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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Top Houston and Texas media moments of 2010

It was a big hit for 2009, so I thought I would feature the top media moments in Houston for 2010, but this year I expanded it for all of Texas too! This goes in order and because of length, I had to cut stuff. I base this on post traffic, reader reaction, social media among other factors.

New Houston TV reporters and Chronicle staffers leaving

KPRC's Hasti Taghi has a famous name in Houston

KTVT CBS 11 expands 4pm news for DFW

VIDEO: Fox 26 KRIV anchor Jose Grinan's movie scene

New Steve Robison morning show on 103.7FM Houston’s Adult Alternative KHJK-FM

KTSU's Maurice Hope-Thompson dies at age 68

Mike McGuff talks to Pat Gray of the Glenn Beck Show

KENS 5 new anchor Jeff Vaughn hits San Antonio airwaves

Nefertiti Jaquez lands at KPRC 2 Houston

KKTVT news director Scott Diener now at KCBS/KCAL in Los Angeles

KXAS 5 morning anchor Brendan Higgins exits

New weekend anchors for WFAA 8

Lex and Terry Show off 97.1 KEGL Dallas

Former KHOU 11 anchor Lisa Foronda overcomes demons

Fox 26 KRIV anchor Tom Zizka talks skin cancer scare

Lee McGuire exits KHOU 11 Houston

KHOU 11's Gene Norman has powerful TV biz connections

Calvin Murphy leaves 97.5 KFNC show and other sports radio news

New KIAH 39 assignments manager Joe Segura announced

KHOU 11 reporter Kevin Peters leaving TV news

KTRK 13's Adam Darsky heads to WCNC Charlotte as Executive Producer

Congrats to KTRK 13's Miya Shay

1080 KRLD gardening expert Neil Sperry to leave station

VIDEO: Fox 26 KRIV shares its helicopter because it cares

Maria Todd on Mix 96.5 KHMX, but where's Sam Malone?

NBC 5 KXAS anchor Jane McGarry gets shifted

Carson leaves night shift at 104.1 KRBE

Houston talk show host's son dies in accident

CBS 11 KTVT gets new man in charge

New KHOU 11 Houston assistant news director hired

VIDEO: Houston Mayor Annise Parker talks about Mike McGuff day
VIDEO: Houston Mayor Annise Parker talks social media strategy with Mike McGuff
VIDEO: The city of Houston social media architect

Maria Todd and Brad Booker team up for Mix 96.5 KHMX mornings

New KHOU 11 reporters on their way to Houston

Former KHOU 11 talent Darby Douglas gets new gig

Billy Madison leaves 102.1 The Edge KDGE mornings

KPRC 2 reporters Reyna and Jáquez caught in the act

Texas AP 2009-2010 Television Contest Winners

Sam Malone is back on KSEV 700

KTVT 11 and KTXA 21 get Adrienne Roark as news director

KENS 5 announces new 4pm newscast

KHOU 11 Wins 23 Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Awards

Scott Friedman morning anchor for NBC 5 KXAS

740 KTRH's Will Sterrett leaves for Dallas' KRLD

Ralph Cooper honored by Houston Association of Black Journalists

New Fox 26 KRIV anchor/reporter is Natalie Bomke from Fox 40 KTXL

Hudson & Harrigan gone from 100.3 KILT

Texas winners at the 76th annual National Headliner Awards

740 KTRH turns 80 years old

The Fox 26 KRIV 4am anchor shuffle

WOAI 4 Meteorologist Jennifer Broome leaving station

Houston Press food critic Robb Walsh leaves the paper

2010 Texas APME Awards List

KHOU 11 does it again

Texas TV and radio stations win regional Murrow Awards

NBC 5 KXAS gets new meteorologist

VIDEO: KIAH 39 anchor proposed to live on air

39 KIAH news director KyAnn Lewis departs

Fox 26 KRIV layoffs today

KTRK 13 producer jumps in front of the camera

33 KDAF says goodbye to newscast

KIAH 39's newest reporter David Solano

KIII 3 in Corpus Christi to be sold to London Broadcasting

KPRC 2 meteorologist Jonathan Novack is leaving

570 KLIF program director found dead

Rapper Trae Tha Truth is suing 97.9 The Box KBXX

Houston TV meteorologist on ABC's The Bachelorette 2010?

950 KPRC-AM hits 85 years

Former KPRC 2 and current KDAF 33 talent turns off TV career

Houston Chronicle takes over Texas...sort of

KIAH 39 news is in HD with new set

KPRC Local 2 launches new Facebook pages!

Mary Lee storms onto KPRC 2's weather team

Jim Bell signs off 88.7 KUHF NPR Houston

KIAH 39's Hailey Frances leaves for main anchor gig

Houston Chronicle legal journalist Mary Flood moves on

KHOU 11 wins National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence

VIDEO: DJ Brandi Garcia discusses being fired from 97.9 The Box

Anchor Alan Hemberger no longer with KIAH 39

Houston traffic radio reporting pioneer Marty Ambrose dies

Erin Anthony's tearful goodbye from Fox 26 KRIV traffic beat

The Russ Martin Show lands at 97.1 The Eagle KEGL Dallas

VIDEO: NBC 5 KXAS Mike Snyder exit tribute

KENS 5 gets reporter Sarah Forgany and Adrienne Alvarez moves up at KDBC

Corpse Flower photos from HMNS

KIAH 39 dumps traditional newscasts

The 2010 Texas Radio Hall of Fame Inductees

KPRC 2 creative services director Gary Wann leaves for KXAS 5 DFW

Fox 26 KRIV steals Michelle Merhar from 740 KTRH

WFAA 8's Gary Cogill leaves TV to start film company

KIAH 39 assignments editor Anesha Evans loses cancer battle

Future of Houston Chronicle and chron.com

Gary Jaffe is new KIAH 39 Imaginator for NewsFix

KTRU Rice Radio to become 91.7 KUHC Classical

The recent San Antonio TV anchor arrivals and departures

Dallas weatherman quits, San Antonio anchor quits, KTBU 55 nixes HS football and more

