The “Just a MInute” ten-spot of mostly former journalists. Bill Nigut is arguably still an active one on GPB. CREDIT: CBS46

Kimberley Kennedy, formerly of WSB and 11 Alive, will be doing bi-weekly one-minute commentaries for CBS 46.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday June 4, 2015

CBS46 is bringing back 10 mostly former local TV broadcasters to offer rotating daily one-minute commentaries during the 5 p.m. telecast.

This unusual idea came from the brain of new GM Mark Pimentel, who joined CBS46 last fall but has also worked at 11 Alive and Channel 2 Action News.

The “Just a Minute” commentaries will run every day at 5:56 p.m. and will feature an all-star cast of (mostly) former journalists from rival stations such as Amanda Davis (Fox 5), Sally Sears (Channel 2 Action News, Fox 5), Kimberley Kennedy (11 Alive, WSB), Ken Watts (11 Alive and Fox 5) and Paul Crawley (11 Alive).

Bill Nigut, who still does radio and TV for Georgia Public Broadcasting, will join the crew, along with Mark Pettit (CNN, 11 Alive), Angela Robinson (Fox 5, 11 Alive), Cynthia Tinsley (11 Alive) and Lyn Vaughn (11 Alive, CNN).

Combined, they have more than 250 years of journalism experience and 300 years living in metro Atlanta, Pimentel said.

Curiously, none have ever worked at CBS46.

For a fourth-place station like WGCL-TV, this is a shrewd marketing move because it may create appointment TV for folks who miss those personalities, said Michael Castengera, a broadcast news consultant and University of Georgia journalism lecturer. “You got to get on the radar screen” as a fourth-place station, he said. “This could help.”

Some stations to this day in some markets have their general managers provide commentary. But Pimentel thought it would be fun to have former journalists well known in the Atlanta market provide daily commentary and add a potentially intriguing element to a newscast.

“It came to me when I accepted the job,” Pimentel said. “I was Facebook friends with half these people. I had worked with half these people at WSB and 11 Alive. How do I harness some of that into Channel 46?” (He had already hired long-time 11 Alive sports anchor Fred Kalil earlier this year.)

Pimentel himself had done commentaries called “Just a Minute” at stations in Huntsville, Ala. and Richmond, Virginia.

The station gathered the 10 journalists together last week to tape a promo. “It was like a high school reunion on steroids,” Pimentel said. “We had a tough time taping because they kept talking to each other. Some people hadn’t seen each other in years.”

He said he has encouraged them to be “provocative.”

Kennedy, now a communications and media coach, said she’s excited for the opportunity. (Pimentel said the 10 are being modestly compensated. “It’s grocery money,” he said.)

“Atlanta TV needs to be shaken up,” Kennedy said in an interview. “This is something different. I love giving my opinion!”

On Facebook, recently retired 11 Alive reporter Paul Crawley said no at first but Pimentel took him to lunch and convinced him to join the team. “We get to say whatever we want and will probably argue with each other sometimes,” he wrote. “It’s a diverse group of people used to biting our tongues for years.”

Pimentel wouldn’t say who said no but only three people on his wish list declined the invitation.

11 Alive a few years ago provided a platform for prominent folks in town such as Frank Ski (radio jock), George Andrews (banker) and Laura Turner Seydel (philanthropist) to talk in videos you can still see here. And esteemed anchor Brenda Wood provided a “Last Word” commentary on her 7 p.m. evening news show until 11 Alive eliminated the newscast a few months ago.

Scott Light came from Phoenix in late 2013 and lasted just 18 months at CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Saturday, June 6, 2015

Netflix is reviving “Full House.” CBS46 has created what you might call the latest version of “Clean House.”

I spoke too soon a few days back when I said it appeared CBS46 had finished revamping its anchor lineup, which meant replacing everyone but Tracye Hutchins and Scott Light. CBS46 this past week let go of Light after 18 months, leaving Hutchins as the sole weekday anchor survivor since new management arrived last fall.

Tracye Hutchins is the only weekday anchor to survive new management. She has been with CBS46 since 2007. CREDIT: CBS46

News director Larry Perrret declined to comment, but I hear a replacement for Light is coming soon so the musical chairs may finally be coming to an end.

Light, who last worked at a Phoenix TV station, was one of the last major hires of the previous regime.

My original story about Light’s hiring.

For those of you who are trying to keep count, here are the recent anchor changes:

Mornings: Michelle Burdo out, Bobby Kaple from L.A. and Gloria Neal from Denver in.

Mid-days: Jocelyn McConnell out, Kim Passoth from Oklahoma City in

Evenings: Stephany Fisher, Scott Light out; Sharon Reed from St. Louis, plus another person soon, in

Sports: Larry Smith out, Fred Kalil in

Meteorologist: Markina Brown out, Jim Kosek in

Ben Swann comes from a Cincinnati station and begins June 15. CREDIT: TruthinMedia

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, June 8, 2015

Another day, another CBS46 anchor change.

Okay, it’s not quite that frequent. It only seems that way.

Evening anchor Scott Light, as I reported on Saturday, has been released after 18 months. Today, CBS46 announced his replacement Ben Swann.

If anything, fourth-place CBS46 is hiring a lot of interesting characters to shake things up. Swann is not just another pretty face in the crowd. He’s got some Doogie Howser in him. Home-schooled, he graduated Brigham Young University in 1993 at age 15 and received a masters degree at California State University at age 16.

Over the years, Swann has worked for TV stations in El Paso, Texas and Cincinnati, where he created a fact-checking segment called “Reality Check.”

Since 2013, the 36-year-old journalist ran his own independent media operation at benswann.com, which morphed into truthinmedia.com, which involves more people.

Based on his descriptive, he was trying to be like Vice Media: brash and bold and off the beaten path in his reporting. He is also a big believer in having more major political parties.

On the site, he described it as thus:

The Truth in Media Project THE source for uninfluenced, reliable and fearless news. Mainstream media has failed to provide an honest representation of current and past events, and the public is fully aware. Your news or vision of current events at home or across the globe must not be leveraged.

Journalism, the Fourth Estate, must be free from undue or corrupting influence. Whether challenging the “Left vs. Right paradigm” or witnessing firsthand the misrepresentations of the Mexican drug war, Ben’s mission is focused, intentional and highly credible.

