Posted on the AJC Radio & TV blog

Veteran 11Alive evening anchor Brenda Wood announced today that she’s retiring after 20 years at the station and 40 years in the news business.

Wood, a 2014 Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame recipient, plans her final newscast on February 7, 2017.

She has interviewed notables from President Jimmy Carter and Egypt’s former First Lady Jehan Sadat to civil rights icons Ambassador Andrew J. Young and Congressman John Lewis to Cher and rapper T.I.. Over the years, she has hosted and produced award-winning prime time specials such as “Remembering the 1996 Olympics,” “A Conversation Across America,” “50 Years of Change,” “Mission of Hope,” and multiple editions of the Emmy winning magazine show “Journeys with Brenda Wood.” She has taken home 20 Emmys and enough other awards to fill a good-sized room.

Over the past few years, she has provided commentaries on her newscast called “The Last Word.”

“I’ve worked hard,” Wood said in an exclusive interview tonight. “I will say I gave it my all and I got rewarded by getting great job offers and great positions. I’ve been truly blessed.”

Wood said in March she negotiated a one-year extension to her contract with her bosses with an intent on retiring in 2017. “I’m getting to leave on my own terms,” she said.

I will post more detailed comments from Wood Friday on this blog.

A D.C. native, Wood worked in Huntsville, Ala., Nashville and Memphis before coming to the Atlanta market in 1988 as an anchor at WAGA-TV when it was a CBS affiliate. She stayed through its transition in the mid-1990s to a Fox affiliate before moving to the NBC affiliate 11Alive in 1997.

Rumors have been emanating out of the WXIA-TV building for months that Wood might not renew her next contract.

Monica Pearson, who competed with Wood on Channel 2 Action News for many years before retiring in 2012 after 37 years at the station, said Wood had hinted to her months ago about possibly retiring. “I’m not at all surprised,” she said. “I’m happy for her. There always comes a time when you say, ‘Enough is enough!’ She’s done everything she’s wanted on television. Her two daughters are married. She has a place in Lake Oconee she loves.”

Pearson said when she, Amanda Davis and Wood competed on different stations, they each provided a different feel for the viewer. “We were not cookie cutter,” she said. “We each appealed to different people. She brings warmth and authoritativeness. She is not over the top. She’s very even keeled. I tended to be over the top!”

Former 11Alive reporter Keith Whitney, who took a buyout this spring after 23 years there, said he has nothing but the deepest respect for Wood’s journalistic chops. “She connects with the audience because she’s a real person,” he said. “She’s a brilliant writer. A lot of people don’t realize that. She’s an excellent journalist, top shelf.”

Donna Lowry, a long-time education reporter for 11Alive who took the same buyout and now works for Cobb County schools in public relations, calls her pending departure “a major loss to the media landscape in metro Atlanta. She’s a journalist with a capital ‘J’ who understands the seriousness of accurate, responsible reporting… She has a laser focused way of seeing something on the screen during breaking news and explaining it to viewers in a calm, professional, conversational manner. Few people can do it better than Brenda.”

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, October 6, 2016

Brenda Wood with Xernona Clayton at the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame dinner in 2014. Wood was inducted that year. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/ rho@ajc.com

This was posted on the AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

In most cases, TV broadcasters will lose their jobs before they’re ready to go.

But a special few get to leave on their own accord, to choose their departure as they see fit while the bosses still see their value.

Brenda Wood is one of those special few. For two decades, Wood has been an evening anchor at 11Alive, the local NBC affiliate. She’s been a calming, trusted voice, someone who has been embraced by her fans, respected by her peers and treasured by her bosses.

She has chosen to leave in February after her final one-year contract is up. Her bosses have known of her impending departure for the past eight months since she told them she only wanted a one-year contract so she can finish up after a clean 20-year run there and 40 years in the business. “Those are nice round numbers,” she said in an exclusive interview late last week.

“When you get to be my age,” said Wood, who is in her early 60s, “you have to start thinking about what the rest of your future looks like. It seemed like a perfect match, a perfect time, 2017. I’m getting to leave on my own terms.”

She and I talked about how she got into the business, how she came to Atlanta, why she moved from WAGA to WXIA in 1997 and what she plans to do after 11Alive. Here are some highlights from our 30-minute talk:

On being feted by so many organizations in town over the years, including the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame in 2014: “It’s amazing. I’m humbled by it. My intent in college wasn’t to be on TV in front of the camera. I had in my mind to go in an entirely different direction. But you know, life happens. The next thing you know, I ended up where I am. I never expected to be in TV news and I never expected to be here as long as I have. It’s been very good to me.”

On her career overall: “I’ve worked hard. I gave it my all, all the time, and I got rewarded by getting great job offers and great positions. I really feel truly blessed. I’m very proud and just happy and appreciative.”

Why Atlanta was a big move in 1988, where she was evening anchor at then-CBS affiliate WAGA-TV: “I always wanted to live in Atlanta, even when I grew up in Washington D.C. When I started working in this business, early on, I had my eyes on Atlanta. It seemed like a great city. It was very exciting when we packed up and moved from Memphis to Atlanta. It was a growing city, a progressive one. It had a reputation as being the black mecca.”

She quickly fit in: “We quickly made lots friends. We found a church home. We found a great neighborhood to live in. We found great schools for our kids. My girls were two and five when I moved here. Everything fell into place. We had no doubt we were doing what we were meant to do. It was all a big adventure.”

Why she shifted over in 1997 to 11Alive: “WAGA was transitioning to Fox… I didn’t like, to be honest, the direction of the Fox network at the time.”

Why she chose 11Alive over Channel 2 Action News: “Monica [Pearson, then Kaufman] had said she might be leaving the next year but I just kind of thought she wasn’t going to do that. I turned out to be right. [Indeed, Monica stayed another 15 years.] Rather than take a job where I would be sitting and waiting, I was able to be evening anchor at Channel 11 immediately. They were just a nice group of people, a great group of people. The news director was Dave Roberts. He came on very strong about his vision for new and what he wanted to do with the television station and our newsroom. It all made sense. He resonated with me. I ended up going there.”

How WXIA treated her over the years: “I’ve been treated with extreme graciousness and courtesy. There has never been any bickering or ugliness or anything. It’s really been a very good relationship from the start.”

Her favorite moments outside the anchor desk: “Certainly, covering the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Also going to Beijing covering the Olympics in 2008. That was a phenomenal three weeks in Beijing. The Olympics were amazing. I got a chance to cover the passing of Nelson Mandela in South Africa. I went to Washington covering the Inauguration of Pres. Obama. The historical nature of that was really phenomenal. I got a chance with the Carter Center to spend a week in Ethiopia. We did a documentary special on the work Carter Center has done there eradicating specific diseases. That was pretty awesome… We did end up winning quite a few awards as a result. As an anchor, it means you are usually anchored in the studio. But I still had a chance to do a number of things and go out and cover local, national and international news.”

On people saying she is a rock-solid, steady-as-you-go anchor: “I don’t see myself as being an over-the-top person. I take what I do seriously. I want people to know that. And I want them to trust what I’m saying. I don’t ever want to exaggerate or throw in a lot of hyperbole. The world is not coming to an end, folks! We’ll get through this with a sense of calm and steadiness.”

On doing ‘The Last Word ” commentaries: “I approached it with a little trepidation because it was walking in another lane. I started when we were doing the 7 o’clock news. It was a little more lighthearted. Some stories were quirky. It was a different animal than the 5 or 6 . I could have a little more fun with ‘The Last Word.’ I did a lot of tongue-in-cheek commentaries, some snarky “Last Words.’

