020615 ATLANTA: Hawks center Al Horford reacts to being called for a technical foul for arguing an offensive foul call against him for knocking Warriors forward Draymond Green to the hardwood on his way to the basket in a basketball game on Friday, Feb 6, 2015, in Atlanta. The Hawks beat the Warriors 124-116. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

The Atlanta Hawks, not far removed from its record 19-game winning streak, is drawing more and more attention. Fox SportsSouth on Friday drew by far its best ratings ever: a 6.8 household rating when the Hawks beat the Golden State Warriors. That equals about 276,000 viewers.

That is a whopping 42% higher than the previous record of 4.8, from the first playoff game last year against the Pacer.

Average ratings year to date are almost double what they were a year ago: a 2 share or about 75,000 viewers.

The Hawks are 41-10, the second best record in the NBA.

***

With 11 Alive dropping its noon show March 2, the future of Karyn Greer is in question. She had already lost her morning job to Vinnie Politan last year, and was moved to day side.  I hear her contract is up soon. She has been at the station for 15 years.

I have not heard anything from either Greer or general manager John Deushane about what they plan to do with her.

She has not posted a new Tweet since January 21. And her work-related Facebook page has not been updated since that day either. She has not been on air for at least a couple of weeks. And she is no longer being featured in promos.

A source told me she isn’t answering calls from people at work. Curious silence.

***

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JUNE 19: Actor Walton Goggins attends the 4th Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 19, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Critics’ Choice Television Awards)

Walter Goggins, who grew up in Lithia Springs and just wrapped FX’s “Justified,” is opting for comedy for his next project.

He been cast as the co-lead opposite Danny McBride in “Vice Principals,” HBO’s comedy from “Eastbound & Down” creators McBride and Jody Hill.

***

Georgia Public Broadcasting’s TV station had technical problems Sunday night that caused the station to go down for about an hour during primetime.

On U-Verse, it even cut off a few minutes of GPB’s most popular show “Downton Abbey.”

The show will air again Thursday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 8 p.m. “We’re also streaming it  at gpb.org/blogs/desperate-for-downton,” GPB spokeswoman Mandy Wilson texted.

Ken Cook is forecasting danger ahead that might involve the need of Monge & Associates. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com off my TV

By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, February 25, 2015

When veteran Fox 5 meteorologist Ken Cook was about to retire last year, he told me he planned to find some endorsement work now that he’s out of the news business. He has found his first.

This week, Cook’s ads representing accident attorney Scott Monge began airing on multiple networks – including his old home WAGA-TV, where he worked for 35 years. The commercials are certainly attention getting because they look at first like he’s about to give a regular weather forecast.

But instead, he uses weather terms to tie in with how dangerous the world can be and how an attorney at Monge & Associates could help you out. These types of personal injury attorneys are common on daytime TV (think Ken Nugent: “One call, that’s all!”) and are mocked on the AMC show “Better Call Saul.”

In one of the 15-second ads below, in front of a green-screen fake five-day forecasting screen, he says, “Weather forecasting is rarely 100 percent accurate but if  you’re caught in an accident, there’s one law firm that offers you 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed.”

Cook, in an interview, said he heard about the firm through a friend of a friend. “Hopefully, I generate some business for him and he’ll have me back,” he said.

Given Cook’s love for landscaping and plants, he hopes to land a spokesman account with a place like Pike’s.

Today, he’s a volunteer weather advisor for Forsyth County, which will likely have three to six inches of snow tonight.

GOOD MORNING AMERICA: WEEKEND EDITION – Rob Marciano joins the anchor team at GMA Weekend, as ABC News Senior Meteorologist, 9/6/14. (ABC/Lou Rocco) ROB MARCIANO, RON CLAIBORNE, PAULA FARIS, DAN HARRIS, SARA HAINES

By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, March 3, 2015

WSB-TV has shifted its Sunday line-up to include more national news.

Starting this past weekend, the Atlanta ABC affiliate has added “GMA Sundays” from 8 to 9 a.m. It had previously been running four straight hours of local news anchored by Sophia Choi from 7 to 11 a.m. Now, she starts at 6 a.m. and runs to 8 a.m. Then she’ll return from 9 to 11 a.m.

In the evenings, “ABC World News” with Cecilia Vega and Tom Llamas will now air at 6:30 p.m. after “Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m.” This cuts local news by a half hour. So for the first time, WSB will be airing the national evening news seven days a week.

“This continues our goal to give our viewers the right balance of local and national news when they want it,” said Mike Dreaden, news director for Channel 2 Action News. “We’ve enjoyed a great partnership with ABC News over the years.”

The weekly community news program “People 2 People” moves to 12:30 p.m. Sunday from 6:30 a.m.

***

Fred Blankenship, morning anchor for Channel 2 Action News, spent time with Rep. John Lewis for a 30-minute special “Return to Selma” airing Wednesday, March 4, on WSB-TV at 8 p.m.

Lewis is the last surviving leader of that march. “Bloody Sunday” occurred on March 7, 1965, when hundreds of Civil Rights marchers tried to cross the now infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge. They were beaten back by police officers equipped with tear gas and clubs. The Oscar-nominated film “Selma,” partially shot in metro Atlanta, featured these events.

Lewis tells Blankenship what it was like to lead the march knowing he could die. He explains what happened after being hit in the head by state troopers with night sticks, and what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told him when he woke up in the hospital. He also talks about his philosophy centered on patience and love.

The special will pre-empt “The Middle,” which will air later that night at 1:07 a.m.

WSB-TV is part of Cox Media Group, which also oversees the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

***

Karyn Greer at the 11 Alive Can-a-thon in December, 2014 near Turner Field. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

The mystery of 11 Alive anchor/reporter Karyn Greer continues. She has not been on air at least since mid January and the station has been mum about her whereabouts or her job status.

I last posted an item about her on February 10. The next day on her work Facebook and Twitter page, she shared a link to an 11 Alive story about the “American Sniper” trial but since then, nothing. It’s been nearly three weeks since that last sign of her public social media imprint.

People keep posting on her Facebook page “Where are you?” but she is not responding.

A source inside the 11 Alive building has not seen her but noted that her face is still on the 11 Alive website and her desk still looks occupied.

11 Alive eliminated the noon show and 7 p.m. newscasts this week and added a 5 p.m. newscast, dropping the second hour of “Dr. Phil,” who remains at 3. The network dropped Greer from the morning show last year for Vinnie Politan but at the time placed her on day duty, including the now defunct noon telecast as anchor.

She has been with 11 Alive for more than 15 years.

