Two more longtime area journalists lose jobs at WFTS-Ch. 28 and Creative Loafing

Posting will be light the rest of this week -- I'm taking the family to Disney World for my daughter's 5th birthday.

But I couldn't hit the road before noting the departure of two more longtime journalists, both seemingly victims of long tenures and presumably substantial salaries in a deteriorating media environment.

St. Pete Times sports media expert Tom Jones reported yesterday that Al Keck, top sports guy at ABC Action News and at CBS affiliate WTSP-Ch. 10 before that, would not have his contract renewed. The news seems another blow to the rapidly deteriorating state of local TV sports, where WFLA-Ch.8 has seen its regular on-air staff clipped from three anchors to one and WTSP's top sports anchor quit with no new job arranged.

Keck, who left WTSP in 2001 when his contract wasn't renewed, went to ABC Action News that same year.

On the same day, news surfaced that Eric Snider, longtime editor and music writer at Creative Loafing's Tampa newspaper, had been laid off. Snider, who was once music critic at the St. Petersburg Times, was always a fun companion for me at area concerts when I came to the Times in 1995 as its music critic.

He's a raconteur with a sharp writing talent and a good ear for great music; the conversation got so good at shows, I had to be careful about missing too much of the actual concert.

In a blog post announcing the move, Loafing's Tampa editor David Warner expressed his regret over Snider's layoff while maintaining confidence in the newspaper's future and confirming the already slim staff lost four people this year. A judge has set an Aug. 25 date for auction of the in-bankruptcy newspaper chain, following negotiations where its biggest creditor wrote down a $31 million debt to $12 million.

Current publisher Ben Eason is expected to lead one group seeking control of the company, while the biggest creditor, Atalaya Capital Management, will likely be the other. Atalaya has already made a "stalking horse" offer of $2 million.

One hopes the staff won't be cut too much more by then.

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Discovery Channel catches up to executive producer, says Pitchmen will present a second season after death of star Billy Mays

(UPDATE: After I posted this item on the certainty of producers' Anthony Sullivan and Thom Beers that Pitchmen would continue after the unexpected death of Billy Mays, Discovery Channel -- which had originally declined to comment on my item -- issued a press release admitting a second season was going to happen.

The channel is also repeating its hourlong tribute to Mays on July 24; it originally aired July 9. The channel's release says Sullivan, Beers and Discovery Channel are developing the next season with Mays' son Billy Mays III.)

To clear his head after the death of his friend and partner, legendary pitchman Billy Mays, infomercial producer/talent Anthony Sullivan decided to hike a distant mountain in Colorado, far away from their Tampa homebase.

But when a group of girls stopped to pet his dog, Sullivan soon found out he hadn’t traveled far enough to outdistance fans of the Discovery Channel show he starred in with Mays.

Which helps explain why Sullivan and executive producer Thom Beers say they are going to try reinventing the show for another season after Mays’ death — if they can work out a new format that honors their departed co-star’s memory.

“Everyone has said to me ‘Are you going to find a new Billy Mays?’ and that’s not possible,” said Sullivan, noting only his 20-something son, Billy Mays III, might come close. “We have to reinvent the show, but I really want to be careful. I just want to make sure we do what Billy would want — I think he’d roll over in his grave if we just stopped it.”

Executive producer Beers, whose credits include the Discovery hit Deadliest Catch, was more definitive, saying “I know (Pitchmen) will continue on. Absolutely, without a doubt.”

Mays, 50, was found dead in his Tampa home the morning of  June 28; the Hillsborough County medical examiner said preliminary autopsy results indicate he may have died of heart disease. Sullivan and Mays had already filmed the 12-episode first season of Pitchmen, which concluded July 1. Discovey aired a special tribute episode July 9.

