Phil Harris suffered a stroke while in port off-loading from the F/V Cornelia Marie. He has been transported to a medical facility and is receiving the best care possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and we will make more information available as we know it. READ IT
Mark Greenblatt
KHOU‐TV, Houston, TX
“Under Fire: Discrimination and Corruption in the Texas National Guard”
KHOU‐TV exposed rampant sexual discrimination, abuses of power, cover‐ups to Congress, financial corruption and theft by the National Guard’s top commanding generals. As a result, the Texas governor fired the accused commanders, the FBI and DA have launched criminal probes and three new state laws have been passed, requiring better oversight of the Guard by both the Governor’s office and the state assembly.
"I have had the pleasure to work at two top TV stations in the country and learn from some legendary journalists along the way," Segura told the mikemcguff.com blog. "I am excited and ready for this next step in my life. Hopefully I can pass some of that knowledge down to future journalists."
You've started selling another of your brands, Seattle's Best, in Subway sandwich shops. What's the strategy there?
Seattle's Best has been under the shadow of Starbucks, and as we began to transform the company, we realized that it should be managed for its own destiny. We think we're sitting on a billion-dollar brand, and we want to unleash Seattle's Best to do things that Starbucks can't do. It has more of a mass appeal. It's a more approachable coffee in terms of its taste. There are a number of [fast-food] companies that want to get into the breakfast business and don't have a coffee solution. Subway is just the first. READ THE REST
Uncle Barky reports that WFAA 8's new iPhone app is in the top 10 of free news apps according to iTunes (number 7 as I am writing this). That's impressive. Its company includes apps like The White House, Engadget, NPR and USA Today. In fact WFAA's app is now ahead of ABC News and AP.
Murphy, who hosted the show with KFNC program director Dave Tepper and Julie Takahashi, joined KFNC in July 2007. KFNC rarely polled above 1 percent of the listening audience for men 25-54 in afternoon drive and was generally in fourth place among the four Houston sports stations.
With Murphy’s departure, Fred Faour and Matt Dean now will host from 1 to 4 p.m. Carl Dukes will host solo from 4 to 5 p.m. and with Tepper and Takahashi from 5 to 7 p.m. READ MORE
"KTRK-DT channel 13.1 broadcast no audio from 11:25 until 11:57 AM today. I don't know about 13.2 or 13.3, or about the cable feed. A lower third graphic "Temporary Audio Difficulties" ran from 11:51 until 11:57 AM. I wonder if it took them upwards of 26 minutes to discover they had a problem. I also wonder if advertisers will get refunds."
PandaLabs, Panda Security's malware analysis and detection laboratory, has detected the massive propagation of a fake virus alert among Facebook users in the last 24 hours. According to the company, this is another attempt by cybercriminals to infect users with fake antivirus programs.
The fake warning is being distributed via email and users are forwarding it or publishing it on Facebook walls, further spreading the hoax. The text of the fake warning reads as follows:
ALERT >>>>> Has your facebook been running slow lately? Go to "Settings" and select "application settings", change the dropdown box to "added to profile". If you see one in there called "un named app" delete it... Its an internal spybot. Pass it on. about a minute ago....i checked and it was on mine.
There is no associated link, but if users search the Web for more information, they will encounter numerous malicious websites designed to download fake antiviruses. For examples of what these look like, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4309557914/.
The fake antivirus (or rogueware) used in this fake virus alert is called LivePcCare. Following are additional screenshots that demonstrate what these warnings look like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4308821513/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4309558036/.
It doesn't take a genius to know that former Enron CEO Ken Lay and his wife Linda lived in a swanky pad at the River Oaks high rise The Huntingdon.
You can listen to me talk tech and more with Michael Garfield "The High Tech Texan" on 950 KPRC show via the links below. 
iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds-- thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad, and will run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store. iPad will be available in late March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499.
iPad features 12 next-generation Multi-Touch applications. Every app works in both portrait and landscape, automatically animating between views as the user rotates iPad in any direction. The precise Multi-Touch interface makes surfing the web on iPad an entirely new experience, dramatically more interactive and intimate than on a computer. Reading and sending email is fun and easy on iPad's large screen and almost full-size "soft" keyboard. Import photos from a Mac®, PC or digital camera, see them organized as albums, and enjoy and share them using iPad's elegant slideshows. Watch movies, TV shows and YouTube, all in HD or flip through pages of an e-book you downloaded from Apple's new iBookstore while listening to your music collection.
iPad runs almost all of the over 140,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®. The iTunes® Store gives you access to the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 11 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 8,000 films including over 2,000 in stunning high definition video. Apple also announced the new iBooks app for iPad, which includes Apple's new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. The iBookstore will feature books from major and independent publishers.
