The Providence Phoenix recently went looking for the story behind the now viral video of Melisa Lawrence throwing a rock at WLNE reporter Abbey Niezgoda and photographer Marc Jackson, then grabbing a baseball bat to drive the local ABC affiliate crew away before eventually siccing her dogs on them.

Everybody’s like, “Oh, you’re a star now!” I don’t feel like a star. If this is what they call “being a star” then guess what? Let me be the dirt. I’d rather be . . . just a pile of dirt. Because that’s how I feel. I feel like a bag of poop. I feel like nothing. I feel like the scum of the earth.

The Phoenix spoke to local reporters, community leaders and Lawrence herself to hear what happened before the incident, what might have prevented it from happening and give Lawrence more dimension than the video suggests.

Lawrence, who is now facing two counts of felony assault with a dangerous weapon, told the Phoenix the story was ruining her life and went on to offer some advice to TV crews, “When you’re dealing with the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or whoever — just dealing with victims of a shooting, period — have some compassion. Put yourself in their shoes. You know? Try to get a better understanding of what they’re going through and, like, approach them a different way. If they say ‘No,’ just understand: ‘No’ means ‘No.’”

You can read the entire article by clicking here. You can watch the video of the incident after the jump. Read more

Bob Tur, a Los Angeles helicopter reporter who covered the LA race riots and the O.J. Simpson chase, has come out as transgender.

Tur is the creator of Los Angeles News Service, which was the first news service to use a helicopter in a major city for coverage of live breaking news. She was the only reporter to capture footage of the attack on Reginald Denny during the L.A. race riots in 1992 and the first to locate and televise the O.J. Simpson freeway chase in 1994.

In an interview with KCBS, one of her former stations, Tur said she is undergoing hormone replacement therapy to fully transform from male to female. She will change her name from Robert to Zoey.

“People thought I was brave doing rescues, they thought I was brave doing news, flying helicopters,” Tur said. “Brave is being yourself. That’s brave. And for the first time in my life, I’m being brave.”

Tur’s daughter, Katy Tur, is a correspondent for NBC News in New York. Tur told KNX radio that his kids “were in a state of shock.”

“They have been going through this mourning process. Bob Tur has got to die,” she said. “And that’s going to happen within the next three or four months. There’s a mourning process, but they’ve been very, very supportive.”

Watch Tur’s interview with KCBS after the jump. Read more

This week, KRON is hiring someone for its assignment desk, while WISH needs a television master control operator. WRNN is seeking a videographer, and WHDH is on the hunt for an investigative/special projects reporter. Get the scoop on these openings and more below, and find additional just-posted gigs on Mediabistro.

• Assignment Desk KRON (San Francisco, CA)
• Television Master Control Operator WISH (Indianapolis, IN)
• Videographer WRNN (Rye Brook, NY)
• Investigative/Special Projects Reporter WHDH (Boston, MA)
• Digital Producer WGBH (Boston, MA)

Find more great TV jobs on the TVSpy job board. Looking to hire? Tap into our network of talented TVSpy pros and post a risk-free job listing. For real-time openings and employment news, follow @MBJobPost.

KyAnn Lewis has been named senior executive producer at KNTV, the NBC owned station in San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland.

Lewis is a former news director at KIAH in Houston and WHNS in Greenville, S.C. She has also held management and producer positions at KPTV and KGW in Portland, Ore. Most recently, she was the executive producer of “The Daily Buzz,” a syndicated morning newscast in Orlando.

“We are thrilled to have someone with KyAnn’s experience join the NBC Bay Area news team,” KNTV vice president of news Jonathan Mitchell said in a statement. “Her talent and passion for local journalism make her a perfect fit with our news management team.”

Lewis will oversee the editorial, production and promotion components of the station’s evening newscasts. She will begin at KNTV on July 22.

TVSpy has obtained a 10 point FAQ Gannett sent out to its employees talking about the company’s announced purchase of Belo Corp.

