Mike Francis has been chief meteorologist at 11 Alive for about two and a half years. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Mike Francis, chief meteorologist at the NBC affiliate 11 Alive here since the summer of 2011, has left the station.

Why? I am not 100% sure but I’m told he was taken off air before his contract was up. He has not found a new gig that I know of so this was not a voluntary departure.

I first reported this news Monday afternoon. Later in the day, the 11 Alive Facebook page confirmed the news when someone inquired:

Thanks for writing. Mike Francis is no longer at 11Alive. Veteran meteorologist Chris Holcomb 11Alive will be taking over the weeknight weather duties. We’re currently doing a nationwide search for a world class meteorologist to join Chris, Chesley McNeil 11Alive and Allison Chinchar 11Alive to ensure you’ll always have the weather information you need to keep you informed and safe.

His work Facebook page has not been updated since Jan. 10, the last time he was on air. (They are going to disconnect it soon.) But he still has his own here, which he is updating on a regular basis

He is also Tweeting on his own Twitter address (@MikeFrancisWX) about the weather as if nothing is happening. He has about 4,400 followers.

When I reached him by phone Monday, Francis said, “Everything is fine. My wife is calling me. I need to call you back.” (He didn’t call me back.)

UPDATE 1/30/14: On Facebook, the following week, he later again declined to comment, referring me to his attorney Rick Carr, who could only say he’s looking for employment, preferably in Atlanta, but isn’t sure he’d be able to get out of his non-compete clause and join another station sooner.

There have been plenty of rumors I’ve heard about why Francis was let go but due to the separation agreement, it’s clear Francis has been paid to keep his mouth shut. Carr did say it wasn’t an official “firing.” So what was it? A forced resignation? Possibly.

Multiple sources told me that on Saturday, January 11, when a major storm was coming into Atlanta, most of the staff was in the building at 6 a.m. – except Francis, their main weather person. He didn’t respond to calls for six hours. By the time noon rolled around when he finally responded, he was suspended and soon off the air permanently. Clearly, that was not the only reason why he lost his gig but it seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

His former bosses have not gotten back to me about the situation. That alone makes it clear this was not a very clean departure.

An insider told me Holcomb, a long-time weekend meteorologist, has been angling for the weekday job for a long time.

In an interview soon after he arrived, Francis told me how much he loved the weather ever since he was a child. A self-described adrenaline junkie, he was a tornado chaser in the past as well, spending 10 years at an affiliate in Little Rock, Ark.  He has seen more than 40 tornados live.  General manager John Deushane at the time said he had a “fire in the belly” for weather.

Indeed, his passion for the weather is readily apparent on both the TV and his blog and social media entries.

You can read my entire interview with him at the time here.

The intro video WXIA-TV did for him in 2011 lives on on YouTube:

The Weather Channel provides plenty of warnings today about the forthcoming storm it dubs Pax.

While things are not quite crazy yet, the local TV news stations and the Weather Channel are prepping for the worst, with anchors and meteorologists using words like potentially “catastrophic” and “devastating” for the forthcoming ice storm.

The massive ice/snow traffic jam of two weeks ago made for compelling visuals in terms of absurd tie ups and was relatively unexpected, which made for great TV. Plus, people didn’t lose power so everyone got to watch if they weren’t stuck on the roads.

This time around, no matter how severe it becomes, coverage will be more conventional. We’ve had plenty of forewarning. People have emptied the bread aisles at Publix, bought out wood for their fireplaces and filled their gas tanks. Virtually everything will be closed tomorrow. Only idiots will voluntarily be on the roads Wednesday.

And if people do lose their electricity, TV doesn’t get much ratings benefit.

TV meteorologists and reporters today are noting that things aren’t too bad right now, but life will start getting rough starting overnight. “This is not a system to be taken lightly,” said meteorologist Joanne Feldman at Fox 5 at 1:52 p.m., preempting “TMZ Live.” “You might just want to stay home. Hunker down. Stay safe and do your best to stay warm.”

With not much going on, the four local broadcast networks with news staffs were airing regular programs as of 2 p.m.

