KTBS, KSLA Asleep at the Wheel

Severe storms moved through the Ark-La-Tex overnight Friday/early Saturday morning (12/29-30), and one viewer made this observation: "Torando warning last night around 1:45am, and the ONLY station to break in with the warning was KTAL. Where were the other Stormtracking stations???Rustin Duke broke in with weather updates all night."

Former KNWA Anchor Leaving NWA for Gig on the East Coast

An e-mailer let ATN know, "On ArkansasTonight.com former KNWA anchor and managing editor Don Elkins announced he is leaving Northwest Arkansas to take a job on the east coast. With his leaving KFAY-AM will now be looking for a morning anchor and Arkansas Tonight, Elkin's radio show on the weekends, will no longer be on the air."

KSLA Launches "KSLA News 12 Live Online"

KSLA-News 12 has debuted a new downloadable program to serve up news and weather. KSLA.com says the program offers:

> Current weather conditions and temperature display on your computer

> Severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service

> Notification of breaking news

> Links and summaries of current local news

> Hour-by-hour forecasts for your neighborhood

>Regional and local satellite radar images

KAIT Asking for Volunteers

KAIT is going interactive. According to KAIT.com, the station will begin a weather watchers program in early 2007. Right now they are taking applications. KAIT's weather blog says 2-3 watchers will be picked from each county.

Movin' and Shakin' at KAIT

This from a tipster:

"Tiffany Blankenship will leave KAIT in 2 weeks.

Hatton Weeks (formerly of KTHV) is now Asst. ND at KAIT.

Former photjournalist at Fox 13 in Memphis, Will Carter, is now a reporter at KAIT."

November Book- Little Rock Numbers

Arkansas Business.com has the Little Rock market numbers from November: Below are highlights from the article:

> The dead heat at 10 p.m. is virtually unchanged from the November 2005 book in the broad designated market area household ratings and shares shuffle, with both stations showing an 11 rating and 24 share. KARK-TV, Channel 4, pulled a 6 rating and 12 share at 10 p.m.

> KATV, owned by Allbritton Communications Co., is making a battle out of the 6 a.m. newscast by pulling a 7 rating and 25 share, compared with KTHV’s 7 rating and 27 share. Nexstar Broadcasting Group-owned KARK pulled a 1 rating and 7 share at 5 a.m. and a 3 rating and 12 share at 6 a.m.

> But the NBC affiliate again dominates the lunch hour with an 8 rating and 27 share, while KTHV and KATV combine for slightly more than half of KARK’s stronghold at noon.
KATV continues to hold onto its 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. wins with a 13 rating and 28 share, and a 17 rating and 31 share, at those respective hours. KARK is strong at 5 p.m. with a 10 rating and 21 share. KTHV, fighting off a poor 4 p.m. lead-in, saw a 6 rating and 14 share at 5 p.m. and grew to an 8 rating and 14 share at 6 p.m., surpassing KARK for second.

> KLRT-TV, Channel 16, posted a 4 rating and 7 share at 9 p.m. Departing News Director Michael Fabac said the newscast also grew in key 18-49 and 25-54 audience demographics.

THV Family Grows

Source: Today's THV.com Good News! The THV family has grown.

THV anchor Dawn Scott gave birth to her first child Thursday night. It's a boy.

Jackson Ty Stevenson Jones was born at 10:23 p.m. Thursday. He weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Mother and son are all doing well. Oh, and so is the daddy. We can't forget him.

Fox 24 Cancelled?

This from an e-mailer: "It appears Fox24 KFTA has cancelled their 9pm newscast. As of Dec 20 at 9:20 the station was still running NBC programming."

Pearson Gone From THV

An e-mailer tells ATN, "Andy Pearson cleaned out his desk last night after the late news."

Additional: Arkansas Times blog has the THV Press Release:

"News anchor Andy Pearson is leaving Today’s THV to pursue other opportunities available to him now, according to KTHV President and General Manager Larry Audas.

“Andy has been on the front lines at THV and his efforts to make this a number one TV station are greatly appreciated,” Audas said. “As Andy concludes his contract at year’s end, there is an open door for opportunity elsewhere and he’s going to make that move. We wish him the very best.”

Pearson said it is premature to discuss his plans at this time. Audas said Pearson asked for a low key departure, saying on-air good-byes and fanfare are not his style. “I've sincerely enjoyed working with everyone at KTHV, past and present, in front of the camera and behind, who have strived to be part of a quality effort despite the distractions that are inherent in our line of work. I can't think of anyone in the building that leaves out,” said Pearson. “I wish you nothing but more success and contentment.”

Andy Pearson co-anchored THV’s evening newscasts and worked on a number of special reports over the years. He has a particular interest in aviation news, and as a pilot himself, Pearson has a passion for flight. Pearson returned to Little Rock television in 1998 after previously working for stations in Pittsburgh and Nashville.

Today’s THV News Director Mark Raines says veteran anchors Anne Jansen, Liz Massey and Dawn Scott will continue their anchor work at 5,6, and 10pm. Jansen and Massey will be especially busy in the weeks ahead. “We expect Dawn to be away from the anchor desk for a few weeks after the delivery of her first child. She promises to share some pictures and stay in touch with viewers while she is at home,” according to Raines."

