In and Out

It will be a odd day at your favorite TV website Today. 

This morning I am attempting to qualify for the United States Golf Association Mid-Amature which will be held in October in Alabama. 

That means a very early wakeup call this morning.

After our round FTVLive will be back in the World Headquarters and updating you on the latest news about TV news.

As we said last week, August is a very slow month. FTVLive is planning on taking a day or two off later this week, before settling in for the Fall.

We have taken one day off in the last 200 days, so I think you can understand why we could use a little R&R. 

See you back on here later Today.  

Right now..... FORE!  

That Didn't Last Long

3 weeks ago, FTVLive told you that WDBJ News Director Dan Dennison was being replaced, but was staying on at the station as a feature reporter.

At the time WDBJ GM Jeff Marks said that Dennison's new gig was making him the "reporter of the future." 

Well if he's the reporter of the future, Today's reporters might want to live in the past. Dennison has left the station after just a few weeks into his new reporting gig.  

“Dan changed his mind about the reporting role and has elected to move on,” Marks wrote in an email. “We are all grateful to him for the work he did to elevate the production and content of our newscasts.”

Dennison shed little light on the reason for his departure.

“I’m proud of the accomplishments made by the WDBJ7 team during my tenure at the station,” Dennison said in a statement he emailed to The Roanoke Times. “This includes many product improvements, as evidenced by consistent ratings growth, and recently in recognition from broadcast industry peers, in the form of three regional Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award for overall news excellence.”

Chicago Anchor Headed to the Big Apple

Word is that WFLD morning Anchor Kori Chambers will soon be packing his bags for the Big Apple. 

Rumor is that Chambers is going to the struggling WPIX in New York.  He is expected to anchor the morning show with Sukanya Krishnan.

Stay tuned...  

Memo from The Boss

New NBC News President Deborah Turness has wrapped up her third week on the job and she likes what she sees so far.

Turness sent a memo to the staff congratulating them on "a great week."

She was particularly happy with the Today Show and the job they did last week. 

Here's the memo to the troops: 

Dear All,  

I wanted to send a short note of thanks at the end of a great week for NBC News. A huge amount of enterprise and hard work by so many people meant that we won the biggest prizes of the week, and produced some outstanding added-value reporting. It's impossible to capture all the good work, but I wanted to pick out a few highlights. 

The Hannah Anderson exclusive was a major coup and delivered first for the Today show, then our digital platforms and Nightly News......right through to last night's Dateline that used the interview and other content to create a compelling narrative and a great film. 

The Bradley Manning "Chelsea" bombshell was another Today show exclusive that was picked up on every other news outlet. NBCNews.com teamed up with Today to offer smart spin-off coverage on Manning's bid to change gender.

And as One Direction were warming up for their Plaza spectacular in front of record crowds, Nancy Kerrigan broke her silence on the Today show after years away from the spotlight raising her kids.

What a week for Matt Zimmerman and what a week for the Today show.

The horrific events in Syria were brought home through Richard Engel's powerful reports. Richard was able to Skype an eyewitness as the story broke and yesterday we heard for the first time from a doctor who had treated the victims via Ann Curry's Skype interview. Ann was also first to break the depressing story that one million Syrian children have now been displaced by the war.

As fires rage across large swaths of the US we were not content to film at a distance. We got up close to the teams fighting the fires both on the ground and in the air, producing truly distinctive coverage that stood out from what others were offering. Miguel Almaguer's tireless team were supported by Al Henkel who walked for hours carrying heavy kit to send back his content. And Miguel's spectacular Yosemite into-camera on last night's Nightly News is well worth a look if you missed it.

Meet The Press was number one last Sunday. Tomorrow we look forward to the archive re-run of a 50 year old episode of the show featuring MLK which was a great idea from Rob Yarin.

And of course our #dreamday project is underway, with a range of contributions already in - including the Dalai Lama! We look forward to sharing them with our audiences on Wednesday.

