Posts

Showing posts from January, 2012

BRIEF: Local 7 suffered lightning strike

Image
UPDATE, 9:30 p.m.: Some cable customers (specifically WOW) have experienced additional difficulties receiving Local 7 tonight. Due to the repairs needed since the lightning strike, don't be surprised if some problems continue for a while longer. That said, I'm sure they're working diligently to get things made right. From Local 7 WTVW comes word this evening that the station is off the air due to technical difficulties: "WTVW Local 7 is currently experiencing technical difficulties and is off the air.   Our tower crews have discovered that our broadcast tower in Chandler, Indiana was the victim of a lightning strike that has affected some of our crucial broadcast equipment.  We currently have a crew working on the tower and hope to have our signal restored as soon as possible.  Stay with tristatehomepage.com or WEHT Local for updates, and thank you for your patience and understanding." EDITOR'S NOTE: As of 6 p.m., the station is b

WSIU-TV, radio to air Gov. Quinn's State of the State address Wednesday

Image
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will give his State of the State address on Wednesday at noon, and Southern Illinoisans will be able to tune in and catch the speech on WSIU-TV and WSIU Public Radio . In his speech, the governor is expected to focus on job creation. "The top things are going to be jobs and the economy," Quinn spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said. "That's what families are talking about around the kitchen table, what they worry about when their first child is born." In addition to jobs, Quinn is also expected to push for raising Illinois' school dropout age to 18. Currently, the state is one of 29 which allows students to quit school prior to their 18th birthday. The address begins at noon Central time Wednesday. It will be shown live on WSIU-TV (ch. 8.1) and WUSI-TV (ch. 16.1). Live radio coverage will be available on WSIU-91.9 FM (Carbondale), WUSI-90.3 FM (Olney) and WVSI-88.9 FM (Mt. Vernon). For

14 NEWS to change afternoon program lineup next week

Image
14 NEWS ( WFIE ) is making changes to its afternoon programming beginning Monday, Feb. 6 . Citing the growing popularity of Dr. Oz , the station is moving the doctor's program from its current 2 p.m. timeslot to the all-important 3 p.m. position in the lineup, where it will serve as a lead-in to 14 News at 4 p.m. In addition to Dr. Oz's relocation, the other afternoon shows on 14 will also be moving: Jeopardy! , which now airs at 1:30 p.m., will move to the 2 p.m. slot. America Now , which currently airs double episodes at 3 and 3:30, will stick with two episodes, but will instead bookend Jeopardy! at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. The move of Dr. Oz will put the show in direct competition with its fellow Oprah spinoff, Dr. Phil , which moved from 14 to CBS44 WEVV last fall. It'll be interesting to see how each show does now that they'll be facing each other.

Rossen named National Investigative Correspondent for NBC's Today

Image
Jeff Rossen Jeff Rossen has been named National Investigative Correspondent for NBC News’ Today . The announcement was made by Today executive producer Jim Bell and is effective immediately. Rossen will lead Today’s newly created investigative unit, Rossen Reports . He and a team of producers will file special investigative stories for air on Today as well as NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and Dateline . “With unmatched passion and curiosity, Jeff continues to find the new story angle that keeps our viewers informed,” said Bell. “His tireless commitment to Today’s investigative series makes his new expanded role a perfect fit.” Rossen has served as an NBC News correspondent since September 2008. He has covered breaking news events and contributed to all NBC News programs and platforms including Today , NBC Nightly News , Dateline and MSNBC . During his time at NBC News, Rossen has reported extensively for the Today Investigates series, exposing misconduct and troubling beh

NewWave to customers: Those emails aren't from us

Image
Some NewWave Communications customers have been getting email messages in recent days asking them to provide the company with their username and password. There's just one problem with that: The company didn't send them. "[T]hose emails are spam," the company told its followers on Facebook this morning. "[W]e would never ask for that information because we already have it."   NewWave advises its customers to delete the emails and not reply to them. NewWave Communications, which is based in Sikeston, Mo., serves a number of communities in Southeastern Illinois and Southwestern Indiana.