His site notes that “through the generous support of thousands of backers, Swann created 16 episodes of the Truth in Media project, a video series that has garnered millions of views and has impacted the national discussion on issues like cannabis and ISIS.”

Here’s his ISIS piece from February:

He also noted on his site that while “covering the 2012 Republican Presidential primary, Swann confronted problems in the American electoral process, the stranglehold of America’s two party system and the suppression of voters’ choices by mainstream media.”

Once he joins CBS46, he’ll have to clear anything he posts over there with the station first.

Swann has generated a fan base: 49,000 Twitter followers and 129,000 likes on Facebook.

His Twitter sig: “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.”

Light, by the way, ironically won a Southeastern Emmy this past Saturday for best news anchor, beating out four others, including DeMarco Morgan on 11 Alive and Jovita Moore on Channel 2 Action News.

All the newbies start on Monday, June 15. Here’s the line-up changes, in review:

Mornings: Michelle Burdo out, Bobby Kaple from L.A. and Gloria Neal from Denver in.

Mid-days: Jocelyn McConnell out, Kim Passoth from Oklahoma City in

Evenings: Stephany Fisher, Scott Light out; Sharon Reed from St. Louis, plus Ben Swann in

Sports: Larry Smith out, Fred Kalil in

Meteorologist: Markina Brown out, Jim Kosek in

Plus, the station is bringing in 10 mostly former journalists to do rotational “Just a Minute” daily commentaries, including former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis. Those begin at 5:56 p.m. daily starting Monday though I don’t know who will be up first.

Beth Galvin has been with Fox 5 for 19 years. CREDIT: Fox 5

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed June 9, 2015

Beth Galvin, the long-time Fox 5 medical reporter, today is donating a kidney to an anonymous recipient in Los Angeles, inspired by a Chamblee police captain’s similar journey that she covered for the TV station.

She posted this note on her public Facebook page on Friday:

I am taking a few weeks off from FOX 5 to do something I’ve felt led to do. On Tuesday, June 9th at Emory University Hospital, I will become a kidney donor through the Paired Kidney Donor program.

I will be the beginning of a kidney transplant chain that will stretch across the country. I do not know who will receive my kidney, except that it is someone in LA who needs it.

Galvin, who has been at WAGA-TV since 1996, had the surgery today:

Here is the story that made her join in:

As the story noted, Emory University since 2010 has been part of a Paired Donor Kidney Exchange Program. Often, people want to donate a kidney to a friend or loved one but it’s not compatible. By using a national database, they can find those who have the right kidney and do a “chain” exchange. In paired donation, a donor and recipient are matched with another incompatible donor and recipient pair, and the kidneys are exchanged between the pairs.

Galvin is part of a chain of involving six people.

Mike Beller, the Chamblee police captain in the story above who donated his kidney in 2013, said today that he is happy to see Galvin create a new kidney chain.

“I’m very proud of her,” Beller said. “I’m happy for the people whose lives are going to change by her donation.”

People often have to wait years for a new kidney while suffering from the harsh reality of dialysis treatment. Many die long before a kidney comes along. The waiting list can exceed 100,000 people.

According to Wired magazine, “today, about a third of the 16,000 annual kidney transplants come from living donors, a number that keeps rising through paired procedures.”

Beller said the recovery time isn’t too bad. He was back at work within two weeks. “I have a desk job,” he said. “It would have been longer if I had to run around chasing bad guys. I’d call it a temporary setback. You go on with life as before. Sometimes, I even forget I ever did it. At the same time, there’s a feeling of accomplishment thinking about the people in the chain whose lives have been positively changed in a very long-term way.”

He said he doesn’t know who has his kidney but the recipient did send an anonymous thank you note to him a few weeks  after the surgery.

“Someone inspired me to do this,” Fuller said. “I hope Beth can inspire others.”

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, June 9, 2015

CineStars’ Brittany Umar and I discuss Dad’s Garage’s fundraiser, OWN dropping a show about Atlanta man who fathered 34 kids with 17 women and new hosts and anchors at CBS46.

Justin Farmer and Jovita Moore will be seen on Channel 2 Action News via  new NewsON app starting this fall. CREDIT: WSB-TV

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Atlanta-based Cox Media Group is part of a venture launching a new app that will provide live and same-day local newscasts on demand from TV stations nationwide – including Channel 2 Action News – to consumers’ mobile and selected connected TV devices.

NewsON will enable people to watch live feeds of WSB-TV’s newscasts as well as on demand for free starting this fall. As more people consume programming on their smartphones and tablets, this is a way to access that market.

The other media companies involved are ABC Owned Television Station Group, Hearst Television, Media General and Raycom Media. In total so far, 112 television stations in 84 markets will be available but NewsON expects more to sign on.

Louis Gump has signed on as NewsON’s chief executive officer. Gump presided earlier in his career over benchmark-setting mobile businesses for The Weather Company and CNN before becoming CEO of mobile media and advertising company LSN Mobile.

According to the March 2015 report “Local News in a Digital Age” by the Pew Research Center, local TV stations remain a dominant source of news for Americans in markets both big and small.  The appetite for local and neighborhood news, the staple of TV station newscast coverage, is up to twice the appetite for national and international news, the study found.

CBS recently launched a subscription-based “All Access” app but it does not make CBS46 newscasts available. WGCL-TV, the CBS affiliate in Atlanta, is owned by Meredith Corp.

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

Adam Murphy’s two Emmys from this past Saturday night. CREDIT: Courtesy of Adam Murphy

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com

It’s been a crazy few weeks for CBS46, with all the staff changeovers. People in the Midtown offices at WGCL-TV probably need name tags with five new anchors starting on air Monday, June 15.

So in all fairness, I would like to note that CBS46 is actually keeping a long-time reporter: the station has signed Adam Murphy to a new contract. He’s staying!

And unlike former colleague and anchor Scott Light, Murphy was on hand to accept his two Southeastern Emmys this past Saturday night in Buckhead at the Grand Hyatt. Murphy has won one Emmy previously and been nominated numerous times.

He took home an Emmy for best business/consumer news series with his long-running “Restaurant Report Card.” He also won an Emmy with Eric Carlton and Dimitri Lotovski for a general assignment news story called “Catch Me If You Can,” an investigative report which involved drivers who lose their license in court, then drive away anyway.

Murphy is second longest running on-air journalist at the station, having joined CBS46 in 2003. Rebekka Shramm has been there since 2001, about six general managers ago.

