Newsy items from the D-FW television news scene (updated)
01/25/12 11:28 AM
By ED BARK
Kurt Davis, executive news director at San Antonio's KENS-TV, supposedly was expected to be officially named Wednesday, Jan. 25th, as Dallas-based WFAA8's new news director.
At least that's according to the subscription TV industry website, newsblues.com, which said Wednesday that "Belo bigs" (Belo Corp. owns both stations) had arrived at KENS "for an all-hands-on-deck staff meeting" at which Davis' hiring would be announced. But that hasn't happened as of late Wednesday afternoon.
Davis' emergence as the leading candidate to become WFAA8's new news director was reported Monday on unclebarky.com. Newsblues had picked up that story and linked to it earlier in the week before it followed up with Wednesday's "Late Breaking" post. If Davis in fact is hired, he'd be replacing Michael Valentine, who is taking a corporate news position with Belo.
***Belo continues to be a big believer in the Rentrak ratings system, which has emerged as a new rival to Nielsen Media Research.
Rentrak announced Wednesday that WFAA8 has extended its contract with the company while Belo-owned stations in Houston, Phoenix and Seattle are newly on board.
"Belo believes that the future of local television measurement very well may be a set-top box based system," Belo Corp. president of media operations Peter Diaz said in a publicity release. "To that end, Belo is investing in Rentrak . . . in order to evaluate, explore and investigate the values and potential of STB ratings."
As previously reported on unclebarky.com, WFAA8 remains the D-FW market's only Rentrak subscriber. Dallas Mavericks and HDNet owner Mark Cuban also is an investor in the company. WFAA8's ratings are appreciably higher under the Rentrak system. Rival D-FW stations, with the exception of CBS11, also are getting significantly better numbers, according to Rentrak data made available to unclebarky.com.
*** Fort Worth-based NBC5 announces that it's the only local TV station in the country to receive a nomination by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which will hold its 23rd annual awards ceremonies this spring on three different dates in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
GLAAD cited NBC5 Spotlight: GLBT in Texas, which aired in February 2011 and included stories ranging from the first Dallas police officer to undergo a transgender operation while on the force to the Dallas Diablos Rugby Football Club's inclusion of both gay and straight team members. NBC5's Kristi Nelson anchored and reported on the program while Reginald Hardwick produced it.
***Former NBC5 reporter Susy Solis gets around. After leaving the station in mid-October, she began freelancing late in the year for WFAA8. But now Solis has segued to CBS11, where the station confirms that she's also a freelancer. Solis reported this week on a woman who was found dead on an in-home tanning bed.
Kurt Davis, executive news director at San Antonio's KENS-TV, supposedly was expected to be officially named Wednesday, Jan. 25th, as Dallas-based WFAA8's new news director.
At least that's according to the subscription TV industry website, newsblues.com, which said Wednesday that "Belo bigs" (Belo Corp. owns both stations) had arrived at KENS "for an all-hands-on-deck staff meeting" at which Davis' hiring would be announced. But that hasn't happened as of late Wednesday afternoon.
Davis' emergence as the leading candidate to become WFAA8's new news director was reported Monday on unclebarky.com. Newsblues had picked up that story and linked to it earlier in the week before it followed up with Wednesday's "Late Breaking" post. If Davis in fact is hired, he'd be replacing Michael Valentine, who is taking a corporate news position with Belo.
***Belo continues to be a big believer in the Rentrak ratings system, which has emerged as a new rival to Nielsen Media Research.
Rentrak announced Wednesday that WFAA8 has extended its contract with the company while Belo-owned stations in Houston, Phoenix and Seattle are newly on board.
"Belo believes that the future of local television measurement very well may be a set-top box based system," Belo Corp. president of media operations Peter Diaz said in a publicity release. "To that end, Belo is investing in Rentrak . . . in order to evaluate, explore and investigate the values and potential of STB ratings."
As previously reported on unclebarky.com, WFAA8 remains the D-FW market's only Rentrak subscriber. Dallas Mavericks and HDNet owner Mark Cuban also is an investor in the company. WFAA8's ratings are appreciably higher under the Rentrak system. Rival D-FW stations, with the exception of CBS11, also are getting significantly better numbers, according to Rentrak data made available to unclebarky.com.
*** Fort Worth-based NBC5 announces that it's the only local TV station in the country to receive a nomination by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which will hold its 23rd annual awards ceremonies this spring on three different dates in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
GLAAD cited NBC5 Spotlight: GLBT in Texas, which aired in February 2011 and included stories ranging from the first Dallas police officer to undergo a transgender operation while on the force to the Dallas Diablos Rugby Football Club's inclusion of both gay and straight team members. NBC5's Kristi Nelson anchored and reported on the program while Reginald Hardwick produced it.
***Former NBC5 reporter Susy Solis gets around. After leaving the station in mid-October, she began freelancing late in the year for WFAA8. But now Solis has segued to CBS11, where the station confirms that she's also a freelancer. Solis reported this week on a woman who was found dead on an in-home tanning bed.