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Tag Archive | "WUSA9"

Media Shuffle : New “Larry King Live” Booker, New WUSA News Director and more

Posted on 04 November 2009. Tags: Adriana Ibanez, Ben Thompson WSOC, Brett Wilson Parade, CNN Larry King Live booker, Dave Pignanelli NPR, Dawn Stensland, Greg Peppers NPR, Isabel Gonzalez, Jeanne Sparrow, Jose Morales, Kerri-Lee Halkett, KUVS, KXLN, Larry King Live Producer, lisa thompson, Mark Hemingway Examiner, mercedes torres, Michael Flynn, npr producer, Oregonian Publisher, Parade Publisher, Washington Examiner, WSOC, WUSA TV News Director, WUSA9, You & Me This Morning

With so many journalists, editors and producers facing layoffs, relocations and career changes, it can be almost impossible to keep up with their comings and going. Here are a few updates you can make to your media databases. Hope you find at least one piece of information on this list helpful.

Larry King Live Senior Producer Leaves

Mercedes Torres has left her position as senior producer and book contact at Larry King Live. She had been with the show since July 1999. Producer Lisa Thompson, 202-898-7667, will take on her duties securing interviews with book authors in place of Torres. For additional information, call 202-898-7690.

DC’s WUSA-TV Names News Director from Midwest

Fred D’Ambrosi has joined the CBS affiliate WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., as the station’s news director. He most recently served as the news director at Midwest Television Inc. since 1997. For additional information, call 202-895-5999.

New Publisher at Parade

Brett Wilson has been announced as the new publisher at Parade. Wilson was most recently the senior vice president of advertising sales at USA Today. Parade is a weekly supplement to Sunday newspapers with a circulation of 32 million. For more information, contact 212-450-7000.

NPR Loses Longtime Producer, Interim Exec. Producer Takes Over

Veteran producer Greg Peppers has left his post as executive producer for the Newscast Unit at NPR. He had been with the radio network since the 1980s. With his departure, supervising senior producer Dave Pignanelli will take over as interim executive producer until a replacement is named. For additional details, call 202-513-2000.

WNJU-TV Names Former Telemundo Director VP of Content

WNJU-TV has named Jose Morales vice president of content. In this new position, he will oversee the news department, creative services and all digital platforms for the station. Morales previously served as the director of digital content at Telemundo Local Media. For more information, contact 201-969-4247.

WRC-TV Reporter to Leave NBC Affiliate in DC

WRC-TV reporter Michael Flynn is set to leave the Washington station by the mid-November. He has served as a general assignment reporter for the NBC Television Network affiliate since 2004. A replacement has yet to be named. For more information, contact 202-885-4000.

The Oregonian Names New Publisher

The Oregonian has named N. Christian Anderson III as its new publisher. He previously served as the publisher and CEO of The Orange County Register in Santa Ana, Calif. from 1999 to 2007. For more information, contact 503-221-8327.

New Evening Anchor at WTXF-TV in Philadelphia

Dawn Stensland has left WTXF-TV in Philadelphia. She had served as the anchor for the Ten O’Clock News. Kerri-Lee Halkett, 215-925-7169, has taken over the 10pm anchor spot. She can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KerriLeeHalkett and WTXF-TV can be found at http://twitter.com/fox29. For additional information, contact 215-925-2929.

New Local Lifestyle Broadcast Debuts in Chicago on WCIU-TV

You & Me This Morning recently made its debut on WCIU-TV in Chicago. The new program features news and information segments with emphasis on local lifestyle and entertainment. The show is hosted by Jeanne Sparrow and airs Monday through Friday from 6am to 9am. WCIU-TV can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wciu. For more information, contact 312-705-2600.

Ibanez promoted at Telemundo

Adriana Ibanez has been promoted to executive vice president of programming for the Spanish-language broadcast network Telemundo. In her new role, she will be responsible for programming strategy, scheduling, integration direction and film acquisitions. Ibanez had previously served as a senior vice president of programming since April 2007. For more information, contact 305-884-8200.

New Nighttime Assignment Editor at KATU-TV in Portland

Portland, Ore., station KATU-TV has welcomed Nick Bradshaw as a nighttime news assignment editor, where he is responsible for story assignment and crew allocation. He previously served in the same position at Portland’s NBC affiliate KGW-TV. For further information, call 503-231-4222.

Washington Examiner Gets Editorial Writer

Mark Hemingway has joined the Washington D.C. daily Washington Examiner as an editorial page writer. He comes from the conservative magazine National Review, where he worked since 2007. For additional information, call 202-903-2000.

Reporter, anchor out at WSOC in Charlotte

Ben Thompson is no longer with WSOC-TV as a reporter and weekend anchor. He had been with the Charlotte, N.C., station since October 2006 and at this time, no replacement reporter and weekend anchor have been named. For more information, call 704-338-9999.

News director boards KXLN-TV in Houston, Interim Named at KUVS-TV in Sacramento

Isabel Gonzalez joined KXLN-TV on Nov. 2 as news director. She joins the Houston-based Univision affiliate from KUVS-TV in Sacramento, Calif., where she had also served as news director. Uriel Posada, 916-927-1963, will be the interim news director at KUVS-TV until a replacement is named. Contact KXLN-TV at 713-965-2400 or KUVS-TV at 916-927-1900 for further information.

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TV Station VP’s Advice to PR Pros: “Don’t Pitch”

Posted on 30 October 2009. Tags: dc pr, dc pr expert, dc public relations, digital pr, how to get television coverage, khalim piankhi, multimedia pr, pr 2.0, public relations advice, Working With Reporters, WUSA9

Last night I attended a public relations seminar at the WUSA Channel 9 Station in Washington,DC. The topic du jour was digital media and making the transition, but as it was a roomful of PR pros in a televison statio, questions naturally came up about pitching television producers in a digital world.

It’s no secret that newsrooms are shrinking. In December the Washington Post reported on WUSA9′s new approach to multimedia journalism; deploying anchors equipped with digital cameras, camcorders, and video editing equipment. This approach has been met with praise and criticism; but it still begs a question: how can PR pros successfully function in this new multimedia environment?

I found the comments of Khalim Piankhi, Vice President of Community Relations for WUSA9 to be extraordinarily spot-on. To sum up Piankhi’s thoughts, don’t pitch producers.

This may seem counterintuitive to public relations professionals, but the media industry is changing, which absolutely affects the way we work with media organizations. How do they liked to be approached? What are their preferences?

Piankhi says news organizations like his don’t particularly care about your client. They care about their audience. He suggests that instead of thinking of how you can get yourself or your client in the news, think how you can help a news organization meet its objectives. At the end of the day, news organizations need the most relevant content to keep their audience, and if a big story breaks they will be searching for content to pump out to their consumers.

So instead of thinking a pitch, think relationships, he went on to say. Frame yourself as a resource to a news organization. Check in from time to time. Send background materials. Keep your issue on the back burner-close enough that when that major story breaks bringing your issue to the fore, the producer will reach for the phone and call you.

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