KAIT Picks up AP Honors

Source: KAIT.com Tonight the Associated Press honored KAIT with a number of awards for journalistic excellence.

Bob Snell won first place in the non-spot news category for his story about the day the 875th left for it's mission in Iraq. Bob also won a first and second place in the photography category and he won a first place for feature for one of his "Offbeat" stories about a three legged rooster.

For documentary, Diana Davis and Laura Gunter picked up first for their story about POW's in Jonesboro during WWII. Lauren Payne and Bob Snell took second for a piece about anorexia.

Craig Rickert won second place for his enterprise story about Jonesboro swat training. Ryan Vaughan won second in the best weathercast category.

The K8 sports team cleaned up. Glenn Marini and Mitch Lilly picked up a first place for best sportscast and another first for sports special programming for their Football Friday Night Special. And for sports reporting Glenn claimed first place for his story about a handicapped athlete and Bob Snell's "Senior Softball" story won second place.

KARK to Try-out Limited Advertiment Newscasts

Arkansas Business.com reports KARK will begin testing the waters of limited ads in newscasts. According to the article, the station will begin during May limiting the amount of commercial time to two one minute breaks.

KATV Airs Infomercial in PrimeTime

I actually saw this too, but an e-mailer reminded me. On Tuesday KATV ran an infomercial instead of regular ABC programming. The e-mailer states the infomercial started at 7:30pm...but I was thinking it came on at 7pm. I could be wrong as I was flipping through trying to find some severe weather coverage.

Prepping for May Sweeps

Looks as KATV is prepping for the May Sweeps that's just around the corner. KATV debuted Monday new weather graphics and also they begun their Daybreak "Roadtrip'. The weather graphics look better and are more eye catching....especially the HUGE numbers shown on the forecasts for the next couple of days.

Anybody else notice any items of interest that the stations in LR are doing to prep for the May sweeps?

KSLA Anchor Crowned Mrs Louisiana

Newsblues reports today, KSLA morning anchor Najahe Hall was crowned Mrs Louisiana this past weekend. Now it's on to the Mrs America Pageant.

Eells and Former Paper Sports Editor To Be Inducted Into Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame

Source: Associated Press Former Arkansas Gazette sports editor Orville Henry and former broadcaster Paul Eells will be the first two members of the newly formed Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.

The pair will be inducted posthumously at a ceremony in August. Their selection was announced last night after media outlets and members of the Arkansas Sports Club cast their ballots.

Henry covered sports for the Gazette, the Arkansas Gazette and what is now Stephens Media Group.

Eells, who died in a car wreck last summer, was the long-time voice of the Razorbacks.

Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners

Source: WebWire Clear Channel Communications, Inc. (NYSE:CCU) announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Television Group to Providence Equity Partners Inc. for approximately $1.2 billion. The sale includes 56 television stations (including 18 digital multicast stations) located in 24 markets across the United States. Also included in the sale are the stations’ associated Web sites, the Television Operations Center, and Inergize Digital Media, which manages the Television Group’s online and wireless initiatives. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2007, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Commenting on the transaction, Mark Mays, Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel said, “The stations and management of Clear Channel Television have established an outstanding record of achievement, innovation and community service in broadcasting and web development. While we will miss the important role they have played in the Clear Channel family, we are excited that they will be partnered with Providence Equity to continue to pursue growth opportunities in the rapidly changing media environment.”


“This is a rare opportunity to acquire a premier collection of broadcast television stations with strong positions in many attractive markets across the United States,” said Al Dobron, a Managing Director of Providence Equity. “We are pleased to again partner with Sandy DiPasquale to create value at these local broadcasting stations and identify additional potential high-quality television opportunities.”

The Television Group currently consists of ten CW, eight FOX, seven NBC, six ABC, six CBS, four My Network TV, two NBC Weather Plus, two Telemundo, five independent stations, and six stations affiliated with Clear Channel’s Variety Television Network (VTV).

KNWA's Website Receives Facelift

KNWA's website has now been redone and looks like much of the other Nexstar owned station's websites.

Been working MANY extra hours the past week. Blogging will be gettin back to normal soon...

Nutt Speaks About Allegations

U of A football coach Houston Nutt sent an open letter to KTHV about the allegations that have been circulating the past several weeks. Here's how it starts off:

Recently, unfounded gossip and allegations regarding my private life have occurred on Internet message boards and have been reported by various media outlets. I would like to address those matters directly with the Razorback family.

