Four days after announcing the hiring of meteorologist Bryan Bennett, Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA has announced it’s adding meteorologist Julie Phillips to its “Storm Team.”

“I’m very excited to be adding Julie, and more recently, Bryan Bennett to Storm Team 8.” said chief meteorologist Steve Jerve. “They are both well educated and experienced meteorologists with Florida forecasting experience.  They’ll fit well with our tradition of excellence and team work at News Channel 8.”

Phillips comes to WFLA from KTXS in Abilene, TX, where she is the morning meteorologist. She replaces Brooks Garner who left last month for KHOU in Houston. Her first day will be June 10.

Larry Conners,the KMOV anchor who said on facebook the IRS targeted him after an interview with President Obama last year, is off the air until further notice.

“He’s not suspended. We just all thought it made sense (for him) to take a few days off,” Sean McLaughlin, news director for the St. Louis CBS affiliate, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We take this very seriously, and we don’t expect this to drag on. We’re still looking into the situation and weighing our options.”

>UPDATE: Conners’ attorney told TVSpy in a statement, “As the attorney for Larry Conners, I am constrained to advise you that he is barred by corporate from making statements, posting on Facebook, or participating in interviews on the IRS issue. That is the only reason for his silence.” Read more

Jorge Torres will be joining Albuquerque NBC affiliate KOB as weekend meteorologist.

Torres is coming to KOB from El Paso ABC affiliate KVIA which announced the news its facebook page, “In case you missed it this morning Meteorologist Jorge Torres made the announcement that his last day on Good Morning El Paso will be Friday May 31st. Jorge will be taking over the as Weekend Meteorologist at KOB in Albuquerque. Lets all wish Jorge good luck as he continues his career.”

Torres has worked at KVIA since May 2009. KOB news director John Mason told TVSpy Torres starts at the station in mid-June.

[El Paso Times]

Gary England, chief meteorologist for Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV, will be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

England has worked at KWTV since October 1972. His induction into the Hall will take place November 7, 2013.

The Oklahoma Hall of Fame has inducted names like noted author Ralph Ellison, radio announcer Paul Harvey, and Cincinnati Reds’ catcher Johnny Bench. Inductees get their names along with a bust and a portrait displayed at the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. They also get granite monuments in the Heritage Plaza at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.

For viewers, hearing the two words “Retrans fees” can conjure up nights spent not being able to watch their favorite network shows or local news because their cable provider/satellite provider/network/sports network/local channel can’t agree on how much showing the program is worth.

Now, DirectTV is looking to avoid paying millions in retrans fees by adding an integrated antenna into its set top boxes to grab over-the-air signals for free. According to an article in Multichannel news, “retrans fees could top $6 billion annually by 2018, with satellite TV service providers paying an estimated $2 billion of that bill.”

In an e-mail message, DirecTV spokesman Darris Gringeri said no dates for testing are scheduled at this point and that the satellite giant has always had integrated tuners in some of its set-top boxes. He added that the company is “just exploring any options that could help get programming costs under control.”

Multichannel News has more details on DirectTV’s plan. Click here to view the article.

Authorities in Union County, NJ, have issued an arrest warrant for Caleb Lawrence McGillvary. If that name doesn’t register, it may be because TVSpy readers better know the 34-year-old McGillvary as Kai ‘the hatchet wielding hitchhiker.’

McGillvary gained national attention after an interview he gave to Fresno FOX affiliate KMPH about saving a woman’s life went viral. You can watch the interview after the jump.

The victim, Joseph Galfy of Clark, NJ, was discovered after police were asked to check on his well being. An autopsy found Galfy died of blunt force trauma. Read more

When a big blizzard hit the East Coast in February, Hartford, CT, FOX affiliate WTIC let a local production crew follow meteorologist Dan Amarante and his photographer around as they slogged through snowdrifts in the station’s hi-tech weather chaser called the “Storm Tracker.”

The Union Productions director Dustin Schultz told TVSpy the team initially set out to shoot promo footage for WTIC. After the storm, they found enough footage to make a short doc, so they did.

All-in-all it’s a bite-sized look behind the scenes during a major weather event. Plus, there’s a short montage featuring Macklemore’s catchy tune “Thrift Shop.” And what video piece can’t use a montage?

Elizabeth Tumulty has been named executive vice president of Affiliate Relations for the CBS Television Network.

She will report to CBS president of affiliate relations Diana Wilkin and will work with Wilkin on negotiating new affiliation contracts and all affiliate related initiatives.

“I’m thrilled to have someone of Elizabeth’s professional caliber joining our team,” said Wilkin. “Her business acumen and vast knowledge of the inner workings of the affiliate-network relationship make her well-suited to keep CBS and its affiliates at the forefront of an always-evolving industry.” Read more

“Hawaii News Now” has announced sports director Chris Tanaka will be switching from sports to news.

Tanaka will take over for current 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. anchor Shawn Ching. The station said Ching is leaving “Hawaii News Now” next Friday to concentrate full-time on his law career. “Hawaii News Now” is the branding for Honolulu’s CBS affiliate KGMB and NBC affiliate KHNL.

“Though Shawn Ching is difficult to replace, we are confident that Chris can fill his shoes on our top-rated broadcasts,” said KGMB-KHNL news director Mark Platte. “In the two years he has been with us, Chris has proven to be a gifted and intelligent anchor who can think on his feet.”

[Honolulu Star Advertiser]

Gray Television has announced it will add the Syncbak internet TV platform to all of its 41 TV stations.

“Gray Television was one of the very first broadcasters to launch mobile DTV service,” said Bob Prather, Gray’s president and COO.  “Over the past few months, Syncbak has proven that they can provide another critical route to reach our local viewers.  We are therefore excited to be able to improve our local products by adding all of our stations to the Syncbak platform.”

The Syncbak platform allows stations to stream their signals over the internet to mobile and connected devices. Syncbak uses a “location-based authentication technology” to keep station signals within its market reach.

Syncbak is being tested by all the major networks in over 150 TV stations in 98 markets. Gray Television has stations in 30 markets including Wichita, KS, Winchester, VA, Rockford, IL, and Knoxville, KY. 21 of Gray’s stations are CBS affiliates, 11 are affiliated with NBC, eight are with ABC and five are FOX affiliates.

[TVNewsCheck]