Scripps, Gray report fourth-quarter revenues

The E.W. Scripps Co. and Gray Television each reported their respective fourth-quarter 2011 revenue this morning, and in both cases, each company saw double-digit overall decreases, but non-political advertising revenue actually climbed.

Scripps, which owns the Evansville Courier & Press and Henderson Gleaner, saw total revenue for the quarter fall by 16% compared to last year, with its overall newspaper division revenue declining by 3.3%.  Television revenue was likewise down, and the addition of the former McGraw-Hill stations (including Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV-6) didn't affect overall financial performance for the quarter.

See Scripps' full fourth-quarter report here.

Gray - the owner of Bowling Green, Ky. ABC/Fox/CW affiliate WBKO-13, saw its overall revenue decline by 26% for the quarter compared to the same period in 2010; however, the company did record substantial increases in local, national and internet ad revenue, as well as retransmission consent dollars.

The company also received consulting revenue for its assistance in running stations owned by Young Broadcasting, including WKRN-2 in Nashville.

You can see Gray's full report here.

CBS, Kennedy Center extend Kennedy Center Honors TV deal through 2018

CBS and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have reached a new agreement that will keep the annual Kennedy Center Honors broadcast on CBS through 2018. The new deal further extends one of the longest broadcast partnerships in television history.  The special has been broadcast on CBS each year since its debut in 1978.

“The Kennedy Center Honors continues to be one of the most prestigious broadcasts on all of television, and we are honored to be its host,” said Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation.  “It is a unique event that reinforces our country's collective appreciation for the performing arts with tremendous class, style and, yes, entertainment.  We are proud to join forces with the Kennedy Center and our friends in Washington to continue presenting this annual event.”

“We are pleased to renew this commitment with CBS,” said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein. “Every year, the broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors brings millions of arts lovers into the nation’s center for the performing arts.  We value and respect the strong commitment of Leslie Moonves and CBS to the performing arts and look forward to honoring the best of the arts in America.”

▼ Read more of this story after the jump.

Each year, in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, the Kennedy Center Honorees are saluted by great performers from Hollywood and the arts capitals of the world.  Seated with the President and First Lady, the recipients accept the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

The Kennedy Center Honorees are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts — whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures or television — and are selected by the Center’s Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; the selection process, over the years, has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.

In 2011, the Kennedy Center Honors was awarded the Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy Special for the third consecutive year. Over the years, the broadcast has been awarded a total of eight Emmys. The program has also been recognized with the Peabody Award for Outstanding Meritorious Service to Broadcasting, and seven awards from the Writers Guild of America.

Information for this story was provided by CBS via CBS44 WEVV.

Nexstar names Zink new VP/GM of WEHT Local, Local 7 WTVW

Nexstar Broadcasting announced Thursday that it has named Arika Zink as the new vice-president and general manager of its Evansville-market television stations, ABC affiliate WEHT Local (ch. 25) and independent Local 7 WTVW (ch. 7).

Zink, who has 25 years' experience in television broadcasting, comes to the Tri-State after two years managing Four Points Media's TV stations in West Palm Beach, Fla. Those stations include CW, MyNetwork TV and Azteca America affiliates.

In addition to her time in Florida, Zink has worked at stations in South Carolina, Ohio and her home state of West Virginia.

Zink replaces Mike Smith, who is retiring after nine years with Nexstar, the last six of those at WTVW. He became WEHT's general manager in December 2011 when the two stations combined their operations under Nexstar management.

"I am excited to work again with Nexstar and the teams at WEHT Local, Local 7 WTVW and Tristatehomepage.com, as we deliver additional compelling local news and entertainment programming, expand our relationships with the community and continue to grow our menu of outstanding marketing solutions across multiple platforms for our advertising partners," Zink said in a statement released Thursday. "I look forward to immediately joining the Evansville community and developing strong relationships with local businesses and community organizations.

"Arika is a proven leader, having administered successful policies and procedures to further enhance the effectiveness of station operations, leading teams to produce revenue generating results," said Nexstar executive vice-president and co-chief operating officer Tim Busch. "Having tracked Arika’s success in West Palm Beach for the last several years, we are confident in her ability to provide the Tri-State community exceptional service while delivering compelling and effective marketing solutions for local and national advertisers."

Nexstar Broadcasting has owned WEHT Local since December 2011, and manages the operations of WTVW, which is owned by Mission Broadcasting, under the terms of a shared services agreement.

