WPIX news director Bill Carey, who is responsible for sweeping changes to the look and staff since joining the station in November 2009, is giving up his post. A well-placed source tells FishbowlNY that Carey is leaving Channel 11 before the November sweeps period. It is believed that Carey is fielding several offers, including from a startup company. Carey had no comment to FishbowlNY about a change to his job status.

In three years on the job, Carey made his imprint. Within a year, lead anchors Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong were displaced and Jodi Applegate was hired. Carey created a brand new newsroom set for Applegate.

Carey also made morning changes. Last summer, he brought Frances Rivera from Boston to co-anchor the PIX Morning News with veteran Sukanya Krishnan. Earlier this year, commentator Lionel was given hosting duties for the two-hour early edition of the morning news.

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Lionel has strong opinions. His ability to craft a cogent thought and offer salient solutions to a problem took him from lawyer to broadcaster.

Lionel, who’s real name is Michael Lebron, is seen daily on WPIX, hosting from 4 to 6 a.m. and a commentary in the 10 p.m. newscast.

Seizing on the chance to give America more Lionel, Tribune is creating a courtroom vehicle for him in the already flooded genre.

Broadcasting and Cable reports the plans are in the “very early” stages, which a Tribune spokesperson confirmed to FishbowlNY. Lionel, 54, joined WPIX in 2010. He has been on the national scene before, helming his syndicated show on the WOR Radio Network, and originating from WOR 710.

In 2007, Lionel hosted a daily show on the ultra Liberal, Air America Radio.

There is a precedence for Lionel banging a TV gavel (if that’s part of the show). In the late 1990s, the wordsmith anchored CourtTV’s Snap Judgment.

WPIX is flexing its muscle in morning. The Nielsen overnight ratings for yesterday’s show is some great news for Channel 11. The PIX Morning News claims a huge victory in the advertiser-friendly Adults 25 to 54 demographic.

Not only did WPIX defeat its main competition in the 7 a.m. hour, WNYW with Good Day New York, the broadcast anchored by Sukanya Krishnan and Frances Rivera, eclipsed NBC’s Today show.

PIX averaged an impressive 1.5 with a share just under 10. Today with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie fell just short of WPIX’s performance with a 1.4 and a 9.2 share of the audience. Ratings for WLNY’s new morning venture, The Couch, are not tabulated at this time.

Earlier this month, Dave Price teamed with Rosanna Scotto at WNYW.  WPIX made its own pre-dawn splash, giving Lionel a large role during the 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. news block.

You have to give WPIX/Channel 11 and news director Bill Carey credit for constantly changing viewers minds for what a traditional newscast should look like.

The station, seeking a piece of the competitive morning race, is reinventing the wheel again. By making night time commentator Lionel as host of the 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., WPIX wants to lift itself out of the early hours abyss. In turn, the station would use that lead-in on the PIX Morning News with Sukanya Krishnan and Frances Rivera.

If you’ve watched PIX News at 10, then you’ve seen Lionel pontificate about a wide range of pressing matters. He’s given more than two minutes each night to weave a story with good writing, some humor and a dose of histrionics.

In the morning, right from the opening title, this is Lionel’s show. There are several shots of Lionel at Grand Central Terminal with his one name on the screen, before showing PIX Morning News. All that’s missing is the late Ed McMahon‘s…”Here’s Lionel!” Incidentally, later in the morning, there is no talent displayed in the open.

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Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Dave Price Gets Started on Good Day New York, July 2
2. Greg Kelly (left) Slides into Prime Time as Main WNYW Anchor, July 3
3. Fox 5/WNYW Rocked by Major Anchor Shakeup, June 28
4. Mike Francesa ’50-50′ on Renewing WFAN Contract in Two Years, June 29
5. Reuters Hires Caveman to Write Headlines, July 5
6. WCBS-FM Celebrating 40th with Reunion Weekend, July 3
7. With Ann Curry Pushed Aside, Savannah Guthrie Expected to Get Spot on Today Couch, June 28
8. Battle of Morning News, WLNY Debuts on The Couch, July 2
9. Sexism Struggles for WFAN’s First Voice, Suzyn Waldman: They Were ‘Terrible to Me,’ June 28
10. Lionel Poised to Take Helm of Revamped Early Morning WPIX Newscast, June 29

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After two days of reporting the anchor shake-up at WNYW, we can now tell you that a competitor is also making some alterations.

