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Beukeboom Whistle-Stop

Beukeboom

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Since WTXL is owned by Southern Broadcast Media, I thought this might be worth sharing:

More firings as 31 struggles

February ratings put WAAY third after 48 and 19 Sunday, April 06, 2008By CHRIS WELCHTimes Entertainment Writer, [email protected]

Heads continue to roll at struggling WAAY-TV Channel 31.

This week the ABC affiliate - a distant third in Nielsen's most recent February television ratings - fired its news director, Willie Walker, and general sales manager Chris Kidd, a source told The Times. That comes on the heels of the firing of WAAY's vice president and general manager back in February.

Manny Calvo, interim general manager at WAAY, did not return calls for comment on WAAY's personnel changes.

WAAY hired Walker in April of last year, replacing Ben Boles, now the station's director of content for new media. Walker came to WAAY after working seven-plus years at the CBS affiliate in Houston. Before that she was at WIAT-TV in Birmingham.

WAAY is owned by Huntsville Broadcast, a subsidiary of Southern Broadcast Corp. of Sarasota, Fla.

WAFF-TV Channel 48 continues to dominate this television market, winning the February Nielsen television ratings, determined by viewer diaries.

Ratings are measured two ways in this area - the four-county Metro area and a second 11-county DMA region.

WAFF, the NBC affiliate, won every newscast at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in both the metro ratings and the 11-county DMA. WHNT-TV Channel 19, the CBS affiliate, was second and WAAY was third.

In a tight battle, WHNT continued to dominate the morning newscasts at 5 and 6 a.m. - the only morning newscasts where all three TV stations compete at the same time - with WAFF second and WAAY third.

In another interesting statistic, WZDX-TV Fox 54's 9 p.m. newscast did well in its first Nielsen ratings survey, getting numbers that were similar to what WAAY posted at 10. WZDX uses two local reporters, but the newscast is produced by and the anchors are from the Independent News Network in Davenport, Iowa.

WAFF reporter Rachel Hardman, who covered Jackson County for Channel 48, has left to work for her family business, according to news director Stew Hirsch. She's the business manager for Sun Down Services, a commercial cleaning company based in Jackson County.

WAFF cleaned up during the recent Associated Press Broadcasters awards, and WHNT won the biggest award, best news operation, in its class. Among the top awards WAFF captured were top reporter, Robyn McGlohn, and top anchor, longtime Huntsville broadcaster Mark Thornhill.

In the report it states that Huntsville Broadcast is a subsidiary of Southern Broadcast Corp. of Sarasota, Fla. Anyone know a more detailed explanation of the relationship? Does Southern actually own Huntsville Broadcast and WAAY or do they just have some sort of partnership deal?

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MikeMcCall Unincorporated Area

MikeMcCall

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I've been out of town a lot, so I've not watched her that much, but from what I've seen, I like her. I'm curious to know approximately how old do you think she is? I ask b/c sometimes to me she looks extremely young..say under 25...then at other times she looks more around 30ish. I bet McCall knows! He can probably recite everyone's age and birthdays at the station. :)

All I know is that everyone keeps getting younger and younger! :) If I make a reference to an 80's song or movie, I'm more likely to get a fair number of blank stares instead of laughs. There are plenty of 20-somethings here, especially behind the scenes. Luckily, there are enough in their 30's, 40's and 50's (mainly the on-air folks) to give me someone who understands my comical references. (They may not laugh, but at least they "get them".)

Mike

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user102929 Whistle-Stop

user102929

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All I know is that everyone keeps getting younger and younger! :) If I make a reference to an 80's song or movie, I'm more likely to get a fair number of blank stares instead of laughs. There are plenty of 20-somethings here, especially behind the scenes. Luckily, there are enough in their 30's, 40's and 50's (mainly the on-air folks) to give me someone who understands my comical references. (They may not laugh, but at least they "get them".)

Mike

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When I came by WCTV in January, most of the on-air personalities looked younger in person than they do on TV, including you Mike McCall. In addition, the TV set (Studio A & Studio B) looked bigger on TV but they seem so much smaller in person, or at least thats how it looked to me.

And I saw many of those "20-somethings ". Or I should say that I saw plenty of people that looked like they were 20-something. :)

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Ray Hawthorne Crossroads

Ray Hawthorne

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The "20-somethings" keep McCall on his toes! That's my part of my job; it's practically written into my contract :P

When I came by WCTV in January, most of the on-air personalities looked younger in person than they do on TV, including you Mike McCall. In addition, the TV set (Studio A & Studio B) looked bigger on TV but they seem so much smaller in person, or at least thats how it looked to me.