And for those who missed my last dozen stories on CBS46, here’s a quick summary:

Mornings: Michelle Burdo out, Bobby Kaple from L.A. and Gloria Neal from Denver in.

Mid-days: Jocelyn Connell out, Kim Passoth from Oklahoma City in

Evenings: Stephany Fisher, Scott Light out; Sharon Reed from St. Louis, plus Ben Swann in

Sports: Larry Smith out, Fred Kalil in

Meteorologist: Markina Brown out, Jim Kosek in

The station is also bringing in 10 mostly former journalists to do rotational “Just a Minute” daily commentaries, including former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis. Those begin at 5:56 p.m. daily starting Monday though I don’t know who will be up first.

And if you want a little flashback action, here’s the story I wrote about Murphy in 2007.

Jaye Watson of 11 Alive won three Emmys last Saturday night. CREDIT: 11Alive

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, June 12, 2015

I am sorry I skipped the Southeastern Emmys this past weekend at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, but alas, I decided to take Saturday night off from work. Crazy, right?

In this blog, I’ve name-dropped the Emmys twice already this week: CBS46’s Scott Light lost his job and won an Emmy for best anchor. That’s pure irony. And CBS46’s Adam Murphy kept his job and won two. That’s because CBS46 is all about the news, as in all their changes have been newsworthy to me.

Anyway, as usual, 11 Alive (WXIA-TV) ran away with the wins: 28 to be exact, including best news editor (Brendan Keefe), best news producer (Molly Baker), best general assignment reporter and video journalist (Jeremy Campbell), best sports reporter (Matt Pearl), best news photographer (Nick Moron), best news writer (Jaye Watson), journalistic enterprise (“DFCS” Rebecca Lindstrom) and news excellence.

That’s up from 20 the past two years.

Georgia Public Broadcasting brought home 18 including historical documentary (“Dean Rusk: At the Heartbeat of History”), interview (“First Family From Plains”), lifestyle feature (“The BBQ Show”) and overall excellence, beating WXIA and WSB.

Channel 2 Action News’ 9 wins included best daily newscast (5 p.m.), breaking news (Forsyth Courthouse Shooting), spot news (Police Chase & Arrest with Richard Elliot), continuing coverage (DeKalb Corruption), team coverage (Second Snowstorm) and investigative reporter (Jodie Fleischer).

Univision and Fox Sports South took home five each while Telemundo Atlanta garnered four.

CBS46 won three, as noted above.

Public Broadcasting Atlanta pocketed two.

Fox 5 clearly does not make Emmys a priority. It had exactly one nomination for an investigative report and zero wins.

Read the entire winner’s list here.

Gloria Neal and Bobby Kaple are the new morning team for CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, June 15, 2015

Over a decade covering local TV, I have seen managers and on-air staff come and go.

Monica Pearson and John Pruitt of Channel 2 Action News transitioned smoothly to Jovita Moore and Justin Farmer. 11 Alive added the Wizometer and survived. Fox 5 revamped “Good Day Atlanta.” CBS46 shuffled through multiple general managers and news directors. Three stations saw new chief meteorologists in a span of a few months.

Yet ratings haven’t changed much. Channel 2 Action News remains the dominant No. 1. Fox 5 is the 10 p.m. king and is a solid No. 2. 11 Alive usually maintains a distant third while CBS46 typically finds traction only at 11 p.m.

Meredith Corp., which owns CBS46, has found nothing remotely close to stability in its efforts over the past 16 years to dig the station out of the ratings basement. But new general manager Mark Pimentel and news director Larry Perret, who built reputations for cleaning house and rebuilding TV stations, have revamped the station in a way that nobody in local TV news has seen before in such a short time.

That means on Monday, June 15, the station introduces an almost entirely new anchor lineup. In recent months, CBS46 has brought in a new chief meteorologist, revived its sports department, revamped its digital group, hired new producers and introduced a raft of new reporters. Virtually the only department that went relatively unscathed was its camera crew.

A broader overview of CBS46’s changes.

Pimentel acknowledged such a radical revamp was not ideal, that any positive impact on ratings will take a long time. But they both said they believe their bosses will show patience and has given them the financial resources to turn things around this time. If anything, they have certainly hired some firecrackers from out of town and created a cool new daily “Just a Minute” commentary from a vast array of mostly former journalists from other stations. (Details of that here.)

Here’s an edited Q&A I had with Pimentel (who came to Atlanta in January) and Perret (who arrived in September) this past Friday at CBS46’s midtown offices.

Q: So tell me what CBS46’s situation is in your view.

Pimentel: We’re currently a fourth-place operation here. Both the research and ratings point to the fact we were having trouble attracting viewers and keeping viewers that might be provided by lead ins to our shows. It called for an examination of where we were and what we’re doing and who were key players in our operations both on screen and off screen.

Q: What’s your background?

Pimentel: I worked at WSB as an executive producer (in 1988-89) and at 11 Alive as news director (from 1992-95). I’ve worked as a GM at five TV stations. But I’ve never done anything quite like this. This is unique.

Perret: I was last in our Kansas City station. We were both promoted from within the company. Last place stations are very similar. You have variables you can control: people, story selection and content and production. At last-place stations, you usually have problems in all those areas. You have to evaluate them.

Pimentel: I don’t want to overlook the content issue. It’s critical. We are working to improve our content. We feel in many ways that has been our biggest failing. At least when I got here, when Larry got here, it wasn’t compelling content. There was not a reason to stay tuned to the newscasts. That’s been a big focus. But it’s an evolution. It’s not a flip a switch and your content is where you want it to be. You’ll really see things in a year, year and a half.

Me: Meredith hasn’t shown a lot of patience with past management. Will you be given the breathing room?

Pimentel: We both feel secure. We’re supported. We’re not worried about a timetable.

Me: I’m amazed that no matter how many changes stations make in this market, ratings and rankings don’t change much. Is there anything special about Atlanta?

Pimentel: It’s a highly transient market which opens the door a little wider than in St. Louis [his last market.]. An improved product, a compelling product might draw them in. We find there are dissatisfied viewers who watch other TV stations. We’ve seen the research. We have strong competitors but we know there are opportunities.

It’s a very diverse market with a growing Hispanic population and a very strong African-American population in both the power structure and the middle and upper class. It’s also younger than many cities.

