KHBS/KHOG Anchor Moving On

KHBS/KHOG/40/29 Weekend anchor John Paul is leaving the station after only 3 years in Northwest Arkansas.  John's co-anchor Brad Carl posted this on Facebook:

Sinclair TV Stations Go Dark on Dish

Dish Network subscribers no longer are receiving Sinclair Broadcasting stations.  Dish and Sinclair have been in a retransmission spat for weeks now. Reports say Dish had made extension offers to Sinclair but the Sinclair was holding out to try and leverage distribution for a cable channel it does not own yet.  Sinclair wants to start a cable channel focused on college and high school sports.  The blackout effects more than 150 Sinclair owned stations, including KATV/Channel 7/Little Rock.

UPDATE: Well the blackout didn't last long.  The Associated Press reports Sinclair and Dish have come to an agreement in principle. The stations will return to the air ASAP while the agreement is finalized.  And of course the details can't be released. 

Familiar TV Doctor Passes Away

A well known doctor familiar to Arkansans years ago has passed away.  Dr James "Red" Duke passed away Tuesday at the age of 86.  The Associated Press reports Duke tended to then Texas Governor Gov. John Connally on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  

Duke was a native of  Ennis, Texas and earned his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University and a divinity degree at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, before reconsidering his career choice and earning his medical degree at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

He joined the faculty of the 2-year-old University of Texas Medical School at Houston in 1972. In the mid-1970s, he founded the Life Flight air ambulance service in Houston.  His medical reports aired for years on KATV/Channel 7/Little Rock.

Sex for Ad Dollars

KTHV/Channel 11/Little Rock is being sued by a former sales rep accusing her former boss of ordering her to have sex with a client in order to get the account.  Kelly Easby-Smith says sales director Bryon Wilkinson demonstrated what he wanted to perfom on the client in order to get the account.  Courthouse News Service has all the details on the suit that was filed last week.  Named in the suit are Wilkinson, Tegna, Arkansas Television Company and President Michael Caplan.  Read the entire article HERE.

No More THV For Jonesboro

This from the tip jar:

i am in jonesboro  ark and our cable  said as of sep 1 they are replaced KTHV 11 with CBS 42 jonesboro  suddenlink cable  channel 14 is where i found out

Dish Network/Singclair Retrans Fight Gets Nasty

There seems to be more than what meets the eye in the Dish Network/Sinclair retransmission fee spat.  Online sources report Dish Network claims Sinclair Broadcasting is refusing to negotiate unless the deal includes 32 stations that it doesn’t own. Sinclair has management agreements with those stations, which are commonplace for local stations. Dish says that is a direct violation of the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014, and asked the FCC to intervene.

Hmmmm.......Don't ya love big media companies.

Dish claims that Sinclair is insisting it be allowed to negotiate for 32 stations it does not own in markets where it had other stations. According to Dish, if an agreement is not reached, it has the potential to be the largest retrans blackout in history, covering 153 stations in 79 markets.  - See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/fcc/dish-sinclair-extend-talks/393028#sthash.LxC0pTL7.dpuf

ish filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday, claiming Sinclair was not negotiating in good faith and asked the FCC to intervene in the talks.  Dish’s retrans agreement was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.

Dish claims that Sinclair is insisting it be allowed to negotiate for 32 stations it does not own in markets where it had other stations. According to Dish, if an agreement is not reached, it has the potential to be the largest retrans blackout in history, covering 153 stations in 79 markets.
- See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/fcc/dish-sinclair-extend-talks/393028#sthash.LxC0pTL7.dpuf

ish filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday, claiming Sinclair was not negotiating in good faith and asked the FCC to intervene in the talks.  Dish’s retrans agreement was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.

Dish claims that Sinclair is insisting it be allowed to negotiate for 32 stations it does not own in markets where it had other stations. According to Dish, if an agreement is not reached, it has the potential to be the largest retrans blackout in history, covering 153 stations in 79 markets.
- See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/fcc/dish-sinclair-extend-talks/393028#sthash.LxC0pTL7.dpuf

Better Late than Never...But Really?

This from the tip box on apparent coverage of "breaking news" on KATV/Channel 7/Little Rock:

7 cuts into programing three hours later! For a fire at Shoe Carnival? Then reporter asking when the stores will reopen? Really? What's up with that Nick?

Sinclair in Re-trans Spat with Dish

Looks as though KATV/Channel 7/Little Rock might disappear from Dish Network as its parent company, Sinclair Broadcasting is in a dispute over re-transmission fees.  Sinclair has set up a website for viewers to get info and air their concerns to Dish.  

I loved the answer to this question on the website:

• Q: Is this just a dispute about money?A: Although we do not believe it is productive to negotiate its private business relationships in the public, the inability to reach agreement with Dish Network is about more than just money.

UPDATE: 08/16  An announcement on KATV's website states a short term extension has been agreed to and they are working on a long term agreement.

KTHV Morning Anchor Leaving

KTHV/Channel 11/Little Rock morning anchor Ashely Blackstone is leaving the station.  KTHV made the announcement Tuesday afternoon Blackstone has accepted an anchor/reporting position in South Carolina.  Blackstone is originally from South Caorlina and is returning to be closer to family.  Blackstone has been with Channel 11 for the last nine years.  Blackstone's last day is September 25th.

Channel 11 News Director Dave Parker had this to say about Blackstone:"We wish Ashley great success as she moves forward in her life and career."

THV11 President and General Manager Michael Caplan commented, "We certainly wish Ashley the very best with her new opportunity and thank her for all she has given to Central Arkansas and THV11".

New Weekday Anchor Named in Northwest Arkansas

KNWA/Fayetteville has named a new evening news anchor.  Nate Kuester will be joining the station as the new main weekday evening news anchor.  Kuester comes to Arkansas from Milwaukee, WI where he served as the morning anchor at the CBS affiliate. Kuester begins his new job in September.

Little Rock Sports Anchor/Reporter Headed to Arizona

This from the tip box:

Jason Snavely from Fox16 is heading to KNXV in Phoenix. 

Jason came to Little Rock in 2010.

Shreveport FOX Station Adds Morning News

This from the tip box:

As of today, KMSS-33 out of Shreveport has a 7am morning news.  

Of course the newscast is produced by Nexstar's KTAL/Channel 6/Shreveport.  KMSS is owned by Marshall Broadcasting.