The plot thickens...

Since posting about WBRE and WYOU sharing reporters, some of you are saying this is just the latest step in a total merger between both stations. One alert reader even pointed out this unfinished website, which claims to be your one-stop-shop for "News, sports, weather, community events, marketplace and much more!"

Who's behind pahomepage.com? Go here and type in the domain name. What do you get?

Registrant:
Nexstar Broadcasting
909 Lake Carolyn
Suite 1450
Irving, TX 75039
US

Domain Name: PAHOMEPAGE.COM

Administrative Contact , Technical Contact :
Nexstar Broadcasting
dnsmgr@nexstar.tv
909 Lake Carolyn
Suite 1450
Irving, TX 75039
US
Phone: 972-373-8800

Record expires on 09-Sep-2010
Record created on 21-Nov-2006
Database last updated on 21-Nov-2006

Sharing is caring

WBRE and WYOU share a lot of things: the same owner, the same photographers, the same stories, and the same video. Now, in a reversal of a long-standing rule, they're sharing reporters as well.

Sure, both stations share reporters on their simulcast "Pennsylvania Morning" and "Pennsylvania Midday," but now we have WBRE personalities showing up on a WYOU-branded newscast, and vice versa. Perhaps you recently saw Andy Mehalshick show up on WYOU to talk about sex predators, or David DeCosmo doing a live shot for WBRE?

Until now, both stations vigorously defended their own identities. You never saw Keith Martin on a WYOU newscast, or Penny Lindgren on a WBRE-branded program. Back when WBRE was building its current set, former news director Al Zobel refused to let WYOU reporters walk behind the temporary newsroom set during a newscast, because he didn't want someone from WYOU showing up in a WBRE-branded product.

Perhaps this "crossing over" arrangement was inevitable. Both stations are owned by the same company anyway. But how long until we see both stations lose their identities and resort to "WBRE News on WYOU," or "WYOU News on WBRE?"

No juice for WOLF

Even though Fox has pulled plans to air an interview with O.J. Simpson, where he talked about how he killed his ex-wife and her friend (hypothetically, of course!), local Fox affiliate WOLF says it wouldn't have aired it in the first place. “We wanted to send a message to FOX broadcasting that we do not support this kind of content," said executive producer John Cadman. Had it not been for the nationwide outcry, I doubt Fox would have listened.

Oh well. Just keep bringing us those crappy reality shows!

WNEP producer dies

Erin Hollingshead, who produced WNEP's 7 p.m. newscast, died recently. She was only 27 years old. My condolences to her family.

So long, Supey

So, did you know Kim Supon's last day at WNEP is tomorrow? What, you didn't? Then somehow you missed the endless amount of "Supey's Scrapbook" promos, and the sit-down interviews, and the career retrospectives, etc etc.

I'm not going to debate whether Supon "deserves" such a send-off. She has been a constant figure on WNEP's morning newscasts, and a lot of viewers like her. But as one blog reader observed, "Ed Bradley got 'only' an hour-long sendoff from '60 Minutes,' AND HE DIED! The Supon send-off tour is eating up most of this week and she's still (they say) alive."

(Perhaps WNEP just has oodles of tape of Supon's stuff they can use. It's a lot better than resorting to the still-pic-o-rama they used for John Glawe.)

Anyway, I guess my pont is you can only show "Supey" wearing a funny paper hat so many times.

Kim, best of luck to you as you move into full-time motherhood.

Enjoooooooooooooy! Enjoy!

What do you know, Manny Gordon is still alive and kicking. Those of you who watched WNEP back in the day probably remember his distinctive "Enjoooooooooooy! Enjoy! The great outdoors!" saying. Next to Miss Judy, I'd say Manny was probably the best-known face on WNEP.

Earlier this year, The Times-Tribune did a special feature on everybody's favorite district forester.

Someone at Nexstar has a death wish

Check this picture out, taken outside the Scranton Cultural Center on election night...



Those of you unfamiliar with the technical side of broadcast journalism probably just see a bunch of news vehicles. But it's actually a deadly accident waiting to happen. Take a look at how close the van's mast is to those overhead power wires. By one estimate, the mast is just four or six feet away from LIVE POWER LINES.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that is a WBRE/WYOU van.

I don't know which dumbass set up that shot, but they are damn lucky they didn't die. You see, news photographers and reporters have died or been seriously burned from electrocutions caused by microwave van masts touching or coming close to overhead power lines.

