Friday, July 30, 2010

NEWS25 Sports Channel now has a website

On Sunday, the NEWS25 Sports Channel will debut on channel 25.2, but if you just can't wait to get your fix, tonight there is a new website where you can explore what it's all about for yourself.

As an added convenience, you'll be able to find out which cable systems are carrying the Sports Channel, and which channel it's going to be on.

Be sure to add NEWS25SportsChannel.us to your list of favorites!

The Weekender

It's been another interesting week here at JDTVB HQ, and we've managed to cover quite a few stories over the past few days.

I'm hoping to hear later today (Friday) whether or not there will be a resolution to the WFIE/Mediacom negotiations.  No matter when I find out, one way or another, I'll be sure to let you know.

Now, without further delay, let's get on with our look back -- after the jump!

Gaudin leaving Evansville to become radio voice of the Butler Bulldogs

GAUDIN
You've seen him as a freelance sports contributor on NEWS25, heard him as the voice of the Purple Aces and known him as the GM of the University of Evansville's WUEV (91.5 FM), but now Brandon Gaudin is taking on a new challenge.

He's heading north to Indianapolis, where he will become the play-by-play radio voice of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team beginning this fall.

Gaudin replaces Joe Gentry, who is stepping down to devote more time to his role as the university's director of corporate sponsorships.

I wish Brandon the very best in his new job!

Butler's full press release is after the jump.

No word yet today on WFIE/Mediacom negotiations

There is no word yet today on the negotiations between WFIE and Mediacom with regard to WFIE's carriage on the cable system in four Western Kentucky counties.
As I told you Wednesday, the two parties extended their agreement until today so talks could continue without interrupting service to customers.

If no agreement is reached, Mediacom customers in the following areas will have to find another way to receive NBC and WFIE programming.  As I mentioned previously, all of these customers live in the following areas of Western Kentucky:
  • Eastern Daviess Co. (including Whitesville)
  • Northern Ohio Co. (including Fordsville)
  • Southern Henderson Co. (including Robards)
  • Portions of Hopkins Co. (including Nebo)
I hope, however, that there will be no need for that.  I'll keep you posted.

NBC making some adjustments to fall season kickoffs

NBC is performing a few tweaks when it comes to kicking off the new fall season, and I've been fortunate this afternoon to get word on a few of them.

When "Parenthood" returns Sept. 14, it'll have the first part of the "America's Got Talent" finale as a lead-in.  Same goes for the sneak preview of NBC's new series, "Outlaw," which will follow the second part of the "AGT" finale on Sept. 15.

The season premiere of "The Apprentice" has been bumped up a week to Sept. 16, and will open with a 2-hour special.

The premieres of "Outlaw," "Parenthood" and "The Apprentice" will also be repeated the week of Sept. 29 so NBC can be sure to get as many eyes on these shows as possible.

Also coming up as a 2-hour special will be the season premiere of "Law & Order: SVU" on Sept. 22, with the highly-touted "Law & Order: Los Angeles" making its debut Sept. 29.

I'm hoping to get a preview of some of NBC's new shows soon, so watch for that here at JDTVB, perhaps as soon as next week.

YOU TELL ME: Do you want to see RTV on another channel?

UPDATE, 1:55 PM:  It didn't take as long as I had planned to get the poll I wanted, so instead of waiting until Monday, I have now posted the poll question.

Over the past few days, I've had several readers write in to ask if any of the other local TV stations wanted to pick up RTV now that NEWS25 is replacing it (on Sunday) with the new NEWS25 Sports Channel.

I'm not privy to any of the stations' plans, but here's what we'll do:  Beginning Monday today, there will be an online poll here at JDTVB asking the following question:
Do you want to see RTV move to another channel?
  • Yes
  • No
The poll will run through August 31, and we'll see if there is sufficient interest to warrant asking Fox 7, 14WFIE, WTSN or WEVV to pick up RTV.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

No, it's not online - UPDATE: Oh, wait ... now it is

UPDATE, FRIDAY 1:08 AM:   This week's column was finally posted on the Courier & Press' website, a day late.  For those of you who had looked forward to reading it online yesterday, I apologize.