The memo covers everything from why Gannett is buying Belo to expected changes at selected stations,

As part of the deal, we are restructuring ownership of the Belo stations in 5 markets, Phoenix, St. Louis, Portland, Louisville and Tucson. We expect that the stations affected will be serviced by Gannett through shared service agreements or similar sharing arrangements.

The stations mentioned above are Belo’s KTVK in Phoenix, KMOV in St. Louis, KGW in Portland, OR, WHAS in Louisville, KY, and KMSB-KTTU in Tucson, AZ. Gannett owns KPNX in Phoenix and KSDK in St. Louis, but doesn’t own stations in Portland, OR, Louisville, KY, or Tucson, AZ.

You can read the entire memo after the jump. Read more

Joany D’Agostino joins KXRM, SOCO CW and Mundo Fox Sur-Co in Colorado Springs as vice president and director of media operations. She comes from rival KOAA, where she was marketing director.

John Gerard, the “Commuter Dude” traffic reporter at WXIA in Atlanta, is moving to sister station WATL as promotion manager.

To report a move, send an email to tvspy@mediabistro.com with the subject line “On the Move.”

LIN Media has announced the naming of René LaSpina as president and general manager of its Buffalo, NY, CBS affiliate WIVB and CW affiliate WNLO.

“I am excited about joining one of the most respected and forward-thinking multimedia companies in the country that has a long history of investing in its products people and communities,” said LaSpina in a statement. “I am very fond of Buffalo, having lived in New York state for five years, and I am eager to work with the talented staff and management at WIVB-TV and WNLO-TV and achieve new levels of success.”

LaSpina takes over for Chris Musial who retired recently. She last worked as vice president and general manager for Nexstar’s Memphis and Jackson, TN, stations WPTY (now WATN), WLMT and WJKT. She has also managed stations in Albany, NY, Minneapolis, MN and Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Cheryl Chodun has announced her retirement from WXYZ, the ABC affiliate in Detroit.

Chodun started at WXYZ in 1978 as a news writer. She went on to be a radio reporter before re-joining WXYZ as an on-air reporter in 1988.

“This has been an amazing career,” Chodun said in a statement. “I have met so many fascinating people, I have told so many interesting and unbelievable stories.  I feel as passionate now about what we do as I did the day I started.  There is no question I am going to miss this, but I look forward to what I hope will be an exciting and fulfilling next chapter.”

Chodun said she plans to spend time with her family and volunteer. She also hopes to teach journalism. She will sign off from WXYZ on July 26.

Gannett is acquiring Belo Corp. for approximately $1.5 billion. With Gannett’s assumption of $715 million in existing Belo debt, the deal rounds out to being worth nearly $2.2 billion. The boards of both companies approved the acquisition last night.

Gannett will now become the nation’s fourth-largest owner of major network affiliates reaching nearly a third of all U.S. households and nearly doubling Gannett TV stations from 23 to 43, including stations that are part of shared services agreements. Belo stations include affiliations with ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and the CW, stretching from Seattle to Charlotte including affiliates in the big four markets of Texas. When it’s all said and done, Gannett will become the #1 CBS affiliate group, the #4 ABC affiliate group, and will expand its already #1 NBC affiliate group position.

“We are thrilled to bring together two highly respected media companies with rich histories of award-winning journalism, operational excellence and strong brand leadership,” said Gannett CEO Gracia Martore. “We have been successfully transforming Gannett into a diversified multi-media company with broadcast, digital and publishing components across high-growth markets nationwide, and this is another important step in the process.”

The deal is 28% premium to the closing price of Belo stock yesterday.

Developing…

WSMV weekend anchor and reporter Jonathan Martin is leaving the Nashville NBC affiliate. A formal announcement is expected on Martin’s plans in the coming weeks, TVSpy has learned. He will work at WSMV through the end of the July.

“His hard work, tenacity, team spirit and his thorough, responsible, and creative approach to news have made him a great fit for WSMV, and he’ll be missed,” WSMV news director Matthew Hilk wrote in a memo to staffers.

Martin joined WSMV in 2007. Before that, he spent two years as a reporter and anchor at WRDW, the CBS affiliate in Augusta, Ga.