Pro wrestler Hulk Hogan stopped by Tampa CBS affiliate WTSP this week to show off his 24-inch “pythons,” call people from Miami “lunatics,” and promote his restaurant, his line of vitamins and TNA Impact Wrestling.

WTSP meteorologist Bobby Deskins painted on a fake Hoganesque mustache and made only one steroid reference as he guided Hogan through the weathercast. “I’m juicing by the way, can you tell?” asked Deskins. “What kind of juice you taking?” asked Hogan. “Carrot juice or Orange juice?”

[Yardbarker]

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Ginger Gadsden

Gadsden, who joined the CBS affiliate in 2006, anchors the morning and noon newscasts. She cited the early-morning schedule as a reason for her departure.

“I don’t think your body is made to wake up at 2 a.m., no matter how long you do it,” Gadsden told Deggans. “But (WTSP) has solid anchors in the evening; if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, I understand. I’m just grateful I got a chance to work with such great people.”

Weekend morning anchor Allison Kropff will replace Gadsden on the morning newscast.

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WTVJ

Beginning today, Jawan Strader (left) replaces Keith Jones (right) as co-anchor of the weekday morning newscast. Strader joined WTVJ in August after a decade at rival WFOR, where he was also the morning anchor. At WTVJ, Strader will join Pam Giganti at the anchor desk.

Jones will shift to weekends, where he will take Strader’s place anchoring the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on Saturday and Sunday. Jones was hired in June from WTSP in Tampa.

The online bios for Strader and Jones were updated Friday evening to reflect the new assignments. [h/t NewsBlues]

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Ken Tonning

Tonning came to the Tampa CBS affiliate four year ago, making changes along the way that may have pushed the edge of traditional journalism. “You’ve got to make sure you’re providing information the way viewers want,” Tonning told the Times. “It’s that kind of stepping out and getting noticed that makes a difference.”

The 68-year-old general manager is credited with returning the station to its “10 News” brand, adding a more in-your-face style of reporting reminiscent of the style seen in South Florida, and adding a 9:00 a.m. newscast focused on issues important to women. continued…

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“When the Petraeus resignation story broke nationally last Friday, a senior reporter in the newsroom remarked it’s just a matter of time before this becomes a Tampa story,” WTSP news director Peter Roghaar told TVSpy. “He was spot on.”

Sure enough, over the weekend, Tampa socialite Jill Kelley emerged as a central figure in the scandal, which continues to unfold even six days later. For WTSP, that means taking a two-pronged approach to local and national coverage.

“We have seven reporters actively reporting on-air, plus several more reporters and producers working off-air making calls, gathering documents and checking with sources,” Roghaar said. continued…

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Obama for America has bought up more than $181,000 in ad time from Tampa stations for the week of the convention, Politico reports.  Obama’s campaign team spent $73,720 for 49 spots on Tampa CBS-affiliate WTSP, $54,500 for 75 spots on ABC-affiliate WFTS, and $53,750 for 42 spots on NBC-affiliate WFLA.

The Republican National Convention will be held August 27-30 in Tampa.  Recent poll numbers show Obama with a slight edge in Florida.

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Keith Jones, who was recently announced as the new morning anchor at WTVJ in Miami, said goodbye to WTSP in Tampa this morning (video above).

“This is honestly the most fun I’ve ever had in my career,” Jones said.  “All the places I’ve worked, all the crews that I’ve worked with, I’ve never had so much fun as I’ve had here.”

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Keith Jones

Jones joins WTVJ from WTSP in Tampa, where he has anchored the morning and noon newscasts for the past three years. He replaces Adam Kuperstein, who recently moved from mornings to evenings at WTVJ.

“Keith’s strong reporting and anchoring background will make him a valuable addition to NBC 6 News,” WTVJ president and general manager Manuel Martinez said in a statement. “We’re excited to have our morning team in place.” continued…

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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.

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“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. continued…

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Chris Ford

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.

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Michaelsen replaces longtime WCPO news director Bob Morford, who announced his plans to leave the station at the beginning of the year.

“Lane is exactly the news director this market needs right now, and we’re very pleased to have his talent and experience in our newsroom,” WCPO vice president and general manager Steve Thaxton said, announcing the hiring. “His deep understanding of journalism and the tenets of serving communities will make a major impact on our team and the Tri-State.” continued…

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Michaelsen told Rick Gevers & Associates he wanted to “see what else is out there.” His departure comes just three days after NBC named Manuel Martínez the new president and general manager of WTVJ.

Michaelsen joined WTVJ in 2009 from WUSA, where he was vice president in charge of the information center. He was previously news director at WTSP in Tampa and KTHV in Little Rock-Pine Bluff.

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Cavender is a former director of news and public affairs at WGCL in Atlanta, as well as vice president of news at WUSA in Washington, DC and WTSP in Tampa. Most recently, he was the vice president of client solutions for Synaptic Digital, a media creation and distribution platform.

“Throughout my news career, I’ve benefited greatly from the support and guidance of the RTDNA/F,” Cavender said in a statement. “It’s a tremendous honor to lead this great organization that has for decades been so important to me and thousands of electronic journalists.”

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A South Florida native, King has been with KSAZ since 2004 and currently serves as the station’s weekend meteorologist.

King will be replacing Jim Van Fleet, who recently left WOFL after 10 years with the station to become the chief meteorologist at WTSP in Tampa.

While Van Fleet started with his new station this week, WOFL has yet to designate a start date for King.

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