Her most “viral” “Last Word”:  “The biggest one I did was after a Super Bowl two or there years ago. [2014, to be exact.] Coca Cola had run an updated version of their ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing’ ad with people singing ‘America the Beautiful.’ There were a number of people online dogging out Coca Cola. ‘How dare they show gay people or Asian people or whatever.’ I wrote a ‘Last Word’ about it. And it went viral. I heard from people in New Zealand and Australia and China. I ended up talking about it on CNN. It went so big!”

What she will miss the most: “I will miss the people and the camaraderie. We are producing live TV multiple times a day. It’s not easy. There are so many moving parts. There’s so much technology and so much that can go wrong. And occasionally it does. I will miss the talent and the energy and the times when we laugh because we have to. Every now and then, you have to have some comic relief and take a moment to breathe. Those are times you develop a bond. We’re all in this crazy thing called live television together and it’s hard. We prop each other up. We fill the holes. It’s really a team effort. I will miss the team for sure. Not just the team in the front of the camera but the team in the background. They’re cranking it out, man!”

What she won’t miss; “The constant deadlines. Every newscast had one. The pressure to meet that deadline. I won’t miss that. I’ll have more freedom with the hours of my day.”

What hobbies she plans to pursue: “I don’t have any hobbies. I haven’t even had time to think about a hobby, let alone develop one. I hope to do some traveling and enjoy time with my families and friends more. I’m not done. I chose to leave now. I want to leave with the ability to do something else.”

What she hopes to do: “When I was in college, I didn’t intend to be in front of the camera. I wanted to be a documentary film-maker. I would love to be able to step away from news and pivot to the thing I started out saying I wanted to do and seeing where it takes me. I’ll have to see what doors open, what creative ideas I come up with.”

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, October 9, 2016

This is posted on Monday, November 7, 2016 by Rodney Ho on the AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Lori Wilson returns to Atlanta at Channel 2 Action News as a weekend evening anchor.

She’ll be working with Justin Wilfon, replacing Wendy Corona, who recently became the permanent 4 p.m. weekday co-anchor.

Wilson worked at WGCL-TV, the CBS affiliate, as a morning and noon anchor and reporter in the mid-2000s for three years before moving to Philadelphia’s WCAU-TV in 2006. She has most recently been at the Indianapolis station and CW affiliate WISH-TV for the past three years.

“I am excited to return to work in a city I fell in love with years ago,” Wilson said in a press release. “There is so much rich culture and history in Atlanta, and so many wonderful people, I can’t wait to serve the community once again and to work with the talented journalists at Atlanta’s most trusted news source.”

She will start in January, 2017 at WSB-TV, an ABC affiiliate.

WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group. 

This was posted on Saturday, November 12, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Lori Geary, an Emmy-wining political reporter for Channel 2 Action News, is leaving the station after 19 years.

In a post on Facebook Friday, she said she wanted to spend more time with her children.

She plans to start her own communications company to give herself more flexibility.

It’s time. My babies are now 9 and 5, precious ages and moments I don’t want to miss. This has been such a difficult decision but thankfully WSB-TV will allow me to stay on as a Political Analyst for the #1 station in the country.

Working in TV news can be brutal on people’s personal lives. They have to work on holidays, late nights, weekends, you name it. As she noted:

A big thank you to my husband, Bobby Talbert, who has held down the fort of afternoon pick-ups – soccer and baseball practices, doctors & dentists appointments and everything in between when I had to be on the air. It’s my turn to help! It’s a big decision but I hope and pray there are big opportunities ahead. Thank you all for your loyalty and support for the past 19 years at WSB-TV.

She joined WSB-TV in 1998, coming from what was then CNN Headline News. She was raised in Pittsburgh and worked in August and Raleigh before coming to Atlanta.

Geary left on a notable note: earlier this month, she broke the story about Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed using blue lights and sirens to get to routine events, which some say is illegal.

WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group. 

This was originally posted on by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 and updated on Wednesday

Shiba Russell, hired earlier this year from New York, will take over for Brenda Wood early next year as evening anchor at 11Alive, the NBC affiliate.

Russell will be joining co-anchor Jeff Hullinger on WXIA-TV.

Wood announced last month that is leaving 11Alive after 20 years, saying it was time to retire on her own terms.

Read my interview with Wood on why she is leaving.

And here is my piece on Russell over the summer. 

When WXIA-TV picked up Russell earlier this year from the NBC affiliate to join the morning show, speculation began immediately behind the scenes that she would be taking over for Wood at some point. I was unable to ascertain at the time if that was true but apparently it was.

Wood told 11Alive officials back in February she wanted only a one-year contract with plans to retire. That gave 11Alive plenty of time to find a replacement.

“From day one, Atlanta has welcomed me with open arms, and I have loved every minute here. I look forward to bringing our viewers the news they need before they go to sleep,” said Russell in a press release Tuesday morning. “I cannot wait to connect with even more of our viewers.”

“I’m excited about this new opportunity,” Russell said in a follow-up interview Wednesday. “Brenda’s willingness to help with the transition and introduce me to the community has been amazing. It makes it even more special to get her support. She’s a role model, particularly for young women. I’m hoping to carry on her tradition of hard work and authenticity. She is so real.”

Russell’s final morning shift will be December 30. She will be a temporary third anchor at 5 p.m. with Wood and Hullinger from January 5 through February 7. She will co-anchor with Hullinger at 11 p.m. starting January 5. Wood will continue to anchor 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. from January 5 through her final day February 7. Russell will take over co-anchoring at 5, 6 and 11 starting February 8.

In January, Cheryl Preheim, who has worked at Tegna-owned top-rated Denver station KUSA-TV (9News), will replace Russell on  the Atlanta Alive morning team, which includes Vinnie Politan, Jaye Watson, StormTracker Chesley McNeil and TrafficTracker Crash Clark.  She has been in Denver for 18 years and has done evening anchoring as well there.

Cheryl Preheim is leaving 9News in Denver December 16, 2016. She has worked there 18 years. According to 9News: “Around the newsroom, Cheryl is famous for being irrepressibly positive. Over the years she’s done everything from shooting video to reporting to anchoring weekend morning newscasts, weekend evening newscasts and most recently the Monday through Friday morning news.”

This was posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 by Rodney Ho on AJC’s Radio & TV Talk blog

Morning host Gloria Neal has left CBS46 today after just 17 months.

Her name has been stripped off the staff listings and her bio page is gone. (Archive.org saved it if you want to read it here.)

Given the timing, she is likely still under contract. She did not response to a text and call for comment about why she’s departing.

“We are sad that Gloria has chosen to leave CBS46 and we wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors,” is what General Manager Mark Pimental provided.

Here’s her last Tweet as a CBS46 employee this morning, a rather chipper one at that. That’s a reference to Rebekka Schramm, a reporter, not to anything nefarious.

Neal was formerly at the CBS affiliate in Denver and hosted a radio program on a station in that city. She was part of a massive overhaul of the CBS anchor staff last year, which cleared out every anchor except Tracye Hutchins.

This was posted Wednesday, November 30, 2016 by Rodney Ho on AJC’s Radio & TV Talk blog

Lisa Rayam, who left Fox 5 earlier this year, is joining Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Lawmakers” program early next year.

Rayam, who spent 22 years at WAGA-TV, will be the capital reporter during the Georgia legislative session.

The long-running GPB television program provides daily coverage of the state legislature and tackles issues such as taxes, jobs, schools and the environment. The session typically runs from mid January through late March.

Scott Slade, morning host of News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB, will again be host.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the ‘Lawmakers’ team, where I will have the opportunity to delve into storytelling that really matters and affects all of us here in Georgia,” Rayam said in a press release. “On the heels of an explosive Presidential election, the role of state government will get pushed into the limelight even more, and I am excited to be a part of the mix. I love telling stories about everyday people, and it will be an honor to share some of those stories as they relate to the decisions made by our lawmakers.”

