Stations in Mobile, AL, broke in to regular programming to cover the return of the disabled Carnival cruise ship Triumph.  The ship with 4,200 passengers and crew members on board was being towed into the cruise ship terminal in Mobile after a fire on board left the ship adrift and disabled.

The Triumph was expected into port by 11:00 p.m., but a towline being used to bring the ship into port by tugboat broke, delaying its return. By 2:30 p.m., the United States Coast Guard was reporting the towline had been repaired and the ship was, again, on its way.

WALA - The FOX affiliate went live throughout the morning and afternoon relying on anchors Joe Emer and  Bob Grip in the studio to report on the progress of the cruise ship. Candace Murphy was live on Dauphin Island interviewing the husband of a passenger and giving updates on the liner from a vantage point where she could see the ship. Chasity Bird spoke with Mobile Mayor Sam Jones on why the passengers were being bussed to New Orleans or Galveston, TX, and not put up in Mobile hotels. continued…

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John Rogers

“Sarasota and Manatee counties are important areas of coverage for News Channel 8. And, we think it’s vital to have a reporter who actually lives in the area where he works,” news director Don North said in a statement. “John will live in Sarasota, where he’ll have the opportunity to really get to know the community.”

Since 2009, Rogers has been a reporter at WALA, the Fox affiliate in Mobile, Ala. Prior to that, he worked at WCTV in Tallahassee.

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Jessica Taloney

Taloney, who was called “one of the best News 5 reporters of all time” in a statement on the WKRG website, is signing off to spend more time with her family. She is pregnant with her first child, a baby girl.

Taloney, who joined WKRG in 2007, co-anchored the 5 p.m. newscast as well as reporting for the station. “It has been a pleasure working in such an outstanding newsroom!” Taloney wrote on Facebook.

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Christina Leavenworth

“New Orleans completely grabbed me in every way possible and I completely claim NOLA as my adopted home,” she wrote on Facebook this morning. “However, I’m moving back home to Pensacola. I accepted an anchor/reporter position.”

Leavenworth joined WWL in April 2011 from WALA, the NBC-affiliate in Mobile-Pensacola, where she was responsible for starting the station’s Florida bureau.

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Gary Yoder

Yoder has been vice president and general manager of WUPW since 2009. WUPW, the Toledo Fox-affiliate, merged with WTOL, the CBS-affiliate in the market, last month. Prior to his appointment as VP-GM, he served as the station’s general sales manager.

“Gary is an accomplished broadcast executive who brings a forward-thinking approach to multiplatform news, sales and promotions,” Scott Blumenthal, LIN Media’s EVP for television, said in a statement. “He also has a genuine, heartfelt commitment to meeting the needs of our viewers and advertisers.” continued…

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“I will forever be grateful to the viewers and coworkers who have been so good to me,” Sison wrote on Facebook. “It’s tough to leave a place that’s been your home for 6 years, but I’m looking forward to the adventures that await me in the Northeast.”

Sison, who began yesterday at the Boston CBS O&O, was the morning anchor at WEAR. She was replaced by Lena DeFlores, who joined the station in March 2011 as the morning traffic anchor.

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Fox-affiliate WALA produced the station’s first HD broadcast for Saturday’s 9 p.m. news, anchored by Renee Dials and weathercaster Matt Barrentine. WALA’s newscasts have originated from a temporary set since last month.

NBC-affiliate WPMI also debuted its new set, designed by Devlin Design Group, over the weekend. The redesign included a compete overhaul of the weather system, as well as the addition of several monitors behind the anchor desk.

Video of both new HD studios is after the jump. continued…

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“We are shocked and deeply saddened with Bob’s passing,” Michael DiPasquale, vice president of operations for Newport Television, which owns WPMI, said in a statement.  “Bob was a valuable member of the Newport Television family but more importantly he was a wonderful person, an absolute gentleman and a great family man.”

A native of Alabama, Dunn worked as a sales executive for Clear Channel, and later Newport Television, before joining WPMI in 2011.

The cause of death has not been released and WPMI has yet to report on Dunn’s passing.

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“I want to take a moment to thank all of you,” Alexander wrote on Facebook. “My contract at Channel 5 is not being renewed, and my last day at work is November 20.”

Alexander joined WKRG in 2000 from KAVU, the ABC-affiliate in in Victoria, TX. He has also worked at WVUE in New Orleans, KDEB in Springfield, MO and WTVW in Evansville.

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At issue is the retransmission contract between Mediacom and LIN Media, which owns the two stations. The current agreement expires on August 31, and if a new agreement is not reached, Mediacom cannot legally air programming from WALA and WFNA.

According to the WALA website, which has an extensive question-and-answer section about the potential blackout, the two parties are still negotiating “for the fair market value of our stations.” continued…

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“Of course, it does make good TV,” WKRG reporter Debbie Williams said after she was nearly thrown off the back of a camel during a live interview. “You never know what’s going to happen at the zoo” (video above).

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Interested to see how the new iPad 2 stacked up against the station’s traditional news cameras, Mobile’s WKRG sent web reporter Lauren Styler out to shoot a news package with the popular tablet. Styler was joined by photographer Gary Arnold, who simultaneously shot the package using one of the station’s Panasonic P2 cameras. The P2 video is above; iPad 2 video after the jump… continued…

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For most people, St. Patrick’s Day means corned beef, green clothing, and plenty of Guinness. For former WPMI anchor Scott Walker, it means that a wildly popular YouTube video featuring him is passed around.

In 2006, Walker anchored a newscast that featured a story about a leprechaun sighting in the Crichton area of Mobile, AL. Video of the broadcast was uploaded to YouTube and it became a proto-”Bed Intruder” sensation, racking up tens of millions of views (video above).

Currently with New Orleans’ WDSU, Walker is now opening up about the experience and explaining the story behind the video that has inspired novelty t-shirts, various YouTube remixes, a Wikipedia entry, and even a “South Park” sketch. continued…

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Grandquest, who has been the NBC-affiliate’s vice president and general manager since 2008, was let go this week.  Multiple employees confirmed to Mobile’s Lagniappe Magazine that Grandquest had been shown the door.

During his time atop WPMI, Grandquest focused on new ways for the station to connect with viewers, especially through social media. His drive for new media innovation backfired in 2009 when a digital billboard displaying live updates from the station’s Twitter feed embarrassingly displayed the tweet “3 Accused of Gang Rape in Monroeville” alongside an image of anchors Greg Peterson and Kym Thurman, and chief meteorologist Derek Beasley.

A photo of the billboard, taken by an observant driver, made the internet rounds and popular social media blog Mashable labeled it an “Epic Fail.” continued…

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