Statement: Geraldo Rivera Joins NewsNation, Vice Media To End News Site

Sherri Shepard - Sherri

Broadcast: Former WWBT Richmond evening news anchor Mikea Turner joined WTTG Washington (also known as FOX 5 DC). As a morning co-anchor and reporter, Turner will co-host the weekday newscast from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. with Stephen Graddick, report for the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. newscasts, join Good Day DC from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and co-host LION Lunch Hour at 11 a.m. with Erin Como. She previously worked for WBOC TV16 in Salisbury, Maryland, and WUSA9 in Washington, D.C. before her career in Virginia. 

"I have been following Mikea's career for years,” said Paul McGonagle, WTTG VP and news director. “Bringing this dynamic journalist back to the DMV is a homecoming for Mikea and a home run for Fox 5."

Seasoned media manager José Alberto Suárez became president and general manager of WTMO Orlando, WRMD Tampa, and WWDT Fort Myers under NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group. His predecessor, Migdalia Figueroa, will take the role of president and general manager of WKAQ Puerto Rico. Before this position, Suárez led KCSO Sacramento, KNSO Fresno, and KBLR Las Vegas. 

“José is a talented local media executive who has successfully guided several stations in our portfolio to expand their impact and achieve growth in diverse and varied markets,” said José Cancela, president of Telemundo Station Group. “In addition to his proven record as a leader, he has significant hands-on experience in many critical areas of our business. I’m pleased José will continue the great work of Migdalia and her local teams in serving our communities.”

Syndicated daytime talk show Sherri will not be affected by the ongoing financial investigation. The executive-in-charge and target of this investigation, Matt Uzzle, died in February, believed to have committed suicide.

According to a spokesperson from Liongate’s Debmar-Mercury, “Debmar-Mercury has retained Morgan Lewis to help us investigate the matter and, pending the outcome of that investigation, will have no further comment.” 

Reporter and TV host Joelle Garguilo has assumed the role of entertainment reporter at WABC New York, replacing Sandy Kenyon, who is now a consultant at ABC Owned Stations. Garguilo previously reported for lifestyle shows New York Live and E! News. She also contributed to Today with Hoda & Jenna, hosting the segments “Scoop on the Scene” and “Just the Good News.” For the upcoming 96th Academy Awards, Garguilo and Kenyon will cover the big night together at the Dolby Theater on March 10th. 

“Joelle Garguilo approaches every story with enthusiasm, heart and a true passion for all things entertainment and lifestyle,” said Marilu Galvez, president and general manager of WABC-TV (also known as ABC7). “Those attributes make her one of the most appealing interviewers in entertainment reporting and someone I know our viewers are going to love.”

NBCUniversal’s KBLR Las Vegas (also known as Telemundo Las Vegas) promoted executive producer Johali Carmona to news director. He will report to the new president and general manager Andrew Deschapelles. Before joining the station in 2016 as a news producer, Carmona worked as a reporter, producer, and anchor for Barinas TV in Venezuela, and as an executive producer-managing editor for Telemundo Colorado.

"Johali’s dedication and expertise make her the ideal candidate to lead our local news coverage now and well into the future,” said Deschapelles. “Her leadership will guide our team to new heights and ensure we build on our position as a leading, trusted source of information for the Spanish-speaking community in the Las Vegas region. We are excited for her on this well-earned role with our talented news team.”

Gemma Garcia is the new executive vice president of Telemundo’s news division, Noticias Telemundo, directly reporting to NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises Chairman Luis Fernández. In this new role, she will oversee news programming, editorial units, digital news properties, newsgathering, and bureaus in the United States and Latin America; she will also lead the 2024 U.S. presidential election coverage and produce related news specials. 

“Gemma brings impeccable news judgment, invaluable experience as an innovative news leader and an unwavering commitment to delivering the highest quality journalism for the Latino community,” said Fernández. “I’ve known Gemma for many years, and I have no doubt her unparalleled leadership, rigor and journalistic passion will help Noticias Telemundo grow our reach and strengthen our brand among Latino audiences.”

