Channel Surfing
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
December 19, 2006

According to industry sources, NBC10 news anchor Lori Delgado misinterpreted instructions from a producer when she mistakenly reported that three teenagers were killed, when a student committed suicide at Springfield High School last week (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2yuwJVVEp4&eurl).   

Sources said the producer told Delgado through her earpiece, “Pages 12, 13, and 14 are dead,” because the producer was eliminating stories to make room for the breaking news coverage Delgado then said, “We’ve just been informed that three children at the high school ages 12, 13, and 14 are dead.”

Delgado did not answer a phone message seeking comment.  A station spokesperson did not reply to an email about the situation. 

During another breaking news story in 2004, NBC10 reporter Ted Greenberg and former reporter Beth McDonough were suspended for falsely reporting that a North Philadelphia boy was shot and killed.  At the time of the report, the child was alive.

Veteran NBC10 reporter Bill Baldini is retiring from the station after over forty years on the job.  He will file his last report on Friday.  Baldini was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in November and was honored by Philadelphia City Council this year.

CBS3 chief meteorologist Kathy Orr has signed a new multi-year contract with the station.  Channel 3 wouldn’t give details of how many years or the terms, but estimates place her salary in the four-hundred thousand to five-hundred thousand dollar a year range. Orr previously worked as the evening weekend weather anchor for NBC10.  When former chief meteorologist for 10, John Bolaris departed for New York City, NBC10 promoted Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz into Bolaris’ position and Orr switched stations.

Clayton Morris is the latest to join our favorite local revolving door, “Good Day Philadelphia” on Fox29.  Morris arrives from “The Daily Buzz” morning show in Orlando, Florida.

The new Channel 10 4 p.m. offering, “All That and More,” is not earning more ratings for NBC10.  The consumer-oriented show, which premiered December 4, is down around 20-percent in the ratings compared to November sweeps.

WDAS 105.3-FM took the top spot for listeners ages 12 and over in the Arbitron ratings released last week with a 7.1 share of the audience.  Here are the top 20 out of 28 stations in the market.

1.      WDAS 105.3-FM (7.1) – Urban Adult Contemporary

2.      KYW 1060-AM (6.2) - News

3.      WBEB 101.1-FM (6.1) – Adult Contemporary

4.      WMMR 93.3-FM (5.2) - Rock

5.      WUSL 98.9-FM (4.7) - Urban

6.      WOGL 98.1-FM (4.6) - Oldies

7.      WXTU 92.5-FM (4.1) - Country

8.      WMGK 102.9-FM (3.8) – Classic Rock

9.      WPHT 1210-AM (3.6) - Talk

10.  WPHI-FM (3.2) – Contemporary Hit Radio/Rythmic

11.  WRNB 107.9-FM (3.1) – Urban Adult Contemporary

12.  WBEN 95.7-FM (2.8) – Adult Hits

13.  WIOQ 102.1-FM (2.8) – Contemporary Hit Radio/Pop

14.  WIP 610-AM (2.8) - Sports

15.  WRDW 96.5-FM (2.8) – Contemporary Hit Radio/Rhythmic

16.  WPPZ-FM (2.6) – Gospel

17.  WISX 106.1-FM (2.5) – Hot Adult Contemporary

18.  WYSP 94.1-FM (2.0) – Talk/Active Rock

19.  WUBA 104.5-FM (1.8) – Tropical