This was posted on Thursday, February 23, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Meredith Corp. has purchased the broadcast assets of Peachtree TV (WPCH-TV) in Atlanta from Turner Broadcasting System, part of Time Warner, which is being acquired by AT&T.

The dollar amount was not announced but Meredith’s press release said it will have “no material impact on Meredith’s fiscal 2017 financial results.” Deadline.com, with no attribution, said Meredith paid $70 million.

The deal is expected to close by June 30.

This move appears to be a way to make it easier for the merger to happen with less regulatory review. (WPCH-TV is Time Warner’s only FCC-regulated broadcast station.)

Roger Entner, an anealyst at Recon Analytics LLC, told Bloomberg BNA last fall that it was possible Time Warner would sell the station to a third party, even if it has to do so for pennies on the dollar.

“Whatever that station is worth is immaterial in relation to the volume [of the deal],” said Entner. “Their toilet paper bill is probably more than what that station is worth.”

Peachtree TV is an odd vestige linked to the TBS SuperStation Ted Turner created in 1976 after buying the station in 1970. Originally called WTCG, that particular network was one of the first to use satellites to transmit nationwide. (More history here and here.)

Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and began airing the games, as well as wrestling, old movies and repeats of shows such as “Green Acres” and “The Andy Griffith Show.” It was a tough road but by 1981, the network was profitable and helped sustain the nascent Cable News Network. The network nationwide helped propel the Braves to become “America’s team.”

Over the years TBS aired thousands of movies, cartoons, classic sitcoms and dramas and wrestling matches galore. After Time Warner purchased Turner, TBS began shifting to a more traditional cable network model, dropping cartoons and airing fewer Braves games. In 2003, the network shifted entirely to comedies such as “Friends,” “Home Improvement” and “Seinfeld,” dropping dramas such as “Little House on the Prairie.” The new slogan: “Very Funny.”

The network in the 2000s tried some original programming such as reality TV (“Outback Jack,” “The Real Gilligan’s Island”) and sitcoms (“My Boys,” “10 Items or Less”), only hitting a ratings jackpot with Tyler Perry comedies such as “Meet the Browns” and “House of Payne.”

In 2007, TBS was split into two entities: the national TBS cable network and Peachtree TV (WPCH-TV) as the metro Atlanta network.

The Atlanta Braves would only air on Peachtree TV while TBS began showing other Major League Baseball games. By 2014, the Braves moved to Fox Sports.

Since the split, TBS nabbed Conan O’Brien for a late night show, tried a range of comedies of middling quality (“The Bill Engvall Show,” “Glory Daze,” “Men at Work”) and found huge success running repeats of “The Big Bang Theory.” More recently, it hit a jackpot with “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” and received critical respect for edgier fare such as “The Detour,” “People of Earth” and “Angie Tribeca.”

In 2011, Turner handed off the day-to-day operations of Peachtree TV to Meredith Corp. in a lease agreement. Meredith also owns CBS46 (WGCL-TV) in Atlanta.

Peachtree TV nowadays runs a mix of judge shows (e.g. “Judge Faith,” “Hot Bench,” “Justice With Judge Mablean,” “Divorce Court”), dramas (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Major Crimes”), the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” sitcoms (e.g. “The King of Queens,” “Modern Family,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Seinfeld,” “The Middle,” “American Dad”), reality TV (“Pawn Stars”) and movies (e.g. “Pirates of the Carribean,” “Shark Tale,” “Collateral”) It also airs “Atlanta Eats” on weekends.

“We’ve worked closely with Meredith since 2011 and know they will be excellent stewards of WPCH-TV,” said Michael Marinello, SVP Communications for Turner, in a press conference.

This was posted Tuesday, March 7, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

It’s been a tough few months for Mark Harmon, former CBS46 sports anchor. In December, a week before Christmas, he lost his sports director job at Georgia Public Broadcasting. Three days ago, his house has burned down.

His wife Margaret last summer was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension and is on oxygen.

A golfing buddy friend Simeon Smith has posted a GoFundMe page for Harmon, raising $7,730 from 43 donors in 20 hours so far as I’m writing this. (UPDATE: After a day and a half and 16 hours after I posted this story, donations had hit the original $20,000 goal, which has since been upped to $30,000. More than 180 people had contributed and the page had been shared 880 times on Facebook.)

Smith said on the GoFundMe site that Harmon and his wife lost almost everything, including their 17-year-old pomeranian in the accidental fire at his Norcross home:

Two precious statues, including one of Jesus, survived the intense heat. All else, including their beloved dog, Buddy, was lost. They are heartbroken. They have their car, the clothes they were wearing that day, their commitment to each other and their faith. That’s it.

He said Margaret, who is just 57, barely escaped death. (Mark was not home when the fire began.) “A neighbor heard her screams and dragged her out seconds before smoke would have engulfed her,” Smith wrote in a follow-up email. “The following trauma was so dreadful that she literally still can’t walk without major assistance.”

Harmon described the outpouring of support as “overwhelming.”

“I didn’t know so many people cared,” Harmon said in a phone interview today, his voice breaking from emotion.

He thanked his golfing buddy friends, Tucker’s Holy Cross Catholic Church, as well as his friends at GPB who he considers family. Plus, random folks have “come out of the woodwork” to offer support, he said. “It’s so touching. There are people I don’t even know. Maybe I covered their kids in school. It’s amazing!”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYHBCpjuifE&w=640&h=390]

Harmon is looking for work and a break. He began covering sports in Atlanta in 1992 at what was then WGNX-TV. It soon became the CBS affiliate WGCL-TV. Over the years, he has covered the Olympics, Super Bowls, the Daytona 500 and the World Series. He was let go by CBS Atlanta in 2009 when the sports department was disbanded and outsourced. (It has since been resurrected.) He joined GPB in 2010 and was promoted to sports director in 2012.

GPB recently dropped high school basketball, meaning there was no need for a full-time staff. Bert Huffman, vice president of external affairs and chief development officer, texted me to say GPB will ramp up again a part-time sports staff this summer in time for Friday night high school football.

GPB offered Harmon to return part time to cover football but he said he needs a full-time job to survive.

Mark Harmon at work at GPB. CREDIT: GPB

This was posted Wednesday, March 8, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Former CBS Atlanta sports anchor Mark Harmon is now employed, thanks to a local sports marketing entrepreneur who was already considering him for a job.

Vince Thompson, who runs sports marketing firm Melt, had been talking to Harmon by phone about a potential position. But after he saw my story regarding Harmon’s wife’s illness and his house burning down March 4, Thompson called Harmon this morning and gave him a spot in his company starting Monday, March 13.

“His story just grabbed my heart,” Thompson said. “I have been a big fan of his work, just being in the sports scene as long as I have. I knew he was a good man and good journalist. He has high values.”

