Fox has made two executive appointments at anticipated Charlotte duopoly WJZY-WMYT. Jay Abbattista will be vice president of sales and Lynda Grahl will be vice president of finance.

Both Abbattista and Grahl come from Fox O&Os. Abbattista, who will begin on April 29, was previously the local sales manager at Fox-owned WTTG in Washington, D.C. He has also worked at a previous Fox O&O, WBRC in Birmingham, as general sales manager.

“Jay has a proven track record of success, having worked in a variety of sales positions across many markets,” VP-GM Karen Adams said in a statement. “His drive and passion made him the ideal candidate; I am delighted to welcome him to our team.”

Grahl, who begins on April 22, has been the vice president finance for Fox’s Detroit O&O, WJBK, since 2008.

“My family and I are very excited to be moving to the Charlotte community; I can’t wait to begin working with the team at our duopoly stations,” Grahl said.

Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ has added three new reporters: Ronnie Dahl (left), Andy Choi (center) and Nima Shaffe (right).

“We are incredibly proud of our award-winning staff at 7 Action News, and excited to add the journalistic talents of Ronnie, Andy and Nima to our team,” WXYZ VP-GM Ed Fernandez said in a statement.

Dahl comes from rival WJBK, Detroit’s Fox O&O. She previously worked at WXYZ as a special projects producer, as well as at WUPW in Toledo and WSYM in Lansing, Mich.

Choi, who will be a multimedia journalist at WXYZ, comes to Detroit from Madison, Wisc., where he was a reporter and anchor at WISC.

Shaffe joins the station from KCTV in Kansas City, where he has been a general assignment reporter for two years. He has also worked at KMTV in Omaha, KKTV in Colorado Springs and KQTV in St. Joseph, Mo.

Dahl has already begun in her new role at WXYZ. Choi and Shaffe begin in early April.

WJBK investigative reporter Charlie LeDuff was involved in a physical confrontation Sunday after the Detroit St. Patrick’s Day parade. A police report of the incident obtained by rival station WXYZ says LeDuff “urinated in public, insulted female police officers, got into a brawl, and bit a security guard who tried to break it up.”

According to WXYZ, the security guard, who spoke through his attorney Linda Bernard, saw LeDuff urinating on the street near a private tent party. The security guard, hired for the tent party, said he brought LeDuff into the tent to “help him out.” According to his account, LeDuff then made “very unsavory” comments to three female Detroit police officers. The security guard said the party’s host tried to intervene, at which point the security guard stepped in to break up the fight, according to WXYZ:

“The host of the party came over to him and said, ‘Did you really say what you just said?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I said it.’ And then he spit in his face. He spit in the host’s face,” said Bernard. That’s when the security guard tried to separate the two men.

“Mr. LeDuff then bites down on Sunny’s hand causing him significant injury,” said Bernard.

They say that it didn’t stop there. LeDuff allegedly promised to stop fighting. But once on his feet, he went after the host again. The police report says LeDuff’s brother Frank joined the fracas.

ABC affiliate WXYZ spoke to LeDuff about the incident. “I was offered to come have a drink, it turned into a fight, trying to get guys off me and my brother, and that’s the way it is. No hard feeling on my end,” he said.

Fox O&O WJBK reported the story on its 10 p.m. newscast Tuesday, saying LeDuff was “involved in a physical confrontation with a security guard.” Read more

FOX Television Stations has announced “TMZ Live,” a one hour show that takes viewers inside the TMZ newsroom, will now air on all of its FOX stations.

FOX has been slowly adding the show to its station group since March 2012.  After a test run in the Los Angeles market on KTTV, it soon expanded into Phoenix (KSAZ), Boston (WFXT) Chicago (WFLD), Dallas (KDFW), Detroit (WJBK) and Minneapolis (KMSP). Beginning next Fall, FOX will air the show on its remaining stations including New York (WNYW), Philadelphia (WTXF), Washington, D.C (WTTG), Atlanta (WAGA), Houston (KRIV), Tampa (WTVT) and Orlando (WOFL).

“The distribution roll-out of “TMZ Live” is as unconventional and unique as the show itself,” said Ken Werner, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. “This slow approach has translated into a strong and loyal daily audience, time period increases and younger demos.  It’s also created a demand in the markets where the series does not yet air.” Read more

Fox Television Stations has named Dennis Welsh the vice president and general manager of WFLD-WPWR, the Fox-owned stations in Chicago.

