Big Easy Welcomes Former Missouri Reporter

Blake Hanson (Courtesy: Twitter)

Former Missouri reporter/anchor Blake Hanson has been hired by WDSU-TV in New Orleans.

In fact, TVSpy reports he’s been on the air in the Big Easy nearly a week now.

New Orleans Reporter Snags Anchor Job By Sliding Down A Few Markets

Rosa Flores (Courtesy: Twitter)

Rosa Flores will be the new 4 p.m. anchor and reporter at WBRZ-TV, the ABC affiliate for the Baton Rouge, La., market.

TVSpy reports Flores worked at WDSU-TV in New Orleans as a reporter. Her biography has been pulled from the website, but Flores’ official site still has her listed as working for the NBC affiliate.

Norfolk Journalist Becomes Big Easy Morning Anchor

Sula Kim (Courtesy: WVEC)

Viewers in New Orleans will have another smiling female face to wake them up in the mornings after the May ratings books.

A news release from WDSU-TV, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans, states Sula Kim, current weekend evening anchor and reporter at WVEC-TV in Norfolk, Va., will be starting later this month in the Crescent City.

New Orleans Station to Launch Earlier Morning Newscast

WWL-TV

WWL-TV, the CBS affiliate for the New Orleans market, will soon be airing a much earlier newscast to complement its morning show lineup.

The Times-Picayune reports the station will begin a 4:30 a.m. newscast starting tomorrow (April 2). Anchoring the extra half-hour will be Mike Hoss, Laura Buchtel and Christina Leavenworth initially, as well as Melanie Hebert in the summer.

Former “Meet the Press” Moderator, New Orleans Journalist Dies

Bill Monroe (Courtesy: WWL-TV)

Bill Monroe, the Big Easy’s first news director  who later went on to work for NBC in Washington, D.C., died Thursday at the age of 90.

Monroe worked in radio and print journalism before making the jump to television, but did so without any previous experience. “It was the kind of thing that happened in those days,” Monroe told WWL-TV in a 1999 interview.

He was hired as WDSU-TV’s news director shortly after the station began broadcasting.

From WWL-TV:

His role as a pioneer in local television news was lauded by the Times-Picayune in a 1998 article: “What Murrow was to network TV, Monroe was to New Orleans TV: the journalistic standard-setter for generations of broadcasters.”

Monroe led WDSU’s early news staff as it covered the tumultuous times of the 1950s and 1960s, most notably through the period of school desegregation. Through weekly editorials, written and delivered by Monroe, the station stressed the importance of integrating New Orleans public schools, an unpopular stance at the time.

In later years, he became a Washington correspondent for NBC news and more famously as a producer/moderator of “Meet the Press.”

Services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Louisiana’s Broadcast Television Markets

There are seven media markets within Louisiana’s state borders:

• The biggest, of course, is New Orleans. Ranked 51st among U.S. media markets according to Nielsen Media, its stations include WWL (CBS), WDSU (NBC), WVUE (FOX), WGNO (ABC), WNOL (CW) and WUPL (MyTV). WWL has led Nielsen ratings in the city for nearly the last three decades. Only WVUE and WWL broadcast their newscasts in high definition; WDSU and WGNO broadcast their newscasts in widescreen standard definition.
• Shreveport, market 83, is the second-largest in the state. Stations include KTBS (ABC), KTAL (NBC), KSLA (CBS), KPXJ (CW), KMSS (FOX) and KSHV (MyTV). All three news-producing stations in the market — KTBS, KSLA, and KTAL — broadcast newscasts in HD.
• Next in line is Baton Rouge, market 93. Stations include: WBRZ (ABC), WAFB (CBS), WBXH (MyTV), WBRL (CW), WVLA (NBC) and WGMB (FOX).  WAFB remains first place in the ratings war. Currently, only WAFB, WBXH, and WBRZ broadcast their newscasts in high definition. WVLA’s newscasts are in 16:9 standard definition.
• And then we have Lafayette, market 124. Stations include: KATC (ABC), KLFY (CBS), KADN (FOX) and KLAF-LP (MyTV). KATC is the market leader for the area. Only KLFY broadcasts local newscasts in high definition.
• The Monroe-El Dorado market, #137, shares a good portion of its south Arkansas coverage area with northern Louisiana. Stations include: KNOE (CBS), KTVE (NBC), KMLU (ABC) and KARD (FOX). KNOE has been the market leader in news for more than 25 years; KNOE airs its newscasts in high definition. KTVE’s news operation is partial HD; studio cameras are not high definition, but their field cameras are.
• Further down the market ladder, at #174, is Lake Charles, with two stations: KPLC (NBC) and KVHP (FOX). Only KPLC broadcasts newscasts in high definition.
• The smallest market station in The Bayou State is Alexandria, at market 179. Stations include KALB (NBC/CBS), KLAX (ABC), KBCA (CW) and WNTZ (FOX). Though KLAX offers contributions from local reporters, its newscast is produced/anchored from Iowa. Only KALB produces and airs local news content in this market, and is easily the market leader as the first station in Alexandria. As such, only KALB broadcast newscasts in HD.

(Above was updated February 1, 2015)

That covers another one of several states we’ll be covering. If you work for one of these affiliates and have news about new hires, on-air graphic updates, HD overhauls, or anything that would be of interest to this local news blog, please let us know.. I’m not necessarily talking about station gossip, but that works, too. If someone uttered a profane word on-air, for example, that’d be something. Station sales, downsizing, things like that are also newsworthy. You can do so anonymously, of course, but have to prove you work for the station in question for credibility purposes by sending us an email to southtvnewser@gmail.com.