New Eyewitness News Facebook page to replace individual station pages

Image
Tri-State Facebook users will want to take note of and "Like" a new Facebook page this morning. Eyewitness News' new Facebook page , which is now up and running, is quickly adding fans as I type this. The individual NEWS 25 and Local 7 WTVW pages will soon be deleted, which makes sense ... after all, it's been two months since the stations combined their operations, and NEWS 25 is now known as WEHT Local. In addition to the Facebook move, those of you who use Twitter will want to keep an eye out for the stations' new Twitter handle: @WEHTWTVWlocal . If you're not yet following, that's where the news is.

Scripps to receive NAB Distinguished Service Award

Image
The National Association of Broadcasters announced today that The E.W. Scripps Co. will receive the NAB Distinguished Service Award during the 2012 NAB Show. The award will be accepted by Scripps president and CEO Rich Boehne at the opening keynote session on April 16 in Las Vegas. "A media pioneer since the 1800s, the Scripps Co. is held in the industry's highest esteem," said NAB president and CEO Gordon Smith. "In recognition of the company's commitment to excellence, innovation and outstanding service to local communities, we are proud to present Scripps with the Distinguished Service Award whose recipients are among broadcasting's most respected leaders." Each year the NAB Distinguished Service Award recognizes members of the broadcast community who have made significant and lasting contributions to the broadcasting industry. Previous award recipients include Michael J. Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, President Ronald Reagan, Edward R. Murrow, Bob Hope

NEWS BRIEF: WTVW to go off-air for maintenance this afternoon

Image
Local 7 WTVW will go off the air at 1:30 p.m. Central time this afternoon for maintenance work. "The outage will last no more than 2 hours," tweeted WTVW/WEHT news director Bob Walters. "We apologize for any inconvenience."

Louisville's WLKY to add morning news to its Me-TV subchannel

Image
LouisvilleKY.com 's Rick Redding reports today that Louisville CBS/Me-TV affiliate WLKY-32 will add two hours of morning news to its Me-TV subchannel (ch. 32.2) starting in March. To be anchored by Louisville native Natalie Grise , the new newscast will air from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern time (6-8 a.m. CT in the eastern part of the Tri-State). Redding reports that WLKY GM Glenn Haygood is hiring up to six new staff members for what he says will be a “fresh, live show” on the subchannel. Fox affiliate WDRB-TV (ch. 41) is the only station in Louisville currently airing news at that time of the day, so it will be interesting to see how the new Me-TV newscast will compete.

NBC dumps disgusting episode of Fear Factor

Image
When the network announced the return of the show back in October, they said it would be "bigger and more outrageous." They weren't kidding. It turns out that some stunts are just too outrageous for broadcast TV. Just when I thought the powers that be at NBC had lost their minds by allowing it to air, they have mercifully shown restraint and decided not to televise what may be one of the most disgusting episodes of Fear Factor ever produced, Entertainment Weekly reports . I won't go into detail about what it was the contestants of tonight's program were to have consumed - if you're not aware of it, you can find that information just about anywhere by Googling "fear factor donkey" - but suffice it to say that "disgusting" is not only an appropriate word to use, it may be too mild. In the originally-intended episode's place, NBC will instead air a Fear Factor rerun.

The Weekender - Reviewing the week in TV and radio, Jan. 22-27

Image
It's Friday afternoon, and yes, the Weekender is a bit early this time around, but I've decided to kick off my weekend earlier than usual, so here it is. This has been a somewhat slower week than usual, but there was interesting news in TV and radio, from Eyewitness News' new set to the latest radio ratings in Evansville , as well as a rebirth of one area radio station . I hope you'll click the links below and catch up on everything that happened this week if you missed anything. I hope to see you back here again on Monday, or sooner if news breaks! Be sure to check out JDTVB's Facebook page and follow me on Twitter for all the latest information, as well as comments on a host of other topics, too ... you never know what I might say! FRIDAY 27 JANUARY MY TAKE: Eyewitness News' new set is a welcome improvement THURSDAY 26 JANUARY MY TAKE: TV marks its 60th year as a force in presidential elections Townsquare makes sales manager c

