Scotty Kay and his staff take a selfie with a donor Jack English on Dec. 18, 2014 on the bus where they were “stuffing” donated toys for Toys for Tots. (center). CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, filed Dec. 30, 2014
Both Power 96.1 morning host Scotty K and producer Bret Mega had done it in other cities: spend a week on a bus for charity, convincing listeners to give toy donations for children in need for Christmas.
So they decided to do it their first year in Atlanta with new co-host Riley Couture from Dec. 11 to Dec. 18. The bus, donated by Gateway Center for the Homeless, provided shelter for not just the toys but the three radio hosts.
The temperatures weren’t all that friendly most of the week, dipping into the 30s many nights. And on Saturday night, the heat in the bus did not work so they huddled in the guard’s office nearby until it was fixed Sunday morning. Otherwise, they collected thousands of toys and survived without frostbite.
Here are video highlights from their week in the bus:
And here are some more photos:
The Gateway Homeless Services Center donated a bus for the Power 96.1 morning team to use for the week to collect toys and sleep in . CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Scotty Kay, Riley Couture and Bret Mega brave the cold while receiving gifts for their first Toys for Tots campaign with Power 96.1. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Scotty Kay with a rocking horse gift in the bus on Dec. 11, 2014. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
A nearly stuffed bus near the end of the week. CREDIT: Power 96.1
Makeshift sleeping quarters on December 14 in the guard’s shed near the bus when the heat didn’t work in said bus. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
The bus needed a new battery midweek so the heat could be turned on. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
List of Atlanta radio stations
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CNN has found some success in its non-breaking news programming courtesy of the likes of Lisa Ling, Mike Rowe, John Walsh and Anthony Bourdain. The network began airing their shows midweek at 9 p.m. for the first time and that helped lower the primetime audience age from 60 to 58 in 2014 vs. 2013, a decade younger than Fox News.
Fox News, of course, brings in far more viewers any given day with very few exceptions, something it has done for 13 years. MSNBC, in the meantime, had its worst ratings across the board in years.
(All the news networks lost audience in the 25-54 demo in 2014 total day although in primetime, CNN was flat while Fox News gained a smidge.)
Susan Candiotti is leaving CNN after 20 years. CREDIT: CNN
CNN has also lost a couple of veteran correspondents. Washington correspondent Candy Crowley left last week after 27 years.
Susan Candiotti, who joined CNN in 1993 and has covered many of the biggest news events the past two decades, is leaving too, according to an exclusive story from The Wrap. Among the stories she was part of: Oklahoma City bombing; 9/11 terrorist attacks; Boston Marathon bombing; the crash of TWA Flight 800; the “miracle on the Hudson,” and Sandy Hook elementary shooting spree.
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Erin Coleman is back in the saddle again at Channel 2 Action News as of Monday, Dec. 28, 2014, after maternity leave. CREDIT: Channel 2 Action News
Erin Coleman, afternoon anchor for Channel 2 Action News, returned Monday from maternity leave. She had her first child in September.
Her co-anchor Craig Lucie checked in on her last month in this report.
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BEVERLY HILLS, CA – SEPTEMBER 07: Executive Producer Scooter Braun attends The Paley Center for Media’s PaleyFest 2014 Fall TV Review – CBS, at The Paley Center for Media on September 7, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Scooter Braun, the Atlantan who discovered Justin Bieber, is now developing a television drama for the CW about something he knows well: the music biz. And the lead sounds a lot of Scooter himself.
The summary from The Hollywood Reporter:
The untitled entry, which has received a script commitment, is set in the ever-evolving world of music, entertainment and social media. It chronicles the rise of Gary Graham, a brilliant young manager with the talent and ambition to shake up the industry, which is a world gone viral: where stars are minted overnight, relationships are constantly tested and careers can be made or crushed with one perfectly placed phone call. Will he manage to stay true to himself while outmaneuvering the roadblocks put in place by clients, lovers and colleagues? It’s a fine line
