Channel Surfing
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
October 10, 2006

Fox29 used a smart game plan by promoting its new 11 am newscast during halftime of the Eagles-Cowboys game when most of Philadelphia was watching the game.  Kerri Lee Halkett and George Mallet co-anchor the new half-hour news show.  For fans of Halkett, there’s the website www.kerri-lee.com.  In addition to the new 11 am show, a 5 p.m. show is expected to start in a few months.

Linda Swain, whose "Moms on the Move" reports have been a regular feature on NBC10 the last few years is becoming a "Mom on the Move' herself, as a half hour version will appear on HGTV. 

Philadelphia radio newsman Paul Perrello, who is also a communications professor at LaSalle University, hosts the new television show, “The Philly Factor,” on LaSalle channel 56 seen on Comcast cable in Philadelphia. It airs at various times throughout the week.

Levittown native and CBS3 morning news co-anchor Susan Barnett, 34, and husband Dr. Greg Persichetti are expecting their first child at the end of the year. Barnett, will celebrate her first year at CBS3 in January.

“The Very Brady Thanksgiving Marathon” is returning to CW57 for the second year in a row.  This year, it will air on two days – Thanksgiving (November 23) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, November 25 from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m.  Some of the featured episodes include the Christmas episode, the Grand Canyon trilogy, when the kids gave Alice the cold shoulder, George Glass, and Johnny Bravo.

Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli will join the WPHT 1210-AM weeknight lineup, following the departure of Jay Severin who hosted from 7 – 10 p.m.  Mazzarelli, who is a doctor and a lawyer, will host Monday through Friday from 8 – 10 p.m.  Suzanne LaFrankie gets an extra hour and will air from 6 – 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and “Fridays with Frank” will air Friday from 6 – 8 p.m.  Host Sid Mark will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the AIR Awards November 1.  Dom Giordano will continue weeknights from 10 p.m. – 12 a.m.

My favorite new drama of the television season, “The Nine,” airs tomorrow night (Wednesday) at…10 p.m. on ABC.  Though it might have been easier to remember “The Nine” airing at 9 p.m., it’s worth the extra effort to catch this show, which is better than the preachy “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Brothers and Sisters” with annoying Sally Field and Calista Flockhart, and highly rated “Shark.”  Tim Daly, Scott Wolf, and Chi McBride lead the cast of “The Nine.”  There are currently three former “Party of Five” regulars with series on the air – Wolf, Matthew Fox on “Lost” and Jennifer Love Hewitt on “Ghost Whisperer.”

I’m “Feeling the Energy” of the new 106.1-FM.  Though it seemingly plays Madonna every hour, there are lots of great songs being played on the new station.