MY TAKE: Eyewitness News' new set is a welcome improvement

Image
If you missed Eyewitness News on either Local 7 WTVW or WEHT Local last night, you missed a big story: The stations' newscasts are now airing from their brand-new news set. The beautiful new set is a major advance compared to the sets formerly used by the stations prior to the merger of operations which took place nearly two months ago. The set is well lit, modern (yet not too flashy) in appearance, and allows for numerous different camera angles to keep the viewer from getting bored. That's a nice touch, in my opinion. But perhaps the set's most impressive feature, at least to me, is one we'll see a great deal of during severe weather. It's the new weather center, which - in my opinion - is equal to the best in the business. Chief meteorologist Wayne Hart pointed out last night that it's the first new weather center he's worked from in more than 15 years, and it contains everything that he and his fellow meteorologists, Ron Rhodes and David

MY TAKE: TV marks its 60th year as a force in presidential elections

Image
Can you believe it's been 60 years since television first played a major role in a presidential election? It's something we very much take for granted these days, when campaigns start in earnest long before the next election and the candidates are seemingly always on our screens (witness the nearly 20 debates held to vet the Republican field this year, plus a vast amount of additional coverage both good and bad), but six decades ago, radio, newspapers and magazines still set the tone for campaign coverage. That was about to change. In 1952, television was still a developing medium, and not everyone had access to it. Only 40% of U.S. households owned a TV set at the time, but when Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson squared off for the nation's highest office that year, the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan found in a study after the election that 53% of the population watched at least some programming related to the

Townsquare makes sales manager changes in Evansville, Owensboro

Image
Townsquare Media Evansville/Owensboro general manager LaDonne Craig has announced sales manager changes for four of the company's seven stations in the area. Steve Cooke , sales manager for WBKR-92.5 FM and WOMI-1490 AM in Owensboro, will move to the company's Evansville office, where he will serve in the same capacity for WKDQ-99.5 FM and WJLT-105.3 FM. Cooke's former position in Owensboro is being filled by Traci Davis , who has been an account executive for WBKR/WOMI. In addition to the aforementioned stations, Townsquare also owns and operates WGBF-1280 AM, WGBF-103.1 FM and WDKS-106.1 FM in Evansville.

Eyewitness News to debut new news set Thursday

Image
UPDATE #2, 3:25 p.m. THURSDAY: The new set was designed to be HD-ready. Newscasts will not be televised in HD at this point, but that's coming. UPDATE, 9 a.m. THURSDAY: Brad Byrd has posted sneak peeks of the main news set and the new weather center on his Facebook page . After nearly two months of operating from a temporary news set in the newsroom, I've been told that Eyewitness News on WEHT Local and Local 7 WTVW will begin airing from the stations' new permanent set starting tomorrow afternoon. (The new set, as you've probably figured out, is at least part of the reason for the "change is good" teasers featuring meteorologist Ron Rhodes, which have been running for a few days on both stations.) No details about the set have leaked out, so I can't tell you what to expect, but I suppose we'll know when we tune in tomorrow at 4 p.m.!

NBCUniversal to "surround" Super Bowl coverage with numerous broadcast and other assets

Image
NBCUniversal announced today that it will surround its coverage of Super Bowl XLVI with an unprecedented and diverse collection of assets ranging from sports to news to entertainment. It will also utilize Spanish-language programs, kids news services, theme parks and in-flight programming to cover and promote the game. Coverage of Super Bowl XLVI from Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 5 begins at 11 a.m. CT with the Super Bowl XLVI Pre-Game Show. The following NBCUniversal properties and programs will have live presence in Indianapolis to cover this year's Super Bowl: NBC Sports Network: The recently rebranded NBC Sports Network will be live on site in Indianapolis with more than 18 hours of live coverage including the first ever Costas Tonight: Live from the Super Bowl and daily editions of NBC SportsTalk: LIVE from the Super Bowl. TODAY Show: America’s No. 1 Morning News Program will kick off Super Bowl weekend with a split show from Indianapolis on Friday with Al Roker and A