Harmon was shocked but grateful at the same time. “He’s taking a leap of faith,” Harmon said. “It just blows me away. We’ve never even met face to face.”

A sports anchor and reporter for what is now the CBS affiliate from 1992 to 2009, Harmon joined Georgia Public Broadcasting in 2010 and became full-time sports director in 2012. But in December, 2016, GPB informed him they had to let him go because the station was no longer covering high school basketball. He was already grappling with his wife Margaret suffering from congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. The accidental house fire March 4 stressed her out even more but Harmon said she’s doing better.

On Monday, two days after the fire, Harmon’s friend Simeon Smith posted a GoFundMe page for Harmon and has raised $25,000 so far to help Harmon pay for medical supplies for his wife and other immediate needs before home insurance kicks in.

When Thompson read about Harmon’s plight, he said it reminded him of Job in the bible. At first, he planned to contribute money on the GoFundMe site but then thought, “What am I waiting for? I need to do the right thing and figure out the rest later. He’s a great journalist who will make a great contribution to my business.”

He said he is advancing Harmon his first month’s salary upfront to help him out.

Harmon said he had met with William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Pate passed Harmon’s name over to Thompson.

Thompson said he considers Pate a mentor and took Pate’s recommendation seriously.

The Alabama native started Melt, an independent sports marketing company, in 2000 and has grown it to 100 employees with 30 clients including Coca Cola, Caterpillar, Kia, Aaron’s and InterContinental. He specializes in college sports sponsorships for events such as the Final Four.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Harmon said. “I’ll be ready to go Monday. I told Margaret, ‘This is day four of the Team Harmon bounce back. We’re bouncing back!’ “

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 21: Author/television host Robert Osborne poses for photographers during the book signing for his new book “80 Years of the Oscars” at Barnes & Noble located at The Grove on February 21, 2009 in Los Angeles, California (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

This was posted on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Atlanta-based Turner Classic Movies is planning an entire weekend to honor the legacy of veteran host Robert Osborne, who passed away March 5 of unspecified health issues. Airing all day on Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19, the 48-hour tribute will replay many interviews Osborne conducted with Hollywood greats over his 23 years since the network launched.

He was the voice of the network and taped more than 50,000 introductions to classic movies, much of that time at Turner’s Midtown studios.

Among the clips:

• Alec Baldwin interviewed Osborne in 2014.
• A clip of Osborne’s very first intro clip in 1994 to “Gone With the Wind.”
• His “Private Screening” interviews with Debbie Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Betty Hutton and Ernest Borgnine.
• TCM’s annual “Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival” interviews with screen legends such as Peter O’Toole, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, Alan Arkin and Luise Rainer, who was 101 at the time of the interview and without her hearing aids, a situation Osborne graciously worked around by writing each question out on a noteptad for her to read.

The complete schedule for TCM’s tribute to Osborne is included below:

Saturday, March 18

6 a.m. – Private Screenings: Robert Osborne

7:30 a.m. – Private Screenings: Norman Jewison

9 a.m. – Robert Osborne’s 20th Anniversary Tribute

10:15 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Alan Arkin

11:30 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Luise Rainer

12:15 p.m. –  Private Screeniings: Liza Minnnelli

1:30 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Robert Osborne

3 p.m. –  Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Eva Marie Saint

4:15 p.m. –  Robert Osborne’s 20th Anniversary Tribute

5:30 p.m. –  Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Peter O’Toole

6:45 p.m. –  Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Kim Novak

8 p.m. –  Robert Osborne introduces Gone with the Wind in his first-ever on-air appearance as TCM’s host

8:05 p.m. – Private Screenings: Robert Osborne

9:30 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Debbie Reynolds

10:30 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Betty Hutton

11:45 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Liza Minnelli

12:45 a.m. – Private Screenings: Robert Osborne

2:15 a.m. – Private Screenings: Norman Jewison

3:30 a.m. – Private Screenings: Ernest Borgnine

4:45 a.m. – Robert Osborne’s 20th Anniversary Tribute

Sunday, March 19

6 a.m. – Private Screenings: Liza Minnnelli

7 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Eva Marie Saint

8:15 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Kim Novak

9:15 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Peter O’Toole

10:30 a.m. – Private Screenings: Robert Osborne

Noon –  Robert Osborne’s 20th Anniversary Tribute

1 p.m. –  Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Alan Arkin

2:15 p.m. –  Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Luise Rainer

3 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Ernest Borgnine

4:15 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Norman Jewison

5:30 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Robert Osborne

7 p.m. –  Private Screenings: Liza Minnelli

8 p.m. –  Robert Osborne’s 20th Anniversary Tribute

9 p.m. –  Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Eva Marie Saint

10:15 p.m. –  Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Luise Rainer

11 p.m. –  Robert Osborne’s 20th Anniversary Tribute

Midnight – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Peter O’Toole

1:15 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Kim Novak

2:30 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Alan Arkin

3:45 a.m. – Private Screenings: Robert Osborne

5:15 a.m. – Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Luise Rainer

(All times Eastern)

***

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Katie Walls is expected to return next week from maternity leave after having a son three months ago.

She posted on her public Facebook page: “In one week I’ll be leaving this cutie pie and returning to work. See you soon!”

She joined the news team in 2014.

***

Channel 2 Action News has beefed up its technology from its chopper so people can see street names as the copter flies over Atlanta.

It also allows real-time comparison using satellite images to show what a location looked like in the past versus what it looks like now. This can be used to show situations such as damage from a fire or flooding, or to show progress on new construction.

The station used it for the first time this week to show the area around the new Suntrust Park.

More details here.

And Mark Arum and Fred Blankenship Thursday morning honored the 20th anniversary of Notorious B.I.G.’s death this way:

***

Variety wrote an extensive piece about how IHeartMedia’s unwieldy debt is increasing the chances the company will have to file for bankruptcy protection.

They built up more than $20 billion in debt in 2008 after a private equity takeover just as the economy was cratering. Although the economy has since recovered, radio revenues have not come back to pre-recession levels.

And while IHeartMedia does throw off plenty of cash, it’s not enough to reduce its burdensome debt.

“They’ve got a ticking time bomb,” says Jude Gorman, general counsel of Reorg Research, which analyzes distressed companies, in Variety. “They clearly thought they had a path, and so they gave it a shot. It didn’t work out.”

IHeartMedia owns more radio stations than any other company, including Power 96.1, Radio 105.7, 94.9/The Bull and 640/WGST-AM in Atlanta. It owns 860 nationwide.

Bob Pittman, who started MTV 36 years ago, is trying to turn IHeartMedia (once called Clear Channel) into a digital powerhouse. While his app is third largest nationwide, it is well behind Pandora and Spotify.

***

Star 94.1’s is wisely trying to grab listeners away from B98.5, which recently took Melissa Carter off the air as a morning host:

This was posted Saturday, March 11, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Keith Whitney, who took an early buyout from 11Alive a year ago, has landed a job at rival station CBS46 as a general assignment reporter.

