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A security camera photo appears to show people tending to John Owens (inset), a former WDIV-4 employee injured at the station in a shooting Friday. (Photo Illustration Courtesy WDIV-NBC Image/Mort Crim Communications)

A man who WDIV-4 employees believe has been causing trouble at the station walked into the NBC affiliate's vestibule Friday afternoon and, when he was not buzzed in, shot a man. John Owens, a former Ch. 4 producer who now works for retired anchor Mort Crim's production company in Southfield, Mich., was entering the downtown Detroit station on an errand when he was shot. The bullet missed his heart and he was last reported in critical but stable condition after having his spleen removed. Espisanio Rivas, Jr., was arraigned today on charges including assault with intent to murder, which could carry a lif This poster was circulating at WDIV-4 after someone harrassed employees there. (Courtesy WDIV)

This poster was circulating at WDIV-4 after someone harrassed employees there. (Courtesy WDIV)

e sentence. A man who told Ch. 4 he was innocent, apparently Rivas, bore a strong resemblance to the man who assaulted two people at the station loading dock over a month ago and the surveillance tape of the shooter. The earlier incident had led the station to circulate a poster (right), apparently causing a receptionist to call security and not let the man inside when she recognized him. "The horrible part of all this is that security actually worked," general manager Joe Berwanger told the Associated Press. "There was just no way to prevent John from being in that small space at the wrong time."

The FCC is starting to get involved in the debate over video news releases. (Courtesy BCPIWeb.com)

The debate continues over the government use of video news releases, and now the Federal Communications Commission and the Senate are getting involved and coming down against the practice. On Wednesday, the FCC issued a notice reminding broadcasters of rules requiring they identify the source of the videos. "These rules are grounded in the principle that listeners and viewers are entitled to know who seeks to persuade them with the programming offered over broadcast stations and cable systems," the notice read. On Thursday, the Senate voted 98-0 to attach an amendment to a spending bill that would require the government to clearly identify the source in the audio or text of the release. A public relations tool long used by the private sector, the pre-made video packages are sent out free to TV stations but come with a positive spin.

Nine days after being freed from house arrest for refusing to reveal the source of a court-embargoed FBI videotape, WJAR-10 reporter Jim Taricani will receive a special honor at a TV news conference tomorrow. T

aricani and his news director, Betty-Jo Cugini, are set to receive citations and speak to conference atendees Monday morning during the opening of the Radio-Television News Directors Association conference, according to RTNDA. In a release, RTNDA chairman Bob Priddy called Taricani "a hero to those of us in journalism...because he defended a basic principle of journalism and was willing to pay the price for that defense." Cugini is being honored for supporting Taricani during his ordeal. Hundreds of newsies are expected at the annual conference in Las Vegas, which runs alongside the National Association of Broadcasters gathering.

The Boston Marathon will get coverage live on WBZ-4 and WCVB-5 on Monday. (Courtesy Wikipedia)

Two Boston stations are gearing up to cover the world-famous 26.2-mile long road race that winds its way through the metro area every year. WBZ-4 (CBS) and WCVB-5 (ABC) will be covering the Boston Marathon on Monday, but only Ch. 4 is going all out for the race that once pitted all three network affiliates against each other to win the news race for the event. WHDH-7 (NBC) dropped out five years ago, and Ch. 5 has killed two hours of pre-race coverage because of high costs and the pope election news, the Herald reported. Still, Ch. 5 will run four hours of coverage. Ch. 4, which utilizes a unique "spotters network" of local high school students to help track the race, will do seven hours — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., leading into its early newscast. "This is an event we feel we want to own," said Jennifer Street, assistant news director of the third-place CBS station, in a Herald interview.

Former WOIO-19 anchor Jack Marschall is back on the air in the WEWS-5 chopper. (Courtesy ClevelandSeniors.com)

Jack Marschall, onetime lead anchor for WUAB-43 and WOIO-19, is heading back to the air — literally — on Monday. Marschall will appear on Cleveland news once again, but this time as a helicopter reporter for WEWS-5 (ABC), the station announced. Marschall anchored the local 10 p.m. news on Ch. 43 before becoming the lead anchor for co-operated Ch. 19 when it got the CBS affiliation from WJW-8. He was later demoted to morning anchor before being bounced the Raycom station, now known for airing nude shots of anchor Sharon Reed as part of its flashy new "Action News" format. Ch. 5, now having its own ratings troubles, was a standard bearer when Marschall worked weekends there in the 1980's.