39th annual WNIN Action Auction set for Apr. 24-28

WNIN has announced that its 39th annual Action Auction will be held Apr. 24-28, with a sneak peek at the items up for bid on Apr. 23 from 5-7 p.m. CT, as well as online at wninactionauction.org.

The Action Auction is an annual televised WNIN fundraiser enjoyed by thousands of viewers, and will air from 6 to 10 p.m. each night.  

Proceeds from the auction help fund WNIN's mission to serve the community with programming and outreach in education, health, arts & culture, business and government. Without support from viewers like you, WNIN could not keep these programs on the air.

In addition, if you own a Tri-State business and would like to donate items for the Action Auction, you can click here for an informational packet, or you can call Ashley Murray at (812) 423-2973 for more info.

Information for this story was provided by WNIN.

Townsquare Media stations hosting St. Jude Radiothon today, tomorrow

The Townsquare Media radio stations in Evansville and Owensboro - 99.5 WKDQ, 103GBF, 105.3 WJLT, 106.1 KISS-FM, NewsTalk 1280 WGBF, 92.5 WBKR and NewsTalk 1490 WOMI - are hosting their annual Radiothon for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital both today and tomorrow.

St. Jude's, founded by the late actor Danny Thomas, brings hope and help to thousands of critically ill children each and every year.  For 50 years, the hospital and research center in Memphis have worked to develop new treatments and search for a cure for childhood cancers, and you can help.

If you'd like to help support the mission of St. Jude's, pick up the phone and call toll-free to become a Partner in Hope: (800) 201-8883, (800) 779-5121 or (800) 942-8731.

PHOTO FROM THE PAST: WTVW's news staff in the late '70s

Click the photo to see it in full size.

The photograph above - sent in by a friend of JDTVB, who kindly identified all of the folks in the photo - was taken sometime in either 1978 or 1979, and it shows WTVW-Channel 7's news staff at that time, on the news set.

If you have a Photo from the Past that you'd like to share with JDTVB's readers, please email me at jnewkirk77@att.net and let me know.

Announcers named for this year's NCAA Tournament

This afternoon, CBS Sports and Turner Sports announced their lineup of broadcast teams for the second year of combined coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.  Again this year, both companies will provide live, full national coverage of the tournament’s 67 games across four networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – as well as across multiple platforms including NCAA March Madness Live.

The tournament tips off on Tuesday, Mar. 13 and Wednesday, Mar. 14 with the NCAA FIRST FOUR on truTV. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr will be courtside calling the action from Dayton, Ohio on Mar. 13, with Tracy Wolfson reporting. The quartet will team up again when the tournament concludes on CBS Sports with the Final Four and National Championship game live from New Orleans, La. on Saturday, Mar. 31, and Monday, Apr. 2.

Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, along with courtside reporter Lewis Johnson, handle the call for the FIRST FOUR games on Wednesday, Mar. 14.

Following are the announcer pairings for the second and third rounds (Thursday, Mar. 15 through Sunday, Mar. 18):

• Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg
• Marv Albert and Steve Kerr
• Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore and Reggie Miller
• Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
• Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner
• Tim Brando and Mike Gminski
• Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel

Tracy Wolfson, Craig Sager, Lesley Visser, Marty Snider, Lewis Johnson, Jaime Maggio and Otis Livingston will serve as courtside reporters throughout the tournament.
 

CBS Sports and Turner Sports will again broadcast from two studios, based in New York and Atlanta, to cover all the tournament action. Studio coverage will again be anchored by Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson with Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith providing analysis throughout the tournament from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.  Matt Winer anchors the coverage from Turner Broadcasting’s Atlanta studio and will be joined by Seth Davis and Steve Smith. 

During the Regional semi-finals and finals, Gumbel will remain in the New York studio alongside Barkley, Anthony and Kenny Smith, while Johnson will shift to the Atlanta studios to join Davis and Steve Smith.

Studio coverage for the FIRST FOUR originates from Atlanta and will feature Johnson, Barkley, Anthony, Davis and Kenny Smith on Tuesday with Winer, Davis and Steve Smith providing analysis on Wednesday. 

In the first year of its 14-year partnership, Turner Sports’ and CBS Sports’ exclusive live coverage of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship was the most-watched tournament since 2005, averaging 10.2 million total viewers.  In 2011, more than 176 million people tuned into the tournament.

Information for this story was provided by CBS Sports.