Me: How do you get anybody to pay attention nowadays?

Pimentel: Breaking through the clutter. I have so many resources available to me. How in the hell do I break through? The Pew study said local TV is still important but only on the basis of doing it on multiple platforms.

Perret: I’m putting an emphasis on enterprise stories that are hard news, stories that are not on the other stations. If things were perfect, I’d want 50 percent enterprise stories.

Me: Where are you at now?

Perret: 20 percent. I think there is too many crime coverage that is not relevant to people’s lives. We are trying to reduce the amount of two-bit crime coverage, nickel-and-dime coverage. We have to differentiate ourselves and not do pack journalism… I said right from the beginning, we are not going to play the gimmick game.

Me: No Wizometer?

Perret: We respect our competitors.

Pimentel: We respect the intelligence of our viewers. That’s why we know content is king.

Me: What makes your new hires special? You seem to have hired some interesting characters.

Perret: We have real people, authentic people you can relate to. We don’t want to be vanilla.

Me: So what’s up with Bobby Kaple, the new morning cohost?

Pimentel: Bobby has a diverse background in both news and sports. He’s glib, he’s quick on his feet.

Me: How about his co-host Gloria Neal?

Perret: She has described herself as unorthodox. She has the ability to draw people to the set because she’s real. We couple that with good content and that should increase ratings.

Me: You kept [meteorologist] Jennifer Valdez, who I know is very popular.

Pimentel: We like Jennifer. She’s one our most well-recognized personalities. We think her personality is a great fit for the mornings. Mornings are the toughest period to get people to change their habits. Personalities are the most important.

Me: What’s your take Kim Passoth, your new mid-day anchor?

Perret: She’s a hard news reporter from Oklahoma City. She covered a lot of tornadoes. She anchors but she is very much interested in going out every day and reporting for our 4, 5 and 6 o’clock news.

Me: Let’s get to the evenings. You kept Tracye Hutchins. She’s your last anchor standing

Pimental: Tracye’s very popular. She’s a great talent. She’s nicely paired with Ben and Sharon.

Ben Swann and Sharon Reed are part of the new 4, 5 and 6 p.m. anchor team with Tracye Hutchins. CREDIT: CBS46

Me: And Ben Swann in the evening?

Pimentel: He’s a strong journalist, a compelling journalist. I think when he talks, you want to listen. That’s what we saw.

Me: Finally, there’s Sharon Reed, who is paired with Ben.

Pimentel: I worked with her in St. Louis for the past two and a half years. She was one of the reasons we were able to lift KMOV from third to first. She’s a compelling anchor and reporter.

Me: So isn’t that a big loss for St. Louis?

Pimentel: Meredith encourages growth within the company to move on to bigger and better things. This is a bigger market. I feel the success we had in KMOV will continue even without her.

Me: With younger viewers now watching more TV not on the TV, what’s your digital plans?

Pimentel: We’ve also transformed our digital efforts. We will double our staff. This is an area we have to be better in. We’ve hired a very strong managing editor [Kelly Frank] already. She’s overseeing content across all platforms. Our content digitally is 500 percent than it was a year ago. It will get even better. It’s a work in progress.

Me: With so many new faces, was the “Just a Minute” commentary idea a way to bring in familiar faces as well?

Pimentel: I came up with that idea long before all the talent changes. I had that idea last October before I even got here. I didn’t know it would come to fruition but enough people on my wish list said yes. I’m excited. I hope we can stir things up.

Me: You brought in Fred Kalil recently from 11 Alive. How’s that going?

Perret: We’re encouraging Fred to give his take on sports, to give his opinion on plays and events. There’s more opportunity for opinion in sports.

Fred Kalil worked at 11 Alive since 1993 but moved to CBS46 earlier this year. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Pimentel: We’re in the midst of rebuilding a sports department. [CBS46 got rid of it sports department in 2009, outsourcing sports to 790/The Zone, then fired them in 2013.]… I think there is space within our broadcasts for sports again… No reason we can’t devote a couple of minutes a night to sports, which is part of American culture. I don’t think they should have gotten rid of it. I don’t know why they did it. Candidly, I don’t know why they did a lot of things here.

New chief meteorologist Jim Kosek worked under the current CBS46 news director in Kansas City.

Me: And I know Markina Brown left on her own. Why did you hire Jim Kosek (as chief meteorologist)?

Perret: He has personality and 25 years of experience at AccuWeather. He knows what he’s doing.

Pimentel: We’re really tried to focus on the accuracy of weather… We’ve launched our guaranteed forecast. The more accurate we are, the more we give to charity…

Me: Before we go, anything else you wanted to add?

Pimentel: We would have liked not to have made as many changes as we made. If we could have done this with what we had in terms of staff, it would have been much easier. … No one here is happy. We know lives have been disrupted. It’s not taken lightly.

A Fulton County judge cleared Amanda Davis of the most serious charges related to a vehicular accident she was in in November, 2012. But she was arrested again on June 15 ,2015.  CREDIT: Fox 5

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, June 15, 2015

Former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis, as my colleague Tyler Estep reported this morning, was arrested earlier today for driving under the influence and failure to maintain lane.

Davis was set to debut as part of the CBS46’s new “Just a Minute” commentary team at 5:56 p.m. today.

But CBS46 released a statement at 10:49 a.m.:

For personal reasons Amanda Davis has requested leave from the Just a Minute Project.  We at CBS46 respect her decision.

The commentaries are pre-taped so the station will sub her commentary out. CBS46 has a set of 10 mostly former Atlanta journalists doing one-minute commentaries, including Sally Sears, Ken Watts and Kimberley Kennedy. Cynthia Tinsley, formerly of 11 Alive, will be heard first tonight instead.

Based on a poll I posted when I first wrote about “Just a Minute” on June 4, Davis was by far the most highly anticipated contributor with nearly half of those who took the poll looking forward to seeing her the most.

CBS46 general manager Mark Pimentel, the day “Just a Minute” was announced earlier this month, said contributors are compensated but acknowledged it wasn’t a lot.

Davis retired from Fox 5 after 26 years in 2013 and several months after being arrested for DUI while driving in the wrong lane and hitting another vehicle. In 2014, she was cleared of all charges and assigned 20 hours of community service. She has not been able to get another full-time job in Atlanta TV. Presumably, the “Just a Minute” part-time gig was a way to get back in the spotlight.