At 3 p.m., both Channel 2 Action news and Fox 5 chose to run Gov. Nathan Deal’s press conference live, preempting “Katie” and “Steve Harvey,” respectively. 11 Alive chose to stay with the Olympics while CBS Atlanta kept ‘The Young and the Restless” on.

Mike Dreaden, news director at Channel 2, sent me this note, after I asked if they’d be bringing back the screen with 25 reporters on it like they did two weeks ago:

We can do better than 25 Rodney! J  However, this time around we’ve got the staff working 12 on/12 off shifts and we’re covering overnights with more people than usual…so people are spread out across the day.  Still, we’ll have 20 reporters in the 6pm hour tonight, so we’ve got plenty of manpower deployed to cover the storm.  We are positioned all across the metro for the snow and ice.  Our extended coverage will continue tonight at 10pm and we’ll be on all night as the storm develops.  We plan to have coverage all day/night on Wednesday right into Thursday.  In addition to our TV coverage, we are live streaming all of this on our digital platforms and offering a lot of original video content on our mobile and web sites.  So even if viewers lose power they will be able to watch us and stay up to date on everything they need to know.

Glenn Burns, chief meteorologist at WSB, at 3:26 p.m., said the icing could be comparable, if not worse, than the ice storm of 2000 which resulted in 350,000 people without power. There are some predictions of 1.5 inches of ice in North Georgia, which Burns said is only comparable to a storm going back 41 years.

“Be prepared,” he said, “for massive power outages.”

Trey Fabacher, general manager at CBS Atlanta, said the station news operations has everyone on 12-hour shifts, with all news vans stocked with food and out on the road. They have chosen spots around town to do live shots, all with two shifting camera crews and all near hotels. Harry Samler will be at GDOT to track government operations. Fabacher himself has brought in a sleeping bag, anticipating he may be sleeping in his office in Midtown the next two or three nights.

CBS will also simulcast some of its weather coverage tomorrow on talk station 640/WGST-AM, which may help folks who do lose power and may only have a transistor radio.

A spokeswoman for Fox 5 emailed me to say the station is using social media heavily and featuring comments, video and photos from there. “It’s likely that we’ll see significant extended coverage overnight and into the day on Wednesday. We have live reporters all over the Atlanta metro and north/central Georgia. We’ll geo-target the hardest hit areas with live field reports throughout the winter emergency,” she wrote.

Atlanta-based Weather Channel, which is dubbing this storm Pax, had Jim Cantore in Charleston, S.C. when the last storm hit. This time, he’s going to Augusta, where a lot of snow is anticipated.

The network has dumped all reality programming until Thursday and will run 24/7 live programming on the winter storm.

95.5 FM and AM750 News/Talk WSB has stocked up on food to feed its team the next several days and all essential on-air staff is either staying in walking distance or staying at WSB headquarters in Midtown, according to Condace Pressley, assistant program director.

11 Alive, the NBC affiliate, is in the most awkward position because it’s airing the Winter Olympics. While the other three networks as of 4 p.m. were airing weather coverage, NBC was airing cross-country skiing. It later did run some local coverage but is obligated to air the Olympics during primetime, at least tonight before the weather really goes bad. It’ll be interesting to see how they balance Sochi with the local ice storm.

UPDATE: Wednesday, 9:15 a.m.: 11 Alive GM John Deushane sent me this note:

We sent 15 crews out to various points in the DMA on Monday with hotel accommodations. At the station, we created sleeping accommodations for 50 people and we’re all working in shifts (if 22 hours can be considered a shift!). Gannett is always very helpful with sending in extra equipment from other stations as well and we prepared for those arrangements last Friday.

Our main Olympic coverage is still airing on 11Alive (3P – 5P and 8P-11:30P), but other key NBC programming (Today Show, Days of Our Lives) is moving to THEAtl channel 36. All of our live news coverage is also being streamed to mobile devices and online at 11alive.com

WSB-TV, WSB Radio and ajc.com are all owned by Cox Media Group.

Jeff Hullinger will be doing sports anchoring on 11 Alive at 6 and 11. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Jeff Hullinger is returning to his sports roots: he will doing sports anchoring at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m  on top of his existing duties as 10 p.m. news anchor on WATL-TV and general news assignment reporting.

