WFOR’s lead co-anchor of the 5, 6 and 11pm news Rob Hanrahan is facing trial for DUI. According to the Miami Herald he was stopped on October 12th on US 1 for speeding, the cop said he smelled alcohol in the car and asked Hanrahan if he had been drinking, Hanrahan said he hadn’t. When the DUI task force showed up Hanrahan told them he was taking prescription drugs for depression
Miami Herald
Heading for court
Erica Pino. No idea where she comes from.
She’s nice and pretty and smiles a lot, and doesn’t know a lot about weather, and reads from the teleprompter.
Video at 6pm
Update:
She’s a freelancer (won’t be permanently at 7) according to an “insider” at 7 who just emailed me, and “she doesnt read from the telepromter”. Coulda fooled me but what do I know. The person also says that “no she doesnt know weather very well”.
Video link - 7.5MB XviD
Whent the Bill Kamal story broke everyone rushed to gripe how they weren’t seeing anyting on WSVN’s website forgetting the fact that the site is usually the last one to get updated, if at all sometimes for days, when anything happens. On Monday however it was a different story, the arrest was mentioned on the 12pm newscast with the one sentence message issued by station executives. Then at 5pm and 5:30pm they teased the story for an upcoming full report at 6pm. The same report re-aired at 10pm, Im not sure about the 11pm newscast I was watching “The Daily Show” at that time. Then of course on Tuesday they mentioned Kamal’s arraignment and showed him being led in handcuffs. And that was it, nothing else has been mentioned after that. In my opinion they handled it pretty well, without any fanfare or hype.
Today however there’s this in the Sun Sentinel “Any scandal will do for Channel 7″ of course blasting the station for running with the story in a “seemingly endless loop”. Endless loop? Could that be because their news ARE on an endless loop with 9 1/2 hours of it every day? And if they didn’t show the story “just like they show other people” the same Sun Sentinel will be screaming their eyeballs out why they’re shoving it under the carpet. 7News mentioned nothing of Kamal’s DUI arrest last year.
As expected of course there’s no mention that other stations like WPLG for example had the story on, WTVJ did too. The video is even on their website. But of course there’s no criticism of them running on an endless loop. And how could it be when your newspaper is in bed with the station, or maybe it’s because WTVJ are dead last in the ratings and nobody watches them except for their 11pm newscast thanks to NBC’s programing.
Sun Sentinel
Any scandal will do for Channel 7
Bravo has announced their new spin off from “Queer Eye for the straight guy”, “Queer Eye for the Straight Girl” which will debut sometimes in 2005.
No detalis on whether lesbians will be making over straight girls. Hopefull by 2006 they’ll have “Queer eye for the gay guy” some of us “bad gays” with no style need saving too 
Yahoo news
‘Queer Eye’ Spins Off Show for Women
Settled. No sex tapes exposed. At least for now, untill someone steals them, but we all know you don’t settle if you know you’re not guilty unless there’s evidence pointing otherwise
San Francisco Gate
Bill O’Reilly, plaintiff in harassment case agree to settle legal dispute
It looks like the Japan earthquakes have awaken the Vrancha mountain in Romania, Bulgaria and surrounding countries were just rattled by powerful 5.5 earthquake at 11:36pm (4:36pm EST). No damagest are reported but people are leaving their apartment buildings for their out-of-town villas to spend the night
In 1977 massive 6.0 on the Richter scale rattled Bulgaria’s northern part bringing large apartment buildings down with massive casualties
Sofia News Agency
Mighty Night Quake Awakes Bulgaria
Tom Haynes has been oficially promoted to co-anchor with Lynn Martinez the weekday 5:30 and 6:30pm newscast and also be a main-fill in anchor for Craig Stevens when he’s off.
He’s vacating his 5-7am seat and the considered replacements are Richard Lemus or Charles Billi.
The recently departed Delaine Mathieu has been replaced by Diana Diaz who was promiced the early mornings job after her brief stint on Deco Drive
Update:
Just got a tip from one of the insiders - Richard Lemus is Tom Haynes’ replacement in the mornings, Charles Billi is the new weekend nights anchor replacing Charles Perez
WFLX- FOX29 the FOX affiliate for Palm Beach County is taping it’s newscast and airs them later in the evening when the sports games are over. Which isn’t really a big deal if they don’t bill themselves as being LIVE.
He goes by the name of Jason, and appeared on FOX’s now tanked show Forever Eden, and he also has been lucky enough to get fotographed by my boss in ways that would probably get you fired …. up and off from your job if you saw the pics. Im trying to get the full spread AND video and it’s going to land right here on this site if they allow me to have them. So curious ones keep checking 
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday asked a U.S. magistrate not to set bail for Bill Kamal, saying that the former WSVN weatherman charged with child enticement is a danger to the community.
Miami Herald
No bail sought for TV’s Kamal in sex case
10/27 Update:
WPLG - Local10.com
Judge Denies Bond For TV Weatherman
SunSentinel
Fired Channel 7 meteorologist awaits hearing on bail
The nominees for the 2004 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards have been announced.
