Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Shakeup at WBRE?

A tipster reports that s/he heard that Agent Andy Mehalshick is moving off the anchor desk. "Since it's better than 50-50 that Lyndall Stout won't be coming back after her baby, that means an entirely new anchor team (again!) at 28." Discuss.

96 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agent Andy. Sounds like a terminal ill STD.

Doctor: "I'm sorry to say, you have Agent Andy."

Patient: "Dam, I used protection."

Anonymous said...

It's 11:00 P.M. Do you know where ANY of these people are?

Anonymous said...

A tipster? I posted the details on the shake-up a week ago on the Martucci thread. Don't you read your own blog occasionally?

The most telling thing of all is that none of this has appeared elsewhere, or even anywhere, including the papers. Things are so bad with that operation that even major changes fail to raise an eyebrow.

Anonymous said...

Wait a gosh darn minute. Lyndall ain't going nowhere. She'll be back. Odds are more like 75/25 she will return.

Anonymous said...

The "tipster" (on the Martucci thread) said Lyndall is being traded to 22 for Candace Grossklaus. Doesn't sound fair--to 22. I hope they also got a reporter, a producer, a first-round draft pick and maybe some cash.

You say 75/25 she'll return. What I want to know is 22/28? Doesn't sound like there will be room for her next to Andy's replcement.

Anonymous said...

Things are so bad with that operation that even major changes fail to raise an eyebrow.

7:37 PM, April 08, 2008

Since the changes at channel 50 didn't raise an eyebrow, perhaps that says nobody really cares about that sinking station called Nex(death)star. Whatever changes that were made won't make an ounce of difference. In another year, more changes will be made. There is no consistency.

Anonymous said...

Yeah. Andy becomes Managing Editor and drops back to reporting, where he can do less damage.

The two females trade stations and WYOU adds a 7pm and a 4pm. Yes 4pm.
Go figure. Desperate moves by a desperate group. But if you saw the latest book (and they didn't, because they can't afford Nielsen), they got killed. 11pm dropped from a paltry 14 share to a 9. WYOU remains bogged in 1's and hashmarks. Only their morning show showed any growth and that is because of the new blood on that show.

The Andy era draws to a close. Laugh at its insignifigance.

Anonymous said...

What about the I Team? And calling the reporters investigators? What a crock of poop. And whatever happened to the fog machine.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe Ryan Leckey (sp?) from WNEP has been hired as the new WBRE anchor. Who makes the hiring decisions at that place????

Anonymous said...

Andy has a lot of shortcomings as an anchor, but don't overlook his ability to turn stories in the field.

Most everyone in this market is an anchor or an anchor wannabe. LARGER paychecks will do that. Not many, other than Andy, consistently find stories without a news conference or flashing emergency lights.

Students of local tv history know it hasn't mattered for a long time whether BRE and YOU are better than NEP. If it isn't on NEP, it didn't happen. Let's give the GM on South Franklin some credit for still trying to make a difference.

Anonymous said...

I'll confirm this. I talked to one of the camera men at WBRE. He had a meeting recently to discuss what will happen. Apparently,alot of changes are in store coming your way, June 9,2008. He did tell me Andy is moving out of the anchor position to behind the scenes work and to focus more on the I-Team.As for the WBRE Morning show,Mark Hiller is leaving there also. There is word out that he will be moving to WYOU. That means,like you said,yes,a whole mess that will leave viewers in a bind. Plus,there is word that WYOU/WBRE are changing show times.That still to be determined. So we will be looking for 2 possibly 3 anchors new coming to WBRE.Yikes! This will look like an audition edition for WBRE American Idol. Haha. Will info will be provided as I get it.

Anonymous said...

I might add that while they are at it,get rid of the clowns doing the All-PointLess Accu-Weather,including the ever so queer Josh Hodell.

Anonymous said...

Now wait a minute a major media issue and Tom (Almighty)Carten hasnt weighed in on it! Tom please bless us with your insight!!

Anonymous said...