KTVT 11 on air changes in DFW

KPRC 2 reporter Lisa Baldwin says goodbye

11 News I-Team launches on KHOU

The Retro Television Network (RTV) on air in Houston

Ken Hoffman replaced by former Jim Rome producer on 1560 The Game

KHOU 11 meteorologist Dan Meador loses cancer battle

KIAH 39 loses two reporters; familiar faces fill in

KTRK 13 gets Samica Knight as new reporter

Mike McGuff: From blogger to KIAH 39 reporter

KUBE-TV channel 57 Houston

It's KCBS 2 for Fox 26 KRIV's Sibila Vargas

KTRK 13 steals Alex Radow from KIAH 39

KHOU 11 makes TV history with Emmy win

KTVT hires Lisa Pineiro

KTRK 13 gets new state of the art newsroom (video)

Mark Stevens of Rock 101 KLOL's Stevens and Pruett has passed away

KPRC 2 hires Jennifer Bauer as new reporter

8th Annual Lone Star EMMY Awards winners

KHOU 11 news director Keith Connors leaving in November

TV anchors named Barajas taking over Houston and Texas

KTRK 13 investigative producer Steve Bivens leaves the Wayne Dolcefino world

Jerome Gray to leave KPRC 2; possible replacement

Hudson and Harrigan replaced by Corey Foley and Greg Thunder on 100.3 KILT

Fake KPRC 2 Twitter account takes Houston news to the extreme

Former KTRK 13 staffer becomes Houston Chronicle blogger

After Kristin Kane, how many anchors does Fox 26 KRIV need?

KPRC 2 general manager Larry Blackerby to leave station

Where is Chris Baker on 950 KPRC?

KPRC 2 alum gets CBS Early Show host gig

KTRK 13 reporter Gene Apodaca calls it quits

News 8 Austin’s news director Kevin Benz is gone

KIAH 39 news management change, KHOU 11 gets new executive producer

Former KTRK 13 Undercover photographer joins KIAH 39 News

Houston's Global Broadcasting Channel (GBC)

Former KTRK 13 meteorologist Heidi Jones arrested

KTRK 13 Undercover's Wayne Dolcefino says stop copying my work

KHOU 11's Mark Greenblatt recalls agency leaking his investigations to competitor

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Antenna TV is coming to KIAH 39.2 - where will Universal Sports move in Houston?

This is a good time to crave old, retro TV shows from your youth. KPRC 2 broadcasts This TV on 2.2 and The Retro Television Network (RTV) is on 34.2 KUVM.

Now Tribune is launching Antenna TV. In Houston it will air on KIAH 39.2 at the beginning of 2011. Here is an Antenna TV programming schedule.

Houston TV viewers have been emailing me wondering what will happen to Universal Sports which currently airs on 39.2.

Don't worry. KIAH 39 General Manager (and my boss) Roger Bare tells me Universal Sports is moving to 39.3 in Houston.

http://www.wgnamerica.com/shows/antenna/

New HISD press person a San Antonio TV reporter

UPDATE:
HISD tells me former San Antonio TV news reporter Leila Walsh will be in the Communication Services department.

HISD has been making a bunch of hires in its press department lately. Here is another one I believe, due to the fact it is being reported a current San Antonio TV reporter is leaving to become a Houston Independent School District writer.

Jeanne Jakle of the San Antonio Express-News writes that WOAI 4 reporter Leila Walsh is leaving that market at the end of this year to come to HISD:

She has accepted a job in Houston – as senior writer for the Houston School District. “I’ll be writing letters, op-ed pieces and speeches for the district...” READ FULL STORY

Walsh already has a Houston TV connection. According to Jakle, her boyfriend is KTRK 13 photographer Wes Sewell. I do not know him. He started working there after I left.

According to Walsh's WOAI online bio, she joined the station in July of 2005. Before that she was in Syracuse at WSYR-TV and NewsRadio 570 WSYR. She started TV at WUTR in Utica and is a graduate of Syracuse University.

Monday, December 27, 2010

KRIV's Grinan stroke, new KTVT anchor, KHOU Zubowski and more

Jose Grinan recovering
Fox 26 KRIV anchor Jose Grinan suffered a stroke, but is recovering says The Insite.
- VIDEO: Fox 26 KRIV anchor Jose Grinan's movie scene

How Valid Are TV Weather Forecasts?
New York Times says don't plan your weekend activities based on the television weather forecasts unless it is already Thursday — but waiting until Friday would be even better. (Thanks Rorschach)

Fred Cantu hopes he won't be off the air for long
'Uncle Fred" is signing off, but he hopes it won't be for long.

Station's move to drop fleet vehicles craters morale at the TV station
The call came from a longtime employee at WFLA-Ch. 8 who was so angry the words came spilling out, a river of anger and resentment over a management decision that seemed like a swift kick when things were already down. (Thanks Stephen D.)

Sharrie Williams joins KTVT/Channel 11 and KTXA/Channel 21
Sharrie Williams will be weekend anchor/reporter beginning Jan. 10.

Changes at Sporting News Radio
New PD, two new shows.

And to all a good night
D-FW's list of 2010 TV departures.

What prompted KHOU 11's Courtney Zubowski to change her hair color?
What you see is what she got naturally says Ken Hoffman.

Patriotism on the air
Houston radio show aims to bring comfort to the families of those in military service.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- A young TV journalist's guide to first jobs
- Merry Christmas from Rock 101 KLOL

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas from Rock 101 KLOL


It's a blast from the past. I don't know the year, but this was a Rock 101 KLOL Christmas card from years ago.

So Merry Christmas from Rock 101 (RIP) and the mikemcguff.com blog.

Photo Santa Claus by YOUR Christmas tree

Tonight is the night to snap a photo of Santa Claus by the Christmas tree for your kids. But if you don't want to stay up for the real event, you can fake it online.



By clicking here, you can upload a photo of your tree, insert Santa Claus, change his proportions to fit the picture and that's it. Then make sure to share it with your friends and family. Your kids will love it!

It's all possible thanks to a Houston-based company.

Just so you know, I will get a small percentage of the sale, so make sure to share the link:

CLICK HERE TO START


Thursday, December 23, 2010

VIDEO: A young TV journalist's guide to first jobs



Young journalists need to shoot for the stars. Don't demand anything less than a mid to large market. And always try to start as a TV anchor. This is the way the business works. And oh yeah...ask the news director for 9am to 6pm weekday hours. The ND will respect your honesty on the work hours you need to keep a healthy work/life balance.