Ellen Crooke, his news director, made the announcement this morning via email.

He joined WXIA-TV, the NBC affiliate, in 2010, then started his WATL duties in 2011 along with his 11 Alive reporting job.

Hullinger has had a long history in Atlanta. He spent 18 years at WAGA-TV from 1984 to 2002 covering sports. From 2007 to 2009, he anchored at WSB Radio. For a time, he was unemployed but Crooke brought him back to TV in 2010.

What becomes of sports anchor Sam Crenshaw, who has been with 11 Alive for more than 15 years? Her memo doesn’t mention Crenshaw, who has been on a month-to-month basis there and hasn’t been on air as much lately.

Fred Kalil last July stepped down as evening sports anchor and has remained as a sports features reporter, citing health issues.

Sports anchor Randy Waters retired last year after 29 years.

***

CNN is shifting 50 jobs, which means folks in those positions will have to reapply for new jobs if they want to stay – or take a severance package, according to TVNewser.

Many of those jobs are in Atlanta, where half of CNN’s overall staff is based. Departments impacted include CNN Digital, CNN Money, Newsgathering and the CNN Library.

The network is integrating digital and TV news gathering and overall head count is not expected to change.

***

Lamman Rucker and Denise Boutte star in the UP Original Movie “Where’s The Love?,” a romantic drama about two popular, married TV talk show hosts UP TV

Atlanta-based UpTV is debuting a new film that was shot locally on Saturday May 3 at 7 p.m. called  “Where’s The Love?”

The film stars Lamman Rucker (UP’s Sugar Mommas, “Meet the Browns”), Denise Boutte (“Meet the Browns,” “Days of Our Lives”), Terri J. Vaughn, Ahmed Lucan, David Banner, Shirley Strawberry (of Steve Harvey’s morning radio show), Tommy Ford and Trina Braxton.

V-103’s Big Tigger is in the film, too.

Here’s a summary of what it’s about:

It is the one-year anniversary of the talk show Where’s The Love?, hosted by married relationship experts and doctors Sebastian (Lamman Rucker) and Ryan Reid (Denise Boutte).  They are in their mid-30s, great looking and have a successful counseling practice complete with best-selling books and an Emmy^®-nominated TV show.  Ryan and Sebastian seem to have it all, but secretly their relationship is falling apart.  They’ve been keeping up appearances to Sebastian’s sister Kai (Terri J. Vaughn) and her husband Rod (Darian “Big Tigger” Morgan), Ryan’s best friend Sidney (David Banner), their producer Paige (Nicole Eggert), Ryan’s editor Dale (Karon Joseph Riley), their patients, their fans and the public to save their lucrative careers – until one day when it all comes out.  Now, Ryan and Sebastian have to decide whether their own marriage can be saved.

11 Alive’s Matt Pearl, who won six Emmys in 2012, took home another three Saturday night. CREDIT; Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

At the Southeast Emmys awards this past weekend at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, Channel 2 Action News took home news and station excellence award, just like 2013.

11 Alive, the NBC affiliate, matched its Emmy total from last year, with the most of any station: 20. It won for best newscast in the major market category.

For the first time, several categories were split so Hispanic stations could be honored separately. Telemundo Atlanta won best newscast and station excellence.

Hosts Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel and Vinnie Politan of HLN co hosted an efficient show, which finished 15 minutes earlier than normal.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Southeast Emmy organization showed highlights from past awards shows, including clips of former hosts such as Jeff Foxworthy and Alton Brown.

One of the most amusing moments was bringing back Mark Pettit, who 23 years earlier had lost his job at 11 Alive as an anchor but paid for his own ticket to the ceremony and won an Emmy – despite being unemployed. As a joke, he decided to resurrect the sign he used in 1991 which said: “I Will Anchor For Food.”

But in the spirit of bygones-be-bygones, he included on the back of the sign, “It’s all good!”

