Big Shuffles at KCCI

Lots of happenings at Iowa’s News Leader. KCCI-TV in Des Moines announced big changes in their anchor teams.

This article appeared in TVSpy.com today about Channel 8.

The highlights include an expanded weekend newscast and Marcus Macintosh moving to the anchor chair next to Amanda Lewis. Steve Karlin goes from M-F 5p to M-F mornings. This is the first significant change since Bryan Karrick’s departure from the TV8 weather desk. Karrick is now working at WeatherNation. That organization is based in the Twin Cities.

The other changes are below. Big stuff.

In September, KCCI became the first station in Des Moines to begin its morning newscast at 4:30 a.m. and now the Hearts-owned CBS-affiliate is again expanding its morning news offerings. The station announced on Tuesday that it is adding two hours to its weekend morning newscasts.

“Morning news is an increasingly important time period for our viewers and our advertisers,” said KCCI president and GM Paul Fredericksen, in making the announcement.

KCCI will add an hour-long newscast at 5 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The station currently has an 8 a.m. newscast on Saturday, following the 6 a.m. broadcast of CBS’s “Early Show.”

Along with the news expansion, KCCI announced a shuffling of its on-air talent. Longtime KCCI anchor Steve Karlin is set to join the weekday morning anchor team as Marcus McIntosh moves to weekends, joining anchor Amanda Lewis and meteorologistMetinka Slater. Kevin Cooney will replace Karlin behind the anchor desk for KCCI’s 5 p.m. newscast.

What can be next? This will make the Monday to Friday morning news different. What will Steve Karlin bring to the morning show? It will change the 5p news and the reporting he did from the field.

Earlier this week, KCCI also made news in the promotions department. As reported by the Des Moines Register.

Job opening: KCCI-TV is looking for a new director of creative services to handle promotions for Des Moines’ CBS affiliate.
Nov. 30 was the last day at the station for Mike Cunningham, who had been at KCCI for 17 years, Channel 8 general manager Paul Fredericksen confirmed Monday.

Fredericksen declined to comment on the circumstances.

Cunningham’s exit calls attention to KCCI’s use of social media, because six days after he left, Channel 8 was still using a Twitter account registered to Cunningham to promote stories that aired on the station.

In social media jargon, the Twitter account is “unmanned,” meaning that there is no live person watching the “tweets” that the station automatically generates to promote stories that appear on KCCI’s website.
Unmanned Twitter sites are increasingly seen as a counter-productive use of social media.

What else will happen next? Any tips you have, drop them to me IPTVPaul@gmail.com

Frontline’s look at Mental Illness

I failed you.

I wasn’t paying attention to the program alerts from PBS and IPTV.

Tuesday night, Frontline re-aired their look at mental illness. Their big question focused on the old institutionalization way of keeping the mentally ill inside locked walls, for some, most of their lives.

Here is the program description:

“A rare and intimate look into the lives of mentally ill offenders struggling to make it on the outside. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of prisoners with serious mental illness will be released into communities across America. Within 18 months, nearly two-thirds will be re-arrested.”

Here’s the link to Frontline’s website about the program. You can also go straight to the program by clicking here. Thank goodness for the internet.

The Iowa Journal looked at this issue a couple of times. Here is the link to earlier blog posts about those shows. Producer Nancy Crowfoot went to a residential rehab facility in Fort Dodge.

Please give this Frontline program a look. We all need to know more about mental illness and how we can help understand more about what so many are dealing with. For years, funding for treatment has been hard to come by. If you are looking to help, there are several organizations that would help answer your questions and point you in the direction of helping. Many counties in Iowa have National Alliance on Mentally Illnes or NAMI chapters. The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Iowa has a website. So does NAMI Scott County.

During our time in Scott County and the QC, they were doing some great things. Please consider donating your time to help others.

Clark, it’s beautiful

Noah was asking me this morning about how others decorate their house on the outside.
So, let’s see a picture of your house all lit up for the holidays.

Do you look like this? Like Clark Griswold’s house?

If you don’t have a picture of your house and your decorations, at least post your favorite National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation line.

