Chicago Anchor Gone from CBS O&O

In a head shaking move, WBBM in Chicago has parted ways with their morning anchor,while still in the all important May sweeps.

Susan Carlson who has been at the station for 11 years is out.  Her bio scrubbed from station's website.

Carlson anchored the CBS O&O's Morning News at 4:30 AM, 5:00 AM, and 6:00 AM. She spent five years at the station working six days a week.

Now she is gone and no replacement has been named.

Stay tuned on this one.

St. Louis Anchor off the Air After IRS Tax Claims

FTVLive reported the story that KMOV (St. Louis) Anchor Larry Connors claimed they he was a target of the IRS after he did an interview with President Obama.

It appears that the anchor may have left out a tiny little detail...like the fact that his IRS troubles started well before he did the interview with the President.

Oops!

Now, Connors has been taken off the air. The station isn't calling it a suspension but instead he is going “take a few days off”.

After his post, Connors went on the air with a brief explanation of his post. He didn't exactly apologize, but he did admit that his troubles with the IRS actually started years prior to his 2012 interview with President Obama.

Connors may or may not have ticked off the President, but he most certainly pissed off BELO, the company that owns his station.

“Any issue he has with the IRS are personal issues. They have nothing to do with our television station KMOV or him as a journalist,” Mike Valentine, vice president for content at Belo.

So while the station is not saying that Connors has been suspended....he totally has been. 

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In this Case a Tie is a Win

Don't count the Today Show out just yet.

The NBC morning show tied No. 1 ABC's Good Morning America in the demos.

For the week of May 6-12, NBC's “Today” posted a 1.8 rating in the key demo A25-54 tying with GMA.

This was “Today’s” best delivery in the demo since February 13, 2013. Year-to-date, “Today” has narrowed the gap with GMA by 52% (51,000) versus the prior season-to-date average.

If used to be that the Today Show was so solidly at Number 1 that a tie with GMA would be a disaster. But, the time have changed and it this case, NBC is looking as the tie as a win. 

What's up with You Dude? Vol. 5

FTVLive opens up the email box to answer some of the biggest burning questions in TV News.

Like the Reporter that wants to know what to do about her Photog that keeps hitting on her? 

One person asks if they should apply for an Anchor opening in Pittsburgh?

Another wants to know why they keep getting rejection letters from News Directors?

FTVLive is here to help (OK not really) and we do it in another edition of What's up with you Dude? Vol. 5

Read the latest edition in ScottLand

Club Operator That Fleeced Philly Wxman is Sentenced

The South Beach (Miami) club operator who part of the scheme that fleeced former Philly Weatherman John Bolaris out over over $40 grand was sentenced in a Miami courtroom.

Albert Takhalov cried when the judge sentenced to 12 years in prison for using  a "bar girls" scheme that would separate patrons from their money.

The scheme also separated Bolaris from his job as weather anchor at Fox Philly. Bolaris was fired after he was taken by the "bar girls" scheme and then talked about it to Playboy magazine. 

"I feel great, I feel relieved that all that stuff is paid off and they’re behind bars," Bolaris told the Philly Daily News. "If I didn’t [testify], that operation would be still be operating. It was very embarassing ... but I feel good. I’ve had a hardship since then, not working and really feel that I was blackballed from the TV news industry because of it."

Bolaris claims he is leaving Philly next month for New York City where he claims to have some job opportunities.

San Antonio ND Heads to CBS News

KENS News Director Kurt Davis is moving on up the food chain to CBS News.

Davis has been named Vice President, News Services for CBS News.

Davis will take charge of CBS News’ satellite newsgathering organization, which provides news and information to 200 CBS affiliates.

The appointment is effective immediately, and he will be based in New York.

Davis spent 10 years as the News Director at KENS in San Antonio.

Former KNBC Anchor Lands at CNN

Former KNBC Weekend Anchor Stephanie Elam is headed to CNN as an LA based Correspondent.

Elam worked at CNN, so this is a return back to the cable network for her. 

Elam joined KNBC in October 2011 after nearly 8 years at CNN. She was the station’s weekend evening anchor and general assignment reporter until November 2012.

“Stephanie is an excellent communicator and tenacious reporter, and we are pleased to have her back as a part of the CNN family,” said Terence Burke, vice president of newsgathering for CNN US today in a statement.

This continues Jeff Zucker's hires of people from either ABC or NBC since he took over as the boss at CNN. Zuck has been trying to increase CNN's West Coast presence by increasing its emphasis on the business aspect of the entertainment industry.

Elam is the second LA hire by CNN in as many months.

H/T Deadline