Tag Archive for 'WFOR'

Following the Election Online

WFOR: 7pm EST live chat with live video stream of CBS4 (?) coverage
website

WTVJ: WTVJ live online (website); Windows Media player link

WSVN: WSVN live (website); Windows media player link

WPLG: Election Marathon video (website); Windows Media Player link

WPTV: Live election coverage video stream (click player on the right side)

Election Day Coverage; Who’s Doing What

Overall in terms of election day coverage it will be pretty much the usual.

WFOR, WTVJ and WPLG will have local coverage during the regular newscasts. National coverage will begin at 6:30pm with each network’s evening newscasts and go on from there until whenever the whole thing ends.

Affiliate stations will break in at designated breaks to show local election results.

WPLG is doing something unique online though. They’re having an Election Day Marathon which will offer live streaming video and election results the whole day.

WSVN as usual is going their own way and leaving Fox’s coverage in favor of their own.

They’ll start at 4pm with the regularly scheduled newscasts. Then at 7pm continuing coverage begins with Belkys and Craig who will stay and “…won’t go off until it’s over,” as Sunbeam’s VP of News Alice Jacobs told Broadcasting and Cable.

Dave Kartunen is in Chicago, IL at the Obama rally. Derek Hayward is in Phoenix, AZ at the McCain rally. Other WSVN reporters will be stationed at local races rallies.

In 2000 when Rick Sanchez and Laurie Jennings anchored they stayed on until 9am. In 2004 Craig and Belkys remained on until around 7-8am the next day.

FOX has offered coverage to their affiliated stations anchored by Shepard Smith.

WPTV will be live today commercial free from 1pm to 5pm on their digital channel. Otherwise all West Palm stations are going with the network, incluing WFLX-FOX.

Being out of state I’ll keep a check on things via the internet I’ll have something up on here later today probably if you want to watch along.

2008 Suncoast Emmy Nominations

The nominees for the 2008 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards have been announced.

The list is big, 341 in total, you can see it here. Below, total nominations for South Florida stations.

And yes it’s a pay to play so if you’re not seeing your favorite station represented enough or at all they didn’t submit material for review and pay the requisite fees required to compete.

Miami/Ft Lauderdale:
WFOR - 22 nominations
WTVJ - 19 nominations
WSVN - 5 nominations
WPLG - 12 nominations
WBFS - 1 nomination
WSFL - 1 nomination
WSCV - 26 nominations
WLTV - 23 nominations
WPBT - 11 nominations
MEGA - 21 nominations

West Palm Beach:
WPTV - 7 nominations

In all Miami/Ft. Lauderdale has 166 nominess counting local production companies and such. West Palm Beach market has 10 nominations

Danielle Knox Joins Atlanta CBS Affiliate

In mid 2007 Danielle Knox left WFOR on maternity leave never to return. Some insist she left on her own, others say she got bounced from the morning slot.

Knox recently joined WGCL CBS46, the CBS affiliate in Atlanta, GA as weekend evening anchor.

Danielle will continue to co-host ‘The Balancing Act’ on Lifetime every weekday. And we presume continue to run her own company Play Pretty Beauty, “a natural-based organic bath and body care company.”

WFOR Lets 3 Go; WBFS 33 Cuts; 10 to 20 11 Laid Off

Update 2: Ok, by most recent info 11 people were laid off. talent, director, truck op, promotions producer.

Update: there is a bit of a discrepancy but I’m told as many as 20 people have been pink slipped. In addition to the already mentioned laid off a photog and sales dept.

WFOR bosses have slashed both Jim & Jade in The Morning and My 33 News Weekend with Ileana Varela.

Jade Alexander, Ileana Varela and Dr. Sean Kenniff have been let go. A director, editor and a producer also.

Ileana Varela has been with WFOR since 1989 when the station was WCIX. Before that she was a reporter at WPLG.

Jade Alexander joined WFOR in 1999 as an entertainment reporter while working at the same time for Y-100’s morning show. Two years later she left the radio station and joined WFOR full time.

Dr Sean Kenniff became WFOR’s health specialist in 2001 after a stint on Survivor 2 1 gave him prominence. He also has weekly Miami Herald column.

Ad-Free Debates on CBS4

CBS4 will air two local political debates on October 15th.

The two half-hour debates will be pre-taped on October 10th and October 13th. Then WFOR will them on October 15th at 7pm, commercial free. CBS4 main co-anchor Antonio Mora will be the moderator

Miami New Times: CBS4 Schedules a Diaz-Balart Debated Double Header

Danielle Knox on Lifetime Program

Many have asked whatever happened with Danielle Knox who left WFOR amidst the changes that were taking place well here’s a bit of info.

According to this press release Danielle will be on Lifetime’s The Balancing Act this morning at 7am to interview the creators of a shapewear product called Slimpressions.

The PR also notes that Danielle now has her own company, Play Pretty Beauty, “a natural-based organic bath and body care company.”

CBS4 Evening Executive Producer Resigns

Ozzie Martinez, the evening executive producer at CBS4, is resigning. He has been with WFOR for 5 years, and previously worked as an executive producer at WSVN. His last day is today, August 8th. No word if executive producer Stephanie Linton, will move up from the AM slot to the PM producing slot.
/Thank you, to all the people who left tips!/

update 3:25pm: A tipster says this story has two legs. They claim CBS4 was trying to hunt down the person who emailed Herald columnist Joan Fleischman about Ted Scouten’s phony homeless guy story in which a guy pretended to be homeless and got help from CBS4 Neighbors4Neighbors and a radio station before bing found out (see:CBS4 Dupe By Fake Homeless Man) And that management suspected Ozzie Martinez was the one who leaked it so they let him go telling employees he left to “travel”.

