GM Out at THV

This from the tip jar: General Manager Larry Audas out at KTHV. Announcement tomorrow.

Beauty Queen Hired for THV Mornings....

As promised a new morning personality has been chosen for THV This Morning. KTHV has hired Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady to take the spot left vacant by Alyson Courtney. "Anyone who has met Alyse knows she is as charming as she is intelligent, as delightful as she is committed," said KTHV President & General Manager Larry Audas. "She is altogether engaging and now dedicated to THV morning viewers."

Pic from KTHV

KLRT'er Moving On....

This from a tipster: I saw on the 9 PM channel 16 newscast that Morgan Adsit is leaving KLRT to take a position at the Fox affiliate in Baltimore.

Who Will It Be.......

A tipster says KTHV is having a staff meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2pm to announce who is taking over the female role on "THV This Morning." Inquiring minds wanna know.......

KTHV to Host "Garden Parties"

Arkansas Business.com reports KTHV will start airing "THV Garden Parties" during the noon news program one Wednesday a month. Channel 11 General Manager Larry Audas tells AB.com, "We will end the news; the news will be over,we'll have commercial break; we'll come back and run this sponsored segment."The 5 minute spot will be hosted by THV Sales Manager Mike Jenkins and will focus on home safety. The program will be sponsored by Little Rock Company Electric Solutions.

Shreveport Station Adds New Met to Roster

This from the tip box: KTBS has hired a new weekend meteorologist. With this new addition, KTBS has become the first in the market with four licensed meteorologists.

THV Management Issues Statement Concerning Alyson Courtney

Facing continuing inquiries on KTHV's Facebook page, Channel 11 management has issued a statement about the leaving of Alyson Courtney:

About Alyson Courtney; She is our friend and former co-worker, but Alyson's choice to go to work for KATV was her decision. We honor her privacy which means we will not discuss her employment. This is THV Policy for all employees, particuarly those under contract, which respects her new job and the valuable years at THV. We can only say we wish her the very best. -David Craft, Vice-President, KTHV

Fort Smith Station Announces New Morning Met

Source: KHBS/KHOG Press Release Matt Devitt joins 40/29 News as morning meteorologist. Devitt will deliver local weather forecasts every weekday from 5:00 - 7:00am on 40/29 News Sunrise, during ABC’s Good Morning America, and on-line at 4029tv.com.

Devitt served as morning news meteorologist for KTEN-TV in Denison , Texas . Recently, Devitt covered a rare storm that brought several inches of snow to Denison , and in March, Devitt was part of the forecast team who protected viewers when two tornadoes touched down in the Denison area..

“Matt’s easy to understand weather forecasts are perfect for the morning viewer on the go and I’m confident he’ll be a great addition to our news team,” said 40/29 TV’s News Director, Dawn R. Dugle. “Coming from another market known for their severe weather has prepared Matt for a smooth transition to Arkansas ’ severe weather outbreaks,” added Brian Sather, KHBS/KHOG-TV President and General Manager. “Plus, he’s joining a solid team including Drew Michaels and Ross Ellet, giving our viewers a true team approach to weather coverage.”

Who is Arkansas' Sports Leader?......

Was KATV the only station to carry the press conference announcing University of Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey had been fired? I didn't have my tv on until about 10 minutes into the press conference. KATV looked to have carried the presser in its entirety while KARK and KTHV carried regularly scheduled programming.

KATV Undecided How to Use Courtney

No doubt the talk of the week is Alyson Courtney's move from KTHV to KATV. But due to the non-compete clause in her contract she can't appear on KATV for 6 months. So just how will Courtney be utilized at Channel 7? KATV General Manager Mark Rose tells Arkansas Business.com, "We're trying to figure that out," he said. "She is a personality that we had an opportunity to talk with and bring over to KATV. We have a great team over here, and I think she's going to be a great addition to what we have. Her talent will allow her to serve in several capacities."

And These Are The Day's of THV

Channel 11 morning viewers were thrown a big curve this morning when 2 of the weekend hosts of THV This Morning were hosting this morning. Pamm Baccam and Meredith Mitchell were doing the honors this morning. Seems Melissa and Tom were given the day off. No doubt Channel 11 has it work cut out for them as they regroup their morning news program.

THV Remodels Website

One thing can be said about the revamped KTHV website is that is loads super fast! The station debuted its revamped site today. The site does make navigating a bit easier than the previous one. I think the station will get the most response from the weather page. Visitors to the weather page basically have access to all the tools the THV mets do!

Shreveport Station Looking for New Weekend Met

This from the tip box:

KSLA is looking for a new weekend met as Barak Shapiro left last week for Nashville.

Former Little Rock Reporter Making Noise on Cable

Was flipping through the cable channels today and saw an overhyped reporter on Fox "News". Low and behold it was a former reporter for KATV and KNWA. Seems Leland Vittert is now FNC's guy on the ground in Jerusalem.

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Viewers are well.....Pissed!