Beers suggested the show could continue because so much drama came from the stories of inventors pitching their products to Sullivan and Mays, who would decide which deserved a showcase in a major direct-marketing campaign. But fans may wonder if the chemistry between Mays and Sullivan, who sparred with each other playfully like an old married couple, might be difficult to replace.

“(Mays) was thrilled with his ability to help all these people reach their dreams,” Beers said. “Why would we give that up?”

And though Sullivan had some ideas for revamping the show, he wants to make sure Mays’ wife, Deborah, and son are on board, as well.

“The main thing, is we want to be sensitive to his fans and his family,” Sullivan said. “And we’ve gotten an overwhelming amount of mail saying ‘You’ve got to carry the torch.’ Turns out, hit shows aren’t that easy to come by . . . and I get the feeling how we do it will be part of the appeal of season two.”

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Gay activist group plans protest Wednesday against WFLA-Ch. 8 at its front door

More than two weeks have passed since WFLA-Ch. 8 aired as paid programing a controversial documentary titled Speechless: Silencing the Christians, which maintains that a "radical homosexual agenda" has led to unfairly persecuting religious people who find homosexuality morally wrong.

But the statewide gay rights advocacy group Equality Florida isn't willing to let the matter slide. The group has announced a press conference and demonstration at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, in front of WFLA's headquarters at 202 S. Parker St. in Tampa.

Equality Florida spokeswoman Nadine Smith said the group was disappointed that WFLA and executives at the TV station's owner Media General have not apologized for airing the documentary or offered free airtime for a presentation which might offer an opposing view.

Smith said their protest coincides with a local visit by Media General president and CEO Marshall Morton; online materials circulated by the group claim that more than 1,800 people have contacted the station to protest the show's airing in the first place.

The controversy is similar to criticism the St. Petersburg Times faced when it included copies of the controversial documentary Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West with editions of its newspaper.

Though supporters said the film focused on the excesses of extremists, other Muslim advocacy groups said the documentary was an attempt to turn Americans against all Muslims, distributed to newspapers across the country in swing states during an important election year.

Equality Florida has organized around outrage over the documentary, holding a statewide online town hall last week and asking members for $25 donations to help fight future airings of the program. A Facebook page advocating boycott of WFLA has drawn about 500 members.

Turns out, broadcast of the documentary may have helped organize gay people in Florida more than ever -- a rather ironic result.

Check out a sample of the documentary below:

  

Tampa Bay Idol winner and runner-up move up

Samantha Leigh's shot at American Idol fame came down to about 15 seconds; the amount of time she got to blast through Aretha Franklin's Rock Steady during her audition today before American Idol producers in Orlando.

Leigh was the singer I helped choose for a special audition slot handed out through WTVT-Ch. 13's Tampa Bay Idol contest, working with four other judges to sort through 80 applicants and watching 10 finalists sing at a Brandon mall.

Turns out, she and second-place finisher Brad Iturriaga did well, moving to the next stage in Idol's audition process.

Leigh's win guaranteed an audition before the show's producers ahead of the 10,000 people who crowded around Amway Arena today, joining about 50 people who had won similar contests around the region or done well at Disney World's Idol Experience.

 According to Leigh, singers were split into groups and asked to sing when pointed at, standing before four casting producers. Generally, singers got through about 15 seconds of a tune before they were stopped -- nothing like the longer auditions with feedback they show during the Idol broadcasts.

(Here's Leigh with WTVT's Charley Belcher, me, WFLZ's Meredith and singer Belinda Womack last week in Brandon.)

"They tell you ahead of time not to introduce yourself, not to ask for feedback, they just point to you and you sing," said Leigh, 22, who works as a hairstylist and performs at Busch Gardens  in Tampa. "It was crazy, nerve-racking . . . almost surreal."

Leigh and Iturriaga will perform for the show's executive producers later this month -- Fox doesn't publicize those auditions the way they hype the big stadium cattle calls -- and won't face on-camera judges such as Simon Cowell, if they're lucky, until next month.