Tom Carten is standing outside the back of the CV building waiting for a free copy of tomorrow's paper that hasn't been published yet. The best BRE/YOU should do is shut down operations for a week and see if anyone notices. My money is probably not. I hope they bring back "News on the ones, weather on the twos." And the dialogue between DAniels and Webster and the anchors at 15 past and before the hour. The bottom line, whatever the GM and News Director decides to do, nothing works. That station has no image, plain and simple. And don't get me started on the three weather points, what a waste of resources and money. Someone said give the GM credit, puhlease. I'll give him credit for sinking those stations even deeper.

Anonymous said...

This Leckey thing I hadn't heard. I guess I'm dense, but you ARE kidding, aren't you?

Anonymous said...

I'm waiting on Bill Mecca's insight. Maybe an old story about his good ol' days.

Anonymous said...

On the positive side, Grossklaus is the only person worth watching on either station. Don't look at her as a savior--but she's the best female anchor in the market (and don't give me that Marisa Burke crap).

Anonymous said...

On the positive side, Grossklaus is the only person worth watching on either station. Don't look at her as a savior--but she's the best female anchor in the market (and don't give me that Marisa Burke crap).

Anonymous said...

Start the allpoints weather team and Tom Clark off in a completely different tv market and I guarantee old studder step boring Clark doesn't stand a chance...

Anonymous said...

Candice is clearly the best at Nexstar. I wouldn't put her above Marisa Burke. Marisa has detractors on this blog, but most viewers aren't here. Go ahead, like her or hate her personally. She knows her stuff and takes command of any newscast she anchors. Candice would be a star if she were working at WNEP. She might be better than Marisa a few years from now, but Burke's still at the top of pack.

Anonymous said...

To 1:03 and all who read this blog. There is no doubt as to what will happen - I posted the changes last week on the Martucci thread. Go and look, what's there is rock solid, a done-deal, no guessing or speculating, it is what is going down in early June. In July, what's going down will be 50's numbers, if there is any room left to fall...

Anonymous said...

Is there a Leckey-Hodell connection here? Is the station trying to tap into a certain market?

Anonymous said...

All-Points Accu-Weather has to go. It's a huge joke and waste of cash.
Candice will be a welcome addition to the 5 p.m. BRE newscasts, if it's true. They should have kept her on BRE in the first place. YOU will never stand a chance.
One of these days, WNEP will fix the lighting and give Paula and Julie the justice they deserve. They can give Candice a run for the money.

Bill Mecca said...

9:18 really??? :lol:

Sorry I didn't bore you with my comments sooner but, I have been out doing some actual WORK.

All I can say, is what I have said for years. Being in TV is a fun job, but it's a shitty business.

if one rumour I heard is true WBRE viewers may need dramamine to get thru the newscast.

It's sad. The whole business is sad

Tom Carten said...

1:36 --

Tom please bless us with your insight!!

Same thing I've said before: You want to know what's in tonight's line-up? Read today's CV.

Of necessity, the newspaper reports yesterday's news and when the tv stations take it from the newspaper, they are two days old.

I got flack once when I said this, but just check the stories on the air with what's in the paper. Sure, there are some new pieces, but 50 is just the CV in color and animated.

I prefer to read the newspaper in the morning and watch The Daily Show at 11:00. Much better informed that way.

Anonymous said...

Here's another vote to get the lighting fixed at WNEP. Don't the anchors complain? It's been bad for a long time.

Another thing is the 5pm news open that promotes Jill Garrett with Healthwatch. She doesn't do a live segment anymore. The lone medical story is from ABC more often than Garrett.

The new news director needs to watch his own shows.

Anonymous said...

In defense of Tom, it is indeed one of TV's dirtiest little secrets that a ton of what ends up in any given newscast was a direct steal from a newspaper. TV news departments are not, and have never been, news gathering organizations, they are news packaging organizations.

Radio stations, when they had news staffs, were even worse offenders.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
In defense of Tom, it is indeed one of TV's dirtiest little secrets that a ton of what ends up in any given newscast was a direct steal from a newspaper. TV news departments are not, and have never been, news gathering organizations, they are news packaging organizations.

