Fargo-Valley City - TVSpy

Former Fargo Anchor Marv Bossart Dies

Kevin Eck — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:50:06 +0000

Marv Bossart, former anchor for Fargo, ND, ABC affiliate WDAY, has died after battling Parkinson’s disease for several years.

“He had a great heart and he really empathized with people who were affected by our news,” WDAY reporter Kevin Wallevand told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead “And that’s rare.”

Bossart started at WDAY in 1958. He began anchoring the 6:00 p.m. and then 10:15 p.m. newscasts in 1963 and anchored for the station until his retirement in 2000. You can watch the station’s tribute to Bossart by clicking here. continued…

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Fargo Newspaper Cries Foul Over KVLY-KXJB Weather Graphic

Kevin Eck — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:48:37 +0000

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, ND, is calling it “the curious case of the retouched photo.”

An employee of the Fargo newspaper noticed something missing from a picture of the city skyline local TV duopoly KVLY-KXJB uses as a weather background. In the picture on the right (courtesy of Charles Apple’s blog), viewers can see the five story Forum building with a white 60-foot sign on it. In the version used on-air (on the left), the sign has been removed.

This is odd, because The Forum’s sign – a 60-foot beacon that’s been a landmark in Fargo for nearly 90 years – has black letters on all sides spelling out the newspaper’s name. F-O-R-U-M. All five of them. At night, they light up.

The Forum thinks the paper’s name was removed because they are a competitor with the NBC and CBS affiliate in the Fargo news space. But they’re not so sure they have a clear cut case of bad journalism. continued…

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Kip Hines Out, Rob Kupec In at KVRR

Merrill Knox — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:13:15 +0000

After 14 years at KVRR, chief meteorologist Kip Hines (pictured) is leaving the Fargo Fox affiliate, according to the Grand Forks Herald. Hines will be replaced by Rob Kupec, who will join the station at the end of the month from rival WDAY.

Hines will continue on KVRR’s 5, 6 and 9 p.m. newscasts through January 30. He begins a job at Titan Machinery on February 1.

“I have young kids,” Hines told the Herald. “I want to get to their baseball games, to their recitals, to their concerts, and I just can’t do that with the schedule I have now.”

Kupec, who is the weekend evening meteorologist and feature reporter at WDAY, begins at KVRR on January 31.

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Candace Thornberg Promoted to Weekday Anchor at KVRR

Merrill Knox — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:53:58 +0000

Candace Thornberg is moving to weekdays at Fargo Fox affiliate KVRR, according to the Fargo InForum.

Thornberg joined KVRR in 2004 as a production assistant and currently works as the weekend evening anchor. In her new role, she will anchor the weekday 6 and 9 p.m. newscasts alongside Austen Schauer.

“It’s a great opportunity, and I’ve been here several years so it’s kind of an exciting new happening,” Thornberg told the InForum.

Thornberg replaces Andrea Larson, who joined rival KVLY-KXJB last year. KVRR news director Jim Shaw said Thornberg’s replacement will likely be promoted from within.

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KVRR’s Andrea Larson Set to Join Rival KVLY-KXJB

Merrill Knox — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:58:15 +0000

Andrea Larson, the evening anchor at KVRR in Fargo, is leaving the station to join crosstown rival KVLY-KXJB, the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports.

It is a return to the duopoly for Larson, who worked there from 1999 to 2007. She is returning to the stations for a daytime on-air position. “I’m getting evenings back with my family, and that’s important,” Larson told the Forum.

KVRR news director Jim Shaw said Larson is leaving on good terms and that the station has begun a national search to find her replacement at the anchor desk for the 6 and 9 p.m. newscasts.

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Ike Walker Joins Fargo’s KVLY as News Director

Kevin Eck — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:45:43 +0000

Hoak Media has named Ike Walker news director for KVLY-KXJB in Fargo, ND. Walker succeeds Griff Potter who stepped down last week.

Jim Wareham, president and general manager of KVLY-KWJB told TVSpy that, “Ike brings a great amount of experience and success with him and I am very glad to have Ike on board.”

In June, Walker left his job as news director for WCMH in Columbus, OH. He previously worked in Topeka KS, Tulsa, OK and Savannah, GA.

[rickgevers.com]

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Rob Hudson Joins WDAZ as Evening Co-Anchor

Merrill Knox — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:04:39 +0000

Rob Hudson will debut later this month as evening co-anchor on WDAZ, the ABC-affiliate in Grand Forks, ND.

Hudson comes to WDAZ from KECI in Missoula, MT, where he was the morning anchor. He has previously worked at KARE in Minneapolis and KSWB in San Diego. He will co-anchor the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Molly Thorvilson beginning August 27.

“We’re really excited to have him here,” Thorvilson told the Grand Forks Herald. “We’ve been able to spend some time with him, and he’s a really nice guy, really down to Earth.”

Hudson replaces Charley Johnson, who left the station in May.

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Nine Months After Exiting KXJB-KVLY, Robin Huebner Hired at Rival WDAY

Merrill Knox — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:16:57 +0000

Former KXJB-KVLY anchor Robin Huebner has been hired at rival WDAY, the Fargo Forum reports.

