MD TV

Yeah, we hear all about the sports-related carriage fees but this is probably the highest carriage fee for a channel that doesn't carry any sports.

The 24th it is: https://deadline.com/2023/04/newsnation-expanding-24-hour-weekday-schedule-newsnation-now-block-1235329514/ The 1-5PM block will be known as NewsNation Now.

After one year in DC, WTTG's Claire Anderson is going back to Seattle: Also, WTTG added Shomari Stone :

Reporter Brian Thompson is retiring May 5th: https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/longtime-wnbc-reporter-brian-thompson-to-retire-in-may/247960/#

Sinclair signed a deal with Youtube TV to add the Tennis Channel, T2 (a free Tennis Channel spinoff channel), Charge! and TBD starting June 1st (during week 1 of the French Open). The deal also extends carriage of their CBS and MyNetwork TV stations: https://sbgi.net/sinclair-broadcast-group-announces-distribution-agreement-with-youtube-tv-to-add-carriage-of-tennis-channel-t2-charge-and-tbd/

Guess what:

New hire coming:

Also, NESN already has one and MSG announced their plans a few weeks ago.

Yeah, in DC WDCW is available but not WDVM (yet).

Look, you'll never get positive opinions for those kinds of changes on social media. If they can survive forecasts without the Jim O'Brien cloud, they can survive this.

Here's Pat Lawson Muse's goodbye from WRC-TV: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/the-news4-team-salutes-pat-lawson-muse-as-she-retires/3312704/ Also, one more wrinkle about mornings there: Tony Perkins has an afternoon radio gig, so I don't blame him for wanting an extra hour of sleep.

Isn't Amber Lee due back soon from maternity leave?

Today was Eun's last day doing mornings: And this is Pat's last week.

New round of layoffs coming to ESPN. Bob Iger did say last month that layoffs were coming to Disney; The article says that Stephen A. Smith, Scott Van Pelt, and Joe Buck/Troy Aikman are on the short list of those who are safe.

Yeah, there's been price hikes recently for the competing services. Plus, the Sunday Ticket deal isn't cheap (even if that's gonna be a separate fee). And god only knows how much ESPN's carriage fee has gone up in the past 3 years.

Annabelle Sedano has been hired as a new 3PM and 5PM anchor: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/community/nbc4-names-annabelle-sedano-as-news-anchor/3115314/

Nexstar has an agreement with YouTube TV to carry their non-big 4 stations: https://www.nexstar.tv/nexstar-reaches-multi-year-agreement-with-youtube-tv-for-launch-of-59-nexstar-stations-including-its-cw-mynet-and-independent-television-stations/ In addition, it includes contract extensions with NewsNation and their CBS stations.

Also taking a buyout is station veteran Doug Geed. His last day will be in July.

And here's her first report for ABC: https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/major-winter-storm-expected-dump-5-feet-snow-97683809?fromLive=true

Hoda's back:

That's what, the third high-profile retirement on that station in less than 6 months. Erika Gonzalez last month said that she was permanently moving to the 11am newscast, so I should've figured that time was getting slim for Pat.

WRNN 7 PM newscast from October 13, 1998 (partial): WNBC NewsChannel 4 at 11 from October 24, 1996. Right before Michelle Marsh joined the station, and thus would've probably filled in for Sue here:

Somara Theodore, who did weather for WRC-TV and Saturday Today, is joining ABC News as a New York-based meteorologist:

Turns out Hoda has a family emergency: