WLNY - FishbowlNY

Double Pregnancy for WLNY Couch Hosts

Jerry Barmash — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:12:36 +0000

If there was ever perfect timing for a pregnancy, this may it! WLNY’s The Couch hosts Carolina Bermudez and Lisa Kerney announced this morning they are both pregnant.

Kerney also does sports reports for sister station WCBS/Channel 2.

It will be Bermudez’s first child, while Kerney has an 18-month-old.

The Couch‘s third member John Elliott hosted a video montage asking for advice from WCBS working moms, including Mary Calvi and Cindy Hsu.

The segment concluded with an emotional moment as sisters of the expectant mothers phoned in.

The good news could not have come at a more opportune time for the station. Last month, morning anchor Rob Morrison was forced to resign after allegedly assaulting his wife, CBS MoneyWatch anchor Ashley Morrison.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Will the Real WCBS Morning Anchor ‘Front-Runner’ Please Stand Up?

Jerry Barmash — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:01:19 +0000

There is a void in local news, but that is quickly and effortlessly being filled by Chris Wragge. In the wake of Rob Morrison‘s abrupt departure following the wife-beating allegations, Wragge shifted from evenings to mornings. The ugliness didn’t just rock the Morrisons, his former ”family” was hit hard too.

We recall the 1994 Robert Redford film, Quiz Show, about the 1950s quiz show scandal. Congress was set to hold subcommittee hearings with former 21 contestant Herb Stempel as the star witness. But the more famous (on and off the show) Charles Van Doren, played by Ralph Fiennes, was not going to participate. Therefore, the young government lawyer (Rob Morrow) cautions Van Doren not to say anything.

A short time later as the committee convenes in DC, NBC president Robert Kintner (Allan Rich) speaks to Van Doren, who since took a self-imposed dive and was hired by the network’s Today show.

Kintner encourages Van Doren to hold a press conference. But the former game show contestant was reluctant because he hadn’t received a subpoena.

Kintner’s line echoed since Morrison’s alleged incident like someone reading a letter to themselves on a soap opera.

“Television is a public trust.”

It’s a main reason for Morrison’s resignation, although indications are high that WCBS management had an influence on his decision. It’s also the reason that following the scandal in the 1950s or today, viewers always want someone they can feel comfortable with. Wragge is that familiar, calming presence.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

And the Votes Are In for WCBS New Morning Anchor…

Jerry Barmash — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:33:24 +0000

We asked you to take part in our poll to decide who should be named WCBS/Channel 2 new morning co-anchor.

This was becoming a landslide win for Chris Wragge. Readers were in agreement with this reporter’s assessment that the evening anchor should set his alarm clock for pre-dawn. At the time of this writing, Wragge secured 28 percent of the vote. However, that’s down from more than 40 percent.

Related: FishbowlNY, Lining Up the Possible WCBS Morning Candidates

Former WPIX anchor Jim Watkins has caught fire as a write-in, putting him second on viewers’ wish list. Watkins, now at RNN’s FiOS1, previously worked for PIX GM Betty Ellen Barlamino, who runs WCBS sister site WLNY.

Also getting some write-in support, the legendary WNBC anchor Sue Simmons, and current Channel 4 anchor David Ushery.

Alice Gainer, who made her WCBS anchoring debut yesterday, got someone’s write-in vote. Gainer did weekend anchoring at News 12 New Jersey. She joined Channel 2 as a reporter in January.

Don Dahler picked up 17 percent of the vote. Cindy Hsu settled for less than 9 percent of the vote.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Next Stop for Veteran Anchor Jim Watkins: FiOS 1

Jerry Barmash — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:04:36 +0000

When last we left Jim Watkins, he was getting some anchor shifts at News 12 Westchester. Now, he’s popped up on RNN’s FiOS1, seen on Long Island and New Jersey.

No word on when he debuted, but video clips on the station’s Web site show Watkins as of last Friday. One clip indicates a breakout for the veteran anchor, a 6 1/2-minute segment about making Oscar party themed drinks with a mixologist.

Watkins has weathered the professional storm after his bitter conclusion to 13 popular years at WPIX. He was terminated in 2011. You’ll recall the longstanding PIX anchor team of Watkins and Kaity Tong was reshuffled in 2010 when Jodi Applegate was hired.

Related: FishbowlNY, Jim Watkins Fired From WPIX

Tong is a PIX survivor, still anchoring weekends.

Watkins could be positioning himself for another run in New York, specificially at WCBS sister site WLNY, run by former WPIX GM Betty Ellen Barlamino.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WLNY Airs I Dream of Jeannie President’s Day Marathon

Jerry Barmash — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:30:54 +0000

When you think President’s Day, you think of Lincoln, Washington, and Jeannie? On Monday, WLNY is airing a marathon of the classic 60s sitcom starring Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman.

The 12-hour marathon of I Dream of Jeannie begins at 9 a.m. with Live From the Couch hosts John Elliott, Carolina Bermudez, and Lisa Kerney. The trio will discuss classic scenes and trivia from the series.

WLNY is quickly becoming a destination for classic sitcoms on holidays. Most recently, The Odd Couple New Year’s Day marathon attracted nearly 1 million viewers.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WLNY Enjoyed Best 12-12-12 Concert Rating

Jerry Barmash — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:44:57 +0000

There were several winners during the epic 12-12-12 concert at Madison Square Garden. First and foremost, through the established Robin Hood Foundation, the concert drew an estimated 36 million dollars for Sandy relief, and that’s before one note of the 5 1/2 hour concert began.

Viewers and listeners were also winners, sitting back to the sounds of Bruce, Daltrey, Billy, Mick, and Sir Paul.

But in New York, there was one other winner of Wednesday’s showcase, WLNY/TV 10 55. The independent station owned by WCBS was one of nearly 40 broadcast and cable outlets simulcasting the event.

WLNY was the most-watched channel or network covering the concert in New York.

WLNY had an average of 263,000 viewers from 7:30 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. HBO ranked second with 247,000, while WPXN was fourth with 236,000 fans and WNET had 189,000 people tuned in.

WLNY saw its peak audience with 399,000 viewers at 9:15 p.m.

Overall, the concert attracted an estimated 1.68 million viewers in the New York market.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WLNY, Clear Channel Part of Huge Sandy Relief 12/12/12 Concert

Jerry Barmash — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:07:33 +0000

In today’s world, mega events are televised via pay-per-view, usually at a steep price.

This time, however, we’re all in luck.

The concert for Sandy relief was organized in the days after the devastating superstorm. It takes place on the symmetric December 12, 2012–12/12/12–and is benefiting the Robin Hood Relief Fund.

An estimated 2 billion people worldwide will have live access to the show from Madison Square Garden. MSG Network is among the 34 outlets in the U.S. giving viewers a front-row seat.

WCBS will air the star-studded event on its sister station, WLNY–TV 10/55. WNET/Channel 13 is also scheduled to simulcast the show.

There are multiple other locations for fans, including HBO, Bloomberg, AMC, and IFC.

For those not able to watch the telecast, Clear Channel is the radio home of the 12-12-12 concert. Listeners can take their pick of any New York Clear Channel station (Z100/WHTZ, Lite FM, WLTW, Power 105.1/WWPR, Q104.3/WAXQ, and 103.5 WKTU).

The concert will also be shown live and free in select movie theaters that in the heart of Sandy.

The show starts Wednesday night at 7:30, and is expected to run at least four hours.

Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, and The Who are just a small list of headliners on the program.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

CBS Radio Submits Application to FCC Looking to Avoid Any Station Sell Off

Jerry Barmash — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:24:01 +0000

With CBS Radio acquiring Merlin Media’s WRXP for its WFAN-FM simulcast, now the question is what happens to its New York stations? Speculation almost immediately had CBS forced to sell off one of its seven radio stations (with the WRXP completed deal) and two TV channels.

But not so fast.

CBS has filed an application with the FCC. CBS first addressed the Local Ownership Rule, stating:

“…The common ownership of eight radio stations, no more than five in the same service, is permitted in the New York Metro. Therefore, CBS’s acquisition of a controlling interest in WRXP complies fully with the FCC’s local radio ownership rule.”

There is also the Radio-Television Cross-Ownership Rule, under which CBS may have found its loophole.

“…The noise-limited DTV contour of WLNY-TV, whose transmitter is located in a distant corner of the New York Metro – on Long Island, some 50+ miles from the center of New York City – does not entirely encompass New York City, the city of license for all seven radio stations. Additionally, the relevant contours for all seven radio stations do not entirely encompass Riverhead, New York, the city of license for WLNY-TV.”

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WLNY Now in HD for Most Viewers

Jerry Barmash — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:22:28 +0000

If you haven’t looked at WLNY TV 10/55 recently, you might be surprised. And this has nothing to do with content.

WLNY is now available in HD. WCBS, which purchased the independent Riverhead, New York licensed station in April, began the road to updating the antiquated equipment. In July, WLNY started broadcasting an evening newscast and a morning show, both from the CBS Broadcast Center and both in HD. At times only certain satellite providers offered WLNY in high def.

“All of the major cable, satellite and telco companies have WLNY in HD,” a WLNY spokesperson tells FishbowlNY.