He recently changed his public Facebook page to @keithwhitneycbs46.

He had been at 11Alive for 23 years as an anchor and reporter.

Two of his colleagues who took the same buyout – Kevin Rowson and Donna Lowry – left the business and nabbed jobs rather quickly in public relations. Rowson now works as a public affairs officer at the FBI officer in Atlanta. Lowry is now the director of communications at the Cobb County school system.

Whitney joins sports anchor Fred Kalil, who moved to CBS46 from 11Alive two years ago, and anchor/reporter Karyn Greer, who left the same year.

CBS46 also has former Fox 5 and 11Alive meteorologist Paul Ossmann and former anchor Amanda Davis, as well as former Channel 2 Action News reporter Sally Sears on staff.

Check out Whitney’s report from Friday evening covering a sexual slavery case in a Sandy Springs mansion.

This was posted Tuesday, March 14, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

HLN continues to pluck talent from the ranks of CNN to populate its current all-female line up. Michaela Pereira, then Ashleigh Banfield, then Carol Costello, now S.E. Cupp. (Erica Hill is a former CNNer as well though she was working elsewhere immediately before coming to HLN.)

Cupp is a political contributor for CNN and former “Crossfire” host. Her show is set to debut this summer. Costello’s is targeted for late April.

Cupp’s show will air at 7 p.m. right before Banfield’s 8 p.m. show, which replaced Nancy Grace last October.

The only long-term player left at HLN on air is Robin Meade, its morning star and remaining on-air talent left in Atlanta, where HLN is still theoretically based. All the newcomers, so far, have been based in New York or Los Angeles. And the only reason why Meade is still in Atlanta is because she wants to be and her popularity gives her that power.

HLN, since abandoning much of its old line-up last year, has been relying on copious amounts of old “Forensic Files” repeats (since re-dubbed “Mystery Detectives”). It also announced three new original series and a second season for a recent newbie.

• Beyond Reasonable Doubt: a crime series from the team behind CNN’s Finding Jesus. Coming June 2.
• Something’s Killing Me: a medical mystery series. Coming July 21.
• How It Really Happened with Hill Harper (second season): Coming Sept. 15
• Inside Secret Places with Chris Cuomo: Coming Nov. 3

***

Chris “Crash” Clark has found his home at 11Alive as morning traffic dude. He just signed a new contract with the station. He joined the NBC affiliate in early 2014.

He posted this on his Facebook page:

In my almost 30 years of broadcasting, (mostly radio, but who thought, now TV) I’ve finally found a place where I can mix serious with silly. I’m excited to officially announce my contract extension with my 11 Alive family and hope this is just the beginning of a long and wonderful relationship.

Clark began his career in radio in the 1990s at stations such as Hot 107.5, 99X and Q100. In the mid 2000s, he moved to Boston for four years with Rich Shertenlieb and Fred Toucher before returning to Atlanta in 2010. He did traffic for Dave FM and V-103, then co-hosted for a couple of years with Ryan Cameron on V-103 in afternoons and mornings. After he lost his V-103 gig, he segued onto TV, his goofy persona working well in a new medium.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM3C-cISafU&w=640&h=390]

***

Charles Ross was a regular presence on V-103 for many years in the 1980s and 1990s as a financial expert targeting African Americans.

He provided nuggets of financial advice on the V-103 morning show in the late 1980s for Mike Roberts and Carol Blackmon. He also had a talk show for a time on WAOK-AM.

The 59 year old has been off air for about 15 years but has reappeared in the spotlight running for city council in the new city of Stonecrest. (His publicist is Marjorie Coley, who used to do news on V-103 when he was there.)

“I want to be an anti-poverty advocate and pro education,” Ross said. “I can do it as an advocate or have a seat at the table where decisions are made. This is a great opportunity to have an impact.”

Since his radio show ended, he worked as a financial planner and held finance seminars. In recent years, he has been an elementary school teacher.

If he wins, he won’t have direct jurisdiction over the school system or the police. But he said he will provide input. He said the council could coordinate with DeKalb County police, sponsor workshops and set up neighborhood watch. The council will handle zoning issues.

Ross, who has raised about $2,500, is competing against Jimmy Clanton Jr., president of the Stonecrest Community Civic Association.

He said his district, which includes Stonecrest Mall, has about 6,400 registered voters. Special elections, he said, tend to draw very few actual voters so he believes he needs only a few hundred voters to win.

He has lived in DeKalb since 1982 and the Stonecrest area for eight years.

***
Drex, who was part of the Star 94.1 morning show before Jeff Dauler and Jenn Hobby took over, is currently subbing in for Tripp West on B985. mid days as a part timer and handling some of the music for B98.5.

There has been no recent update about West’s condition on his Facebook page since he had a tumor removed from his brain in January.

This was posted Wednesday, March 29, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Former 11Alive reporter and Georgia Sen. Ollisteen “Steen” Miles has passed away from lung cancer, Channel 2 Action News first reported.

She was 70.

You can add your condolences here.

Miles worked at the NBC affiliate WXIA-TV from 1984 to 1999 in various capacities in front of the camera and behind the camera. She was also a MARTA spokesman and a Georgia state senator from 2005 to 2007 representing DeKalb County.

DeKalb County commissioner Larry Johnson, whose mother just passed from lung cancer recently as well, said he loved how she would “go to bat for the little person. She listened and acted as a legislator. As her constituent, I felt she cared and believed in us. I am saddened and hurt.”

Curt Thompson, a Democratic state senator representing parts of Gwinnett County, recalled her being “quick witted in floor debates even for a new state senator. She was hard working, always attended caucus meetings and I remember she had a very good laugh. I think she also got frustrated with the level of partisanship and difficulty passing or defeating bills in the minority party. I think that’s probably why she left office.”

Several of her former 11Alive colleagues gave heartfelt tributes on social media Wednesday.

“If you’ve worked in media or politics in Atlanta,” wrote 11Alive reporter Valerie Hoff DeCarlo on her Facebook page, “you probably knew Steen Miles. She was so kind to me when I was a beginner in Atlanta TV news, and I admired her being a risk taker and leaving TV to run for public office.”

DeCarlo said Miles battled cancer “with humor, optimism and determination… Steen’s death is a shock and a loss.” On Miles’ Facebook page, she wrote “cancer picked the wrong chick.”

Keith Whitney, who worked with her at 11Alive and is now at CBS46, called her a “bulldog” in the best sense of the word. “She was as tough as anyone you’d ever meet in the business. She was very outspoken. When other people might shy away from an uncomfortable issue, she’d speak up. She never held her tongue. Even if you didn’t like her, you respected her. She was one of those people who put everything into whatever assignment she was given. She was unforgettable.”