The readers of my original departure story in May liked her a lot. In an unscientific poll, 77 percent of readers said they thought Fox 5 made a bad move.

This is posted on Monday, December 5, 2016 by Rodney Ho on AJC’s Radio & TV Talk blog

Last week, esteemed PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff was inducted into the 2016 Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame.

Joining her was long-time WAGA-TV news director Budd McEntee, Atlanta Inquirer creator John Smith Sr. and late Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor and columnist Eugene Patterson.

Woodruff, 70, began her broadcast career at then CBS affiliate WAGA-TV in 1970 and later worked out of Atlanta for NBC Nightly News.

“Altanta was the place where I cut my teeth,” said Woodruff after the ceremony at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre ballroom. “I learned how to do journalism. I learned how to report.”

She saw role models in local journalists from that time including Ray Moore, Bob Brennan, 2013 Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame inductee Bill Shipp and 2015 inductee Dick Pettys.

“They taught me how to go out and think about how to write a story, interview someone, why journalism matters,” she said. “I went into this with stars in my eyes thinking that everybody else understands journalism, too. But not everybody understands journalism. It’s up to us to remind the public all the time why we need to ask hard questions. Why we need to stick to some of these stories that people say, ‘Why are you covering the tax bill or the highway bill or the water bill?’ ”

“No matter how dull or straight foward something is, it’s your job to make it interesting and capture people’s attention,” she added. “That’s something I never realized when I came in.”

She said people at WAGA set great examples for her and pushed her hard. “I needed that. I didn’t know anything,” he said. “That gave me the confidence to do what I’m doing now.”

Woodruff has been away from Atlanta for 40 years but has always felt a connection with this city. “This is my journalistic home,” he said.

She later became a White House correspondent covering the Jimmy Carter presidency for NBC, followed by much of Ronald Reagan’s first term. She has spent more than 20 years since then at PBS, plus a 12-year stint at CNN from 1993 to 2005. She currently co-anchors PBS NewsHour, which recently lost co-anchor Gwen Ifill, who passed away suddenly last month.

Rosalynn Carter gave Woodruff a tribute and stole her best story about how Woodruff met her future husband and fellow journalist Al Hunt (then at the Wall Street Journal, now at Bloomberg) at a baseball game the Carters had arranged between their staff and the journalists. Yes, the Carters even brought couples together.

Here’s her induction video from the event, created by WXIA-TV’s Jon Shirek and Richard Crabbe of Kettle Creek Media:

Budd McEntee is not a household name outside of journalism circles but in Atlanta broadcast circles, he is revered.

He was news director for 19 years at WAGA-TV, first while it was a CBS affiliate, then as a Fox affiliate through 2010.

“I was really thrilled” by the honor, McEntee said after he accepted the award. “I was so humbled they’d even think of me… These people were just outstanding. I would never have a newsroom like that again. This was the cream of the crop.”

Bud Veazey, his assistant news director who retired in 2008, said he was tough and competitive yet fair. “He only threw me out of his office once,” he said. “And he was right to do it! We get along great. He’s my yang to my yin.”

I wrote about McEntee’s departure from Fox 5 in 2010.

A past president of the Atlanta Press Club, McEntee built up Fox 5’s fabled I-Team, solidified its 10 p.m. newscast and added more hours of local TV news than any other affiliate.

I-Team veteran Randy Travis, who worked with him all 19 years McEntee was the boss, said he was “a dedicated, determined, dependable stick of dynamite. You always knew he’d give you immediate feedback, good or bad. We never operated in a vacuum. He gave me one of the gifts of my career is moving me to the I-Team.”

Dale Russell, another I-Team stalwart, introduced McEntee, noting how fiercely competitive he was. “He set the bar very high for all us,” he said.

He recalled getting beat on a story by WSB and getting called on the carpet for it by McEntee. He spent an hour playing catch up and felt good about putting something decent out at 6. When he next saw McEntee, he was still fuming. “What do you have for 10?” he yelped. That’s how things rolled under McEntee.

And as Russell noted, McEntee fought the suits when Fox took over in 1994 and ensured the I-Team not only survived but grew the staff, winning copious awards over the years.

The video below includes some great promo video that highlights many of the big WAGA stars over the years.

John Smith Sr. created the Atlanta  Inquirer, a black-owned newspaper, in the early 1960s during the heart of the civil rights era.

At the time, the paper was a way for the Atlanta Student Movement to get its voice out when mainstream and even black press wouldn’t.

In poor health, Smith came on stage in a wheelchair and an oxygen tank. As he thanked the crowd, he at times had to pause to take in a breath or two. He was visibly emotional and deeply grateful for being recognized.

Eugene Patterson, who passed in 2013 at age 89, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1967 for column writing. For eight years from 1960 to 1968, he wrote a column every day for the Atlanta Constitution, with a heavy focus on civil rights.

“He was a man of great conviction and courage,” said civil rights legend Xernona Clayton, who introduced him. “He truly believed that we as blacks and whites could get along in this society. He spoke directly to white Southerners and urged them to accept equality between all races.”

She told a story about how Mr. Patterson, after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, played liaison between then presidential candidate Richard Nixon and her. Nixon wanted to visit Coretta Scott King to offer his condolences but he wasn’t sure if she’d want to receive him given King’s feelings about Nixon before he died. Ultimately, Clayton convinced King that Nixon should come, as long as it was incognito. And he followed the rules and even offered to pay the college educations of their four children.

His two grand-daughters accepted the award on his behalf.

Read his most famous column from 1963 after the Birmingham church bombing called “A Flower for the Graves.”

At the Washington Post as managing editor, he convinced publisher Katherine Graham to publish the Pentagon Papers.

Disclosure: I have been a board member of The Atlanta Press Club since 2009.

This was posted Wednesday, December 7, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Amanda Davis, the long-time Fox 5 anchor, has found a new home at CBS46 as a new morning show anchor, replacing recently departed Gloria Neal.

Davis’ first day is January 2, 2017. She’ll join co-anchor Bobby Kaple; meteorologists Paul Ossmann and Jennifer Valdez; and traffic reporter Julie Smith. (Ossmann used to work with Davis at Fox 5.)

Neal left last month several months before her two-year contract was up. She never said why she left.

Davis spent 26 years at WAGA-TV, both when it was a CBS affiliate and now Fox affiliate. She was one of the most popular anchors in town and was an anchor on “Good Day Atlanta.” But after a drunk driving arrest in 2012, she was taken off air, then let go permanently a few months later with an awkward on-air goodbye.

Although she was found not guilty in the end, she remained off the airwaves until last year.

CBS46 hired her to be part of its “Just a Minute” commentators consisting mostly of former journalists. For her, it was a way back to get in the game.

But on the weekend before her debut commentary, she was arrested yet again for another DUI. She asked to be taken off the schedule and proceeded to get treatment. She later received probation.

Earlier this year, she did a three-day series about her alcoholism, something she had never admitted publicly before. “I have no excuse for drinking and getting behind the wheel,” Davis said, referencing the 2012 incident. “I was wrong… There is no forgiving that.” Over the series, she talked about her denial, her shame, her faith, her sobriety and the challenges of addiction.

On this blog entry, I polled people to see if they wanted her back as an anchor. Nearly four out of five said yes.

I saw her last week at the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame dinner supporting inductee and her former boss Budd McEntee but didn’t get a chance to speak to her.

This is posted Friday, December 9, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Gloria Neal, the recently departed CBS46 morning anchor, confirmed on a Facebook Live video Friday (WATCH BELOW) that she left the station on her own after 17 months but didn’t specify why.

At the same time, she implied she was forced to leave by internal management pressure and alluded to possible legal action down the road.

“No, I was not fired from CBS46 news,” Neal said. “As a matter of fact, I had to leave CBS46 news. However the circumstances there were really one that was continually about… circumstances that were causing me no alternative but to resign. I will leave it at that.”

