Todays Headlines

• Hidden Cameras and Cameras Hidden in Plain Sight
  There's been a revolution in hidden cameras used by investigative journalists and, because of the proliferation of citizens shooting video, investigative journalists can sometimes videotape in the open without raising suspicions.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Investigative Reporters Face Time Crunch
  Investigative story producers and reporters bemoan the fact that they rarely get enough time to tell the stories they need to tell. At the conference of investigative reporters, a few of them shared tips on getting the most out of the time they get.
  more » » » 

• Making Investigative Reports Look Good
  Sometimes it's tough to do investigative stories that rely on lots of dry, boring-looking stats. So investigative journalists make sure to work with camera people every step of the way so that their reports have enough pizzazz to keep viewers -- and news directors -- interested.
  more » » » 

Briefing Room

• Investigative Journalism Under Fire
  Investigations of the rich and powerful, the multinational corporations and monopoly industries, have all but dried up, say a coterie of journalists still trying to ply their trade. To be sure, enterprise reporting on the network level is far from dead. But the days of news divisions rich with staff and resources claiming multiple hours per week of primetime real estate with newsmagazines are now history.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Orlando Stations Proclaim Early DTV Test a Success
  A group of 12 stations in the Orlando, Fla., market that briefly ceased broadcasting their analog signals Wednesday night said the test caused minimal disruption to viewers, which may not be surprising given the high penetration of cable and direct-broadcast satellite service in the market.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Hearst-Argyle Conducting National Polls
  For the first time, Hearst-Argyle Television, which owns 26 stations, is conducting national polling on the presidential race and key national issues.
  more » » » 
  
  
• NAB Seeks Removal of Cross-Ownership Provision
  The National Association of Broadcasters is trying to get a provision removed from the House Federal Communications Commission appropriations bill that would prevent it from implementing the relaxation of the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership ban.
  more » » » 
  
  
• KYW-TV Discharges Second News Anchor
  Philadelphia’s bizarre TV-news-anchor saga took another turn Tuesday as CBS affiliate KYW-TV discharged anchor Larry Mendte, coming after a co-worker alleged that Mendte engaged in a sabotage campaign. That charge was leveled by newscaster Alycia Lane, who also was let go after a string of incidents. The allegation was in a sex-discrimination lawsuit Lane filed against the TV station that also claims that her reputation was unlawfully damaged.
  more » » » 
  
  
• WGCL-TV Reporter Powers Dead at 49
  WGCL-TV Atlanta reporter Fred Powers is dead at the age of 49.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Iowa Broadcasters to Martin: This Is Localism
  The head of the Iowa Broadcasters Association told Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin in a letter that some broadcasters there have been going 24/7 with commercial-free coverage of the devastating flooding while they help to marshal volunteer efforts and battle flood waters themselves. The letter was, at least in part, an effort to battle against potential FCC initiatives to boost TV stations' localism obligations.
  more » » » 
  
  
• WCCO Vet Syndicates Weather
  Laid off as the chief meteorologist at WCCO Minneapolis three months ago, Paul Douglas is back in the weather game with syndicated service WeatherNation.
  more » » » 
  
  
• TVB: Local TV Revenue Down, Syndie Up
  Local broadcast revenue was down 1.6% for the first quarter of 2008 compared with the same quarter a year before, the Television Bureau of Advertising reported. Syndicated television posted an 11.2% revenue increase for the quarter and network television was up 1.7%.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Newport Television Reduces Staff 7.5%
  Newport Television laid off 7.5% of its 2,161 employees, citing a weak economy and an initial strategy to trim staff after it acquired 56 stations from Clear Channel Television earlier this year.
  more » » » 
  
  
• SNL Kagan Sees TV-Station Revenue Growth
  Financial-research company SNL Kagan predicted that TV-station revenue will record a compound annual-growth rate of 3.9% over the next five years. That would be coming off a big decline -- 8.5% -- in 2007, which Kagan attributed to the writers' strike and the migration of ads to the Internet.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Barack Obama’s Media Agenda:
  An Exclusive Interview Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has a profound appreciation of the media’s great possibilities. That’s at least part of what earned him the presumptive Democratic nomination for president.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Neil MacNeil Dies at 85
  Neil MacNeil, one of TV news’ first congressional correspondents, is dead at age 85.
  more » » » 
  
  
• The Paper Chase: Some Stations Beat Newspapers on Web
  Newspapers hold the upper hand in the race for local Web dollars, but a new study revealed a small group of TV-station sites that are not only holding their own against the established local papers, but are besting them in traffic. According to “What Local Media Web Sites Earn: 2008 Survey,” recently released by Borrell Associates, sites for stations such as WMUR Manchester, N.H.; KTHV Little Rock, Ark.; and KSL Salt Lake City are dramatically outperforming their market's major newspaper sites in unique visitors.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Fox Chicago Adds Fifth Hour to Morning Show
  Fox Chicago is adding a fifth hour to its morning program, Good Day Chicago. The extended program will run from 5 a.m.-10 a.m.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Entriq Snags Broadcast Deal for New-Media Software
  Broadband-content specialist Entriq said Inergize Digital Media, the Minneapolis-based broadband division of station group Newport Television, deployed its Media Services software to help more than 50 television stations streamline their broadband-production work flow and distribute their content across multiple platforms.
  more » » » 
  
  
• KRIV Going Live at 5
  Fox owned-and-operated KRIV Houston is launching 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. newscasts weekdays starting Aug. 18.
  more » » » 
  
  
• NBC Local Media Division Taps Gittrich
  NBC tapped a veteran newspaper reporter and editor to be the top news executive for its NBC Local Media Division digital operations, which include the Web sites for its 10 owned TV stations.
  more » » » 
  
  
• Nexstar Creates Senior VP/CTO Post
  Nexstar Broadcasting Group created the new post of senior vice president, chief technology officer, to head up its digital initiatives and integrate them with its advertising operations. Nexstar, which owns 50 TV stations in 29 markets, tapped Adrian Giuhut for the post. He had been CTO of AvantGuard Technologies, where he developed Web-based video-distribution and advertising products.
  more » » » 

Around The Web

How TMZ Uses Tech to Get in Your Face
TMZ's growing reputation as Hollywood's in-the-know and in-your-face news agency was built by working the phones, developing sources and basically outhustling rivals, executives said. As CNET reported, it is also building a technology edge. TMZ, which launched as a Web site in 2005 and moved into TV last September, was among the first to build a tapeless HD TV newsroom from the ground up.

CBS, Military Court Face First Amendment Dispute
The New York Times reported that CBS News is fighting -- and, so far, losing -- a First Amendment case in which a military court is trying to obtain unaired portions of an interview with an officer who is being prosecuted over an attack at Haditha, Iraq.

Political Focus Helps to Make MSNBC More Competitive
AP found that the surge in viewership created by the presidential campaign benefited MSNBC more than Fox News Channel or CNN. Phil Griffin, the NBC News executive who oversees MSNBC, is pushing to consolidate those gains.

Why Do Journalists Mourn Russert So?
Scratch the surface of all of those glittering tributes for Tim Russert and you might find an undercoating of journalistic insecurity, wrote Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz.