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Pressly Passes Away

Source: KATV.com Little Rock - KATV Daybreak anchorwoman Anne Pressly, has died at the age of 26, as a result of injuries sustained earlier this week.

The staff of Channel 7 cannot express our grief at the loss of Anne, our dear friend and co-worker.

We thank everyone for their concerns and prayers for Anne and her family over the past week. Please continue to keep her family in your prayers.

The Pressly family released the following statement Saturday evening:

"We are profoundly saddened to tell you that our dear Anne has lost her struggle for life. It was our hope, as was yours, that Anne would overcome the injuries inflicted upon her in the brutal attack at her home. We were with her in her last moments, and although our hearts are broken, we are at the same time comforted by our faith knowing that Anne is now with our Heavenly Father.

The outpouring of compassion we have received is truly a testament to the way in which Anne has touched so many people in a positive way. Thank you for your prayers and your many acts of kindness. We are grateful for the wonderful care Anne received from her doctors, nurses and others at St. Vincent.

Our lives will not be the same without her. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we struggle to move forward without our dear sweet daughter. We also ask that you give us the privacy we need at this very difficult time."


Guy and Patti Cannady
The parents of Anne Pressly

Former Shreveport Anchor Finds Home in Buffalo

From TV Spy: Joe Arena joins WIVB in Buffalo as a reporter. Prior to making the move to Western New York, Joe was the weekend anchor at KTAL in Shreveport, where he also served as a weekday reporter and fill-in sports anchor.

KATV Anchor Attacked at Home

Source: KATV.com A morning anchor for a Little Rock television station was found in her home early Monday suffering from life-threatening wounds.

Little Rock police say KATV anchor Anne Pressly, 26, was found by her mother at about 4:30 a.m. lying in her bed and bleeding from "severe wounds," Little Rock police spokesman Cassandra Davis said.

Davis said there were no suspects as of mid-morning Monday but that the attack may have come during a robbery, because Pressly's purse was missing. Davis said investigators are talking to friends of Pressly's to find out if she had been threatened.

The last known contact with Pressly was between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Davis said Pressly's mother gives her daughter a wake-up call and went to the house Monday when Pressly didn't answer.

Old News But Worth Mentioning....

THV had dropped Positively Arkansas from its lineup. That was effective a month ago. More news content has taken its place.

Former KARK Anchor Back on Air After 20 Years

A tipster tells Arkansas TV News former KARK anchor Carolyn Long is back on the Little Rock airwaves after 20 years, she's been anchoring THV This Morning with BJ and Tom all week.

Change's on the Way to 40/29's Morning Show?

This from a tipster: Viewers may soon notice big changes in 40/29's morning show. Word around Northwest Arkansas is morning anchor Jennifer Haile has been demoted to morning show reporter. The change in job title will even effect her paycheck, and not in a good way. Melissa Kelly and Derek Burleson will soon be named as morning anchors for the show. They'll join morning meteorologist Patrick Crawford in giving away sunrise mugs to viewers.

Emmy Award Winners are Announced

Mid-America Regional EMMY awards have been announced.

KLRT won Best Newscast (Evening, 50+) and Best Newscast (Weekend, 50+). All four Little Rock stations were competing in the Evening Newscast category.

KAIT won Best Newscast (Evening, 101+).

KTHV's Charles Crowson and Neil Sommerlatte won Best Religion piece.

Dale Carpenter and Chris Irwin (University of Arkansas) won Best Cultural Documentary and Best Editor of a Program Feature.

AND KTHV's BJ Sams and KATV's Dale Nicholson are 2008 Gold and Silver Circle Inductees.

Nexstart Big Dawgs at KTAL...Why???

This from a tipster: There is big trouble at KTAL. The CEO and all the coorperate officers of Nexstar Broadcsting are in Shreveport for three days. The CEO has never been there for three days.

KTAL is having a huge turnover both in front of and behind the camera.

Sales are way down and many long time advertisers have stopped advertising with them. These same advertisers are still advertising with the other local stations, just not with KTAL.

KARK's Parent Buys LR Equity Station

Source: TV Newsday Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced today that it is buying MNT affiliate KWBF Little Rock, Ark. (DMA 56), for $4 million from Equity Broadcasting Corp.

The proposed acquisition will give Nexstar a duopoly in the market; it also owns KARK, the NBC affiliate.

Upon completion of the acquisition Nexstar will own, operate, program or provide services to more than one station in 19 of the 29 markets in which it operates. KWBF will be the 51st television station that Nexstar owns or for which it provides sales, programming and other services.

The seller, Equity, has been selling stations and its interest in diginet Retro Television Network this year to resolve financial troubles.

Commenting on the agreement, Nexstar Broadcasting Group President-CEO Perry A. Sook said, "This transaction reflects Nexstar's long-term strategy of identifying accretive acquisitions and prudently expanding our portfolio by operating multiple stations in concentrated geographic areas. Under Nexstar's ownership, KWBF-TV will realize additional retransmission revenues and we'll achieve operating and financial synergies between KARK-TV and KWBF-TV. Post-closing, our immediate strategies will focus on leveraging our existing local sales teams, award-winning local news and e-Media operations across both stations. On a pro-forma basis the purchase price represents a multiple of less than six times the last twelve months' cash flow. As such, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to the company which will allow for further balance sheet de-leveraging."

Nexstar intends to finance the acquisition through cash on hand. Pro-forma for the transaction, Nexstar said it is on track to end 2008 with a total leverage ratio of approximately 6 times compared to its permitted leverage covenant of 6.5 times at Dec. 31, 2007.

The transaction, which is subject to FCC approval, is expected to close in the first half of 2009.

KTAL News Director Gone

This from a tipster Tuesday: Paul Bergen announced his resignation from KTAL at the 630pm meeting today - citing his head was not in the game and he wants to be with his family.

Most of the crew were surprised, but not totally taken off-guard after recent rumours began circling about it.

Of course, this leaves KTAL still in a flux - after not completely getting everything together after the previous news director was fired.