Although she left voluntarily, she said she is “by no means I am a quitter.”

“For those who know what’s in the works for me, legally or otherwise, then you know that,” she said. “We will let that process take its course.”

Without being specific, she said what transpired at the station was “most unfortunate and inexplicable.”

The tone of the five-minute video is dead serious from beginning to end, with an edge of anger at times.

“I stand up for what I believe in and you know when I take a stand, it is about that,” she continued. “I am not frivolous nor am I fake. I might be new to Atlanta, but I am not new to me.”

“I would not endanger or speak hostility or be mean,” she added. “I kept what challenges I was having private because I wanted to make sure those who were involved with that was just that. Private. I am a professional. I have worked my entire career on being a professional. I have integrity. I have always put you the viewer first.”

Neal came to CBS46 last year from a long run in Denver as a TV as part of a major staff overhaul at the CBS affiliate. She told the Denver Post at the time that CBS46 management wants “a morning show anchor in the way that I want to anchor news, which is not the traditional way.” She called it “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

She said on the video that the Atlanta community has made her feel welcome. “I’m not going to repay that by being petty, by being silly, by being anything but a consummate professional. When I came to this market, I came to make a difference,” she said.

Neal, who goes by “Glo,” then mentioned obliquely that individuals “have stepped to me and said things that were inappropriate. I am extremely pleased who Glo is. She knows who she is and what she stands for.”

Frank Volpicella, the news director who has been at the station for about four months, declined to comment. Volpicella worked at an Austin ABC affiliate for nearly 16 years before coming to Atlanta over the summer, replacing Larry Peret.

The station announced on Wednesday that former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis was taking Neal’s morning spot starting January 2. It’s unclear if that news compelled Neal to post her FB video. I sent her a text tonight but have not heard back. (She didn’t respond to a call or text after she left last month.)

Neal said she would like to stay in Atlanta and is willing to commute for the time being if something comes up elsewhere.

At the end of the video, thanked her fans for her support. “For the short period of time I’ve been here, you have all stepped up,” she said. “Let’s keep pushin’ y’all.” Then she quoted Michelle Obama from the recent presidential campaign: “When they go low, we go high.”

This was posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

The news broke earlier this evening: former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis was arrested today near Cumberland Mall for driving with a suspended license.

[UPDATE 12/15/16: Amanda Davis didn’t realize she had to get her license reinstated withitn a year after she was given a limited license following a DUI-related plea deal in November, 2015.  So her license was suspended. She paid a $210 fee to get her license reinstated on Wednesday and she’s now square. She also had an expired tag, which is what caused the cop to pull her over. He gave her a warning on the tag, which she also updated Wednesday. She will start as scheduled on January 2.]

The suspension was related to past DUI arrests. There was no evidence she was under the influence at the time of this arrest.  The AJC breaking news team has some details as well here.

The timing is horrendous for Davis, who was just hired last week to take over as a morning news anchor on CBS46 nearly four years after a DUI arrest led her to lose her Fox 5 job in 2013. She also was arrested for a DUI last year right before joining the “Just a Minute” commentary team. Instead, she chose to go to rehab and later received probation over her arrest.

Earlier this year, she did a three-part series revealing her alcoholism for the first time and her road to recovery. At the time, she said she had been sober for almost a year. (My colleague Gracie Bond Staples’ interview with Davis.)

This latest arrest places her pending job at CBS46 in jeopardy. Frank Volpicella, the CBS46 news director, said he hadn’t talked to Davis yet and had no further comment. She is supposed to start January 2, 2017.

Michael Castengera, a senior lecturer of journalism at the University of Georgia, said “this has to raise serious, serious questions for them about keeping her on. It raises serious questions about her judgment.” He consults with local TV stations but none in Atlanta.

Brett Martin, the “Good Day Atlanta” Road Warrior from 1999 to 2007, said in a text, “Her judgment has been in question for some time. Sad to see this happen but no one is above the law and she has consistently violated it. Her behavior has become a liability to everyone who hires her.” At the same time, he added, “I feel so bad for her. I wish her the best.”

C.B. Hackworth, a veteran TV producer who worked for a time at CBS46 and helped put together her three-part package but is no longer there, thinks the transgression does not merit her losing her job:

Karyn Greer, a long-time 11 Alive anchor from 1999 to 2015, joined CBS46 last year and is currently an investigative reporter there. She could potentially take the morning anchor spot vacated by Gloria Neal instead of Davis if need be. Greer certainly has the credentials, name recognition, likability and reputation.

Neal left the station last month before her two-year contract was up without explanation. Last Friday, she posted an angry Facebook Live video in which she described her departure as “most unfortunate and inexplicable” but didn’t provide details. She also hinted at potential legal action against the station.

Volpicella declined at the time to comment about Neal’s situation.

This was posted on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Amanda Davis, the former Fox 5 anchor who is about to start at CBS46 early next year, was arrested Tuesday for what was alleged to be a suspended driver’s license but it was all a misunderstanding, according to her boss Mark Pimental, the CBS46 general manager.

The Cobb County police said Davis was pulled over Tuesday afternoon near Cumberland Mall in a blue Mercedes. She had an expired tag and the cop checked her license status with the Georgia Crime Information Center. He found it to be suspended and she was taken to jail.

She did have an expired tag, but her license was fine, Pimental said. She told him it had been reinstated after a suspension last year, but her license status on the computer had not been updated.

“I saw a valid license today,” Pimental texted me tonight, “so yes, it appears as if Cobb’s data was incorrect. Amanda starts rehearsals tomorrow as scheduled.”

[UPDATE 12/15: That wasn’t quite accurate. I spoke with Amanda herself today and got the story here.]

According to the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office booking report, she paid $1,320 in bond fees to be released Tuesday.

She is slated to start anchoring mornings on CBS46 January 2, which was announced last week.

An expired tag alone would have resulted in a citation, not an arrest, said a Cobb County public information officer. He added that the interaction between the police officer and Davis was polite.

He also said a bystander snapped a photo of her getting arrested and posted it on social media before the cop had even driven away with Davis.

Davis also received a new car tag today, Pimental said. (Davis did not respond to a text seeking comment.)

In the end, this story was deeply unfortunate for Davis. She had her mugshot plastered on social media (and this blog) and it’s very likely fewer people will see this story than the original one (which has been updated).

Davis had two previous arrests since 2012 in which she was charged for driving under the influence but in this case, she was sober.

This was posted Thursday, December 15, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Veteran broadcast anchor Amanda Davis, in an exclusive interview Thursday, said her own lack of oversight led to her arrest Tuesday over a suspended driver’s license.

“It was a misunderstanding on my part,” said Davis, who is joining CBS46 (WGCL-TV) as a new morning anchor starting January 2 after nearly four years off the air.

She was arrested in June 2015 for driving under the influence. As part of a plea deal with Cobb County in November, 2015, she was placed on a one-year probation and given a limited driver’s license. After 120 days, she would be allowed to get her driving privileges fully reinstated.

She said she didn’t realize this type of reinstatement is not automatic. She would have to actively go to the Georgia Department of Driver Services office and pay $210 in person or send $200 by mail. “I didn’t know that,” she said. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse. It is costly.”

After 12 months since the plea deal, her license status reverted to “suspended.”

That’s what the police officer saw in the Georgia Crime Information Center database after he pulled her over near Cumberland Mall Tuesday. He had noticed her expired car tag.

Davis said she thought she was fine with her driver’s license, an old one in her possession with a 2018 expiration date. “I didn’t think my license was suspended,” she said.

But that was indeed the case. The officer told her, given the law, he had no choice but to arrest her over the suspended license even if it was a misunderstanding. “The officer did his job,” she said. “He was very nice. I didn’t give him a hard time. I just knew I had to go through the process.”

