's plans for "branding, positioning and differentiating the CBS47 and KSEE24 news product."

In other words, they'll talk about how crews will be working for two stations and doing more work, for the same amount of money as they make now. 

Here's the internal memo: 

From: Matt Rosenfeld <MRosenfeld@ksee.com>
Date: August 15, 2013, 8:43:06 PM PDT
To: Staff - KSEE <Staff-KSEE@nexstar.tv>, Staff - KGPE <Staff-KGPE@nexstar.tv>
Subject: Mandatory News and Promotion Staff Meeting:  News Branding & Strategy Overview

Next Wednesday, August 21st, there will be a mandatory meeting for All Fresno News and Promotion staff.  This includes all anchors, reporters, producers, photographers, assignment desk, editors, and everyone in the combined CBS47/KSEE24 Creative Services Department.  If you have questions about whether or not you should attend, ask Chad McCollum, Matt Damore or me.

The meeting will being promptly at 1:00pm in the NEW CBS47 Studio at 5035 E. McKinley Ave.  Please be prompt as we will start immediately at 1:00pm.  Nexstar Corporate including Brian Jones and Jerry Walsh will be present for the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is to detail our strategy for branding, positioning and differentiating the CBS47 and KSEE24 news product.  We will also outline the latest timelines for construction, training, rehearsals, etc.

This meeting is mandatory for all shifts.  If you have a conflict that cannot be moved, please discuss with your department head.

Matthew A. Rosenfeld
Vice President/General Manager

Headed from Here to Over There

Adams Broadcast Consulting reports the following client news:

Elizabeth Hughes joins KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi as an MMJ.

Mike LaCrosse moves up 61 markets to WLNE-TV in Providence as an MMJ from WGGB-TV in Springfield, Mass.

Trevor Thompson jumps 86 markets from Bakersfield to KSNV-TV in Las Vegas where he is a morning reporter.

Elizabeth, Mike and Trevor are represented by Dana Adams.  Adams Broadcast Consulting is a full service boutique agency.  Visit ABC on the web at www.adamsconsulting.tv.

Gotta Watch Those "Serial Butt Stabbers"

All we can say is, watch your ass! 

Back to TV News

Longtime KCRA (Sacramento) Anchor Walt Gray left TV news behind to try his hand as a radio DJ. 

Not long into that gig, he was sacked when the radio station had a round of layoffs. The day he was fired, he started trying to get back into TV news.

And now he has.  

Gray is headed to Sacramento's KXTV.

He will anchor KXTVs Saturday and Sunday 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. newscasts and handle multiple journalistic chores that include breaking news, investigative pieces and features.

He will take over his new duties on Sept. 6.

"News10 is the station on the rise," Gray said. "I'm a critical viewer of local news, and Channel 10 has consistently impressed me with its newsgathering and unique and effective style. I want to be a part of that."

H/T Modesto Bee

Cleveland Reporter Headed to the Big D

Reporter Jennifer Lindgren has signed off at WKYC in Cleveland, with her next stop being Dallas, Texas.

Lindgren is headed KTVT.

She spent the last 3 years in Cleveland working as a multimedia journalist.

Lindgren move to the Big D is a homecoming of sorts. She attended the University of Texas.

Here is the message Lindgren posted on her Facebook page: 

"It's hard to believe, but this Friday will be my last day at Channel 3 News. 

That shiny thing you may have seen on my left hand is indeed a ring. I'm getting married to my longtime beau and moving to Dallas, Texas, which has always been home for us. 

I've accepted a reporter job at KTVT CBS 11 News, so if you've got friends or family in the area, tell them to tune in! 

It is incredibly hard to leave Northeast Ohio, and especially Channel 3. In the last three years, I've made many wonderful friends through work, and I truly love Cleveland--a place that I've seen grow with life. 

I'll miss the seasons, the restaurants, the parks, the lake, the Browns, the Indians, the museums, the wineries, the markets, the history, the snowy holidays and the cool summers. Cleveland is gem many people around the country don't take the time to know, and I promise to leave here as its best ambassador!

Sometimes you just gotta look at the big picture though, and for me that means getting back to my family down south. 

Thank you everyone for so warmly accepting me into this town and community. If you want to stay in touch, this page isn't going anywhere! I'll still be on Facebook and Twitter."