Here are our local station nominee list: Continue reading ‘Local Emmy nominees announced’
The bad news just don’t seem to end.
Laurie Jennings had gone into premature labor on Monday and sadly the three babies were lost 
Visit WPLG’s website if you’d like to send her a message - click here
Shannon High-Bassalik has been named vice president of news operations for WFOR (CBS4) and WBFS (UPN33) in Miami.
Also Viacom has announced plans to buy two low-power South Florida stations in the West Palm Beach area. Those are WTCN and WWHB. WWHB is an affiliate for Mexico’s Azteca America which means that Viacom just entered the local spanish TV market and it could be competing directly with Telemundo and Univision.
With the aquisition of the two stations, there are now 5 Viacom-owned stations in South Florida - WFOR-CBS4, WBFS-UPN33, WTVX-UPN34 (West Palm Beach market), WTCn and WWHB
Miami Herald
Viacom buys in Stuart, West Palm
Viacom buys two small TV stations in South Florida region
Viacom buys in Stuart, West PalmBY CHRISTINA HOAG
choag@herald.com
The Viacom Television Stations Group has agreed to acquire two low-power stations, bringing the company’s total number of regional channels to five.
Under the agreement, the media giant would purchase WTCN-TV 15 in Stuart and WWHB-TV 43 in West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce from American Netcom and American Netcom-WWHB. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Federal Communications Commission approval of the deal is pending.
”This was something that happened very quickly,” said Michael Colleran, president and general manager of Viacom’s South Florida stations, which include WFOR-CBS 4 and WBFS-UPN 33 in Miami and WTVX-UPN/WB 34 in West Palm Beach.
”It came up and we moved on it,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to further put in our stake in the ground in an incredibly growing market.”
WTCN is an independent station with programming aimed at young adults, families and children. WWHB is a Spanish-language affiliate of Azteca Ame’rica, TV Azteca of Mexico’s new network aimed at U.S. Hispanics.
”We thought getting into the Spanish-language market especially was a very good opportunity,” Colleran said. “And it gives us another station we can program.”
The two stations will fall in the bailiwick of Brian Kennedy, vice president and general manager of WTVX, who reports to Colleran. Viacom already owns 39 TV stations around the country.
The Herald has a news and marketing partnership with WFOR-CBS 4.
Viacom buys two small TV stations in South Florida region
BY CHRISTINA HOAG
choag@herald.com
Viacom Television Stations Group has agreed to acquired two low-power stations, bringing the company’s total number of regional channels to five.
Under the deal, Viacom would buy WTCN-TV 15 in Stuart and WWHB-TV 43 in West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce from American Netcom. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The deal is pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
”This was something that happened very quickly,” said Michael Colleran, president and general manager of Viacom’s South Florida stations, which include WFOR-CBS 4 and WBFS-UPN 33in Miami and WTVX-UPN/WB 34 in West Palm Beach.
“It came up and we moved on it. It gives us an opportunity to further put in our stake in the ground in an incredibly growing market.”
WTCN is an independent station with programming aimed at young adults, families and children.
WWHB is a Spanish-language affiliate of Azteca América, TV Azteca of Mexico’s new U.S. Hispanic network.
”We thought getting into the Spanish-language market especially was a very good opportunity and it gives us another station we can program,” Colleran said.
The two stations will fall in the bailiwick of Brian Kennedy, vice president and general manager of WTVX, who reports to Colleran.
The Herald has a news and marketing partnership with WFOR-CBS 4.
Viacom already owns 39 TV stations around the country.
The Daily News has engaged in several practices that suggest the tabloid’s circulation figures may be inflated, a Post investigation has revealed.
In interviews with The Post, retailers and home-delivery dealers for the News described deals and practices that could serve to artificially boost the News’ paid circulation.
… continue DAILY NEWS CIRC DEALS RAISE FLAGS
It was announced on the noon newscast, which I didn’t see, that Bill Kamal has been fired from WSVN effective immediately
Miami Herald
Popular meteorologist Bill Kamal dismissed after arrest
Update:
WSVN - 5pm newscast, tease for 6pm mentioning Bill Kamal - video
WSVN - 10pm newscast complete report - video 15MB XviD encoded
WPLG - 11pm newscast report on Bill Kamal arrest - video XviD 10MB
10/26 Update:
Miami Herald
TV’s Kamal fired after arrest
Sun Sentinel
Channel 7 meteorologist accused of soliciting 14-year-old boy, loses job
WSVN - 6pm newscast story on Bill Kamal’s arraignment in St. Lucie court - video
All out on election day
An insider reports WSVN is doing an all out blanket coverage of election day. Every available photog, anchor, reporter, engineer, producer, writer will be working. The station will have crews all over South Florida and expert analysis from the Newsplex beging at 5pm on Tuesday and continuing untill one candidate concedes the election.
I’ll be glued to the TV myself untill this thing is over and will do my best to have video on the site from 7News since they’ll be the only ones with unique “in-house” coverage and not relying on the Network provided coverage like the other stations