Radio stations, when they had news staffs, were even worse offenders.

8:29 PM, April 09, 2008

Spoken like a true hero

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Anonymous said...
In defense of Tom, it is indeed one of TV's dirtiest little secrets that a ton of what ends up in any given newscast was a direct steal from a newspaper. TV news departments are not, and have never been, news gathering organizations, they are news packaging organizations.

Radio stations, when they had news staffs, were even worse offenders.

8:29 PM, April 09, 2008

Spoken like a true hero

8:50 PM, April 09, 2008

And speaking of true heroes, anyone ever noticed the local TV networks praise themselves when they have a so-called exclusive. BRE is the worst here, especially Agent Andy.
"We were the first to tell you..." when in fact, what ever TV newsheads are telling was in fact in a newspaper. One story that comes to mind is those questionable sex internet stings that he messed up with one man who got a reduced sentence because of BRE was involved in the bust. "We were there when John Doe was arrested when he showed up at a motel..."

How cheesy!

Anonymous said...

Candice is the Borys of NEPA electronic journalism.

Tom Carten said...

Radio stations, when they had news staffs, were even worse offenders.

One of the funniest things was the station across town from where I once worked. Guy was reading the news: "blah blah continued on page six..."

There's no way you can talk yourself out of that one.

Anonymous said...

Come on, Carten, quit trying to pin your "Radio Home Visitor" mistakes on other people

Anonymous said...

oh, puleeze, remember the stations subscribe to services like AP and once a paper or station sends in a story to the AP, its there for everyone to use. (Not to say that some don't outright steal, but painting with such a broad brush is very dangerous). They will also take AP stories and localize them.

Anonymous said...

I believe BRE and YOU still operate without AP.

Newspapers, radio and tv have been grabbing each others stories for years. They should independently confirm the information or credit the source. Don't see anything wrong with that. Without that step, it's laziness and theft.

Bill Mecca said...

Without AP???? my God it's worse than I thought.

I remember when we didn't have an overnight Assignment Editor (hi Mark!) and I was anchoring the morning news and would have to go thru the huge lake of AP paper that had spewed out overnight. yes kiddies that was in the stone ages when we worked with bear skins and stone knives, before computers and AP Newsdesk or even programmable AP feeds.

What it once was, and never will be again.

Bill Mecca said...

oops, 9:49 I agree with the rest of what you said.

Anonymous said...

I worked at "50" when we got an e-mail from Paul Stueber telling us that the 'wire' was now unnecessary due to getting news in other ways (ie internet, the News Alliance, ect)...I figured it a cost cutting decision (Just like the decision to slash the Neilson's)

Anonymous said...

9:49

So you go around independently verifying every story on the AP wire? Your phone bill to Tibet this month must be staggering.

Yes, Nexstar dropped AP because Nexstar is run by cheap, money-grubbing bastards. I can't say enough BAD about them.

At the same time, the much-maligned News Alliance allows 22 and 28 to trade material freely with all those TT-owned newspapers.

Hey, it ain't stealin' and it ain't lazy when you've got permission, when you're cooperating.

WNEP lifts all the time--it just doesn't give credit.

And Mecca: you weren't that hot when you were here, and you ain't shit now that you're gone. Why don't you stick to things you know about.

Anonymous said...

Let's talk WNEP lighting. Enough is enough. Paola would look so much hotter! NY and Philly would snatch her right up...if she dressed a little better.
Speaking of dressing better, Kristi Capel is a super addition to WBRE but she's got to tone it down a bit. Her clothes scream "midwest beauty queen."

Tom Carten said...

6:59 --

Come on, Carten, quit trying to pin your "Radio Home Visitor" mistakes on other people.

a) Couldn't you have waited a minute to post and, thus, hit the network right on the hour? :)

b) I only run six minutes of news on the RHV, at the top. Most of that is the small stuff that probably didn't make the tv news. The rest of the show is columns, health and living info, plus obits (a/k/a, "The Irish Sports Pages").