She was sent to Cobb County Jail and paid $1,320 in bail to get out that evening.

Davis, whose birthday is in October, said she forgot for the first time ever to get her car tag renewed. The cop ultimately gave her a warning since she was still within the grace period.

On Wednesday, the day after her arrest, she paid the $210 at the DDS and received a new driver’s license.

She said after she retired in 2013 from WAGA-TV following a 2012 DUI-related arrest, she was able to relax. “I wasn’t stressed about anything,” she said. “I think I perhaps got too lackadaisical about things. Now that I’m back in a routine, I’ll be more conscientious about things like tags.” She said she has already placed a Siri reminder on her iPhone a month before her 2017 birthday to pay the tag fee early.

Davis admitted she was an alcoholic in a three-part special that aired on CBS46 in May. She said today, she has been sober 18 months. (My colleague Gracie Bond Staples‘ column about her battle with addiction.)

“Treatment worked wonders,” Davis said. “Alcoholism is part of a symptom of a bigger underlying issue. You use alcohol to suppress those feelings about an issue.” In her case, she said it was heartbreak over a break-up with a man she loved that led to depression and excessive drinking.

She said she was also a major workaholic over her 35 years in the broadcast TV business including 26 at WAGA-TV, now a Fox affiliate. “I grew up thinking that you worked, worked, worked until you died,” she said. “Having retired, I realized that ‘Wow, there’s more to life than that!’ I come back with a whole different perspective.”

After a day of rehearsals Thursday at CBS46 headquarters in Midtown, she said she’s ready for this new chapter in her life. “It’s like getting back on the bicycle,” she said. “And I just have a certain peace now. I don’t think it’s going to be the kind of stress I’m used to working in after so many years in the business.”

This was posted by Rodney Ho on AJC’s Radio & TV Talk blog on Monday, December 19, 2016

Alyse Eady, like practically everybody who just moved to Atlanta from a smaller city, is gobsmacked by the traffic.

“I was warned ahead of time,” said the new “Good Day Atlanta” morning host in a recent interview. She, arrived here late summer. “You have to leave way earlier. I’m learning the tricks of the trade.”

Eady grew up and worked in Arkansas. “When I had this opportunity to come here to Atlanta, I was so excited about it,” she said. “It feels like home, just way bigger, way more diverse. But it feels familiar. There are more trees here in the city. That’s one thing I noticed. There are trees everywhere! You don’t even have to drive to the countryside.”

Eady doesn’t shy away from her pageant past.  “It made me who I am today,” she said.

Pageants were something she and her mom did while her two brothers played football. “It wasn’t scary ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ business,” she said. “We loved it. I credit it with why I can do what I do now. The interview skills there helped me when I interview guests now. I learned how to be poised, learned how to dress appropriately and conduct myself in public. They would throw all sorts of questions at me and I’d have to come up with something. That’s what we do every single day.”

Eady was Miss Arkansas in 2010 and first runner up in the Miss America pageant. Her claim to fame: a combo yodeling ventriloquist act.

Eady was strategic going into the talent round. “Everybody can sing. Everybody can dance. Everybody can do a monologue,” Eady said. “I knew I had to find something to stand out. There are not a whole lot of 20 something ventriloquists competing in Miss America.”

Afterwards, she even got to perform with Terry Fator, the man who won “America’s Got Talent” in 2007 and signed a $100 million contract with the Mirage in Vegas.

“He and Jeff Dunham [who performs regularly at Philips Arena] made ventriloquism semi cool again,” Eady said.

She readily admits it’s a “weird talent” but she has left it behind. She didn’t bring any of her puppets to Atlanta although she did bring her husband – Patrick Lemmond – who she married in 2013.

When she was younger, she said she grew up watching “20/20” with Barbara Walters. “It came on after ‘TGIF,’ ” she said, referencing the 8 to 10 p.m. block which featured sitcoms such as “Boy Meets World” and “Family Matters.” “I don’t know many six or seven year olds obsessed with that! It all makes sense now.

But she didn’t pick up a desire to work n TV news until after graduating Ouachita Baptist University. While there, she avoided the broadcast journalism class because it started too early: 7:30 a..m. (Ironically, she now wakes up at 3:30 a.m. for “Good Day Atlanta.”)

Once she had finished with Miss America, the CBS affiliate in Little Rock found her personality appealing and hired her. “I never in a million years thought I’d be doing this,” she said. “They saw something in me and boy, I’m glad they did!”

Over five years there, she learned the craft of anchoring. “I’ve always been a writer,” she said. “I enjoy writing. My mom was a speech pathologist. I knew how to talk and communicate. My co-anchor [in Little Rock, Ashley Blackstone] taught me everything – how to make graphics, how to do an interview, how to put together a package, how to log sound.”

This was posted Monday, December 26, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

This was a busy year for anchor changes at Atlanta TV broadcast stations, a big year for CNN and a breakthrough year for local TV production.

Here’s a quick summary of the major goings on in local TV this past year:

Fox 5 shifts: The popular Fox morning show “Good Day Atlanta” saw two major anchor changes this year. Veteran newscasters Gurvir Dhindsa and Karen Grahm left. Fox 5 hired Alyse Eady from Little Rock and Constance Jones from Miami as replacements. Anchor Lisa Rayam also departed but nobody has officially taken over her job full time.

Amanda Davis travails: The former Fox 5 anchor departed after 26 years in 2013 after a DUI arrest. She was about to return last year on the CBS “Just a Minute” commentary team when she was arrested again for a DUI. She entered rehab and received probation. In May, she aired a three-part special on CBS46 about her alcoholism. Earlier this month, she was named the new morning anchor on the network but was arrested yet again. But this time, there was no alcohol: it was a suspended license she forgot to reinstate. She got that straightened out and will be anchoring for the first time in four years on January 2.

Gloria Neal left CBS46 before her contract was up. CREDIT: Twitter profile photo

Angry departure: Davis’ morning anchor predecessor at CBS46 Gloria Neal left in November before her two-year contract was over. She posted a video earlier this month saying she her departure was “most unfortunate and inexplicable.” She added: “For those who know what’s in the works for me, legally or otherwise, then you know that. We will let that process take its course.” She ultimately took the video down.

CREDIT: WSB-TV

Channel 2 Action News changes: Popular 4 p.m. anchor Erin Coleman moved to Philadelphia earlier this year to be closer to home and landed a job at an NBC affiliate. Weekend anchor and reporter Wendy Corona took over. Other departures: Erica Byfield and Lori Geary.

Donna Lowery and Keith Whitney at TavernPointe Friday, April 29, 2016 for a big 11 Alive retirement party. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

11Alive buyouts and a major retirement:  11Alive lost three veteran reporters who took a buyout this spring: Keith Whitney, Donna Lowry and Kevin Rowson. Lowry found a new job as director of communications for Cobb County Schools. Rowson landed a public affairs specialist gig at the FBI. Whitney is still pondering. Venerable evening anhor Brenda Wood said she is retiring in February after 20 years at the station. Shiba Russell, who came from New York this summer and worked briefly in mornings, is taking over.

Jim Cantore in August, 2016 at “AMHQ.” CREDIT: Rodney Ho/ rho@ajc.com

Weather Channel moves: Sam Champion moved off the morning show and is now doing a weekly weather show out of New York. Jim Cantore celebrated his 30th anniversary at the station. And veteran meteorologist David Schwartz passed away from cancer.

HLN refocuses on hard news and away from Atlanta: HLN added a new show out of Los Angeles (“Michaela” from 11 to 1 p.m.), one from New York (“On the Story With Erica Hill” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.) and another from New York at 8 p.m. (“Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield”). Atlanta-based Nancy Grace left voluntarily in October after 12 years. This leaves just Robin Meade remaining at CNN Center in Atlanta on the weekday lineup with Lynn Smith covering weekends. Meanwhile, the network continues to air copious amounts of “Forensic Files” repeats.

