WPEC weekend anchor Juan Carlos Fanjul is leaving the West Palm Beach CBS affiliate, according to Gossip Extra’s Jose Lambiet.

According to Lambiet, Fanjul wants to “seek other opportunities.” The departure comes seven months after Fanjul was was moved from weekday mornings to weekend evenings at WPEC. His last broadcast was Sunday.

Prior to joining WPEC in 2008, Fanjul worked at WGN in Chicago, WSVN in Miami and WHBF in Rock Island, Ill.

Julie Durda, who signed off in September from Miami’s WSVN, is joining rival WPLG.

Bill Pohovey, the news director of the Miami ABC affiliate, announced the news in an email to WPLG staffers Tuesday morning.

“Most of you have heard the rumors … today I can confirm them,” Pohovey wrote. “Julie Durda is joining the Local 10 Weather Team. Julie was one of the most popular weather anchors in the market while she was at WSVN and we are thrilled she’s joining WPLG.”

In his note, Pohovey also said Michael Smith, who is the weekend evening meteorologist, will be leaving the station.

“We want to thank Michael for his dedication and wish him continued success,” Pohovey wrote.

Durda will begin on the air in April, likely because she is sitting out a non-compete clause in her WSVN contract. Despite Smith’s departure, Pohovey said her WLPG assignment has not yet been finalized.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel recruited celebrities including local news anchors from around South Florida to read “Twas The Night Before Christmas” in a video mash-up.

Included in on the holiday fun were Adam Kuperstein and Jackie Nespral from NBC owned WTVJ, Laurie Jennings and Calvin Hughes from Miami ABC affiliate WPLG, Belkys Nerey and Craig Stevens from Miami FOX affiliate WSVN along with John Discepolo and Liz Quirantes from CBS affiliate WPEC in West Palm Beach.

The video also featured players from the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the NBA’s Miami Heat and even fight promoter Don King. Watch the video after the jump. Read more

A man driving a U-Haul truck led police on a high-speed chase through the streets of Miami Friday afternoon.

Two of the Miami stations, ABC affiliate WPLG and Fox affiliate WSVN, were in the middle of the noon newscasts when the news broke. WSVN was the first to start following the chase at 12:21 p.m., with photographer Ralph Rayburn in its chopper and Alexis Rivera and Christine Cruz at the anchor desk. WPLG began covering it at 12:35 p.m. with Constance Jones anchoring. Read more

SFLTV is reporting Vivian Gonzalez will be the new weekday morning meteorologist for WSVN.

Gonzales, who is currently the weekend morning meteorologist at the Miami FOX affiliate, will fill the slot left by Julie Durda‘s departure in October.

Gonzalez is a Miami native who joined WSVN as a weather producer in 2005.  She was promoted to weather anchor in 2007.

Blake Burman, a WSVN reporter turned a ‘gee whiz’ moment for viewers into an ‘oops’ moment for himself after having difficulty identifying will.i.am during the station’s election coverage last night.

After the Miami FOX affiliate anchors Belkys Nerey and Craig Stevens tossed to him from the studio, Burman, who was standing live at Obama Headquarters, said he had no new info. Instead, he asked the camera to pan over to show viewers that will.i.am was standing next to him being interviewed by another TV crew.

Burman nodded his head in will.i.am’s direction and said, “That’s Wyclef Jean giving an interview.”  He then compounded the mistake after being corrected by someone off camera.  “I’m sorry?” said Burman who leaned in to hear the correction.  “Who i…?  Wale.  Excuse me Wale.  Got my artists mixed up.”  But the problem for Burman was, it was still will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

[sfltv.com]

Alexa Helms has joined Miami FOX affiliate WSVN as a general assignment reporter.

Helms, who left the NBC and CBS affiliates KTSM-KDBC in El Paso, TX in August, was a weekend anchor and reporter.

She is best known for her seven-month investigative series on Hispanic students being forced out of a high school in the El Paso Independent School District.  The series launched and investigation by both the FBI and the U.S. Department of Education.

[sfltv.com]

WQAM, a Miami sports radio station, chose a unique and slightly tuneful way to say goodbye to former WSVN meteorologist Julie Durda, who left the Miami FOX affiliate two weeks ago Friday.

According to sfltv.com, the tribute is sung/spoken by “Joe Rose Show” producer Zach Krantz and is loosely based on Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind”.  The song chronicles the sports talk radio show’s relationship struggles with the former WSVN meteorologist.  Joe Rose is both the host of the show on WQAM and a sports anchor at Miami’s NBC owned station WTVJ.

The song references a spat between Rose and Durda which caused the erstwhile meteorologist to delete her twitter account.  A string of tweets showing what appears to be Durda’s frustration with the sports radio hosts attention to her clothing is posted on sfltv.com.

[sfltv.com]

Julie Durda, the WSVN morning meteorologist who had planned to leave the Miami FOX affiliate in December will sign off this Friday instead.

On her facebook page Durda told viewers, “I will NOT be on (WSVN) after this Friday.  I can tell you this is not the last you will see of me.”  You can see the screen shot of the complete post after the jump.

Durda, who recently married a WSVN staffer, had originally planned to let her contract run out in December.  According to gossipextra.com, FOX publicist Lily Pardo said Durda is leaving of her own accord. “Julie recently got married and asked us if she could take a break and leave early to start her honeymoon, and we wanted to accommodate her.”

Read more

Rosh Lowe, a reporter for Miami’s WSVN, used his family’s misfortune as part of his story about thieves who snatch women’s purses while the women are pumping gas.

Lowe’s wife fell victim to the thieves the day before the report aired.  The story, also posted on the Miami FOX affiliate’s website, describes what happened,

Surveillance video caught the crime on camera Sunday. As Lowe’s wife pumped gas, the thieves pulled up next to her Honda Pilot in a white Chevy Impala. While she is distracted pumping gas, the thieves strike by opening the passenger door. “I was just pumping gas, looking at the gas pump,” she said.

Police say they are still looking for the suspects.  You can watch the video of the story after the jump.

Read more