(from TVSpy.com) – Meteorologist Bay Scroggins has joined WPTV, the NBC-affiliate in West Palm Beach.
Scroggins began his career at WNCT in Greenville, followed by WZVN in Fort Myers and KSTP in Minneapolis. He also worked briefly at WFOR, the CBS O&O in Miami, as an assignment editor. He most recently worked as a meteorologist at WeatherNation in Minneapolis….Cont….
(from TVSpy.com) - Michael Garber has been hired as news director at West Palm Beach’s WPTV-WFLX, the stations confirmed to TVSpy today.
Garber has been news director of WTLV-WJXX, the Gannett duopoly in Jacksonville, since 2008. Prior to that, he was news director at WLTX in Columbia, SC and assistant news director at KGUN in Tucson.
Garber begins in West Palm Beach on May 29. He replaces Jeff Brogan, who was promoted to senior director of news strategy and operation for Scripps in March….Cont….
Entravision Revenue up 8% in 1Q – (including Tampa’s WVEA and Orlando’s WVEN)
LIN 1Q Revenue Climbs 15% – (including Mobile/Pesacola’s WALA)
Scripps 1Q Same-Station TV Revenue up 12% – (including West Palm Beach’s WPTV and Tampa’s WFTS)
CBS TV Stations Post 2% 1Q Revenue Gain – (including Miami’s WFOR)
Comcast’s NBC Broadcast TV Revenue Up 37% – (including Miami’s WTVJ)
Gray Reports 16% Boost In 1Q Revenue – (including Panama City’s WJHG and Tallahassee’s WCTV)
(from TVNewsCheck.com) – The E. W. Scripps TV stations group is giving three of its general managers the additional responsibility of overseeing other stations and secondary network affiliates, according to an email from group head Brian Lawlor to employees that was released to the press this morning.
“The promotion of these three great broadcasters will allow Scripps to have more focus on strategic opportunities while growing the Scripps news brands in our 13 markets,” Lawlor wrote.
Ed Fernandez, GM of WXYZ Detroit, will oversee KSHB-KMCI Kansas City and Azteca TV affiliates.
Sam Rosenwasser, GM of WEWS Cleveland, will oversee KJRH Tulsa, Okla., and WMAR Baltimore, as well as the LiveWell affiliates….Cont….
(from TVSpy.com) – Jeff Brogan is leaving his post as news director at WPTV to oversee news strategy and content development for all of Scripps’ 19 stations.
Scripps announced today that Brogan has been named senior director of news strategy and operations. In the role, Brogan will work in tandem with Lana Durban Scott, Scripps’ current senior director of news strategy and operations, on helping the company’s stations develop their content and strategic plans.
Brogan joined WPTV, Scripps’ NBC-affiliate in West Palm Beach, in 2010. The station is now searching for his replacement as news director….Cont….
After “33 years, 9 months and 15 days” at West Palm Beach’s WPTV, anchor Jim Sackett signed off the air 11/23/11.
Watch below.
//hattip to FTVLive
(from WPTV.com) - WPTV’s Jim Sackett is getting ready to leave the anchor desk after 33 years at WPTV. Jim took the time to answer questions he received from our Facebook friends.
Q&A with Jim Sackett: Capt. Craig: Why the rug all those years back? I’m glad you took it off.
Jim: “It was a relief for me, too. It was what the consultants wanted at the time. They were of the opinion (I am convinced) that the one on-air credibility was directly proportional to the amount of hair on your head!”
Elsie Ortiz: What is the most memorable broadcast in your career and what would be your advice to the next generation of broadcasters?….Cont….
(edited from TVNewsCheck.com) – The E.W. Scripps Co. (owners of WFTS in Tampa and WPTV in West Palm Beach) reported operating results for the third quarter of 2011 that it said reflect slightly better expense discipline than management estimated in August, and a revenue decline caused principally by lower political spending in this non-election year.
Total revenue from the company’s television stations was $69.9 million in the third quarter of 2011 — an 11% decrease compared with $78.5 million in the year-ago period, but a 17% increase from the same period in 2009, the previous third quarter in a non-election year….Cont….
(from PalmBeachPost.com) - The shiny brown lock of Makayla Joy Sitton’s hair hung in the air for a moment as her father Jim Sitton (bottom left) dropped to his knees in the crowded courtroom.
He clutched the hair in his hand as he begged prosecutors and the judge one last time to stop the plea conference that would spare the life of his 6-year-old daughter’s killer. Deputies rushed to stop him. Circuit Judge Joseph Marx told Sitton to stop, get up and go back to his seat.
No matter what Sitton did, the judge later said, the fact that prosecutors had agreed to not to pursue the death penalty against Paul Michael Merhige (top right) for the massacre he unleashed on his 
own family after Thanksgiving dinner two years ago had made life in prison the only available option.
Marx sentenced Merhige Thursday to seven consecutive terms of life in prison, accepting a plea agreement between Merhige’s attorneys and prosecutors that came less than three months before the case was set to go to trial.
“He will never see the light of day,” Marx said.….Cont….
Our friends at NewsBlues.com report that WCJB sports director, Joe Girvan (left) is leaving the Gainesville station to jump 125 markets to West Palm Beach’s WPTV. Girvan will fill the chair left open by former sports anchor Evan Cohen, who is leaving WPTV for a gig at Sirius Radio.
Sources tell Florida News Center that Chris Price (right) is now the new sports director at WCJB. He joined WCJB in 2006, as an intern and has since been a sports anchor and reporter.
As Florida News Center reported back in of 2010, Girvan joined WCJB after being laid off by Tampa’s 24h cable channel, Bay News 9.