Fall radio ratings keep WIKY, WKDQ, WSTO and WJLT in the top 4 spots

Image
The latest Arbitron radio ratings for Evansville are out for the fall of 2011, and the top three stations - no surprise here - remain the same, with WJLT-105.3 taking fourth place. Stations owned by powerhouses South Central Media and Townsquare Media continue to hold those rankings. While South Central's WIKY-104.1 lost a some ground and Townsquare's second-place WKDQ-99.5 gained a bit, WIKY remains number one on the list; WKDQ remains a solid, unchallenged second. WSTO-96.1 keeps its hold on third place, but a surging WJLT-105.3 is now a very close fourth, rising from fifth place one year ago. South Central's WABX-107.5 and Townsquare's WDKS-106.1 tied for fifth place this fall; the numbers show a one-place drop for WABX and a step up (from sixth last year) for WDKS. Elsewhere on the list, contemporary Christian station WKVN-95.3 (Morganfield, Ky.) once again had a surprisingly strong showing, with the largest audience increase of any stati

Fox Sports Midwest to televise tonight's Aces game at Wichita State

Image
Fox Sports Midwest will televise tonight's men's basketball game between the University of Evansville Purple Aces and the Wichita State Shockers . Tipoff for this evening's match-up, which is being played in Wichita, is set for 7 p.m. Central time. If you don't have Fox Sports Midwest, you can always catch the game on the radio at WUEV-91.5 or online at wuev.org .

WQXQ debuts new, reinvigorated format today

Image
WQXQ-101.9 FM (Central City, Ky.) will debut a completely new format today. The Starlight Broadcasting-owned station, which can be heard in much of Southern Illinois, Southwestern Indiana, Western Kentucky and part of Tennessee, has many big changes in store for listeners as part of its completely new, reinvigorated sound. The station has been rebranded as Q102 , “Today’s Best Music & Home of the QMIX,” and will refer to its coverage area as “Q102-Land” instead of the typical term “Tri-State” as used by almost all of the other radio stations in the area. WQXQ will also debut a new website, myqmix.com . Brian Jackson "Beej & The Breakfast Bunch," 5-9 a.m. Brian Jackson will host Q102's morning show, returning Beej & The Breakfast Bunch to the area's airwaves for the first time in more than a decade. Jackson's show was formerly broadcast on WSTO-96.1 FM (1982-97), WQXQ (1997-98), and internet radio station LiveOneRadio.com (2011). J

WNIN transmitter site to get generator

Image
Three years ago, when a crippling ice storm hit the state, WNIN-TV and FM were off the air for several days, but such outages should be a thing of the past once a new generator is installed at the stations' transmitter site near Boonville. The new generator, which is being funded by a U.S. Department of Commerce Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) grant of more than $259,000, should be ready by September or October, said David Dial, WNIN president and general manager, in a Courier & Press story on the new equipment. MORE READING: Courier & Press: Generator will keep WNIN on air in times of disaster

Fox to re-air Sunday night's American Idol tonight

Image
If you couldn't stay up late to watch Sunday night's episode of American Idol (which aired following the New York Giants' NFC championship win over the 49ers), don't fret: Fox will rebroadcast the program tonight at 7 p.m. Central. In the Tri-State, you can watch it on Fox44 (as well as the other Fox affiliates which surround the area). Check your local listings. The show will air immediately preceding the State of the Union address. Glee - which was scheduled to be a rerun anyway - won't be seen tonight.

KMOX's overnight show going national: Overnight America to be syndicated by Dial Global

Image
A St. Louis-based overnight radio show is going into national syndication. Radio syndicator Dial Global and CBS Radio's KMOX-1120 announced yesterday that KMOX's Overnight America with Jon Grayson will be available nationally starting next Monday, Jan. 30. The show, which debuted about three years ago, according to Radio Ink , is already carried by CBS stations KDKA in Pittsburgh and WCCO-AM in Minneapolis, and can also be heard on the Radio.com mobile app. No word yet on whether it will come to the Tri-State directly, but since KMOX's signal reaches much of the area already during the nighttime hours, it's not hard to find. I happen to be a fan of the program, which airs from midnight to 5 a.m. Central time. Grayson covers a variety of topics on each show and always makes it interesting. Last night, for example, Grayson talked about the death of former LAPD detective Philip Vannatter, who was one of the lead investigators on the O.J. Simpson murder ca