Welsh is a longtime Fox executive who has been general manager of WOFL-WOGX, the Fox-owned stations in Orlando, since 2010. He replaces Mike Renda, who has been named general manager of WJBK in Detroit.

After announcing Renda’s appointment in Detroit Friday morning, Renda returned to Chicago with Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy. The pair are announcing Welsh’s WFLD appointment to members of the station at 2:30pmET/1:30CT and are expected to address the newsroom later this afternoon.

“It’s a privilege to join a FOX duopoly that is home to top-rated syndicated brands, the Chicago Bears and an aggressive news team,” Welsh said in a statement. “The station has accomplished a great deal over the last few years but there is still much we can achieve and I can’t wait to get started.”

Before working in Orlando, Welsh spent eight years as vice president and director of sales for Dallas Fox O&O KDFW. He has also worked as vice president and director of sales for Fox Station Sales in New York and as VP-GM of WJW in Cleveland, which was owned by Fox when he worked there.

“Dennis brings an impressive range of sales and local news experience,” Abernethy said. “He has done a tremendous job in Orlando and I am confident his leadership will elevate FOX Chicago to the next level.”

Welsh will begin at WFLD on January 7. The release from Fox is after the jump. Read more

Breaking: After three years as general manager of WFLD in Chicago, Mike Renda is jumping to another Fox O&O. Effective January 7, Renda will be the VP-GM at WJBK in Detroit.

Renda and Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy are announcing the news to the WJBK newsroom at 9:30amET. The pair are expected to travel to Chicago later today to announce who will succeed Renda at WFLD.

“I feel honored to have the opportunity to lead the #1 station in Detroit, known for its edgy, unconventional and hard-hitting news product,” Renda said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing the station’s legacy of serving Detroit.”

Prior to working at WFLD, Renda spent two years as the VP-GM of WTXF, the Fox O&O in Philadelphia. He has also been VP-GM of WJW in Cleveland, which was owned by Fox when he worked there.

“Mike has proven his great leadership abilities at three FOX-owned stations over a fifteen-year tenure,” Abernethy said in a statement. “Regardless of the roles he’s held, he always inspires his team to be better, work smarter and think differently. There is no person better qualified to take charge of our premier Detroit station than him.”

Renda replaces Jeff Murri, who died in February.

Read the full release from Fox after the jump. Read more

Iris Perez is joining Minneapolis Fox O&O KMSP as a general assignment reporter.

Perez will report for the 9 and 10 p.m. newscasts. She will begin in Minneapolis on November 26.

“Iris is an award-winning reporter, with a dynamic personality and compelling style. Her no-nonsense reporting and ability to seek out stories that are of concern to viewers made her the ideal candidate for this position,” KMSP vice president and news director Bill Dallman said in a statement.

Perez most recently was the host of “Vital Signs” on Detroit’s public television station, DPTV. She has also worked as a reporter and writer for WBJK, the Fox O&O in Detroit.

Al Allen has announced his retirement from WJBK, the Fox O&O in Detroit. Allen was interviewed about his long career at WJBK by reporter Jason Carr (video above).

“No more overpasses, no more hats, scarves and gloves,” Allen said. “No more snow when the freeways are all messed up — you see me out there, my face turns white, my coat turns white. I’m going to be gone. I’ll just sit home and watch TV, and it’s warm, and drink my tea and be happy.”

Allen, who has worked at the station since 1984, will sign off from WJBK December 7.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Detroit Free Press reporter M.L. Elrick is leaving the newspaper to join Detroit Fox O&O WJBK as an investigative reporter.

“Elrick’s passion for exposing wrongdoing and standing up for our community fits perfectly with FOX 2’s problem solver team mantra,” WJBK vice president and news director Dana Hahn said, announcing the hiring.  “His experience, knowledge, and passion for Detroit will enhance our already powerful investigative unit.”

Elrick shared a 2009 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick‘s series of scandals. Read more

WJBK investigative reporter Charlie LeDuff says his favorite thing about golfing the length of Detroit is that the finished product is “anti-local TV.”

“It’s 11 minutes long. There’s no story there. No one was murdered, we’re not at the scene of an arson. It’s just taking a walk and trying to take a look at the city,” LeDuff told TVSpy in a recent interview. “I needed to take all that stuff I had been writing about — the fire department, the police department, municipal contracts, county corruption, that whole thing, and sort of put together a letter, some kind of commentary about who we are and how we live.”

The end result is what LeDuff calls a “sweet and sour” look at the Detroit — a trip through the city’s empty, dilapidated blocks, with some lighthearted moments along the way. Read more