Fred Kalil has worked at 11 Alive since 1993 but moves to CBS46 March 23. CREDIT: 11 Alive

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The dismantling of 11 Alive’s long-time sports anchoring team is complete.

Randy Waters retired in 2013 after 29 years. Sam Crenshaw was let go last year after 16 years. Now Fred Kalil is moving to CBS46 as their new sports anchor starting March 23.  He had been there 22 years.

Collectively, those three had been at 11 Alive for a combined 67 years.

Kalil stepped down as sports anchor in August, 2013 and has only done taped pieces since then. He has admitted in the past that he has not fully  recovered from a brain tumor 15 years ago. He said in 2013 that he was having trouble reading the teleprompter. A source said his ability to ad lib coherently was also limited.

Waters, who left about 15 months ago, said Kalil may have had issues at the time with his medications he was taking, but he hasn’t kept up to date on his medical status. Another source said he had his meds adjusted and he is now okay to read the news.

“I’m really happy for him,” Waters said. “He’s a smart guy. I’m sure he’ll do fine.”

Curiously, 11 Alive chose to let Kalil go and waive his non-compete clause. Typically in this market, when an on-air talent leaves, they aren’t allowed to go on air on another station in the same market for six months based on the non-compete clause. (That was the case with David Chandley between Channel 2 Action news and Fox 5.)

Kalil didn’t respond to a text and call for comment. “I look forward to joining CBS46 and using my local contacts and experiences to help build the best sports department in town,” said Kalil in the press release.

“We are very excited to have Fred join the CBS46 Sports team. He brings with him over 20 years of outstanding sports reporting in Atlanta. He knows the city and the community and we look forward to him bringing our viewers the best local sports coverage in all of Atlanta,” said CBS46 News Director Larry Perret.

Kalil will be the network’s first sports anchor in more than five years. In October, 2009, CBS46 dropped Gil Tyree and Mark Harmon as its sports anchors and outsourced sports to 790/The Zone.

That deal ended in the summer of 2013 and the station hired a sports director Larry Smith. Smith hosts a weekly show “One on One” and sports specials.

Kalil will work five days a week as an anchor at the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news. Smith will fill in the other two days and report for three.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, March 15, 2015

It was kind of expected given Karyn Greer‘s mysterious disappearance from 11 Alive the past seven weeks, but she officially announced her departure Sunday afternoon on her public Facebook page.

It’s been a very difficult decision, but after 15 great years and prayers and discussions with my family I have decided to leave 11alive. The new contract options offered to me did not provide the opportunity to grow as the journalist I am constantly striving to become. I will miss working day to day with my great colleagues and friends and I will miss the love from all you loyal viewers. I am stepping out on faith but I know in the end God has my back. Keep me and my family in your prayers. Love you..mean it!

In just a couple of hours, she received hundreds of “thumbs up” likes on her Facebook postings on both her personal and public pages and plenty of “best wishes” comments from fans and friends.

11 Alive, someone had noticed this morning, had already taken her off their “Meet the Team” page. I have not heard from anyone of authority at 11 Alive about her situation.

I talked to her on the phone Sunday afternoon. As she noted in her Facebook post, she said she pondered long and hard and talked to her family and ultimately decided this was the best move for her at the moment. “You just have to move forward,” she said.

She is also recovering from an unspecified surgery she had a few weeks ago, but she said she’ll be okay. Greer had been a long-time morning host on 11 Alive but last year was bumped to day-side when 11 Alive hired Vinnie Politan. She was also supposed to be given expanded digital duties, which never came to pass.

I heard from a source inside 11 Alive that the station had offered her a hefty pay cut in her new contract to stay and she chose not to take it.

Ratings in general, I’m told, have not been strong lately for 11 Alive. The station tends to be in third place in the market, behind Fox 5 and Channel 2 Action News.

Greer wouldn’t say how long her non-compete clause is but the standard in this market is six months. She has been a long-time presence in this market and is active in the community. Another station might very well pick her up. She would like to stay in the business.

“I’m a good communicator,” Greer said. “I will see what options are out there, who’ll be knocking at the door.”

Before 11 Alive, she worked at WGNX-TV (which is now WGCL-TV, the CBS affiliate) as a weeknight anchor from 1989 to 1999.

This is the second big-name departure from 11 Alive this week. Sports broadcaster Fred Kalil last week said he was moving to CBS Atlanta starting March 23.

The Facebook responses on my blog about Greer’s departure were highly supportive of her. A sampling:

Rick Segers Another in a long line of screw ups by management,

Diana Davis spent 32 years at WSB-TV before retiring March 13, 2015. CREDIT: WSB-TV

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, March 19, 2015

Veteran Channel 2 Action News reporter Diana Davis quietly retired last week after 32 years at the station with no fanfare, no farewell big party.

Her work email returns this statement:

After nearly 32 years as a  reporter at WSB TV I  retired effective March 13  2015. I look forward to this new chapter in my life. Thank you for your support over the years.

Mike Dreaden, the news director, said she was a strong writer and solid storyteller and “all-around good reporter. Whatever the assignment, she always got the story and did a great job of putting it together in a compelling way.  Even though she spent many years as our medical reporter, she could cover any kind of story.”

Dreaden said she started in the business at a time when women were a distinct minority in the newsroom, “so she had to prove herself in what was at the time primarily a man’s world and she did.”

“We were sad to see her go,” he added, “but it’s also a great thing to have people build the biggest part of their career and success at WSB-TV and stay with it long enough to earn their retirement.  This is a volatile, tough business and many people don’t make it through to the end.  She can be proud that she did and that she leaves a record of excellent broadcast journalism and contributions to the success of this newsroom.”

Monica Pearson, who worked as an anchor at WSB-TV from 1975 through 2012, called Davis “one of the best medical reporters we’ve ever had in this market. She could take a very difficult topic and humanize it.”

She recalled Davis being the first in town to air a special on Alzheimer’s disease called “The Long Goodbye.”

“She was able to be a conduit, that bridge between the doctor and the possible patient or viewer,” Pearson said. “Very few people could do that. She had a way of drawing out people’s emotions and their needs and doing it in a way that still maintained their respect and integrity.”

Davis joined WSB-TV in 1983 from St. Louis.

At WSB-TV, she won three Emmys, four awards for “Best Specialty Reporting” from the Associated Press and the AMA National Medical Reporting Award.

Michelle Burdo spent 18 months as a morning anchor at CBS Atlanta. CREDIT: CBS Atlanta

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, March 20, 2015

Michelle Burdo, morning news anchor at CBS46 since August 2013, has decided to step down, news director Larry Perret confirmed to me Friday.