And I saw many of those "20-somethings ". Or I should say that I saw plenty of people that looked like they were 20-something. :)

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poonther Town

poonther

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Hey Mike, trust me I know where you are coming from. I remember the team wishing you Happy Birthday a year or so ago on-air and I believe you are just a month older than me........but hey that still makes you THE OLD MAN. :P

Hey Ray, great to see you posting here! I've come to really enjoy your expertise on-air and especially the weather blogs you write on the web-site. That gives me more detailed info that you can't fit on-air and the more detailed/technical information you can give to wx-junkies like me, the more I crave it. Keep up the good work and glad you're part of our hometown station.

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Ray Hawthorne Crossroads

Ray Hawthorne

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No problem, poonther. I enjoy doing the blogs. They actually help me out almost as much as person reading them. It gives me a chance to sit down and write out my thoughts on a given weather situation (which ensures that my thinking/logic is scientifically sound). Every now and again, I'll think of something that I perhaps hadn't considered when making the forecast for air - and it gives me a head start on my next shift. Not to mention, it may give the reader a hint that I might be about to make a change to something that I may not have time to mention over the air. :)

(Of course, you write these kind words and I didn't get a chance to write a blog today. Just got back in town from a brief trip. I'll make up for it on Sunday).

Hey Mike, trust me I know where you are coming from. I remember the team wishing you Happy Birthday a year or so ago on-air and I believe you are just a month older than me........but hey that still makes you THE OLD MAN. :P

Hey Ray, great to see you posting here! I've come to really enjoy your expertise on-air and especially the weather blogs you write on the web-site. That gives me more detailed info that you can't fit on-air and the more detailed/technical information you can give to wx-junkies like me, the more I crave it. Keep up the good work and glad you're part of our hometown station.

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DXV1 Unincorporated Area

DXV1

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He may have complained about the cold up there already :lol: . I would have

You must work at WTXL. One of the engineers showed me around at the Midway station back in January. Bigger place than what I'd expected.

Hell no, I don't work at 27. I wouldn't work there in a heartbeat. I'm very happy at my state job.

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DXV1 Unincorporated Area

DXV1

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Since WTXL is owned by Southern Broadcast Media, I thought this might be worth sharing:

In the report it states that Huntsville Broadcast is a subsidiary of Southern Broadcast Corp. of Sarasota, Fla. Anyone know a more detailed explanation of the relationship? Does Southern actually own Huntsville Broadcast and WAAY or do they just have some sort of partnership deal?

Yes, Southern does own the Hutsville station WAAY. Their sat. truck was used as a temp control room at 27 when they moved over to Midway from WFSU. I did hear through the grapevine about the problems at the WAAY station. Of course, Manny Calvo doesn't want to say anything because he's not really at the top of the food chain.

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user102929 Whistle-Stop

user102929

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Yes, Southern does own the Hutsville station WAAY. Their sat. truck was used as a temp control room at 27 when they moved over to Midway from WFSU. I did hear through the grapevine about the problems at the WAAY station. Of course, Manny Calvo doesn't want to say anything because he's not really at the top of the food chain.

Indeed they do. My Aunt lives in Northeastern Alabama and she watches WAAY ABC 31. Every time she comes down to visit I can change the TV Channel to 27 and she'll say " This looks just like the local station back home", then I'll remind her that that WAAY and WTXL are owned by the same company and use the same graphics package and I think the same music.

The graphics that were made for WWSB, WTXL, and WAAY were originally made for WTVG in Toledo.

See the similarities between WTVG ABC 13 and the other three stations ...

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user102929 Whistle-Stop

user102929

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Who is the Sam Champion lookalike that did morning and noon weather on Apr 15? In the update, Dorsett referred to him as Matt just before the clip ended. I was hoping to post a screen capture from the wtxl.tv video player but apparently there's no way to attach individual pic files into the text.

I remember seeing a "Matt Tanner" on the weekend news on 27. He was filling in for Don Harrington.

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DXV1 Unincorporated Area

DXV1

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I remember seeing a "Matt Tanner" on the weekend news on 27. He was filling in for Don Harrington.

Yes, his name is Matt Tanner. He filled in on Sunrise the other day too. Not sure if anyone knows but, if you head over to facebook.com, type in wtxl or wctv and you'll find talent profiles there too, only unlike myspace, some profiles will only show you a litttle bit since you have to add them as friends to view the whole profile. Matt Tanner is listed on facebook as well as Sean Smith, Abbey Phillips, Ray Hawthorne, Rob Nucatola, Triston Saunders, etc.

Oh, and 27's softball record is 1-5. I guess they don't have any good players on their team.

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user102929 Whistle-Stop

user102929

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UP-Tallahassee Exclusive

Tonight is reporter Andrea Candrian's last night at WCTV. Yet another talented reporter that WCTV is losing? Any of you "insiders" know why she left and who possible replacements may be?

Did she even get to anchor any shows/segments?

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Ray Hawthorne Crossroads

Ray Hawthorne

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Well, CapeFish, you're partially correct.