I've never seen anything like the comments being posted on THV's facebook page about the leaving of Alyson Courtney. Most are mad because Alyson didn't get to say goodbye. Who should one be upset with about that? Never have I seen a TV station give an anchor/reporter a chance to say , Hey, I'm quitting here and going there" especially when where they are going is a competitor across the street. Sure Charlie got to say goodbye because he was leaving Little Rock and moving hundreds of miles away. Why the abrupt up and leaving, who knows. Sure doesn't sound good though that her husband, KTHV Sports Director Wes Moore, had to clean out her desk.

Promotions Announced in Fort Smith

KHBS/KHOG recently announced the following promotions:

> Melissa Kelly has been named Assignment Manager at 40/29 News and 4029tv.com. A veteran of the 40/29 newsroom and life-long area resident, Kelly will generate story ideas, manage daily news gathering, and oversee assignments for news crews in Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith

Kelly has been the co-anchor of 40/29 News Sunrise since October 2008. Kelly joined KHBS/KHOG-TV as an Associate Producer in 2002, and was quickly promoted to Reporter where she excelled at covering local news for 6 years.

> Kevin Fontaine, KHBS/KHOG-TV’s current Assignment Manager, was promoted to Account Executive with the station’s Sales Department, and will be based out of Fort Smith.

KHBS/KHOG Parent Company Receives Political Coverage Recognition

KHBS/KHOG Press Release Hearst Television Inc., parent company of KHBS/KHOG-TV, has earned its sixth consecutive USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism, in recognition of coverage by KHBS/KHOG-TV and the other Hearst stations of the 2010 election season.

The Cronkite Awards, named for the legendary CBS newsman, were established at the University of Southern California ’s Annenberg School for Communication following the 2000 election season to recognize excellence in television coverage of politics and political issues, quickly becoming the industry’s most recognized honor in the field. They have been issued six times – following the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 election seasons.

The Hearst station group has received the Cronkite for the Station Group category each time; its six consecutive honors surpass the total of Cronkite Awards to any other single entity in any category during the life of the awards.

Judges commended Hearst Television for its “clear, well-edited and comprehensive” reporting. They cited coverage of topics including bipartisanship, campaign expenditures and the accuracy of campaign ads. Judges said issues were clearly discussed and audience-friendly, adding that “Hearst continues to be a consistent success in this arena.”

KHBS/KHOG-TV’s coverage of the 2010 election season included the Arkansas Democratic Senatorial Debate on April 23rd, extended coverage of the Arkansas and Oklahoma primary & general elections, plus Truth Test news segments on Senatorial campaign ads.

The awards will be presented on the USC campus in Los Angeles on April 26.

Gannett Launches New Branding Campaign--Let the Synergy Begin

KTHV's parent company, Gannett, has launched a new branding campaign. Complete with a new logo and tagline the company declares its properties have evolved into a digital powerhouse. "This effort reflects the transformation of our company over the past several years and brings together our local media organizations and national business brands," said Mickey Johnson, P-I Media Group general manager and executive editor. "It truly demonstrates who we are today and the outstanding value we bring to our consumers and business customers."

Gannett owns the US Today newspaper, along with 81 community newspapers across the US, 23 TV stations and more than 100 digital properties.

Connectivity to be Main Feature on Revamped THV Home on the Web

KTHV gave viewers a sneak peak of its revamped website on its 630pm newscast. KTHV's Online Content Director Monica Rued says the new site will feature easier access to the content that you are interested in. Rued says the site will feature rotating headlines, drop down menus and video on the front page. Another feature on the front page will be the 15 community sites which features local headlines. One of the main new features will be the ability to login onto the site using ones facebook username and password. The revamped site debuts on Thursday.

Take the Poll

Will you start watching KATV's morning program once Alyson Courtney starts anchoring it? Take the poll!

KTHV Evaluating Morning Show Options

As reported here first, KTHV Morning co-host Alyson Courtney has quit the station and is moving to KATV to host Daybreak. Of course Courtney will be off the air for 6 months due to a non-compete clause in her KTHV contract. In the meantime, Channel 11 News Director Chuck Maulden tells Arkansas Business.com, "We really are going to evaluate the best course of action moving forward, and I'm not sure what we're going to do. Right now Melissa Dunbar Gates is going to expand her morning duties so the newscast won't miss a beat. We've been reviewing our morning show for quite a while, like any business. "We will figure out what to do next and move on."

Another KTHV'er to KATV

This from the tip box:

Word is Allyson Courtney has resigned and gone to KATV

More info:
Alyson Courtney has left THV to anchor Daybreak at 7. She'll have to stay off the the air for 6 months because of her non-compete.

Another HD Convert on the Way

Well it looks like KLRT, Channel 16 is on the way to HD conversion for its local newscasts. Arkansas Business.com reports the station should be ready by May.

Is This Why You Watch The News?

This was in my tip box:

Dude, seriously what's up with the leg blocking laptops on the katv morning show ! I'm no perv but I am a full blooded leg man . just sayin.

Channel 11 Revamping Home on the Web

KTHV, Channel 11 announced this morning it is very close to putting online a new version of its website. The station says the website will incorporate social media into the new design. The new revamped site is scheduled to go online Thursday, March 10th.

Another HD Convert....

KARK Channel 4 says it's in the final stages of being able to provide viewers with news in HD. The station announced Thursday the old news set has been demolished and a new one is on the way. Station officials say 4's first HD newscast could hit the air in mid-April.