She talked to Maria Boynton of V-103 last week. “I thought I was done. Got a call from CBS46 and I’m back,” she told Boynton. She was going to talk about Caitlyn Jenner and how so many others don’t have his resources.

She also addressed the reaction to her 2012 DUI for the first time in public:

“It was awful,” she said. “People don’t think about you as a person. They were hateful. They were mean.” She said she couldn’t address the case because of the legal case. She said the night of the accident she had a single drink but didn’t think that was the problem. She blamed her driving the wrong way down a one-way street less on drinking and more on “distracted” driving. She refused to take a sobriety test because she was afraid, she told Boynton.

Davis admitted she was depressed and isolated for a period of time after that.

She did not acknowledge any drinking problems to Boynton although to be fair, Boynton never asked that question directly.

Estep got a hold of the police report in the afternoon of the latest DUI arrest. The details were sparse.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, June 16, 2015

The latest departure at CBS46 is reporter Jeff Chirico.

Chirico joined the station in March, 2010. He announced his voluntary move on Twitter last night. He said he’ll be going to another job in another city but didn’t state where.

In 2013, a video of Chirico getting punched out by a man he was trying to interview went viral.

Fredericka Whitfield, the only regular CNN anchor based in Atlanta who anchors on weekends, inserted foot in mouth last Saturday by calling a gunman “courageous and brave” after attacking a Dallas Police headquarters.

She said on Sunday she “misspoke” but went on full-out apology mode Monday with this statement:

I misused those words terribly. And I sincerely apologize for making this statement, and I understand now how offensive it was, and I want to reiterate that in no way do I believe the gunman was courageous or brave. I sincerely apologize.

Conservative news sites had a field day.

***

The 17th edition of CBS’s “Big Brother” debuting June 24 features three contestants with local ties, all vying for half a million dollars [I said $1 million earlier. It’s been $500K since the beginning, inflation be damned] by being locked in a house for weeks at a time with 11 others.

Audrey Middleton will try to win $500K against 13 others on “Big Brother.” CREDIT: CBS

Audrey Middleton, 25

Hometown and current city: Villa Rica, GA.
Occupation: Digital Media Consultant

UPDATE: TMZ reported she is transgender. Details here.

Jace Agolli is from the same town as Ryan Seacrest: Dunwoody. CREDIT: CBS

Jace Agolli, 23
Hometown: Dunwoody, Georgia
Current City: Venice Beach, California
Occupation: Personal Trainer

Shelli Poole is a UGA grad. CREDIT: CBS

Shelli Poole, 33
Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
Current City: Atlanta
Occupation: Interior Designer

Tracy Humphrey is moving back to weekend work at 11 Alive. CREDIT: 11 Alive

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, June 19, 2015

Meteorologist Tracy Humphrey, who arrived at 11 Alive a year ago as the weekend meteorologist and weekend feature reporter, was moved soon after to the weekday Atlanta Alive team with Vinnie Politan.

She’s now going to do a hybrid, working with Atlanta Alive three days a week and joining Blayne Alexander on weekend mornings reporting weather and feature news.

Humphrey has previously worked in Philadelphia, Buffalo, Syracuse and Savannah.

11 Alive’s weather team, dubbed “Storm Trackers,” include chief meteorologist Chris Holcomb, Chesley McNeil, Samantha Mohr and Humphrey. Julie Martin will continue in a freelance role along with Allison Chinchar, who also works with CNN.

***
CBS46 General Manager Mark Pimentel has brought in a gaggle of new faces to CBS46 but also a few older ones from his past including Fred Kalil from 11Alive. His latest pickup: CB Hackworth as new producer for special projects, the same job he had at 11 Alive in the early 1990s when Pimentel was the news director there.

Hackworth is not a household name among average viewers, being a behind-the-scenes guy. But he’s been in Atlanta media for several decades.

He began working in TV at Channel 2 Action News from 1987 to 1990 as an associate producer, became a producer of special projects from 1991 to 1997 at 11 Alive.  He became a senior producer for local programming at WSB from 1997 to 2005.

For the past deacde, Hackworth partnered with Andrew Young, the former United Nations Ambassador, two- term Atlanta Mayor and civil right leader. They created and launched a series of syndicated Emmy-winning television specials. Their program “Andrew Young Presents,” is now in its seventh season and is seen in 100 markets in the U.S. and worldwide on American Forces Network.

Clearly, this hire is an effort by CBS46 to create more original programming.

***

Courtney Rushing of Powder Springs with Nene Leakes and Michael Strahan during the production of “Live! with Kelly and Michael” in New York on Tuesday June 16, 2015. Photo: Rob Tannenbaum/Disney ABC Home Entertainment and TV DistributionCourtney Rushing, Nene Leakes and Michael Strahan are pictured during the production of “Live! with Kelly and Michael” in New York on Tuesday June 16, 2015. Photo: Rob Tannenbaum/Disney ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution

Courtney Rushing of Kennesaw appeared this morning on “Live with Kelly and Michael” on WSB at 9 a.m.

Atlanta’s NeNe Leakes was filling in for Kelly Ripa.

She is the fourth semi-finalist in “LIVE’s Search for America’s New Grill Star.” Courtney got in the kitchen with Michael Strahan and Leakes to make her pineapple, avocado and shrimp salsa.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally Monday, June 29, 2015

Karyn Greer, who officially left 11 Alive in March but was off air since January, has landed a freelance gig with CBS46. She began reporting, this morning confirmed news director Larry Perret.

Greer, in a text, said she is happy to get to work again although she is bummed she missed a bunch of big stories the past two weeks.

She departed the NBC affiliate after 15 years. I had heard that 11 Alive did not give her a good renewal offer.

“I am stepping out on faith but I know in the end God has my back. Keep me and my family in your prayers,” she wrote on Facebook at the time.

Greer worked at WGNX-TV (now WGCL-TV and CBS46) from 1989 to 1999 as an anchor.

The Atlanta Alive team taking part in the ice bucket challenge last year. CREDIT: 11 Alive

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

WXIA-TV’s Atlanta Alive morning show, which airs from 5 a.m to 7 a.m. weekdays, has added an extra hour on sister station WATL-TV from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.

The team is Vinnie Politan, Jaye Watson and meteorologists Chesley McNeil and Tracey Humphrey, plus traffic guys Crash Clark and Fred McFarlin. Politan joined the station last year from HLN.