This season also marks Judge Judy‘s first foray into HD production. The WLNY schedule is led by the 10 p.m., one-hour block of the courtroom show.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Report: Local Newscasts Outpace Cable Networks in New York

Jerry Barmash — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:44:30 +0000

Viewers would rather get their news from local anchors in New York than the cable news networks, a report by trade association TVB indicates.

The report says New York’s early and late evening newscasts combined to outdraw the five highest-rated cable networks by 18 percent.

The data is conclusive in highlighting the enormous audience reach and composition balance advantages local broadcast TV news provides advertisers compared [to] national cable primetime news networks,” TVB president Steve Lanzano told Broadcasting & Cable.

The report, which examined Nielsen figures of nightly programming on CNN, Fox News Channel, CNBC, MSNBC, and HLN, says those networks contribute to only three to eight percent of the total evening news audience.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Remembering Victims of 9/11, 11 Years Later

Jerry Barmash — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:12:51 +0000

We mark time as another year has elapsed since the 9/11 attacks. The 11th anniversary features the now-traditional, if not emotional, “reading of the names” of victim’s families at the World Trade Center. This is only the second time since 2001 that September 11 falls on a Tuesday.

If last year’s 10th anniversary was more solemn, today’s remembrance is more subdued. No public officials are participating. But, the TV stations are resuming coverage.

On Cable, NY1 and Verizon Fios 1 are going wall-to-wall. The other local channels provided the same feed–Channel 2/WCBS, Channel 4/WNBC, Channel 5/WNYW, Channel 7/WABC, Channel 9/WWOR, TV10 55/WLNY, and Channel 11/WPIX.

FishbowlNY is reposting links to our special 9/11 series that was published last year.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Big Brother Most Watched Prime Time Program in New York Despite Airing on WLNY

Jerry Barmash — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:52:17 +0000

The management of WLNY is heading into the holiday weekend on cloud nine. It’s the upshot of an unusual event last night. WLNY-TV 10/55 had the highest rated prime time show in New York. WLNY aired the Channel 2 prime time lineup because the Jets preseason game was broadcast on sister station WCBS.

Big Brother gave WLNY the one night of ratings glory, tops among adults 25 to 54 (2.1/5) and adults 18-49 (2.0/6).

“It’s extremely gratifying to be able to shift CBS prime time over to WLNY for one night and not skip a beat,” WCBS president and general manager, Peter Dunn, says. ”Prior to our acquisition of WLNY [in April], we would move CBS prime time programming to late night whenever we had a Jets preseason game… It’s a big win for our viewers across the tri-state area.”

Last night’s episode of Big Brother on WLNY retained 100 percent of the Thursday average on WCBS this summer among adults 25 to 54.

The Jets vs. Eagles was the second-highest rated program for the night (1.6 rating in adults 25-54). WCBS sports anchor Otis Livingston was the sideline reporter.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Most Popular FishbowlNY Stories for the Week

Jerry Barmash — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 15:00:50 +0000

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

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WCBS Prime Time Spending Saturday on WLNY

Jerry Barmash — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 09:54:48 +0000

Ok Judge Judy fans take note!

The popular courtroom show will be preempted Saturday night. Instead, WLNY (TV 10/55) is carrying sister station WCBS/Channel 2′s prime time lineup of Person of Interest, Criminal Minds, and 48 Hours Mystery.

WCBS airs the Jets/Giants preseason matchup at 7 p.m. A one-hour Entertainment Tonight is scheduled to follow the game, ahead of the 11 p.m. newscast anchored by Don Dahler.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As Richard Rose Debuts, WLNY Making Long Island Headway at Nine

Jerry Barmash — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:20:33 +0000

To say that WCBS/WLNY “got the message” might be too strong, but we are seeing some positive signs for a Long Island presence.

First, WCBS, which completed its purchase of independent WLNY (TV 10/55) in April, has finally added the only pre-acquisition holdover.

Richard Rose is reporting from the WCBS/WLNY Long Island bureau, a revamped, HD facility to WLNY’s former Melville location. Rose delivers a Long Island business segment each night on the News at 9, anchored by Chris Wragge and Dana Tyler.

FishbowlNY previously argued that WLNY, especially its new prime time newscast, needed a larger Long Island focus, given that the FCC has the license based in Riverhead. At the time, a spokesperson said Rose’s delay was because the studio was not ready. However during that time, Rose did not report from the CBS studios on West 57th where the broadcast originated, nor did he hit the road within the Island to find stories.

Now Rose and the new studio are in place. The spokesperson says Rose joined the News at 9 on July 30, one week after our “review.” His contribution is included in the second half of the newscast.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.