State of the Union speech is tonight

Image
President Obama President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union speech tonight before a joint session of Congress, and it won't be hard to find on TV (or anywhere else, for that matter), should you wish to watch. ABC , CBS , Fox , NBC and PBS stations will all carry it live beginning at 8 p.m. Central time (as usual), as will Fox News , CNN and MSNBC on cable (also as usual). It'll even be on the radio in places if you'd rather listen than watch. The networks will have online coverage, too, with additional features and analysis you might not see on air. Even the White House is in on the online thing; the official whitehouse.gov stream can be had two ways tonight - the standard feed or an "enhanced" version that will have multimedia doodads to help you understand what the President is talking about. Hoosiers will have an extra reason to tune in tonight: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will give the Republican response to Presiden

Kentucky's budget is the subject of tonight's Kentucky Tonight

Image
It's no secret that the Commonwealth of Kentucky has a real mess on its hands when it comes to plugging all the holes in the state's budget for the next two years. What services should be cut? Which should be spared?  Gov. Steve Beshear has already submitted his proposal to the General Assembly, and four men serving in Frankfort who will help decide what the state's next step will be are scheduled to appear with host Bill Goodman on KET's Kentucky Tonight this evening at 7 p.m. CT. Goodman's guests will be: State Sen. Bob Leeper (I-Paducah), chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee State Rep. Rick Rand (D-Bedford), chair of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee State Rep. Bob DeWeese (R-Louisville), vice chair of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee State Sen. Ray Jones (D-Pikeville), member of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee In addition to airing live on KET this evening, Kentucky To

The Gleaner makes TV Showcase a separate publication

Image
On Sunday, the Henderson Gleaner officially made its weekly television guide, TV Showcase , a separate publication . Following in the footsteps of its sister paper, the Courier & Press , which recently required a separate $2 monthly subscription for those who wish to keep getting TV Week , TV Showcase will also cost Gleaner home subscribers $2 per month. It will not be available in copies purchased at local stores or via the mail; however, individual copies can be purchased at the Gleaner 's Klutey Park Plaza office for 50 cents. To more or less replace the Showcase , readers will find a daily TV schedule in the classified section. The Sunday edition will include schedules for both Sunday and Monday.

Fox, RCN developing Spanish-language U.S. broadcast network: MundoFox to debut this fall

Image
The growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S. has led to the success of TV networks like Telemundo and Univision, which broadcast in Spanish. Now Fox is getting in on the action with a new joint venture between its Fox International Channels division and Colombia's RCN Television Group (RCN). The companies will launch MundoFox , a new Spanish-language broadcast television network, this fall. MundoFox will “aim to bring a similar sensibility as the Fox network to Latino audiences,” Fox said in a statement, with “exciting entertainment, best-in-class programing content and differentiation from the limited options currently available to viewers.” “Our partnership with RCN is a key step in the launch of MundoFox,” said Hernan Lopez, president and CEO of Fox International Channels. “There is an increasing demand for quality Spanish-language content in the U.S. from both viewers and advertisers. Fox saw similar dynamics in play 25 years ago when it launched the Fox ne

WVUT's first Meet Your Legislators program of the year to air Saturday

Image
Vincennes University's public TV station, WVUT (ch. 22), will air its first Meet Your Legislators show of 2012 on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. ET (8 Central). WVUT encourages viewers with questions for area legislators to email those queries to WVUT@vinu.edu and to tune in to hear the answers. The program will also be recorded and rebroadcast on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. ET.

KET's College Financial Aid Call-In program to air tonight

Image
UPDATE, 3:15 p.m.: The telephone number for tonight has been changed. If you'd like to call in, please dial 1-800-753-6237. Tonight, KET holds its annual Education Matters: College Financial Aid Call-In  program. Each winter, families of high school seniors begin the process of applying for admission to college—and figuring out how to pay for it. KET’s annual College Financial Aid Call-In brings together experts from Kentucky colleges and state agencies to provide general information about the process and to answer specific questions from viewers. Join host Bill Goodman and our featured panelists: Megan Cummins, coordinator of the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program; Michael Abboud, associate director of financial aid at the University of Louisville; Runan Pendergrast, director of financial aid at Bluegrass Community and Technical College; and Sandy Neel, senior associate director of the Office of Financial Aid at Bellarmine Unive

