Monthly Archives: May 2013

Exclusive: WPIX to Add Evening Co-Anchor, Sports Reporter

A fluid situation at WPIX is about to take a dramatic turn.

Tuned In has learned exclusively that Channel 11 is planning to add a co-anchor alongside Tamsen Fadal at 5 and 10 p.m. This appears to suggest that Fadal, the interim lead anchor since December, is not going anywhere.

We’re told that this is in the preliminary stages, with no timetable for the new anchor.

In a mandatory staff meeting last week, news director Mark Effron highlighted several programming changes at PIX.

A nighttime anchor team means it’s back to the future for Channel 11.

Related: WPIX Gives Royal Treatment to Prince Harry

Effron is pushing PIX forward, while erasing every memory from the Bill Carey regime. Carey infamously dropped the two-anchor format of Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong for Jodi Applegate in October 2010.

Another element high on Effron’s priority list is increasing a sports presence at 10 p.m. Effron told staffers in the meeting that he’ll hire a sports reporter, which was another casualty of Carey’s time as news director.

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WNYW Promotes Antwan Lewis to Weekend Co-Anchor

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By JERRY BARMASH
(@jerrybarmash)

Channel 5’s Antwan Lewis, the likable early morning anchor and reporter, is on the move. Lewis, who joined WNYW in 2010, has been promoted to weekend co-anchor alongside Christina Park.

Lewis was the epitome of a team player in January when he was pressed into service as Good Day Early Call/Wake Up anchor. He joined Juliet Huddy from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m. That slot opened when Dave Price immediately resigned after being demoted to the early morning newscasts.

Lewis and Park will begin their new tandem Saturday.

Station publicists and even VP/GM Lew Leone refused to confirm or give any comment to Tuned In. However, Lewis’ WNYW bio page has been updated stating his new role at Channel 5. The bio adds that Lewis is a four-time Emmy winner.

The station has not revealed who will replace Lewis in the early morning slot.

Photo: myfoxny.com

WPIX Gives Royal Treatment to Prince Harry in New Jersey

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By JERRY BARMASH
(@jerrybarmash)

It’s good to be the king! OK, maybe the Mel Brooks line is a bit strong. But it was all about WPIX this morning with a special 10 minutes of coverage as Prince Harry toured Seaside Heights, New Jersey with Governor Christie.

At 11 a.m. WPIX pre-empted Jerry Springer for morning anchors Sukanya Krishnan and Frances Rivera. Reporter Ann Mercogliano exuberantly told viewers that she hoped to get a moment with the prince. However, that standout TV moment never happened as Harry didn’t make his way down the receiving line. Mercogliano was smooth as she spoke to onlookers. In her few minutes on the air, a comfortable Mercogliano put her personality on display, saying about the twenty-something prince, “he does look good!”

Mercogliano is no stranger to covering the royals. Her reporting from Kate and William’s wedding for WNBC in 2011 was Emmy-nominated.

We were unable to find any other outlets, local or national, that aired live footage. Surprisingly, even WWOR, did we mention Seacaucus, New Jersey based WWOR, was also no-show.

History of New York City Radio Comes Alive in New Photo Book

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By JERRY BARMASH
(@jerrybarmash)

Authors Alec Cumming and Peter Kanze have unearthed many rare photos of the Radio New York style. The new book, Images of America: New York City Radio by Arcadia Publishing, takes readers from a 1909 wireless telephone display to present day WAXQ/Q 104.3 with a shot of longstanding personalities, Jim Kerr, Carol Miller, and Shelli Sonstein.

In between, there are dozens of images from the last century, when radio was king.

While the paperback is only 126 pages and there is no actual text, just an extended caption for each picture.

Many on-air folks and stations are represented, some more than once, but others are oddly missed. For example, there are no photos of WFAN, New York and the country’s first all-sports station, which celebrated 25 years on the air in 2012. But the title doesn’t include the words “comprehensive history.”

However, the book does have some vintage pictures, including a look at the beginnings of WOR in the early 1920s when it started as a radio station for Bamberger’s department store.

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Game 6 of Islanders/Penguins Coming to WFAN Tomorrow Night

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By JERRY BARMASH
(@jerrybarmash)

The New York Islanders are about to get a giant boost in listeners. Tomorrow night’s Game 6 of the NHL first round playoff series with the Penguins will be heard on WFAN 660 and 101.9 FM.

The Isles need a victory at the Nassau Coliseum to force a decisive seventh game Sunday night.

Veteran Islanders announcer Chris King and color analyst Kevin Dexter call the action.

The game will not only be simulcast on WFAN AM and FM, but it will also be heard on the Isles regular radio home on Long Island.

Related: WFAN Keeps Radio Rights to Giants

“The New York Islanders are an incredible story this year,” Mark Chernoff, WFAN and CBS Radio New York Vice President of Programming, said. “Led by their Hart Trophy finalist John Tavares, this team has all of New York excited about the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’re excited to team with the Islanders and Hofstra University, 88.7 WRHU, to broadcast such a crucial game.”

The Islanders were founded in 1972, and won four straight Stanley Cups in the 1980s.

“We’re pleased to work with WFAN Sports Radio and our broadcast partner at Hofstra University, WRHU, to broadcast this pivotal Stanley Cup Playoffs game to our fans throughout the tri-state area,” New York Islanders Senior Vice President, Michael Picker said.