(Thanks Carol)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Heidi Jones, KPRC Blackerby, KEYE Cantu, Candice Crawford, KENS show and more

WABC-TV Meteorologist Heidi Jones Denies Claim of Rape
Jones, through her lawyer, says that she never told police she was was a victim of attempted rape.
- Former KTRK 13 meteorologist Heidi Jones arrested

A Fond Farewell to KPRC-TV General Manager Larry Blackerby
Reporter Mary Benton says under General Manager Larry Blackerby's leadership, KPRC built a solid reputation for providing responsible journalism to our viewers and building a strong relationship with all aspects of Houston’s diverse community.
- KPRC 2 general manager Larry Blackerby to leave station

Fred Cantu to leave KEYE; Troy Kimmel off radio
Fred Cantu, who endeared himself to Austinites as "Uncle Fred" while anchoring local newscasts since 1995 at KVUE, KEYE and KEYE's Spanish-language station Telemundo, has resigned.

Lesley McCaslin leaves News 8 Austin
Sports reporter Lesley McCaslin has left News 8 Austin, the local news arm of Time Warner Cable, after an impasse in contract negotiations.

Tony Romo engaged to pageant queen and Dallas-Fort Worth news anchor
Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo got engaged to former Miss Missouri Candice Crawford, sister to CW Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford, a television anchor for KDAF-TV 33.
- KDAF 33 hires Chace Crawford's sister/Miss Missouri
- KDAF 33 reporter Candice Crawford dating Tony Romo?

KENS 5 Eyewitness News to expand early-morning coverage
KENS 5 Eyewitness News will add a half-hour of news weekday mornings beginning at 4:30.

KBTX Announces Hiring of Veteran Newsman John Gilbert as 6 & 10 Co-Anchor
KBTX Media announces the hiring of veteran news anchor and reporter John Gilbert as co-anchor of evening newscasts beginning Monday, January 10, 2011. He was just at KCEN 6 in Waco, Temple and Killeen.

Memorial Service for Wilson Walraven
A memorial service was held at St. Luke's United Methodist Church Friday morning for Wilson Walraven, a former video journalist for KRIS and KZTV.

Odd Pair: KILT Tries Lord, Innes Together
Innes, at only 24, seems oddly matched with the much more experienced Lord. After listening for a few days last week, Hair Balls has to wonder if the show will survive in its current form and if Lord will be able to stand it if it does.
- New 610 KILT host is son of Scooby-Doo

It's Official: The Good Guys Are Gone For Good
Fox's The Good Guys will not return for a second season.

Meet Brad Womack’s new bachelorettes
30 women vying for the 38-year-old Austin entrepreneur’s approval

Houston Association of Black Journalists' Christmas party
They put down their note pads and ink pens to celebrate the holiday.

New sales dude in charge at KTVT/KTXA
Matt Flewelling has been promoted to vice president/director of sales for KTVT/Channel 11 and KTXA/Channel 21.

KVUE launches new mobile apps
KVUE launched version 2.0 of its KVUE News mobile App - now available on Android and Blackberry, as well as an updated version for iPhone.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- KTRK 13 Undercover's Wayne Dolcefino says stop copying my work
- VIDEO: KHOU 11's look at 2010
- KHOU 11's Mark Greenblatt recalls agency leaking his investigations to competitor

Friday, December 17, 2010

KHOU 11's Mark Greenblatt recalls agency leaking his investigations to competitor

Yesterday, KTRK 13 Undercover's Wayne Dolcefino gave us an inside look into the world of Houston investigative reporting. This sort of stuff is why I write this blog. Hopefully we all can learn something from posts like this.

On the heels of the Dolcefino Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lesson, we hear from another major Houston investigative reporter. KHOU 11's Mark Greenblatt has been a friend of the mikemcguff.com blog and offers his thoughts on reporters investigating other reporter's work.

"It is my deep belief that journalists who file public information requests for the purpose of stealing or “beating” another journalist to a story are doing a strong disservice to the profession of journalism," Greenblatt told the mikemcguff.com blog over email. "Worse yet, they’re hurting the public they *should* be aiming to serve.

"Why? When a reporter engages in a war of a trying to do what I call a “crash piece” just to ruin a competing news organization’s in-depth work, sometimes, that competitor may feel forced to air an in-depth project before it has been carefully reviewed. In that rush to “get it first”, they sometimes forget what’s more important: to get it right."

Greenblatt offers another interesting perspective. What about when an agency that a reporter is investigating, gives stories to other journalists in efforts to weaken the piece? It's happened to Greenblatt.

"I had suspected a local agency I was investigating was “leaking” stories to a competitor, calling them up to tell them about stories so they might do a story first that would be “thin,” not well sourced, investigated, or vetted for accuracym," Greenblatt recalled. "In this way, the p.r. department of that agency also knew the reporter they were giving the story to, wouldn’t have time to learn enough about the subject to ask hard-hitting questions of the agency that handed the story over to them on a silver platter.

"I began to grow suspicious after a pattern of this sort of stuff. So I filed a FOIA, or to be more precise a request under the Texas Public Information Act- for all the communications between that news organization and the agency I was investigating. Immediately, the emails that were turned over proved up all my worst suspicions… and unfortunately even more. Indeed, the agency was very much leaking my stories- likely figuring it would be better to take a soft hit from a “crash” piece than a hard one. I saw a lot of other things in those emails that would raise a lot eyebrows in the ivory towers of ethics classes in journalism schools. Writing a story about this sort of relationship … wouldn’t necessarily serve the public in my mind. It would only make them lose faith in a bunch of squabbling journalists (similar to how the public loses faith in politicians that run negative ads). I didn’t want to do that. I like to aspire- to be better than that. I did, however, in my own way let both the reporter – and the agency know that I knew what was going on. And I gave the top people at that agency a choice on future stories (citing what I had learned): They could get a call from me from now moments before we were about to run a major report on their agency… leaving THEM scrambling from now on- or they could immediately cease and decist from this horrific behavior. They chose… to stop leaking my stories. And while I never ran a public story about any of this… in that way, the public had already won."

