The Year in Local Television of 2003 by Laura Nachman Bucks County Courier Times December 30, 2003 Breaking News of The Year - Larry Mendte jumps ship from WCAU to KYW. Good News - WPVI survived the loss of general manager Dave Davis who went to New York and the continued absence of Lisa Thomas-Laury, mostly thanks to the yeoman work of Rick Williams and Monica Malpass and of course their star Jim Gardner. Bad News - WPHL didn't get canceled, but was cut in half to 30-minutes. Most Improved - KYW with Larry Mendte, Alycia Lane, Kathy Orr, and Beasley Reece.  Go Jump in a Lake - Tim Lake moves from filing suit against Channel 10 to let him work at Channel 3, to becoming the main anchor. It Isn't Easy Being #1 - After 25 years as the solid number two anchor behind Jim Gardner at WPVI, Marc Howard jumped to KYW to be the #1 anchor.  Howard lasted nine months as the main guy, as Larry Mendte replaced him in September. Bad First Impression - New WCAU anchor Vince DeMentri angered the mayor's office and hit Luann Cahn in the head with a football. Hello - Vince DeMentri, Heather Mitts, John Ogden, Denise Nakano, Amy Freeze, Doug Kammerer, Dave Warren, Alycia Lane, Valerie Levesque, Calvin Hughes, Walter Perez,  Ed Abrams, Kevin Walsh, Cathy Ballou, Cyndi Edwards Goodbye - Paul Moriarty, Chris Dunn, Amy Polacko, Esther Miller, Tiffany McElroy, Karen Hepp, Lisa Mishler, Beth Trapani, and practically the entire Channel 17 on-air staff. ER-10 - At WCAU, Cherie Bank suffered a torn rotator cuff, Lisa Mishler swallowed a piece of glass, and Sheela Allen Stephens had heart surgery. Babies - Connie Colla, Renee Chenault-Fattah, Robin Rieger, and Lisa Mishler had babies this year. WTXF and KYW will share custody - Dawn Stensland and Larry Mendte are expecting a baby in April. Is She or Isn't She - WCAU's Tiffany McElroy leaves the station amidst reports that she is having a baby with former WCAU weather anchor John Bolaris Best New Syndicated Shows - Ellen and Sharon Osbourne Worst - Living it Up with Ali & Jack and Starting Over Best Little Seen Show - "Celebrity Justice" on UPN 57 weekdays at 11 a.m. Brave Story - Carol Erickson documented her struggle with breast cancer on KYW. Divorce Court - Monique Braxton v. Shawn Fordham, Monica Malpass v. David Cutler, Cecily Tynan v. Michael Badger Employees of the Year - WPVI's Rick Williams and Monica Malpass who many times worked double-shifts. Long Distance Marriage - WPHL's Karen Jordan moves to Chicago, WTXF's Christian Farr moves to weekends Three's Company - George Mallet and Jennaphr Frederick join Kerri Lee Halkett on the revamped "Good Day Philadelphia" on WTXF. Three's a Crowd - Steve Levy gets the (cowboy) boot from "10." Romper Room - The "Kidcasters" on KYW, John Ogden of WCAU Locals Who Made Good - Former WCAU reporter Andrew Glassman was the executive producer of "Average Joe," LaSalle's Ralph Garman hosted "The Joe Schmo Show" on Spike TV, former "Good Day Philadelphia" reporter Molly Mayock was a finalist for HBO's "Project Greenlight." With Friends Like These - Pesky University of Pennsylvania students sabotaged the live broadcast of "Fox and Friends" on Fox News Channel. "Trading Spaces" - The antiquated set of "Inside Story" on WPVI needs a "Design Intervention."  The harsh lighting and Channel 6 policy of "BYOM" - "Bring Your Own Makeup" doesn't do its panelists any favors either.