Donald Trump dominated CNN’s airwaves in 2016. CREDIT: Getty Images

Massive CNN ratings: CNN, whose weekday on-air personalities are now all out of D.C. and New York but is still ostensibly headquartered in Atlanta, celebrated its most watched year in its history thanks to the contentious and colorful presidential campaign. It ranked No. 8 among all cable networks. (Fox News was No. 1.) Not everything was peachy. A group of current and former employees filed a class-action lawsuit against CNN, Turner Broadcasting and parent company Time Warner for racial discrimination in December.

Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 7, Episode 8 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Zombie peak? “The Walking Dead,” produced largely in and around Senoia and Tyler Perry’s Fort McPherson studios, continues to be the most popular scripted drama among 18 to 49 year olds for a fifth year in a row. But its popularity appears to have peaked. A “Who did Negan kill?” cliffhanger in the spring fueled massive ratings in October for the season seven return,. Unfortunately, the gory deaths of Glenn and Abraham was followed by a major dropoff in viewership as the season dragged along.

Stranger Things

Netflix embraces Atlanta: Netflix generated a surprise summer hit with “Stranger Things.” The 1980s era drama featuring Winona Ryder and a bunch of cute pre-teen kids paid homage to “Stand By Me,” “The Goonies” and “Poltergeist,” to name a few. And though Netflix doesn’t release ratings, the show generated a ton of buzz and critical acclaim. Upcoming: Atlanta-produced drama “Ozark” in 2017.

ATLANTA — “The Jacket” — Episode 10 (Airs Tuesday, November 1, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: Donald Glover as Earnest Marks. CR: Quantrell Colbert/FX

Donald Glover’s gamble pays off: The quirky “Community” actor, who grew up in Stone Mountain, has spent years trying to create a show about the hip-hop scene in Atlanta. FX finally bit and called it “Atlanta.” And the results have been gratifying: solid viewership, award nominations and love from critics, who found his combination of off-beat humor and off-kilter dialogue unique.

Oprah Winfrey as Mavis McCready and Lynn Whitfield as Lady Mae in OWN’s “Greenleaf”

Oprah! Oprah! Oprah! Oprah Winfrey debuted her first non-Tyler Perry drama on OWN “Greenleaf,” a family drama based in a black church shot in Atlanta but set in Memphis. “Atlanta is the shooting capital of the world now,” said Winfrey in an interview I did with her in the spring.  “We love those tax breaks hey hey! And we love the South! I just love Southern people! I just do.”

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 01: (L-R) Miss Mulatto and music producer Jermaine Dupri attend Lifetime premiere of “The Rap Game” at Suite Lounge Rooftop on January 1, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Lifetime)

Atlanta reality show winners: Lithonia’s Tregaye Fraser won the 12th season of “Food Network Star.” Miss Mulatto took home the crown on the first season of Lifetime’s “The Rap Game” hosted by Atlanta rap producing legend Jermaine Dupri. Atlanta’s Stevie Baggs was WE-TV’s “Match Made in Heaven” but he didn’t find his match on the show. But Atlanta’s Josh Murray found a romantic partner on ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise” this past summer.

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 11: TV personality RuPaul Charles, winner of Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program, poses in the press room during the 2016 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Former locals done good: Atlanta native Elle Duncan, best known as a V-103 host, landed a coveted ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor job this spring. And North Atlanta High School gradaute RuPaul won an Emmy as best reality competition host for his Logo show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Athens native Tituss Burgess was nominated as best supporting actor in a comedy on Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” while University of Georgia graduate Kyle Chandle was nominated for best dramatic actor for Netflix’s “Bloodline.” And while Dunwoody High School graduate Ryan Seacrest lost his gig as host of “American Idol,” which ended its run after 15 years in April, shed no tears for him. He still produces the Kardashian TV empire and will host ABC’s New Year’s festivities as usual in Times Square.

This was posted Thursday, December 29, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Local TV news changes, mostly at Fox 5, dominated my 25 most popular blog entries this year.

Only three items were radio related while three were connected to “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” I wasn’t able to land a single “Walking Dead” entry into the top 25, indicative of how competitive that world is. (My most popular “Walking Dead’ item came in at just No. 149.)

1- CNN, Turner faces a class-action race discrimination lawsuit. (12/7/16) A local attorney Daniel Meacham filed the lawsuit on behalf of two named plaintiffs but on behalf of dozens of black employees or former employees. The crux of the lawsuit focuses on the difficulties black employees faced getting promoted and being paid comparably to white employees. The Drudge Report gave the story major play for 18 hours, pushing this into the top spot with 371,000-plus page views to date.

What Alan Kay looked like before he left for Vancouver Island in season one

2- Alan Kay wins season one of History’s ‘Alone.’ (8/20/15) This is proof positive that Search Engine Optimization is my friend. The story about this Blairsville winner finished No. 13 last year and continued to build page views this year courtesy of people watching repeats of season one as well as season two and three. Over 16 months, the story has generated more than 243,000 page views.

3- Bachelorette Andi Dorfman calls Josh Murray an ’emotional abuser’ in tell-all book (5/18/16). The former Atlanta attorney and 2014 “Bachelorette” wrote a book which called out her ex for various trangressions, including a nasty temper and a jealous streak. What fueled the popularity of this story was the fact Murray showed up on two more reality shows, including “Bachelor Pad,” where current “Bachelor” and former Murray rival Nick Viall brought up the book multiple times. Thanks, Nick!

4- Gurvir Dhindsa has left ‘Good Day Atlanta’ after second stint (4/27/16). Every time someone wonders what happened to Dhindsa while watching this popular Fox show, my story pops up. Dhindsa has kept a low profile since her departure.

5- CBS46 photojournalist fired over racists rants regarding Black Lives Matter (7/12/16). This was one of those quick hits that went viral for a day or two and that went away. It also shows that there is always someone stupid enough to post controversial opinions on social media and thinks they can do so without consequences. And enjoy the comments. They’re just as fun as his original Tweets.

6- KSU grad, former 11 Aliver Jarrett Hill discovered Melania Trump/Michelle Obama speech similarities (7/19/16). Like the story above, this one generated a lot of attention for a couple of days, then faded away.

7. DC Fox 5 anchor reveals long ago affair between her husband and Gurvir Dhindsa (9/9/16). In a podcast, Holly Morris said her co-anchor Dhindsa had an affair with her then husband Tom Sater. Dhindsa and Sater are now married.

8- Exclusive: Lisa Rayam leaves Fox 5. (5/2/16) Rayam insisted she left voluntarily. My very reliable sources said otherwise. She will be a correspondent for GPB’s “Lawmakers” starting next month.

9- Boss: Amanda Davis arrest was a misunderstanding. (12/14/16) This story earlier this month featured former Fox 5 anchor not aware she had to reinstate her driver’s license following probation for a 2015 DUI. When a cop pulled her over for an expired tag, she was arrested for a suspended license. Ultimately, this had nothing to do with drinking. (She is sober now.)  She starts at CBS46 as a morning anchor on January 2.

ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 14: Keshia Knight Pulliam and Ed Hartwell attend ‘Finding Dory’ advance screening at AMC Phipps Plaza on June 15, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)

10. Ed Hartwell files for divorce to Keshia Knight Pulliam after just seven months of damage. (7/25/16) Hartwell’s connection to “Real Housewives,” having been married to former castmate Lisa Wu, and Knight Pulliam’s “Cosby Show” ties generated extra interest in this story.