There are so many more stories and names I could mention. It has been a week when so much ambition, enterprise and imagination have lifted our shows.

Thanks to everyone who worked to make it all happen.

Deborah

So Much for the Liberal Media

Former Seattle TV anchor Susan Hutchison has been elected chair of the Washington State Republican Party.

Hutchison who anchored for years at KIRO defeated the interim GOP chair, Luanne Van Werven, in a runoff vote after two other candidates were eliminated at the party’s meeting in Spokane on Saturday.

Hutchison ran unsuccessfully for King County Executive in 2009, downplaying her Republican ties.

On Saturday, she pledged to breathe new life into a state Republican Party that has suffered stinging election defeats.

Hutchison said the party is “nearly broke,” has a “useless” website and a get-out-the-vote operation that is spotty in some places and ineffective in others.

H/T Spokesman Review

Time for the Top 5

Here's a look at the Top 5 most read stories on FTVLive in the past week. 

Let's start the countdown: 

No. 5 -  This is Starting to Get Ugly

No. 4 -  The ABC O&O Layoffs Have Started

No. 3 -  Ed Schultz Back To Weekdays on MSNBC

No. 2 -  New App to Help Integrate Twitter in Live Broadcast

And the most read story this past week was: Sources: NBC Backing Away from Clinton Miniseries 

Former Reporter Arrested in Murder for Hire Plot

Former WJHL (Johnson City, Tennessee) Thomas Kenneth “T.K.” Owens has been busted by police in a murder for hire plot.

Owens was arrested after he met up with the hit man at a sports bar and paid him $500 as down payment to kill his uncle, Ernest "Ernie" Widby. According to the TBI, Owens brought a picture of the intended victim and the victim's home address. That's when law enforcement got involved and arrested Owens after the payment was made.

"If somebody is willing to start spending money, or provide a gun, or extensive details on how to do this. It's pretty serious," said Carter County Sheriff, Chris Mathes. "I'll say in my opinion...Mr. Owens is a disturbed individual."

Mathes said an informant came to the sheriff’s office with information that Owens was looking to pay someone to kill Widby. That led to a meeting in Johnson City where Owens connected with another individual — who was working undercover for the operation — and handed over $500 as a down payment for the $2,500 hit.

This isn't the only legal trouble the former reporter faces. Owens is also facing a Carter County Criminal Court charge of solicitation of a minor. He was arrested May 31, 2011, after a 7-year-old girl’s mother told officials that Owens had invited her into his apartment to get a “twisty tie” ring he made.

The girl told her mother Owens gave her the ring and asked for a hug. After she hugged him, she said he unzipped his pants and exposed himself to her and asked her if she wanted to perform an inappropriate act. The girl told Owens she had to go home to finish her chores. She then ran home. 

The case is still pending, with the latest hearing set for Oct. 3. 

Owens also unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2012.

Between the murder for hire and the solicitation of a minor, seems like he would have made a perfect Senator.

New ND Named in Sacramento

Ed Chapuis is returning to Sacramento as News Director. 

Chapuis spent 11 years at number one KCRA, now he's headed across the street to KTXL.

“We are fortunate that Ed was available.  Ed spent the past 10 years leading the top rated news at KTVU, the FOX station in San Francisco.  Before that, he spent 11 years at KCRA.  His experience and tenure at #1 ranked stations in both the Bay Area and, more importantly, here in Sacramento will prove to be invaluable for our station,” said Jerry Del Core, VP and General Manager KTXL FOX40/Antenna TV.  “He will take FOX40 to new heights.”

“I’m excited about joining FOX40 with its strong news tradition of innovation, creativity and story-telling,” Chapuis said.  “I’ve watched and admired KTXL for years and know it has an exceptionally strong news team.  I’m looking forward to working with them.”

He starts his new gig at KTXL on Monday.  

Lauer on Top of Anchor Salaries

TV Guide has come out with their kist of how much TV stars are paid.  

