Tampa-St. Petersburg

Veteran Florida anchor Charles Billi is returning to the television business, joining Tampa CBS-affiliate WTSP.

Billi left Miami’s WSVN in 2011 after 12 years behind the anchor desk. In a statement, he said that WTSP is “poised to become a powerhouse” in the Tampa market, adding, “I’m here to help.”

“Being a Tampa native and a USF grad, Charles knows the area well and the issues that impact our community,” WTSP news director Peter Roghaar said. “I am glad he chose to come home and I think viewers will find his style of reporting informative and entertaining.”

Billi starts at WTSP this week as a nightside reporter and fill-in anchor.

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

Meteorologist Stephanie Roberts has parted ways with WFTS, Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Roberts has been the morning meteorologist at the Tampa ABC-affiliate since 2008. She has not been on the air since May 3. Weekend meteorologist Wayne Shattuck has been filling in for her on the morning newscast this week.

“Other than confirming that Ms. Roberts is no longer an employee of WFTS, we have no further comment at this time,” Roberts’ attorney said. Read more

Longtime WFLA anchor Bill Ratliff passed away this afternoon. The Tampa NBC-affiliate reports that he died after complications with surgery.

Ratliff worked at WFLA for nearly three decades, from 1982 to 2009, during which time he anchored the station’s morning newscast and also served as the show’s managing editor.

Before joining WFLA, Ratliff worked at WFAA in Dallas, WDIV in Detroit, and WLWT in Cincinnati, among other places.

“Our NewsChannel 8 family is deeply saddened today by the loss of our dear friend Bill Ratliff,” veteran WFLA anchor Gayle Sierens wrote on her Facebook page.  “We will all miss him so.” Read more

Paul Mueller, who has been battling alcoholism since abruptly resigning from WGGB last April, has gotten another chance.

On Monday, Mueller started a job as a reporter for Bay News 9, the local cable news station in Tampa.

“God has opened a door and I am thoroughly and humbly grateful,” Mueller wrote in a recent post on his Facebook page.

The new job comes just days after Mueller celebrated one year of sobriety. Read more

Don Germaise, the first reporter hired at Tampa Bay’s WFTS, has announced that he will retire in May.

“There’s no replacing a Don Germaise,” WFTS news director Doug Culver told Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times. He said a tribute is planned for Germaise, who will work his last day at the station on May 25.

Germaise was hired in 1994 at the Tampa Bay ABC-affiliate. He said the decision to leave was his own, and he plans to volunteer for local charities after leaving the station. Read more

WFTS weekend morning anchor Ellen McNamara has left the Tampa ABC-affiliate for a Monday-Friday anchor-reporter job at KSTP in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

McNamara began her broadcasting career with CBS-affiliate KLBK in Lubbock, TX.  After a stint with KXAN in Austin, she joined WFTS in April 2009.

McNamara is the daughter of longtime CBS News correspondent Bob McNamara and her family has strong ties to the Twin Cities. Her parents met in Minnesota and her dad worked at local CBS-affiliate WCCO before joining CBS News.

“Although I’ve never lived there, my family has strong ties to the area,” McNamara said, mentioning that her sister currently lives in Minnesota. “I’m very excited.” Read more

Reporter Jeff Butera is leaving WFTS in Tampa to join WZVN in Fort Myers.

Butera, who has worked at WFTS since 2009, will anchor the 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m. newscasts for WZVN, the Fort Myers ABC-affiliate.

“It’s tough to leave behind the great people I’ve worked with and met along the way in Tampa Bay, but I’m excited about a new challenge,” he wrote on Facebook.

Butera replaces Len Jennings, who is joining KMBC-KCWE in Kansas City.

Tampa’s WTSP is partnering up with PolitiFact to produce fact-checking segments during the 2012 election, the station announced today.

“The content from the PolitiFact team fuels Tampa Bay voters with important information to make voting decisions,” WTSP president and general manager Ken Tonning said in a statement. “PolitiFact is sometimes entertaining, and always informative.”

PolitiFact, which is operated by the Tampa Bay Times, will partner with WTSP to “scour  hours of 2012 campaign speeches and TV ads for statements to check.” In addition to focusing on the Presidential campaign, the teams will also fact-check Florida governor Rick Scott and Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn. Read more

Chris Ford has been named assistant news director at WTSP, the ABC-affiliate in Tampa, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Ford joins the station from WTMJ, the NBC-affiliate in Milwaukee, where he has been assistant news director since 2007. Ford began his career at WTSP and worked later for WTVT, the Tampa Fox O&O.

Before joining WTMJ, Ford worked at CLTV, the 24-hour cable network in Chicago. The Journal Sentinel reports Ford is a Tampa native with family in the area.

WFLA‘s Adrienne Pedersen was reporting live outside of a local gas station this morning when two cars collided behind her, spinning out of control through an intersection.

Although the screeching tires and metal crunch of the crash were clearly audible to viewers, Pedersen didn’t realize what had happened until anchor Gayle Guyardo pointed it out to her.

Pedersen was reporting on rising gas prices when the accident occurred.

Guyardo joked that the drivers were “probably shocked by the high gas prices” (video inside). Read more