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1 hour ago, TheRolyPoly said:

 

I think so many of us have it figured out.

 

14 minutes ago, TheRyan said:

 

Have you seen anything similar to that on WEAR?

 

Given the unique nature of the market and how these stations even got mashed up in the first place, I don't think this is going to work. There is just too much to lose by having WEAR turning away from its hyper Florida approach. 

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51 minutes ago, scrabbleship said:

 

 

Given the unique nature of the market and how these stations even got mashed up in the first place, I don't think this is going to work. There is just too much to lose by having WEAR turning away from its hyper Florida approach. 

 

I 100% agree.   Both stations would suffer (especially WEAR and their Florida coverage) if a combined news operation/product is implemented.  Plus, I think the WEAR brand has considerable value that would be lost if they went with a boring generic brand.   

 

Whether or not WEAR has any similar "major announcement" teasers running would be very telling whether this is what could be brewing.  But, for all we know at the moment it could still be something completely different.

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11 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Hmmmm....🤔

 

major announcement.jpg

I'm giving it a benefit of a doubt that its an announcement concerning a retirement or maybe WPMI got a major new hire, specifically in the weather department.

Edited by NEOMatrix
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34 minutes ago, NEOMatrix said:

I'm giving it a benefit of a doubt that its an announcement concerning a retirement or maybe WPMI got a major new hire, specifically in the weather department.

 

If your second theory is true, maybe a certain met with the initials JS is moving down the road?

Edited by Georgie56
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1 hour ago, NEOMatrix said:

I'm giving it a benefit of a doubt that its an announcement concerning a retirement or maybe WPMI got a major new hire, specifically in the weather department.

I'm thinking the latter.....they've been teasing in promos with a guy wearing a "barrels of buttery sunshine" button.

 

With Alan Sealls leaving WKRG....

With Chris Dunn leaving WPMI....

 

I'm willing to bet WPMI just scored their greatest hire ever.....

Edited by tyrannical bastard
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56 minutes ago, NEOMatrix said:

My goodness! This must be the chief meteorologist hire of the millenium that WPMI is hyping up.

If the millennium is in a small geographic area... 

 

I still don’t even know what city we are talking about let alone whatever little announcement they are making could be...

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1 hour ago, ns8401 said:

If the millennium is in a small geographic area... 

 

I still don’t even know what city we are talking about let alone whatever little announcement they are making could be...

Mobile, Alabama and it's likely for the new chief meteorologist.

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24 minutes ago, GoldenShine9 said:

Is Alan Sealls' non-compete up?

It seems like around the time he was last seen on WKRG.   Could have very well have been Mel Showers' last newscast as a main anchor and may have been working without a contract just to see Mel off during the book.... 

 

It was a week or two later that Alan announced he had left WKRG after failing to reach a new contract and that they were very "far apart" in negotiations.

 

Alan has been saying on his weather Facebook page that he WILL be back on a Mobile television station very soon....and with Chris Dunn leaving WPMI opens up a slot since Allen Strum (WEAR) and Jason Smith (WALA) seem to be staying put....

 

Edited by tyrannical bastard
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And the earth-shattering major announcement is...

 

Alan Sealls will be WPMI NBC 15's chief meteorologist starting in January.   

 

https://mynbc15.com/news/local/alan-sealls-the-gulf-coasts-chief-meteorologist-joins-nbc-15-as-chief-meteorologist

 

Surprised his non-compete was only for six months after leaving WKRG.

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And just like that, once Alan Sealls joins WPMI in 2020,  the anchors at WPMI will become the most experienced anchor team in the market Mobile.

(WEAR over in Pensacola's anchors are the most seasoned...and Bob Solarski is still kicking it 11 years after his "Tom McGee" incident!)

 

It's been  a very tumultuous year in the Mobile area....

Bob Grip started the year by stepping down from longtime home WALA.

 

Flash forward to May, and the 50th year of Mel Showers turned into his last as he announced he was stepping down from WKRG. 

After Mel's "final" newscast  (he filled in a few more times), then Alan slipped away when his contract negotiations broke down.  Makes me wonder if this has been in the works for quite some time.

 

Right before Alan's bombshell, WPMI and WJTC disappeared from AT&T along with the Sinclair sidecars.  A month later, so did WKRG and WFNA along with the rest of Nexstar.

Nexstar returned earlier in the fall and it was only a week or two ago that WPMI and WJTC returned.   The day after, the "teaser" promos began airing (a coincidence?)

 

Back to WPMI...they have been "short" ever since Kelly Jones left and went over to radio.  She was brought over by their now-former GM who both used to work at KCTV in Kansas City.

It's gotten even worse with the departures of Jake Dunne, who served as a semi-morning meteorologist (3 days a week & weekends) while Kelly Foster did double duty 2 days a week as anchor and morning met, and as morning/noon anchor when Jake was on the show.   Jake left for Wichita and was soon replaced by Kyle Hanson from El Paso.  Then Chief met Chris Dunn exited after 4 years "to spend more time with family."  Methinks his contract was not renewed and getting Alan on board was kicked into high gear.  Kelly Foster has been filling in evenings, and on weekends (or when no one else is available)....WEAR has been filling in with pre-taped forecasts with their weather people, and weather has even been read by the weekend anchors if it's a clear day that just requires the 7-day.

 

So with all of this austerity, could this have all been the reason?  Or was Nexstar simply that cheap and needed to pare six figures from their WKRG payroll?  (It was rumored that Mel Showers was making that much after that many years...)

 

Viewers were distraught when Alan left WKRG.  Will he be able to single-handedly lure viewers over to the forever doormat WPMI?

As long as Sinclair doesn't screw this up.  12 years ago, they were reeling (under Clear Channel) when they canned all 3 prime anchors (Kim Mcrea, Drexel Gilbert and Peter Albrecht)...the latter 2 used to work for WKRG, and they do, once again...

 

And an interesting footnote...

 

While Alan was going viral over this.....

 

WPMI was going viral over THIS...

Edited by tyrannical bastard
correction
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7 hours ago, DirtyHarry said:

 

This Tom McGee? I vaguely remember something ... Interesting clip, by the way.

 

 

 

Yep.   While Tom McGee was canned each time after his DUIs, Bob Solarski was suspended just long enough to do an apology sweeps piece the following November.

 

Tom McGee's antics involved driving the wrong way the first time and with a flat tire the second.  Bob Solarski?   He was passed out in his vehicle after ramming into several cars in a parking lot.

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