NBC to televise Florida GOP presidential debate Monday night

Image
NBC will televise the latest in a series of Republican presidential primary debates on Monday night. NBC News has teamed up with National Journal and the Tampa Bay Times to present the Florida Republican debate, in association with the Florida Council of 100.  The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. CT (9 p.m. ET) at the University of South Florida. The debate will be moderated by NBC's Brian Williams and will include a panel with National Journal ’s Beth Reinhard and the Tampa Bay Times ’ Adam Smith. "All four qualifying Republican presidential candidates have confirmed their attendance for Monday's NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times debate," said NBC News' senior VP of specials, Mark Lukasiewicz. "Florida has often been the stage for history in politics -- we look forward to hosting a substantive and stimulating forum for the candidates to make their case to the voters in this crucial state and the whole country." Monday's debate will be th

Lericos leaves WFIE

Image
Mark Lericos 14 NEWS sports anchor Mark Lericos has left WFIE, the station's news director, Scott Galloway, confirmed this afternoon. Lericos, who joined the 14 NEWS team in June 2011 after spending six years at KHBS/KHOG in Northwest Arkansas, has moved to Florida to be closer to his children. "We'll certainly miss him," Galloway said. Lericos' departure leaves Bo McFall as WFIE's only full-time sports anchor, so Galloway said this afternoon that he former NEWS 25 sports reporter Aaron Hancock has been brought in on a freelance basis to help cover sports at the station. I'm told that WFIE has begun the process of searching for Lericos' permanent replacement.

The Weekender - Reviewing the week in TV and radio, Jan. 14-20

Image
We've made it to the end of yet another full and interesting week here at JDTVB, which of course means I'd better give you the Weekender, huh? Here at the site, you've probably noticed the all-new Sports page , and if you've not yet checked it out, I hope you'll do so soon. I really think you'll enjoy it. It takes local schedules, stations and everything else from around the site that was sports-related and puts it all in one place ... heck, I've enjoyed putting it together so much that I'm honestly wondering why I didn't do it sooner! There's quite a bit of news below, so if you missed anything this week, every link is posted there so you can get caught up. I hope to see you back here again on Monday, or sooner if news breaks! Be sure to check out JDTVB's Facebook page and follow me on Twitter for all the latest information, as well as comments on a host of other topics, too ... you never know what I might say! FRIDAY

KTVI anchor/reporter announces departure: Woodard heading for Dallas ABC affiliate

Image
Teresa Woodard The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that KTVI-Fox 2 anchor/reporter Teresa Woodard is leaving the station after the February sweeps for a job at Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA . Woodard, a Dallas native, has been with Fox 2 since October 2005, and previously worked at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tenn. "Teresa has been a great team player, who has been a great contributor to the success of Fox 2 ... she will be missed," said KTVI general manager Spencer Koch. Woodard's husband, KMOV reporter Mark Schnyder , will remain in St. Louis for now to "mind the house and the couple's dogs," the newspaper reports. EDITOR'S NOTE: Both KTVI and KMOV are seen on cable in the western and northwestern parts of the Tri-State.

Evansville family to appear on Monday's episode of Anderson

Image
Anderson Cooper EDITOR'S NOTE & CLARIFICATION: Information for this story was provided to the Courier & Press (which passed it along to me) by Telepictures , one of the three production companies which produce Anderson (the others are ANE Productions and Strong Child Productions ). A transcript from three separate portions of the show - again, provided by Telepictures - can be seen in the comments section which follows the story. An Evansville family dealing with a compulsive shopping disorder will appear on Monday's episode of Anderson . Dana Howard Bauer's family is on the verge of bankruptcy because of her addiction to shopping. Despite seeking therapy, Bauer estimates she spent $50,000 shopping last year. Her husband, Alfred, says the amount was perhaps two to three times that much. Bauer's compulsion to shop has cost her daughters, Julia Howard Bauer and Abigail Tracy, their college funds, and they say Dana has begun hoarding her possessions.