Station to Station
Station to Station covers the odds, ends, ups and downs of the local television business across America
Scripps Grabs Two Trophies at Peabody Lunch
Scripps executives, including Rich Boehne, Brian Lawlor and Bob Sullivan, were in New York yesterday as two of the group’s stations picked up prestigious Peabody awards from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism. The emcee, Dr. Horace Newcomb, credited the winners, which ranged from Lorne Michaels to KNXV Phoenix to HBO’s Girls, for producing work that ȁ ...... Read More
Comments (0)OK City Stations Cover Tornadoes' 'Gut-Wrenching Heartache'
UPDATED: The fatality number is climbing outside Oklahoma City in the wake of devastating tornadoes, and the property loss is, for the moment, incalculable. “It’s gone from gut-wrenching heartache several hours ago to sort of a numbness right now,” said a KFOR reporter on the scene in suburban Moore. The New York Times links to the live stream for Local TV’s KFOR.com, ...... Read More
Comments (0)"Video-Bombing" Live Shots a News Director's Worst Nightmare
We have a story out in our upcoming issue on “video-bombing” at the station level–people sneaking into a reporter’s live shot, and often ending up, along with the reporter, as a YouTube sensation. (For the record, I dislike the term “video-bombing”, as it makes me think of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon last month, but that’s what it’s k ...... Read More
Comments (0)WDRB Rides Former Print Guys to Strong Derby Showing
It’s been almost a year since a pair of high profile newspaper columnists, Eric Crawford and Rick Bozich, departed the Louisville Courier-Journal for the TV world, landing at Fox affiliate WDRB Louisville. Two sports are followed above all else in Louisville; college basketball wrapped up in early April, while horse racing had its marquee event this past Saturday. While WDRB did not have th ...... Read More
Comments (0)Guest Post: Katie Young, Fineman PR, on Boston Bombings and the Media
I first learned of the bombings at the Boston Marathon from a tweet. The same is true for the explosion in Texas and the pursuit of the Boston bombers. In typical Gen-Y form, I consume news in non-traditional ways–regularly scanning my Twitter feed and going there first for news. For example, the ground shakes and I check Twitter to confirm if I just experienced an earthquake. However, aft ...... Read More
Comments (0)WSJ: Stations Stepping Up Mobile Strategies
The Wall Street Journal has a story today about stations trying to beat Aereo and its ilk at their own game–getting station content into users’ handhelds through streaming and, to a lesser degree, through mobile TV. You can seemingly access the story without a subscription here. Writes the Journal: Stations are trying to keep up with a rapidly changing television marketplace, ...... Read More
Comments (0)Guest Commentary: Bill Fine, WCVB Boston Pres/GM, TVB Chairman
This guest post comes from Bill Fine, GM at WCVB Boston. When Crisis Strikes Home, Viewers Turn To Hometown TV Stations The Boston Marathon is a major annual event, a spectacle all Bostonians know will always receive widespread local television coverage — typically uplifting stories of athletic endurance. We live for and love the third Monday in April. It is our own special holiday and the ...... Read More
Comments (1)See You in Vegas?
This was fortuitous–the week I was heading to Vegas for NAB, the market I was scheduled to report on for B&C’s weekly “Market Eye” was, yes, Las Vegas. The good timing allowed me to do a few of the GM interviews I do each week for the story in person–a luxury I am rarely afforded as I cover the nation’s top 100 markets from NYC. I met Lisa Howfield, G ...... Read More
Comments (3)Guest Post: Larry Kane on Cable Nets and the Boston Bombing
The following guest post, on multiple news outlets getting the story wrong in Boston last week, comes from Larry Kane, former anchor at WPVI, WCAU and KYW Philadelphia, among others. It’s been nagging at me for five days now. I try to reconcile the situation, but I can’t. I value and cherish our First Amendment rights. At the time of the bombings in Boston, I was in the city working ...... Read More
Comments (1)WFMY: Double the 'Andy Griffith', But in a New Time
The Andy Griffith Show, a staple at 5:30 p.m. on WFMY Greensboro for about a half-century, has moved to a double run at 3 to make room for what WFMY is calling an “investigative/consumer news program” that launches Thursday. WFMY has hired anchor Julie Luck from WGHP; her start at the station coincides with 2 Wants to Know’s debut April 25. WFMY’s promotional materials ...... Read More
Comments (2)The Worst Career Start in Local TV History
Much as I hate to pile on the poor guy, A. J. Clemente had what has to be the most unfortunate beginning to his career in TV news when he signed on at KFYR Bismarck (North Dakota) by uttering “F***ing S***,” reports the Daily Mail and about a million other outlets. This occurred last night. Clemente is clearly rattled after the profanity, stammering through an introduction. KFYR man ...... Read More
Comments (3)Rave Reviews For Boston Stations' Coverage
The Boston TV stations got raves from a significant voice–the Columbia Journalism Review–for their coverage of the wild night in and around Boston last night. Justin Peters singles out WBZ (CBS) and WHDH (Sunbeam TV) for their measured, and accurate, coverage: Local Boston TV news has reported the whole thing, and done an absolutely heroic and tremendous job of it, proving that, even ...... Read More
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