She took maternity leave in January but has decided to raise her child full time and not return to work. Her work page on CBS Atlanta has been taken down. Her last Tweet on her work Twitter page was Feb. 25.

You might remember her for her use of the phrase “colored woman” last August during a morning segment about hair. She apologized.

A Staten Island native, she has worked in Gainesville, Fl. and Fort Myers, Fla.

This leaves a morning anchor job open just as Karyn Greer leaves 11 Alive. She does have a non-compete clause so she wouldn’t be able to move elsewhere in this market immediately but Greer did work 10 years at Channel 46 in the 1990s.

***

Heidi shows Tia her new dress in front of her friends and family. CREDIT: TLC

Tia Marie Johnson, the wife of Atlanta Braves third baseman Chris Johnson, will be featured on the debut of a new TLC show “Bride By Design” led by Birmingham custom wedding gown designer Heidi Elnora.

The show airs next Friday, March 27, 2015 at 9 p.m. on TLC, the slot usually reserved for “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta.”

Johnson wanted two dresses in one: a flowing wedding gown that could be turned into something more manageable on the dance floor at the reception. She’d keep the same sparkly top. Her budget? $10,000.

Not surprisingly, Johnson got what she wanted and surprised her husband with the two-in-one New Year’s Eve. “Heidi was the sweetest person ever,” Tia said. “She is such a down-home Southern gal. She put me at ease immediately.”

Braves third baseman Chris Johnson got married New Year’s Even and his wife is featured on a new TLC show “Bride By Design.” PHOTO CREDIT: AJC.com

This episode airs just a few weeks after Freddie Freeman’s wife was on “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta.” Tia said she was at that wedding and thought Chelsea Goff’s feathery dress was “stunning.”

***

Kenya Moore uses her friend Cynthia Bailey to help her find a man on “Millionaire Matchmaker.” CREDIT: Bravo

This Sunday’s “Millionaire Matchmaker” on Bravo will feature Kenya Moore of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” at 9 p.m.

Moore has never been married. When she came on the show season five, she had what appeared to be a boyfriend in Walter Jackson and tried to get him to marry her. But he later told V-103 that he showed up on the show as a favor to her and was shocked when she began going down the marriage route.

During season six, she was reportedly dating some African prince but he never showed up on screen and she kept mum about his identity. She also flirted with Phaedra Parks‘ now jailed husband Apollo Nida but any alleged sexting going on between them, he admitted this season, was false.

Former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member Sheree Whitfield sought love with Patti Stanger in an episode two weeks ago but struck out. That was no surprise given her inability or unwillingness to be open.

Stephany Fisher took a few days off last week at CBS46 in what could have been negotiation hardball but the two sides appear to have agreed on a new contract. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, March 29, 2015, updated Tuesday, March 31, 2015

UPDATE Tuesday March 31: On Monday night, Fisher returned on air after several days’ absence. She also began posting news-related items again on her social media accounts.  I’m told her contract had ended and for a time, a new one had yet to be signed, which may have been why she was off air. I am not sure if not being on air was Fisher’s call or management’s decision. Larry Perret, the news director, emailed me today, writing, “She’s under contract and continues to work.” When I asked why she was off air for a few days last week, he said she was taking vacation days. That may be true, but why would she take vacation in the middle of March Madness when CBS is airing the highly-rated basketball games?

Fisher has not been anchoring the 11 p.m. since she returned – just the 4, 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. I’m not sure why.

A reliable source told me Saturday night that CBS46’s longest running anchor Stephany Fisher is out. [UPDATE: Said source wasn’t 100% reliable in this case, as noted above. She was off air for a time but she was not 100% out.]

Fisher has been with CBS46 for 12 years anchoring the evening newscasts. Her current duties are 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m..

One sign that my source may be right: she changed her Twitter handle Saturday night from @fishercbs46 to @stephanylfisher, which has 1,864 followers. Her Twitter description: “Evening news anchor at CBS46. Being wife to my college sweetheart, mother to our teenage daughter and spoiler of 2 dogs is my life.”

As of Sunday morning, her public CBS46 Facebook page remained. She hasn’t updated it since March 24. (I checked in on her on her private FB page this morning but nothing yet.)

Her public FB page has 498 likes compared to 25,296 for Channel 2 Action News’ Jovita Moore, 3,936 for 11 Alive’s Brenda Wood and 5,952 for Cynne Simpson on Fox 5.

Her page on CBS46 also remained as of Sunday morning.

She wasn’t on air Friday night. Scott Light anchored solo on Fred Kalil‘s second night there as new sports anchor.

Fisher had been one of the few stabilizing forces on air for CBS46, which has been in fourth place for much of the past two decades. Over her tenure, she has worked with least five general managers and five news directors.

Only three other CBS46 on-air staff have been at the station more than a decade: Rebekka Schramm, Renee Starzyk and Adam Murphy. Presuming she’s out, Tracye Hutchins would be the station’s veteran anchor at eight years.

This is potential good news for Kayrn Greer, recently departed from 11 Alive. But Perret said a replacement for Michelle Burdo is forthcoming.

Before joining CBS46 in 2003, Fisher was an anchor/reporter in Yakima, Wash. (1992-1994), WYFF-TV Greenville (1994-2000), and KPTV-TV Portland (2000-2003).

Stephany was born in Dallas and grew up in San Angelo and Spokane,. She graduated from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication in 1991.

She also writes her own blog.

Here are some stories I’ve written about CBS’s changes since spring, 2013:

3/20/15: Michelle Burdo leaving CBS46

3/10/15: CBS46 hires Fred Kalil as sports anchor

11/24/14: Jim Kosek replaces Markina brown at CBS46

11/10/14: Meteorologist Markina Brown leaves CBS46

9/11/14: CBS46 loses its general manager, gets a new news director

9/9/14:  CBS 46 brings back noon news program

7/17/14 CBS46’s news director Lane Michaelsen leaves after 15 months.

7/1/14: Michelle Burdo apologizes for use of the word ‘colored’

2/18/14: Jennfier Mayerle leaving CBS Atlanta

1/22/14: Brandon Rudat finds a new job in Phoenix

1/9/14: Adam Murphy gets his “Restaurant Report Card” back (but it was gone again by the end of the year.)