Evelyn Mims, who was the long-time community affairs specialist and producer at 11Alive, said Miles was the “Maxine Waters of the newsroom. She was a powerhouse. She was a strong woman period. Family and spiritually oriented. Her parents were ministers.”

Miles attended both of 11Alive anchor Brenda Wood’s going away parties when she retired last month. While Wood knew Miles’ cancer had returned, Miles expressed no fear to her. “She had on her beautiful smile and said, ‘I’ve got my faith. That’s what I’m going on!’ ” Wood told me late Wednesday by phone.

The day before Miles passed, Wood had penned a thank you note to Miles in appreciation for her support over the years but had no idea how close Miles was to moving on. “I’m still rattled,” Wood said.

Her daughter Kellie Walker said she was former president of Jack and Jill of America, a non-profit dedicated to building African-American leaders and she was active as a minister at Greenforest Community Baptist Church in Decatur.

“She touched so many lives and was present with so many people in a meaningful way,” Walker said. “She wanted to impact people and touch people and help people.”

The biggest lesson Miles taught her daughters, Walker said, was “to love God, love my family, love my community and love myself.”

According to a biography on TheHistoryMakers.com, Miles grew up in South Bend, Ind. and worked in radio in Cincinnati and Chicago before coming to Atlanta in 1980 where she worked at United Press International as an editor before moving to 11Alive in 1984.

Kellie recalled while growing up, her mom hosted a “Coffee Talk” TV show in South Bend and a radio show as “Steen King, the Soul Queen.” (Her married name at the time was King.)

In 2000 and 2008, she ran for DeKalb County CEO but didn’t win. In 2006, she also tried to become Lieutenant Governor, coming in third during the Democratic primary. In 2014, she ran for U.S. Senate as a Democrat but lost to Michelle Nunn in the primary.

Miles resided in Decatur and is survived by two daughters, Kellie and Heather and two grandchildren, William and Kellea.

CREDIT: Facebook profile photo

This was posted Sunday, April 2, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk

Former TV broadcaster and state legislator Steen Miles, who passed away Wednesday after a battle with lung cancer, will be honored at her church in Decatur on Saturday, April 8.

Visitors can pay their respects at 1 p.m Saturday at Greenforest Community Baptist Church at the Gregory B. Levett and Sons South DeKalb Chapel. (Directions here.)

Miles, 70, spent 15 years at 11Alive in various capacities and spent two years representing DeKalb County in the state senate from 2005 to 2007. (Read my obit here.)

Her two daughters Kellie and Heather posted this note on Facebook:

“Our mother was a regal woman who persevered through through trial, tribulation and sickness unscathed. Therefore, we’re honoring her legacy by wearing purple (royalty) and platinum (precious and enduring) during her celebration. We invite you to join us at her Celebration of Life if you’re able. If not, please consider wearing purple and platinum on Saturday, April 8, 2017 in remembrance of her.”

This was originally posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Cheryl Preheim had become a staple of Denver broadcast TV, hosting the local NBC affiliate morning news. She could have conceivably stayed in that market the rest of her career.

But her husband Mark received a great job in Atlanta in production. She felt he had sacrificed a lot for her career so she decided it was time to move with him earlier this year.

Finding a job in a larger market was hardly a guarantee. Fortunately for Preheim, 11Alive’s legendary evening anchor Brenda Wood was planning to retire, causing a cascade of moves that enabled the local NBC affiliate to hire her for mornings. (Shiba Russell, who came last year from New York, moved from mornings to evenings to take over for Wood.)

“We’ve traveled here many times to visit friends,” Preheim said recently at Einstein’s near the 11Alive office as thunderstorms roiled the city. “We love the city. It felt very comfortable to be here. It already feels like we’ve been here a long time.”

Her four kids have already been to the MLK Center and the Center for Civil and Human Rights. They’ve fallen in love with Sublime Donuts.

“I want to be an active member of the community,” she said, “and telling stories gives me a chance to do that and connect with  people.”

Preheim’s life’s perspective has shifted significantly since she experienced two medical emergencies with her kids within a span of six weeks in 2015. First, she found out her six-year-old son Joshua had a serious congenital heart problem that required open heart surgery. Then her newborn son Joseph had serious kidney issues at birth. Fortunately for her family, both boys survived and have since thrived.

“We left the hospital so thankful for our kids that they were recovering and healthy,” she said. “Our goal was to always have gratitude every day, whether it was in three months, three years or 30 years.”

Two months before Joshua’s medical condition was diagnosed, he was doodling on the kitchen table and came up with a cool phrase “Brave Conquers Fear.” At the time, Preheim snapped a picture and figured it would go in a scrapbook.

Little did she know it would become Joshua’s inspirational mantra as he recovered from surgery. “He knew he was going to need that before he knew,” Preheim said. “I felt like God gave that to him before he needed it so we could draw on it.”

She knew a friend in Fayetteville, where she lives now, who had a T-shirt press in his garage. “We wore them on surgery day,” she said. “We gave them to nurses and kids on the floor. It really resonated with people.” Joshua would return to the hospital to hand out t-shirts and share his story. She has already linked up with the Children’s Healthcare officials in Atlanta and hopes to continue to do work with them as well.

Preheim is also planning to do “profiles in courage” type stories with the “Brave Conquers Fear” starting point.

Here’s a story about her family’s journey on her Denver station KUSA-TV 9News:

Cheryl Preheim shows off the T-shirts inspired by her son Joshua. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Preheim grew up near South Bend, Ind., then attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and majored in media communications. But broadcast TV only came into play when, interested in writing, she procured an internship at a local station KUSA 9News. “I loved how the team functioned in the newsroom,” she said.

She did what many go-getters do: after her internship hours, she’d use her key card and go in edit bays and rewrite and edit stories just to learn. The internship head helped her get her first job in town at the local news/talk radio station. She produced morning and afternoon drive when the O.J. Simpson trial was going on. “Every afternoon, I’d stack soundbites from Johnny Cochran,” she said.

After she taped a radio piece about mental illness and violence, the NBC TV station wanted a version of that same story. So she did it. From there, for 18 months, she pulled double shifts daily doing stories full time for both radio and TV.

While she said this was a great learning experience, she eventually burned out. “I was driving from one place to another,” she said. “I got to a stop light and fell asleep. At that moment, I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I talked to my bosses that same day. Channel 9 offered me a full-time contract.”

She worked at that station for another 18 years, covering multiple Olympics and the biggest stories out of Denver.

The one that affected her most was the Columbine High School mass shootings in 1999. “Columbine changed me forever,” she said, her voice breaking. “I tear up to this day. I remember being at the school and seeing the parents looking for their kids. No community had ever gone through so many deaths like that. I’ve stayed in touch with many of the families years later. I loved being part of that community. I love having a chance to do that in Georgia.”