Since everyone here likes to be "in the know" (myself included), I will be leaving WCTV probably some time in June. I have decided to nudge my career in a somewhat different direction, so I will not be moving on to a bigger market. In fact, I will be leaving television. Sorta.

I have accepted a position as a Customer Development Meteorologist with Weather Central, Inc. in Madison, WI. The company (among other things) develops software for television weather graphics systems across the country. I will be training existing and new clients on how to use that software and building custom graphics, so I'll be traveling a lot. For the record, WCTV is one of Weather Central's clients, so chances are you haven't seen the last of me :) (In fact, the company also provides support in the event of a landfalling hurricane...so if you see me around beyond June... well... it may not be for a great reason). All joking aside, I have family that lives here in town and also close by in Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Cocoa Beach. You can bet I'll be back.

While I can't (and wouldn't) take credit for absolutely everything, many of the graphics and the layout on the WCTV weather web site are of my doing -- with lots of help from Heather Watson if she reads this board! Also, I played a big role in the development of many of the graphics you see on our TV weathercasts -- so doing this for other stations is going to be a fun challenge and I'm looking forward to, and thankful for, the opportunity.

However, Tallahassee is going to be tough to leave behind. There are some folks who don't like the area for whatever reason, but I say with the greatest sincerity that this is easily the best place I've lived thus far. Madison will have a lot to live up to in that department! For those who have sent me notes along the way (good, bad, or otherwise), you can bet I've read every single one and I appreciate every one of them. You can even ask Mike about the bad ones; he'll tell you that I've enjoyed those, too :P

Feel free to keep in contact and thanks again for your kindness during the past 4 years or so!

Ray

Did I hear right that Ray Hawthorne is moving on to a bigger market?

If so, congrats to Ray!

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CapeFish Unincorporated Area

CapeFish

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Well, CapeFish, you're partially correct.

Since everyone here likes to be "in the know" (myself included), I will be leaving WCTV probably some time in June. I have decided to nudge my career in a somewhat different direction, so I will not be moving on to a bigger market. In fact, I will be leaving television. Sorta.

I have accepted a position as a Customer Development Meteorologist with Weather Central, Inc. in Madison, WI. The company (among other things) develops software for television weather graphics systems across the country. I will be training existing and new clients on how to use that software and building custom graphics, so I'll be traveling a lot. For the record, WCTV is one of Weather Central's clients, so chances are you haven't seen the last of me :) (In fact, the company also provides support in the event of a landfalling hurricane...so if you see me around beyond June... well... it may not be for a great reason). All joking aside, I have family that lives here in town and also close by in Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Cocoa Beach. You can bet I'll be back.

While I can't (and wouldn't) take credit for absolutely everything, many of the graphics and the layout on the WCTV weather web site are of my doing -- with lots of help from Heather Watson if she reads this board! Also, I played a big role in the development of many of the graphics you see on our TV weathercasts -- so doing this for other stations is going to be a fun challenge and I'm looking forward to, and thankful for, the opportunity.

However, Tallahassee is going to be tough to leave behind. There are some folks who don't like the area for whatever reason, but I say with the greatest sincerity that this is easily the best place I've lived thus far. Madison will have a lot to live up to in that department! For those who have sent me notes along the way (good, bad, or otherwise), you can bet I've read every single one and I appreciate every one of them. You can even ask Mike about the bad ones; he'll tell you that I've enjoyed those, too :P

Feel free to keep in contact and thanks again for your kindness during the past 4 years or so!

Ray

:thumbsup: Congrats on the new gig! Thanks for the work on the WCTV Weather page, I really appreciate it. The tide graphics are REALLY useful along with the close-up neighborhood radar loops.

I hope this isn't the last of you in Tally, but hopefully if you must return for a hurricane, it is a nice one that doesn't bother too much. :P

Good luck in Madison! I'll be looking out for your work for WXC come this hurricane season.

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poonther Town

poonther

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Ah man Ray, I hate to see you go! Glad to read you've enjoyed living in Tally. Most folks I know do, but that's usually w/the 35+ age group especially those of us that have lived in larger places.

Terrific technical gig you are getting up in Madison. It's a great town when it's warm which is that one week in July...ha ha just kidding. :)

I don't think WCTV Wx will be the same w/you gone especially on the analysis and blog side of things. Hopefully you and Mike will train someone to properly fill the void caused by your departure.

Stay in touch and buy some sweaters and thermal underwear!

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Glenn Hamlet

Glenn

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Sorry to hear you're leaving WCTV & Tallahassee, Ray. The new job that awaits you up in Madison, WI sounds like an awesome opportunity for you. Best of luck to you & please stay in touch when time permits.

On another note...Julie Montenaro delivered her new baby today so she'll be out on maternity leave for awhile. Congratulations Julie!

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