Mark Pettit, who now runs PR shop Creaxion, was an anchor for 11 Alive in 1991 when he got let go during a major purge.  CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

11 Alive’s Matthew Pearl took home three Emmys, including best sports reporter and video journalist. His colleague Devin Fehely took home five, including best general assignment reporter. WXIA’s Rebecca Lindstrom won for best live reporter.

WSB-TV’s Justin Farmer won for best anchor among English-language stations. His colleague Jodie Fleischer nabbed the best investigative reporter Emmy.

The entire list of winners is here.

11 Alive anchor Brenda Wood accepts the best newscast Emmy with her boss (right) Ellen Crooke. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Here’s the tally of the Atlanta stations that received the most Emmys:

WXIA-TV:  20

WSB-TV: 10

Georgia Public Broadcasting: 9

Telemundo: 6

Fox Sports South: 6

Public Broadcasting Atlanta; 4

WGCL-TV: 2

Univision: 2

WAGA-TV: 2

Host and Weather Channel reporter Jim Cantore, 11 Alive community relations specialist Evelyn Mims, attorney (and HLN regular) Darryl B. Cohen and Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

And here are some of the categories won by Atlanta stations:

Television News Gathering Excellence, general assignment: WXIA-TV’s WWII Veteran Flyboy Funeral, Steve Flood, Jaye Watson

Television News Gathering Excellence, breaking news: WSB-TV January Tornado, Mike Dreaden, Ross Cavitt, Casey Nichols

Television Crafts Achievement Excellence, spot news: WSB-TV Passed Out Driver, Justin Crate, Liz Artz

Television Crafts Achievement Excellence, team coverage: WSB-TV McNair School Shooting

Television News Gathering Excellence, continuing coverage: WXIA-TV, Nathan Dwight & the N-Word, Devin Fehely

Television News Gathering Excellence, investigative report: WAGA-TV, District attorney, drug money, Mindy Larcom, Dale Russell, Randall Rinehart, Travis Shields, Michael Carlin

Emmy host and HLN host Vinnie Politan, after the ceremony, with his wife Dolly. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Channel 2 Action News (WSB) is operated by Cox Media Group, which includes The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Vinnie Politan will be leaving HLN July 3 for 11 Alive. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Vinnie Politan is leaving Atlanta-based HLN July 3 and joining the NBC affiliate 11 Alive as a morning anchor, I’ve learned exclusively.

WXIA-TV General Manager John Deushane confirmed the news to me but couldn’t provide any details.

11 Alive sent a memo to staff today saying he will join Karyn Greer in the mornings starting the first week of August, effectively replacing Ted Hall, who left last year to return to Knoxville.

Politan referred comments to HLN, which released a statement: “Vinnie has been a tremendous asset to HLN over the years.  We thank him and wish him only the best.”

He currently hosts “HLN Now” from 2 to 5 p.m. weekdays.  Other shows he has hosted for HLN in the past: “On The Case,” “After Dark,” and “Making it in America.”

Politan graduated Stanford University as an undergraduate and received his law degree at Seton Hall School of Law. He started an an assistant prosecutor in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, then practiced as a private attorney before switching to journalism.

He worked as as reporter and anchor for Central Florida News 13 in Orlando in the early 2000s and covered the disputed 2000 presidential election during the “hanging chad” controversy. He joined Atlanta-based Court TV (now TruTV) in 2001 as a correspondent and host, then oversaw the TruTV’s court-based “In Session” programming, which went away last year. He split time between TruTV and HLN from 2009 until 20013. For a time, he also hosted a morning show on Sirius/XM radio.

Over the years, he has covered many of the highest-profile court cases including trials of Robert Blake,  Lindsay Lohan, Casey Anthony,  Jodi Arias and George Zimmerman.

HLN itself has changed management over the past year and rebranded itself as the “social media” network.

His departure signifies a continued move away from court-focused coverage, which tends  to be feast or famine.

Last week, there were rumors that HLN might be merged with the edgy journalistic venture Vice.

Here is a sample of Politan’s work on HLN:

And here’s a touching tribute to his late father:

CineStars’ Brittany Umar and I discuss Bachelorette Andi Dorfman leaving the District Attorney’s Office, HLN host Vinnie Politan’s move to 11Alive and Ken Cook’s retirement.

