WALA
LIN Media
LIN Media, with stations in six states across the eastern U.S., has announced to viewers of its stations that a potential blackout could come this week unless their parent company reaches a new retransmission agreement with COX Communications.
TVSpy reports this week that nine stations are at risk, including two in the southeast: FOX affiliate WALA and CW affiliate WFNA. These two stations are in the Mobile, Ala.-Pensacola, Fla., market.
KTVE
KARD
Industry blogster Rick Gevers reports Bonnie Van is out as news director for KTVE/KARD-TV, the NBC/FOX duopoly in West Monroe, La.
Van had been the news director at the stations since May of 2010.
No reason for the departure or the station’s history of high ND turnover for the last decade.
South TV News will have more on this story as it becomes available.
WMC-TV wins the coveted ratings war in Memphis.
Memphis NBC affiliate WMC-TV consistently lauds itself as the most-watched television station in the market, and now recent ratings numbers prove it.
Station execs tell the Commercial Appeal newspaper they dominated every time slot for news. It’s the first time that’s happened for WMC in fifteen years, they say.
Okay, I went a week without posting. Honestly, there’s this whole scientific reason I did this, which sounds so much better than saying I did this because my Internet access was on the fritz for seven days.
Part of the reason is traffic, as in traffic coming to this site.
WFTV
In the race to win first among television stations, February tends to be a fickle month. Depending on who gets the rights to the Grammys, the Super Bowl — even “NCIS” can sway primetime and local news viewership as well.
That DIDN’T happen in Orlando, though. WFTV, the ABC affiliate for the market, placed first in most local news categories, TV Guy Hal Boedeker reports.
From his Orlando Sentinel blog:
WFTV scored both in households and in the 25-to-54 age group, which is most important to news advertisers. WFTV did get some late help from Charlie Sheen, who appeared in a special “20/20″ Tuesday night.
The most intriguing race, at least to this observer, was 11 p.m. weeknights. In the 25-to-54 age group, WFTV drew 31,200 viewers to WKMG’s 26,800, WESH-Channel 2’s 22,000 and WOFL’s 16,100.
WFTV drew a higher margin of total viewers during its 6 p.m. newscast, but for household ratings, it nearly doubled WESH’s 53,700, reporting 96,500 viewers at 5 p.m.
And that’s in the midst of American Idol.
Not an easy feat.
Bob Opsahl (Courtesy: WFTV)
He’s been at ABC Orlando affiiate WFTV since the late 1970s, and according to the Orlando Sentinel, Bob Opsahl will still be there next year.
From Florida blogger Hal Boedeker:
“He will be here in 2012. He’s not retiring,” Jordan added. “It’s premature to speculate about his retirement.”
Opsahl’s been quite a mainstay in Central Florida, having anchored at WFTV for the last thirty years.
More as this develops.
Matt Laubhan (Courtesy: KLBK)
Matt Laubhan will be the new chief meteorologist at WTVA-TV, the NBC affiliate for the Tupelo-Columbus-West Point-Houston market, effective next month.
Laubhan currently serves as the chief meteorologist at the CBS affiliate KLBK in Lubbock, Texas.
From the station’s website:
“My wife Emily and I are very excited about moving to northeast Mississippi and joining the WTVA family,” said Matt. “It will be difficult to fill the shoes of a living legend and was an honor to even be considered as a successor to Dick Rice. Weather, and, in particular, severe weather is such a big part of living in the Mid-South, and I feel honored to work for a company and a station that is committed to saving lives.”
Adam Bagni (Courtesy: WNCF)
WNCF sports director/anchor Adam Bagni will not be re-signing, despite being offered a contract extension from the Montgomery ABC affiliate.
In a staff email obtained by Montgomery TV and Radio, a local blog, Bagni says it’s not a decision he took lightly, but added the decision was in his best interest.
From the blog:
“As great as everyone has been to be in Montgomery, I just feel like it’s time to move on. I’ve accomplished pretty much everything I can at ABC 32 – two national championships, sports director, awards – I just feel like it’s time to fully devote myself to what’s next,” he said.
At this time, he is not sure where he will end up next. “It’s always a bit scary when you don’t know what your future holds, but it’s time to close this chapter of my life and move on to what’s next,” Bagni said.
Bagni had been with ABC 32 since February 2008. Though he’s leaving, he says he’s not leaving the business. Stay tuned.
KATV
Nick Genty will be KATV’s new assistant news director, starting this month, according to industry insider Rick Gevers.
He comes to the ABC affiliate from competing CBS affiliate KTHV, where he worked as an executive producer.
FOX 43
WBIR-TV
South TV News has learned Knoxville NBC affiliate and Gannett-owned WBIR will begin a partnership with the market’s FOX affiliate that includes expanded newscasts and a transition to high definition for both stations.
Raycom station WTNZ, better known as FOX 43 to east Tennessee residents, will get an expanded 10 p.m. newscast and morning news from 7 to 9 a.m. (times Eastern).
South TV News 