Huebner resigned from KXFB-KVLY in Fargo last year after she was reassigned from the 10 p.m. anchor desk. She later filed a federal lawsuit against Hoak Media, the parent company of the duopoly, calling the experience “personally and professionally humiliating.” The lawsuit is still pending.

In her new role, Huebner will co-anchor the 5 p.m. newscast on WDAY, the Fargo ABC-affiliate, as well as work on a new print venture for The Forum. Both the station and the newspaper are owned by Forum Communications. continued…

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Veteran Anchor Charley Johnson Leaving WDAZ

Merrill Knox — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:52:20 +0000

Charley Johnson, an anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks, ND, is leaving the news business after more than 30 years.

Johnson was named president and chief executive at the Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau this morning, according to the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He will take over in June.

Johnson has anchored the evening newscasts at WDAZ since 2010. He spent the majority of his career at KVLY, the NBC-affiliate in Fargo, where he held a variety of roles including anchor, news director and general manager.

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Olive Garden Critic Marilyn Hagerty Discusses Her Newfound Fame in WDAZ Interview

Andrew Gauthier — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:00:06 +0000

Marilyn Hagerty, the Grand Forks Herald columnist who has become an internet celebrity for her no-nonsense review of a local Olive Garden, recently sat down with WDAZ reporter Melanie Orlins to discuss her newfound fame.

“Somebody told me I went viral, I didn’t know what that meant,” Hagerty told Orlins. “The phone has been ringing all the time and I’ve been answering it and then the emails keep pouring in and I’ve been trying to keep track of that… I still don’t get it.”

With interview requests flooding her inbox, Hagerty says that she’s probably going to cross Jay Leno off her list of suitors since she doesn’t like the way he combs his hair. Video inside… continued…

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KVLY-KXJB Owner Responds To Robin Huebner’s Discrimination Lawsuit

Merrill Knox — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:28:48 +0000

Hoak Media, the parent company of Fargo’s KVLY-KXJB, filed a response yesterday to an age discrimination lawsuit filed by former anchor Robin Huebner.

In the response, an attorney for Hoak Media sought to disprove Huebner’s claims that she was pushed aside on the 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts by a younger, more attractive anchor. Huebner’s lawsuit says she boosted ratings for KVLY-KXJB’s newscasts in the 21 years she reported and anchored there, according to the Fargo Forum.

“[Huebner], individually, is no more responsible for ratings in any demographic than the other three anchors of newscasts she participated in,” Gina Janeiro, the lawyer representing Hoak Media, wrote. continued…

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KVLY-KXJB Hires Two Multimedia Journalists

Merrill Knox — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:04:22 +0000

Two new multimedia journalists will join KVLY-KXJB in Fargo next week: Tony Ullrich (pictured) and Robert Hahn, news director Griff Potter announced in a staff memo today.

Ullrich joins KVLY-KXJB from KOMU in Columbia, MO, where he has been a multimedia journalist, weekend anchor and live truck operator since 2008. He began his television career at KMEG, the CBS-affiliate in Sioux City, IA.

Hahn joins the Fargo duopoly from Bay News 9 in St. Petersburg, where he is an anchor and multimedia journalist. He has previously worked at KWGN in Cheyenne and WFXL in Albany, GA.

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Former Anchor Robin Huebner Sues KVLY-KXJB For Age and Gender Discrimination

Merrill Knox — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:53:05 +0000

Robin Huebner is making good on her threat to sue KVLY-KXJB for age and gender discrimination. The former anchor filed a lawsuit against Hoak Media, the parent company of the Fargo duopoly, in federal court yesterday.

The dispute between Huebner and station management has been an extremely public battle since August, when general manager Jim Wareham announced she would be reassigned from her longtime post as 6 and 10 p.m. anchor. In October, Huebner gave her two-weeks notice, saying she felt she had no other option; she says station management responded by immediately showing her the door.

Wareham responded to Huebner’s claims in an on-air editorial, insisting the station was “disappointed to see her go.” He still stands by his public statements, he told The Forum yesterday.

“Anybody can file a lawsuit,” Wareham said. “We’ll see how her claims do in court.” continued…

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KVLY-KXJB: Robin Huebner Was Not Forced Out

Merrill Knox — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:32:53 +0000

Fargo’s KVLY-KXJB is striking back against allegations made by former anchor Robin Huebner, who claimed in The Forum yesterday that she was immediately shown the door after putting in her two-weeks notice.

“No one forced her out,” president and general manager Jim Wareham said in an on-air editorial last night. “We were disappointed to see her go.” Video inside… continued…

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Veteran Anchor Abruptly Exits KVLY-KXJB Amid Discrimination Allegations

Andrew Gauthier — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:41:22 +0000

Longtime KVLY-KXJB anchor Robin Huebner resigned on Monday, following a very public demotion that left her mulling a discrimination lawsuit against the Fargo-Grand Forks partner stations.

In August, Huebner announced on-air that she was leaving her established spot on the 10 p.m. newscast and would instead be anchoring at 5:30, as well as 6:00.

Huebner told Fargo’s The Forum that she put in her two-weeks notice on Monday and management responded by immediately showing her the door. An attorney for Huebner said that she was left with little choice following her high-profile demotion. continued…

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