Florida News Center

(from NBC-2.com) – A Lehigh Acres man was arrested after pointing a gun at an NBC2 crew working on a burglary story in Lehigh Acres Wednesday.

Jeremiah Edward Mayo, 23, of 1066 Fayette Avenue, is charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon without Intent to Kill.

Reporter Meaghan Smith and photojournalist Walter Pendergrass went to the Fayette Avenue home to do a story on the previous night’s burglary, in which someone stole the family’s pets.

Smith knocked on the door, but got no answer. She went back to the car with Pendergrass and called the workplace of one of the victims, 24-year-old Irma Jaquez-Reynoso.

She was told Jaquez-Reynoso had already left work and they would relay the message, so Smith and Pendergrass waited in their vehicle for Jaquez-Reynoso to return home….Cont….

(from NaplesNews.com) – It’s NBC-2’s loss, but not Southwest Florida’s. Jennifer Trammell has already spent her last weekend behind the anchor desk (6 and 11 p.m.). But she’s not going anywhere. She’s committed to Naples.

“In TV it’s all about bumping up to the next market,” says Trammell. “I want to be settled for a while.”

During our phone conversation, Trammell took several opportunities to voice her love for this community.

“It was a hard decision,” says Trammell, of leaving broadcasting, one, she says, that she didn’t take lightly or make overnight. But ultimately, she was ready for this new challenge….Cont….

Our friends at NewsBlues.com report that a ratings war has been ignited in Fort Myers between WINK and WBBH. Earlier this month, WINK started proclaiming themselves as number one (video below) in the market for every news time slow. However, competitor WBBH says HOLD on.

The problem…WINK uses Rentrack to mesaure its ratings system, while everyone else in the market uses the traditonal ratings system from Nielsen Media. Both systems score station ratings differently and survery different sizes of household samples. So, while Rentrack may show that WINK is indeed number one in every news time slow, Nielsen numbers demonstrate that this is not true. In fact, Nielsen numbers have demonstrated that WINK and WBBH have been neck to neck for the past several years, with both stations taking the top spots at different times.

The promo that WINK ran below, did not sit well with WBBH. News Director Darrel Adams tweeted a response to the WINK ad stating:

Despite what their ads say, @winknews is not #1 in every daypart. If they can’t even read a ratings book, how can they bring you the news?

According to NewsBlues.com, WINK management called the tweet “classless and low.” The tweet has been removed, but the promo still continues to run (video below).

Read the rest of this entry →

(from News-Press.com) – Plans for a new public television documentary series featuring Southwest Florida and hosted by former local anchorman Craig Wolf are coming into focus.

Collier County’s Tourist Development Council on Monday unanimously approved chipping in $5,000 from its bed tax-fueled marketing fund toward WGCU-TV’s plan to produce a short pilot program with the working title, “Florida Explorer.”

Lee County’s Tourist Development Council has not been approached for funds as yet. However, county tourism chief Tamara Pigott said she suggested WGCU officials contact the Southwest Florida Community Foundation for possible financial assistance with the pilot production….Cont….

(from OrlandoSentinel.com) – The latest hire at WESH-Channel 2: Reporter Travell Eiland, who will join the NBC affiliate on Oct. 22 and work the night shift.

He has been working at WAPT in Jackson, Miss. WAPT and WESH are both owned by Hearst Television.

Eiland also has worked at WWSB in Sarasota, WBBH in Fort Myers and KLAS in Las Vegas.

His WAPT bio says, “During his time in Las Vegas, Travell covered several high profile stories, such as the O.J. Simpson robbery and kidnapping case and magician David Copperfield’s rape investigation.”….Cont….

With less than a week until the 2012 Ölympics (in London this year, for those who might be in a coma) begin, Florida NBC affiliates have dusted off and polished their own gold. Check out the NBC Ölympic custom affiliate logos below.

WFLA – Tampa	WTVJ – Miami	WESH – Orlando
WPTV – West Palm Beach	WTLV – Jacksonville	WPMI – Pensacola
WBBH – Fort Myers	WJHG – Panama City	WNBW – Gainesville
WTWC – Tallahassee

 ***This post is for educational, informational and archival purposes only. Florida News Center does not intend to infringe on any copyrights claimed by the International Olympic Committee, NBCUniversal/Comcast or NBC affiliates. This post is for educational, informational an archival purposes only.***

(from News-Press.com) – Longtime WBBH NBC2 main anchorman Craig Wolf, who was fired from the station in March 2011 and is currently suing his former employer, is back in Southwest Florida and has started a new career in real estate.

He’s taken a job with McMurray and Nette, a local real estate firm.

“I have a passion for this community,” Wolf told me. “I’ve lived here almost 20 years. And I’m excited to again be involved with its people and what’s important to them. And make a living at it. My son is starting high school. I hear tuition calling my name, just like thousands of other local families do.”

Wolf and his family have recently returned to Southwest Florida after moving to Nashville for a time….Cont….

(portions from News-Press.com) – WBBH NBC2 has welcomed a new reporter in its Charlotte County bureau. Charlie Keegan is now covering Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and the environs. He arrived here from Great Falls, Mont., where he reported for KFBB-TV, the ABC station.

Meanwhile, NBC2 investigative reporter Andy Pierrotti has announced he’s leaving Southwest Florida and headed to Austin, Texas. He’s going to be an investigative reporter at KVUE-TV, the ABC station there. Pierrotti started at NBC2 in early 2010..

Sources tell Florida News Center that WINK reporter Anjuli Lohn will be leaving the Fort Myers station. She will be headed up the coast to WTVT Fox 13 in Tampa. She starts in August.

(edited from News-Press.com) – Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin has joined the weather team at Fort Myers’ WBBH NBC2 and WZVN ABC7. He’s currently handling weather duties on weekend evenings.

A University of Georgia grad, he’s previously worked at WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, Tenn., and at WNEG-TV in Athens, Ga.

Mauldin also runs the website TheWeathernator.com – Check it out here!

(from News-Press.com) – Few tales from television news have been as dramatic as that of former WBBH NBC2 anchor Jessica Stilwell. The respected TV journalist spent years building a solid career as a reporter and than popular anchorwoman. She married a handsome, wealthy local real estate investor named Samir Cabrera. They lived in a south Fort Myers million dollar home near the river off posh McGregor Boulevard.

And then it all ended.

Cabrera was arrested on charges of fraud. The couple lost their home, their cars, even their jewelry. And Stilwell left TV news due to the conflict of having NBC2 covering her husband’s trial.

Now, in a soul-baring interview, Stilwell spoke to Gulfshore Life magazine about the turmoil of the past few years. As someone who worked with Jessica for a long time, the article took my breath away….Cont….