Update: This story doesn’t really add up since according to the official story the radio station were the ones who originally found out the guy was faking being homeless after a police officer and family called them. Then HOT105 called WFOR. It appears it wasn’t a super duper secret that no body was aware of so anyone at the radio station, CBS4 or elsewhere could have sent the info to the Herald.

If you know this to be false, i ask you kindly to e-mail me. Thank you!

update: the last part of this story about Ozzie being fired appears to be false. I’d like to apologize to Ozzie for the mishap it wasn’t intentional. No harm meant.

It appears my update yesterday is what actually happened and makes the most sense and I realised it better once I paid better attention to the facts.

SunSentinel’s Visit With Local TV Meteorologists

The Sun Sentinel paid a visit to the local TV meteorologists for a behind the scenes look at their jobs and get their take on working during hurricane season

Picture slideshow meteorologists behind the scenes

Video
WPLG’s Trent Aric emphasises their no-hype approach

WSVN’s Phil Pherro: “We’d rather err on the side of too much warning, than not enough”

WFOR’s David Bernard: Recalls WFOR during Wilma

WTVJ’s Paul Deanno

WTVJ’s Jennifer Gray explains working 12hr during hurricanes

WPTV’s chief meteorologist Steve Weagle

WFOR Duped By Fake Homeless Man

Channel 4 has apparently been duped by a guy posing as a homeless man battling cancer who lives in a van (down by the river?) with his wife and kids.

The Herald’s Joan Fleischman has the details in her latest column. WFOR ran a story recently in which reporter Ted Scouten told viewers about a newly homeless guy that was turned away from a Hot 105 gas give away promotion. And that he and his wife and 3 kids lived in a van. Then they asked people to donate by calling Neighbors4Neighbors. And the station and HOT 105 gave him $200 Publix gift cards.

After the story ran Hot 105 got calls from a Miami-Dade Police Department officer and from one of the guy’s cousins telling them they’ve been had. Acording to the cousin and the MDPD officer the guy wasn’t homeless, had no cancer.

The fake needy dude paid a visit at the Hot 105 studios where Scouten confronted him but ultimately kept the $200 gift card. WFOR is returning the donations to viewers who called to help.

Video of the story on CBS4.com

Regional Murrow Winners Announced

The Regional Edward R. Murrow award winners have been announced and several South Florida TV stations picked up an award.

Continuing Coverage
WFOR-TV, Miami
Chief Timoney Ethics

Investigative Reporting
WTVJ-TV, Miramar, FL
A Question of Security

Newscast
WFOR-TV, Miami, FL
Four Officers Shot

News Documentary
WPTV-TV, West Palm Beach, FL
Bogus Billing Primetime Special

Spot News Coverage
WFOR-TV, Miami
Manhunt

Dolphins Might Move Programming to WFOR

Herald sports columnist Barry Jackson says the Dolphins are talking with WFOR to move their ancillary programming from WTVJ. WFOR currently airs the presentation games and The Tony Sparano Show could also end up there.

Early Show Surprises Maggie Rodriguez

In May ‘The Early Show’ surprised Maggie Rodriguez for their ‘Positively Prom Week’ segment with a performance by Gloria Estefan who appeared live from Maggie’s school ‘Our Lady of Lourdes’ in Miami.

Gloria sang a little bit of her song ‘Here We Are’ for Maggie and husband Mike.

Are they so cute or what!

Before I forget thanks to Brandon to sending the video

And here’s the whole segment from CBS News

Maggie talks about her prom

Brian Norcross Leaves WFOR

Brian Norcross is leaving WFOR to focus on new business. WFOR VP/GM Shaun McDonald:

“Bryan Norcross informed us today that due to the demands that
accompany his role with his new company, he has decided not to renew
his contract with CBS4 when it expires at the end of this month,”

Norcross teamed with former Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield to create AEN, America’s Emergency Network, which was bought in March. Bryan Norcross was named president and CEO and Mayfield the senior executive vice president of government relations.

David Bernard will now lead WFOR’s weather team. Bryan Norcross was CBS4’s chief meteorologist from 1996 until the end of July 2006 when he stepped down but remained the hurricane specialist during hurricane coverage.

Previously: Bryan Norcross and Max Mayfield Sell Warning System

Previously: Formally announced: Bryan Norcross Leaves Chief Met Job at CBS4

RCN News In English, the Promos

So RCN’s English newscast with Brian Andrews is on and the promos are ready. It July 1st. I think the newscast will be updated twice daily.

From Brian’s blog post it looks like they’ll be using the very nice FlowPlayer which has a video embedding feature.

And he’s staying in Colombia, so that’s all cleared up.

RCN News in English with Brian Andrews

English promo

Spanish promo

English promo from newsroom

Newsroom Spanish promo

EcoMedia Teams With WFOR on Green Schools Intiative

EcoMedia, a marketing agency which uses 50% of its ad revenue to fund environmental projects is teaming up with WFOR for a Green Schools Initiative that will launch this fall in Miami.

They’ve already worked together on a program called EcoZone for the past 4 years wich included planting more than 1,000 trees in Virginia Key, a public awareness program provided by CBS4, instalation of filters on storm drains, planting of a solar tree and lighting retrofit at Miami City Hall.

The Green Schools Intiative will use corporate sponsor revenues to fun the “greening” of a school in
Miami and also Chicago and San Francisco where EcoMedia is teaming with
other CBS-owned stations.

The WFOR-EcoMedia EcoZone program is being expanded to other cities with CBS-owned affiliates which will provide local sales support for EcoMedia’s ad platforms.

CBS and EcoMedia will also team up with David Letterman’s production company Worldwide Pants to create environmentally themed content.

Adweek: CBS, EcoMedia Extend ‘Zone’
The EcoZone Project

EcoMedia Press Release /PDF/