Most news photographers will tell you they always check to make sure it's OK to raise their news van's microwave mast. Apparently, the idiot who set up WBRE/WYOU's live shot failed to do that. And if I was in charge at the Nexstar duopoly, I would either fire that person, or rip them a new one.

This Week in Talkback 16

Whenever I need a quick laugh, I just hop on the Talkback 16 message board:

A shiny nickel for whoever guesses which party "dale" belongs to!

Someone needs to tell the teleprompter operators that Carney's win was NOT an upset. (I'm not blaming Tom Williams and Kim Supon - they only read the teleprompter). An upset is when someone wins when they weren't supposed to win. Carney was always supposed to win. Sherwood was never favored to win that race.

WNEP webmaster Mark Sowers probably needs some Icy Hot after posting this pat-on-the-back response...

The Associated Press called the governor race at 8pm based on exit polls. That's what you saw at 8:10.

Congratulations to us for getting the news to our website so quickly. ;-)

Only losers like multi-party politics! Isn't that right, Bush2004?

No more election junk for another two years Yippee. I just wish we were a one party Country, look at the money spent on this election and where it could have went?

I.C. drops it like it's hot.

Who cares? It will just be another person for all you shallow people to slobber over or judge. To put up on a pedestal that they don't warrant,deserve or ask for. They are NEWS PEOPLE... they're job is to report the news. They do a fine job. But have to subject themselves to the constant reviews & fashon advice of you, the viewing audience.

Andrews wins election

It's official: Frank Andrews is jumping from journalism to politics. The former WNEP/WYOU news director easily defeated his Republican challenger for 113th district state representative, 72% to 28%. The Democrat will replace outgoing state Rep. Gaynor Cawley next year.

I can't say I'm surprised by the victory. As I've previously said, Andrews has name recognition. Those nearly three decades in local television news count for something, right? Not only that, but his district includes Scranton, a heavily Democratic city that also tends to watch WYOU or WNEP.

The interesting question now is, will any other local news personalities follow Frank's lead and jump into politics? Stay tuned...

Election Day

Can you guess what WBRE, WNEP, and WYOU's lead story will be tonight? That's right, it's Election Day, and tonight, it'll be all over your TVs.

All three stations have their battle plans drawn up. WNEP tends to cover every single race in the entire market, and this year, they'll beam the results to your cell phone. WBRE likes to be first with any returns, and as one blog reader wrote, even "if it was one precinct reporting for dog catcher in Waymart." As for WYOU, it'll be interesting to see if they'll incorporate "Dialing for News" into their election coverage.

Who will have the best coverage tonight? I'm interested to hear what you think, so feel free to post your replies here, or e-mail them to me. Like every other newsie, I'll be somewhere tonight covering election results, so unfortunately, I won't be able to monitor all three stations.

One more thing to watch tonight -- will former WYOU news director Frank Andrews find a new career in state politics? We'll see how his bid for state representative fares...

Things that make you go "Huh?"

Newspapers have been endorsing political candidates for as long as I can remember. But I never understood the relevance behind it. As resident WNEP blogger Andy Palumbo notes, who votes for someone based on a newspaper endorsement? Frankly, I don't think any news outlet should endorse anyone running for public office, but that's besides the point.

Imagime my surprise this weekend, when I see the Times Leader rubber-stamped Rep. Don Sherwood's re-election. This is the same newspaper that vigorously defended its coverage of Sherwood's affair with a young woman. Rep. Paul Kanjorski also got the TL thumbs-up, even though the newspaper hammered him over using his political clout to provide federal money to a relative's failed business.

I'm still trying to make sense of this. And if my station ever endorsed a candidate, I know I'd feel pretty uncomfortable on Election Night...

Watch WNEP, win money

If nobody watches your newscast, what do you do? Do you...

Cover more interesting stories?

Reformat the show?

Bring in new anchors?

Pay viewers?

If you picked the last option, then you work in WNEP's promotions department. Just in time for November sweeps, viewers who tune in to WNEP's 7 p.m. show can call in and win money.

Part of me thinks "It's a sweeps thing," but another part of me thinks, "Maybe the ratings aren't what management expected?"

Either way, it's the start of sweeps, when TV stations across the nation start cranking out incredible stories. Because damnit, they really want you to watch their newscasts...so the idiots in sales can get off their backs about those damn ratings!

Those of you who concluded that I dislike the hysteria of sweeps get a gold star, and can leave class early.