Statement: MSNBC Plans Live Event, Harris Faulkner & Lester Holt The Most Trusted POCs In Television News
Kim Godwin - ABC News
Broadcast: Kim Godwin resigned from her role as president of ABC News and announced her retirement from broadcast journalism. She previously succeeded James Goldston.
In a note to staffers at ABC News, Godwin wrote, “Anyone who’s passionate about what we do knows there’s no other business like it, so this was not an easy or quick decision. But after considerable reflection, I’m certain it’s the right one for me as I look to the future and prioritize what’s most important for me and my family.”
Christopher Franklin interim general manager, was named president and general manager of Tegna-owned WATN-WLMT Memphis, Tennessee.
Tegna senior VP of media operations Paul Trelstad stated, “With a management style that is the embodiment of the stations’ ‘Solution Seekers’ ethos, Chris’ passion for Memphis and the people of Tennessee makes him the perfect person to lead WATN and WLMT into the future.”
Emad Ashgar was named VP and news director at WNYW-WWOR New York. He’s been with the Fox-owned station for 16 years and previously filled the role of assistant news director.
Senior VP and general manager, Lew Leone, said, “Emad’s knowledge of the tristate market from transit to crime to politics, along with his innate news sensibility, judgment, and integrity make him the perfect choice to lead us forward. Emad has big plans for the expansion of our news operation as we continue to grow our linear and digital offerings.”
Dominic Brown joined WBTS Boston’s First Alert Meteorology team, appearing in the 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. weekday newscasts. He spent two years in KTVT Dallas-Fort Worth before joining the team at NBC10 Boston.
Dennis Evans, former host of Jaguars broadcasts in Jacksonville, was named weekend sports anchor at KMBC Kansas City. Together, Len Jennings and Dennis Evans will deliver sports coverage at the local high school, college, and professional levels. Len Jennings praised Evans’ passion for sports and compelling storytelling abilities.
“I am looking forward to working with him in the sports department,” Jennings said.
Celina Donada was named sports anchor and reporter for Noticias Telemundo 40, the news brand at KTLM. Donada has covered notable sports events such as the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the PGA Tour. The station is situated near the border between the United States and Mexico.
Iris Rodriguez, news director at Telemundo 40, commended Donada: “Her passion, skills, and expertise covering high-profile sports events make her an invaluable asset for our station and audiences.”
Sarah Garcia was promoted to weekend anchor at KTLM McAllen, Texas, known as Telemundo 40. Starting April 27, she began anchoring Noticias Telemundo 40 weekends at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Weather anchor Gabriela Gutierrez and sports anchor Hector Severeyn work apace with Sarah Garcia on the weekend newscasts.
DeHaven “Dee” Thompson, retired WPXI reporter, passed away on May 9, 2024. From 1974 until his retirement in 2009, Thompson worked at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania station.
Miguelangel Lopez, WTMO Orlando (Florida) VP of news, was named regional VP of news and content for WTMO, WRMD Tampa, and WWDT Fort Meyers.
Jose Suarez, president and general manager of the three stations, stated, “We are fortunate to have talent and committed newsroom professionals across the stations, and excited to have Miguelangel in a position to lead them to continued growth and success to best serve our diverse communities.”
Edward Moody joined the WBTW Myrtle Beach, South Carolina anchor crew. Together Trish Williford and Edward Moody anchor the 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. newscasts. Moody succeeded Patsy Kelly, who departed May 3rd, at the News 13 anchor desk.
“He and Trish Williford will make a great team,” said news director Paul Caron. Robert Raff, WBTW VP and General Manager stated, “Nowadays it’s rare to be able to hire a journalist with Edward’s rich background and skills.”
Chief meteorologists discussed the role of television weathercasting amid the growing impact of climate change. WCBS New York anchor Lonnie Quinn said how day-to-day weather is reported will not be hindered by debates over the effects of climate change.
NBCUniversal renewed the syndicated entertainment news unscripted series Access Hollywood and its related talk series Access Daily through 2026. NBCU praised the chemistry present between the hosts. Both series are on NBC-owned television stations. According to NBCU, Access Hollywood currently averages about 1.1 million viewers daily; its digital profiles reach over 6.6 organic followers.