12/11/13: CBS Atlanta hires new morning anchor Frank Wiley

9/4/13: Scott Light hired as new evening anchor

8/13/13: Tracye Hutchins moves to evenings, replaced by Michelle Burdo

8/9/13: Two new members of CBS’s “Better Mornings”

7/18/13  Anchor Brandon Rudat leaves CBS “Better Mornings”

7/18/13: Larry Smith named new sports director at CBS Atlanta

6/18/13: CBS Atlanta cuts ties with 790/The Zone

6/17/13: Meteorologist Cris Martinez leaves CBS Atlanta

6/5/13 : Anchor Jaquitta Williams is out at CBS Atlanta

Sebastian “Sebas” Davis is leaving Rock 100.5 this Friday, April 3, 2015 for a new job in Los Angeles. CREDIT: WSB-TV

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Sebastian Davis, known on Rock 100.5’s morning show as Sebas, is moving to Los Angeles for a higher-paying gig with the Woody Show at Alt 98.7.

He said Rock 100.5 counter-offered but he felt the L.A. job was just a wee bit better.

Sebas, who loves going out and picking up funny audio at night events, is leaving on good terms. The morning show will be giving him a hearty farewell on Friday, his final day at the station. He isn’t coasting. He is attending tonight’s “Fast and Furious 7″ movie screening.

He starts at the Woody Show on Monday, taking a mere weekend break between jobs. He said he is single with minimal belongings so moving will be easy.

Sebas is one of two remaining on-air survivors from 99X, the once powerhouse alternative rock station which Cumulus killed off a few years ago. (The other is Matt “Organic X” Jones, who mostly does promotion now for Cumulus but still hosts a weekly public affairs show. Former Rock 100.5 afternoon host and 99X star Axel Lowe recently left to program a rock station in Ohio and has been replaced by Jay Philpott.)

He started at 99X as an intern and worked over the years for Leslie Fram (now running music strategy for CMT in Nashville), Fred Toucher (now a huge sports talk morning host in Boston) and Sean Demery (now a program director in Milwaukee), among others.

Sebas said his relatively paltry pay and ability to do a lot of jobs kept him employed even as Cumulus Media took over, buried 99X and debuted Rock 100.5.

Sebas at the first Walker Stalker convention in 2013. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

In 2008, he joined the Regular Guys show and spent years going out at night interviewing drunks, homeless people and concertgoers. I’ve seen him work. He’s indefatigable.

Sebas said his favorite bits were “Under the Influence” (asking trivai questions to the inebriated), “Casting Couch” (for fake movie sequels), “Buy Curious” (douchebag outfit ‘Price is Right’) and “Sebas 180″ (press questions with an intentionally wrong premise.)

Last  year, Sebas was promoted to executive producer, spelling Tim Andrews, who remains on the show.

“Southside” Steve Rickman, a host on the morning show, said he’s been a huge backbone of the show. “Not nearly as douchie or snarky now that Larry [Wachs] is gone,” he said. “I’m going to miss his work ethic. He lives to work.”

He said Sebas has never owned a car worth more than $1,000. And if the vehicle is broken down, he’ll take Uber, Lyft or MARTA. “He’s lived at the radio station. He’s lived at a trailer by a strip club. His permanent address is the radio station.” Rickman said he’s sold all his belongings except two boxes of clothing and his laptop for his move to L.A.

On the morning show, Andrews will deliver the newscasts for the time being and everyone will step up until a replacement is found, Rickman said.

“Sebas is wildly talented,” said Eric Von Haessler, a former Regular Guy who is now heard every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. on News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB. “I don’t think his abilities were ever fully appreciated by management. He was the best at what he did (man-on-the-street segments) in this city. I think he’ll do great in L.A. and I wish him the best of luck.”

Jimmy Baron, who worked with Sebas a decade ago at 99X, said Sebas “gets it. He has great instincts and, in a job where fast decisions often have to be made, having good instincts is a very valuable commodity. He will do great in LA.”

In 2013, Sebas caught video of a shooting in East Atlanta.

List of radio stations in Atlanta.

***

Larry Smith is leaving CBS46 for Washington D.C. to host a morning show. CREDIT: CBS46

Larry Smith, who joined CBS46 as sports director in July 2013, is leaving for Washington D.C. to work at ABC affiliate WJLA as anchor for “Good Morning Washington.”

He took over the sports programming after the station dumped 790/The Zone as its outsourced sports department. The station recently hired Fred Kalil as its first full-time sports anchor since 2009.

Gloria Neal is coming to WGCL-TV CBS46 from Denver’s CBS affiliate. CREDIT: CBS

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, April 1, 2015

CBS46 has named Denver reporter and anchor Gloria Neal as a new morning anchor from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. She leaves Denver in mid May and starts in Atlanta June 1.

She replaces morning anchor Michelle Burdo, who recently decided to raise her child instead of go back to work.

Neal has been a big personality in Denver.

She worked at CBS4 there for seven years. Her news director Tim Wieland there wrote:

“Back in 2008, I asked Gloria Neal if she might be interested in doing a daily segment for CBS4 Morning News on some of the stories surrounding the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Three or four weeks only. An “experiment” to see how she liked working on morning television. Three or four weeks turned into eight years at CBS4 – a wonderful “experiment” that led to so many memorable interviews, stories and news segments.”

She was radio news anchor at Newsradio 850 KOA for many years. She followed that gig up as a morning host at a couple of Denver FM stations. She then hosted a progressive talk show in Denver until the format was dumped a year ago.

Her biography says she does stand-up comedy as well.

She told the Denver Post yesterday: “Man plans and God laughs.” She was “stunned when they called me. I love Colorado, it’s going to be so hard … (leaving) but it’s also a great opportunity. (Atlanta) is a huge market. I’ve been here many times.”

CBS46 management, she told the Post, wants “a morning show anchor in the way that I want to anchor news, which is not the traditional way.” She calls it “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Neal has been very active in the Denver community, working with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the black journalists association, the American Red Cross, the Rose Andom Center for Domestic Violence and the National Kidney Foundation.

It’s been a busy week for CBS46. Management signed veteran evening anchor Stephany Fisher to a new contract. Fred Kalil started last week as a new sports anchor. And sports director Larry Smith is leaving for D.C.

Here’s a sampling of some of Neal’s work that I found online:

Sam Crenshaw, who was let go from 11 Alive last year, is doing some freelance weekend work for Fox 5. CREDIT: 11 Alive

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, April 2, 2015

Veteran sports anchor Sam Crenshaw has found his way back on broadcast TV news as a part-timer at Fox 5 on weekends.

He texted me to say he got the offer from Fox 5 via text message. His first day will be April 11.

He is covering for Fox 5’s weekend sports anchor Merissa Lynn, who is moving to the Tampa Fox station WTVT-TV after two years at WAGA-TV.