For those of you who may be wondering, "Why didn't Jake post a link to his column today?" there's a simple answer.

It's not online ... at least not yet.

If that changes (and I hope it does), I'll be sure to post a link.

FCC investigating Mt. Carmel low-power TV station ... is it on or is it off?

You may be familiar with the melee surrounding the surrender of the license of WVMC (1360 AM, Mt. Carmel).  There are still many unanswered questions about that, and the story's final chapter hasn't yet been written.

But the saga may be getting more interesting.  Last night, a reader shared with me a letter from the FCC's Media Bureau to Wabash Communications regarding the company's low-power TV station in Mt. Carmel, WCJT-LP (ch. 12).

The letter states that the FCC received a complaint that WCJT is not broadcasting, and that the station's listed telephone number is not in service.

Since WCJT is a low-power station, I can't receive it here in Owensboro, so ... if you're in the Mt. Carmel area and reading this ... what's the story?  Is WCJT on or is it off?

If it's off -- and if it has been for some time -- this could be a problem, as FCC rules require a station that's going to be dark for any length of time to get permission to do so.  And nowhere in WCJT's records can I find any evidence that they filed for authority to go dark.  The station is currently licensed, and that's about it.

As I learn more, I'll keep you updated.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

WFIE negotiating new cable carriage agreement with Mediacom; deadline extended until Friday

UPDATE, 9:35 PM:  If WFIE programming is removed from Mediacom, it would affect Mediacom customers ONLY in Daviess, Henderson, Hopkins and Ohio counties in Kentucky.

Mediacom customers in Nortonville and Caldwell and Crittenden counties in Kentucky, as well as Harrisburg and Eldorado, Illinois, receive NBC programming from Paducah (WPSD), Nashville (WSMV) or both, but not from WFIE.


EARLIER:  WFIE is in the midst of negotiations with Mediacom, a cable company that serves several Tri-State communities, in order to stay on the cable system's lineup.

The current agreement between Mediacom and the station, which expired recently, has been extended until Friday while talks continue.

If no agreement can be reached before the deadline, WFIE -- and, by extension, NBC programming -- will be cut off to those viewers.

I'll keep you posted as I learn more.

LOOKING AHEAD: Tomorrow's C&P column to focus on CBS fall season previews

If you're a regular reader here, you've already seen my preview of CBS' new fall shows, but in tomorrow's Courier & Press, the entire Tri-State will get my take on what's coming, as well as other programming changes coming to WEVV-CBS44 and My44.

The column goes into more depth than I did here, so be sure to pick up a copy or read it online tomorrow!

Fox 7 News to be at Vanderburgh Co. Fair tonight; Randy Moore to interview country star Chris Young

UPDATE, 3:56 PM:  Fox 7 will broadcast the 6:00 and 6:30 newscasts in their entirety from the fair tonight, not just live reports.  I apologize for the error.

WTVW-Fox 7 will have live reports broadcast live tonight from the Vanderburgh County Fair during the 6:00 and 6:30 newscasts, and word this afternoon is that anchor Randy Moore will interview country music star Chris Young.

Young will be performing in concert tonight at the fair, and the show is free with your $5 fair admission.

FCC releases total number of U.S. TV and radio stations ... interesting reading

The FCC released today the total number of radio and TV stations across the country, and I've decided, just for kicks, to share them with you.