Best mistake recently was when one of the readers meant to say the city was spending $6 million on new street lights, but instead said "six million street lights."

Anonymous said...

I like it when Mecca tells us how it was in the glory days, when WYOU was 25 share points behind WNEP, instead of the current 25 rating points.

It was a slice of heaven there in the Scranton Prep basement, wasn't it? You helped make 22 what it is today.

Anonymous said...

WYOU never had any glory days. Some who worked there had a certain loyalty and understandable pride, but the station never had any numbers, not even way back when.

WBRE? Yeah, not all that long ago they did have respectable numbers. Given the state of both of them today, I don't know which one is a sadder case.

Anonymous said...

1:12PM

You're right: Kristi should dress more "NEPA Beauty Queen." Where's the hard-hat and the tin of Skoal?

Anonymous said...

Well Mr. 11:49

"And Mecca: you weren't that hot when you were here, and you ain't shit now that you're gone."

WOW, that comment says a lot more about you than it does about him.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, but he was still a hanger-on at an also-ran station. Now he's dispensing his wisdom from...well, where the hell is he and what's he doing?

I'm an asshole, and I'm OK with that. He's a pontificating almost-was. Deal with it.

Anonymous said...

9:49am here again...

I was talking about confirmation of LOCAL stories produced by other LOCAL media, before you print or broadcast the info.

Why bother? It becomes your work, regardless of how you got onto the story. It also means you won't be part of a slander/libel case if the original media outlet made errors.

Anonymous said...

Several posts here find fault with lighting on 16's newscasts. Yet there's no one from 16 defending or explaining the too dark, too hot and too many shadows.

News director, production manager, engineer. Everyone too busy not fixing the lights?

Anonymous said...

No Glory Days at WYOU? I beg to differ. When they switched from WDAU to WYOU in the 80's and 90's they did make some headway in both news product and ratings. WYOU was gaining on both WNEP and WBRE, doing things before the news leader and expanding their reach and coverage.

PS: Hi Back Bill

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the sisters even bought new plants for the lobby.

22 in the crapper is nothing new. The station has a history of mediocrity. It was a nickle-and-dime operation long before it moved into the five-and-dime building. Say anything different and you're delusional. Like the night Gary Essex joined the team and Debbie said, "Here we go!"

Nope. Sorry. Wishful thinking.

Talk is cheap--but Nexstar didn't create cheap, it inherited cheap.

Anonymous said...

Back to the original subject for a moment. Has WBRE made any announcement about the anchor changes?

Anonymous said...

Yeah that lighting sure seems to be sinking WNEP's ratings.

Is that BRE's new campaign?
"We've got good lighting"

Bill Mecca said...

Just want to correct something.

WDAU/WYOU had two owners that did invest in the station. Keystone Broadcasters (1984-86) invested and bought new gear and people. It turned around and sold the station to Diversified Communications(1986-97), for a hefty profit 18 months later.

DC invested heavily in the station, new equipment (chopper, spacelink, eng) new people, etc and then sold in 1997 to Mission Broadcasting, which is completely responsible for what the station is today.

one other thing. I started there in 1983,at 415 Lackawanna Ave, at least a year after it had moved out of Prep, which was a condition of a sale, that ultimately fell thru.

Anonymous said...

The only one who can restore ratings to WBRE is Vince Sweeney.

Anonymous said...

On broadcast plagiarism and copywrite infringement. Nothing pisses me off more than coming up with a pithy lead or busting my ass to get a quote just to hear a bubble head on TV or those dour morning wenches on WVIA READ it on the air verbatim.

Very, very few local newspaper stories go to the AP. Fact is, TV and radio takes the work of newspapers, which is copywrited, and offers it to listeners/views as their own.

Anonymous said...

On broadcast plagiarism and copywrite infringement. Nothing pisses me off more than coming up with a pithy lead or busting my ass to get a quote just to hear a bubble head on TV or those dour morning wenches on WVIA READ it on the air verbatim.

Very, very few local newspaper stories go to the AP. Fact is, TV and radio takes the work of newspapers, which is copywrited, and offers it to listeners/views as their own.