According to WCBS New York, Maurice DuBois, and Kristine Johnson will replace 6 p.m. news anchors Dana Tyler and Dick Brennan at the end of March.  DuBois and Johnson were previously anchors for the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. news. “This is not goodbye. Dana will be with us to fill in as an anchor and contribute stories and interviews on air and streaming. Dick will return to being a reporter,” said Johnny Green, WCBS president and general manager, in a memo to staff. 

Cable: Veteran TV reporter and anchor Geraldo Rivera joined Nexstar Media’s NewsNation as a correspondent-at-large in mid-February. In his new TV role, 80-year-old Rivera will appear on the network’s talk show Cuomo. Formerly, Rivera was a senior correspondent and one of The Five’s co-hosts at Fox News. Rivera left the channel last June after dramatic on-air clashes with fellow co-host Greg Gutfeld. He started his 50-year broadcast career at WABC-NY, later working for CNBC and ABC News before joining Fox News in 2001. 

“Geraldo is a legendary journalist whose talent and experience is unrivaled in the industry,” said Michael Corn, president of news programming at NewsNation. “We look forward to him joining the network and providing our viewers with his one-of-a-kind analysis.”

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon reportedly reached a separation deal with the cable and will receive three and a half years of backpay worth approximately $24.5 million. Nearly one year ago, the longtime Black anchor was ousted for a series of public controversies. Recently, Lemon announced his upcoming self-titled show, The Don Lemon Show, streaming on X. However, questions were raised about the justification of the large settlement, especially in light of massive layoffs in the media industry, as well as the correlation between the high salaries of these big names and viewership. 

Likewise, the exited MSNBC ex-anchor Mehdi Hasan announced his new subscription-based media company Zeteo. The company will try to “bring hard-hitting interviews and unsparing analysis” under the brand of this new publication. Launched on Substack, Zeteo’s subscription fee is set at $8 per month or $72 per year.

“I’ve been busy a la Nick Fury assembling an Avengers-style team of contributors, the kind of big names from media activism and Hollywood that will blow your mind,” said Hasan.

The Big Deal with Errol Louis, a new weekly political news program, debuted nationwide on March 1st on all English-language Spectrum News networks. As the experienced host of Inside City Hall and You Decide Podcast, Louis will examine trending political issues with other local political journalists across the country. 

“They say all politics is local, and at Spectrum News we believe that wholeheartedly,” said Sam Singal, group vice president, content and editorial for Spectrum Networks. “All national issues start locally. The political anchors, journalists and reporters at our networks across the country have the insight and expertise to provide objective coverage of the issues shaping local communities through our signature storytelling and analysis. I can’t think of anyone better to lead this effort than Errol.”

Subrata De - Roy Rochlin / Stringer

Streaming: Vice Media will cut off “several hundred” staff to end vice.com, making the latest strategic shift from online news to social channels. Its standalone entertainment business Refinery 29 will continue its operation.  

“We create and produce outstanding original content true to the Vice brand. However, it is no longer cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content the way we have done previously. Moving forward, we will look to partner with established media companies to distribute our digital content, including news, on their global platforms, as we fully transition to a studio model. As part of this shift, we will no longer publish content on vice.com, instead putting more emphasis on our social channels as we accelerate our discussions with partners to take our content to where it will be viewed most broadly,” wrote CEO Bruce Dixon in an internal memo. 

As part of the layoffs, Subrata De, executive vice president of news and global head of programming and development, will leave the company, despite her contract not expiring until September. She worked as VP of Newsgathering at ABC and Senior Executive Producer of Long Form at Vice News before her promotion to the chief position.

“We’ve been together in this long goodbye for some time now, but today it’s real for me, as this is my last official day with Vice,” said De. “Working with you for close to six years, as you braved some of the most dangerous and trying circumstances has been life-changing.”

In South Africa, Known Associates, the parent company of Known Associates Entertainment (KAE) and Moonlighting Films, ventures into unscripted programming with their acquisition of a 60% stake in Zero Gravity TV & Media and collaboration with Primedia Group.

“Between Known Associates, Zero Gravity and Primedia, there’s a willingness to work and create an ecosystem to develop high-end content — unscripted and scripted, eventually — and to build a partnership that can tick a local box, in terms of being successful, and tick an international box, in terms of being able to distribute African-produced content all over the world,” said Sivan Pillay, former Endemol Shine Africa and Trace Studios CEO.