Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem

Having just passed a motorcycle safety course, WXII reporter Stephanie Berzinski was showing off her biker skills on a shiny new Harley during the NBC-affiliate’s 5 p.m. newscast on Monday, when it became clear that she needed a bit more practice (video above).

“I have to laugh this one off,” Berzinski wrote on her Facebook page following the incident. “Yes, I am forever embarrassed and yes I was totally mad at myself, but hey–that’s live TV for you.  Mistakes happen.  Obviously.  Either way I still passed and have my motorcycle endorsement.  I think I’m gonna start off with a Vespa.”

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Greensboro CBS-affiliate WFMY is revamping its morning show.

WFMY promises to “break the cookie-cutter morning news formula” with its new iteration of the “Good Morning Show,” which is getting a new team, along with a new format, this spring.

“The ‘Good Morning Show’ has great history in this market, and now a fresh future,” WFMY president and general manager Larry Audas said, announcing the revamp.

The new show will be hosted by meteorologist Eric Chilton and Jackie Fernandez, who recently joined WFMY after working as a feature reporter for ABC’s “World News Now.” Read more

Rich Brenner, a sports anchor at WGHP for nearly 21 years, has passed away.

The Fox-affiliate reports that Brenner, who retired in 2008, died of a heart attack Monday. He was 65.

WGHP interrupted Fox’s live coverage of the Daytona 500 Monday night to announce Brenner’s passing. Sports anchor Kevin Connolly informed viewers that Brenner was attending “Salute to Heroes,” a local ceremony celebrating military and public service heroes, when he suffered a heart attack.

“It’s very ironic that we’re breaking into coverage the Daytona 500 to bring you this announcement, because Rich was one of the very first local sportscasters to really commit to NASCAR coverage. It was one of his real passions,” Connolly told viewers. Read more

Emily Byrd, a meteorologist at WGHP in Greensboro, NC, is recovering from injuries sustained during a bad fall on Monday.

“Emily was out shopping on Monday when she fell, hitting her head and breaking several bones,” a statement on the Fox-affiliate’s website reads. Byrd said yesterday she is “much better.”

WGHP said Byrd, the weekday morning meteorologist, will likely be out for several weeks as she recovers for her injuries. The station directed viewers to the meteorologist’s Facebook page to send well-wishes.

Matt Pumo has been named general manager of Titan Broadcasting’s WCWG, the CW-affiliate in Greensboro.

Until August, Pumo was the vice president and general manager of WALA-WFNA, the LIN Media duopoly in Mobile.

In a Titan Broadcasting statement announcing the hire, the company said Pumo’s priorities will be reintroducing the station to the market and rebranding WCWG to “encourage viewer interaction 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

WXII‘s Bill O’Neil was reporting live from a sidewalk cafe when a woman walked into the shot.  Conscious that the WXII crew was filming, the woman attempted to duck out of the frame, but didn’t have much luck.  [Via BuzzFeed]

(Note: You can also watch the video on WXII’s YouTube channel here).

There will soon be a three-way race at 4:30 a.m. in the Greensboro–High Point–Winston-Salem market.

This week CBS-affiliate WFMY added an extra half-hour to its “Good Morning Show” and Fox-affiliate WGHP is set to expand its morning newscast to 4:30 on Monday.  NBC-affiliate WXII has been starting at 4:30 since 2010.

In addition to expanding to 4:30 this week, WFMY added a new face to its morning team.  Reporter Meghan Packer has joined the established crew of Ed Matthews, Rosemary Plybon, and Tracey McCain, kicking off the show at 4:30.

WGHP’s expanded newscast will continue to be helmed by the longtime anchor duo of Brad Jones and Cindy Farmer.

WFMY, the CBS-affiliate in Greensboro, is set to launch a revamped “News 2.0″ in high-definition this weekend.

The station is running promos featuring a focus group (watch above) for the updated newscasts, which will debut at on the evening news this Sunday. “We feel what you’re feeling, and that’s why we’re going to make a difference,” anchor Frank Mickens says, noting the station is through with “cookie-cutter” newscasts. “It’s done. Over with. Say bye.” Read more

Larry Audas has been named president and general manager of WFMY in Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, NC.  Audas comes to the Gannett-owned CBS-affiliate from Little Rock’s KTHV, also owned by Gannett, where he has served as president and GM since 2002.

“Larry is a natural leader who has brought KTHV in Little Rock to a new level of community service and commercial success,” said David Lougee, president of Gannett Broadcasting, in announcing the move.

Unlike many station bosses, Audas rose through the ranks of the newsroom instead of the sales department.

He worked as an anchor-reporter for Oklahoma City’s KFOR and Houston’s KPRC, before becoming the primary anchor at KTHV. After working as news director at WLTX in Columbia, SC, Audus returned to KTHV, becoming president and GM.

Video of Audas anchoring KPRC’s evening newscast, after the jump… Read more

Sinclair Broadcast Group announced today that it has finalized a new, multi-year retrans agreement with Time Warner Cable.

The new deal covers 28 stations that Sinclair owns and/or operates in 17 markets.

Sinclair and TWC reached a tentative agreement two weeks ago, quieting the threat of a black-out for roughly 4 million cable subscribers.

In addition to the deal, Sinclair announced that TWC would begin producing three half-hour newscasts for ABC-affiliate WXLV in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC.  WXLV had been the only ABC-affiliate under Sinclair without a regular news operation.

In 1995, WXLV established a news department and began airing newscasts at 6 and 11 p.m.  Due to poor ratings, though, the news operation shut down in 2002. Read more