RELATED
KTRK 13 Undercover's Wayne Dolcefino says stop copying my work

NASA probe could give Energizer Bunny a run for its money

Break out the freeze dried champagne and astronaut ice cream for NASA's Mars mission. Launched in 2001, NASA's Mars Odyssey broke the record for longest serving spacecraft on the Red Planet. The probe began its 3,340th day in Martian orbit at 8:55 p.m. EST on Wednesday to break the record set by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, which orbited Mars from 1997 to 2006:

Odyssey's longevity enables continued science, including the monitoring of seasonal changes on Mars from year to year and the most detailed maps ever made of most of the planet. In 2002, the spacecraft detected hydrogen just below the surface throughout Mars' high-latitude regions. The deduction that the hydrogen is in frozen water prompted NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which confirmed the theory in 2008. Odyssey also carried the first experiment sent to Mars specifically to prepare for human missions, and found radiation levels around the planet from solar flares and cosmic rays are two to three times higher than around Earth.

Odyssey also has served as a communication relay, handling most of the data sent home by Phoenix and NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Odyssey became the middle link for continuous observation of Martian weather by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

Odyssey will support the 2012 landing of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and surface operations of that mission. MSL will assess whether its landing area has had environmental conditions favorable for microbial life and preserving evidence about whether life has existed there. The rover will carry the largest, most advanced set of instruments for scientific studies ever sent to the Martian surface.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

VIDEO: KHOU 11's look at 2010



KHOU 11 has put out its annual year ender promo spot. Here it is.

Former KPRC 2 bachelor Jonathan "The Weatherman" Novack cast for Skating With the Stars

Former weekend KPRC 2 meteorologist Jonathan "The Weatherman" Novack of The Bachelor fame will still be on the national stage. That's right, ABC is forecasting another Novack system as he will be a contestant on Skating with the Stars. Move over Vince Neil.

But get this, E! Online is saying he will be a contestant on the current season. He has supposedly been a skating understudy.

I predict a icy winter ahead for our former Houston weatherman!



UPDATE
E! Online is reporting that ABC does not think Jonathan "The Weatherman" Novack will perform on the show after all.

(Thanks @ggmortongeo)

KTRK 13 Undercover's Wayne Dolcefino says stop copying my work

KTRK 13 Undercover investigative reporter Wayne Dolcefino, is as my grandmother might have said, fit to be tied. Why? He says a few other Houston reporters are doing investigations on his investigations you might say.

"I appreciate the compliment, but have we reached the stage in journalism where people can't figure out for themselves what they want to inspect," asked Dolcefino.

There is an area of journalism where I consider the reporters to be like Jedi Knights to make a weak comparison to Star Wars. These are usually the investigative reporters. They are the ones enterprising stories, looking where others are not.

To do this, they must put in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests into government agencies. These are official sounding, legalese looking requests asking for particular information. Many times the government agency will put up a little static in handing over the documents. You have to know how to word the request carefully and accurately to get the goods. [LEARN MORE - U.S. Department of State Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Texas Public Information Act]

So in this case, Dolcefino puts in these types of requests. But that means his requests are now open records too...meaning anyone else can put in a request to see what information Dolcefino is requesting. This is what he says other reporters are doing to him.

For example a reporter sends in something like this to a government agency:

I respectfully request an opportunity to VIEW any and all documents provided within the last 3 months to Wayne Dolcefino or any journalist from KTRK.

"I suspect it is something [the other reporters] would not want the public to know," Al Tompkins with The Poynter Institute told the mikemcguff.com blog. "Which is why you should write about it."

Is this type of "requesting what a fellow journalist is requesting" concept creative reporting or akin to copying off your neighbor's paper in elementary school? I don't know the answer. So I went to Al Tompkins at The Poynter Institute, someone way smarter than I am, for his opinion.

"Based solely on what you describe, it sounds low-brow, borderline juvenile but not unethical unless it involves deception or law breaking," Tompkins told me. "On the other hand I don't want to discourage investigative reporting, however they come to it. It would be nice if they could find their own stories and sources. Goodness knows there is enough to be reporting to keep everyone busy."

So there you have it straight from a respected journalism expert. In Dolcefino's case turnabout is fair play as he can figure out who is requesting his requests...

RELATED
- Former KTRK 13 Undercover photographer joins KIAH 39 News
- KTRK 13 investigative producer Steve Bivens leaves the Wayne Dolcefino world

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Houston's AMC Meyer Park 16 movie theater demolished

Another place I spent a lot of time in my youth in southwest Houston is now gone. Wednesday I was driving down West Bellfort and noticed that the old AMC Meyer Park 16 was being demolished.

This can be a Mike McGuff teen hangout follow up to the Meyer Park Chili's closing which I told you about in 2009.  The Meyer Park AMC movie theater closed years ago. It's reputation had been tarnished since the early days. There was some rough stuff going on over there in the latter years.

I talked to someone in the area about it and they told me the buzz in the area neighborhood is that a Kohl's is going in.

Here are some photos I snapped as I passed by:


Former KTRK 13 meteorologist Heidi Jones arrested

Lots of readers have emailed me about the reported trouble former KTRK 13 meteorologist Heidi Jones is in.

Here is what CBS New York reported:

A Channel 7 (WABC) weather anchor was suspended from her job on Wednesday, after police said she filed a phony police report about being stalked and assaulted in Central Park.

Soon after her weather forecast Saturday night, WABC-TV meteorologist Heidi Jones was picked up by detectives who were waiting in the ABC studios for her to finish. According to sources close to the investigation, detectives had concluded that her story about almost being raped while jogging in Central Park was a lie.

Police sources said Jones claimed a man tackled her from behind on Sept. 24, but she reported the incident through ABC security on Nov. 24. Police said when her story fell apart, Jones was arrested. READ THE REST

After Jones left KTRK, she eventually went to WABC and a fill-in weather gig at Good Morning America. She also hosts a show on the Live Well HD network (which airs in Houston) called Gotta Know.

CBS says if convicted, Jones could face up to a year in prison. Her lawyer told the network she, "intends to enter a plea of not guilty."

