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WFOR’s President and General Manager Michael Colleran is leaving for Philly CBS affiliate KYW. He’s widely credited for the success of WFOR and Viacom hopes he’ll work his magic for KYW as well.
Colleran will be replaced by Brien Kennedy who untill now was a station manager for Palm Beaches UPN/WB affiliate WTVX.

Herald
CBS 4 tapls West Plam Beach executie as general manager

B&C
Viacom Shufles Staffers

MediaWeek
Viacom Names Two New GMs to Philly, Miami

Posted on Tue, Mar. 22, 2005

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CBS 4 taps West Palm Beach executive as general manager

BY CHRISTINA HOAG

choag@herald.com

After two years boosting ratings at WFOR-CBS 4 and WBFS-UPN 33, President and General Manager Michael Colleran has been tapped to do the same at two sister stations in Philadelphia, Viacom Television Stations Group announced Tuesday.

Colleran will be replaced by Brien Kennedy, vice president and general manager of WTVX-UPN 34, Viacom’s UPN affiliate in West Palm Beach.

Kennedy will continue to oversee WTVX. The change is effective April 4.

”Michael has done phenomenal work leading our South Florida stations,” said Fred Reynolds, president of the Viacom Television Stations Group.

“He has made what was already a strong operation even stronger as WFOR continues to lead the market in English-language programming and WBFS and WTVX grow stronger. He is a skilled and competitive broadcaster who has distinguished himself in top markets across the country.”

The Herald has a news and marketing partnership with WFOR and WBFS.

The move to Philadelphia will be a homecoming of sorts for Colleran, who will take over as president and general manager of KYW-TV (CBS) and WPSG-TV (UPN).

Originally from Scranton, Penn., Colleran worked as general sales manager at KYW from 1993 to 1997 and prior to that worked at other Philadelphia radio and TV stations. He also has family in the area.

Colleran, 59, said it was a tough decision to leave South Florida — his favorite stop of a nomadic career. ”But there’s a real opportunity for me to take [the Philadelphia stations] where they need to go,” he said.

Kennedy, a 44-year-old Maryland native, was chosen as Colleran’s successor for his competitive edge, among other reasons, Reynolds said.

”Brien has demonstrated himself to be a very talented, disciplined broadcaster who understands the South Florida market like few others,” he said. “He has been a terrific leader in building bridges between our operations in Miami and our UPN station in West Palm Beach.”

Before joining WTVX two years ago, Kennedy occupied top posts at NBC affiliates in Phoenix and Altanta. He previously worked at CBS stations in Greensboro, N.C., and Washington, D.C.

”It’ll be impossible to fill Michael’s shoes,” Kennedy said. “But I plan to continue to build on the momentum he’s put in place.”

Kennedy plans to move to the Miami-area when the school year ends.

Colleran, meanwhile, is not leaving South Florida definitively. ”I just purchased a second home in Coral Gables,” he said. “I’m totally, madly in love with Miami. I’ll never leave.”

You read it here first, nobody has that scoop yet, at last I can let the cat out of the bag. I have it on good ear that WSCV-T51’s very popuplar morning weather guy Felipe Ferro has been hired as 7News’ chief meteorologist. His last day at Telemundo 51 will be April 1st and he begins at WSVN by May. Me thinks before May sweeps begin he’ll be on the air.

That means. Johnston is going back to doing weekend evening news. And our favorite hottie, JOnathan Novak will be stuck with Saturday mornings, and ocassionally filling in for any of the other three mets.

Thanks J

Ed Ansin owner of Sunbeam TV the parent company of WSVN and Boston NBC affliate WHDH is one of two new south floridians who made it on Forbes’ billionare list. Sunbeam is estimated to pull around $220 million dollars a year and both WSVN and WHDH are valued at over $1,000,000,000.

Sun Sentinel
In the money: Number of billionares grows to 691