The MediabistroTV crew got an inside look at Meredith’s Midtown Manhattan lair.  While you may know Meredith for its 12 local TV Stations, it also publishes magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and Fitness and also produces a nationally syndicated lifestyle show called, the “Better Show.”

“Better” co-host Audra Lowe showed off Meredith’s state-of-the-art TV studio that comes complete with a Mohawk red carpet that can withstand the nastiest celebrity spill, a green room the size of some Manhattan apartments and a test kitchen where Meredith’s staff of chefs dream up recipes to rival what mom used to make, only ‘Better.’

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Meredith today reported its fiscal 2012 third quarter earnings, announcing a 10% increase in total revenue during the period for its local media group, which consists of 12 stations around the country, including WGCL in Atlanta and KPHO in Phoenix.

Meredith’s local media group brought in $78 million during the period, with a 5% rise in non-political advertising revenue and a 70% increase in digital advertising.

“Our Local Media group is doing an excellent job of increasing ratings and translating them into advertising revenues, consistently ranking us among the leading station groups in advertising revenue gains,” Meredith local media group president Paul Karpowicz said in a statement. Read more

According to a new study from Borrell Associates, local television stations racked up $1.97 billion in online ad revenue in 2011, a 41 percent increase over the previous year. The study predicts an even better 2012. Broadcasting & Cable has details:

Stations are forecasted to blow past the $2 billion threshold this year. Borrell Associates forecasts $2.7 billion in local TV online revenue, a 35% increase over 2011. Borrell revealed the numbers in its new Benchmarking Local Online Media survey.

“Local TV broadcasters continue to grow online ad revenue at an impressive clip,” said the study, which singled out Gray Television and Meredith for growing revenue at a 50% rate in the last half of 2011, along with LIN, Nexstar and Gannett for their digital gains as well.

Hena Daniels has returned to WFSB after a two-year run with WGCL in Atlanta.

Daniels first joined the Hartford CBS-affiliate in 2005, working as a general assignment reporter before becoming a weekend anchor in 2008. She left in 2010 for a reporting job at WGCL (both WFSB and WGCL are owned by Meredith).

Daniels had been filling in at the WGCL anchor desk recently but she says that the offer of a full-time anchor spot is what persuaded her to return to WFSB.

“I’m thrilled to be back,” Daniels told TVSpy today via email. Read more

After hiring a retired FBI agent to conduct a thorough investigation, WADL fired Kevin O’Brien this week, just two months after the Detroit independent station hired him as a consultant to “aggressively make changes.”

WADL issued a press release this week announcing O’Brien’s termination, saying that he had violated “numerous corporate policies.”

“I am deeply saddened that in this day and age this type of behavior still exists,” WADL CEO Kevin Adell said in a statement, without going into specifics.  “I have zero tolerance for this, and I will personally disgorge any money paid to Mr. O’Brien as a consultant for the past two months.”

So what happened? Read more

Meredith, which owns 12 stations across the country, announced its second quarter earnings today, reporting a 13.5% drop in revenue for its local media group.

Meredith’s local unit took in $84 million for the period, compared to $97 million for its Q2 last year.  The company attributes the decline to a decrease in political advertising compared to a year ago–Meredith recorded  $21 million less of political advertising revenue for the quarter.

Non-political advertising revenues rose 9% in the second quarter, with Meredith’s stations in Atlanta (WGCL), Hartford (WFSB), Las Vegas (KVVU), and Portland (KPTV) performing the best. Read more

Meredith reported results for the first quarter of its fiscal year this morning, announcing a drop in revenue for the company’s local media group.

Meredith, which owns 12 stations across the country including WGCL in Atlanta and KPHO in Phoenix, reported $69 million in total revenues for its local media group, compared to $76 million brought in during the same period last year.

In announcing financial results for the quarter, Meredith was quick to point out that its TV stations recorded approximately $11 million less in political advertising revenues than in the same period last year. Excluding political advertising, revenues rose 3%. Read more

“Fiscal 2011 was a year of revenue gains and strong growth,” announced Meredith chairman and CEO Stephen M. Lacy in reporting his company’s annual financial results today.

Meredith’s local media group, which encompasses 12 stations and their websites, saw respectable gains in fiscal 2011, driven by an overall increase in automotive advertising as well as a big boost from political advertising. Meredith set a company record for political advertising revenues last year with $35 million, sparked by strong spending at stations in Hartford, Las Vegas, Portland, and Kansas City.

Non-political advertising revenues were up 4% for the year at $256 million.

For the fourth quarter, Meredith’s local media group saw revenues of $78 million–a $1 million increase over the same period last year. Although political advertising dipped $3.2 million from Q4 2010, non-political advertising was up 3%.

Meredith Corporation reported its fiscal 2011 third quarter earnings today, announcing that its Local Media Group saw a 5% gain in non-political advertising revenues on top of a 16% gain compared to the same period a year ago.

Meredith chairman and CEO Stephen Lacy said that the local media division, which includes 12 stations across the country, posted “solid growth” in the quarter.

Looking forward to the next quarter, Lacy pointed out that on March 28th, Meredith’s Atlanta CBS-affiliate (WGCL) began managing the day-to-day operations of Turner Broadcasting’s Peachtree TV (WPCH).  “This strategic partnership with Turner provides Meredith with access to a larger share of the growing Atlanta advertising marketplace because of Peachtree’s younger viewership; a strong lineup of sports programming; and increased inventory in both access and prime-time dayparts,” Lacy said.  “Additionally, it raises our overall profile in Atlanta, the No. 8 television market in the country.”

WSHM, a CBS-affiliate serving the Springfield area of western Massachusetts, announced this week that Dave Ward would lead its newsroom.

Ward, who most recently worked as assignment manager at WFSB in the nearby Hartford-New Haven market, succeeds Doug Lezette as news director.  Lezette left WSHM earlier this year to join Providence’s WJAR.

“Dave’s depth of experience and talents will enhance CBS 3 Springfield’s continued growth and success,” said WSHM (channel 3) station manager John Hesslein. “He has played a major role in developing strong and lasting community relationships in Connecticut and I look forward to that same success in Springfield.”

Ward, a native of Massachusetts, said that he is looking forward to working with the “talented professionals” at WSHM to “engage the community with a wide range of stories.”

Both WSHM and WFSB are owned by Meredith.