A concerned reader emailed me, "I hope she is able to take care of what caused her to [allegedly] do this and get the help she needs; she seems to be a very likable person."

I totally agree.

You can read more in the New York Post.

RELATED
- Gotta Know where former KTRK 13 met Heidi Jones is
- Heidi Jones (PICTURES): Why Would WABC Weather Anchor Tell Rape Story?

CNN gaffe, KHOU honors, Abrams regret, DFW reporter loses and more


CNN Airs 'Dumb And Dumber' Diarrhea Scene Amidst Story On Student Protests
Why does explosive diarrhea always hit at the most inopportune times? While we can't for the life of us figure out why our friends at CNN had this 'Dumb and Dumber' scene anywhere near a segment on student protests in Europe, we're glad they did--the end result is nothing short of hilarious. (Thanks Krystal)

Lee Abrams admits he could’ve been more sensitive to some in Tribune newsrooms
He says that at Tribune, about 10% of the staffers resisted his ideas, and he compared them to early 70s underground radio DJs being given a playlist.

Jury rules against ex-KDFW reporter in wrongful-termination suit
A 12-person jury ruled unanimously against former KDFW/Channel 4 reporter Rebecca Aguilar on Monday in her wrongful-termination suit against the Dallas-based station.

Ken Hoffman's new video reports
If The Learning Channel can do Sarah Palin's Alaska, he can do Ken Hoffman's Houston or Texas or … Anywhere.

KHOU Channel 11 President, General Manager inducted into Women’s Hall of Fame
Susan McEldoon, the General Manager of KHOU Channel 11, was among 11 women honored Thursday at the Third Annual Greater Houston Women’s Hall of Fame held at the InterContinental Hotel.

New face at CBS11/TXA21 means exit of incumbent weekend anchor Nerissa Knight
Sharrie Williams has been named the new weekend anchor for CBS11/TXA21, replacing three-year veteran Nerissa Knight.

Innes moves to afternoon drive with Lord on KILT
Josh Innes will replace Robert Henslee beginning Tuesday as co-host with Rich Lord of KILT's (610 AM) afternoon drive talk show.

Former CW33 anchor Tom Crespo reunited with former newsroom boss
Anchor Tom Crespo, sacked nearly two years ago by Dallas-based CW33 as part of widespread makeover, has landed a spot as co-anchor of the featured weekday newscasts on KXII-TV, the Texoma-based CBS/Fox affiliate.

Houston Represents (Of Course) On New Obesity Reality-TV Series
Houstonians will be featured on A&E's new reality series, Heavy, which follows folks who battle obesity during six months of treatment.

Houston TV stations refuse ad that slams fast food
Physicians' group tried to buy time to hit McDonald's.

KHOU overnight maintenance
Due to maintenance, some viewers will be unable to see KHOU 11's signal from midnight to 5am through Friday.

Golden Globes TV nominations announced
The nominations for the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- “Boom Goes the Dynamite” kid gets new TV reporter gig
- KTVT CBS 11 morning anchor image promos video
- Houston's Global Broadcasting Channel (GBC) is hiring for open jobs
- Goateed man in the 'talk show' Gallery Furniture TV ads

Texas school report cards now available from TEA

Reflections by SimStars #1 Teacher Apple Silver Bead Charm QRS1657 fits Pandora Chamilia Biagi Trollbeads Zable SilveradoThe Texas Education Agency (TEA) has just released its school report cards online for 2009-2010. These reports provide data about Texas school districts and campuses.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REPORTS

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Which cars Houston thieves want for Christmas

The following is a rundown of the “Top 10” makes of vehicles reported stolen to the Houston Police Department during the month of November 2010.

1. Chevrolet Trucks - 140
2. Ford Trucks - 139
3. Honda Cars - 93
4. Dodge Trucks - 80
5. Nissan Cars - 37
6. Ford Cars - 35
7. GMC Trucks - 34
8. Chevrolet Cars - 31
9. Toyota Cars - 29
10. Dodge Cars - 23

Who is the goateed man in the 'talk show' Gallery Furniture TV ads?



Just who is the man with the goatee in 'the late night talk show' Gallery Furniture television commercials? You know the one, where Mattress Mack (aka Jim McIngvale) is doing his impression of a Leno, Conan or Letterman type?

Someone at work told me they thought it was former Rock 101 KLOL DJ Grego. Sounded possible to me. Grego denies it though.

So I went to the source. The company behind Mattress Mack's ad campaigns.

"He is actually Garner McCulloch, our Associate Creative Director here at Love (Advertising)," the company's Vice President of Public Relations Jessica Manning told the mikemcguff.com blog. "We wanted to have a little fun and do something different than the typical Gallery Spot and we just ran with it. After it started running, we had so many comments from customers about it, we decided to do two more versions which are running now."

For those of you not in Houston, Mattress Mack is an icon around here. He's been advertising for so long around here that when his furniture warehouse caught fire a few years ago, it was major news. If anyone could do a late night talk show around here, it might be Mack.

RELATED
- Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale vs Muhammad Ali
- VIDEO: Mattress Mack (Chopped and Screwed Remix) Ft. Paul Wall
- Mattress Mac and MTV's Jamie Kennedy do a commercial

Friday, December 10, 2010

Mike McGuff's holiday gift guide

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation [Blu-ray]Christmas is coming and now you can buy gifts right here on mikemcguff.com. Read about Texas media news, then buy an iPod or maybe Network on DVD.

I created an Amazon mall for the blog, click here to see it. The gifts I've put on there are either items I have, or am interested in getting to know better. Most of the electronics come from popular tech reviewer's holiday gift idea articles.

 It's not like I'm ever going to make a living from writing a blog about Texas media. If you buy from the mikemcguff.com holiday gift guide, I get a small percentage of the sale.

There are high end electronics down to CDs for less than $10. If there is a product you think I should add to the mall, give me a shout.

NOW GET SHOPPING

RELATED
- Houston radio stations and Sirius XM going all Christmas
- Christmas light and music show in Pearland, TX
- Allergy free Christmas trees exist
- Which Houston charities are worth giving money to?