Crenshaw spent 16 years at 11 Alive but was let go last summer as part of what appeared to be a clean sweep of three long-time 11 Alive sports anchors. Randy Waters retired at the end of 2013 and Fred Kalil recently moved to CBS46.

Crenshaw posted this on Facebook:

Good Morning FB Family.Just wanted you to know that starting next week I will be working at WAGA-TV FOX5 on a part time basis. It is a full circle moment for me, as I was an intern for sports and video editor for news at WAGA 1984-85. Looking forward to working with the sports team that is “IN YOUR FACE “!! ‪#‎Thankful‬

Crenshaw has been doing some part-time work for 92.9/The Game as well.

Renee Starzyk had been at WGCL-TV CBS 46 since 2004 but just announced her departure today. CREDIT: CBS 46.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, April 13, 2015

CBS46 is about as stable as a Taylor Swift relationship.

The station has seen several departures recently. (Stephany Fisher? Her status here.)

Here are a few:

– Renee Starzyk. Besides Rebekka Shramm, Fisher and Adam Murphy, Starzyk was the only other on-air personality who had been at CBS 46 for more than 10 years. She just sent out this note today:

Starzyk sent me an email this evening confirming what had happened and she predicts more changes forthcoming:

I was not renewed out of the blue today. The news director speaks to no one and makes no eye contact. They escort you out swiftly with few words. Very sad as I love what I do.

Starzyk worked at WXIA-TV (11 Alive) for three years before going to CBS46.

– Bernard Watson, a former AJC reporter, worked at CBS 46 for just over five years. He left voluntarily, I’m told. His final day was April 3:

According to his personal Facebook page, Watson had signed a new contract with CBS in February but recently resigned to become the director of community and media relations for the Gwinnett County school system. He started this past Monday.

He also included this:

Before I go, I must say WGCL has lost a LOT of QUALITY AND TALENTED people recently. Even though it’s part of the business and I have NO DOUBT they will all resurface in better situations, it is sad and difficult to see. People who worked hard, produced excellent work are leaving, some forced out and the station is losing institutional knowledge as well as quality people. That and they will be difficult to replace. The station of course will keep moving forward because there are STILL a LOT of good people there. Best of luck to them.

– Frank Wiley joined CBS 46 as a morning anchor in January of last year from Tulsa, OK. But he was demoted to a reporter a few months later. And now he’s left, too, after just 15 months.  He found an anchor job in Cleveland at WEWS NewsChannel 5.

– Reporter Mike Paluska‘s contract was not renewed April 6. The multimedia journalist joined CBS 46 in August 2009. His replacement Brittany Miller starts April 20. She comes from News 12 in New York.

–  Others who have departed in recent months include morning anchor Michelle Burdo and sports director Larry Smith while Fred Kalil has arrived as sports anchor and Gloria Neal will be coming on as a new morning anchor.

UPDATE 4/15/15: Strela Aidem, who represents sports reporter Davyee Sutton, sent me a note saying she had spent eight months at CBS46, from May, 2014 to February of this year. She was hired by the now departed Smith. Both had worked together at CNN.

“I will say she left because of the unbearable work conditions and expectations and management,” Aidem wrote.

Stephany Fisher is leaving CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday April 13, 2015

I want to apologize for my inconsistent reporting about CBS46 evening anchor Stephany Fisher‘s status the past couple of weeks. I blame myself for not being particularly precise in my questions and making rather unimaginative presumptions.

What I know 100 percent now is Fisher is leaving at the conclusion of her current contract. She has not signed a renewal.

I do not know exactly what day will be her last on the air though I’m told by one source her contract is up at the end of June.

Here’s what happened last month. A very reliable inside source told me she had left the airwaves during March Madness and that she was leaving the station permanently. Fisher herself wasn’t responding to my inquiries.  She was off the air for several days. I didn’t hear back immediately from news director Larry Perret.

I held off from writing anything until I noticed Fisher doing something unusual on Saturday night, March 28: she changed her Twitter from @fishercbs46 to @stephanylfisher.

That’s when I made presumption #1. She must be leaving the station, I figured. Why change the Twitter handle and drop the station name?

So that’s what I originally wrote on March 29: signs were that she was departing after 12 years.

But on Monday night, she returned on air with no comments about her absence. Perret said she had taken some vacation days and was still under contract and working.

I proceeded at this point to make presumption #2: she was staying at CBS46. I didn’t ask Perret the right question: was she under a new contract or her existing contract? His wording, in retrospect, implied she was under her current contract. Nobody told me she had signed a new contract. But I made an assumption she may have done so.

In other words, I didn’t think of another scenario: she is simply riding out her current contract by staying on air until the contract ends and would be leaving soon.

So I changed the headline to my previous story to “she’s staying after all.” Technically, I was right. But that implied she was staying because of a new contract. I didn’t say that in the story but it was easy to make that supposition.

In reality, that was not the case. So today, once I learned what was going on for sure, I changed the headline to that original story yet again: “she’s staying for now.”

I will repeat the bottom line: Fisher is leaving CBS46 at some point in the next few weeks.

Fisher has arguably been the face of CBS46. She has been the station’s consistent evening anchor since 2003, leading the 11 p.m. newscast, which tends to be their highest rated.

She has been an exception. For the most part for years, CBS46 has been a shifting morass of management and staffing as it has struggled to lift its ratings. But the constant changes and lack of consistency (something both Fox 5 and Channel 2 Action News generally have) has handcuffed the station to a degree. Meredith Corp., which owns CBS46 (WGCL-TV), has shown little patience and keeps hiring and firing administration every couple of years.

Other departures at CBS46 here.

Monica Pearson retired from Channel 2 Action news in 2012 but still does a weekly radio show on Kiss 104.1. CREDIT: WSB-TV

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday April 22, 2015

Monica Pearson, former Channel 2 Action News anchor who retired in 2012 after 37 years, is recovering from liver cancer.

She was diagnosed in December and had surgery January 29 to remove more than 50 percent of her liver. She chose not to publicize this until now because she didn’t want people to pity her. She wants to encourage people to go to the doctor.

“People can be very negative about cancer,” Pearson said in an interview with me Wednesday evening. “People assume you are going to die soon. As my mother says, none of us came to stay but we don’t need to be around people who have that attitude. I have a strong faith. I’m not going to ball up over this.”

She broke the news to her former employer Channel 2 Action News.

This is not her first battle with cancer. In 1998, Pearson overcame breast cancer discovered during a routine mammogram.

She said the liver does regenerate but after three months of recuperation, she still gets tired easily.

After the surgery, she took several weeks off from her weekly Kiss 104.1 radio program she began last year. She returned on air Easter Sunday. Her first public emcee gig she did after surgery was the White Coat Grady Gala last month.

