Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

Omaha’s alternative newspaper, The Reader, is reporting that, Greg Peterson, a former anchor from KMTV will be Peter Albrecht’s replacement at WPMI-TV.

The Reader quotes Peterson as saying the “golf 12 months a year” was a big factor in his decision to head south. Peterson’s contract at KMTV was not renewed this past December after nearly five years at the station. Much like Albrecht, Peterson was fired along with his co-anchor. He has been on “vacation” for the past three months. He will begin anchoring the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weekday broadcasts for WPMI March 26.

Peterson’s biography says he is a 25-year veteran of anchoring local television. The Omaha market is the nation’s 75th largest, while Mobile-Pensacola ranks 59th. However, this market is unusual in that it is split between two cities with almost completely separate media.

Calls to WPMI station manager Bob Franklin were not returned. Franklin made the decision to fire Albrecht, along with co-anchors Kim McCrea and Drexel Gilbert March 9, in an abrupt move attributed to the station’s continued last-place finishes in the local ratings.

The firings follow weeks of speculation that general manager Bob Franklin would soon do something drastic to spur ratings and perhaps pare some payroll as Clear Channel looks to shop the station to potential buyers.

By 10 a.m. the following morning, bios and photos for all three anchors had been removed from the station’s Web site.

Both Albrecht and Gilbert have previously worked at WKRG-TV 5, the area’s CBS affiliate. Albrecht has covered news in the Azalea City for more than 16 years. He also served as managing editor for the WPMI news team.

Insiders tell us morning anchor Scott Walker has been tapped to fill in for Albrecht in the coming week. Other substitutions are not known at this point.

Last issue, Lagniappe published an internal memo from an assistant news director that everyone’s job may be in jeopardy. No one at WPMI was available for comment prior to Lagniappe’s deadline.

Albrecht spoke with Lagniappe earlier this week and said he is still considering his options.

“I’m trying to determine if I want to stay in TV or if I want to stay here and do something else,” Albrecht said. “The thought of leaving town is less appealing than leaving TV right now, but we’ll see.”

On March 12, WPMI staffers were called into a meeting, according to one employee and told the firings were because of ratings. They were told at the time that new anchors would be on the way, although no names were mentioned.

Matt & Jay Resign

After six years together running WABB-FM’s morning show, Matt McCoy and Jay Hasting abruptly resigned together March 2, citing “irreconcilable differences” with the station’s new management.

Hasting was one of the station’s longest tenured employees, having worked at the Top 40 station for a dozen years. McCoy came to WABB after a stint at a station in Memphis. McCoy said he and Hasting plan to stay in the Mobile area, adding they are both “too young to retire” from radio. However, the two have one-year non-compete clauses in their contracts, so they will have to take at least a 12-month vacation from the airwaves.

“Neither of us is leaving the market,” McCoy said.

In a letter sent to friends and acquaintances, including this newspaper, Hasting said he and his wife had recently started a business, Changes Hair Studio, and he had decided to focus more on his personal life.

“I think what I will miss more than anything will be the listeners. I always enjoyed spending those hours with them. However, lives change.We each will come to forks in the road. We must decide which to choose,” Hasting wrote. “For me I have made the choice to spend more time with my family. I have decided to start my own business. I have decided to follow a different path at least for a while. Many years ago as a young and impressionable teenager with my whole life ahead of me I decided this would be my path. I made a promise to myself back then that I keep today.”

For its part, the station released a statement March 5 saying the hosts of the “Morning Guys” show “cited changing personal priorities and new business interests as reasons for their departure. Jay has a new family business, and Matt will be a new father in the next few weeks. We wish both Matt & Jay the best with their new ventures. WABB is more than a radio station, we are a family and we consider both Matt & Jay family.”

The station’s programming director, Jammer, said there will be a national search for a new lead personality to take over the morning show. In the meantime, current on-air personalities Q-Tip and Mena will hold down the fort.

The station’s longtime owner Bernie Dittman passed away last year, and his daughter Betsy Dittman has taken over operation of the business. WABB is routinely ranked in the markets top three in terms of overall listenership, according to Arbatron.

J-Lo in as chief

WPMI-TV Channel 15 has announced that longtime morning meteorologist Jim Loznicka has been promoted to chief meteorologist, moving permanently to the station’s evening broadcasts. Meanwhile, Kelly Foster has been promoted to morning/noon meteorologist, moving from her weekend anchor/meteorology duties.

Loznicka takes the place of David Glenn, who left last year to take a similar position in Chattanooga.

Susie Spear at Fairhope Courier

Former Press-Register gossip queen Susie Spear has landed at the Fairhope Courier after leaving the area’s daily newspaper about a month ago. Spear, who wrote the “Susie’s Parlor” column for several years detailing the goings on of the Bay area’s pretty people, will be charged with resurrecting the Courier’s defunct lifestyle magazine.

Spear lives in Fairhope with her twin daughters.

County P-R Search

Word on the street is there is considerable interest from some currently in local media in filling the spot vacated when Katherine Eddy, director of public affairs and community services for the Mobile County Commission resigned Feb. 23.

Speculation among some has been that the commissioners each had their favorite for the job, and some have even suggested the job might be broken into two positions to accommodate some of those wishes.

Commissioner Steve Nodine told Lagniappe those rumors are just that.

“We need someone that can help us with marketing, public relations and economic development,” he said. He added that the process of filling the position has normally worked by having the county personnel board advertise the job and interview the candidates. The commissioners are then to choose from a list of those determined to be most qualified. Still, the position has been filled by former media types before, so it’s not out of the question.

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

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