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TV

Pat Kiernan Reads Huffington Post Headlines

Just in case you needed another reason to love Pat Kiernan, here he is reading Huffington Post headlines on HuffPost Live.

Kiernan is a pro, so nothing — even reading about Emma Watson’s sports bra — derails him from a smooth delivery. You’re our boy Pat!

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THR Prints Early Copies For NYC Upfronts

The Hollywood Reporter printed early copies of its magazine for New York’s upfronts this week.

The magazine will be available for the NBC and Fox upfronts on Monday, and a similar ABC event tomorrow.

Here’s an email from THR.com editor, Chris Krewson:

We’ll have 1,000 copies of the book at the upfronts for both NBC (Radio City Music Hall) and Fox (Beacon Theater) today, and 1,000 copies at ABC’s presentation tomorrow at Lincoln Center. Additional copies at these hotels: Mandarin, Four Seasons, The London, NoMad, The Mark Hotel, and the St. Regis.
You can also find the issue at Michael’s, the Peninsula, Gansevoort Park and Dream Downtown.
We worked to close the issue Friday (our usual close is Monday, so we pushed out two issues last week). The cover is Damon Lindelof and the Rise of the Power Writer — there’s a cool writer’s reunion package where we gathered the scribes from the X-Files (including Vince Gilligan / Breaking Bad), Buffy (Joss Whedon and co.), the Shield and Murphy Brown.

NBC News To Name First Female President

According to The New York Times, Deborah Turness is about to be named president of NBC News. Citing “people with knowledge of the situation,” the Times claims Turness’ appointment will likely be announced by Monday. Turness has been the editor of the UK’s ITV News since 2004.

If Turness gets the nod she’ll be making history by becoming the first female president of an American network news division. Pretty crazy, right? In NBC News’ 73 years of existence, all of its presidents have been men. Steve Capus, who stepped down in February, was the most recent one.

Turness’ colleagues have described her as “ferociously energetic and savvy,” which means after about six months at NBC News, there’ll be a hit piece filled with anonymous sources, complaining about her handling of the job.

[Image: The Guardian]

John Houseman Out at WPIX After 31 Years

John Houseman, the veteran director at WPIX/Channel 11, is leaving. Tuned In reports that Houseman’s departure, according to a WPIX spokesperson, was “amicable.”

Houseman had been with WPIX for 31 years. He took over as news director following the departure of Bill Carey last year.

For more on this story, head over to Tuned In.

Rob Morrison Seems Frustrated

This is merely a guess, but we think Rob Morrison — the former CBS anchor who resigned following his arrest for allegedly choking his wife — is a bit frustrated. We’re picking up on this vibe thanks to his comments to the Darien Times, his local newspaper.

Morrison called the paper because he was upset about a story it published on his situation. Below is what Morrison said to the Darien Times, followed by a brief — not so frustrated — deciphering.

“Your sources suck in the Stamford Court, and the Darien Times — I know this is big time for ya, okay, but your sources suck, brother.” 

Less Frustrated Version:  “I regret to inform you that your sources lack validity, adult whom I have no relation to.”

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ABC News’ Investigative Team Hires Two, Adds Two More From In-House

ABC News hired James Gordon Meek and Josh Margolin to its investigative team, and added its radio reporter Aaron Katersky and Lee Ferran from its web division to the muckraking arm.

Meek, a New York Daily News veteran, will join the Washington bureau next month as an investigative producer. Most recently, he served as senior counterterrorism advisor and investigator for the House Committee on Homeland Security — tackling such threats as the aftermath of the Boston bombing.

And from The New York Post comes Margolin, a new senior investigative reporter, whose cover story in the News Corp. tabloid last month revealed political operatives attempting to rig the New York City mayoral election.

Meanwhile, Katersky, an ABC News Radio correspondent, will now take on investigative duties. And Ferran, an investigative reporter on the digital team, will become the editor of “The Blotter” blog on ABCNews.com

Read ABC News President Ben Sherwood‘s full memo to the staff below:

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Meredith Vieira is Not Interested in Today Show Gossip, Defends Matt Lauer

You can go ahead and count Meredith Vieira among those who won’t be buying Top of The Morning, by Brian Stelter. Vieira told The New York Post that she wasn’t interested in reading the book, which highlights all the high school level drama at the Today show and more.

Vieira explained that the subject of the book hit a little too close to home:

I’m over it… I’ve kind of been-there-done-that, and I don’t know what the interest is. I don’t want to get on a high horse, because I understand why people write it. I’m not trying to say he’s [Stelter] wrong to do it, but I look at it and it’s so personal to me. It’s my friends.

And speaking of friends, Vieira is a Matt Lauer fan. “I think what is happening to Matt is really wrong,” she said. Almost as wrong as forcing a coworker out of a job simply because you don’t get along! Almost.

Kathie Lee Gifford Wanted to Publish an Ad Defending Matt Lauer

The extensive bashing of Matt Lauer has left him with few fans, but Kathie Lee Gifford — in her own goofy way — wanted to make sure everyone knew he still had friends at the Today show. The New York Daily News reports that her plan was to buy a full page ad in USA Today, featuring signatures from “hundreds” of Today staffers.

The idea of a pity party didn’t sit well with Lauer, so he asked her not to do it. Instead, she told the Daily News all about it, and now everyone knows about the ad anyway. Well done.

Here’s the ad’s cheesy copy:

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Columbia Prof: To Survive, Broadcast TV Must Disrupt Its Own Business Model

First went the publishing industry. Now, it’s broadcast television watching its profits sink as the internet and the rise of cable TV eat away at its business model.

So, what’s a CBS or NBC or ABC to do? Disrupt its own model, argues Columbia Business School professor Rita Gunther McGrath.

In a post on the Harvard Business Review, she writes:

The basic problem is that the constraints which broadcasters have historically used to protect their profits have now been relaxed — or have even disappeared. Indeed, the New York Times recently noted that the profit model for broadcasters is under assault, citing “cracks in the citadel of TV profits.” The issue is that when you sell things in bundles you can charge for a whole bunch of things nobody really wants — customers will pay for the entire bundle in order to get the one or two things they actually want. This worked for years in cable television — give customers hundreds of channels they won’t watch but will pay for anyway in order to obtain ESPN or HBO.

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PBS’s Thirteen Celebrates Its 50th Birthday Like Any Good New Yorker — With A Custom Designer Bag

Thirteen, the flagship PBS station based in New York, is keeping its 50th birthday party going.

Like any good New Yorker, why keep the half-century mark to that one Sept. 16, 2012. date? Keep it going! With a custom, designer bag from Eileen Fisher! So chic.

“Attracted to the high-quality, sophisticated minimalism and simple shapes of Fisher’s timeless designs, Thirteen approached her to design the bag for donors, who support the station during the 50th anniversary fund raising campaign,” the station announced on Thursday.

Said Fisher in a statement: “I’m delighted to celebrate Thirteen’s amazing achievements in public television. It was an honor to be asked to design the tote. Here’s to the next 50 years of inspiring the world with unique, engaging and innovative programming.”

Image: [Thirteen.org]

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