Jacksonville - TVSpy

Cox Names Bill Funke Director of Sales for WAWS-WTEV

Kevin Eck — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:06:26 +0000

Cox Media Group has named Bill Funke director of sales for Jacksonville, FL, FOX affiliate WAWS and CBS affiliate WTEV.

“Bill is a true professional, who knows that relationships are the key to driving our business in this highly-competitive market,” said WAWS-WTEV vice president and general manager Jim Zerwekh. “We are truly fortunate that we can tap into CMG’s vast sales talent pool for this key position.”

Before coming to WAWS-WTEV, Funke was general sales manager for Cox Media Group’s WFTV and WFTV.com in Orlando. He first joined Cox in 1995 as an account representative with TeleRep before joining WFTV as its national sales manager. Funke was promoted to local sales manager in 2002.

“I’m thrilled to take on this amazing opportunity to work with the CMG Jacksonville TV team of dedicated sales professionals,” said Funke.

[Broadcasting&Cable]

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Amanda Zitzman Set to Join KVAL in Eugene

Merrill Knox — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:56:47 +0000

Amanda Zitzman is leaving WTLV-WJXX in Jacksonville, Fla. for KVAL in Eugene, Ore.

Zitzman joined WTLV-WJXX in 2010 as the morning traffic anchor. She currently anchors the news cut-ins during “Today” and “Good Morning America” as well as solo anchoring the Saturday morning newscast. She is also the anchor of “On the Town,” a Friday evening segment about weekend activities in Jacksonville.

Zitzman begins April 1 as the morning and noon anchor at KVAL.

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Joy Purdy Leaving First Coast News for Family

Kevin Eck — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:36:05 +0000

Joy Purdy, anchor for “Good Morning Jacksonville,” has announced she is leaving the ABC/NBC duopoly branded as “First Coast News” to spend more time with her family.

Purdy described her decision on her facebook page. The station then posted the news on its website, “I was recently offered the main anchor spot at my TV station — the 11 p.m. newscast. So exciting! However, after much prayer, and countless family discussions … I’ve instead decided to take a break from work to spend time with my family.”

Purdy, who has anchored the morning show since 2007, ended her post with, “Scary? Yes. Worth it? No doubt.” continued…

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Cox Media Group Closes on Purchase of Newport Stations

Kevin Eck — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:48:29 +0000

Cox Media Group has closed on its purchase of four Newport Television stations in Jacksonville, FL, and Tulsa, OK.

“Countless hours of hard work have taken place over the last few months to prepare for today, and I want to thank everyone at CMG and these stations involved who made today a reality,” Cox Media Group president Doug Franklin said in a statement. “This is an exciting time as we grow CMG’s presence in these markets, and we are thrilled that these stations are joining our team of media professionals.”

Cox acquired Newport’s Jacksonville duopolies, WAWS (FOX) and WTEV (CBS) and Tulsa’s FOX affiliate KOKI and MyNetworkTV affiliate KMYT. continued…

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Lorena Inclán to Join WTEV-WAWS in Jacksonville

Merrill Knox — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:22:32 +0000

Lorena Inclán begins today as a general assignment reporter at WTEV-WAWS in Jacksonville, according to MediaMoves.

Inclán moves to Jacksonville from Orlando, where she has spent the past year as a multimedia journalist for Univision’s WVEN. Her last day there was November 20.

“I’m very excited to be making a crossover into English news,” she told MediaMoves. “Crossing over into English news will be a big change for my journalism career and I’m definitely looking forward to it. However, I will miss my friends and colleagues at Univision Orlando.”

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Kathy Williams Named News Director at WTLV-WJXX

Merrill Knox — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:38:09 +0000

Kathy Williams has been named news director at WTLV-WJXX, Gannett’s duopoly in Jacksonville, Fla.

Williams has been interim news director at the stations since July, after Michael Garber left for WPTV-WFLX in West Palm Beach. She has also worked as news director at WKYC and WJW in Cleveland and KRIV in Houston.

“I am thrilled to rejoin Gannett in this important role and look forward to serving the Jacksonville television audience with the highest quality journalism we can produce,” Williams said in a statement.

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Lynnsey Gardner Joins Jacksonville’s WTEV-WAWS

Kevin Eck — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:12:22 +0000

Lynnsey Gardner has landed as a weekday morning anchor at WTEV-WAWS in Jacksonville, FL.