Apple also introduced a new version of iWork® for iPad, the first desktop-class productivity suite designed specifically for Multi-Touch. With Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers® you can create beautifully formatted documents, stunning presentations with animations and transitions, and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. The three apps will be available separately through the App Store for $9.99 each.
iPad syncs with iTunes just like the iPhone and iPod touch, using the standard Apple 30-pin to USB cable, so you can sync all of your contacts, photos, music, movies, TV shows, applications and more from your Mac or PC. All the apps and content you download on iPad from the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore will be automatically synced to your iTunes library the next time you connect with your computer.
iPad's brilliant 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display features IPS technology to deliver crisp, clear images and consistent color with an ultra-wide 178 degree viewing angle. The highly precise, capacitive Multi-Touch display is amazingly accurate and responsive whether scrolling web pages or playing games. The intelligent soft keyboard pioneered on iPhone takes advantage of iPad's larger display to offer an almost full-size soft keyboard. iPad also connects to the new iPad Keyboard Dock with a full-size traditional keyboard.
iPad is powered by A4, Apple's next-generation system-on-a-chip. Designed by Apple, the new A4 chip provides exceptional processor and graphics performance along with long battery life of up to 10 hours.* Apple's advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology deliver up to 1,000 charge cycles without a significant decrease in battery capacity over a typical five year lifespan.**
iPad comes in two versions--one with Wi-Fi and the other with both Wi-Fi and 3G. iPad includes the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi, and the 3G versions support speeds up to 7.2 Mbps on HSDPA networks. Apple and AT&T announced breakthrough 3G pre-paid data plans for iPad with easy, on-device activation and management.
Continuing Apple's dedication to designing and creating environmentally responsible products, each iPad enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy-efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. iPad contains no brominated flame retardants and is completely PVC-free.
Apple today released a new Software Development Kit (SDK) for iPad, so developers can create amazing new applications designed to take advantage of iPad's capabilities. The SDK includes a simulator that lets developers test and debug their iPad apps on a Mac, and also lets developers create Universal Applications that run on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
Pricing & Availability
iPad will be available in late March worldwide for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. International pricing and worldwide availability will be announced at a later date. iBookstore will be available in the US at launch.
Who knew your morning Cup of Joe could be so expressive?Coffee foam art is, in short, making fancy coffee in various styles by using espresso, milk and chocolate topping. It is not only a kind of enjoyment in taste but also in vision. SEE THE ART
"Hey, Mike! It's true, I have left KHOU! I moved to Boston earlier this week, which is my hometown. It was a tough decision to leave channel 11 but ultimately I'm a Yankee at heart!!"
That KTVT sign on N. Central Expressway, between Meadow Road and Walnut Hill Lane, has been part of the scenery since I was a kid. But who knows how much longer...READ THE REST
by Drew Curtis. You might have heard of the site he runs. 
However it is a must read for anyone who wants to go into the world of media or is a few years in. You will learn the unspoken things that probably were not covered by your journalism teachers/professors.
A reporter for a Houston media outlet is exploring a “potential story” on neighborhood watch groups around the Houston area, and has a few questions for Swamplot readers. READ THE REST
I never personally went to the legendary Roll-N Saloon on the edge of River Oaks (much like The Troubadour is to Beverly Hills). Now I will never have a chance. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station received a special software upgrade this week - personal access to the Internet and the World Wide Web via the ultimate wireless connection.
Expedition 22 Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer made first use of the new system Friday, when he posted the first unassisted update to his Twitter account, @Astro_TJ, from the space station. Previous tweets from space had to be e-mailed to the ground where support personnel posted them to the astronaut's Twitter account.
"Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station -- the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s"
This personal Web access, called the Crew Support LAN, takes advantage of existing communication links to and from the station and gives astronauts the ability to browse and use the Web. The system will provide astronauts with direct private communications to enhance their quality of life during long-duration missions by helping to ease the isolation associated with life in a closed environment.
During periods when the station is actively communicating with the ground using high-speed Ku-band communications, the crew will have remote access to the Internet via a ground computer. The crew will view the desktop of the ground computer using an onboard laptop and interact remotely with their keyboard touchpad.
Astronauts will be subject to the same computer use guidelines as government employees on Earth. In addition to this new capability, the crew will continue to have official e-mail, Internet Protocol telephone and limited videoconferencing capabilities.
KUHF Houston Public Radio in partnership with The University of Houston’s C. T. Bauer College of Business, will launch a new weekly radio feature hosted by KUHF Business News reporter, Ed Mayberry called Bauer Business Focus on Friday, January 29th. The program will air during Morning Edition each Friday at 8:35AM on 88.7FM and HD Digital Channel 1, and on the Internet radio station KUHF News, streamed online at www.kuhf.org.