The first few days of WCFN-49's 9 p.m. news were not clean shows, featuring "patches of dead air," a chyron misspelling, and a "WCFM" sig out, according to the Journal-Register. Ch. 49/WCIA-3 lead anchor Michael Marsh is also lea WISE-33 anchor Linda Jackson, now employed by WPTA-21, has a five-year contract to stay in Fort Wayne. (Courtesy Journal Gazette)

WISE-33 anchor Linda Jackson, now employed by WPTA-21, has a five-year contract to stay in Fort Wayne. (Courtesy Journal Gazette)

ving.

The lone surviving member of WISE-33's news staff will stick around for a while. Anchor Linda Jackson has reportedly signed a five-year contract to continue fronting Ch. 33's news, now produced by WPTA-21. Sportscaster Kent Hormann found a college public relations job.

A couple months after the February ratings period, we finally have the long-awaited Nielsens from Huntsville. WAFF-48 reportedly completed its first-ever morning and evening news sweep, firmly supplanting WHNT-19 in first place. Also-ran WAAY-31 did get some AP awards recently.

WMAQ-5 has inked a deal with the city's black newspaper, the Chicago Defender. The paper's editor and its upcoming centennial will get some airtime, while Ch. 5's Art Norman and Ryan Baker get some column-inches.

WTAE-4 has a new slogan. Or as ND Bob Longo would say: "Like any top-rated organization in any business, the way to remain at the top of your game is not to remain the same, but rather to continue leading the way, to evolve, to be...."

East Tennessee State University has preserved 43 out of about 1,000 episodes of a local variety show that ran in the area for twenty years. "Over 80 percent of local television is lost," archivist Bradley Reeves tells the News.

