Statement: Don Lemon Has Been Fired By CNN & Pratibha “Patti” Tripathi Has Joined WSBT-TV
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Broadcasting: Allen Media Group announced that it hired local news veteran Princell Hair as president of Allen Media Broadcasting. Previously, Hair was the president of Black News Channel until it was acquired by Byron Allen, founder of Allen Media Group, renaming the theGrio Television Network. Hair will become the executive VP of Allen Media Group and be based in Atlanta, where Allen Media Studios and Weather have a campus.
“Princell Hair is a phenomenal media executive who brings an overwhelming amount of industry experience and excellent leadership skills to our 2,400-employee company,” Allen, the founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Princell’s seasoned expertise now plays a crucial role in supporting Allen Media Group’s acquisitions and continued expansion across our ever-increasing number of media assets and distribution platforms worldwide.”
KHBS-KHOG, has a new weekday morning co-anchor, Phil Reed. Reed will be joining anchor Yuna Lee and weather anchor Majestic Storm on weekdays from 4:30 – 7:30 a.m. on 40/29 News Sunrise, then The Arkansas CW from 7 to 8 a.m. Reed joins the team as an anchor-reporter from KCRG Cedar Rapids who also reported to WTVO/WQRF in Rockford, Illinois.
“Phil’s energy and personality will be a great addition to the weekday morning anchor desk,” said 40/29 News Director Colleen Clement. “Phil’s willingness to go the extra mile stands out, and I’m confident he’ll bring that same commitment to Sunrise.”
Darryll Green, president and general manager of WFOR-WBFS Miami, will be officially retired as of April 28. Green took the presidency position after Adam Levy, former vice president and local TV veteran, stepped down. Even though Green plans to stay in Miami he stated, “I want to thank [CBS News and Television Stations president and co-head] Wendy McMahon, [CBS Stations president] Adrienne Roark and the other leaders across CBS who have been so supportive. I hope you agree that they have done a lot to help make CBS Miami a much better place to work.” Roark responded stating, “Darryll has provided a steady and experienced hand during his time with us. It's also been wonderful to have him as part of our CBS Stations family as he possesses a kind soul and is someone who we all appreciate and respect.”
In a memo to staffers Green stated, “It’s been an honor to have had a front-row seat to see what you have accomplished during my two-plus years here…from launching our CBS News Miami streaming channel, to scoring several monthly wins in late news, producing impactful award-winning content, adding several new team members and strengthening our relationships with our clients and community partners, I’m going to be stepping away with so many happy memories and a ton of gratitude.”
NewsNation debuted Elizabeth Vargas Reports on April 3 from a new studio and newsroom located in New York City. Vargas’s show has been revamped with a square and bracket motif; similar to other programming on the network, including in its logo design. The logo, created by Proxima, uses Vargas’s first and last name along with the word “Reports” on each of its own lines in caps. The color palette of the background is a mix of blues and violets with hints of yellow and pink.
Cable: It looks like there may be trouble in the water for Laura Coates. At the top of this year [January], it was announced by CNN that Coates would become the host for the 11 PM slot. Unfortunately, things may have changed. Time has passed and Coates has not hosted solo since February. Rumors have doubled down, according to a reporter from Insider, that her show will not go forward as planned. Coates was told that CNN could not staff a separate hour and will instead be focusing on Alisyn Camerota’s show which starts at 10 PM, for the time being. Camerota is currently leading CNN’s programming block, CNN Tonight, from 10 PM to 12AM.
Pratibha “Patti” Tripathi, former CNN Headline News anchor, has joined WSBT-TV as executive producer of the stations HomeTown Living lifestyle program. Tripathi is a busybody, running her own media company, TriPath Media, for 17 years; and founder/president of Saris to Suits, a women’s empowerment charity. She will be succeeding Lorena Rodriguez who originally launched HomeTown Living.
“Patti has a track record of success at all levels in our industry. Her experience and passion will not only take HomeTown Living to greater heights, but she will also contribute as a leader to our entire team in South Bend,” said Brian Dodge, VP and general manager at WSBT, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
WTTG Washington has a new member, Shomari Stone. Stone comes in with a previous background as a correspondent on CNBC’s The News With Shepard Smith, reporter for KOMO Seattle, WFOR Miami, and WINK Fort Myers. At WTTG Washington he will be joining the team as a reporter and anchor May 1.
“I’ve always respected Shomari’s skills as a reporter for our competition, but now he’s finally where I always envisioned him, on our team!” stated WTTG VP and News Director Paul McGonagle. “He has already earned the viewers’ trust through his years dedicated to helping the DMV community, holding local leaders accountable, and breaking impactful stories.”
It’s official! Gayle King and Charles Barley officially announced, during TNT’s NBA playoffs pregame coverage, that their new weekly primetime series for CNN, King Charles, will be airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m. The live show is set to debut this Fall through 2024. This comes as an effort from CNN CEO, Christ Licht, trying to revive the network’s primetime schedule. The 9 p.m. slow was previously hosted by Chris Cuomo who was fired in December 2021.
King mentioned that they will talk about politics on the show; Barkley added, “but we don’t want to say we are a liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat. That is one of the things that has already ruined television in general. She is going to be a straight shooter, and you know I am going to be a straight shooter…All I want is people, even if I disagree with them, to be honest with me. I don’t want them saying things to get clickbait. That is one of the things that is what drives me crazy about people in our profession right now.”
Don Lemon has been terminated after 17 years with CNN. Lemon who, co-hosted CNN This Morning on Mondays, received the unfortunate news from his agent. CNN This Morning will continue with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. Apparently, Lemon was blindsided by the news stating to have “no idea” this news was coming.
On Twitter Lemon tweeted, “I am stunned.” “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”
CNN quickly responded stating, “Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate. He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
More to come…
Streaming: Mina Lefevre, Head of Development and Programming at Meta, has parted ways with Facebook’s parenting company. Lefevre, prior to this role, was formerly the EVP and Head of Scripted at MTV, has left the multinational technology conglomerate; adding to the latest round of layoffs – more than 20,000. The news comes after Facebook’s pivot to slow down on its programming efforts including scripted series like Sorry For Your Loss and Sacred Lies, driven by Lefevre. Most notably, FB Watch Originals like Red Table Talk, will not be returning for a new season as the company is seeking to shift gears and focus on creating VR experiences in Meta Horizon Worlds.
Scripps News is expanding their line-up of live shows. The new live lineup starts with Early Rush from 6 a.m.to 7 a.m. ET; Morning Rush from 7 a.m. to noon; Scripps News Live from noon to 6 p.m., Evening Debrief from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Scripps News Tonight from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. With a new line-up comes some new changes; Scripps conducted an experiment and has decided to replace In The Loop with an additional hour of Morning Rush. In the Loop will become a segment during Scripps News Tonight. The Upside; previously called Afternoon Focus, will be moving to the 5:30 a.m. slot.
Kate O’ Brian, president of Scripps News, stated, “In one day we saw that we were not losing the viewers that we had been before…It was pretty definitive.”