Bauer Business Focus will feature interviews with expert guests about compelling events that are shaping important local issues, business news and trends. The first segment will feature an interview with the Dean of Bauer College of Business, Dr. Arthur Warga.
Topics in the program will range from discussions of major “big picture” issues facing Houston, current efforts in job growth and economic diversification, tips on entrepreneurship and innovative new industries.
Lift a glass today to a San Antonio anchorwoman who has been battling breast cancer and just got some great news.
A full body scan this week showed Karen Martinez -- 9 p.m. co-anchor on Fox affiliate KABB on Thursdays through Sundays -- to be cancer free, she said. READ MORE
Quidditch is the game the characters of the Harry Potter franchise play on brooms. Now you can play the game in real life at an area university. I've been alerted that Texas A and M has a team for example. They are not the only ones though. Here was an opponent.
Lisa Foronda was fresh out of the University of Florida and in her first TV job in San Angelo when someone hit a nerve.
“You could stand to lose some weight,” the observer said. She was tall and thin and just as beautiful as she was as an anchor on KHOU (Channel 11) here in Houston, but she — like many women — worried about her appearance.
That comment set in motion a pattern of bulimia that followed her throughout her TV career. She'd eat and then purge, wanting to lose weight and keep off the 10 or 15 pounds TV cameras add to any frame. She moved on to the second chapter of her life a few years ago — she's now community relations supervisor for CenterPoint Energy — and on Sunday made the Chevron Houston Marathon her 12th marathon completed, with a time of 4:14:12.
"I don't mind talking about it,” said Foronda, 40. “People assume I have this perfect life. I don't. I have problems just like everyone else.” READ MORE
is aptly titled. The above video goes into more detail.A few minutes ago, J.D. Freeman, president/market manager for Clear Channel Dallas, parent company of rock station KEGL/97.1 FM, forwarded me this statement made to KEGL staff today:
"Effective today, KEGL will no longer air the Lex & Terry Show. We have made the decision to take mornings in a different direction. As we recruit for the morning show, Cindy Scull will host mornings with an additional focus on music. READ THE REST
White House schedulers find five minutes at 11:45 a.m. for Elvis, who, on time for once, enters wearing tight purple velvet pants, the matching cape, a white pointy collared shirt unbuttoned to reveal two enormous gold chains, and a belt buckle the size of Rhode Island.
At 12:30 p.m., the president meets the king. Elvis is taken by the eagles on the ceiling, and Krogh has to give him a little steer toward Nixon.
Soon, though, Elvis is pulling out pictures of his wife and baby, along with photos of assorted police and security badges he has collected over the years. The allotted five minutes pass, and they're still going, bonding over their lowly beginnings -- poverty, challenging childhoods. They commiserate about the burdens of fame, what a hard gig Vegas is (which, weirdly, Nixon seems to know about). Elvis offers to help Nixon fight the war on drugs and restore respect for the flag. Nixon admires Elvis' big cuff links. READ IT
President George H. W. Bush went to his favorite barbecue place in Houston on Tuesday for a last meal before the restaurant is turned into a -- sniff -- bank.
Bush, 85, was caught by a local cameraman at Otto's Barbecue ordering his usual -- beef ribs, sausage links, beef and a side of beans – on the day before the location closes. READ THE REST
AnalyzeWords helps reveal your personality by looking at how you use words. It is based on good scientific research connecting word use to who people are.
Via e-mail, Higgins said: "During talks, we just decided to make an amicable split. I’m really going to miss working every day with an amazing team."
Higgins co-anchored NBC 5 Today, which has been seeing steady ratings increases and held the No. 1 ranking from 5-7 a.m. in households and key demographics in the November sweeps period, according to Nielsen Media Research estimates. READ THE REST
Another could be iconic
Houston furniture store Gallery Furniture. It seems owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is holding a dual event party this weekend. One part of it is for all of his Twitter/Facebook users. The other is for those who bet Alabama would win the BCS Championship Game in a store contest.And what, you may ask, are the prospects for ESPNHouston.com? Nothing has been announced, but it perhaps bears noting that even though ESPN does not own a radio station in Houston, Disney does own KTRK (Channel 13). ESPN has set up content-sharing links for its local sites with Disney-owned TV stations in Chicago and Los Angeles, so that pattern, at least, is already in place. READ THE REST
“Under Fire” was the culmination of a two-year investigation by the 11 News Defenders. During the course of their investigation, Reporter Mark Greenblatt, Executive Producer for Investigative David Raziq and Photojournalist Keith Tomshe unearthed a series of deep-rooted problems in the Texas National Guard that ultimately led to the firing of three top Generals.