KATV Parent Company To Buy KFSM

An inside source tells ATN, "Virginia based broadcasting group Allbritton Communications Company to buy KFSM-TV (Ft. Smith/Fayetteville)from New York Times. They have been visiting KATV (LR) and KFSM (NWA) for the past few weeks."

New Shreveport Mayor Picks KTBS Anchor as New Assistant

Source: The Shreveport Times The anchor's desk at KTBS is becoming quite the pipeline into the Mayor's 200 suite at Government Plaza.

Gwen Campbell, who has worked at Channel 3 for the past 26 years, has been hired to handle community and media relations for new Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover.


Campbell will apparently follow the course of her predecessor Liz Swaine, who left KTBS in 1998 to become an executive assistant for former Mayor Keith Hightower.

"We're very excited about her," said Dale Sibley, chief executive assistant to Glover. "She has a wealth of knowledge about the local media. Her experience, knowledge and credibility will serve us very well."

Campbell will start in her new role Monday, Sibley said.

Since coming to KTBS in 1980, Campbell has worked in a variety of on-air roles. Most recently, she covered education and anchored the 6 p.m. newscast for KTBS and was an anchor for the 9 p.m. newscast on UPN, Channel 21.

Campbell attended high school in England, graduated from the University of Arizona and spent the early years of her journalism career in radio news.

KNWA Anchor/Reporter Fired

This from a tipster: "Ginny Barksdale has been fired from KNWA Today and told never to re-enter the building."

Additional: This past August, Barksdale was promoted from General Assignment Reporter to Anchor of KNWA Today, replacing Dana Sargent.

KLRT ND Headin' to Texas

Gary Dinges with The Austin American-Statesman reports that KLRT News Director Michael Fabac is heading to KXAN in Austin. Below is an excerpt from the blog post:

"Michael Fabac, currently news director at KLRT, Little Rock’s Fox station, will lead the KXAN news team beginning in early January.

“I think it’s an amazing opportunity for me,” Fabac said. “I can’t wait to get there. The city obviously is a big draw.”

Fabac, 33, assembled Clear Channel-owned KLRT’s news operation from scratch, launching a nightly 9 p.m. newscast in 2004. Prior to Little Rock, he served as a news director at WNEM in Saginaw, Mich. His first paying TV gig was as a producer at KKTV in Colorado Springs, Colo., followed by stints as a producer at KTVI in St. Louis and WDIV in Detroit. He also served as executive news producer at CBS-owned WWJ and WKBD, both in the Motor City.

“I think Michael will bring a lot of positive energy to the newsroom,” KXAN General Manager Eric Lassberg said. “He comes across as a very passionate leader with a lot of integrity.”

Former KARK'er on the Move

In keeping up with another former Little Rock TV personalities, Newsblues reports former KARK meteorologist Mike Nicco is on the move to ABC O&O KGO-7. He had worked at Kin Eden Prairie Minnesota after leaving KARK.

Where's Friedman Now?

It seems former KARK'er Jason Friedman was victim of lay offs earlier this year at WDAF in Kansas City, Missouri. According to THIS article in The Kansas City Star 13 staffers were cut from the Newscorp owned FOX station. Friedman left KARK for WDAF in July of 2005.

Many in Arkansas wonder where's he at now?

KLRT.com Receives New Look

KLRT-FOX 16/Little Rock has redisgned its website. The first thing you notice when the homepage loads is KLRT's Nowcast. The site does seem a little less cluttered and more visually appealling than the previous version.

New Anchor at KATV

KATV debuted a new anchor on Live at Five Tuesday. Heather Crawford has taken the spot next to Scott Inman. Crawford comes to KATV from FOX 13 in Memphis. HERE's a link to her FOX 13 bio.

Is Crawford taking over the co-anchor duties for 5, 6 and 10?

UPDATE: At the end of Live at Five, Christina Munoz was previewing some of the stories coming up at 6. Seems Munoz will be the anchor during the 6pm and 10pm newscasts. One can only wonder why KATV brought in an anchor just for the 5pm newscast. Do ya think they wanna eventually go the route of Channel with 5 or 6 people at the anchor desk during the newscast?

Nexstar Selling TV Stations....Which Ones?

The Turner Report, a media blog in Missouri, has an article about Nexstar, the parent company of KARK, KNWA and KTAL, nearing the sale of approximately $50 million worth of television stations. The article doesn't mention any specific stations.

KSLA Reporter Leaves

A tipster tells ATN Brent Forbes has left KSLA 12 in Shreveport.

JB Hunt Passes Away

Was watching KARK News at Noon when the news of JB Hunt passing away was reported. That was about 12:20pm. Did KATV interrupt its soap opera and did KTHV interrupt Positively Arkansas ? As of 12:40pm, KARK and KTHV have a story up about Hunt passing away on their websites.

KARK.com Becomes Arkansas Matters.com

KARK.com is now Arkansas Matters.com.

The change has occurred within the last day or two as I have been trying to visit to see when the change over happened. Info on the site seems to be somewhat better arranged and organized on the new site. I hope the use of web based video is on the way for the new site.