The speculation and rumors that I have had an inappropriate relationship with Donna Bragg are unfounded and false. Let me be unequivocally clear that the relationship between Ms. Bragg and me is that of a friend and colleague in the community. Any allegation or suggestion that our professional and personal friendship or involvement goes beyond that is false, careless, and purposefully vindictive. MORE

KHBS-KHOG Moving Fayetteville Offices to Rogers

Arkansas Business.com is reporting KHBS-KHOG is moving its Fayetteville offices to Rogers. The move is anticipated before the end of June. General manager Jim Prestwood says the station will eventually have a Fayetteville bureau staffed with a couple of news and sports reporters.

KATV Sports Reporter Canned

Several reliable tipsters have e-mailed in and have said that KATV Hog Central reporter Rusty Jackson has been fired! On KATV's website, the opening for a sports reporter has been posted.

Former KATV'er's Work to be Seen in the Little Rock Market

David Hershey, former Creative Services Director for KATV (1993-1998) isheading west. He is the new Vice-President of Edge Creative in Burbank,CA. Edge provides on-air promos and creative for the broadcast networksas well as many cable channels. Most recently, they completed the Oscarpromo spots for ABC in March. David will now add to their creativefirepower for all they do. The ABC and NBC networks are big clients ofEdge, so look for some of David's promos again on KATV and also KARK!

David started at KAIT in Jonesboro as an ASU freshman in 1987. Heeventually became the station's Promotion Manager in 1991. In 1993, hewas named Creative Services Director for KATV in Little Rock. In 1998,Allbritton asked him to make the move to their DCproperties...WJLA/Newschannel 8. After 5 years there, he accepted theposition of Creative Services Director for the CBS TV duopoly inDallas-Fort Worth, KTVT and KTXA.

Source: Press Release

Former KATV'er on The Move

Source: CNW Energy-TV, Canada's weekly half hour news magazine program that focuses on the companies, the people and the issues in the oil and gas industry, is pleased to announce the addition of a well-known broadcaster - Krista Platzer. She brings over 15 years of experience inbroadcast journalism throughout Western Canada and the United States to the rapidly expanding Energy-TV team.

Platzer will join Energy-TV as a leading broadcast journalist bringing her expertise to this successful oil and gas news program that is currently onCanwest CH in Calgary (Channel 50), in Edmonton (Channel 54) and in Red Deer(Channel 6 or 11) Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. and Sundays 4:30 p.m. to5 p.m.

MDA Partners with KTAL for Labor Day Telethon

Source: Shreveport Times KTAL has joined with MDA and the national “Telethon Love Network” and will air the local segments of Jerry Lewis’s Labor Day Telethon.

In addition to broadcasting the local segments of the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, KTAL News Channel 6 will be partnering with MDA on a number of other events including Stride & Ride and the Telethon Executive Lock-Up.

The 2007 Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon will air beginning Sept. 2 and will conclude on Labor Day, Sept. 3. The Ark-La-Tex local broadcast will be seen on KTAL.

NWA "The No Drama Zone

In watching the 6pm sports segment on KATV I just had to laugh when they dubbed the U of A the "No drama Zone". I think just about everyone now is aware of the stories going around about Houston Nutt and a news reporter from Northwest Arkansas. I wasn't even gonna blog about it BUT found it really wild that the stations would not even mention something that they know Arkansan's are aware of. AND where's a press conference OR statement from Nutt or the U of A?

NOTE: Geez, I meant for the post to read 'Baum Stadium is the No Drama Zone'. Long hours at work are killing me!

KLRT First with News Head B-Ball Hog Quits

Been on the road for the last couple of days. A tipster has provided me with the times the LR stations broke the news that Arkansas' new basketball coach has quit:

"FOX16 News broke the story at 5:30P.

Channel 4 broke in NBC Nightly News at 5:52P with the story.

Channel's 7 and 11 did not break into national news to report the story.

On the web, 7, 11, 16 did not have the story on the web as of 5:57 and Channel 4's Arkansasmatters.com was down."

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

I've been meaning to post about this since Tuesday but my computer has been acting up. Anyway, KSLA-Channel 12 did a GREAT job covering the severe weather this past tuesday. It pre-empted much of its mid afternoon line-up to bring viewers wall-to-wall severe weather coverage. 12 had news reporters/anchors on duty helping out along with Chief Met Patrick Dennis and Ron Young. Noticed KTBS and KTAL finally joined the game.