For comparison, I've included the list from March 31, so you can see the difference in just three months' time:

Station Type Total as of
3/31/10
Total as of
6/30/10
AM Radio Stations 4,790 4,786
Commercial FM Stations 6,483 6,494
Educational FM Stations 3,180 3,223
TOTAL AM & FM 14,453 14,503
Commercial UHF TV Stations 1,020 1,021
Commercial VHF TV Stations 373 372
Educational UHF TV Stations 283 284
Educational VHF TV Stations 107 107
TOTAL TV 1,783 1,784
Class A UHF TV Stations 449 441
Class A VHF TV Stations 85 82
TOTAL CLASS A TV 534 523
FM Translators or Boosters 6,169 6,168
UHF Translators 3,048 3,068
VHF Translators 1,403 1,494
TOTAL TRANSLATORS 10,620 10,730
UHF Low Power TV 1,889 1,908
VHF Low Power TV 522 543
TOTAL LOW POWER TV 2,411 2,451
Low Power FM 865 864
TOTAL ALL BROADCAST STATIONS 30,666 30,855

WPSR 90.7 off air for new antenna installation

EVSC's radio station WPSR (90.7 FM) is off the air starting today.

Engineers Frank and Dave Hertel tell me that the go-ahead has been given for the station to receive its new antenna, which is expected to improve the signal, particularly in your car.

Why the improvement in your car?  The explanation is simple, even if the reason isn't.

When WPSR first went on the air in 1957, FM radio stations could only broadcast a horizontally polarized signal, and that's what the station's existing antenna delivered.  "Horizontally polarized signals transmitted very well to the home (Horizontal) outside antenna," Frank Hertel explained.  "Cars, however, were left to receive onlu about 1/100th of that signal because cars used a vertically polarized whip antenna."

Since the late 1960s, however, the FCC has allowed stations to broadcast both horizontally and vertically, but only now is WPSR able to take full advantage of this.  The new antenna will deliver the same power on both the vertical and horizontal planes -- good news for those of you who enjoy listening to the station while you're on the Lloyd or wherever you may be driving around Evansville.

Once the new antenna is installed, the FCC requires a test period before the station can go back on the air, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on that.

Finally, Frank tells me that he's no longer WPSR's engineer of record.  He will remain on board as a volunteer, but his son, Dave, is now the station's engineer.  I know he'll do the same quality job as his dad, so while I'm sad to hear Frank's cutting back, I know the station's engineering needs will be well taken care of.

NEWS25 names new "Daybreak" associate producer/reporter

Good morning, folks!  I've got news for you about NEWS25's new associate producer and reporter on the station's "Daybreak" newscast.

Today marks Nikki Stroud's final day in the job before she heads to Indianapolis' WXIN-Fox 59, and tomorrow Matt Barbour will take over.

If Matt's last name sounds familiar, it's because his wife, Kimberly, recently joined NEWS25 as well, working as a reporter and photographer.

Both Matt and Kimberly formerly worked at WYMT-TV in Hazard, Ky., and we welcome them both to the Tri-State!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

"Transforming Education in Kentucky" is topic of "Education Matters" season premiere on KET

(COURTESY KET)

Transforming Education in Kentucky, or TEK, is Governor Steve Beshear’s statewide education task force, which brings together community members throughout the Commonwealth to create a vision for meeting the educational needs of Kentuckians in the 21st century. TEK is also the topic for the first "Education Matters" of the new season, airing live Tuesday, Aug. 17 at 7:00 PM CT (8:00 PM ET) on KET.

Host Bill Goodman will be joined by Governor and Mrs. Beshear, Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday and Robert King, president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, for a live discussion of the major issues that TEK will address.

On the evening of the program, town hall forums will be held at 10 sites around Kentucky to allow community members to explore the process of transforming education from local and regional perspectives. Forum participants will also submit questions and comments for Governor Beshear and the other panelists to discuss during the live broadcast.

Education Matters “Transforming Education in Kentucky is a KET production, produced by Nancy Carpenter. More information about this and other Education Matters programs is available at www.ket.org/educationmatters.

More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.

Susan Olsen to appear on "Y&R?" Justin Bieber on "CSI?" What is the world coming to?

SUSAN OLSEN
It's been more than a decade since Susan Olsen's last TV appearance that had a script, but the actress best known as Cindy Brady (yes, the youngest one in curls) is going to grace the screen again -- just for a day, though.

Olsen will guest star on CBS's "The Young and the Restless" on September 1 in the role of a preschool owner.

