Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

The search for Anissa Centers’ replacement is over, as WALA-TV 10 announced Lenise Ligon Feb. 12 as its newest anchor.

According to a WALA press release, Ligon comes to FOX10 from WBTV in Charlotte where she co-anchored the morning and noon broadcasts. She will join Bob Grip in anchoring the 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. broadcasts at WALA.

Ligon has also spent time as an anchor/reporter in Saginaw Michigan, and was an entertainment reporter in her home town of Detroit.

According to an article that ran in the Charlotte Observer, Ligon was suddenly released from her position at WBTV Jan. 14 by station management who told her they were looking to go in a different direction.

She landed on her feet quickly at WALA where she will start March 31. Ligon, 30, has a husband and 1-year-old son.

Shrine follow-up

Attempts to follow up with WPMI after last issue’s report that anchor Greg Peterson was allegedly involved in creating a “shrine” for the children thrown from the Dauphin Island Bridge last month, has met with deafening silence. (A photo of the shrine can be seen at

http://www.lagniappemobile.com/movies/Children_Mem.jpg, or you can click on the link on the front page of this site.)

For those who may not have read the story, Lagniappe has been told by several credible sources both inside WPMI and outside the station that Peterson and other WPMI employees created a shrine for use in “bump” shots during the coverage of the tragedy. New Director Michael McCormick flatly denied the allegations when interviewed, but WPMI employees told me video of the “shrine” was destroyed and orders were given that it was not to appear on air again.

We attempted to find out if WPMI it sticking with the story that its employees created the shrine, but we were unsuccessful in getting a response. Specifically we wanted to know if the station has put any new rules into effect or if anyone was disciplined over the incident. Perhaps we’ll never know.

I have been told the alleged incident was discussed at other television stations in the market, with most reiterating that manufacturing a shot would not be quality journalism.

We were also sent a copy of the image in question, which shows the children’s photos and some candles, just as what was described by those who claim to have witnessed it.

Hopefully WPMI will offer us some answers as to what they believe went on. We’ll be happy to report it here.

Snake gone

After just 11 months, Clear Channel radio pulled the plug on the syndicated Ken Stabler show that was running locally on 710 AM and was designed to compete with Paul Finebaum’s show that is popular throughout the state.

Not much word on what the problem was, but the show never seemed to get much traction.

New P-R publication

Never ones to be content letting any other local publication go without a knockoff from its Current Publications division, the Press-Register is launching a new business magazine called Bay Area B2B, which is supposed to hit streets this week.

It appears the pub will go directly after the Chamber of Commerce’s popular Business View monthly, in addition to directly competing with the daily’s business page. According to its advertising rate sheet, B2B will be “direct-mailed to thousands of businesses located throughout Mobile and Baldwin Counties.” In usual Current Publications fashion, it will be feature a glossy front and newsprint inside.

Those who are still keeping track will probably remember the P-R launched three new publications around this time last year, ‘Zalea (A Mobile Bay Monthly knockoff), Bay Family (geared toward parents of young children) and Current (an abysmally bad attempt at an alternative newspaper).

So far ‘Zalea and Bay Family are still alive, although it’s hard to determine how healthy they are since the P-R was giving away so much advertising in these publications when they started. Current, as was documented here, died a very quick death.

We’ll see if B2B has legs. In my opinion, it’s probably just going to be a bunch of watered-down advertorial business profiles, which are unlikely to break any new ground. Once again fellas, why not just put the resources into making your daily better?

New columnists

Some of you will probably have noticed we’ve added a couple of new columnists in the past two issues. Dr. George Crozier started with us last issue and will write on environmental issues, among other things. Crozier ran the Dauphin Island Sea Lab from 1979 through 2007. He holds a Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California, San Diego). He spent most of his career working in the area of coastal zone management. He will write on environmental topics, as well as other issues that interest him, and has some very interesting takes on things.

Also, Preston Brady will be covering the Mobile County Commission for us. Brady previously covered the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for a monthly publication called The Tenderloin Times. He is also a realtor in town. We welcome both aboard and hope you’ll enjoy them.

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

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