.: Home .: Extra .: Sound .: Markets	Welcome to East Coast TV News APRIL 17, 2005 (<\|>) — Here's the headlines from ECTVN! Still working on those left-hand links. — Top News: Man shot at Detroit station, big convention tomorrow
.: Sitemap .: Links .: Archive	— Today's ECTVN Quotable: "You could hear the shot throughout the whole building." -- WDIV-4 general manager Joe Berwanger to the Free Press after a man was shot in the station vestibule
.: E-Mail	— Slugs: STATION SHOOTING - VNR DEBATE - RTNDA - BOSTON MARATHON - ANCHOR TO CHOPPER - BRIEFS
Mover Audrey Cox Fm: WMUR-9 Manchester, NH REP./ANCHOR To: Out of Biz? Moving to NYC (more) Tipline Have a story idea for ECTVN? Drop us the dirt in an e-mail. Today's Link geofffox.com Catch WTNH-8 met Geoff Fox's witticisms in blog form.	Shooting rocks WDIV, ex-staffer injured at station A man who WDIV-4 employees believe has been causing trouble at the station walked into the NBC affiliate's vestibule Friday afternoon and, when he was not buzzed in, shot a man. John Owens, a former Ch. 4 producer who now works for retired anchor Mort Crim's production company in Southfield, Mich., was entering the downtown Detroit station on an errand when he was shot. The bullet missed his heart and he was last reported in critical but stable condition after having his spleen removed. Espisanio Rivas, Jr., was arraigned today on charges including assault with intent to murder, which could carry a life sentence. A man who told Ch. 4 he was innocent, apparently Rivas, bore a strong resemblance to the man who assaulted two people at the station loading dock over a month ago and the surveillance tape of the shooter. The earlier incident had led the station to circulate a poster (right), apparently causing a receptionist to call security and not let the man inside when she recognized him. "The horrible part of all this is that security actually worked," general manager Joe Berwanger told the Associated Press. "There was just no way to prevent John from being in that small space at the wrong time." BACK TO TOP Senate, FCC join gov't. video news release fray The debate continues over the government use of video news releases, and now the Federal Communications Commission and the Senate are getting involved and coming down against the practice. On Wednesday, the FCC issued a notice reminding broadcasters of rules requiring they identify the source of the videos. "These rules are grounded in the principle that listeners and viewers are entitled to know who seeks to persuade them with the programming offered over broadcast stations and cable systems," the notice read. On Thursday, the Senate voted 98-0 to attach an amendment to a spending bill that would require the government to clearly identify the source in the audio or text of the release. A public relations tool long used by the private sector, the pre-made video packages are sent out free to TV stations but come with a positive spin. BACK TO TOP RTNDA to honor Taricani at convention Monday Nine days after being freed from house arrest for refusing to reveal the source of a court-embargoed FBI videotape, WJAR-10 reporter Jim Taricani will receive a special honor at a TV news conference tomorrow. Taricani and his news director, Betty-Jo Cugini, are set to receive citations and speak to conference atendees Monday morning during the opening of the Radio-Television News Directors Association conference, according to RTNDA. In a release, RTNDA chairman Bob Priddy called Taricani "a hero to those of us in journalism...because he defended a basic principle of journalism and was willing to pay the price for that defense." Cugini is being honored for supporting Taricani during his ordeal. Hundreds of newsies are expected at the annual conference in Las Vegas, which runs alongside the National Association of Broadcasters gathering. BACK TO TOP WBZ-TV goes the distance for Boston Marathon Two Boston stations are gearing up to cover the world-famous 26.2-mile long road race that winds its way through the metro area every year. WBZ-4 (CBS) and WCVB-5 (ABC) will be covering the Boston Marathon on Monday, but only Ch. 4 is going all out for the race that once pitted all three network affiliates against each other to win the news race for the event. WHDH-7 (NBC) dropped out five years ago, and Ch. 5 has killed two hours of pre-race coverage because of high costs and the pope election news, the Herald reported. Still, Ch. 5 will run four hours of coverage. Ch. 4, which utilizes a unique "spotters network" of local high school students to help track the race, will do seven hours — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., leading into its early newscast. "This is an event we feel we want to own," said Jennifer Street, assistant news director of the third-place CBS station, in a Herald interview. BACK TO TOP Ousted Cleveland anchor back as traffic reporter Jack Marschall, onetime lead anchor for WUAB-43 and WOIO-19, is heading back to the air — literally — on Monday. Marschall will appear on Cleveland news once again, but this time as a helicopter reporter for WEWS-5 (ABC), the station announced. Marschall anchored the local 10 p.m. news on Ch. 43 before becoming the lead anchor for co-operated Ch. 19 when it got the CBS affiliation from WJW-8. He was later demoted to morning anchor before being bounced the Raycom station, now known for airing nude shots of anchor Sharon Reed as part of its flashy new "Action News" format. Ch. 5, now having its own ratings troubles, was a standard bearer when Marschall worked weekends there in the 1980's. BACK TO TOP News Flashes: Glitches galore, what's in a name? The first few days of WCFN-49's 9 p.m. news were not clean shows, featuring "patches of dead air," a chyron misspelling, and a "WCFM" sig out, according to the Journal-Register. Ch. 49/WCIA-3 lead anchor Michael Marsh is also leaving. The lone surviving member of WISE-33's news staff will stick around for a while. Anchor Linda Jackson has reportedly signed a five-year contract to continue fronting Ch. 33's news, now produced by WPTA-21. Sportscaster Kent Hormann found a college public relations job. A couple months after the February ratings period, we finally have the long-awaited Nielsens from Huntsville. WAFF-48 reportedly completed its first-ever morning and evening news sweep, firmly supplanting WHNT-19 in first place. Also-ran WAAY-31 did get some AP awards recently. WMAQ-5 has inked a deal with the city's black newspaper, the Chicago Defender. The paper's editor and its upcoming centennial will get some airtime, while Ch. 5's Art Norman and Ryan Baker get some column-inches. WTAE-4 has a new slogan. Or as ND Bob Longo would say: "Like any top-rated organization in any business, the way to remain at the top of your game is not to remain the same, but rather to continue leading the way, to evolve, to be...." East Tennessee State University has preserved 43 out of about 1,000 episodes of a local variety show that ran in the area for twenty years. "Over 80 percent of local television is lost," archivist Bradley Reeves tells the News. BACK TO TOP