While her acting roles have been sporadic since leaving "The Brady Bunch" in 1974, Olsen has kept busy as a graphic designer, author and animal-rights advocate.

It'll be good to see her back on TV.

JUSTIN BIEBER
Meanwhile, an upcoming episode of "CSI" will evidently feature a troubled teen, and what better actor to use than Justin Bieber, right?

I mean, he's troubled ... right????  By all those screaming fans????

I've gotta admit that even I'm not sure where they're going with this.

CONFIRMED: NEWS25 going with 4:00 newscast beginning Sept. 13

As many of you know, the syndicated game show "Deal or No Deal" is leaving the airwaves in September, and there have been rumors that WEHT-NEWS25 has been planning to fill that half-hour with news.

I can now confirm that the rumors are true.  Beginning September 13, NEWS25 will start its newscasts each weekday afternoon at 4:00.

Early news is no new thing to NEWS25; many of you are familiar with the station's 4:30 newscast, which has been around since September 2007.  Shelley Kirk anchors that half-hour solo; I don't yet know if that will be the case for the full hour, but I'll get more details as we get closer to the premiere date.

Stay tuned!

NBC confirms coming season of "The Office" will be Carell's last

STEVE CARELL
NBC confirms he's leaving "The
Office" at the end of the upcoming
season
NBC confirmed last night that Steve Carell will indeed be leaving "The Office" at the end of the 2010-11 season, according to an Associated Press story.

Carell, who has several movies under his belt now -- the newest being "Dinner for Schmucks" -- will wrap up his role as boss Michael Scott after a seven-year run.

NBC primetime president Angela Bromstad says the show is strong enough to weather Carell's departure.  We'll see.

Monday, July 26, 2010

"Marcus Welby, M.D." returns to RTV25 lineup for final week of channel's existence

Retro TV ending nearly 2-year run on
local television


It's a pleasant surprise to see "Marcus Welby, M.D." on RTV25 (ch. 25.2) tonight.  I'd wondered what would fill the timeslot, since WEHT-NEWS25 aired its final 9:00 PM newscast this past Friday night.

The 1969-76 ABC series has been out of the lineup on RTV25 (it used to air at 1:00 PM on weekday afternoons) for several months now.

Of course, the show's return locally will be short-lived, as RTV25 will cease to exist after Saturday, replaced by the new NEWS25 Sports Channel.

WIKY Riley Radiothon coming Aug. 4-6

WIKY (104.1 FM) is preparing to air the 2010 Riley Radiothon, which will benefit Riley Children's Hospital, on August 4, 5 and 6.

This year's Radiothon will air from the Old National Bank headquarters in downtown Evansville, and WIKY is seeking phone bank volunteers and your stories about Riley.  To volunteer or send in your story, e-mail riley@wiky.com.

Trying again: Kingdom of God, Inc. files for reconsideration after FCC dismisses LPTV app

Back in late June, I told you that Indianapolis-based Kingdom of God, Inc. (referred to hereafter as KOG), the Catholic broadcaster which had applied to build two digital LPTV stations (on channels 25 and 50) in Evansville, had its applications dismissed by the FCC.

This morning, however, I've learned that their app for the proposed channel 25 station has been reinstated.

It turns out that the reason for the original dismissal was because KOG didn't pay the application filing fee.  In KOG's letter to the FCC seeking reinstatement, it was explained that when they filed online, the online system indicated that no fee was required, which of course was not the case.

Now they've paid up and they're back in the game.  I'll keep an eye on it and let you know if this app becomes a construction permit.

And by the way:  If the station is approved, while it will broadcast on physical channel 25, the number you'll see on your TV will be different, for obvious reasons, what with WEHT's virtual channel number being 25 and all ...

KOG owns two stations in Indiana -- Indianapolis' WKOG-LP (analog ch. 31) and Kokomo's WKGK-LP (analog ch. 50).  Both air Catholic-themed programming.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

SITE NOTES: "Topics" section gone, SuperSearch upgraded

In an effort to accomplish two things -- helping you find what you're looking for more easily as well as speed up the loading of the website -- I've made another couple of site changes.

