Channel
Surfing
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
January 10, 2005<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/>
According to sports industry
sources, things weren’t peachy for 6ABC’s coverage of the “Orange Bowl”
last week, as sports director Gary Papa had to reschedule a flight, forcing him
to miss doing live shots from Miami, Florida for the 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6
p.m. news.
Though he arrived in time to do
6ABC’s half-hour special about Penn State and Florida State at 7 p.m. before
the game, according to sources, management wasn’t thrilled that the live shots
didn’t happen.
Papa
and 6ABC news director Carla Carpenter did not return calls by press time.
According
to station sources, WTXF reporter Nick Smith was reprimanded by station
management for offending the wife of a station photographer at the Fox29 holiday
party last month.
When
reached by phone, Smith said, “I wasn’t aware that I offended somebody and
I’m still trying to track that person down.
I still don’t know who it was and what I did.”
Fox29
news director Holly Gauntt did not return phone calls for comment.
According
to www.fmqb.com, morning radio personality Chio, who departed
Q-102-FM last month for a radio station in San Diego, quit his new job after one
day due to family reasons.
Co-workers
threw a goodbye party for former NBC10 reporter Cindy Hamill Friday night.
Many were surprised that Hamill’s contract was not renewed.
The
curiosity factor was high as the return of Dick Clark on “New Year’s Rockin’
Eve” helped 6ABC dominate the “New Year’s Eve” ratings. From 11:30 p.m.
– 12:15, 6ABC had a 22.8 rating. Its
“closest” competitor, NBC10 had a 5.5 rating.
Fox29
weekend anchor Christian Farr will finally join his wife news anchor Karen
Jordan in Chicago at the end of the month. Jordan left the former WB17 news over
two years ago. In-house candidates
are said to be reporters Bruce Gordon and Tom Burlington. Also former WB17 news
anchor Scott Engler is another name being mentioned for the vacancy.
The
new face on Fox is freelance reporter Len Turner who arrives from the Fox St.
Louis, Missouri affiliate.
There’s
another addition to the Philadelphia weather community.
NBC10 weather anchor Amy Freeze adopted daughter Kate Elizabeth, who was
born in June. Kate joins brothers
Tyler, 7, and Jared, 5. This year,
weather anchors Kathy Orr and Maria LaRosa of CBS3 had babies and 6ABC’s
Cecily Tynan is due this month.
Howard
Stern, his girlfriend Beth Ostrosky, and Stern’s parents Ben and Rae Stern
were in attendance at a family Bat Mitzvah at Temple Sholom in Broomall, PA last
weekend. Stern's show on Sirius satellite
radio premiered yesterday.
Mo
Rocca, of VH1’s “I Love The 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s” fame came away
with some impressions of Benjamin Franklin after visiting the Benjamin
Franklin exhibit at the National Constitution Center last week.
“Though
Thomas Jefferson was talented, his ideas were vague.
Franklin got down to brass tacks.
He invented flippers, lightning rods, and bifocals, the last one
probably so he could read Jefferson’s ramblings.”
Rocca,
dubbed "One of the original fundits,” will appear in “I Love the
70’s Part II” and “I Love Toys” for VH1, and “The Super Bowl” for
ABC.