WPIX/Channel 11 is unveiling a new schedule to take effect Monday before dawn.

Lionel will host a revamped two-hour block from 4-6 a.m. FishbowlNY has obtained a memo that news director Bill Carey sent to staffers. In it, Carey points out that the broadcast will be used as a springboard to build viewership, especially with the revenue-generating 7-9 a.m. broadcast, anchored by Sukanya Krishnan and Frances Rivera. FishbowlNY has learned the Lionel-led program will be a conversational, two hours with his unique perspective.

Viewers already see Lionel’s insight in much smaller doses at 5 and 10 p.m. with Jodi Applegate. A WPIX spokesperson says Lionel will continue to provide commentary on the 10 p.m. broadcast.

This time may be the perfect to strike.

Starting Monday, Dave Price joins Rosanna Scotto as co-host on Good Day New York. Greg Kelly takes over on the nightside. Independent station and newly WCBS-owned, WLNY makes its long-awaited attempt in morning news.

With 57 nominations, MSG Network leads the pack at the New York Emmy Awards. WNBC/Channel 4 tops the over-the-air outlets with 50 nods.

A look at some of the nominations for the April 1st gala:

For Best Morning Newscast, the nominees include WNYW/Channel 5′s Good Day New York, WNBC’s Today in New York, WABC/Channel 7, and WPIX/Channel 11, which had 36 nominations overall.

For newscast of 35 minutes or less, Spanish stations WXTV/41 notched four nominations, while Channel 47/WNJU had one. The other nomination goes to WNBC, for the death of Osama bin Laden.

In the longer newscast category, WPIX and WCBS had two nods each. WABC and WNYW also are recognized.

For breaking news, WCBS is nominated for the Yonkers scaffold rescue. WCBS was chosen for coverage of the Brooklyn boy’s murder. WNBC is showcased for Hurricane Irene, while WNYW gets the nod for reporting on a tornado touching down in New York.

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If you haven’t seen the PIX News at Ten in the past two weeks, what’s staring back at you might be surprising.  

Gone are the desks and chairs.

Gone is the familiar studio set.  Yet another staple of the TV news biz–the two anchor format with Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong at the helm–has been uprooted in favor of Jodi Applegate flying solo, something she has rarely done throughout her career.

The station built the new look in the newsroom, allowing Applegate to be free of the usual TV news constraints. If nothing else, WPIX management, led by news director Bill Carey, should be recognized for trying to break with the norm. Unfortunately, there’s not much else.

More on the WPIX new appearance after the jump Read more

It appears Jodi Applegate is on a collision course with Tribune-owned WPIX.

As we previously told you, reports have said that Applegate and PIX were in talks. Now, the New York Daily News has advanced the story further.

The paper reported today that Applegate was released from her contract with Cablevision. Her final day working with Ron Corning at News 12 Long Island is expected to be October 1.

That clears the way for her arrival at Channel 11, and solo anchoring of the station’s signature newscast–10 p.m.

Reportedly, veteran anchor team Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong will remain at the station but in other, undefined (not necessarily together) roles.

The duo has been anchoring the weeknight newscast since 1998.

While WPIX had no comment, they are doing a relaunch on October 4 with a new 10 p.m. set, likely centered around Applegate at the helm.

If true, Applegate would be returning to a New York station for the first time since 2008. She had been co-anchor of Fox5/WNYW’s Good Day New York for three years.

Applegate also had no comment to FishbowlNY.

WPIX news director Bill Carey has made several staffing changes (including bringing Larry Mendte and Lionel on to offer commentaries), since being hired in November 2009.

It’s not often that we find ourselves at media events eating Chinese take out in someone’s living room. But that’s exactly what we experienced Wednesday night as Air America Media celebrated the upcoming launch of its new Web site.

Newly engaged chief digital officer Michael Bassik (right), CEO Bennett Zier and chairman Charlie Kireker welcomed guests to the sprawling apartment located just north of Soho on Broadway and introduced the site’s editor-in-chief, Beau Friedlander, who talked about the venture, which the company hopes will become the homepage for progressive Democrats.

Air America’s on-air talent were also in attendance, including Ron Reagan, Lionel, Montel Williams and Ana Marie Cox. We also chatted with The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston, blogger Maegan Carberry and Deanna Zandt. And happily, unlike one unlucky partygoer (or building resident) we avoided getting trapped in the elevator. We took the stairs.

More pictures after the jump.

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