Roy Hobbs, whose decades-long career as an anchor and reporter was derailed by drug abuse, opened up about his struggle with addiction in a recent interview with Birmingham CBS-affiliate WIAT.

After working as an anchor at WAGA in Atlanta and ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Hobbs was arrested in April 2010 for possession of crack-cocaine.  In the wake of Whitney Houston‘s death, Hobbs felt compelled to share his story with WIAT (video inside). Read more

After publicly criticizing Diane Sawyer and ABC News for inaccurate reporting on the Monday edition of “World News,” WBMA chief meteorologist James Spann was featured on the program last night in a segment about the tornado warning system.

The segment included reporting on how residents were able to get to safety before the tornadoes — with Sawyer noting “it could have been far worse” — but did not include acknowledgement or clarification of the previous night’s report, which stated that residents had “no warning” of the tornado threat.

ABC reporter Steve Osunsami said Alabama residents knew what to do “because the warnings came early” (watch above). Read more

James Spann, chief meteorologist at Birmingham ABC-affiliate WBMA, is criticizing Diane Sawyer for her report on the Alabama tornadoes on yesterday evening’s “World News.”

Spann took to his blog to criticize Sawyer’s claim the pre-dawn tornadoes “took the South by surprise last night, no warning” (watch above).

“NO WARNING? Get a clue,” Spann wrote. “This event was forecast days in advance, and the average lead times for the entire event were 20 to 30 minutes. That is plenty of time to get to a safe place.” Read more

After a five-year absence, Maggie Poteau is returning to Birmingham’s WBMA to co-anchor the morning show at the ABC affiliate.

Poteau was the morning anchor from 2004 to 2006. “We are very excited to have Maggie back on our team,” WBMA president and general manager Mike Murphy said in a statement. “She brings a lot of experience and energy to our morning newscasts.”

Poteau will replace Pam Huff — her former morning co-anchor — on “Good Morning Alabama.” Huff, who has been on the morning show for more than 12 years, will anchor a new 4 p.m. show that will replace “The Oprah Winfrey Show” this fall. Poteau will co-anchor with Yenu Wodajo, who has been the WBMA morning anchor since 2008.

In the aftermath of a tornado outbreak that killed more than 300 people this spring, veteran meteorologist James Spann is calling for an overhaul of the NWS tornado warning system — and a new commitment to weather coverage across local regions.

In a post on ABC 33/40‘s weather blog, Spann writes that tornado sirens, which have an 80-90 percent false alarm ratio, are outdated and overused. “Getting these kind of warnings over and over and over again totally create an ocean of people that won’t be paying attention when a real tornado emergency is in progress,” he writes. “The cry wolf syndrome is very real, and very dangerous.” Read more

ABC 33/40 captured more than just frightening live images of severe weather this week, as a tornado system ripped through Alabama. They also uncovered this story (above) about a puppy that was discovered buried underneath rubble. Auh!

“If you can show a live tornado with a camera, there’s no doubt that people will react in a more urgent way,” said ABC 33/40 meteorologist James Spann, whose in-depth coverage of Alabama’s brutal tornadoes has been admired by newsers across the country this week.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Spann said that live video of the tornado system, much of it shot by volunteers, made the difference in ABC 33/40′s (WCFT-WJSU-WBMA) coverage. Here’s the Times:

Live video of tornado touchdowns is a relatively new phenomenon, one that has been made possible by extensive mobile access to the Internet. In Birmingham, WBMA recruits and trains volunteers to follow severe thunderstorms and act as spotters, complete with dashboard cameras linked via the Internet to the station.

“They’re just like an extension of what we do,” Spann said of the volunteer videographers.

Steve Crocker, the co-anchor of WBRC’s 6 and 9 p.m. newscasts, has stepped out from behind the anchor desk to develop youth-oriented local programming for the Fox-affiliate.

Over the past couple of years, Raycom Media has urged its stations, including Birmingham’s WBRC, to develop unique local programming. Crocker has long wanted to run his own production company, according The Birmingham News, and this was his chance.

The Birmingham News reports:

He formed Crocker Productions and spent nearly a year working with producers at Birmingham’s Crewsouth on a show focused on teaching teenagers the skills needed to succeed in various careers. The result is “You Can Do This.”

“You Can Do This” debuted this past weekend. The first episode profiled staffers at the Birmingham Zoo, including interviews with the veterinary staff.

Anchor Brooke Smith is back on Birmingham TV.  After leaving NBC-affiliate WVTM last spring to become a full-time mom, Smith has decided to return to the anchor desk, joining CBS-affiliate WIAT.

“I have a passion for local television news and I’m extremely excited about joining CBS 42,” said Smith. “I took a break from television when I had my daughter, but the more I watched CBS 42, the more I realized I wanted to be a part of such a strong team.”

Smith, who got her start in TV as a contestant on “The Bachelor,” joins WIAT as a co-anchor for the station’s weekday morning newscast “Wake Up Alabama.”  While with WVTM, she co-hosted the lifestyle show “Daytime Alabama.”

“As we were searching for the perfect morning show anchor, Brooke’s name was immediately placed at the top of the list,” said Bill Ballard, WIAT’s president and general manager. “Her personality, warmth and charm are some of her strongest qualities and those are the traits she brings with her to local television. We are very lucky to have her join our team.” Read more

Greg Berry is leaving his news director post at KIMT, a CBS-affiliate serving northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, to become assistant news director at WIAT in Birmingham, AL.

Both KIMT and WIAT, also a CBS-affiliate, are owned by New Vision Television and Berry will transition to his new position in the spring. The move is a jump from market 153 to 40.

Berry started at KIMT in 2000 and was promoted to news director in 2008.  Before leading the newsroom, he served as the station’s sports director.

Last spring, KIMT was recognized by the Iowa Broadcast News Association for having the Best Small Market Newscast.

“This is a promotion within the company and a very good opportunity for Greg. We’re proud of him,” said Steve Martinson, KIMT’s general manager.