Mike Francis was chief meteorologist at 11 Alive for about two and a half years until earlier this year. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Mike Francis, who left 11 Alive earlier this year as chief meteorologist under murky circumstances, wrote a Facebook post last Friday that suggests he is done with TV news:

A lot of people have been asking me if I am going to get back into TV or if I am done with it….. Here is a “prime” example of why I am done with the insanity known as TV news…..

http://www.showbiz411.com/2014/06/26/abc-news-in-disarray-with-sawyer-ousting-view-firings-walters-return-muir-promotion

A source of mine said he heard Francis might be going into real estate. He didn’t respond to a text related to his Facebook post above.

UPDATE July 2: Francis posted a blog entry at wxgeeknation.com where he confirmed what my source told me. He is indeed going into real estate after 17 years in TV news:

He said in the blog that he was a successful home-builder in Arkansas, where he worked before coming to Atlanta in 2012.

Given the rules in Georgia, he said it would be easier to become a real estate agent here. He said Keller Williams with Denise Buchanan and Kate Boccia at the office in Roswell “have taken me under their wing and as of last week I am a fully licensed Realtor beginning the process of building my real estate business.” He even posted his new business card:

He still plans to chase tornadoes in the plains, he wrote. “Who knows, I might land back on the air in Atlanta because I will not be leaving this city anytime soon. You will most likely see me on the air in Atlanta in some capacity one day, I will let you know the second I do.”

(Jimmy Baron, formerly of 99x and Dave FM, is a Keller Williams real estate agent as well.)

Francis was let go from the NBC affiliate in January after about 18 months at the job.  Sources at the time told me the last straw was when he didn’t respond to calls on a Saturday morning in early January when a major storm was coming through. It took him about six hours to get back to managementand by then, the bosses were fed up. They suspended him, then released him, multiple sources told me at the time.

He describes himself on his Twitter page as ” hardcore meteorologist, I am obsessed with severe weather and tornadoes. I have turned that obsession into saving lives.”

Chris Holcomb has been named chief meteorologist at 11 Alive. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Georgia native Chris Holcomb has been named 11 Alive’s chief meteorologist, a job he has been seeking for many years.

The NBC affiliate announced his promotion today via Tweet: Help us congratulate Chris Holcomb 11Alive on his new job as chief meteorologist at 11Alive! http://on.11alive.com/U4oIjL

He replaces Mike Francis, who left in January and has since gone into real estate. Before Francis, Paul Ossmann was the long-time chief there and is now at CBS Atlanta as weekend meteorologist.

On Facebook, Holcomb this afternoon posted this:

I am truly humbled and honored! Ever since I met Guy Sharpe in the grocery store when I was a child, interviewed Chuck Moore for a 6th grade career day project and watched Atlanta news growing up, it was my dream to one day be Chief Meteorologist in my hometown. I have never lived nor worked outside of the state of Georgia. I have lived Georgia weather my entire life. Now that I have this amazing opportunity, I promise to be here for you in good weather and in bad. If you by chance watch another station out of habit, I hope this would be an opportunity to break that habit and turn to your hometown meteorologist on 11Alive News. I’ll be here with you with Brenda Wood, Demarco Morgan and Jeff Hullinger each night! Thanks for watching!!

Holcomb has been waiting in the wings for many years and there was a lot of internal support after Francis left for the popular Holcomb to get the top spot.

11 Alive reporter Doug Richards (who writes the informative blog “Live Apartment Fire”) wrote on Facebook: “I’ve never heard more raucous applause in a newsroom than when [news director] Ellen Crooke made this announcement this afternoon. Chris Holcomb is very deserving.”

According to 11 Alive, Chris was born at Emory hospital, grew up in DeKalb County, and is now raising his family in Gwinnett County. Chris is married to Angie, his wife of twenty three years and has a 19-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter.

Holcomb has been with 11 Alive since 1991. He is a four-time Southeast Emmy Award winner and two-time Gabby winner.

As the NBC story notes, “It’s a well-deserved promotion and a dream come true for a meteorologist who has lived his whole life in Georgia.”