I am no Clark, but do like a few lights. Since I won’t make it to many of your homes this year, show off your hard work to others.

T Rye, Mizzu-RAH and The Kuff

Lots of things going on that need to get a little coverage.

Get ready to see this label a lot more. Templeton Rye is back.

Templeton Rye is about to make it back onto store shelves after a long absence. I’ve got a Iowa’s Simple Pleasures story in the works. Dan Kaercher and I made a trek to Carroll County before Thanksgiving for the second part of my story. The first part of the trip was told in this post that involved the Nada’s at RyeFest. The new batch is on its way to the state’s central distribution site.

Have you seen the Applebee’s, Children and Families of Iowa ads with the two big football coaches of Kirk Ferentz and Paul Rhoades? They are using real press conference video/audio but are staging the press conference shots for questions. It kind of looks like the Coors Light ads with the famous line from former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora. Playoffs? Also, it is good to see B-Ross making an appearance.

You’ll see the ads a lot this week.

Speaking of sports, my old pal Kory Kuffler has almost a month under his belt at WQAD Newschannel 8 in the Quad Cities. Kory and I worked together at KWQC TV6 back in the day. Kory is now back in sports and having a great time.

Speaking of old media friends, now the trash talk of Iowa and Missouri will begin ahead of the Insight Bowl. I’ve worked with many Missouri Journalism School graduates. Although seeing the reaction from other folks, not many are excited about this game, just a few newsrooms.

We’re also coming up on the year anniversary of the biggest day for traffic here on Public Paul and Media. It involved TV reporters and their winter hats while covering a snow storm. Remember some of these posts? Or this one? Ah, memories. No snow like that this year.

My view of the Iowa State/Iowa wrestling meet from the production truck.

Coming up Monday at 8p on IPTV will be the Iowa State at Iowa wrestling meet. This was my first in the producer’s chair for the meet. Actually, John Nichols gets the credit, I was just along for the ride. I’ve been helping a bit with the sports side in the building. We had a little mixed crew, but I think the production looked great. See it at 8p Monday night. That includes a special award for Dan Gable, a member of our broadcast crew.

Sharing the Love

Time for a little family mixer!

You’ve gotta love the holidays, right?

One thing I learned during my time in news was the spreading of germs that happens at the holidays. Thanksgiving, is usually one of the worst.

Think about it, you’ve been basically in your own life the last few months and for the most part, you’ve been outside and not contained.

But when Thanksgiving rolls around, you start traveling and spending time together, usually indoors, with other family that’s not usually in your school or area. You get their strains of the cold and they get yours. You may hug or shake hands, or not think about washing your hands much because, after all, we’re family.

Sorry, Mom and Dad, but that’s my cold you’re dealing with this week. Sorry, too, to my sisters who probably picked up our bug this weekend.

I hope this post made Amy Thoreson happy, or sad because I’m writing about public health.

Levi’s new trick

My 1-year-old son Levi has a new trick. Not sure how he learned it, but he’s got this thing he can do.

Check it out for yourself. Just click on the link below for the video.

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf

Levi gives hugs to a picture of his Grandma Honey and Farmer Papa.

I will get a better quality video of this new trick and post it at another time.

It may not be Noah’s joke telling ability, but it is amusing to me.

The picture of Levi is him giving his Grandma Honey and Farmer Papa a hug. That trick will have to be another post at another time.

New show ideas for IPTV

The other night I asked what seemed like a simple question on Twitter.

What Iowa-based/themed show should Iowa Public Television produce that you would watch?

The answers I got were all over the board.

What program type should we be looking at doing from your statewide television network?

What subjects need attention?

I heard about regular tours of Iowa restaurants, bars, back roads, soccer fields and even a whole series dedicated to beer. Not just tasting, but looking for the best Iowa has to offer.

How about music programming? Want more than All-State or Saturday in the Park? What events should we cover? What bands? Where should we put them?

We are always looking for great new ideas for programming on Iowa Public Television. It is your network, after all. We may not give you the keys, but you are the key that could open up a whole new world to your friends and neighbors on the other side of the state.

You can post the idea in the comments section, or send me an email to IPTVPaul@gmail.com

Thanks for your time.