Monthly Archive for February, 2008Page 2 of 3

13 SFOX tations Fined By the FCC, WSVN Wants Refund!

13 FOX affiliates were fined today $7000 each because they aired an episode of FOX’s Married by America, in 2003, that contained 10.5 seconds pixilated boobies and ass! Yes, pixilated indecency, a new one courtesy of the ever watchful FCC! And it only took them 5 years to reach a decision, but they had to, the statue of limitations on indecency is 5 years!

According to the FCC merely pixilating the special areas of the female body was not sufficient to keep them from being patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards. Operative words being “community standards” which are used in the more raunchy pornography cases and which differ from place to place (hence why such cases are tried in conservative areas to have a bigger chance of scoring a conviction).

Originally the FCC fined 169 FOX stations but then wound up watering down their punishment to just a handful of tv stations that were the only ones to receive complaints from viewers. WTVT in Tampa, Florida

SunbeamTV, owners of WSVN, paid the fine but since they received no complaints are now asking for a refund:

Respondents raise multiple arguments, each of which is discussed below. Generally, they
assert that the subject episode of “Married By America” is not actionably indecent under the
Commission’s prevailing indecency standard.

One respondent, Sunbeam Television Corporation, licensee of Station WSVN(TV), Miami, Florida, paid its
forfeiture in full, subject to the outcome of the Commission’s final action with respect to the FOX/Affiliates
Consolidated Response

In response to the NAL, Sunbeam, licensee of Station WSVN(TV), Miami, Florida, tendered
a check made payable to the Commission in the amount of $7,000, subject to final agency action with
respect to the FOX/Affiliates Consolidated Response. Having determined that the NAL should be
canceled as to all licensees against which no specific complaint was filed, including Sunbeam, Sunbeam
may file appropriate documents requesting a refund of the amount it tendered

Meanwhile, in a state far far away outraged “family” organizations heard the news and had a collective orgasm.

FCC Forfeiture Order /PDF/

WSJ.com -
FCC Rejects Appeal by Fox on Reality-TV Indecency Complaint
Reuters-
Thirteen Fox stations fined over 2003 reality show
BroadcastingCable.com -
FCC Fines 13 Fox Stations for 2003 Episode of Married by America - 2/22/2008
Tampa Bay Business Journal -
‘Married By America’ broadcast lands fine on WTVT

Fired CNN Producer is former WTVJ/WSVN/WPLG-er


The fired for blogging CNN producer Chez Pazienza has a South Florida connection by way of ending up working at WSVN (1992-1995) as producer and executive producer after his band fell apart. He also worked at WTVJ (aug 1997-april 2000) as a producer .//* also worked at WPLG as EP

He describes himself as “wise-ass who doesn’t mind being an occasional nuisance to authority figures.” Which instantly makes us like him so so much.

If you haven’t read his post about his firing from CNN, and you are a news junkie (hopefully if you’re on this site) or are in the news business in some capacity, you should read it.

Deus Ex Malcontent: Say What You Will (Requiem for a TV News Career)

some notables:

At first they repeated the line about not writing anything outside of CNN without permission, but HR then made a surprising comment: “It’s also, you know, the nature of what you’ve been writing.”

I watched my bosses literally stand in the middle of the newsroom and ask, “What can we do to not lead with Iraq?” — the reason being that Iraq, although an important story, wasn’t always a surefire ratings draw. I was asked to complete self-evaluations which pressed me to describe the ways in which I’d “increased shareholder value.”

I mentioned calling Jacki Schechner — so what did she tell me?

“Think about how frustrated and disillusioned most of the American Morning staff is.”

Not simply frustrated and disillusioned, but outright miserable.

And then she reminded me that in the past year-and-a-half, nearly 20 mid to high-level people have left American Morning; many of them quit with no other job to go to — they just wanted out of the business. That speaks goddamned volumes, not simply about the show but about the state of the entire profession.

Castro Resigns. CBS4.com NBC6.net CBS4.com Reports it first

It’s 03:29am and CBs4.com is the only local station site reporting Castro’s resignation as Cuba’s president. The time stamp on their report is 3:18am right now

Update: actually it’s NBC6.net reporting the news online first - published 03:04am as per their article date.

Not bad, someone at a forum I was reading posted a thread at 02:45am linking to a web site from Ghana. 7 has nothing online. 10 has a small link courtesy of CNN partnership.

Surprisingly there is no frenzy yet on TV, everyone has infomercials on!

Update: Insider says CBS4.com originally posted the Castro news at 02:57am, and had a TV report 93 minutes later at 4:30am.

DTV Coupons Now Shipping. Get yours!

Hopefully everyone knows about this by now but for those who do not - Uncle Sam will give you $80 (up to 2 $40 coupons) to buy a digital tv converter box if you have an analog TV.

Only DTV2009.gov gives the coupons out though, so do not be misled! Also, the coupons will expire within 90 days of the mailing date! So you must use them pronto.

Target, Circuit City, Wal-Mart and others will carry converter boxes
DTV2009.org -
TV Converter Box Coupon Program Website
Eligible Converter boxes -
NTIA TV Converter Box Coupon Program

News in Spanish Now on CBS4.com

Saw this while browsing CBS4.com today. It’s a (new?) news section on CBS4.com in Spanish. No idea what it says but at this time the top story on the page has something to do with Toshiba, Sony and Blu-Ray disk.