ON TV
“Atlanta Alive,” 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays

Valerie Hoff worked at 11Alive for 18 years before resigning today. CREDIT: 11 Alive

This was originally posted Friday, April 28, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Veteran 11Alive reporter Valerie Hoff resigned today two weeks after she jokingly used the N-word – the version with an “a” at the end of it – in a private message to a black man on Twitter that he publicized.

“I was quoting something the gentleman said in a public tweet back to him in a private message but that doesn’t make it any less offensive,” Hoff wrote me in an exclusive message. “It was incredibly stupid and reckless. I was in the middle of a pressure-filled day trying to chase down the video of a man being beaten and kicked by two Gwinnett police officers, which this particular gentleman had posted on twitter. I repeatedly apologized and continue to do so. I also offered to resign immediately.”

Her boss John Deushane offered this message: “11Alive does not tolerate any form of racial insensitivity and aggressively enforces our standard policies. We acted promptly to address this situation. Valerie Hoff has chosen to resign and apologizes for her actions.11Alive is committed to treating the communities we serve with dignity and respect.”

“I look forward to being a stay-at-home mom,” Hoff added, “and working on my Food and Travel Blog, ValerieHoff.com this summer.”

Let me go over what happened on April 13:

The man, who identified himself to me as Curtis Rivers, had posted a video of a white police officer punching a black motorist on his @curtfromdablock Twitter feed. Hoff was trying to get permission to use it for a breaking news story. On Twitter, Rivers had noted publicly that a lot of “news n***as” were trying to track him down for the video. (It’s a word he uses a lot on this Twitter feed.)

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In response to a private direct message, Hoff called herself one of those “news n****s.” At first, he wrote “LMFAOO” but when he realized she was a white woman, he wondered if she was calling him that word. She explained she was referring to herself and quickly apologized.

As a given in this day and age, a non-black person using the N-word – even in its more casual usage – tends to be a no no in polite society no matter what the context.

Rivers said when he figured out she was not black, he became offended. “I just think it wasn’t right for her to use that word in regards to a person who is African American on herself or use the word period for that matter,” he wrote me.

In his mind, “if she is bold enough to say it to me being an African American then I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first time she has used that word.”

Despite the apology, he publicized the DMed messages on his Twitter feed and some folks complained about her usage. For example:

Here are the texts that Rivers sent me between Hoff and Rivers. Note: this does not show the actual start of the message chain so it’s a little out of context:

Rivers did take down the DM exchange above from his public feed, but such things don’t disappear completely on the Web and kept pinging around.

The station at first placed her on a two-week suspension. But when FTVlive posted a story today and they heard I was fishing around, both sides agreed it was time to separate.

Curtis Rivers, the man Hoff Tweeted who had a video news reporters wanted April 13.

Rivers, before she resigned, wrote that he thought Hoff should be fired. “I honestly don’t want anyone to lose their job but if you’re representing your company and not just yourself, then yes I do,” he wrote.

On Saturday, he responded to the news with this: “I feel like she had no other choice and she was probably asked to do so.”

Hoff has been in an Emmy-winning reporter and anchor. She worked at 11Alive going back to 1999 after eight years at CNN.

“Consumer news and the Court System are my areas of expertise but I’m a quick study on just about any topic. I enjoy anchoring, especially in fluid, unscripted situations such as breaking news,” she wrote in her Linkedin page.

This was posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV talk blog

WXIA-TV, known as 11Alive, on Monday added a 7 p.m. newscast on its sister station WATL-TV with no fanfare, replacing a repeat of “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Why not promote the addition of more local news?

Two sources at 11Alive said the newscast is temporary and tied directly to accommodate a flood of political ads promoting (or taking down) either Jon Ossoff and Karen Handel vying for the hotly contest House seat left behind by Tom Price, now the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. They said the newscast will end after the runoff is over June 20.

The current newscast commercial inventory is otherwise too tight at the NBC affiliate, the sources said. In other words, the bonus newscast is more a place to air these ads for a few weeks rather than an actual consumer service.

Melissa Long is anchoring the 7 p.m. newscast as well as the regular 10 p.m. newscast on the station, known as MyNetwork and TheATL and owned by Tegna. That 10 p.m. newscast debuted in 2006 and competes with WAGA-TV/Fox 5.

John Deushane, general manager for 11Alive and WATL-TV, did not respond to inquiries for comment via email or text.

Do the newscasters get any additional pay for the additional work? Not that I know of.

11Alive for several years aired a 7 p.m. newscast but dropped it in early 2015 in favor of “Wheel of Fortune.”

And don’t worry, “Andy Griffith Show” fans. The 7:30 p.m. repeat remains.

This was posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

“Good Day Atlanta” host Constance Jones left WAGA-TV’s Fox 5 station abruptly last Friday without explanation after less than a year there.

She referred me to her official Twitter statement:

Thank you to the wonderful viewers for generously and warmly allowing me to be a part of their mornings. It was a privilege to meet so many great people in the North Georgia community. I will always be grateful for this opportunity. Thank you to all of my colleagues with Good Day Atlanta and Fox 5 for welcoming me. I wish Good Day Atlanta and Fox 5 continued success. I will be headed back home to South Florida.

Her page on the Fox 5 website is no longer. And she has taken Fox 5 description off her social media. I spoke with one insider at the station, who had no idea why she left.

Mike McClain, Fox 5 news director, provided this statement: “Constance Jones has left ‘Good Day Atlanta’ to return home to South Florida. We wish her the very best.”

Jones came to Atlanta from Miami late last summer, effectively replacing Karen Graham, who is now pursuing her own on-line TV network targeting those who are deaf.

I wrote a piece about Fox 5 adopting a future service dog in February and threw in a few tidbits about Jones. She grew up in Oklahoma City and came to Atlanta after nine years at the ABC affiliate WPLG-TV Local 10 in Miami where she has been a reporter/anchor.  She has lived near Piedmont Park and rode her bike on the Beltline regularly with her husband, an artist named Troy Simmons who specializes in sculpture. “I love the raw creative energy of the city,” said Jones, who has family in Montgomery, Ala., at the time.

While in Atlanta, the only controversy that came out publicly regarding Jones was when she called a kid “tubby” in December and received some ocial media push back and a story on local news gossip site FTVLive.

Clark Howard at his annual Clark Kids toy collection for foster kids collection at a Wal-Mart in 2015. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

This was posted Monday, May 22, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Atlanta consumer guru Clark Howard was recently treated at Piedmont Hospital for a life-threatening muscle-related syndrome that may have been caused by a combination of medicines he was taking for two different medical issues.

He took antibiotic ciprofloxacin (brand name Cipro) to ward off an infection after a biopsy to monitor his on-going prostate cancer, which in his case is not aggressive. (He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009.) He was also taking the common cholesterol lowering pill Lipitor. Doctors at Piedmont think that combination may have caused him to get rhabdomyolysis.

“I felt like death,” Clark told Channel 2 Action News today. “It was a struggle to walk five steps.”

