| —
Headlines
from the TV news industry in
the northeast U.S.
and across the country. — Top News: Rather signs off with "courage," 2 Midwest newsrooms shut down "It seems so unfair to have a very good channel just go off the air." - Fort Wayne resident on the end of news at WISE-33 |
 "CBS
Evening News" anchor Dan Rather, 74, who covered
the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam War, Watergate, Iraq and hurricanes
but has been best known recently for his role in a story on President
Bush's national guard service that was apparently based on false
documents, stepped down from the anchor desk last night after more than
two decades. "We've shared a lot in the 24 years we've been meeting
here each evening," Rather said in his farewell at the end of last
night's broadcast,
"and before I say good night this night, I need to say thank you."
Following the botched report, Rather is reportedly being pushed out a
year before he wanted to leave, but is set to continue reporting for
"60 Minutes Wednesday," which featured the controversial story. Rather
was eventually forced to apologize for the report on air, but made no
mention of it during his farewell Wednesday, instead returning to his
short-lived former sign-off "courage." Veteran correspondent Bob
Schieffer is slated to take over the show until a new format is
unveiled. Peter Jennings is now the last of the "Big 3" anchors still
around after Tom Brokaw's retirement from NBC's network newscast last
year. |
|
Two TV news
operations in the Midwest have been closed after the Federal
Communications Commission approved
a cost-cutting d
 eal
between two station groups. Granite Broadcasting
Corporation and Malara Broadcast Group are cooperating in shared
services agr eements in Fort Wayne,
Ind., and Duluth,
Minn., which allow them to shut the local news
departments at the weakest stations, WISE-33
(NBC) and KDLH-3 (CBS), respectively. The FCC approval of the agreement
and sales of the stations allowed both
newsrooms to be closed this week. In each case, a lead co-anchor from the defunct news
department has been retained to present alternative newscasts on their
station from the studios of the former competitor. Ch. 33's Linda
Jackson is anchoring news at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. from WPTA-21 and
Ch.
3's Pat Kelly is helming a 5:30 p.m. newscast
from KBJR-6. They are also doing news briefs at 11 p.m., and
the network newscasts will be bumped to 6 p.m. for Ch. 3 and 7 p.m. at
Ch. 33, once WKJG. Between the two stations, at least 80 people are
reportedly out of work. The companies say the combination will
strengthen coverage. |
| Anchorman Jim Rosenfield, who left WNBC-4's 5 p.m. newscast last week, will move across town to WCBS-2 as lead anchor, according to the News and the Post. Rosenfield, a former weekend anchor in Chicago, first came to New York for a stint on the noon and 6 p.m. desk at Ch. 2 before being picked up by Ch. 4 in 2000. He signed off "Live at Five," where he played the straight man to wacky Sue Simmons, last Friday. No word on when he will show up at CBS, where Ernie Anastos is set to vacate his anchor spot alongside Roz Abrams to defect to WNYW-5 sometime this year. |
 A Minneapolis newspaper is reporting more
trouble may be ahead for local cellar dweller KSTP-5. The ABC
affiliate, which is locally owned but
trails in the ratings, could lay
off 10 or more behind-the-scenes staffers on Monday, sources told the
Minneapolis Star Tribune. This would come as the latest round in staff
upheavals at Ch. 5, which recently laid off its main anchor team to
bring back Cyndy Brucato, a public relations executive who anchored at
Ch. 5 in the 1980's and is now being teamed with sports anchor
Joe Schmit at 5 p.m. |
| Las Vegas station KVBC-3 will stop paying state senator Barbara Cegavske to be a station consultant after news of the position went public and generated controversy. Ch. 3 has reportedly been paying $3,000 a month to Cegavske to give them information on legislative and education issues. Many complained about a perceived conflict of interest after Cegavske disclosed the side job at a budget hearing. |
 South Carolina's
WOLO-25, which has been originating its newscasts in
Charlotte for the past few years, could soon get more of a presence
back in its home market, according to MediaWeek. A recent report in the
magazine says the station is planning
to increase its local presence by moving some anchors back to
Columbia later this year and possibly opening up a second studio in the
city. The ratings-poor ABC affiliate gained notoriety after owner
Bahakel Communications began having the anchors at sister station
WCCB-18 (Fox) front the Ch. 25 newscast in 2002. |