The investigation found high-ranking female officers being pushed out of the National Guard through harassment, punishment and sabotage by an all-male leadership. It was then discovered that subsequent discrimination investigations were often mired at the highest levels. The unraveling continued when the Defenders exposed other forms of corruption, including embezzlement, double-billing and the funding of private businesses with National Guard resources.
Several desktop apps and Web sites, like TweetDeck and HootSuite, will help you manage your Twitter account. But there also are several services that will filter your stream and the collective content on Twitter so you can get the most important (or at least the most popular) news and information shared by users. SEE THE LIST
In frigid northeastern China, in the city of Harbin is hosting its 26th annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. Massive buildings built of ice from the frozen surface of the nearby Songhua River, large scale snow sculptures, ice slides, festival food and drinks can be found in several parks in the city. At night, visitors who endure the bitter cold will see the lights switched on, illuminating the sculptures from both inside and outside. SEE THE PHOTOS
Vaughn, who came from an anchor job in Kansas City, Mo., rushed through a story or two during his initial bow at 5 p.m. However, the 44-year-old warmed up considerably by 6 p.m., giving appropriate emphasis to each news item.
He also shared his best visual asset — an infectious smile — more frequently and joined in banter with Lucero, weatherman Bill Taylor and sportscaster Joe Reinagel as if he already were one of the gang. They joked how he brought the cold with him (though these temperatures are nice compared, he said, to the below-zero weather in Missouri) and he mentioned he was a Cowboys fan. READ THE REST
Hip hop legend and former Geto Boy Bushwick Bill’s debut Christian rap album, My Testimony Of Redemption, officially drops from Much Luvv Records/G-S.P.O.T. Productionz on Tuesday, January 26 through Central South/Infinity Distribution.
G-S.P.O.T. stands for God’s Special Purpose of Talent. Ringtones and digital downloads from the album can be secured at iTunes, DaSouth.com, and TheBus-Shop.com.
Testimony of Redemption, Bushwick Bill’s sixth foray into solo recording, is his first attempt at gospel rap, featuring honorable lyrics on tracks like “Praise Of A Good Woman,” “Renewed Mind” and perhaps the most evangelistic, “God’s Side Is Da Best Side.” Still, Bill’s brush with Christianity isn’t a new leaf — before he made it big with the Geto Boys, he was a theology student with the ministry in mind.
Welcome back to the wacky world of Sarah Silverman. Follow Sarah and the rest of the gang as she takes on pedophile vans, rigs a mayoral election, takes a stance on "Real Time with Bill Maher" and reconnects with her imaginary childhood friend (played by Andy Samberg), among other adventures in this irreverent new season. COMEDY CENTRAL's hit series, "The Sarah Silverman Program," returns for a third season with 10 all-new episodes beginning on Thursday, February 4 at 10:30 p.m. with a secondary run on Logo beginning Tuesday, February 9 at 10:30 p.m. The new "Important Things with Demetri Martin"/"The Sarah Silverman Program" block airs on Thursdays.
Legendary Texas radio personality Ron Chapman will be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame during the NAB Show Radio Luncheon, sponsored by ASCAP. The luncheon, held Tuesday, April 13, will also feature the annual presentation of the prestigious NAB Crystal Radio Awards.
"Ron Chapman has delighted radio listeners with his humor and charisma for more than 50 years," said NAB Executive Vice President of Radio John David. "We look forward to honoring his many contributions to the radio community during the NAB Show Radio Luncheon."
Chapman has been heard on the airwaves in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since the 1950s. He began his radio career after high school graduation at WHAV-AM Haverhill, MA in 1953. After broadcasting for the U.S. Army in Korea, Chapman worked at WNHC-AM New Haven, and was shortly thereafter recruited to Dallas' KLIF-AM. Chapman spent six years at KLIF, co-hosting the highly successful "Charlie & Harrigan Show," before joining WFAA-TV in Dallas. In 1968, Chapman joined a team that purchased KVIL-FM, a station known for pioneering the Adult Contemporary (AC) format. He remained at KVIL-FM for 32 years, serving as program director, music director, promotion director and morning personality.
In the late 1990's Chapman joined KLUV-FM, an Oldies format that saw high ratings upon his arrival. He retired in 2005, but was summoned back to radio a few years later when ABC asked him to become the regular substitute for "Paul Harvey News." Chapman is a multiple inductee to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012.
Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager dealing with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.
The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.
"A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We're very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning," said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
"Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job," said Sam Raimi.
"We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade. This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else's hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable," said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio's chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. "Now everything begins anew, and that's got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can't wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012."
"Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. "We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films. As we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen."
.jpg)
