Channel
Surfing
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
January 31, 2006
The big
news that the 11-year-old UPN and WB networks will cease operations next year
means some changes to the Philadelphia affiliates, UPN57 and WB17.
UPN57
will become a CW network affiliate beginning in September 2006.
CW is a 50/50 partnership between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.
Entertainment.
WB17
will become an independent station, like it was before it became a WB affiliate
(Could “Channel 17, The Great Entertainer” be back?)
It will lose WB programming such as “Charmed,” “Smallville,” and
“Reba.”
The CW
network will likely maintain the stronger UPN and WB shows such as
“America’s Next Top Model,” “WWE’s Smackdown” and “Everybody Hates
Chris,” (UPN) and “Beauty and the Geek,” “Supernatural,” and
“Gilmore Girls.”
According
to the stations, the 10 p.m. news will continue on Channel 17 and the early
morning news will continue on Channel 57.
Meanwhile,
according to WB17, the “WB17 News Powered by NBC10,” is getting higher
ratings since it switched from an in-house to an NBC10 production.
January 16 – 22, the 10 p.m. show had a 2.2 household rating.
The November 2005 rating for the old WB17 News was a 1.6 household
rating. The 10 p.m. weeknight show
features Vince Dementri, Lori Delgado, Vai Sikahema and Doug Kammerer.
Radio
Notes
“I Love the 70’s” airs on WOGL 98.1-FM all day on Sunday beginning at
noon. WPHT 1210-AM’s Michael Smerconish will guest-host for Bill
O’Reilly’s nationally syndicated “The Radio Factor” Friday. It airs here
from midnight – 2 a.m. Allan Loudell,
who had spent 18-and-a-half-years as a news anchor/host and program manager at
WILM (1450) in Wilmington, approaches six months at cross-town rival WDEL
(1150).
Newsroom
sources say that new reporter Lori Wilson will get a month-long audition to
co-host “10” on NBC10 at 10 a.m. Wilson
arrived from the CBS affiliate in Atlanta last month.
Here are
some additions to last week’s column about the television personalities who
grew up in the area.
NBC10
Stacey Weaver – Grew up in Allentown, graduated from Parkland High School, and
graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dawn
Timmeney – Lived in Easton and Newtown Square, PA and graduated from the
George School in Newtown, PA. Graduated
from Emerson College in Boston.
Justin
Pizzi – Grew up in Roxborough. Graduated
from St. Joe’s Prep and Syracuse University.
Jamison
Uhler – New reporter, Uhler, who was recently hired from WFTV in Orlando, grew
up in Media, PA.
Glenn
“Hurricane” Schwartz – Grew up in Mt. Airy, not Northeast Philadelphia as
was previously reported.
6ABC
David Murphy - Grew up in Drexel Hill, PA and graduated from Cardinal O’Hara
High School in Springfield, PA.
David
Henry - Grew up in Wayne, PA and graduated from Radnor High School and Temple
University.
Matt O’Donnell - Grew up in Exton, PA, attended one year of high school at Bishop Shanahan when it was in West Chester, PA and graduated high school in Chantilly, Virginia. He returned to the area when he attended and graduated from the University of Delaware.
Karen Rogers – Grew up in Washington Township,
Gloucester County, NJ. Graduated
from Washington Township High School and Rutgers University.
Has a graduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the University of
Wales, UK and studied public relations (Masters Program) at Rowan University.
Rogers is currently studying Meteorology at Mississippi State Distance Learning
Program.
Fox29
Dr. Brian McDonough – Graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor.
Steve Keeley – Grew up in Camden, NJ and graduated from Glassboro State.
With our final tabulations, NBC10 edges CBS3 for the most personalities from the viewing area.
NBC10
CBS3