Screen Capture

Screen Capture

WPVI debuts their new digs

"Impressed" would be my word to describe WPVI's new facilities. You too can see the new facilities here in a 16 minute tour given by Matt O'Donnell and David Murphy. The tour shows the lobby, newsroom, accuweather office, microwave control room, studio/set and the "Action News Patio" overlooking Monument Road. The new set is quite impressive as well! The crystal city skyline is to the left rear of the anchor desk...the accuweather set to the right, as before. "...Alot sleeker looking all-in-all..." as evidenced by the debut on-air tonight, during the 11 o'clock newscast...shown at about 11:44 p.m. after Nascar on ABC. Adam Joseph broadcast the first outside weather teaze from a new outdoor locale as well. No more weather off City Avenue with the "honkers" driving by in the background. Also new, the "7 day Accuweather forecast"...where the 5 day graphic is displayed as before. Then, instead of the former "look ahead" graphic, the 5 day graphic now expands to "day 6 and day 7", taking up the full screen, to allow the talent to walk back to the anchor desk from the green screen.
Rob Jennings got the honor of christening the anchor chair--putting Action News on their newest journey in broadcast journalism.

Action News

We're only a matter of weeks away from the crew at PVI to be hanging their hat in their new building that was completed a few months back. Everyone has moved in and the news staff are now in the process of making their move. As I wrote below (from April)--I'm told there won't be any real drastic changes in the new set. Has anyone noticed the "crystal city skyline" is gone from the current set? I'm told big money was paid for that and it will be incorporated into the new set. Plans call for the crew to soon begin doing duplicate newscasts from the new studio as a rehearsal for going live from there in the next few weeks.

Posted 4/09: Look for the crew at WPVI to move into their new digs, next door, and be broadcasting from there by early September. I'm told that staff is pretty psyched about the new state-of-the-art facility along Monument Road just east of City Avenue and their current home which was considered "state-of-the-art" back in the day. Don't look for any drastic change in the on-air look of the Action News broadcasts, however. I'm told there will be a few tweaks here and there that are in the plan but overall--the home of Action News will pretty much look as it does now.

Sean Murphy Drives Into The Sunset

Former CW57 "Wake Up News" traffic reporter Sean Murphy--who transferred to CBS3 in June when "Wake Up News" awoke at 5 a.m. for the last time--has been canned from CBS3. Marnie Hall's Philly Gossip recently reported that initial rumors were that the features/traffic back-up reporter recently signed a 3 year contract to remain at KYW. However, management took an early-out clause and bid farewell to Murphy instead. Murphy is married to the daughter of former CBS3 General Manager Michael Colleran who retired from CBS3 about five months ago and seemed to be Murphy's biggest fan. Time will tell who Bob Kelly's official back-up will be but smart money would bet on Jamie Shupak?

Shupak Clearing The Way..

Philadelphia Inquirer's Inqlings reporter, Michael Klein, reported yesterday the "clearing of the way" for Jamie Shupak, the FOX 29 Traffic reporter for weekday FOX 29 news broadcasts. Shupak has been an interim fill-in for the departed Dorthy Krysiuk since October 2008. FOX 29's reason for the decision is "economics" and will have the anchors voiceover the traffic problems over the video feeds from Penndot. Shupak will most likely use her nine months on-air experience to add to her resume for another traffic gig, most likely, outside of Philadelphia. Traffic Pulse provides traffic information to Channels 3, 6, 10 and 29 while Metro/Shadow Traffic provides their information to Channel 3 as well as local radio stations and XM/Sirius.
Who knows if it's really "economics" or just a change of direction by management. In reviewing the FOX blogs, it seems she has about a 60/40 group out there. About 40% seem to like her and about 60% who seem to dislike her. Comments were posted about her wearing yellow nail polish (something one would do in college, one person posted); her annoying voice, her lack of professional dress (too tight blouses, belly blouses exposing her stomach on-air as several posted) and even a comment from another about her having "great camel toe"! Based on some of the postings, I would think management might have decided to find someone else "down the road" a little more polished and professional.

Mike Jerrick's First Day...

Mike Jerrick's return to FOX 29 was today and his first day on "Good Day Philadelphia" was uneventful. He kissed co-host Sheinelle Jones and weathergal, Sue Serio, who commented "do you believe I'm still here!". Later, as he introduced traffic reporter, Jamie Shupak, he walked over to her to give a kiss on the cheek...all very hokey and silly stuff. GDP's John Anderson was reporting live from the Lehigh Valley on the Eagles summer camp with Hugh Douglas. Does FOX 29 really think Douglas has the chops for television? Wow---the guy is a disgrace to television professionals!

Jerrick returned to Philadelphia from his cancelled national FOX show "The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet" that lasted two years. He hosted GDP for three years from 1999 until 2002 when he bolted for a national gig with FOX News Channel.

Philadelphia Daily News' Dan Gross reports that plans are in the works for GDP to expand from four hours to five beginning September. John Anderson will co-host from 5 a.m. till 7 a.m. with Jones and then give up the anchor chair to Jerrick from 7 a.m. till 10 a.m.

Jerrick began his TV career at Topeka Kansas station WIBW-TV and later moved on to New York's WNYW-TV as a producer for a time before moving on to San Francisco station KPIX-TV. Jerrick also worked for HBO, Sci-Fi, the "America's Talking" cable network as well as CNBC.