“Our seasoned production team works tirelessly to bring viewers quality content each day on Access Hollywood and Access Daily.”
Isobel Yeung - CNN
Cable: Award-winning journalist, Isobel Yeung, was designated by CNN as an international correspondent based in the network’s London bureau. Yeung now reports on major stories for CNN’s television and digital platforms. She previously worked at VICE News as a senior correspondent and producer, reporting on geopolitical, social, cultural, and human rights stories from many countries including Afghanistan, Russia, the Phillippines, Yemen, and Libya.
MSNBC has planned a live event to take place on September 7th. The event has been named “MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024.” As MSNBC’s subscriber base has declined by nearly 6% this year to 64.5 million, compared with 68.5 million in 2023, the news outlet expressed its need to test new practices to draw interest. It has been planned for die-hard fans as a day-long event. A preview of an upcoming MSNBC film is to be shown to attendees.
Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC Senior Vice President, said, “Our audience has told us time and again they are looking for more ways to engage. They want to create a community that goes beyond what they are watching on television.”
Walter Cade, senior Vice President of sales for NBCUniversal Local Chicago, has been given an expanded role. Cade will head sales for NBC station WMAQ, Telemundo station WSNS, and NBC Sports Chicago, reporting to Kevin Cross, president and GM of NBCUniversal Local Chicago. Cade will continue to oversee sales for NBC Sports Regional Networks.
“Cade is a tremendously experienced, respected, and strategic leader who has a deep knowledge of Chicago-area communities and NBCU Local Chicago’s diverse portfolio of TV, streaming, and digital properties and has established relationships with the region’s marketers and advertisers,” Cross said.
A federal appeals court rejected Indianapolis Broadcaster, DuJuan McCoy’s, claims that DirecTV and Dish Network discriminated against his company by declining to pay retransmission fees to carry its stations. According to court documents, DuJuan McCoy, Circle City Broadcasting majority owner, questioned why Dish offered lower rates than competitors and was answered by a Dish representative who named a practice they called an “industry norm” where larger industries, such as Nexstar, can withdraw money to carry stations that multichannel distributors are more likely to want. McCoy’s Circle City sued the satellite TV companies back in 2020 due to their refusal to pay retransmission fees after Circle City bought Indianapolis TV stations WISH and WNDY from Nexstar Media Group. McCoy charged Dish and DirecTV were discriminating because the stations were now part of a Black-owned business.
“For their part, Dish and DirecTV presented clear evidence of a race-neutral reason for their contractual negotiating decisions — Circle City’s lack of bargaining power,” the 7th Circuit ruled.”
According to a new poll by Morning Consult and the Hollywood Reporter, 63% of those surveyed said they trust Lester Holt making him the most trusted person of color in national linear television news. MSNBC’s Ali Velshi obtained 55% of trust from surveyors. Fox News host Harris Faulkner received 53% of respondents saying they trust her making her the most trusted person of color in cable news.
Lewis Dodley, longtime anchor for Spectrum News NY1, retired at the end of May. Dodley has been on air at the Charter Communications-owned local news channel since it launched as New York 1 News in 1992.
“When I was offered this job in 1992, I saw it as the opportunity of a lifetime,” Dodley said on the air May 6th. “I tried to treat it that way. New York 1 is a window to New York City, and to be a face you see here has truly been an honor.”
Kron4
Streaming: KRON San Franciso station’s weekday local coverage is now continuous from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the addition of a new 4 p.m. newscast. Vicki Liviakis and Grant Lodes now anchor weekday newscasts between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Chief meteorologist, Lawrence Karnow, sports director, Jason Dumas, and political anchor, Catherine Heenan, are featured on the newscast. Dan Thorn, KRON weekend anchor, was moved to weekdays amid the new continuous coverage. Dan Thorn, with Noelle Bellow, will anchor the 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts, as well as the 8 p.m. newscast streaming on the KRONOn news app.
“With the launch of our expanded newscast lineup, and addition of Dan Thorn to our evening anchor team, we continue our commitment to being the local source for Bay Area news,” KRON news director, Joshua Palefsky, said.