“Boom Goes the Dynamite” kid gets new TV reporter gig



Everyone pretty much knows the “Boom Goes the Dynamite” guy (aka Brian Collins) at this point. If you've read my blog over the years, I told you how he got a job at KXXV in Waco, then when he left the station. I heard he was working for a Waco magazine after that.

The siren song of TV news apparently is too strong for young Collins, because I have been alerted that Brian is now back on air as a reporter. That's right, Brian Collins is now at KSAX in Alexandria, MN. SEE HIS BIO

(Thanks L.)

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Need a job? Houston's Global Broadcasting Channel (GBC) is hiring

I told you this week how a Houston group was starting an International news channel here called the Global Broadcasting Channel(GBC).

The press release the TV news outfit sent me said there would be around 75 jobs available with the new news network. Naturally readers started asking me what exactly the company was looking for concerning television professional hiring. GBC gave me the answer.

"We are currently hiring for the positions - Anchor (limited), Editorial Team (news writers), Video Editors (Apple Final Cut Pro and Vegas Pro) and Camermen (studio)," Rashmi Saikia, Managing Principal of the Global Broadcasting Channel told the mikemcguff.com blog.

GBC says resumes can be submitted to the network at gbcworldnews [@] gbctv.us.

RELATED
Houston group starting satellite world news TV channel in 2011

KTVT CBS 11 morning anchor image promos video



KTVT CBS 11 in Dallas-Fort Worth just releases its latest morning show promo featuring Scott Sams, Lisa Pineiro and crew.

RELATED
- KTVT CBS 11 new anchor Pineiro debuts
- Dallas TV anchor's fall from grace and story of redemption
- New KXAS 5 anchor promo spots

Former SA reporter buzz, KHOU sneak preview, new Waco anchor and more

Men of Radio Co-host Search
Nominate a Houston talk show host like Michael Garfield to appear on Live! with Regis and Kelly.

Signs Your Presser is Tanking...
Lenslinger writes the top 10 signs.

Former San Antonio reporter gets new job in LA
KTLA News reporter Lu Parker, who is best known for being the girlfriend of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, announced on Monday that she is going from covering breaking news to working as a "special feature correspondent" at the Los Angeles station.
- Former KENS 5 reporter dating LA mayor

Sneak Preview: KHOU 11 2.0 Mobile App
KHOU.com will be launching version 2.0 of its KHOU News Mobile App on the Blackberry and Android - as well as an updated version for the iPhone.

The Austin-American Statesman needs new publisher
The Austin-American Statesman has a opening for a new publisher.
Michael Vivio, publisher of the local newspaper and CEO of Statesman Co. for more than two years, is being promoted by parent company, Cox Media Group.

KCEN 6 gets new anchor with Doug Currin
London Broadcasting Co.'s NBC affiliate KCEN Waco, Texas (DMA 89), has hired Doug Currin, who will join the station at the beginning of January.

Texas Rangers move radio stations
Texas Rangers have struck a deal to move their Dallas homes from CBS Radio Sports KRLD-AM & FM (The Fan) and Univision Spanish News/Talk/Sports KFLC to ESPN Radio's Sports KESN and Spanish Sports/Talk KZMP (ESPN Deportes) for exclusive English- and Spanish-language play-by-play starting with the 2011 season

Round Rock resident to be on ‘Homemade Millionaire’
Austin-area inventor Sarah Haviland will appear Friday on the TLC series “Homemade Millionaire” with her Think Brand Products, a line of earth-friendly cleaning products.

Seasons Greetings from KXAN Austin News Today!
Austin's KXAN makes a holiday ID.

Nate Berkus Show to move Houston time slot on KPRC 2
Sony Pictures Television's Nate Berkus has earned upgrades to daytime slots on two Post-Newsweek-owned stations starting this January.

Fox 26 anchor learns some TV sets have expiration dates
Fox 26 news anchor Damali Keith learned the hard way you can't just buy a television and let it sit.

Oprah’s power lineup
OWN premieres Jan. 1 in place of the Discovery Health channel, but it was nearly 20 years in the making.

UPDATE
Howard Stern to stay with Sirius XM another five years
Howard Stern, the popular and controversial radio talk show host, said on his Sirius XM Radio show Thursday that he signed a five-year deal to remain with the satellite radio broadcaster.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- What Houston radio hosts 'really' do during the commercial breaks
- Former KTRK 13 Undercover photographer joins KIAH 39 News
- Houston group starting satellite world news TV channel in 2011


Wednesday, December 08, 2010

What Houston radio hosts 'really' do during the commercial breaks



Here is what Houston radio talk show hosts really do right before they come back from a commercial break. The music plays...they dance. Michael Garfield, The High Tech Texan, on 950 KPRC was caught on tape by his producer dancing with himself.

RELATED
- The view of a radio talk show host from 950 KPRC Houston
- Spotted: @garf inside KTRK 13
- Garf is a hunk

Former KTRK 13 Undercover photographer joins KIAH 39 News

Can you say 39 Undercover? OK...maybe not quite yet, but KIAH 39 does have former KTRK 13 Undercover (Wayne Dolcefino) photographer David DeFranchi shooting video for it now.

As people in the Houston TV community know, DeFranchi is a great guy and amazing photographer/editor. I couldn't begin to tell you the number of award he's won over the years for his work, at channel 13 and elsewhere.

Lucky for me, I get to work with him at least one day a week. We get to cover news and reminisce about the old days together.

Here is our first story together.

RELATED
KTRK 13 investigative producer Steve Bivens leaves the Wayne Dolcefino world

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Houston group starting satellite world news TV channel in 2011

Wow. I was surprised when news of the Houston-based Global Broadcasting Channel(GBC) hit my email box. This is pretty cool. If you are a journalist who likes world news, start applying now. Does it count I like listening to the BBC?:


Pioneer Globe - Blue OceanHouston, TX – Due to the stunning absence of thorough and complete world news reporting in the United States, several Houstonians have partnered with international news professionals to fill the vacuum. On March 3, this partnership will launch an independent world news network, called the Global Broadcasting Channel, or GBC, based out of the most global city in the world – Houston, TX.