Jon Stewart rakes in close to $30 million bucks but is still far behind Judge Judy who pulls down $47 million a year.

Turning to TV news, Ann Curry Executioner Matt Lauer sits at the top of the chart.

Here is a look at what some other TV newsies are pulling down: 

Matt Lauer (NBC): $22-25 million

Rachel Maddow (MSNBC): $7 million

Megyn Kelly (Fox News Channel): $6 million

Scott Pelley (CBS): $5 million

Chris Cuomo (CNN): $2.5 million 

H/T TV Guide  

Anchor Loses It While Interviewing Grumpy Cat

An Anchor for the Today Show Australia interviewed Grump Cat and while it wasn't all that funny, the anchor found it hilarious.

Man Sues WBRE

A man that owns a Gold Exchange place is suing WBRE (Wilkes-Barre) claiming the station said he was a "scam artist." 

Tim Shadle says he is filing a defamation suit against WBRE's parent company Nexstar Broadcasting Group, reporter Laurie Monteforte, news director Jim DePury, and anchors Candice Kelly and Drew Speier.

Shadle t that the station falsely portrayed him as a "scam artist" following his arrest on charges relating to his failure to renew his license to sell precious metals.

H/T Citizen's Voice  

FBI Picks Up DC Reporter on Phone Tap

WUSA Reporter Bruce Johnson has found out that he was picked up on an FBI wiretap of now-disgraced DC Councilman Michael Brown.

Federal prosecutors informed our Johnson that he -- and many other people -- had their communications picked up on FBI wiretaps. 

"I'm not going to be surprised if I call someone at some point in the near future and they say 'I can't talk to you because the FBI might be listening,' said Johnson, laughing through his very real concern. "Bottom line, of course it's unsettling when you get a call saying the FBI has heard part of your conversation in the course of you doing your job."

The US Attorney's Office emailed Johnson that while tapping Brown's phone, "wire and/or electronic communications to or from your telephone were intercepted." "They won't tell me when the phone call was made," says Johnson. "They won't say how long the phone call was, they won't say the nature of the conversation."

Justice Department rules do offer journalists a little extra protection if they are the target of a wiretap but in this case, it was Brown they were after. 

"My question is, I'm a journalist. I'm asking the same questions they're asking. So how to they categorize my conversation with Michael Brown. I want to know about the investigation. I want to know about the charges, same as the FBI and every other reporter. So why wouldn't they listen to my phone conversation?"

Bill Miller, spokesman for US Attorney Ron Machen, says at the time of the wiretap no one outside his office and the FBI knew about the investigation.

Months later, Brown pleaded guilty to tens of thousands of dollars in bribes handed over in bundles and stuffed into coffee mugs.

H/T WUSA

Cincy Anchor Turns Down Contract Offer

After 14 years, WXIX Anchor Sheila Gray is signing off from the station Today.  

Gray is leaving after turning down the station's latest contract offer.  

WXIX-TV General Manager Bill Lanesey says that Fox 19 wanted to retain Gray, but she turned down a multi-year contract with a pay raise and opted to leave when her contract expires tomorrow.

“We feel we made a very fair offer for her to stay with us for multiple years, which did not include a reduction in pay. She even told me that she felt it was a very fair offer,  but she said it was in the best interest for her and her career to leave,” Lanesey told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Now word on where she is headed, but speculation is she could pop up across the street after sitting out a non-compete. 

Stay tuned...

Headed to Houston

Back on May 14th FTVLive told you that XETV (San Diego) Feature Reporter Ruben Galvan took up 7 minutes of the station's morning newscast Yesterday to tell viewers he was leaving.

Well, now we know where he is headed.  

After 10 years in SoCal, Galvan is headed to KPRC in Houston.  

"I'm so THRILLED to be joining KPRC and reporting back in my hometown of Houston," Galvan told mikemcguff.com. "This town has a whole lot to offer and I can't wait to feature some of the most amazing people and attractions... so get ready for take off! My first day on air is Monday, August 26."