Tag: television

Broadcast giant buying WTVA

My former employer

WTVA is being acquired by Gray Media in a $171 million deal where Allen Media Group is selling ten of its television stations to the broadcast giant.

The purchase of Northeast Mississippi’s top-rated television station enhances Gray’s portfolio of television stations in the state and across the South, many of which have a strong commitment to journalism. The acquisition gives the company a television station in every Mississippi TV media market except Greenwood-Greenville. Gray also owns TV stations in Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville and Huntsville. In addition, it recently created broadcast TV sports networks in the Nashville and New Orleans regions. 

The purchase of WTVA, which still needs federal approval, will end the five years of ownership by comedian and entrepreneur Byron Allen. That five years included job cuts and plans by his company earlier this year to replace the station’s local weather department with coverage from The Weather Channel. The plan was scrapped after a week of harsh public criticism.

It’s been 43 years

Found a TV Guide from the week of September 18-24 in 1982, which included an ad for the news on WTVA. As you can see, the station was celebrating its 25th anniversary. (We’re now in the 68th year.) As for what appeared on the air on Wednesday, September 22, 1982:

5:30 am NBC News
6:00 am Mornin’
7:00 am Today
9:00 am Donahue
10:00 am Texas
11:00 am Doctors
11:30 am Search for Tomorrow
12:00 pm Noon
12:30 pm Days of our Lives
1:30 pm Another World
2:30 pm Fantasy
3:30 pm Tom and Jerry
4:00 pm What’s Happening
4:30 pm Little House on the Prairie
5:30 pm NBC Nightly News
6:00 pm Nine Alive News at 6
6:30 pm Family Feud
7:00 pm Real People
8:30 pm Family Ties
9:00 pm Quincy
10:00 pm Nine Alive News at 10
10:30 pm Tonight
11:30 pm Late Night with David Letterman
12:30 am NBC News Overnight
1:30 am Nine Alive News at 10 repeat

The first episode of Family Ties aired on this night. It was also the season premiere for Real People, which is the show Byron Allen hosted before he became the owner of WTVA four decades later.

The times they are a-changin’

I shared with Simon Owens, who covers the media industry, the significant change we’re seeing when it comes to weather coverage in our corner of the world. First came Matt Laubhan’s departure from WTVA earlier this month after more than a decade as chief meteorologist to start an all-digital weather service. Now comes word that James Spann is doing the same thing. However, he says he will remain with ABC 33/40 in Birmingham as its chief meteorologist when his service launches August 11.

Of course, changes in the media landscape are nothing new. I grew up in a world where Top 40 music formats transitioned from AM to FM radio. There was no such thing as cable television for me until I moved from suburban New Orleans to Amory in the 1980s. And the internet, smartphones and social media were not available at the start of my broadcast journalism career. Some of the content for my newscasts came from phone calls, faxes and the AP wire on a printer where I reused ribbon to save money.

And here we are with change again as more and more people try to find a way to make a living doing news in a digital world rather than through legacy media. The retired me is relieved that I’m getting to sit this one out, but my younger self would look forward to the challenge that’s ahead. Regardless of which path is taken, godspeed to those who are on the journey.

In case you missed the news

Yes, I’ve retired. This is what aired in the 5 pm and 6 pm news. I knew Emily Leonard was working on something, but I was blown away with what she did and what she found.

I shared my decision with my coworkers at the TV station a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share with you some of what I told them. This applies to those I’ve worked with past and present:

I will miss working with you. Always remember that I have appreciated your kindness, your smarts and your patience, especially when you’ve been forced to listen to my occasional rants as well as my attempts at humor. All of you have made me a better person and have made my life much richer. For that, I will be eternally grateful.

Not everyone gets to work in broadcasting and in journalism. God blessed me with the opportunity. It’s been a blast.

An outside observation

Los Angeles TV coverage of the recent fires

From Jefferson Graham:

A quick note about the supposed “death” of traditional TV because we’re all into streaming now, right? 

Where did you first turn to find out about the fires? Netflix? Amazon Prime? or KTLA?

I’m assuming if you’re in Los Angeles, it was local TV, KCBS, KNBC, KTLA, KABC, KCAL or KTTV. And if you’re out of town, you found a way to access one of the local channels on your streaming menu like my brother did from his home in Atlanta. Their coverage of their local area simply can’t be beat. 

Broadcast TV is not going away anytime soon.