This was on posted under ‘More from CBS4.com’ on the front page

Noticias en Español
Ahora CBS4.COM le trae las noticias más importantes del sur de la Florida y el mundo, todos los días. Tenemos las noticias en su idioma. Haga Click aquí para las noticias en español

Google’s translation: Now CBS4.COM brings you the most important news in South Florida and the world, every day. We have news in their own language. Click here for the news in Spanish

CBS4.com
Noticias

WPEC VP/GM Climbs up the ranks

Not even a year on the job as WPEC CBS12’s Vice President and General Manager Diana Wilkin was promoted to president of affiliate relations for the CBS station group. Wilkin is also a veteran member of the CBS affiliates board.

MediaWeek -
Wilkin Named CBS TV President, Affil. Relations
Hollywood Reporter -
CBS names Wilkin as affil overseer
Broadcasting & Cable -
Diana Wilkin Named CBS Affiliate-Relations President

Today Show Coming to Miami Beach

On February 22nd NBC’s Today show will be at Loews Hotel on Miami Beach and they want you stop by and say hi.

So if you want to be on TV, scream a little, wave a sign get yourself to 1601 Collins Ave on February 22nd between 7am and 11am
.
NBC6.net -
TODAY Takes a Winter Break

iVillage Canceled

iVillage the TV/Internet show that was inspired, at least in part, by WTVJ’s chatty South Florida Today, has been axed because of low ratings. Last day on the air is March 28th.

Previously on FLTV:
iVillage Live - NBC project based on WTVJ 10am show ready for launch
TVWeek -
NBC Station Group Cancels ‘In the Loop’

WPBF’s New Traffic Reporter and Traffic Gadgets


Right on Valentine’s day WPBF debuted their new traffic system that I am guessing has the same jazzy maps as the ones utilised by WSVN and WPLG. Along with the new tools, News25 is also touting their new, and only in-studio traffic reporter in the market, Nathalie Pozo.

The technology that WPBF is using for their on-air and online traffic reports is from Beat The Traffic. It features 3D graphics with live traffic data coming from GPS units (driver’s GPS units?).

WPBF.com Live traffic status for Palm Beach County
WPBF Gets You Ready To Beat The Traffic
Broadcasting and Cable - Local TV’s Morning Jam

Rumor: Ratings Ultimatums for WFOR Bosses?

An anonymous tipster claiming to be speaking “on deep background” says alleges that if the current team at WFOR /the suits - ND, GM etc./ doesn’t nudge the ratings upwards by May sweeps one of the three in charge will get pink slipped. According to this tipster “most are saying that one of them won’t be there at years end…”.

/* sarcasm/ - WPLG must sucking away all the eyeballs.They’ll probably have a 30 rating at the end of sweeps this month. /* end of sarcasm*/

Dave Kartunen to Weekend Mornings

The anchor shuffle at 7 has been completed with Dave Kartunen taking over Reed Cowan’s place as the new anchor for Today in South Florida Saturday Edition /a mouthful of a name yeah/

Reed Cowan now Weekend Nights

As expected Reed Cowan takes over for Charles Billi on weekends next to Robbin Simmons.

Official - JP Hervis Joins Kristin Hoke on WPBF Weekday Mornings


The tipsters were correct. WPBF just made a formal announcement today that J.P. Hervis will be joining WPBF and Kristin Hoke on a newly expanded weekday mornings newscast from 5 to 7am.

His first day at WPBF is mid-March.

WPBF.com - WPBF News 25 Names New Morning Co-Anchor

1/31/2008 - JP Hervis to WPBF

WPBF Launching Weekend Morning News; new anchor

A reader alerted me to this a while ago.

WPBF will launch a three-hour local news schedule on Saturdays and Sundays starting March 8th. From 5 to 7am and from 8 to 9am with Saturday edition of Good Morning America from 7 to 8am.


Bob Kaple, reporter since 2005 at KCCI (also Hearts-Argyle station) in Des Moines, Iowa will partnered with a soon to be named co-anchor and Meteorologist Eric Burris.

“People depend on television news earlier and earlier and that includes weekend mornings,” said Victoria Regan, WPBF-TV vice president and general manager. “WPBF’s expansion addresses the audience growth and demand for more news, weather and traffic in the time period. WPBF News 25 has taken a leadership role in providing expanded coverage on weekends. Now, only WPBF will deliver morning news seven days a week beginning at 5 a.m.”

WPBF.com - WPBF-TV Will Launch Weekend Morning News on March 8th
KCCI.com - Bob Kaple bio
TCPalm.com - WPBF expands weekend news

WPBF recently extended their weekday morning news to two hours from 5 to 7am

/img via KCCI.com /

A Miss is the New WPBF Traffic Reporter

Former Miss Cuban-American 2002 and Miss Carnaval Miami 2005 is the new WPBF traffic reporter. Nathalie Pozo comes from WCJB in Gainesville where she worked as a reporter

Hot people taking over PB airwaves, watch out!

MediaMoves - Pozo moves to WPBF

Charles Billi Officially Replaces Tom Haynes

Tipsters say Charles Billi was officially introduced as the new 4, 5:30 and 6:30 anchor.

Charles Billi bio on WSVN.com