local news

Patrick Crawford, a morning show meteorologist at the Gannett NBC affiliate was shot multiple times in the parking lot of the station this morning. He was taken to Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, where he underwent surgery. Police are still searching for the suspect.

While the public can get weather info on their phones and other devices, TV plays a crucial role by putting the nuts-and-bolts of weather reports in perspective. However, the abundance of user-generated content that pours into newsrooms via social media — most notably Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — has been particularly transformative by widening the breadth of what broadcasters can cover. 

The Harlingen, Texas, Telemundo outlet promotes him from executive producer.

You’ll see new anchors, a new set and a new slogan when you tune into ABC affiliate WOI Des Moines, Iowa, next month. The revamped broadcast is the result of a promise from new owner Nexstar Broadcasting Group to invest in the station, which has consistently finished a distant third in the ratings behind KCCI and WHO.

The weekday broadcast launches Jan. 12 and will be anchored by veteran WLS anchors Hosea Sanders and Linda Yu, sports anchor Jim Rose and meteorologist Cheryl Scott.

Local TV news may not be facing the existential crisis that has decimated the newspaper industry yet, but the older demographic it attracts is dying and younger audiences aren’t exhibiting nearly the same loyalty, emphasizes Jeff Jarvis, professor and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism. He cited data from the Pew Research Center that saw 18-to-29-year-olds dropping from 48% to 33% in just six years when asked if they watched TV news the night before.

With acquisitions, programming moves and strategies that boosted collaborations between broadcasters, while also bringing viewers increasingly into the mix, TV news crews were well poised to cover some of 2014’s biggest local stories. And national news broadcasters officially moved into the digital age in 2014, launching newscasts designed specifically for cyberspace. This is the first part of TVNewsCheck’s annual look back at the year. Tomorrow in Part 2 we’ll reprise the major developments in business, regulation, programming and new media. Part 3, the year’s big stories in technology, will be featured on Thursday at noon, while Part 4 on Friday will highlight the media luminaries who died during the year.

The weather service is now providing 24/7 weather reporting to WZTV Nashville, WTVC Chattanooga and KOKH Oklahoma City.

KAZT, Londen Media Group’s independent station serving Phoenix-Prescott, Ariz. (DMA 11), produces The Morning Scramble, a live morning show that originate the first 30 minutes from its Phoenix studio for […]

At most electronic news operations there are too many silos of information journalists must comb through to get the media and other elements needed to do their jobs. A panel of experts from Nexstar, Sinclair, CNN and WNET explain what needs to change and why.

Meteorologist Cheryl Scott has joined ABC-owned WLS Chicago (DMA 3).  Scott will work alongside meteorologists Jerry Taft, Tracy Butler, Mike Caplan and Phil Schwarz and will fill in during various […]

Charlie Langton has been promoted to weekend morning anchor for Fox-owned WJBK Detroit (DMA 12). Langton will continue to co-host the public affairs show Let It Rip that airs Thursday […]

After nearly three decades serving the viewers and communities of Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware, reporter Lu Ann Cahn will be retiring from NBC-owned WCAU Philadelphia (DMA 4). Cahn’s last […]

Effective immediately, Hearst-owned ABC affiliate KOCO Oklahoma City (DMA 44) has a new weekday morning anchor team. Erielle Reshef and Abigail Ogle join In The Morning with meteorologist Brad Sowder. […]

KCAL, the CBS owned independent for Los Angeles is cutting its hour long newscast at 2 p.m. and its half-hour at 3 p.m. before the New Year. No one was laid off in the newscast cuts. A station spokesperson said the station is shuffling the staff of the 2 and 3 p.m. newscasts over to the KCBS 5 and 6 p.m. broadcasts.

Fox-owned KTTV Los Angeles (DMA 2) has promoted Ruben Villaescusa to assistant news director. Villaescusa has worked at KTTV for 21 years as a writer, producer and assignment editor. Most recently, […]

Tribune CW affiliate WGN Chicago (DMA 3) today named Aline Cox executive producer of its six-hour WGN Morning News, effective immediately. Cox is replacing Sandy Pudar, who was recently elevated […]

Anchor David James today announ his retirement from Raycom Media’s NBC affiliate WFIE Evansville, Ind. (DMA 103). “After 41 years, I’m announcing my retirement from the station atop Mount Auburn […]

LIN-owned WISH Indianapolis (DMA 27) has added meteorologist Eboni Deon to its WISH-TV Storm Track 8 Team. Eboni joins the station as meteorologist for its 6, 10 and 11 weekend […]

The Atlantic City, N.J., station owned by LocusPoint Networks will no longer broadcast NBC programming after Dec. 31. And its familiar local newscast — operated by the Linwood, N.J.-based Access.1 under contract with  LocusPoint — will go away at the same time. WMGM said Access.1 would would take the current news, sales, management and administration teams and seek a new broadcast channel to continue operations.

The KRIV Houston reporter is making a name for himself with solid investigative reporting. But he also doesn’t overlook the fact that his work can have real consequences on the people in his stories. “You have to realize these are people,” Carey says, adding that he weighs every aspect of a story because even a piece “about a bad guy affects families. I try to be that way. Because once you lose that, I think you’ve lost yourself.”

The former news director of WGHP High Point, N.C., will head news operations at Fox Television Stations’ WJZY-WMYT duopoly.

On Monday, Jan. 12, Scripps-owned ABC affiliate WFTS Tampa, Fla. (DMA 13), will expand its morning newscast. The addition of ABC Action News at 4:30 a.m. and ABC Action News […]