Tag Archives: John Houseman

Exclusive: John Houseman Out at WCBS

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WCBS-blue-and-grey-new-logoThere was barely enough time for the direct deposit to be activated.

John Houseman, who we reported last month was hired by WCBS-TV as an executive producer, is no longer with the station. Houseman had more than 30 years at Channel 11, mainly as assistant news director, until he was dropped from the Tribune O&O in May.

An insider tells Tuned In that Houseman resigned from his Channel 2 post, although other sources believe he may have been axed. A WCBS spokesperson declined to comment.

“I would bet my career that he was fired,” says someone who worked with Houseman for more than a decade. “He’s not exactly the most likable human being.”

Breaking: WPIX Cans GM Eric Meyrowitz

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PIX11_LogoWPIX VP and GM Eric Meyrowitz has been fired. Sources confirm to Tuned In that Meyrowitz’s last day at Channel 11 was Thursday. There had been rumblings that Meyrowitz would not have his contract renewed. A WPIX spokesperson refused to comment.

Meyrowitz joined WPIX in September 2010.

“I think his hands were tied because of his higher-ups,” a source tells Tuned In. The source adds that Meyrowitz was well-liked within the newsroom causing many to be upset by his axing.

There’s no word on who will succeed Meyrowitz or if an interim GM will be named by the station. One rumor has news director Mark Effron ascending to the new role.

The source believes, “Everybody says if they move him upstairs, [they’re] walking out.”

Just weeks after Effron’s arrival at WPIX, John Houseman was sent packing in May. The longtime assistant news director logged more than three decades at PIX.

Jill Nicolini Jumps from Fox 5 for a Spot on The Couch

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JillOn paper, it seemed to be a great career move for Jill Nicolini. But after only two years, the popular entertainment reporter has exited WNYW/Channel 5 for WLNY. A station spokesperson confirms that Monday she debuts as traffic reporter on Live From the Couch. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Nicolini, who gained a huge following from her traffic and entertainment segments during her seven years on WPIX. The two-hour broadcast is hosted by Channel 2’s John Elliott, Lisa Kerney, and Carolina Bermudez. The latter two personalities have been on maternity leave, giving former WPIX anchor Jodi Applegate some extended “couch time.”

There is another Channel 11 connection to WCBS (WLNY sister station). John Houseman has been named a new Channel 2 executive producer. Houseman spent more than three decades in the WPIX newsroom or management. His star was at its brightest when Bill Carey left for another venture last year. Houseman got his second chance as interim news director, but ultimately the station hired Mark Effron.  Houseman was let go from the Tribune flagship in May, just days after Effron took the reins pushing him back to his longstanding assistant news director role.

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

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PIX11_LogoBy JERRY BARMASH
(@jerrybarmash)

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.

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

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HickeyBy 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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Exclusive: John Houseman Out at WPIX

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PIX11_LogoBy JERRY BARMASH

It’s more than three decades in the making. Today, John Houseman is leaving WPIX/Channel 11.

Houseman’s exit comes just 16 days after Tribune hired Mark Effron as the station’s new news director. Houseman, the WPIX lifer, was in his second stint as interim news director. Houseman’s days appeared numbered when he was reinstated as assistant news director.

A WPIX spokesperson confirms Houseman’s departure and adds “the parting is mutual and very amicable.”

Related: WPIX Names Julie Grauert to Dual Role as Traffic and News Reporter

Houseman, who has been with Channel 11 for 31 years, assumed the acting news director role in October when Bill Carey left.

He is a graduate of Fordham University.

Next on the PIX plate is likely deciding the fate of interim evening anchor Tamsen Fadal. It’s been Fadal’s position to lose since Jodi Applegate walked away in December.

No matter who anchors, one thing is clear. Effron almost immediately brought back a traditional feel at 10 p.m., complete with the desk and chairs.