“I don’t want anyone sending me cards,” Pearson said. “I don’t want flowers. You can pray for me. Prayer is always welcome. But the best thing people can do is go to the doctor and get checked.”

Pearson, now 67, said she’s been healthy. Two gateways to liver cancer – excessive drinking and Hepatitis C – were not factors. “There were no warning signs,” she said.

She praised her primary doctor Rio Dickens for catching the cancer after seeing abnormal results during a routine blood test during her regular physical in early December. And she also lauded her surgeon Emory’s Dr. David Kooby for his thoroughness and expertise.

Channel 2 Action News, Kiss 104.1 and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are all part of Cox Media Group.

Justin Farmer and Jovita Moore co-anchor the most popular newscast in town at 6 p.m. on Channel 2 Action News. CREDIT: WSB-TV

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, April 24, 2015

I’ve been covering local TV news for a decade but have been remiss checking the ratings lately. Why? Ratings never seem to change much.

So I looked at ratings from the past month vs. the same month a year ago.

Results? As I expected, results haven’t changed much.

Most of the local TV news programs saw a rise in ratings from 2014, but the rankings stayed the same as I recall them in recent years.

As usual, Channel 2 Action News is on top, frequently by wide margins when they are going head to head with other stations. In general, its ratings haven’t shifted much from 2013 – except at 11 p.m., which is down.

Fox 5 comes in a strong second, with its 10 p.m. news program competitive with the scripted programming usually offered on the other three major broadcast stations. Its ratings are up in most cases across the board from 2013.

11 Alive is in third place with ever-changing CBS46 lagging behind in fourth. 11 Alive’s ratings appear fairly flat over the past couple of years while CBS46 has trended slightly downward since 2013.

The top 10 newscasts in overall household ratings over the past month:

1. Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m. with Jovita Moore and Justin Farmer, 7.7

2. Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m. with Jovita Moore and Justin Farmer, 6.5

3. Channel 2 Action News at 6 a.m. with Linda Stouffer and Fred Blankenship, 6.3

4. Channel 2 Action News at noon with Fred Blankenship and Carol Sbarge, 6.0

5. (tie) Fox 5 News at 10 p.m. with Cynee Simpson and Russ Spencer, 5.8

Channel 2 Action News Nightbeat (11 p.m.) with Jovita Moore and Justin Farmer, 5.8

7. Good Day Atlanta with Gurvir Dhindsa and Ron Gant at 7 a.m., 5.1

8. Good Day Atlanta with Gurvir Dhindsa and Ron Gant at 8 a.m., 4.6

9. (tie) Fox 5 News at 5 (Tom Haynes and Cynne Simpson) and Fox 5 News at 6 (Russ Spencer and Lisa Rayam), 4.5

SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research

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

Let’s go out hour by hour, using overall household ratings, starting when the local news begins. Among the four stations, WSB-TV won every hour I tracked except the 3 p.m. hour.

4:30 a.m.:  Channel 2 Action News opens the day with a 3 rating vs. 1.8 for Fox 5, 0.6 for Chesley McNeil on 11 Alive and a 0.3 for CBS46. (Total share: 5.7, up from 5.0 a year ago, with WSB, Fox and CBS up, NBC down)

5 a.m.: Channel 2’s numbers grow 50 percent this hour as more people wake up to a 4.5 rating compared to 2.9 for Fox, 1.1 for 11 Alive and 0.4 for CBS46. (Total share: 8.8, up from 7.3 a year ago with WSB and Fox up, 11 Alive & CBS flat)

6 a.m.: Viewership keeps growing this hour with Channel 2 up to a 6.3 rating, Fox 5 building to a 4.2, 11 Alive to a 1.9 and CBS46 to a 0.7. (Total share: 13.1, up from 11.7 a year ago, with all four stations up in ratings year over year).

7 a.m.- 9 a.m.: The three broadcast networks go to national news while Fox 5 stays local. “Good Morning America” on WSB garners a 7.1. “Good Day Altanta” is a solid second with 4.9. 11 Alive’s “Today Show” draws a mere 2.2. “CBS Morning News”? A 0.9. (Total share: 14.9, up from 13.6 a year ago, with everyone up except “Today,” which was down)

9 a.m.-10 a.m.:  WSB’s ‘Kelly & Michael” is on top with a 5.7. “Good Day Atlanta” holds its own with a 3.7. Hour three of “Today” on 11 Alive slips to a 1.9. And the “Better” local 9 a.m. show garners a 0.4. (Total share: 11.7, up from 10.2 a year ago, with everyone up except CBS’s “Better”).

10 a.m.-11 a.m.: WSB’s “The Doctors” draw a healthy 4.3 but Fox 5’s “Wendy Williams” closes the gap with a 3 rating. Hoda and Kathie Lee on 11 Alive’s hour four of “Today” drink in a 1.6, just barely ahead of CBS46’s “Let’s Make a Deal.” (Total share: 10.5, up from 8.9, with “Wendy Williams” nearly doubling its numbers and WSB and NBC up as well. “Deal” is down.)

11 a.m.-noon: WSB’s “The View” brings in a 3.8, ahead of both CBS’s “The Price Is Right” (2.6) and Fox 5’s new show “The Real” (2.5), as well as the pay-for-play “Atlanta & Company” on 11 Alive (0.4). “The Real” wins the 25-54 demo battle. (Total share: 9.3 vs. 7.7 a year ago with “The Real” doing 2.5 times better than the now cancelled “Bethanny” and “The Price is Right” down a bit)

Noon-1 p.m..: WSB’s news brings in a sold 6 rating, more than the other three combined with Fox 5 news at 2.4 and CBS news at 1.1 (and a 0.4 at 12:30 for “Better”). NBC no longer airs news, opting for more “Atlanta & Company” and a “Jeopardy” repeat (0.4). (Total share: 9.9, up from 8.7 a year ago, with Fox 5 ratings up 73 percent year over year.)

1 p.m.-2 p.m.: WSB’s “The Chew” wins with a 3.4 with Fox 5’s “Access”/’TMZ” combo at 1.9 (though Fox wins the 25-54 race), 11 Alive’s “Days of Our Lives” at 1.4 and CBS’s paid programming at 1 p.m. (0.3) combined with “The Bold and the Beautiful” (1.9). (Total share: 7.8 vs. 7.0 a year ago with both soaps down but WSB and Fox 5 again up year over year.)