This gives Fox 5’s “Good Day Atlanta” direct competition during that hour for local news. WGCL, WSB and WXIA are each obligated from 7 to 9 a.m. to air their national morning programming with occasional inserts for local weather and traffic. WXIA is required to carry “The Today Show.”

“The 7 to 8 a.m. time period is a critical ‘get out the door’ hour typically with the heaviest traffic, so we’re staying on the extra hour to provide our audience with the latest information on traffic, weather and breaking news,” said 11Alive News Director Jennifer Rigby in a press release. “We’re fortunate to have the networks of 11Alive to give us another channel to deliver local news, weather and traffic in an important time period.”

The new morning show had a soft launch this week but it officially starts Monday when Politan returns from vacation.

WATL already airs 10 p.m. news using the resources of the 11 Alive news team.

Tom Haynes has been host for the Fox 5 News Edge for more than seven years. CREDIT: Fox 5

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, August 3, 2015

Fox 5, which already airs more local news than any other Atlanta broadcast network by a wide margin, is expanding its 11 p.m. news to a full hour starting September 14.

The “Fox 5 News Edge,” which came to be in 2007 hosted by Tom Haynes as a 30-minute show, will become the first one-hour 11 p.m. news program in the top 50 markets.

The other three major broadcast networks air talk shows during that second half hour. Currently, Fox 5 airs a repeat of “Access Hollywood” at 11:30 p.m.

Fox 5 starting next month will air a whopping 62.5 hours of local news a week. That’s more than 37 percent of its weekly schedule.

Chief meteorologist David Chandley and sports anchor Ken Rodriguez will continue to help Haynes out in studio.

Mike McClain, the vice president of news for Fox 5, said this is a way to give people more choices in local news, as fewer and fewer people work traditional 9 to 5 jobs. He noted that in recent years, local news has begun airing as early as 4:30 a.m. as well. This now means two sports segments and Chandley’s ability to be the last person in the market to provide a forecast before midnight rolls around.

According to the press release:

This expansion will utilize the station’s interactive news stage to present Atlanta’s trending stories. Social Media Producer, Natalie Tejada, will share stories that are “Trending Live.” A new opinion segment, “Like It or Not,” will provide a fresh take on the traditional news editorial, allowing viewers to engage directly with topics that are important to the Atlanta and North Georgia regions.

The “Like it or Not” sounds a bit like CBS 46’s recently instituted “Just a Minute,” where a rotating crew of former TV reporters offer their take on the news. In this case, McClain said he will cull from a broader array of Atlanta experts to do editorials.

Channel 2 Action News news director Mike Dreaden, Fox 5 news director Mike McClain, CBS46 news director Larry Perret and NBC news director Jennifer Rigby at the Atlanta Press Club luncheon event. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/ rho@ajc.com

At an Atlanta Press Club luncheon today, executives at all four local stations echoed the same theme after the tragic Roanoke shooting of two news employees on live TV this morning: sadness with a reminder of standard vigilance while on location.

“This one hit close to home,” said Jennifer Rigby, news director at NBC affiliate 11 Alive (WXIA-TV). “I do hold a little concern about a copycat. This person was determined to get attention. He posted video. He tweeted on his own Twitter account… We have to be vigilant.”

Larry Perret, news director at CBS46, said he sent a note out to staff telling camera crews to leave a scene if they don’t feel comfortable. “We just want to emphasize to be on guard,” he said.

Mike Dreaden, news director at Channel 2 Action News as part of the ABC affiliate (WSB-TV), said staff discussed the situation at the early morning meeting. “We’ve had cases where crews have been held up and equipment stolen,” he said. “We are already conscious of security issues. We are out here and visible and easy to identify. This reminds you how careful you have to be.”

A few weeks ago, a television camera operator was pistol-whipped during a live report in San Francisco. The thief made off with cameras from two different TV stations. A suspect was arrested a few days later.

Rachel Tobin, a former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter and former Atlanta Press Club president who now works at Jackson Spalding, asked for a moment of silence for the deaths of  WDBJ7 photographer Adam Ward and WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker around 6:45 a.m. during a live broadcast near Roanoke. (Details of the tragedy here.)

Otherwise, nobody said anything as provocative as then 11 Alive news director Ellen Crooke in 2009 when she said local news “sometimes stinks.” Since then 11 Alive has focused less on crime stories than their rivals and now uses the phrase “Holding the powerful accountable.”

Perret, who joined perennial fourth place CBS46 less than a year ago, was amusingly self deprecating. When asked by Saporta Report’s Maria Saporta about staffing challenges, he said his corporate bosses at Meredith gave him a greater budget to invest in news but wouldn’t say how much staff he has now for competitive reasons.

Then he added, “Less than WSB,” the long-time No. 1 station in town with the biggest crew in town. Pause as people chuckled. “A lot less.” That garnered a bigger laugh.

(WSB lists 27 reporters, 10 news anchors, five meteorologists, two sports anchors on its site not counting two anchors emeritus still listed in John Pruitt and Monica Pearson. CBS46 has 26 total reporters and anchors listed on its site, 41 percent fewer than WSB)

In fact, nobody said they were cutting budgets and many have reclassified jobs with a greater focus on digital and social media.

Each station defined their missions. Channel 2, as usual, is the king of breaking news. Fox 5 prides itself on investigative work, as does 11 Alive. CBS46? Enterprise stories nobody else has in an effort to differentiate themselves though he admitted, “Easy to say, hard to do.” He also hopes the new anchors and reporters they’ve brought in are “authentic and connect with people.”

Read my story from June about CBS46’s recent radical changes.

There were several questions about seeking stories that connect online via social media. Fox 5 news director Mike McClain said a recent video it posted of a man at the top of an overpass with an American flag honoring the Chattanooga shooting victims generated more than 10 million views. He said it was “very touching. Folks shared it. It’s not just about creating TV content and pushing it out.”

McClain also noted that Facebook is a major driver of social referral traffic, 10 to 1 over other sources.

Rigby said some stories show surprising legs. A crime story about a Conyers mother killed by her twin daughters generated huge traffic and is buoyed every time NBC or anybody else airs something about it.

The Press Club has held similar events in 2009 and 2013.

This is what I wrote in 2009.

Here was my recap of the 2013 event.

Channel 2 Action News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.

I am part of the Atlanta Press Club board of directors.