Anonymous said...

Um, that would be copyrighted.
I guess no one will be lifting that verbatim.

Anonymous said...

RU joking?
When broadcasters plagerize, they don't know fact from error. They just read and rehash, NEVER checking ANYTHING or ATTRIBUTE.

Anonymous said...

gotta love it when things are painted with such a broad brush.

you're all pathetic.

Anonymous said...

I love this belief that anyone - even tv folk - bother to read newspaper anymore.

Cracks me up.

Anonymous said...

On June 9, 2008,, there will be several major changes on the two stations. WBRE will re-launch its news operation as WBRE Eyewitness News. This will coincide with a new set, music package, graphics, and weather system upgrade. The station will be the first in the market to use a three-member anchor team during its weeknight broadcasts. Current anchor Andy Mehalshick will become a reporter. Candice Kelly, who anchors on WYOU, will move to the weeknight newscasts on WBRE beginning in mid-May. She will be joined by newcomer Drew Speier.

In addition, WBRE and WYOU’s midday shows will switch anchors. Mark Hiller will move from WBRE’s 11 A.M. news to WYOU’s Noon broadcast. Eva Mastromatteo will switch over to WBRE at 11 A.M. Hiller will also debut as anchor of WYOU’s First at 4 weekday broadcast. The station will be the first one in the market to broadcast local news at 4 P.M. This will be followed at 4:30 by The Insider which will move from its 7 o'clock slot. WYOU will then drop their 5 P.M. newscast and air two episodes of Judge Judy.
Finally, at 6 o'clock, Lyndall Stout (who currently anchors on WBRE) will join Eric Scheiner for the half-hour WYOU Interactive. That station will also launch a new weeknight newscast WYOU News at 7. WNEP already airs local news at that time on the weeknights and Saturdays. All of the preceding changes will attempt to better compete against WNEP and get more ratings. [2]

Along with their main studios, WBRE operates two news bureaus. There is one in Stroudsburg on Main Street. There is also a Williamsport Bureau located on West 4th Street.

Anonymous said...

I've got a bigger question...who on God's green earth dresses the women on 28??? It's like a car accident....my guess is that they sew their own?? >:)

Anonymous said...

I haven't watched WBRE news in ages, today tuned and saw that Mark Hiller is doing outside news, why? I was turned off since the time they got rid of Vince and now see Mark is out in the snow. It really makes me wonder, sure seems like the older people are put out to pasture unless I am missing something, what's the story?

Anonymous said...

What's up colleagues, its great post regarding cultureand completely defined, keep it up all the time.

Also visit my web page; nfl jerseys cheap

Anonymous said...

This is my first time pay a visit at here and i am actually pleassant to read all at single place.


Review my website Louis Vuitton Handbags

Anonymous said...

That is very attention-grabbing, You are an overly skilled blogger.

I have joined your feed and look ahead to looking for more of your
great post. Additionally, I've shared your site in my social networks

Feel free to surf to my web blog :: Kris Letang Authentic Jersey

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thanks, However I
am encountering problems with your RSS. I don't know why I am unable to join it. Is there anybody else having similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanks!!

Here is my webpage wheelhousebikes.com

Anonymous said...

Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine
Optimization? I'm trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I'm not seeing very good results.
If you know of any please share. Thank you!

Also visit my web site :: Mario Lemieux Authentic Jersey

Anonymous said...

When some one searches for his required thing, therefore he/she needs to be available that in detail,
therefore that thing is maintained over here.


my page :: Louis Vuitton Bags

Anonymous said...

Hi there to every body, it's my first pay a visit of this webpage; this website contains remarkable and in fact excellent data designed for visitors.

Also visit my webpage Solde Air Jordan

Anonymous said...

Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so
I guess I'll just sum it up what I had written and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog.

I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I'm still new to the whole thing. Do you have any points for newbie blog writers? I'd really appreciate it.


My webpage: www.tedxyse.com

Anonymous said...