Gardner left Augusta’s CBS affiliate, WRDW, in May. At the time she told TVSpy she was, “entertaining some possibilities and deciding on the right fit.”

She started her new position September 10. (video alert!) You can watch Lynnsey on her first day in action for FOX affiliate WAWS after the jump.

continued…

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Eric Land Named President-GM at WTLV-WJXX

Merrill Knox — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:07:44 +0000

Eric Land has been named president and general manager of WTLV-WJXX, Gannett Broadcasting’s duopoly in Jacksonville.

Land is a broadcast veteran who has previously served as president-GM of WFLA in Tampa, WIAT in Birmingham and WGRZ in Buffalo. He is also a former COO of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. Most recently, he was president and CEO of Walkabout Air Aviation.

“Eric brings a rich and diverse background of innovation and experience to our duopoly in Jacksonville,” Gannett EVP Lynn Beall said in a statement. “He possesses strong leadership abilities and dynamic business skills that will benefit both WTLV and WJXX. Eric knows how to build brands and has a proven track record of taking major market stations to new levels.” continued…

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VIDEO: NBC-Affiliate’s Sports Director Blows Up at Bob Costas After Olympic Coverage Goes Long

Andrew Gauthier — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:23:37 +0000

WTLV sports director Dan Hicken, who has been covering sports for the Jacksonville NBC-affiliate since the 80s, delivered an angry on-air rant against Bob Costas and NBC during a recent newscast after the network’s Olympic coverage ran long and bumped the start of East Coast affiliates’ late newscasts well past midnight (video above).

“Bob, when it’s 12 o’clock, you say Goodnight,” Hicken yelled at the beginning of his sports update, which began at 12:31 a.m. “You don’t care because you’re sleeping right now.”

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Tera Barz Shifts to Evenings at WTEV-WAWS

Merrill Knox — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:47:06 +0000

Tera Barz has a new role at Jacksonville duopoly WTEV-WAWS, according to Florida News Center.

Barz, who was previously the morning anchor, is shifting to evenings, taking over as anchor of the WTEV 5:30 p.m. newscast and the WAWS 10 p.m. newscast. She replaces Paige Kelton, who will continue to anchor at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.

Barz began her carrer at WCJB in Gainsville and has also worked at WFLD in Chicago, and as a fill-in correspondent for the Fox News Channel.

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Donna Deegan Will Leave WLTV-WJXX to Focus on Breast Cancer Awareness

Merrill Knox — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:53:10 +0000

Donna Deegan, who has been an anchor at WLTV-WJXX in Jacksonville since 1988, has announced that she will leave the television business at the end of August.

Deegan, a three-time breast cancer survivor, said she will devote her time to philanthropic organizations dedicated to finding a cure for the disease. She is the founder and president of The Donna Foundation, which offers financial assistance to breast cancer patients.

“I’ve said all along we will end breast cancer right here in Jacksonville, and I believe that is true,” she said on last night’s newscast. “I feel incredibly blessed to be in good health and the time is right to pay that forward by completely immersing myself in the good work ahead.”

Video of Deegan’s announcement inside… continued…

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Nick Giovanni Moves From Jacksonville to Houston

Merrill Knox — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:41:13 +0000

Nick Giovanni is joining Houston NBC-affiliate KPRC, Houston media blogger Mike McGuff reports.

Giovanni joins KPRC from WJXT, an independent station in Jacksonville, where he has been a sports anchor, reporter and producer since 2005. He made his on-air debut at KPRC last week.

And in other Houston media news, McGuff reports that Courtney Zubowski, a reporter at CBS-affiliate KHOU, has joined the station’s investigative reporting team.

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Car Sinks in Floodwaters on Live TV During WTEV-WAWS Severe Weather Coverage

Andrew Gauthier — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:14:35 +0000

A car sank in a flooded creek behind WTEV-WAWS during the stations’ severe weather coverage, making for a tense moment of live TV (video above).

It turned out that a teenager, along with a friend, was driving the car and, confused by the rising waters, took a wrong turn into a creek. Both young men escaped to safety, but the car was ruined.

Following the incident, the joint Jacksonville stations orchestrated some more live TV drama when a local car dealership surprised the kid with a new car. Video inside… continued…

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Veteran Reporter Steve Wilson Joins WJXX-WTLV

Andrew Gauthier — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:21:55 +0000

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.” continued…

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Michael Garber Hired as WPTV-WFLX News Director

Merrill Knox — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:28:51 +0000

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.

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