LR Weather Guesser Gets Panties in a Wad Over ABC's Severe Weather Story
A report on World News with Diane Sawyer last week apparently chapped KATV weather guesser Todd Yakoubian's hide. According to an article on AB.com, Yakoubian called out ABC News on the statements, “Something terrifying took the South by surprise last night,” Sawyer said on air. “No warning. Twenty-five tornadoes striking in less than 24 hours, roaring through four states in the darkness. … And we know that tornadoes peak in May or June, so no one could believe this is happening now in winter.” The article says Yakoubian sent an email to ABC News but got no response.
Former KTBS Employee in Promo for KTAL.....
This was in the tipbox:
While watching KTAL, I noticed a promo with Sherri Talley (former KTBS employee) saying she "is watching the Super Bowl on NBC 6". Is she now an employee at KTAL or is she just a familiar face making extra cash?
New Head of Sales Named in NWA
Source: KHBS/KHOG Chad Happersett has been named General Sales Manager of KHBS/KHOG-TV and The Arkansas CW, the Hearst Television Inc. ABC and CW affiliates serving the Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Arkansas television market.
“Chad has a wealth of experience leading network affiliated sales teams in competitive television markets,” said President and General Manager, Brian Sather. “He displays the right mix of leadership, sales team development and client engagement which should serve our stations and clients well for years to come.”
Happersett, a leader who’s known for building effective sales teams and close engagement with clients, most recently served as the Director of Sales for GOCOM Media’s CW/FOX duopoly in the Champaign/Springfield/Decatur, Illinois DMA. His responsibilities included oversight for the revenue of two full-power network affiliates and their associated digital assets along with multicast channels, This TV and MeTV. Notably, Happersett has been particularly successful serving the local business community resulting in dramatic revenue results.
Prior to his promotion to Director of Sales, Happersett was the Station Manager for WCCU-TV, the GOCOM Media Fox Affiliate in Champaign. Happersett had personnel and financial responsibility for the station resulting in share and revenue growth while holding this key management position. Happersett’s background also includes a 2 year stint as the Local Sales Manager for Sinclair’s Fox affiliate in Madison, WI as well as sales and sales management with WKOW-TV, the Quincy ABC affiliate in Madison. Before broadcasting, Happersett spent time in the technical services field where he was responsible for leading sales and customer service teams throughout the Midwest.
Happersett, his wife, Kimberley, and their four children look forward to the abundance of outdoor activities in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Happersett will begin leading the 40/29 and The Arkansas CW sales teams beginning January 25th.
LR Station Froze in Time
Many of KATV's viewers are posting on the station's facebook page its signal is frozen. No explanation from Channel 7 what's wrong...just an explanation it is working on the issue!
UPDATE: KATV is now viewable on Comcast cable in Central Arkansas and AT and T. No word on what the problem is but Channel 7 says they are working on it!
4:50pm UPDATE: KATV's over the air signal has been restored. Still no word on what the problem was. Must've been major to keep the station off the air for an usual amount of time!
No Charges to be Filed in Incident Involving Former LR Weather Guesser
It is official, there will be NO charges filed in the case where a young man was dead in the presence of former KARK met Bret Cummins. The incident happened Labor Day weekend which ended in the resignation of the Cummins.
Fort Smith Stations Gets News SM....
Press Release Gary Mutchler joins KHBS/KHOG-TV (Channels 40 and 29) serving the Fort Smith/Fayetteville, Arkansas DMA as Local Sales Manager in January. He will oversee local sales for the ABC affiliate including oversight for teams in both Fort Smith and Rogers, AR.
Mutchler most recently served as the General Sales Manager for the SagamoreHill group of stations in the Cheyenne, Wyoming/Scottsbluff, Nebraska DMA. As the station’s GSM, Mutchler was responsible for revenue development for four TV stations serving Cheyenne, Scottsbluff and Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition, Mutchler was a key member of the team that redeveloped and launched two new websites – kgwn.tv and noco5.com resulting in record interactive revenue results.
Mutchler’s background also includes being a Local Sales Manager in Lake Charles, LA, plus sales positions for both the Belo Corporation and Fisher Communications in multiple markets across both the Southwest and Northwest parts of the country.
“Gary understands the significant role local TV broadcasters play in driving advertising results for their clients,” said President and General Manager, Brian Sather. “With his diverse sales and sales management background and his track record of success at all levels of his career, Gary is ideally suited to lead our local teams and meet the needs of our local advertisers,” Sather added.
Lr Station Home on Web Gets Rehashed...
KARK has rehashed its home on the World Wide Web. The first thing I saw was the very noticeable advertisements at the top. The other is there are no links to the top stories..or any real news on the home page. All you get are the headlines flashing by you at the speed of light. I guess its different than before.
Former KTBS Reporter/Anchor on the Way Back...
Well it is official....former KTBS anchor/reporter Jody Lowery is coming back to Shreveport. Lowery has made it official, announcing it on her facebook page. For the past 3 years she has been an anchor/reporter at Bay 9 News in Florida.