2 p.m.-3 p.m.: WSB’S “General Hospital” pulls in the biggest ratings with a 3.0, followed by a 2.0 from Fox 5’s “TMZ Live,” a 1.3 from CBS’s ‘The Talk” and a mere 0.8 for 11 Alive’s “Rachael Ray.” (Total share: 7.1, up from 6.4 a year ago, with “GH” flat, “TMZ Live” better than “Dr. Oz” on Fox a year ago and both “The Talk” and “Rachael” up.)

3 p.m.-4 p.m.: For the first (and only) time, WSB-TV is beaten in the overall ratings. CBS’s “The Young and the Restless” takes the hour with a 3 rating vs. a 2.8 for Fox 5’s “Steve Harvey,” a 2.2 for “Dr. Oz” on WSB-TV and 1.4 for “Dr. Phil” on 11 Alive. With the target 25-54 demo, Harvey actually wins. (Total share: 9.4, compared to 7.9, with everything up year over year and “Oz” doing better than “Katie” a year ago on WSB. “Dr Phil” doubled its ratings now that it’s no longer a repeat since 11 Alive dropped “Dr. Phil” at 5.)

4 p.m.-5 p.m.: Channel 2 Action News edges out Fox 5’s “Dr. Judy” 4.4 to 4.1. (“Judy” is at the top for 25-54 year olds.) “Ellen” on 11 Alive lags behind with a 2 rating and CBS46 News draws a 1.4. (Total share: 11.9 vs. 10.4 a year ago. WSB, Judy and Ellen are up while CBS news is flat.)

5 p.m.-6 p.m.: Channel 2 Action News takes home the bacon with a 6.5 vs. 4.5 for Fox 5 news, a 1.9 for 11 Alive news and a 1.0 for poor CBS46. (Total share: 13.9 vs. 13.6 in the same time period 2014. WSB and Fox are up while 11 Alive is down from a 2.9 for “Dr. Phil” a year ago. CBS46 had a 1.1 a year ago.)

6 p.m.-7 p.m.: This is Channel 2 Action News’ top ratings for the day with a 7.7, beating Fox 5’s 4.5, 11 Alive’s 3.5 (combining local and national) and CBS46’s 1.5 (also half local, half national). (Total share: 17.2 vs. 15.4 a year ago with much of the overall growth coming from Fox 5 though both WSB and CBS were up, too. 11 Alive was flat.)

7 p.m.-7:30 p.m.: Local viewers love “ABC World News Tonight.” It draws a whopping 10.9 rating, obliterating 11 Alive’s ‘Wheel of Fortune” (4.5), Fox 5’s “Dish Nation” (2.5) and CBS’s ‘Inside Edition” (1.5) (Total share: 19.4 vs. 14.5. “Wheel of Fortune” moved from WATL, where it had a 3.4, replacing Brenda Wood’s news program, which drew a 1.7 a year ago. Fox 5 did better wish “Dish” than “Access” in the 7 p.m. slot. Both “Inside” on CBS and WSB’s “World News” saw increases as well.)

7:30 p.m.-8 p.m.: WSB’s “Entertainment Tonight” dominated with a 7.4 over 11 Alive’s “Jeopardy” at 5.3 and Fox 5’s “TMZ” at 2.8. CBS’s ‘Insider” lagged behind at a 1.1, losing to WATL’s “Andy Griffith” repeat at 1.6, Peachtree TV’s 1.6 for “Big Bang Theory” and CW’s “Family Feud” with 2.5. (Total for the big four: 16.6 vs. 15.3 a year ago. WSB is way up, while the other three were basically flat.)

PRIMETIME average: WSB averaged a 5.6, CBS came in second with a 4.3, Fox was third with a 3.5 and 11 Alive was fourth with a 3.4. (Total: 16.8 vs. 16.6 a year ago. WSB edged up from a 5.4, CBS was flat, Fox was down from a 4.0 and 11 Alive moved up from a 3.2)

10 p.m. news: Fox 5 drew a 5.8 vs. a 0.7 for WATL’s news – which is really 11 Alive. A year ago, Fox had a 5.3 and WATL the same 0.7.

11 p.m.-11:30 p.m.: Channel 2 Nightbeat drew a leading 5.8, followed by Fox 5’s News Edge at 3.9, 11 Alive’s 2.1 and CBS46’s 1.9. (Total share: 13.7 vs. 15.5 a year ago. This was a rare time slot where year-over-year ratings fell overall. WSB dropped from a 7.3, Fox fell from a 4.1, 11 Alive down from a 2.2 and CBS46 up from a 1.8).

11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.: WSB’s Jimmy Kimmel drew a 3.4, ahead of Fox 5’s combo of “Access” and TMZ” at 2.4, Fallon on 11 Alive at 1.6 and Letterman on CBS at just 0.9. (Total share: 8.3 vs .9 share a year ago. All there talk shows dropped while Fox 5 edged up slightly.

12:30 a.m-1 a.m.: WSB’s “Nightline” brought in a 2.6, ahead of “Dish Nation” on Fox with 1.8, Seth Meyers on 11 Alive at 0.9 and James Corden on CBS at 0.5. (Total share: 5.8 vs. 5.4 with “Nightline” flat, “Dish Nation” doing better than “TMZ Sports” a year ago, Myers flat, and Corden up slightly over Ferguson.)

Jocelyn Connell will be having a baby later this year, she announced this morning. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, May 18, 2015

CBS46 noon anchor and reporter Jocelyn Connell is having a first baby due in December, she announced this morning.

“Any parenting advice, send it our way,” she said on air this morning during “CBS46 News at 6 a.m.”

Connell joined CBS46 in 2010. According to her CBS46 bio, she is married.   She previously worked in Chattanooga and Michigan.

Sharon Reed will take over for Stephanie Fisher in mid-June as an evening anchor. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally field Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Stephany Fisher’s replacement as an evening anchor at CBS46(WGCL) has been named: Sharon Reed, who was last working in St. Louis at another CBS affiliate KMOV owned by Meredith Corp. She will start in mid June.

Rumors of Reed’s impending arrival go back to March, starting with FTV-live reporting that news director Larry Perret had a meal with her.  (That’s impressive sourcing FTV!)

Soon after, I received confirmation Fisher will be leaving next month when her contract is up.  Fisher had been at the station for 12 years, by far its longest running anchor. But under Perret, the station has hired a raft of new people in recent months with many folks leaving as well.

He has hired a new meteorologist Jim Kosek to replace Markina Brown. Gloria Neal will soon be joining the morning anchor desk to replace Michelle Burdo. Veteran sports anchor Fred Kalil recently took over sports programming, effectively replacing Larry Smith. And several reporters (including Renee Starzyk, Bernard Watson and Mike Paluska) have left and have been or are about to be replaced.