Jeff Hullinger with his NATAS Silver Circle prize. CREDIT: NATAS Southeast

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Saturday, August 29, 2015

On Friday night, Jeff Hullinger, Jerry Carnes and Randy Travis were among the veteran broadcasters awarded special Silver Circle awards by the The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Southeast chapter.

Jerry Carnes had worked at 11 Alive for more than 26 years. CREDIT: NATAS

Carnes is a true Atlanta native, born at Emory Hospital, married another local and graduated UGA.

He has been a general assignment reporter most of his quarter century at 11 Alive but signed on two years ago to be the Commuter Dude. What was going to be a temporary gig has become permanent – or however long permanent can be in this business.

Winning the Silver Circle, Carnes texted me, “I think it’s a tribute to God, my family and the people I work with. Without the strength and peace I receive from God and without a supportive, loving wife, I couldn’t have lasted in this business. I’ve been incredibly blessed to work with talented people who are just like family.”

He said the reward “has me reflecting and focusing on those times when I’ve taken advantage of the God-given opportunities to touch people in a positive and perhaps a healing way. Although I’ve made some bone-headed mistakes along the way, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Randy Travis has been part of WAGA-TV going back a quarter century. CREDIT: NATAS

Travis joined what was then the CBS affiliate WAGA-TV in 1990. He became part of the new investigative “I-team” in 1994 and has been there for the past 21 years.

He focuses on consumer rip-offs, criminal wrongdoing and government mismanagement and has won many Emmys and two Edward R. Morrow awards.

Like Carnes, Travis is a UGA grad. In fact, they were in the graduating class.

“We worked together on a documentary about the death penalty our senior year,” Carnes said, going back 33 years. “We’ve been good friends for over 30 years. I think Randy is one of the best reporters in Atlanta. A good friend and solid journalist.”

Travis also said his desk neighbor at Fox 5 was Hullinger at one point.

He has also run in every Peachtree Road Race since 1993.

Fox 5 passed on this statement from Travis:

“I grew up watching WAGA as a kid and then studying journalism at UGA. I never dared to dream I’d be working there for going on 25 years now. I’ve been very fortunate to work in a place that allowed me to grow and learn from some heavy hitters. Being part of the FOX 5 I-Team is still one of the best jobs in local television in the country.”

Check out this cool video Fox 5, which features Travis through the years.

***

Evelyn Mims has been in the broadcast industry for 39 years, most of that at 11Alive. CREDIT: NATAS

Others honored include:

Greg Stone, WSB Atlanta, vice president and general manager

Evelyn Mims, Mims Media Group, formerly a long-time community relations specialist at 11 Alive who recently retired

Monica Pearson worked at WSB-TV for 37 years before retiring in 2012. John Spink, jspink@ajc.com

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Saturday, September 26, 2015

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame doesn’t just induct musicians. Last year, it inducted Alpharetta stand-up comic Jeff Foxworthy for the “spoken-word” category.

Tonight at the Georgia World Congress Center, former Channel 2 Action News anchor Monica Pearson receives a Georgia Music Hall of Fame Chairman’s Award. She has served as emcee of the show for at least a decade.

Former chairman Bobbie Bailey, who passed away in July, wanted to give Pearson the reward for her long-running support of the group.

But while Pearson is best known in Atlanta as a broadcast journalist, including 37 years at WSB-TV until she retired in 2012, she describes herself as a “frustrated musician.”

“I always wanted to be a jazz and blues singer,” Pearson said today in a phone interview. “But I couldn’t pursue it. I was the first in my family to graduate college. It was incumbent for me to find a good job.”

Read about the other inductees here on the AJC Music Scene blog with Melissa Ruggieri.

She said at past Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Bailey allowed her to sing a few times, including one year she closed with “Georgia On My Mind.”

She also backed up Usher the year he was inducted and sang that same classic Ray Charles tune.

Pearson has also interviewed a raft of musicians over the years for her “Closeups” specials on WSB-TV. One of her favorite moments was receiving vocal tips from Tony Bennett. But one of her best interviews was Dolly Parton, who treated her like they had been life-long friends.

“I’m still dreaming of a music career,” Pearson said. She is taking piano lessons at Clayton State University and hopes in a couple of years to rent out Churchill Downs next to the Fabulous Fox Theatre and sing for charity.  She also hopes to enter some jazz music contests.

She said local singing coach Jan Smith has offered to give her vocal lessons as well but she said she isn’t quite ready for that yet.

Long-time media fixture in Atlanta Sidmel Estes has passed away. PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Mason

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, October 6, 2015

“Good Day Atlanta” executive producer Sidmel Estes passed away suddenly and the Fox 5 family is mourning.

I haven’t been able to ascertain why she died.

Estes worked at WAGA-TV for 27 years (part of the time as a CBS affiliate, then Fox 5 starting in the mid-1990s) and was executive producer with “Good Day Atlanta” from 1993 to 2006. She left a major mark on journalism in Atlanta. She started the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and was the first woman to head the national group.

Everyone I contacted who had worked with her at Fox 5 (WAGA-TV) couldn’t say enough about her passionate, supportive nature in what is often a very stressful environment.

Our full-fledged obit about Estes is available here.

And here is a place to provide your condolences.

Bud Veazey, a long-time assistant program director at WAGA from 1988 to 2008, considered “Good Day Atlanta” to be “Sidmel’s baby.” “Her strong maternal commitment to the program and her leadership in ‘Good Day Atlanta’s’ infancy helped make it one of the most successful local morning shows in the country.”

“Her vision and her talents helped make ‘GDA’ a morning juggernaut that was imitated by other morning shows across the country,” texted Brett Martin, a former “Good Day” “Road Warrior” who worked with her for several years at the station. “She touched everyone she came in contact with and will be missed very much. A talented executive producer, a wonderful mother and a beautiful all-around person. And she gave the best hugs too!’

Mark Hayes, a co-host at “Good Day” from 2002 to 2012 and is now in Dallas, wrote me via Facebook:

She was incredibly passionate about her show and her pursuit of news and storytelling. She pushed us to be energetic and passionate in our delivery and in the types of stories we told….she also was a champion for the under dog and would push for stories that sometimes may not have been the most popular, but she had the vision would make it work and did so for many years. Her courage and tenacity will be missed. and her loving spirit will be missed as well–we called ourselves a family in the morning and we treated each other as such and cared about each other as such…and all our morning show colleagues would probably agree with me on that!

