Jacksonville

Veteran investigative reporter Steve Wilson, who spent nearly a decade with Detroit’s WXYZ before leaving in 2010 after his contract was not renewed, is returning to TV with WJXX-WTLV in Jacksonville.

WXYZ reporter Ross Jones announced the move this week on the Michigan Radio and TV Buzzboard.

“Bad guys in Florida: your days are numbered,” Jones wrote on the forum. “On Monday, Steve Wilson was named investigative reporter at the Gannett station in Jacksonville.” Read more

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Michael Garber has been hired as news director at West Palm Beach’s WPTV-WFLX, the stations confirmed to TVSpy today.

Garber has been news director of WTLV-WJXX, the Gannett duopoly in Jacksonville, since 2008. Prior to that, he was news director at WLTX in Columbia, SC and assistant news director at KGUN in Tucson.

Garber begins in West Palm Beach on May 29. He replaces Jeff Brogan, who was promoted to senior director of news strategy and operation for Scripps in March.

This is Garber’s second stint with Scripps. He was the lead sports producer at WFTS in Tampa/St. Pete in the late 1990s.

Katie Jeffries is joining WJXX-WTLV, the Gannett duopoly in Jacksonville, as a general assignment reporter, TVSpy has learned.

Jeffries makes the move from WCTI, the ABC-affiliate in Greenville, NC. She was hired as the Greenville bureau chief in April 2010 and was promoted to weekend morning anchor in May 2011. Prior to joining WCTI, she worked at WHIZ, the NBC-affiliate in Zanesville, OH.

Jeffries’ job was posted on the WCTI website this morning. A job listing for a weekend meteorologist was also posted; station sources tell TVSpy that Dominic Brown is bound for Norfolk, VA.

WJXT reported on a Publishers Clearing House scam last night after Scott Johnson, a reporter at the Jacksonville station, was targeted.

Johnson was on his way to cover a story when he received a call from someone informing him he was a Publishers Clearing House winner and directing him to wire $1,500 to cover the taxes on his prize, according to WJXT. The reporter became suspicious after he asked for a mailing address, or to speak to a supervisor, and the caller refused both. Johnson began to record the call.

“I’m a TV reporter, sir, and we’re recording a TV story which will be going on television,” Johnson informed the caller. Read more

Jamie Smith has joined Jacksonville’s WTEV-WAWS, Florida News Center reports.

Smith moves to Jacksonville from Philadelphia, where he has worked in public relations since 2010. Before that, he spent six years as a reporter for KYW, the CBS O&O in Philadelphia. He has also worked at WICU in Erie, PA, KIEM in Eureka, CA and WLNY in Long Island.

Smith started at WTEV-WAWS as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor earlier this month.

Sorry, TV newsers, but print ruled the roost on Saturday at the first-ever real-life News Room Street Fight in Jacksonville, Florida.

Nine local newsrooms participated in the charity event, including three TV affiliates.  But it was the team from Jacksonvile Magazine – pictured left - that earned the dodgeball tournament’s prestigious Golden Trident.

Inspired by the cult classic movie ‘Anchorman’, the Street Fight ”was a hit,” said co-organizer and WJCT-FM anchor Melissa Ross.  “The audience loved seeing the city’s news teams have at it!”

More than $6,000 was raised to benefit the Jacksonville Police Athletic League. Read more

Like so many of your fellow local newsers, if you love the cult classic “Anchorman,” then you may want to head to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend.

In the spirit of the film, numerous Jax TV,  print, and radio newsrooms–including folks from WJXT, WTEV-WAWS, and First Coast News–are fielding teams to face off in tomorrow’s News Room Street Fight.  Journos will participate in a charity dodge ball tournament to benefit the Jacksonville Police Athletic League, with special appearances by Jacksonville Jaguars players Eben Britton and Rashad Jennings , and Ron Burgundy himself (sorry, no Will Ferrell – it’ll be a local actor dressed up).

Street Fight co-organizer Melissa Ross, a WJCT-FM anchor and former WOFL anchor, says that “since no one can forget the trident in the ‘Anchorman’ fight scene, an authentic golden trident trophy will be awarded to the winning news team!” Read more

During last week’s Florida primary, WTEV reporter Catherine Varnum and her crew were reporting from outside Mitt Romney‘s campaign headquarters when two cars collided behind her live shot location (video above).

“It looks as though some kind of accident happened behind Catherine there,” Mark Spain, an anchor for the Jacksonville CBS-affiliate, said as Varnum stepped away from the camera. “We’ll check back with her and make sure everybody’s okay.” Read more

Anchors Donna Deegan and Shannon Ogden took time out of a recent WTLV newscast to criticize the negative reaction some in the Jacksonville community have had to the city’s NFL team being sold to a Pakistani man.

Earlier this week, news broke that Shahid Khan, an American businessman born in Pakistan, had agreed to buy the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Following the news, people took to social media–including First Coast News’ Facebook page–and linked Khan to terrorism based on his heritage.

“As I’ve watch some of those comments come in,” Deegan, a Jacksonville native, said, “I could feel my whole chest just getting tight.” Video inside… Read more

When WJXT chief meteorologist George Winterling spent most of September in the hospital, the Jacksonville station shared virtually no information about his illness.

Now, in a multi-part sweeps series titled “George’s Miracle: What Really Happened,” WJXT is telling the story of Winterling’s apparent brush with death.  It turns out that the veteran meteorologist’s heart stopped and paramedics spent two minutes shocking him to get his pulse back.  Winterling then spent 11 days in a coma, with his body temperature reduced for much of the time to prevent further damage. Read more