WFAN’s regular NHL occupant, the New Jersey Devils failed to make the playoffs. The New York Rangers, broadcast on ESPN 98.7 FM, are tied at 2 with the Capitals.

SNY Anchor Kirk Gimenez Caught Sending Inappopriate Twitter Message

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SNY anchor Kirk Gimenez is the latest person to take Twitter to the extreme. Gimenez’s seemingly embarrassment last night involved a would-be direct message that was sent to the Twitter masses. While we don’t know who Gimenez was planning to send the note to, it’s clear that he was enamored with her chest. The message is shown on the left via deadspin. Not only did Gimenez follow the standard operating procedure of deleting the awkward tweet, he went a step further by deleting the entire @KirkSNY account.

But we have Total Sports Blog to thank for grabbing the screen shot of Gimenez’s flirty tweet.

The comparisons were almost immediate to former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who tweeted pictures of his, um, “surname,” accidentally to all followers. He resigned in disgrace in June 2011. Weiner has since started to test the waters for a mayoral bid.

A SNY spokesperson tells Tuned In that “the incident is being dealt with internally.” At this point, Gimenez has not been suspended.

In a “tail between the legs” moment, Gimenez claimed to be on a dare from someone at work.

Tuned In attempted to reach Gimenez.

Photo: totalsportsblog.com

WFAN Keeps Radio Rights to New York Giants’ Broadcasts

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By JERRY BARMASH

WFAN has reached a multi-year agreement to retain the exclusive radio rights of the New York Giants. As the Giants’ flagship carrier, WFAN will also continue to broadcast pre-season and postseason action.

At this point, WFAN 660 AM is simulcast on 101.9 FM. As we reported earlier this month, WFAN is expected to forgo its 660 programming for CBS Sports Radio. If that is the case, the Giants would be heard only on the FM in 2014.

Related: Exclusive, WFAN Reportedly Will Drop its Legendary 660 Format for CBS Sports Radio

AM, and a especially a clear channel 50,000 watt signal, blankets much of the eastern part of the country at night causing play-by-play coverage to be hurt when WFAN goes to FM exclusively. However, that shouldnt mean a backlash for the Giants and the NFL, since the majority of the league’s broadcasts are during the day.

WFAN has been the flagship station of the Giants since 1997. Bob Papa, predating the WFAN package, has been the radio play-by-play voice since 1995. He is joined by two-time Super Bowl Champion and former Giants linebacker Carl Banks in the booth and former Giants tight end and Super Bowl champion Howard Cross, who provides the latest news and commentary, with reports from the field.

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Weekly Ratings Win for 60 Minutes ; Dancing is 2nd

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By JERRY BARMASH (@jerrybarmash)

Dancing With The Stars won the weekly battle with American Idol. But the original “reality TV,” 60 Minutes, won the week. The Nielsen ratings for the week ending May 5 show the CBS news magazine garnered an estimated 1.1 million ratings and a 5.6.

Dancing took second best with 1 million WABC viewers and a 5.5 rating. The results show landed in a tie for number six (891,000/4.5) with NBC’s The Voice (880,000/4.5). The Voice ranked tenth (804,000/4.1).

The struggles of Idol are highlighted again with eighth- and ninth-place results. The Fox singing showcase averaged 850,000 WNYW viewers and a 4.3 rating.

CBS’ drama NCIS was third for the week with 974,000 viewers and a 5.0.

The Big Bang Theory was fourth (951,000/4.8), while Modern Family notched 900,000 WABC viewers in fifth place.

Knicks, MSG Network See Improved Playoff Numbers

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By JERRY BARMASH

As the Knicks tied the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semis, MSG Network released ratings for the first round series with Boston.

MSG Network, which carried Games 2, 3, 5, and 6, registered a 3.68 average household rating. That translates to a 40 percent jump compared to last year’s conference quarterfinal round between the Knicks and Heat.

MSG also saw a ratings increase in two key demographics, adults 25 to 54 and men 25 to 54. Through four game telecasts, MSG Network averaged a 2.40 A25-54 rating, up 105 percent compared to last season’s average and a 3.53 M25-54 rating, up 99 percent compared to last season’s average.

MSG does not carry playoff telecasts after the first round. However, the network provides extensive post-game coverage. Game 3 shifts to Indiana Saturday night on ABC.

Magee Hickey Sings, Plays Flute, Raises Money for Late Father’s Bronx School

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By JERRY BARMASH

We know about Magee Hickey‘s talent as a news reporter. She has been on our TV screens for more than 30 years. It may not come across on the air, but if Hickey puts her mind to something–it gets done.

Over the weekend, WPIX’s Hickey showed off her altruistic abilities as she ran the 3rd annual Cabaret event to benefit the Lawrence F. Hickey Center in the Bronx, which teaches students with developmental disabilties. The school honors Magee’s dad, who was a tireless volunteer at the school, run by Astor Children’s Services.

With that backdrop, Hickey called her friends and colleagues from the many TV stations she’s worked for to give their time by performing.

Related: John Houseman Out at WPIX

Hickey opened the event with a self-effacing parody of the My Fair Lady classic, I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face. No one can accuse the popular redhead of being an introvert. She swayed and held the high notes. The tone for the afternoon was set when she walked on stage with a mic stand, complete with mic flags representing the six New York broadcast outlets she’s worked for during her career.

In the next 90 minutes, the stage at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan, where Magee went to school, was lined with her PIX co-workers.

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