According to WebMD, habdomyolysis is a “serious syndrome due to a direct or indirect muscle injury. It results from the death of muscle fibers and release of their contents into the bloodstream.” This could cause kidney failure and eventual death.

Channel 2 Action News noted that in 2013, Gwinnett triathlete Chris Dannelly died of the same condition five days after he took three pills of ciprofloxacin’s sister drug, levofloxacin.

Howard left the hospital about two and a half weeks ago. He spent two days there and four days at home in bed before he returned to work. He managed to only lose one show day for his syndicated radio show, which airs at 10 p.m. weekdays on News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB.

In a text tonight, he said he is gradually feeling better: “I am between 80 percent to 90 percent myself depending on the day. I have heard I should expect a three-month cycle to full recovery.” Unfortunately, he still feels “moderate to high amounts of muscle pain each day.”

Brendan Keefe spent a lot of time on stage accepting awards, then taking photos afterwards. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

This was posted Wednesday, June 14, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

It may be time to re-name the show Brendan Keefe’s Southeast Emmy Awards.

For the second year in a row, the 11Alive investigatve reporter took home 11 Emmy awards Saturday night at the annual shindig at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. His lifetime total is now a whopping 77 Emmys.

Keefe brought his 7-year-old daughter Mackie along, he said, because she insisted. He took her on stage every time and she was game, albeit looking a bit tired by the time the clock hit 11 p.m.

“The Emmys are about a standard of excellence,” he wrote me later. “These awards are not about me – they’re about the stories. The work is more fulfilling than any trophy, but these many Emmys serve as an affirmation of the long days and hard work chasing corrupt officials. I made a decision at the age of 40 to work entirely alone as my own producer, photographer and video editor. That choice has been rewarded with the most meaningful work of my career.”

Among his Emmys was for best news editor and investigative reporter as well as for stories on painkillers and problems regarding the 911 emergency system.

Fellow 11Alive reporter Matt Pearl nabbed four more. His lifetime total is now 23.

11Alive as a whole pocketed 31 Emmys for the night, the most in its history, exceeding 28 from two years ago.

Also for the second year in a row, Channel 2 Action News (WSB-TV) took home 11 Emmys, including best newscast for its 6 p.m. Hurricane Katrina coverage, best morning newscast, best investigative report, best human interest story and best on-air talent reporter (Nicole Carr).

Carr, who joined WSB-TV just 16 months ago, was among the most excited on the dais as she accepted her Emmy.

“I was just thrilled to have my parents, brother and husband with me,” she wrote me afterwards. “I was thinking of my baby girls at home. They’ve all been here for the journey. Their sacrifice and encouragement is part of the reason I’m a year into this awesome gig.”

Jovita Moore, evening anchor at Channel 2 Action News, won the best anchor Emmy for the first time in five tries. She joked on stage about shaking the “Susan Lucci” curse.

Georgia Public Broadcasting won 15, including overall excellence for the third time in six years.

Univision nabbed 17, while Telemundo won 13.

CBS46 garnered three, including Adam Murphy‘s special assignment story on a senior home near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and best breaking news story for Vince Sims and Steve Franklin covering the Black Lives Matter protests.

Fox 5, which has not submitted many nominations for Emmy awards in recent years, won two: Justin Felder, best sports reporter and best daily sports program.

WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group. 

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Jovita Moore wins her first best anchor Emmy after five tries. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

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Brendan Keefe takes a shot of his daughter Mackie with a few of his Emmys. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Emmy organizer Evelyn Mims and 11Alive reporter Matt Pearl. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Nicole Carr of Channel 2 Action News took home her first Southeast Emmy for best on-camera reporter talent covering live events. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

CBS46’s Karyn Greer was one of the award presenters at the Southeast Emmys. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

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The Channel 2 Action News team celebrates the best newscast Emmy that ended the night. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Charles Humbard, CEO and founder of Atlanta-based UpTV, won a Governor’s Award. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Steve Franklin and Vince Sims of CBS46 won an Emmy for best breaking news story covering the Black Lives Matter protests. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Bruce Erion at a Tegna retirement party last year at Tavernpointe restaurant. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

This was posted Friday, June 16, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Former 11Alive reporter Bruce Erion known for his forays flying the company “Skycam” helicopter has passed away Thursday from cancer. He was 71.

According to an 11Alive Alumni Reunion page, “he was surrounded by his family. His wife Terry says Bruce didn’t want a funeral or memorial service but a party to celebrate Bruce will be held at a later date.”

He was a West Point graduate and Vietnam vet.

Erion worked at the NBC affiliate WXIA-TV from 1982 to 1999.

“The West Point graduate was a big star in a very different Atlanta,” wrote Jeff Hullinger on Facebook. Hullinger was at rival WAGA-TV at the time and is now anchoring at 11Alive. “If you were not here 30 years ago, it’s difficult to convey just how famous Erion was. I remember him anchoring a newscast as he was flying the 11Alive helicopter being interrupted by air traffic control–still amazing.”

Retired anchor John Pruitt, who worked with Erion for 15 years at 11Alive, called him a “pioneer” and a good friend. “He was a masterful helicopter pilot but also a great personalty,” Pruitt said in an interview today. “He could talk and fly a helicopter at the same time. Very quick witted, very glib. A very winning personality. Viewers loved this guy. He would visit schools almost every day of the week. Kids would come out and he’d do a puppet show. He was truly a larger-than-life personality.”

Former 11Alive reporter Paul Crawley considered him “a goodwill ambassador for TV and aviation” with his community service work. “I never saw anyone who could be such a jack of all trades, not only an excellent pilot but also a wonderful personality, a genuine nice guy.”

Crawley recalled flying in the chopper with Erion reporting on prison escapees in Canton. They needed to grab lunch so they landed in a parking lot of a Wendy’s, which happened to be celebrating a grand opening. There were balloons everywhere. The manager rushed out, excited, saying, ‘Wow! Channel 11 sent Bruce Erion to cover my opening!” But when the manager found out this was just a chow break, he was crestfallen.

Also on Facebook, former 11Alive sportscaster now at CBS46 Fred Kalil noted that Erion  “started the pilot reporter concept at KOOL-TV in Phoenix. Skycam was his studio. Met him there, then fortunate to work with him at 11Alive in the 90’s. Always fun flying with or just hanging out with ‘Brewster.’ Landed near a Waffle House one time. When asked what was going on, he replied: ‘Just hungry.’ RIP my friend!”

In 1995, his girlfriend Shirlee Rothermal drowned in Lake Lanier. According to a story in Atlanta magazine in 2000, Erion was cleared of any involvement in Rothermel’s death but he told the magazine he was still haunted by that night. The couple had had an argument on his houseboat, Erion said, and he had stormed off to a nearby restaurant. While he was gone, Rothermel apparently fell overboard and drowned. “It’s not my fault, but I still feel responsible,” Erion said.