GBC will deliver news via DirecTV to 18.7 million American households. The network will be the first US news channel to bring world news in a 24/7 stream to an American audience, ensuring insight into global events and issues – information presently absent or incomplete in other the major media outlets.

“The world is rapidly becoming one community,” States GBC spokesperson Rashmi Saikia. “There are many native-born Americans thirsting for world news, and about 36 million foreign-born Americans, who receive little or no news about their homelands. GBC will cover not only the US, but Latin America, Asia, Europe, Canada, Australia and South Africa. We offer our viewers the entire world.”

GBC plans to launch with a 24-hour news cycle and a full crew from its new studios in The Preserve, 2040 North Loop West. .The network is independently owned by the family of Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia, the most successful and highly regarded media producers in India. This family-owned business brings with it more than thirty years of expertise in cinema and television program development. Advertising sales for the company is managed by World Link Media Corporation. The team of people to work on the crew is primarily being hired in Houston, TX adding approximately 75 new jobs in Houston in 2011.

In addition, Houston’s own Zenfilm is managing the creative services.

“It’s global news tailored for the US market originating right here in Houston. GBC is designed to be a lens on the world that is not colored by opinion, targeted at viewers who want to make up their own minds regarding global issues. It’s the art of journalism as it is intended,” concludes Saikia.

Put your questions about the Global Broadcasting Channel(GBC) in this post's comments and I can get them answered.

Which Houston charities are worth giving money to?

 


Tis the season to give right? But how do you know your money is going to a good cause? Or the charity you are donating to is actually putting that money to good use? There is no real charity watchdog. There is no state agency that makes sure charities are on the straight and narrow path. So it is up to you to know where your money is going, before you give.
HOUSTON CHARITIES CHECK: Which Houston charities are worth giving money to?

KTVT's Miller married, WOAI's 'Rosebud' retires, KTRK 13 staffers documentary and more

CBS 11 KTVT sportscaster Gina Miller's wedding announcement in the New York Times
Gina Miller, 36, will continue to use her name professionally. She is a sports anchor at the Dallas television stations KTVT and KTXA, which are owned by CBS. She graduated cum laude from the University of Houston.

"106.9 The Zone" KHPT Houston gets new leader from Miami
Kevin Vargas heads to Houston as PD of Cox Media Group Classic Alternative KHPT (106.9 The Zone). He comes in from the same post at Active Rock sister WHDR (93 Rock)/Miami.

After 38 years, reporter at WOAI radio retires
One of San Antonio's talk radio’s most distinctive voices has hung up his mike after 38 years on WOAI. Bud “Rosebud” Little, whose vintage, deep-throated delivery always recalled a radio era gone by, retired last week at age 72.

Texas Watchdog Offices Broken Into: Begin The Paranoia?
​Texas Watchdog, the website that does a lot of digging into the spending of governments and politicians, was burglarized over the weekend.

KTRK 13 editor Alex Luster talks about upcoming documentary
Director Alex Luster talks Stick 'Em Up.
- KTRK 13 gets a PR!MO editor in Fox 26 KRIV's Alex Luster
- VIDEO: Houston documentary Stick ‘Em Up!'s latest trailer

Al-Jazeera: KPFT Puts Them On The Houston Airwaves
KPFT staffers have been informed that an English-language Al-Jazeera segment will be part of the news lineup.

Waning Support for College Radio Sets Off a Debate
Like many college radio stations across the country, Rice University’s KTRU and Vanderbilt University’s WRVU play a broad swath of music — from undiscovered indie bands and obscure blues acts to ’60s garage rock and ’80s postpunk.

All eyes on David Nuno
"Cool" is back in sports talk and credit David Nuno of 1560 The Game with the return of "cool" to the sports talk airwaves.

Becca Cason Thrash: Star Of CultureMap, Which Doesn't Mention She's Married To An Owner Of It
In many ways, a recent post was a typical CultureMap item: headlined "Becca Cason Thrash, Scott McClelland, Gina Gaston (KTRK 13) & more share their living lean strategies," it was a hard(ly)-hitting look at the holiday diet tips of Houston's wealthy social types.

Former charter KDAF-TV news director Anthony Maisel finds new news home in Texoma
Anthony Maisel, who launched Dallas-based KDAF-TV's (Ch. 33) inaugural prime-time newscast in 1998, has been named the first full-time news director at CBS/Fox's Texoma area station, KXII-TV.

Fran Harris is ‘GMA’ finalist
Former University of Texas basketball star Fran Harris is a finalist to become the Dear “GMA” Advice Guru on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

NBC Local Media to Target Twitter Tastemakers
'20' most influential tweeters in each market to help shape local content.

Ben Oldag - RIP
Dr. Ben Oldag, a long time, very familiar voice on Houston radio, has passed. He will be most familiar from his long-time work on KTRH on garden and farm programs but he started his career on KFRD in Rosenberg and worked also on Armed Forces Radio.

KTRH's "Most Influential Houstonian Of 2010": KTRH's Michael Berry
By far the most influential Houstonian this year has been Michael Berry, talk-show host on KTRH. At least according to a listener poll of KTRH listeners.

Oprah Winfrey Channel Gears Up for Its Debut
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, the cable channel from Ms. Winfrey and Discovery Communications, nearly three years in the making, is only one month away from its debut.

ESPN Says Study Shows Little Effort to Cut Cable
Seeking to understand the cutting of cable cords, ESPN has waded into the Nielsen Company’s audience sample and concluded that the cancellations are currently a “very minor” phenomenon.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- KPRC 2 alum gets CBS Early Show host gig
- KTRK 13 reporter Gene Apodaca calls it quits
- New KXAS 5 anchor promo spots
- News 8 Austin’s news director Kevin Benz is gone
- KIAH 39 news management change, KHOU 11 gets new executive producer
- Houston TV and newspaper websites profiled
- Houston Chronicle hypertext: What's up with the linked article text on chron.com?

Monday, December 06, 2010

How are Texans getting their drink on?

Want to know what Texans are drinking? The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) released its Per Capita Consumption "get your drink on list" for November, 2010.