I think the admin of this website is genuinely working
hard in favor of his site, since here every data is quality based material.


my webpage - www.tedxyse.com

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone, it's my first visit at this web site, and article is truly fruitful for me, keep up posting such posts.

Feel free to surf to my webpage; Cheap Louis Vuitton Handbags

Anonymous said...

I like the helpful information you provide in your articles.
I will bookmark your blog and check again here regularly.
I'm quite certain I will learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

my homepage - Evgeni Malkin Black Jersey

Anonymous said...

Please let me know if you're looking for a article writer for your weblog. You have some really good posts and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd absolutely love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a
link back to mine. Please shoot me an email if interested.
Regards!

Also visit my website - Nike Air Max

Anonymous said...

I do not know if it's just me or if everybody else experiencing problems with your blog. It looks like some of the text in your posts are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too? This may be a issue with my internet browser because I've
had this happen before. Thanks

My blog post; Chaussure De Foot

Anonymous said...

Thanks for some other informative website. The place else may
just I get that type of info written in such an ideal method?
I've a undertaking that I am just now operating on, and I've been on the
look out for such information.

My site :: Sac Louis Vuitton Pas Cher

Anonymous said...

Asking questions are truly nice thing if you are not
understanding something fully, except this post offers nice understanding yet.


my site :: Abercrombie & Fitch

Anonymous said...

When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is
added I recieve 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is an easy method you can remove me
from that service? Thanks a lot!

Here is my web page; Wholesale NFL Jerseys

Anonymous said...

I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice,
keep it up! I'll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future. Many thanks

Feel free to surf to my website - www.explorethecapabilities.com

Anonymous said...

Ahaa, its pleasant discussion on the topic of this article here at this webpage, I have read all that,
so now me also commenting here.

Feel free to visit my web page; More Help

Anonymous said...

When I originally commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Cheers!

Here is my web-site Cheap NFL Jerseys

Anonymous said...

Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against
hackers? I'm kinda paranoid about losing everything I've worked hard
on. Any tips?

Here is my web page Air Max Pas Cher

Anonymous said...

Great blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own blog soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
Would you suggest starting with a free platform like Wordpress
or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I'm completely confused .. Any tips? Thanks!

My blog post; Soldes Air Jordan

Anonymous said...

I read this piece of writing fully about the comparison of
hottest and earlier technologies, it's awesome article.

Here is my weblog :: Sac a main Guess

Anonymous said...

I'm no longer certain the place you are getting your information, but good topic. I must spend a while studying much more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic info I was searching for this info for my mission.

Feel free to visit my web blog NFL Jerseys Cheap

Anonymous said...

At this moment I am ready to do my breakfast, later than having my
breakfast coming again to read additional news.


my website - Cheap NFL Jerseys

Anonymous said...

Hi! I could have sworn I've been to this site before but after looking at many of the articles I realized it's new to me.
Nonetheless, I'm definitely happy I discovered it and I'll be book-marking it and checking back frequently!


my web-site: Mulberry Outlet

Anonymous said...

Having read this I believed it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and energy
to put this article together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments.

But so what, it was still worthwhile!

My blog post; how to create binaural beats

Anonymous said...

Awesome post.

my website: Tory Burch Handbags

Anonymous said...

Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs
I stumbleupon everyday. It's always useful to read content from other authors and use something from other websites.

Stop by my blog post ... Michael Kors

Unknown said...

You're SICK. Leave him alone. Understand ? !! ?

yanmaneee said...

curry 6
nike x off white
cheap jordans
russell westbrook shoes
pg 4
hermes bags
jordan shoes
curry 6 shoes
balenciaga
yeezy

Unknown said...

luxury replica bags cheap replica handbags high quality replica handbags

mcreysme said...

vérifiez mon blog Fendi Dolabuy utiliser ce lien dolabuy.co jetez un œil à ces gars Dolabuy YSL

Unknown said...

official site read more Learn More Here see this content see here now

Anonymous said...

yeezy 380
moncler
curry shoes
jordan 1 mid
off white outlet
off white jordan 1
supreme outlet
yeezy wave runner 700
hermes
hermes outlet