Charlotte - TVSpy

Israel Balderas Out at WCCB

Kevin Eck — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:21:31 +0000

Israel Balderas has left Charlotte FOX affiliate WCCB.

A station spokesperson confirmed the news with TVSpy, but would not comment on the reasons behind yesterday’s departure. The Charlotte Observer reported Balderas’ contract wasn’t up until later this year.

Balderas started at WCCB in 2010 and was named 10:00 p.m. anchor in 2011. Before coming to WCCB, he worked at KFOX in EL Paso, TX.

WCCB will become a CW affiliate in July after FOX bought Charlotte stations WJZY-WMYT in January.

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Fox Makes Key Appointments at WJZY-WMYT

Merrill Knox — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:46:52 +0000

Fox has made two executive appointments at anticipated Charlotte duopoly WJZY-WMYT. Jay Abbattista will be vice president of sales and Lynda Grahl will be vice president of finance.

Both Abbattista and Grahl come from Fox O&Os. Abbattista, who will begin on April 29, was previously the local sales manager at Fox-owned WTTG in Washington, D.C. He has also worked at a previous Fox O&O, WBRC in Birmingham, as general sales manager.

“Jay has a proven track record of success, having worked in a variety of sales positions across many markets,” VP-GM Karen Adams said in a statement. “His drive and passion made him the ideal candidate; I am delighted to welcome him to our team.”

Grahl, who begins on April 22, has been the vice president finance for Fox’s Detroit O&O, WJBK, since 2008.

“My family and I are very excited to be moving to the Charlotte community; I can’t wait to begin working with the team at our duopoly stations,” Grahl said.

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Charlotte’s WCCB Picks Up CW Affiliation

Merrill Knox — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:24:25 +0000

WCCB, Bahakel Comummication’s station in Charlotte, will become the market’s CW affiliate beginning July 1.

Until earlier this year, the station was a Fox affiliate. WCCB lost its affiliation when Fox purchased WJYZ-WMYT in Charlotte.

“We are delighted that we have this opportunity to join such an up and coming network with even more contemporary and creative program series to come,” said Bahakel president Beverly Bahakel Poston said in a statement. “We have been very impressed with the creativity and production quality of the original programming that The CW has provided and plans for the new fall season.”

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Fox Names Karen Adams VP-GM of Anticipated Charlotte Duopoly

Merrill Knox — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:56:45 +0000

Fox has named Karen Adams vice president and general manager of WJZY and WMYT in Charlotte. Fox is acquiring the duopoly from Capitol Broadcasting pending FCC approval.

Adams has been president and general manager of WGHP, the Fox affiliate in Greensboro, N.C., for the past 16 years. WGHP was a Fox O&O from 1996-2008.

“Karen has managed one of the most successful stations in the country. I couldn’t be happier to welcome her back,” Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy said in a statement.

Before being promoted to general manager, Adams held several other positions at WGHP, including VP of programming and VP of creative services and community involvement. Her first job at the station was as a camera operator.

“This is such a unique and exciting opportunity to run WJZY AND WMYT for FOX in Charlotte,” Adams said in a statement. “North Carolina is my home and I look forward to rejoining my FOX Television Station colleagues.”

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Kristy Etheridge Says Goodbye to WBTV

Merrill Knox — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:50:10 +0000

Kristy Etheridge, a general assignment reporter at WBTV, is leaving the Charlotte CBS affiliate. She is joining the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which is headquartered in Charlotte.

Etheridge began her television career as the overnight producer at WECT, the NBC affiliate in Wilmington, N.C. She worked there for four years, eventually becoming a reporter, before joining WBTV in 2011.

Etheridge is married to a photojournalist at rival WSOC. She signs off on February 27.

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News 14 Carolina’s Caroline Vandergriff Released From the Hospital

Merrill Knox — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:24:10 +0000

Caroline Vandergriff, a News 14 Carolina reporter who was hit by a car while covering a story last month, was released from the hospital Friday.

The station said Vandergriff was moved to a rehabilitation facility. She was shooting video of downed power lines and traffic lights at an intersection when two cars collided, and one of them hit her.

Vandergriff said she is “feeling better everyday and she can’t thank everyone enough for all the thoughts, well-wishes and prayers,” according to News 14 Carolina.

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WCNC Launches Camera Into Space

Kevin Eck — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:03:29 +0000

WCNC, the Charlotte NBC affiliate, put some consumer grade sports cameras inside a lunchbox, tied it to a helium filled balloon and launched it into the atmosphere, just because they could.

According to KVUE, WCNC’s sister station, Corrie Harding, WCNC’s news director, saw a video on YouTube of two people launching a beer can into space. He wanted to see if his station could do the same thing.

With the help of Hackerspace Charlotte, a collaborative space for people who like to tinker with technology, the station took two GoPro cameras, the lunchbox, a helium filled balloon, a 3D model of an astronaut with meteorologist Larry Sprinkle‘s face attached and let it go to see how high it would reach. You can watch the video of the whole process after the jump. continued…

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Ken White Replaced as WCCB News Director

Kevin Eck — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:00:22 +0000

WCCB news director Ken White has left the Charlotte FOX affiliate. According to the Charlotte Observer, he has been replaced by assistant news director Angela Robbins.