The former "Topics" section in the sidebar, which listed each entry's tag(s) alphabetically, has been removed.  To make it easier to find what you're looking for, I've upgraded the "SuperSearch" feature.  All you have to do is type in the subject you're looking for and a list of available entries featuring that topic will appear, just like it does if you use Google.

Please try it out, and be sure to let me know what you think.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

RANDOM NOTES for your Saturday evening enjoyment

Just a few little things this evening:
  • WAZE-LP (analog ch. 17) is back on the air -- barely.  It's all but unwatchable, though.
  • Friday night's "NEWS25 at 9:00" on RTV25 (ch. 25.2) was evidently the last, although we're still a little more than a week out from the debut of the NEWS25 Sports Channel.  No word yet on what's going to air at 9 during the last week of RTV programming.
  • Araceli Thiele made her debut this evening as co-anchor of "14News Weekend."  Once again, I'd like to welcome her to the Tri-State.
  • Finally, those of you who were up all night (or part of it) may have noticed that, as promised, WEHT-NEWS25 is now on the air 24/7.  Nice to see them join the insomniac party on the weekends.
That's all for this weekend.  I'll be back Monday with much more!

SATURDAY SPECIAL: Get to know the guy behind HoosierWx.com


When it comes to the weather, you've got a lot of choices as far as where you get your information.

You can watch it on TV.

You can hear about it on the radio.

Get a forecast delivered via e-mail.

And if you've got a smartphone, there are more apps than you can shake a stick at.

But when it comes to getting down-to-earth, concise but thoroughly-explained coverage of weather for ALL of Indiana and the surrounding states, I can think of just one source – HoosierWX.com.

If you are a Twitter follower, you know that meteorologist Chris Johnson is on top of every storm situation that arises, no matter where it is in the Hoosier State and beyond. They do a fantastic job.

You might be wondering, though – just how did he get into this anyway?

CHRIS JOHNSON
Johnson grew up in Frankfort, the seat of Clinton County in north-central Indiana. While he's long been interested in weather, it wasn't originally what he saw himself doing as a job.

“My affection for storms happened at a young age as most meteorologist, my mother and I would enjoy watching summer storms race across the prairie,” Johnson explained. “When the temperature dropped below zero, I remember opening the front door with a bucket of water throwing it up in the air and watching it freeze before it would hit the ground and the sound it made like glass breaking.”

Until his first son was born, he'd entertained thoughts of becoming a war correspondent, but as happens when a child enters your life, Johnson changed gears and worked toward a career in law enforcement, earning a degree in criminology from Indiana State University with a minor in meteorology. However, with the economy and resulting hiring freezes in the public sector, he decided to change gears and focus his educational pursuits on the weather.

"I have been forecasting now for about seven years, and I think that I do a good job," Johnson told me. "Maybe our followers can tell me what they really think.

"HoosierWX, as many people don't know, started off with my best friend Randy Rogers who still contributes with forecasts," he continued.  "I felt that we outgrew the North Central Indiana region and broadened our scope to cover the entire state."

Chris is known to his Twitter friends as an approachable, down-to-earth guy who does this because he loves it, and he's developed quite a loyal following. Regardless of the time, day or night, when someone asks a question, he answers.

And for those who might be wondering, he does all this for free. “I know that I'm not getting a paycheck and I'm not going to make a whole lot of money doing this,” Johnson said. “I do it from the kindness of my heart and the enjoyment of knowing that I might help someone through their day.”

And I can tell you – he does an absolute Grade A job of that!

I'm glad we've got Chris and the whole team at HoosierWX.com around, although, given my mission here at JDTVB, I'd love to see Chris find work in broadcasting.  He provides a needed service, one that I am proud to use on a daily basis here at JDTVB. You'll find a link to the site on my Links page. If you haven't yet checked it out, you should.

To follow HoosierWX on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/HoosierWx
HoosierWX website: http://hoosierwx.com