Leigh didn't even get to meet Idol host Ryan Seacrest, who was there to film some of the opening sequences for the audition shows. "I did get to stand 20 feet away from him," she said, laughing. "Maybe I'll meet him next time."

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As Discovery Channel airs tribute to pitchman Billy Mays tonight, his family OKs continued airing of his commercials

As I originally reported last week, the family of legendary pitchman Billy Mays has given their permission for marketers to continue airing commercials featuring the popular infomercial/spot selling king, who died suddenly in his Tampa home on June 28.

Mays' family issued a statement Wednesday announcing the decision, reached after a conference call held last week with more than a dozen marketers who had built advertising campaigns around Mays. Though Mays' son, Billy Mays III, has made reference to a foundation to be established in his father's name, the Wednesday statement makes no reference to it.

Roger Pliakas, a California attorney representing Mays' family, said in the statement, "Out of respect for Billy's family, most commercials were temporarily pulled off the air as his loss was mourned.  While the mourning and healing process will continue for the family, they have graciously given permission for all the people, inventors, companies and corporations to continue using his likeness on television and packaging pursuant to and honoring all existing agreements that he had in place.  The family hopes this will be done respectfully and at an appropriate time because they strongly believe this is what Billy would have wanted."

The company behind the Mighty Putty and Mighty Mendit products announced Wednesday they will air the last long-form infomercial Mays recorded before his death, a pitch for the Mighty Tape adhesive strips that featured the salesman repairing a leaky air line while scuba diving -- in his trademark blue shirt and khaki pants. 

 "It is important to understand that Billy believed in every product he sold, and he loved nothing more than bringing helpful products to people at a great savings," said his wife Deborah, in the statement.  "He always enjoyed meeting his loyal fans and taking time to really talk to everyday people."

Discovery Channel will air an hourlong tribute to Mays at 9 tonight called Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays, featuring interviews with family members, his co-workers in the infomercial industry and his co-star on the series Pitchmen, Anthony Sullivan. A spokeswoman for the channel said Discovery had not made any decision on the future of Pitchmen, which aired the last episode of its first season July 1.

Pallbearers copied Mays look for his July 3 funeral, carrying the pitchman's coffin clad in his trademark blue shirt and khaki pants.

Discovery has also created a space on YouTube where fans can upload video tributes to Mays. Click here to travel to the site. Look below to see some of the videos already uploaded there.

TNT screens season opener of Leverage in Tampa tonight

There must be a lot of Leverage fans hiding in the Tampa Bay area.

In a move normally reserved for high-profile films, TNT has chosen to screen next Wednesday's second season debut of its popular heist drams Leverage at several cities across the U.S., including Tampa. They're coming to the area thanks to an online vote, which helped the channel choose five cities for screenings among 40 potentials.

Fans can get a early peek at the new Leverage episode at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Good Luck Cafe, 1910 E. 7th Ave., in Ybor City. Each screening also features a Q&A with series executive producers Chris Downey and John Rogers, conducted through the Skype online communication service.

Organizers were originally planning to do this event on Thursday, but then they learned American Idol was holding auditions in Tampa that day.

Luckily, tryouts for Tyra Banks' CW series America's Next Top Model, also taking place in Ybor, right down the street from the Leverage screening at The Ritz today, will be over by 7:30 p.m.

When did Florida become the center of the TV universe?

Tampa Bay Idol winner heading to Orlando auditions: Could she be the next American Idol?

 After a week helping judge WTVT-Ch. 13's Tampa Bay Idol contest, now I understand why Fox is backing up the money truck for Simon Cowell (at last count, a salary of $144-million per season was in the offing).

Joined by MJ Morning Show personality Meredith, area vocalist Belinda Womack and WTVT-Ch. 13 feature reporter Charley Belcher, we slogged through 80 video submissions last Thursday.