“This was a bit of a punch,” White told the Observer. “But they’ve been good to me over the years and it’s been a fun place to work.”

White, who launched the news department at the Bahakel owned station, had been news director at WCCB for thirteen years.

According to the Observer, White is on temporary assignment at WBBJ in Jackson, TN. WBBJ, which is also owned by Bahakel Communications, is looking for a news director.

Last week, WCCB learned it will be losing its affiliation after FOX Television Stations purchased two Charlotte stations, WJZY and WMYT.

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Charlotte Reporter Hit by Car While Shooting Video of Downed Power Lines

Merrill Knox — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:29:21 +0000

Caroline Vandergriff, a reporter at News 14 Carolina, is in stable condition after she was hit by a car while covering a story Wednesday night. The station reported on Vandergriff’s condition:

She was shooting video of downed power lines at the intersection of East Morehead Street and Kenilworth Avenue. Two vehicles collided at the intersection and careened out of control. One of the cars hit Caroline.

She was taken to Carolinas Medical Center where she is stable.

Vandergriff joined the station last month from WILX in Lansing.

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Fox to Acquire WJZY-WMYT From Capitol Broadcasting

Merrill Knox — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:51:20 +0000

Fox Television Stations is acquiring two Charlotte stations — CW affiliate WJZY and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYT — from Capitol Broadcasting Company.

“We are delighted to expand our portfolio of stations and return to North Carolina,” Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy said in a statement. “WJZY and WMYT are both well run stations that provide us with a unique opportunity in a growing top-25 market.”

Broadcasting & Cable reports that no terms of the sale, which is pending FCC approval, were divulged. But an affiliation switch is likely now that Fox will own two stations in the market. Current Fox affiliate WCCB is owned by Bahakel communications.

>Update: TVNewsCheck reports WCCB will lose its Fox affiliation. “Obviously we’re disappointed with the news,” Bahakel EVP Jim Babb said. “But we’re determined to find a way to be successful going forward, and we’re already exploring various options.”

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Sports Director Bruce Snyder Leaves WCCB

Kevin Eck — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:16:36 +0000

Bruce Snyder, sports director for WCCB, has left the Charlotte FOX affiliate.

Snyder, who had been with WCCB for ten years, had previously worked in the Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem markets.

The station confirmed Snyder’s last day at the station was Monday, but gave no reason why he left.

TVSpy did stumble across a video of Snyder talking about his work and his show, “Got Game” which you can watch after the jump. continued…

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VIDEO: Charlotte Police Chase Man Over WSOC’s Front Lawn

Merrill Knox — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:45:50 +0000

A police chase took place Thursday morning right near WSOC, the ABC affiliate in Charlotte (watch above).

WSOC’s footage of the chase, which at one point went over the station’s front lawn, was shot on a camera perched on top of a tower in the parking lot at WSOC. The station reported on the chase at the top of the noon newscast.

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WCNC’s Ann Sheridan Reflects on Sharing Cancer Battle: ‘I resisted it at first, because it felt self-serving’

Merrill Knox — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:11:27 +0000

It’s been three years since WCNC reporter Ann Sheridan was diagnosed with breast cancer, a struggle which was documented — from diagnosis through treatment — for the Charlotte NBC affiliate. Sheridan reflects back on the decision to go public with her story, which she said she initially resisted because “it felt too self-serving,” in an interview with the Charlotte Observer:

The public reaction was positive. She continues to field calls from women who have been diagnosed or are facing surgery and she regularly gives talks about her own cancer journey and the importance of regular mammograms for women older than 40. In addition, Carolina’s Medical Center named a fund in her honor that provides mammograms to women who otherwise could not afford them.

“I remain really proud of the reporting,” Sheridan says. And she is proud of its impact. continued…

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A Week After Apologizing for Robinson Cano Tweet, Dan Tordjman Exits WSOC

Merrill Knox — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:08:16 +0000

Dan Tordjman, the WSOC reporter who was forced to apologize after he reported on Twitter that New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano had tested positive for steroids, has left the Charlotte ABC affiliate. The Charlotte Observer has details:

He hasn’t been on air since the Sept. 20 incident, and Channel 9 aired a correction and apology for Tordjman’s personal post last week. He had been with station for a year.

Tordjman’s bio has been stripped from the WSOC website. The station has yet to respond to TVSpy’s request for comment.

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WSOC and Charlotte Reporter Apologize For Tweet About Yankee

Kevin Eck — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:21:53 +0000

Dan Tordjman, the Charlotte reporter who tweeted unconfirmed rumors about Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, has apologized to the player via twitter.

Two weeks ago Tordjman posted unconfirmed rumors about Cano testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Last night, both WSOC and Tordjman apologized. The station aired a correction during its 6 p.m. newscast (you can watch the video after the jump) and Tordjman apologized via his twitter account.

continued…

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