Reed, according to her Linkedin page, has been in St. Louis since 2012. She has also worked at WSVN (Miami, 1997-1999), WCAU (Philadelphia, 1999-2002) and WOIO (Cleveland, 2002-2012).

“Sharon is an incredible addition to our team.  Her journalistic skills and passion for the community are second to none,” said Perret in the press release. He noted in a follow-up email that she helped bring the 5 and 6 p.m newscasts at KMOV to No. 1. He also said her coverage of the Ferguson riots impressed him deeply.

“It’s an opportunity to continue working with a great company (Meredith) and to come to a station doing a number of new and exciting things.  On top of that I get an opportunity to get involved in the great city of Atlanta” said Reed in the same press release.

Reed made headlines all over the world in 2004, including  the New York Times of all places when she posed nude with 2,700 others as part of an art installation in a move approved by her bosses at her employer WOIO, a Cleveland TV station.

In the late great David Carr‘s story, he described her story as shown to Cleveland viewers at the time:

Ms. Reed, who has a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, lauded her own bravery as she removed her bra in front of the cameras, suggesting that there was significance in her willingness to strip naked for the sake of art: she was taking part in an installation by Spencer Tunick, an artist who photographs choreographed scenes of public nudity. She then took off the rest of her clothes, and the camera filmed her as she walked away from it and joined a group of participants in the photo shoot, also naked.

Critics said this was a blatant ratings grabber. Reed was not apologetic to the Cleveland Plain Dealer:  “I’m in it to win. When did that become a crime?”

She also defended her work on David Letterman‘s late night CBS show, calling it a “very legitimate new story.” (She called Carr of the Times “a boob” to Letterman.)

In 2005, Cleveland magazine did a fascinating piece on her called “The Mystique of Sharon Reed.”

Like the station she works for, Reed’s style is more adventurous than most. She favors sexy suits and necklines low enough to be cut off by the ticker running across the bottom of the screen. Reed doesn’t just relay the news of the day, she wears it.

At the same time, the writer Jacqueline Marino was mystified by who Reed was.  She is protective of her private life. The reporter managed a short front-end meeting with her, but Reed declined to give her an extensive interview.

So over two months, Marino did her best to get a sense of Reed by talking to a lot of other people at a level of depth I’m jealous of because I never have time to do that.

Eventually, Marino did talk to her by phone but it sounded like Reed spent a lot of time excoriating Marino for not being totally clear about her intentions, that she was doing reporting behind her back, that she had been burned before by other media.

I finally learn something — a few things — about Reed from Reed: She won’t be a victim. She won’t let anyone put words in her mouth. And she doesn’t want “the point to get across that I don’t want to talk.”

Wondering how ratings are among the TV stations? I recently did a piece here breaking it down hour by hour.

For years, CBS46 (WGCL-TV) has generally been the fourth-place station in local news ratings behind leader Channel 2 Action News (WSB-TV), followed by Fox 5 (WAGA-TV) and 11 Alive (WXIA-TV).

Jocelyn Connell, who is expecting a baby later this year, is moving to Italy with her husband. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Emmy-winning noon anchor and reporter Jocelyn Connell is the latest to leave CBS46 with her final day Friday.

“The station is going in a new direction with both the noon and morning shows,” she wrote on Facebook this morning.

At the same time, Connell said her husband has a new job in Italy so she is moving overseas. “We are so incredibly blessed and can’t wait to get started on this new journey,” she wrote. “Thank you for being the best viewers I could ever ask for.”

Last week, she also announced she was pregnant with her first child.

Before she left, she was included in a blooper reel on David Letterman’s second-to-last show last week:

She joined CBS46 in 2010. She previously worked in Michigan and Chattanooga.

Kim Passoth, who came from an ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City, takes over for Connell.

Kim Passoth takes over as noon anchor and evening reporter for Jocelyn Connell on CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

The changes at CBS46 have been extensive in the past nine months since general manager Mark Pimentel and news director Larry Perret showed up.

Among the biggest personnel shifts:

– A new morning host in Gloria Neal, replacing Michelle Burdo

– A new sports anchor Fred Kalil, replacing Larry Smith

– A new evening anchor Sharon Reed, replacing Stephany Fisher

– A new chief meteorologist Jim Kosek, replacing Markina Brown

Bobby Kaple joins CBS46 next month as a new morning host.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday May 18, 2015

CBS46 has hired a new morning anchor Bobby Kaple to join fellow newbie Gloria Neal as part of a major turnover of anchors in just a matter of a few months.

Kaple, who starts June 15, was at the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles for three years. He has also worked at stations in West Palm Beach and Des Moines.

The changes leave Tracye Hutchins as the longest-standing anchor on the CBS affiliate. She arrived in the spring of 2007 as part of the morning show. She is currently an evening anchor.

Scott Light, another evening anchor, joined CBS46 in late 2013. His 18 months at the station makes him the second most senior anchor there.

The architects of all the shifts are general manager Mark Pimentel and news director Larry Perret, who arrived last fall.

I presume this will be the last of the major shifts there for awhile. Given owner Meredith’s recent track record of impatience, “awhile” means a year or two.

So let’s review: new morning hosts are Kaple and Neal, replacing Michelle Burdo.

The new noon anchor is Kim Passoth, taking over for Jocelyn Connell, whose last day is May 29. .

The afternoon and evening anchors are Sharon Reed, Hutchins and Light. Reed replaces Stephany Fisher, whose contract is up soon.

The station also has a new sports anchor (Fred Kalil) and new chief meteorologist (Jim Kosek).

For continuity buffs, at least morning meteorologist Jennifer Valdez is still around!

Ken Rodriguez will be wearing a Cavs t-shirt soon because the Fox 5 station lost a best to Fox 8 in Cleveland thanks to the Hawks loss to the Cavs last week. CREDIT: Fox 5

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, June 1, 2015

The local Fox 5 affiliate held a good-natured bet with the Fox affiliate in Cleveland before the Cavs-Hawks Eastern Conference final series. The losing city affiliate would have to wear the other city’s shirts, eat their food and read an essay espousing how great the other city is.

Unfortunately for WAGA-TV, the Atlanta Hawks were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. So soon, you’ll be seeing Ken Rodriguez, Russ Spencer and Cynne Simpson in Cavaliers gear and eating Cleveland fare (Buckeye chocolates, Stadium Mustard). The gloating Cleveland broadcasters at Fox 8 also provided tissues and sent off the “loser box” Friday.

I’ll add the video from Fox 5 once it happens.