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September
12, 2000
WMAR whose 11pm continues to
struggle received a very rare ratings win over perennial winners
WBAL and WJZ. This was in part because of the much hyped and
anticpated ABC News Documentary "Hopkins 24/7." The
last time WMAR beat both of those stations was during the May Sweeps
when it was literally giving money away to viewers during the
"Watch and Win" promotion. That night also was the
night for the NYPD Blue season finale which was followed by 2 News
at 11. Easily beating a TV Movie on WJZ and a Law and Order
rerun on WBAL, "Hopkins" drew 24 percent of Baltimore
households, doubled the national audience. WMAR held 19
percent of all Baltimore views beatin WJZ and WBAL by 2 and 4
percentage points respectively. Drew Berry, WMAR General Manager
told The Baltimore Sun, "Morale is pretty good right
now. The
station's doing the best it has since 1994." WJZ General Manager Jay
Newman said that the unusual 10pm performance by WMAR was real good
and it was capitalized on very well. WBAL has dismissed the
reports saying they are competing with WJZ not third place WMAR.
WMAR is testing out a
4pm newscast this week. The station decided not to renew the
stations contract for The Rosie O'Donnell Show which aired at 3,
preferring to go with the new Dr. Laura television show. WMAR
aired the 4pm half-hour newscast which is the first of its kind in
Baltimore. Stations executives have been been weighing the
notion of a 4pm newscast which could be called a bold
"counter-programming" move that attracts viewers who do
not want to watch talk shows. The 4pm newscast is followed by
Extra at 4:30pm.
September
13, 2000
FROM THE WASHINGTON POST RELIABLE SOURCE LLOYD
GROVE
Wealthy Washington bachelor Jonathan Ledecky is in very deep doodoo
with two female television personalities who didn't see the humor in Ledecky's
sexually suggestive quips about them on the radio last Friday. "Skanky ho," the 42-year-old Ledecky called Channel 7 weathercaster
Alexandra Steele on DC-101's "Elliot in the Morning" show,
parroting host Elliot Segal's ongoing scatological shtick about the
31-year-old Steele. As for Channel 5 reporter Laura Evans, also 31, whom
Ledecky has dated (treating her recently to a luxurious trip to London and the
Wimbledon tennis tournament), the Washington Capitals' part-owner readily
answered Segal's prying question: "Did you close the deal?" "No, but it's probably close-able," Ledecky replied.
"When they start saying they'll cook you dinner, that's a good
sign!" Unfortunately for Ledecky, an outraged Evans was listening and phoned in to
register an on-air protest. "I take great offense that you would ever think
you could 'close the deal' with me," Evans scorched him. "Have a
little class, my friend." The next day, when Ledecky called to invite her
to a party, Evans informed him that she wanted nothing further to do with him.
"I guess he was trying to be the big boy with the cool kids," a
still-steamed Evans told us yesterday. "He just doesn't get it."
"No comment," Steele told us. Noting that he did the show to tout his hockey team's schedule, a pained
Ledecky told us: "I have apologized profusely to both people for any
misunderstanding regarding a comedic appearance on a talk show, where my
comments were the mildest things said."
41-year-old
Paul Irvin who was hired as the news director for WUSA Channel 9
only 18 months ago was fired. He will be replaced by Dave
Roberts, 43, the news director for WUSA's Gannet Sister Station WXIA-TV
11Alive. Roberts will be the third news director within the
past 2 years. Before 11Alive in Atlanta, Roberts was the news
director for WBAL-TV in Baltimore for four years, was well as
previous stops in Detroit, Flint, Michigan, Greensboro, NC, Dayton
and Fresno. Under his leadership at WXIA, the city's first African-American news director replaced both
Angela Robinson and Mike Landess as anchors, bringing in high-profile WAGA
anchor Brenda Wood and former WSB anchor Wes Sarginson. And while WXIA continues to trail perennial ratings leader WSB and to battle
WAGA for second place in the early evening, it has become a more aggressive news
organization under Roberts.
September
27, 2000
FROM SEPTEMBER 27 BALTIMORE
SUN
After a flurry of calls and e-mailed complaints from viewers, WBAL-TV (Ch.
11) has reassigned weekend sports anchor Craig Bell. Bell, 27, arrived in June from WBAL's sister station in Winston-Salem to
replace Damon Andrews. But Bell, who appears to be well liked in the newsroom,
has had great trouble presenting stories on air and even speaking before the
cameras, upsetting some viewers. "Craig Bell is going to assume full-time reporting duties, and Chris Ely
will anchor the weekend sportscast for the near future," said news director
Princell Hair.
MORE TO COME
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