Then on Wednesday, we saw 10 finalists sing their hearts out before a crowd of a couple hundred people at the Brandon Mall. But as much as I wanted to unleash my inner Cowell -- best I could do was letting one fella know, gently, that his appearance wasn't quite up to snuff for the gig -- the contestants were just too good.

One kid came looking like a backup singer for Chris Brown and unleashed an amazing take on Somewhere Over the Rainbow (think Jennifer Holiday-meets Sam Harris). Another guy stepped up looking like a roadie for Kid Rock and uncorked a spine-tingling version of Oleta Adams Get Here.

In the end, the crown went to Tampa resident Samantha Leigh (left), who ruled the stage with an energetic cover of Aretha Franklin's Rock Steady.

In addition to having great vocal chops, though, she had a sexy, spunky look, a great outgoing performance attitude and the kind of unexpected act -- punky girl with the soulful vocal chops -- that might make an impression with Idol producers.

Leigh gets a gas card worth $100 and a guaranteed spot before the show's producers when they come to Orlando July 9 to audition Floridians.

We were just hoping to pick someone who might pull a Jordin Sparks and go from local affiliate contest winner to overall Idol champ. (photos courtesy of Fox 13)

Take a look at the video below. I think you'll agree that we may have pulled that off.

 

Local TV graphics bloopers highlights need for proofreaders

It's an open joke in the biz that TV folks -- who often consider themselves less word-oriented than their print-based colleagues -- can be a little spell challenged when it comes to creating onscreen graphics to go with their stories.

Faithful reader David Lubin likes emailing me some of the more interesting errors, so I'm posting them here for everyone to enjoy:

Was this a new area near Progress Village?

July 4th comes later than expected!

What a well ROUNDED graphic!

6 laid off at WTVT-Ch. 13; news finally in HD

Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT-Ch. 13 is the latest TV station to feel an economic pinch, laying off six workers on Thursday including four staffers from its newsroom.

Skeptics predicted that job reductions might follow the start of a new Local News Service allowing WTVT to team with rivals WFTS-Ch. 28 and WTSP-Ch. 10 to gather footage of routine news events.

But WTVT general manager Bill Schneider insisted the job reductions and the LNS were not connected, citing the station's success Saturday in securing the last TV interview with infomercial king Billy Mays before his death as evidence their newsroom continues to move along.

"The decision to make changes in the building is an ongoing process which has lasted a year," he added.

WTVT also plans to debut high-definition newscasts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, making the Fox station the last Tampa broadcaster with a news department to go HD. (WFTS-Ch.28, WTSP-Ch. 10 and WFLA-Ch. 8 were all broadcasting newscasts in HD by January 2008.)

"When you do nine hours of news a day, it's a huge undertaking," said Schneider, noting recent figures from Nielsen Media Research indicated about 41 percent of the market can now watch high-definition programming.

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Hillsborough County medical examiner says Billy Mays showed evidence of heart disease

Turns out, all the speculation about infomercial king Billy Mays hitting his head during a flight or having problems related to hip replacement surgery may be moot: the Hillsborough County medical examiner has ruled out head trauma and blood clots, saying they found evidence of hypertensive heart disease and hardening of the arteries.

Mays, 50, was found dead in his Tampa home Sunday morning by his wife. Because Mays had flown on a airplane that had trouble landing Saturday -- a wheel blew out on landing and Mays told a journalist after getting off the plane that he struck his head during the rough stop -- airwaves and Web sites were filled with speculation about whether the incident might have caused his sudden death.

In a press conference that just concluded, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Dr. Vernard Adams said an official cause of death could take 6 to 8 weeks while they sort through toxicology reports. But they did find evidence of the kind of heart disease which doesn't reveal symptoms in a third of cases until the person affected dies.

"He had no history of heart disease," Adams said in a press conference aired on Bay News 9 cable newschannel. "This came as a total surprise."

See the tribute to Mays I wrote for today's newspaper by clicking here.

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