Journalism

It’s not every day you watch someone stop a truck mid-air, in the middle of a tornado. Albert Martinez, Emmy-award winning chief meteorologist for Univision’s network news, may not be a superhero, but his knack for augmented reality (AR) helps his weather explainers fly off the screen. In addition to that flying truck, Martinez has withstood Category 5 hurricane winds, crashed a car off a bridge, submerged himself in nine feet of dirty flood water, and started a wildfire in the Univision studio. Martinez has his own theory about why his unconventional weather explainers are so popular with viewers.

The former WPIX news director is tapped to oversee all of the cable news network’s editorial operations.

A conversation with the Doocys, longtime broadcaster Steve and his son Peter, the network’s White House correspondent.

Employees at MSNBC, the 24-hour cable news channel with a slate of prominent liberal anchors, said on Thursday that they planned to form a union representing about 315 workers including producers, bookers, writers and fact checkers. The announcement is the latest example of a workers’ rights movement that has swept major media organizations, as print, digital and broadcast journalists seek to unionize amid a precarious outlook for their industry.

Christy Tanner, one of CBS News’ top streaming executives, is leaving the company after eight years. Tanner announced her exit Thursday morning. Tanner, who joined CBS News during the advent of the streaming era, is one of the architects of CBSN, the company’s free streaming news channel. In her role as executive vice president and general manager of CBS News Digital, Tanner oversaw CBS News across all digital platforms, including CBSNews.com. Tanner is the latest high-ranking female executive to leave ViacomCBS in the last few months.

So much local news coverage is tied to the news cycle at a time when audiences are also expecting insights, context, impact, and an understanding of stories as they unfold. This means that the 700-plus local TV news stations across the country are increasingly missing opportunities. But it’s not too late. Here’s an n-depth look at data topline takeaways for how graphics and animation can enhance local TV news storytelling, offering a powerful case for breaking the mold.

Margaret Sullivan: “You may have a hard time understanding how Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head and Tom Hanks are connected, but that probably just means you haven’t been watching nearly enough Fox News recently.”

President Joe Biden finished up his post-Vladimir Putin summit press conference with a flash of visible irritation at a question posed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Later, before he boarded Air Force One for his flight back to Washington, he spoke to reporters and said, “I owe my last questioner an apology. I shouldn’t have been such a wiseguy for the answer I gave.”

It marks the newest expansion of major market local news streaming services from CBS and features local news content produced by KOVR and KMAX.

TVNewsCheck is sharing installments of “How To,” our original video series that solicits innovative, practical and actionable advice from TV experts in news, technology, sales and marketing. TV creatives, put your thinking caps on and tell us what topics you’d like to see explained.

Executives from CNN, The Weather Channel, Brainstorm and Planar will talk about how broadcasters are using augmented reality to enhance storytelling during a July 15 TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar that will also explore how broadcasters are using virtual reality to create the next generation of news, weather and sports sets. Register here.

KRIV Houston reporter Ivory Hecker on Monday went off script during a 5 p.m. broadcast, alleging that she is being muzzled by the network and will release secret recordings of “what goes on behind the scenes at Fox.” The station on Tuesday confirmed that she is no longer with Fox 26. A station spokesperson said: “This incident involves nothing more than a disgruntled former employee seeking publicity by promoting a false narrative produced through selective editing and misrepresentation.”