11. Radio station guide.

Iyanla VanZant recorded an “Iyanla: Fix My Life’ show with Sheree Whitfield in 2013. Iyanla used Sheree’s unfinished house as a metaphor regarding her own life. Sheree did not take Iyanla’s advice well at the time. CREDIT: OWN

12- Sheree Whitfield sues insurance company for $280,000 for Chateau Sheree damage.  (1/12/16)The building of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member’s unfinished Sandy Springs home was delayed by flooding from a busted water pipe. I have not heard whether she is living in there yet.

13. Who won season two of ‘The Rap Game.’ (9/24/16) This Atlanta-based Jermaine Dupri led “American Idol” for young rap stars has been a hit for Lifetime. And since hardly anyone else covers the show, this left an opening for me.

14. “Good Day Atlanta” host Karen Graham leaving Fox 5 after 16 years (8/31/16).

15. Sheree Whitfield fined for ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ party at Sandy Springs home. (11/18/16)

16. WSB-TV’s Erin Coleman leaving after seven years. (6/30/16).

17. Frank Ski returning to V-103. (4/13/16). He’s now doing weekends and filling in during the week. This was the most popular radio-related story this year.

18. Amanda Davis admits she is an alcoholic (5/13/16)

19. Wanda Smith confronts Amanda Davis over her drinking (5/19/16).

Finalist Tregaye Fraser after winning Food Network Star, as seen on Food Network’s Food Network Star, Season 12.

20. Who won ‘Food Network Star’? Tregaye or Jernard? (7/31/16). This was the first time that the two finalists of any reality competition show featured two metro Atlantans. Tregaye ended up winning.

21. Jeff Dauler breaks down talking about Jenn Hobby’s baby getting cancer (8/15/16). My colleague Jenn Brett on AJC Buzz wrote about this first so I did this follow up.

22. Former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis gets probation over DUI. (2/10/16).

23. While on vacation: Tamar Braxton, Tyler Perry, Jenn Hobby, Alyse Eady, Keshia Knight Pulliam. This was an inexplicably popular blog entry since it was just a compilation of news items I missed while I was in Charleston on break.

CREDIT: Getty Images

24. Robin Meade requested a bathroom and this is how the New York Post spun it (2/15/16) The Post tried to paint Meade as some sort of crazy diva. She is not a diva. She had good reason to request a bathroom given her job. (HLN did end up building the restroom next to Studio 7. “Previously, it was situated on the other side of the floor and was impractical for people working on live shows,” a spokesman said.)

25. Gloria Neal opens up about departing CBS46, hints at legal  action: ‘I was not fired’  (12/9/16)

This was posted on Thursday, December 29, 2016 by Rodney Ho on AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

CBS46 recently made multiple hires:

Astrid Martinez, a new CBS46 reporter who last worked in Dallas and Charlotte, will be covering education. She’s the first reporter to focus on that subject since Donna Lowry took a buyout at 11Alive in the spring.

Giovonna Dpric, a Bolivian native who is bilinguial and has a masters in economics, will be covering politics. She also has a last name with a rather odd combination of consonants that isn’t terribly common. She has worked in Orlando and New York City.

“I put most of my reporters on beats,” said new CBS46 news director Frank Volpicella. “Don’t know why other stations don’t cover education. It’s an important topic whether you have children or not.”

Ashley Thompson came to the station in September, having previously worked in Phoenix and Montgomery, Ala.

Kai Beech, a multimedia journalist who came from a Nashville station, joined CBS46 in August.

***

David “Hurricane” Smith, the program director at Hot 107.9 and operations manager for the entire Radio One Atlanta cluster, was recently promoted to vice president. He will now also oversee the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and the Ed Lover Show, both syndicated out of Atlanta. Smiley is heard on Hot. Lover is heard on Boom 102.9.

Smith joined the station seven years ago from Dallas and Hot 107.9 under his watch has steadily grown its audience. For many years, the station focused on 18 to 34 year olds but in recent years its popularity expanded to older listeners and is now a regular top 5 presence among all stations with all listeners. The station’s ratings grew 18 percent in 2016 over 2015.

***

Every time I see another accolade for the Boston sports talk show hosts Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb, I sigh. We lost them years ago after their time at 99X and Atlanta radio is just not the same without them. They were ranked No. 3 as best sports talk show hosts nationwide by Radio Ink magazine:

The publication has yet to post 2016’s list online. The 2015 list had Toucher & Rich at No. 4. No Atlanta radio hosts made the top 30 list.

UPDATE: The editor sent me a copy of the top 35. Two Atlanta radio shows made the list in 2016 and they compete against each other.

Carl Dukes and Mike Bell on 92.9/The Game came in at No. 19 while rivals Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernoff on 93.7/680 The Fan came in at No. 24.

Chuck and Chernoff. 

***

SANTA MONICA, CA – DECEMBER 11: Recording artist Justin Timberlake attends The 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on December 11, 2016 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for The Critics’ Choice Awards )

I’m a radio geek. This following list is for radio geeks. These are the most played songs based on year of release on radio nationwide in 2016, according to Mediabase 24/7, which tracked the top 1,000 most played tracks among all radio formats this year.

Classic rock rules in the early years and the oldest song to make the chart goes back to 1967, courtesy of Van Morrison. Prince got in there in 1984 due to his death. Three Atlanta-based acts had the most played songs for particular years: Usher, Collective Soul and the Black Crowes. Green Day, Aerosmith, Justin Timberlake and Led Zeppelin are the acts who appeared twice.  You get two “American Idol” winners and Kid Rock.

2016: Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling” 709,434 spins through December 27.

2015: Justin Bieber: “Love Yourself” 791,206

2014: James Bay “Let It Go” 442,442

2013: Avicii: “Wake Me Up” 133,763

2012: Lumineers “Ho Hey” 115,019

2011: Capital Cities “Safe and Sound” 87,697

2010: Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are” 83,400

2009: Lady Antebellum “Need to Know” 94,771

2008:  Jason Mraz “I’m Yours” 67,391

2007: Kid Rock “All Summer Long” 103,260

2006: Rascal Flatts “Life is a Highway” 53,171

2005: Carrie Underwood “Before He Cheats” 84,801

2004: Kelly Clarkson “Since U Been Gone” 56,124

2003: Usher “Yeah” 64,976

2002: Justin Timberlake “Rock Your Body” 59,415

2001: Jimmy Eat World: “The Middle” 51,507

2000: 3 Doors Down “Kryptonite” 43,847

1999: Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly” 50,841

1998: Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” 54,915

1997: Green Day “Good Riddance” 71,975

1996: Sublime “Santeria” 58,599

1995: No Doubt “Don’t Speak” 45,102

1994: Green Day “When I Come Around” 57,791

1993: Collective Soul “Shine” 44,842

1992: Red Hot Chili Peppers “Under the Bridge” 79,159

1991: Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” 66,665

1990: Black Crowes “Hard to Handle” 60,258

1989: Tom Petty “Free Fallin’ ” 86,816

1988: Def Leppard “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 80,691

1987: Whitesnake “Here I Go Again” 95,949

1986: Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 112,289

1985: Bryan Adams “Summer of 69” 94,364

1984: Prince “When Doves Cry’ 72,823

1983: Police “Every Breath You Take” 85,777

1982: Joan Jett “I Love Rock n Roll” 99,802

1981: Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” 112,072

1980: Pat Benatar “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” 79,637

1979: Cheap Trick “I Want You to Want Me” 68,105

1978: Cars “Just What I Needed” 57,626

1977: Queen “We Will Rock You”/”We Are the Champions” 68,458

1976: Boston “More Than a Feeling” 75,638

1975: Aerosmith “Sweet Emotion” 72,391

1974: Lynyrd Skynrd “Sweet Home Alabama” 72,787

1973: Aerosmith “Dream On” 73,439

1972: Eagles “Take It Easy” 41,018

1971: Led Zeppelin “Black Dog” 54,300

1970: Black Sabbath “Paranoid” 43,493

1969: Led Zeppelin “Ramble On” 38,876

1968: Jimi Hendrix “All Along the Watchtower” 38,399

1967: Van Morrison “Brown Eyed Girl” 39,084

This was posted Thurday, December 29, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Channel 2 WSB-TV, the local ABC affiliate, has not been able to close a new deal with AT&T U-Verse and DirecTV. If a contract is not signed by 3 a.m. EST on January 1, 2017, the station may be blocked for metro Atlanta subscribers of those two services.