He lost his job at 11Alive in 1999 after he was charged with boating while under the influence, obstruction and reckless conduct on Lake Lanier, where he resided at the time. Erion was fined $1,000, served 24 hours in jail and received 12 months’ probation on the BUI charge. On each of the other two charges, he was fined $500 and given 12 months’ probation.

Budgets were getting tighter by that time. Eventually, three of the local pooled resources and leased a single copter for aerial views. Channel 2 Action News is the only station that has reporters that fly in the air. Nobody flies and reports at the same time anymore.

According to Evelyn Mims, who worked at 11Alive at the time, Erion later worked ferrying patients via helicopter for Georgia Baptist Hospital, now the Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center.

11Alive gave him a tribute on air :

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Bruce Erion used to fly his copter to schools and visit kids in the 1980s and 1990s.

Frank Volpicella was news director at CBS46 for just over 11 months

This was posted Tuesday, June 20, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio and TV Talk blog

For the sixth time in nine years, the CBS 46 news director has left the building.

Frank Volpicella has agreed to part ways with WGCL-TV after less than a year there. He joined the station July 11 of 2016. The memo by General Manager Mark Pimentel today about his departure caught the news staff by surprise.

It also was announced on a busy news day with all eyes on the nation focused on the Sixth District House runoff race.

“Frank and I decided it was not a good fit so we parted ways. I have a world of respect for Frank and his news judgment,” Pimental wrote.

So a search is on again for a replacement at a station that remains mired in fourth place. Under Volpicella, Gloria Neal departed and was replaced by Amanda Davis in mornings.  The station also suspended evening anchor Ben Swann briefly after controversy flared earlier this year over his website and penchant for conspiracy theories. He shut the site down to keep his job.

Volpicella’s tenure was the briefest of the six most recent news directors. He had come from Austin  

Larry Perret (September 2014- May,  2016) Perret lasted 20 months. Before him, there was Lane Michaelson (15 months, April, 2013- July, 2014), Eric Ludgood (22 months, March, 2011-January 2013), Steve Schwaid (two years, 10 months, May, 2008-March, 2011) and Rick Erbach (three years, four months, January 2005-May 2008).

Chief meteorologist Jim Kosek was let go Friday, June 23, 2017 after two years and seven months at CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

This was posted Friday, June 23, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Just four days after news director Frank Volpicella was abruptly let go with no tangible explanation, CBS46 today dropped five more employees today in the latest house-cleaning move.

The list: chief meteorologist Jim Kosek, managing editor Paul Caron, operations manager and chief engineer James Estes, noon producer Jason Becknell and Volpicella’s news administrator Amanda Smith. All preceded Volpicella, who arrived less than a year ago. (Sorry. I had earlier incorrectly posted senior executive producer Darcy Bonfils as out for a bit. She’s still there.)

Kosek joined the station in December, 2014 under previous news director Perret. The two had worked together in Kansas City. Kosek had replaced Markina Brown, who had stepped down earlier that year.

Caron worked at CNN for more than 28 years before coming to CBS46 two years ago, also under Perret. In an interview, he said he was let go today at 11 a.m. after the morning news meeting. He didn’t offer any more details but said he did want to give a shout out to the many reporters there who do great work including Emmy winner Adam Murphy (who has been there 14 years, outlasting more than eight news directors), Will Frampton, Adam Harding, Julian Johnson, Brittany Miller and Meghan Packer.

“They are all great reporters,” he said. “Stories have gotten better from those reporters in particular. They get lost with all this stuff going on.”  As managing editor, he worked with the reporters closely daily.

Estes, according to his Linkedin page, was at CBS46 for 10 years.

The station two years ago revamped much of its staff, from the top down, in hopes of improving ratings. But the CBS affiliate remains mired in fourth place most of the time, which can’t possibly help morale.

No word yet from Mark Pimentel, the general manager, who arrived at CBS46 in December, 2014.

John Oliver gave a shout-out to 11Alive’s “911” investigation on Sunday night.

This was posted Monday, July 3, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Last year, John Oliver addressed the plight of newspapers. Last night, the HBO host delved into the wild and woolly world of local TV news.

He noted that some of his own investigative pieces used the crux of local news stories such as Brendan Keefe’s 911 series last year on 11Alive. (Yes, that’s the reporter who recently picked up 11 Southeast Emmys to add on to his 66 previous ones.) That’s the good stuff.

But Oliver had other fish to fry this time around. He chose to delve into Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns more than 170 stations with news operations.

The company forces its local stations to run politically conservative commentaries by its vice president of news Scott Livingston and Boris Epshteyn a former Trump advisor. It also created a “Terrorism News Alert” desk segment that aims to stoke fears about terrorism on a daily basis, whether there’s any tangible terrorism news or not. (The New York Times did a piece back in May about Sinclair.)

The company is in the midst of acquiring Tribune Broadcasting, which owns 42 local TV stations reaching 50 million households in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas and Houston. (Reaching, by the way, does not mean actually viewed by 5o million households.)

Combined, the stations would reach 70 percent of the broadcast market. The merger is still pending but likely to move forward.

Oliver’s point is that unlike Fox News, which wears its conservative bonafides on its sleeve, Sinclair is doing so in a less obvious fashion. (Sinclair’s Livingston gave the New York Times a similar argument Fox News has had in the past: “We work very hard to be objective and fair and be in the middle. I think maybe some other news organizations may be to the left of center, and we work very hard to be in the center.”

Sinclair, by the way, does not own any TV stations in Atlanta. Neither does Tribune. Locally, Tegna owns the NBC affiliate 11Alive and WATL-TV Meredith owns WGCL-TV, the CBS affiliate, and the CW affiliate at 69. Fox owns Fox 5 (WAGA). And Cox owns WSB-TV, the ABC affiliate.

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The funnier piece from Sunday night was about presidential wax figures and William G. Harding, a piece that has far more views on YouTube than the local news piece. Oliver managed to draw four Academy Award nominees to star in this fake trailer of a fake movie: Lauren Linney, James Cromwell, Anna Kendrick and Michael McKean:

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This was posted by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

TV news consultant Steve Doerr has been hired as the latest news director at CBS46 in what has become a revolving-door position.

He replaces Frank Volpicella, who was let go last month after less than a year on the job. Doerr will be the seventh news director at the station in less than a decade.

“Steve comes to us with a rich history and both news and upper station management,” General Manager Mark Pimental wrote to staff today, “and is uniquely qualified to take on this important role here.”

Doerr has had a slew of management jobs in local TV over the years. He has worked as a news director in Philadelphia (WCAU-TV), Washington D.C. (WRC) and Columbus, Ohio (WSYX). He has been senior vice president of news, promotion and programming for all NBC own-and-operated stations. And he has been general manager in Providence, R.I. (WLNE) and Dallas (KXAS).