Gustavo Valdes, a photojournalist at Fox 5 from 1995 to 2009 and is now at CNN, wrote that she was “very supportive, very nice. I don’t remember ever having a disagreement and she always backed me when I had a crazy idea.”

Meteorologist Paul Ossmann, who worked at WAGA for 23 years from 1988 to 2011 and is now at CBS46, in a text called her a great “non panic producer and a great talent producer.” And best of all: “Great laugh.”

A friend on Facebook Ce Cole Dillon wrote:

Sid was wicked smart and funny. When it came to telling stories, it was like she could see through walls. She always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else in terms of figuring out where “nut” of the story was. And she was the consummate teacher of how to write or tell a story.

I never had the pleasure to meet her in person, but spoke to her on the phone a couple of times. She struck me a sweet, empathetic and honorable.

***

“Gilmore Girls” fans have been able to watch repeats for years on ABC Family.

Now Atlanta-based UP TV has nabbed the rights to all 153 episodes which aired on the WB (and briefly, the CW) from 2000 to 2007. It began airing on the the network Sunday. It fits the uplifting programming on the network but the show also brings a sly wit to it and its signature quick-paced rapport between characters.

Recently, the show was also added to Netflix, which means Lorelai and Rory are now accessible to a younger crowd that barely watches traditional TV.

Amy Winter, evp and general manager, UP, said, “We are so excited that the fabulous, fast talking ‘Gilmore Girls’ are here on UP. This hugely popular show where this mother and daughter navigate career, work, relationships and all of the challenges of life is a great addition to our brand of family entertainment. It’s a highly entertaining series that depicts a family dealing with the very real stresses, challenges and joys of everyday life with heart and humor. Our viewers are going to get much more of this critically acclaimed series as we enhance each airing with stunts that feature never before seen footage and interviews with the show’s biggest fans – the “Gilmore Guys,” the podcasters who know every detail of the series. We’ve got much, much more Gilmore on UP.”

This is one of my favorite shows from that era so I’m happy to see its resurgence.

***

“Mad Men” makes you more empathetic than “Shark Week: Jaws Strikes Back,” according to one study. CREDIT: AMC

There have been no shortage of studies that show TV isn’t terribly good for us. But it’s not all bad.

The authors of one study published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts said watching high-quality television dramas such as “Mad Men” or “The West Wing” improves your emotional intelligence and makes you more empathetic.

They basically had one group of people watch “quality” TV and another group watch science shows. Those who watched the likes of Don Draper were able to read emotions better immediately afterwards. It’s not clear if this is a long-lasting effect or not.

I wonder if people would feel more empathetic after watching “Real Housewives of Atlanta” or “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta”?

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Saturday October 10, 2015, updated Sunday, October 11, 2015

Dish Network lost access to WXIA-TV, the NBC affiliate also known as 11 Alive, and sister station WATL-TV late Friday night over a fee dispute.

UPDATE: The two sides reached an agreement early afternoon Sunday. So the blackout ended up lasting less than 48 hours.

Tegna, formerly known as Gannett, has cut off 42 television stations in 38 markets. 11 Alive airs everything from the “Today” show to “Dr. Phil” to “The Blacklist” and “The Voice.” And Dish subscribers in the Atlanta metro area wanting to see tonight’s new episode of “Saturday Night Live” hosted by Amy Schumer will be out of luck unless the two sides come to an agreement before 11:29 p.m.

Subscribers of Dish who wanted to see the “Dateline” special last night featuring 27 Bill Cosby accusers were locked out.

Dish has about 14 million subscribers nationwide but doesn’t break them down by market.

This is the just latest battle between content carriers and content providers are battling over fees that play into the prices you pay each month. And as subscriber numbers have been shrinking in the face of cord cutting and Millenials who never subscribed at all, the disputes have become more common in recent years, though the two sides dispute on what constitutes a “blackout.”

This year, the American Television Alliance, an advocacy group that represents cable and satellite companies, said there have been 183 blackouts, which appears to represent every individual market impacted. TVFreedom, which represents broadcasters, say it’s more like 15 specific disputes in 2015.

The last time Atlanta has had a new fee dispute that caused a month-long blackout was late last year between Dish and some Turner channels such as Cartoon Network and CNN.

Dish TV has also chosen not to air weekend Atlanta Braves game for three seasons, a dispute that is one of the longest I’ve ever seen.

Both sides tried to explain their case in separate statements. Dish argued that Tegna could have kept negotiating without pulling its channels. Tegna simply said Dish is the side causing the problems and noted that they are “serial dropper of channels.”

“With Dish willing to grant an extension and a retroactive true-up on rates, Tegna had nothing to lose and consumers had everything to gain by leaving the channels up,” Warren Schlichting, Dish senior VP of programming, said in a statement. “Instead, Tegna chose to turn its back on its public interest obligations and use innocent consumers as bargaining chips.”

Here’s Tegna’s statement:

“TEGNA has worked hard over the course of months to reach a deal with DISH. Our position has been simple: the same fundamental terms that allowed us to reach deals with distributors nationwide should serve as the basis for our deal with DISH. Rather than accepting that fair, market-based approach, DISH has refused to reach an agreement and once again is preventing its customers from accessing valued channels, even as customers continue to pay for that content. Despite DISH’s repeated efforts to blame programmers, the record is crystal clear – DISH is a serial dropper of channels. It has been responsible for the largest broadcast blackout in history and routinely drops valued cable and broadcast channels. TEGNA, on the other hand, has never been in this position before because we have always been able to reach fair agreements with distributors without disrupting our viewers.”

Dish Network customers in Atlanta and 37 market will not be able to watch “Saturday NIght Live” tonight hosted by Amy Schumer. (right) unless the blackout ends later today. CREDIT: NBC

This dispute might last a day or a month. It’s impossible to say.

Notably, Dish tends to be the best provider on price alone, according to third-party studies. But DirecTV is superior with HD and sports. And cable is more reliable.

According to the Chicago Tribune: “In August, about 5 million satellite-TV customers were left without local channels when Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. temporarily withheld its content from Dish Network Corp. subscribers during contract talks. The signal was restored [within a day] after the FCC intervened. Time Warner Cable Inc. went a month in 2013 without CBS programming during a fee dispute, and lost customers in the process.”