Tim McVay, Vice President and General Manager for Channel 2 WSB-TV, issued the following statement:

“I am disappointed that my company and AT&T appear to be reaching an impasse that could lead to a disruption in Channel 2 WSB-TV’s service for AT&T U-Verse and DIRECTV subscribers.  In just the past few weeks, we have reached agreement with some of the largest video distributors in the country.  At this point, every distributor besides AT&T/DIRECTV has reached a long-term agreement to continue carrying Channel 2 WSB-TV.  AT&T/DIRECTV is the lone holdout.

We are only asking that AT&T/DIRECTV offer a fair deal that adequately values Channel 2’s award-winning news, sports, entertainment, weather and traffic programming. The fees cable and satellite companies pay us fund these important local services.  Accepting unreasonable fees from AT&T/DIRECTV would lead to less local news, less local sports, less local severe weather coverage, and less community involvement by Channel 2 WSB-TV.”

Here is the response from AT&T:

“We want to keep WSB in our DIRECTV and U-verse customers’ local lineups but its owner, Cox Broadcasting, is threatening to block the station from reaching those homes unless they receive a significant increase in fees – just to allow the same families to keep watching shows that remain available for free over-the-air on channel 2 and that ABC typically streams for free at abc.com and to fans using the WatchABC app. Cox has suspended its stations briefly from other TV providers’ customers before, so we appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to resolve this matter quickly and reasonably.”

WSB is found on Channel 1002 on AT&T U-Verse and Channel 2 on DirecTV.

If the station goes black, customers of these services will miss “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor” preview, “To Tell the Truth” and “Conviction” on Sunday. Luckily for football fans, there are no games scheduled on WSB-TV Sunday afternoon.

If the dispute lasts a few more days, viewers won’t be able to see the season premiere of “The Bachelor” Monday, new episodes of sitcoms “The Middle,” “American Housewife,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “The Real O’Neals” Tuesday and sitcoms “The Goldbergs,” “Speechless,” “Modern Family” and “black-ish” on Wednesday.

This will not impact users of other services such as Charter, Dish and Xfinity. And you can always use the free over-the-air broadcast option with the proper antenna.

Disputes like this happen every so often between cable and satellite operators and TV networks. It’s difficult from the outside to discern who is on stronger footing via each side’s public statements since we don’t know the details of the financial dispute itself. The longest local impasse was over some Braves games on Dish Network on Fox Sports networks. That one lasted a whopping three years.

Back in early 2014, WSB-TV had a dispute with Charter that caused the station to go dark on that service for less than a day.

WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group. 

This was posted Sunday, January 1, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

AT&T was unable to come to an agreement with Channel 2 WSB-TV by January 1 so the station is no longer available as of Sunday at 3:01 a.m. for DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse customers. (This also impacts any television station Cox owns across the country.)

[UPDATE: 6:50 p.m. Cox Media Group television in all 10 markets including WSB-TV in Atlanta have resolved its issues with AT&T though what time it will come back on in Atlanta is unclear.]

WSB-TV posted this note on its website:

We regret any inconvenience caused by the decision of AT&T/DIRECTV to remove Channel 2 WSB-TV from its channel lineups. We continue to negotiate with AT&T/DIRECTV and expect to have a deal in place soon that will return Channel 2 WSB-TV to your service. Our signal remains available free over-the-air with an antenna, or live streamed on wsbtv.com over desktop and smart phones, on our mobile apps, and on the station app on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire. Channel 2 is also available on  every other pay-TV provider in Atlanta. Contact AT&T or DIRECTV today and tell them to bring back Channel 2 WSB-TV.

Tim McVay, general manager and vice president, added this in a press release:

“We’re just as disappointed as our viewers that Channel 2 WSB-TV has been dropped from AT&T’s and DIRECTV’s video services.  It is unfortunate that AT&T/DIRECTV, which is one of the world’s biggest companies, has decided to use Atlanta television viewers as pawns in their effort to obtain unreasonable rates for Channel 2 WSB-TV programming.”

AT&T offered this note on the screen where WSB-TV would normally air for DirecTV and U-Verse customers:

“The owner of this channel has removed it from the U-verse lineup despite our request to keep it available to you. Visit att.com/fightingforyou for more information on this station’s return.”

The company also released this statement Sunday morning:

“We want to get WSB back into our DIRECTV and U-verse customers’ lineups and share their immediate frustration. The station’s owner, Cox Broadcasting, is preventing its signal from reaching those homes unless they receive a significant increase in fees just to allow the same families to keep watching shows that remain available for free over-the-air on channel 2 and that ABC typically streams for free at abc.com and to fans using the WatchABC app. Cox has suspended its stations briefly from other TV providers’ customers before, so we appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to resolve this matter quickly and reasonably.”

McVay said it did not remove its station off the air, as AT&T is stating on the screen. WSB-TV, he said, offered deals to keep the station on air while they kept negotiating but AT&T refused.

Cable and satellite carriers of networks pay them fees to air their programming. Occasionally, the two sides can’t come to a deal by a particular deadline and the network is taken off the air. Typically, these blackouts don’t last very long.

Dish TV took WXIA-TV off for a few hours in October, 2015 over a similar issue. Turner also had a dispute with DishTV in 2014 that took the CNN, truTV and Cartoon Network off its service for about a month. And WSB-TV had a comparable battle with Charter in early 2014 that took the station off the air for less than a day.

The longest local dispute involved 50 Braves games a year for three years on Fox Sports for Dish customers.

This story has some of the programming subscribers may miss if this dispute lasts a few days.

WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group. 

This was posted on Sunday, January 1, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

DirecTV and AT&T U-verse customers in metro Atlanta will regain Channel 2 WSB-TV this evening after the two sides came to an agreement over carriage fees.

WSB-TV and all Cox Media Group television stations had been blacked out since 3:01 a.m. today because of the dispute. Based on feedback from customers, it appeared most viewers had the station back on air before 8 p.m., when a “Bachelor” preview show was set to air.

Cox Media Group released this statement:

“CMG is pleased to announce that it has reached a long-term deal that will restore Channel 2 WSB-TV to your DIRECTV or AT&T U-Verse service.  We regret any inconvenience that was caused by this brief interruption in service and are committed to continue providing Atlanta and North Georgia with the same high-quality local service you have come to expect.”

A spokeswoman for AT&T, which owns both U-Verse and DirecTV, confirmed that the issue has been resolved.

In the end, it appears viewers only missed some news programming and a few entertainment shows this afternoon. WSB-TV did not air any football games today. Tonight’s line-up includes “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” a “Bachelor” preview and fresh episodes of “To Tell the Truth” and “Conviction.”

Interruptions like this do happen on occasion as satellite and cable operators haggle over fees they pay broadcast and cable networks but seldom do the breaks last very long. The last time WSB-TV had such an issue in 2014, the blackout for Charter Communication customers lasted less than 18 hours.

The other CMG stations impacted were WFXT Boston; WSOC/WAXN Charlotte, N.C.; WHIO Dayton, Ohio; WFOX Jacksonville, Fla.; WHBQ Memphis, Tenn.; WFTV/WRDQ Orlando, Fla.; WPXI Pittsburgh, Pa.; KIRO Seattle, Wash.; and KOKI/KMYT Tulsa, Okla.

WSB-TV and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.