Most recently, he has been vice president of client development for a broadcast consulting firm Crawford Johnson & Northcott. The description of him on the website is as follows:

The brand is everything. Steve has built some of the most distinctive brands in local media because of his sharp focus on becoming distinctive. His experience in news, management and corporate strategy provide you uncommon insight. His knowledge of digital content and strategy will help you forge new paths. Plus, Steve cuts right to the point. Just what you want when the goal is to win.

The CBS affiliate has seen regular turnover of top management for many years as the station has struggled to improve ratings.

Here are the previous six news directors: Frank Volpicella (11, months, July, 2016-June 2017), Larry Perret (20 months, September 2014- May,  2016), Lane Michaelson (15 months, April, 2013- July, 2014), Eric Ludgood (22 months, March, 2011-January 2013), Steve Schwaid (two years, 10 months, May, 2008-March, 2011) and Rick Erbach (three years, four months, January 2005-May 2008).

Michael Castengera, who teaches broadcast news at the Grady School at the University of Georgia and does broadcast consulting, said Doerr had a decent reputation back in the day but he hadn’t tracked him recently. He does not envy Doerr’s task at hand.

“I quite frankly don’t understand how anybody with decent credentials would want to take that station on,” he said.

Castengera said he’s friends with Volpicella, Doerr’s predecessor, and knew he made a concerted effort to meet with publicists and VIPs in town to help build the affiliate’s reputation. Pimental and Volpicella had worked together before successfully, Castengera noted, “so it was a shock to me when Mark let him go after such a short time.”

Doerr also worked with current CBS46 evening anchor Sharon Reed before in Cleveland in the mid-2000s at WOIO. That was a period of time when Reed posed nude with hundreds of others as part of a photo installation in 2004, garnering her headlines nationwide. According to a wire story at the time, Doerr as news director said the story was aimed at bringing in ratings during November sweeps when audiences are measured to set advertising rates.

Above: WOIO anchor Sharon Reed. Below WOIO news director Steve Doerr (with Reed) tapes a response to viewers after Reed disrobed at the scene of a mass nude photo installation in Cleveland as part of her first-person report. Photo via WOIO, Cleveland Ohio less

Valerie Hoff worked at 11Alive for 18 years. CREDIT: publicity photo

This was posted on Thursday, July 20, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Valerie Hoff, a former veteran 11Alive reporter, has sued the NBC affiliate for what she deemed “breach of contract” after she was forced to resign in April over a joking use of the N-word in a private Twitter exchange with a source who is black.

In the lawsuit filed Thursday in the state court of Fulton County against WXIA-TV owner TEGNA, she wrote that she complied with her contractual agreement regarding her behavior. At first, the station gave her a two-week suspension without pay.

But when news of her snafu hit FTVlive.com, a broadcast news gossip website, the TV station changed its tune and asked her to leave the station, suggesting a resignation looked better than a termination, according to the lawsuit.

“I was treated unfairly and I’m looking forward to my side of exactly what happened coming out,” Hoff said in a brief interview today before referring other questions to her attorney Amanda Thompson. 

Thompson said they at first internally sought to get the station to pay out the rest of her contract ending January, 2018. But management rejected her request. The forced resignation “was a knee-jerk reaction and they stood by it,” Thompson said.

I also emailed a copy of the lawsuit to 11Alive General Manager John Deushane at about 5:45 p.m. and have not heard back yet from him.

RELATED: Read the entire lawsuit here

RELATED: Bill Torpy’s column about Hoff’s termination and the use of “the N-Word Lite”

Hoff in the lawsuit noted that she was an exemplary employee over 18 years, receiving consistent raises and praise in evaluations.

On April 13, 2017, she was seeking a video of a white police officer assaulting a black driver. She found the video on the Twitter feed of Curtis Rivers and sought his permission to use it. He noted on his public Twitter that “I just posted a video to get some justice now I got news n****s all up in my DMs [direct messages] telline me to call them smh [shaking my head].”

She jokingly wrote back in a DM “Please call this news n*****. lol. I’m with 11alive.”

At first, Rivers laughed it off with a “LMFAOO.” But he soon realized Hoff was white and became offended that she was calling him the N-word, even in its shorter version that ends with an “a.” She apologized immediately, writing, “No I called myself one. I’m a news lady at 11alive I thought you were referring to all of us. So sorry if you didn’t understand…again, I’m sorry I offended you. I was not offended by what you called the media but I should not have used it back even in a pm [private message].”

Rivers posted part of the conversation, out of context, on public Twitter since he didn’t include his initial use of “news n****s.”

The screen shots were re-tweeted multiple times and Hoff apologized multiple times to those respondents. He eventually deleted the original screen shots.

Hoff’s boss Julie Eisenman, an assistant news director, called and Hoff apologized again, according to the lawsuit. Eisenman, the lawsuit said, told Hoff she did the right thing in terms of her responses.

Rivers later contacted Hoff via DM and said he didn’t want her to lose her job. He later posted a public tweet saying that all was forgiven.

The next day, according to the lawsuit, the WXIA/TEGNA human resources representative Grady Tripp assured her she had been properly responsive and she was not going to be terminated. She was suspended for two weeks without pay, which she accepted as part of her contractual agreement, with a notice that if she does anything similar again, she would be fired.

Two days before her suspension was up, she received a voicemail from 11Alive News Director Jennifer Rigby which, in part, noted, “We miss you and really, really look forward to your return on Thursday.”

But management on Thursday pushed her return back at least a day. On Friday, she was told again to sit tight and stay home until Monday. A few minutes later, according to the lawsuit, Rigby called her about the FTVLive story and was told this was now a more serious situation thanks to media coverage. [At this point, I was fishing around as well and had contacted 11Alive management.]

A few hours later, Tripp and Rigby said Hoff would either have to be fired or resign.

So Hoff chose to resign though she said it was not voluntary.

To add insult to injury, she said 11Alive wouldn’t allow her back in the building to pick up her belongings. The station also quickly suspended her email access so she could not retrieve contacts or put together a resume tape to help her get another job in the business if she wanted to.

Her two charges against the station are breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

Hoff is seeking unspecified damages but is not seeking her job back.

In the lawsuit, she noted that 11Alive ultimately supported the Twitter poster Rivers, who told me he thought she should resign although he told Hoff the opposite. “I honestly don’t want anyone to lose their job, but if you’re representing your company and not just yourself, then yes I do,” he wrote me at the time via Twitter DM.

Her lawsuit then listed some of Rivers’ racially, ethnically and sexually offensive Tweets.

I’m mentioned in the lawsuit as well since I posted a poll showing 88 percent of respondents didn’t think she should have been fired.

RELATED: The original memorandum 11Alive gave to Hoff regarding her initial suspension as included in the lawsuit

RELATED: Hoff’s contractual service terms, including grounds for termination