Distilled Spirits
Total Tax Collections $5,580,007.00
Total Gallons 2,325,003
------------------------------------------------------------
Wine
Total Tax Collections $972,961.00
Total Gallons(Estimated) 3,751,999
------------------------------------------------------------
Beer
Total Tax Collections $8,465,147.00
Total Gallons 43,736,680
------------------------------------------------------------
Ale
Total Tax Collections $807,074.00
Total Gallons 4,076,131
------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Statistics based on gross tax collections by the Commission and population estimates are from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts 'Economic and Population Forecast Summary'.

Estimate of Population: 25,409,530

Houston Chronicle hypertext: What's up with the linked article text on chron.com?


I noticed last week that the Houston Chronicle started linking certain words in articles on chron.com. Click on those links and they take you to topic pages about the highlighted word.

To find out more, I emailed Dean Betz, the Content Director at the Houston Chronicle/chron.com.

"Some smart software reads our articles, then links keywords in the articles to topics pages that draw on Houston Chronicle articles and blogs, and relevant content from other sources, including YouTube videos, other Hearst Web sites, sites across the Internet, Twitter dicussion and Wikepedia pages," Betz told the mikemcguff.com blog.

But that's not all. Betz says there are more new features in the article pages that offer top news from chron.com and other news from around the Web.

In case you are really into web development, then you will want to know these new tools come from a company called OneSpot.com.

The new features were launched last Thursday.

Friday, December 03, 2010

Houston TV and newspaper websites profiled

NetNewsCheck profiled the Houston media (TV/newspaper) web market:

What that means is that the primary players -- Chron.com, abc13.com, KHOU.com, Click2Houston.com (operated by Post-Newsweek’s NBC affiliate KPRC), Fox-owned KRIV’s MyFoxHouston.com and 39online.com (run by Tribune’s CW affiliate KIAH) -- are jockeying to distinguish themselves when the crux of all their content is news.

“It’s like going to a casino, and each one has a theme carpet and a theme design and a theme to their look,” said Click2Houston.com digital sales manager Vance Collins, who cited comScore data that showed his site receives over 1 million unique visitors per month, placing it third in the market behind Chron.com (4.2 million) and KHOU.com (1.2 million). “But once you sit down to the slots you see they all have the same thing.”

Overseeing sales for the only site in the market that streams newscasts live, Collins has watched online revenue rise from just $140,000 to more than $2 million this year. During the same time, the number of advertisers jumped from around 25 to more than 200, he said. READ THE REST

No doubt Houston is a competitive place when it concerns news websites. I realized I've now done work for three of the TV sites in town.

Christmas light and music show in Pearland, TX plus allergy free Xmas trees

 


Last holiday weekend I went into full Christmas mode. I've been passing by a house in Pearland for years that is decorated to the max and wondered why no one has ever put it on Houston TV! Last Friday I changed that and put it on KIAH 39. For web geeks out there, this is a DIY and opensource software project. CLICK TO: See the Christmas music and light show

The next day I went out to Brookshire, TX to find out how to pick the perfect Christmas Tree. What I found is that there is a type of tree that is actually less bothersome for allergy sufferers. It's why I never have had a real tree in my home. CLICK HERE FOR NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT: Allergy free Christmas trees exist

Thursday, December 02, 2010

KIAH 39 news management change, KHOU 11 gets new executive producer

Since I am a freelance reporter at KIAH 39, I had to get clearance to bring you the following post.

News executive producer Perry Pace has announced he is leaving KIAH for KHOU 11. He will be the morning executive producer and starts at the Belo Houston station December 13th.

Pace is a great EP and I really enjoyed working for him (he is the one who gave me a job there too!). KHOU is lucky to have him back. That's right, he has been there before as the 6pm and morning show producer at points in the past. He also served as the senior producer who helped sign WB39 news on the air back in 2000.

So who is taking Pace's spot at KIAH 39?

Look to jack of all trades Steve Simon. The anchor/reporter/commentator is adding interim executive producer to his resume!

Congrats to all involved.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

News 8 Austin’s news director Kevin Benz is gone

News 8 Austin's news director Kevin Benz, who has been at the station since it signed on cable, has exited. I always heard good things about the guy. I believe he was a former TV news photographer.

Benz is on the RTNDA Board of Directors.



READ MORE
- News Director Kevin Benz out at News 8 Austin
- News Ate

New KXAS 5 anchor promo spots

KXAS 5 in Dallas - Fort Worth has launched a bunch of new image spots for its anchors. A former Houston guy was behind them. You might remember how former KPRC 2 creative services director Gary Wann left for KXAS in DFW this summer.

WATCH THEM BELOW:
- NBC5 Newy Talk
- NBC 5 David Maps
- NBC 5 Meredith Mom
- NBC 5 Brian Teachers
- NBC 5 Brian Photography
- NBC 5 Meredith Reporter

KTRK 13 reporter Gene Apodaca calls it quits

The news hit the Houston TV community last week right before Thanksgiving. KTRK 13 reporter Gene Apodaca reportedly quit the ABC station.

I contacted Apodaca the day it happened but he said he wasn't allowed to give a comment to the mikemcguff.com blog.

Tuesday of this week, I'm told his photo and bio were taken down from the Channel 13 website.

According to KTRK, Apodaca came to work for the Houston station in October 2004. Prior to KTRK, Apodaca worked as a reporter in Miami. Before that he did stints at WPTV in West Palm Beach, KIII in Corpus Christi and KOSA in Midland/Odessa. He's one of those guys who is not from Texas, but apparently got here as soon as he could.

Keep checking back on this blog to see what Apodaca is up to next.

(Photo courtesy of UTDB)

Texas driver records now available instantly online

Good news for Texas drivers who are used to getting things immediately online:

Texas drivers can now order their driving records online and print them out immediately instead of waiting to have the record mailed to them.

“We are pleased to offer this new service, which is available 24/7 to our customers. The convenience of ordering your driver record online and then printing it out yourself will save everyone time and money,” said Rebecca Davio, the DPS Assistant Director for Driver License.

Previously, drivers could order their driver record online but had to wait to receive their record via the U.S. Postal Service. Now, drivers can place their order using a credit card and their actual driver license, and then print out their record, which is available in a certified version suitable for submitting to a court for permission to take defensive driving.

To order a driver record online, please visit www.texas.gov.