Happy Friday to those who celebrate! Welcome back to another edition of the weekly roundup of stories we didn’t get to for one reason or another.
This week, the FCC is halting review of the Tegna/Standard General deal in case there is no deal. We also see the usual churn of journalists coming and going in markets large and small. Enjoy!
PoliticoPro said the Federal Communications Commission’s in-house court says it’s halting review of the Tegna broadcast merger until June in case the deal collapses next month. It’s deal that has been in front of the FCC for more than a year and would result in a 300% expansion of minority media ownership. Some say that instead of holding a vote, or even explaining why the substantial public interest benefits the deal brings are being disregarded, the FCC is instead attempting to backroom-kill the deal by tying it up in red tape until financing expires on May 22nd. Click here for more.
KFSN morning weather anchor Madeline Evans is leaving the Fresno station. Evans announced Monday that her husband, a fighter pilot stationed at Lemoore Naval Air Station, has been reassigned. Her last day is Friday. She did not announce where she and her husband are headed. Click here to read.
Gray Television has appointed Eric Walters general manager of KMVT and KSVT-LD in Twin Falls, Idaho, effective June 12. He will succeed Kathy Silk, who last month announced her retirement after nearly 30 years in the broadcast industry. Click here to read.
IBEW said its boycott of St. Louis station KSDK Channel 5 by Local 4 continues unabated as negotiations with the station are showing little progress. Job security is the key issue. The station is owned by Tegna Media. The union, which represents the station’s television techs, is making a plea to all union families to turn off Channel 5 to encourage the station’s management to begin serious negotiations. Click here to read more.
Nik Speliopoulos is the newest member of the KTTC team. He joins Julian Mitchell in the sports department. Speliopoulos previously was a sports reporter at KTTC’s sister station in Fairbanks, Alaska, however, he is a St. Cloud State University graduate and a Brainerd native. Click here for more.
Sports reporter Charlie Clifford is joining the WLWT broadcast team. According to a press release, Clifford will start as a sports reporter and anchor next week by covering the Cincinnati Bengals during the NFL draft. Click here for more.
A Former WALB evening news anchor died on Monday. Mark Carey Williams, who went by Mark McClure while at WALB, died in Pennsylvania. He was 71. Click here to read more.
After nearly a decade at WHIO, Storm Center 7 morning meteorologist Kirstie Zontini has decided to step away from the weather center and into a new role outside of TV. “I have absolutely loved my time here at WHIO, but as my family grows, I needed to find something new that would allow me to be with them more,” Zontini explained. Click here to read about it.