Florida News Center

Watch the YouTube video below as a cat walks through the weather segment at Miami’s WLTV.

(from MediaLife.com) – As one of the largest cities in the swing state of Florida, Miami is seeing a huge amount of political advertising. It is sold out on TV and radio ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

Even after the election the market will remain strong throughout the remainder of 2012 and into next year as advertisers who have been shut out of the cluttered and expensive political landscape return to the market

“This amount of political has caused many advertisers to look at inventory post-election, so demand will continue to be strong afterwards as well,” says Caitlin Zellmann, broadcast buyer at Haworth Marketing + Media…..Cont….

(from TVSpy.com) - Michael Rodriguez has been named vice president and general manager of WLTV and WAMI, the Univision and TeleFutura affiliates in Miami.

“Michael’s expertise in Hispanic media is second to none, and we plan to tap into that experience as well as the total power of the Univision Network in order to continue to grow in the Miami market,” said Kevin Cuddihy, president of the Univision Television Group, in announcing the appointment.  “Michael began his career–most of which has been spent in Miami–at Univision Radio and we are very excited for his homecoming.”….Cont….

(from Sun-Sentinel.com) – Today’s forecast calls for heat and humidity, but look closer, there’s another weather trend developing: the rise of morning women meteorologists.

Of the six network-affiliated, English- and Spanish-language TV stations in the Fort Lauderdale-Miami market, five feature women meteorologists who design and deliver weather forecasts from predawn through noon in the country’s 16th largest market. WPLG-Ch. 10 has the lone male on the morning weather shift: Scott Padgett.

Although men still hold the key evening weather slots, the local morning dominance of female meteorologists reflects a steady increase in the number of women studying atmospheric sciences nationally….Cont….

(from TampaBay.com) – The Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Awards were announced Saturday night, and Tampa-area TV stations dominated the large market category, with local ABC affiliate WFTS-Ch. 28 (a.k.a., ABC Action News) earning seven first-place awards and a dozen honors overall.

Below is the list of awards for large market stations (Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Sarasota, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Orlando), with the first station or individual listed as the first place winner….Cont….

(from OrlandoSentinel.com) - WKMG-Ch. 6 will be the setting for two political debates to be broadcast statewide before the August primary, the Orlando station announced today.

Democrats Jeff Greene and Kendrick Meek, who are running for the U.S. Senate, will meet Aug. 10.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum has agreed to an Aug. 11 debate. But WKMG said Rick Scott hadn’t confirmed his participation yet.

The debates will be carried by WKMG, WPLG in Miami, WJXT in Jacksonville, WPTV in West Palm Beach, WFTS in Tampa, WCTV in Tallahassee, WJHG in Panama City and WINK in Fort Myers. WKMG said that stations in Gainesville, Sarasota and Pensacola are likely to air the debate.

Scott and McCollum  have agreed to an Aug. 2 debate in Miami hosted by Univision and to an Aug. 5 debate in Tampa hosted by Fox station WTVT….Cont….

(from BroadcastingCable.com) – In some markets, the goal for a Spanish-language station is to beat the other Spanish-language station. In Miami-Fort Lauderdale, they aim for the overall No. 1 spot. Univision’s WLTV won Miami’s primetime, total day, early evening and late news in May—its 6.2 household rating/10.8 share at 11 bested Telemundo outlet WSCV’s 5.3/9.2. “Univision 23 stands firm in its commitment to inform, educate and entertain the Hispanic community in South Florida,” says Luis Fernandez-Rocha, Univision Southeast senior VP/regional director. “WLTV prides itself in being ‘the station of record’ for the Hispanic community in Miami.” The market is 46% Hispanic, according to BIA/Kelsey. Post-Newsweek’s ABC outlet WPLG won evening and late news among English-language stations, while Sunbeam’s Fox affiliate WSVN took overall mornings and was the top revenue earner with $89.2 million in 2008, per BIA/Kelsey….Cont….