This move comes amidst a major reshuffling of meteorologists in Atlanta TV news. Fox 5’s Ken Cook last month announced his retirement last month after 35 years and part-time weekend meteorologist Steve Milone recently left as well. David Chandley last week said he is leaving Channel 2 Action News Friday after nearly 26 years in hopes of getting his own chief meteorologist job. Channel 2 last week introduced a new meteorologist Katie Walls and has an opening for a fifth position as well.

Vinnie Politan is hosting a new “Atlanta Alive” morning show August 4, 2014 from 5 to 7 a.m. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Former HLN anchor Vinnie Politan officially joins 11 Alive on air August 4 on a new morning show from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. dubbed “Atlanta Alive.” He will be the primary anchor.

Morning anchor Karyn Greer’s role will shift. She will anchor the noon telecast, do stories for the evening shows and provide more digital content, according to a story posted on 11 Alive.

Chesley McNeil will still anchor the 4:30 a.m. news with Tracy Humphrey.  McNeil will continue to do the weather from 5 to 7 a.m.

“Commuter Dude” Jerry Carnes, education reporter Donna Lowry and “Ways to Save” reporter Valerie Hoff will be taken off the morning show but work throughout the day instead.

Christopher “Crash” Clark and Fred McFarlin will still be handling Atlanta morning traffic. Humphrey will provide headline news updates each half hour and Jaye Watson will present an “11Alive Morning Moment” each half hour.

What is a “Morning Moment”? Here’s how the press release describes it: “Something special each half-hour that makes you think, smile, laugh or cry. This could be a profile of a great character, a Random Act of Kindness, or something else. Whatever form it takes, it will be a celebration of the human spirit and sharable — something we all need each morning in a crazy, hectic Atlanta lifestyle!”

The morning show is in third place behind Channel 2 Action News and Fox 5 but ahead of CBS46. Ratings for the 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. show in the first half of 2014 are up significantly year over year at the 5 a.m. hour, flat at the 6 a.m. hour. The show averaged a 1 rating, up from a .75 a year earlier at 5 a.m. and a 1.9 rating at 6 a.m.

Vinnie Politan is hosting a new “Atlanta Alive” morning show August 4, 2014 from 5 to 7 a.m. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Vinnie Politan is a ball of energy. He has a hard time sitting down. On his new 11 Alive “Atlanta Alive” morning show launching at 5 a.m. Monday morning, seats are going to be hard to find. The set will accommodate his desire to stand and move around.

The former prosecutor and attorney spent four years as a local reporter in New Jersey, then Orlando. He then spent nearly a decade with Court TV out of New York and the past five years at HLN hosting a variety of justice-related shows out of Atlanta. But with HLN changing its focus to millenials and away from court coverage, Politan decided it was the right time to leave.

He said he could have sought another job with a national audience but didn’t want to uproot his family, which includes two boys, ages 10 and 16. So when he heard 11 Alive had an opening after Ted Hall left for Knoxville, he sought it out.

“The driving force of me doing this was personal,” Politan said. “I want to raise my children in Atlanta. It was a perfect fit. The timing was great. I want to stress that I’m here by choice.”

He said when he moved here in 2009, he and his wife Dolly channel surfed for a morning show and landed on 11 Alive, when Jill Becker was still there. They became loyal viewers. He felt the news there “had a soul,” he said. “They are really trying to help make Atlanta a better place. That makes it a more fulfilling job every day.”And when he met news director Ellen Crooke, he felt a connection. “We’re on the same wavelength,” he said.

Immersed in Atlanta, he said he plans to tackle local issues with the mindset of an attorney. When talking to people, “for me, it’s like a cross examination. I don’t feel I wasted my years of life practicing law. I still use those skills as a journalist. The opening statement is like explaining a story. The camera lens and audience at home is my judge and jury every day.”

He wants to emphasize he is now an Atlantan through and through. “I’ve battled the commutes. I’ve battled the ice storms and humidity,” he said. “I see things through the eyes of a parent. At the end of every show I’ll remind Atlanta, ‘Don’t forget to hug your kids.’ “

“Atlanta Alive” will be focused around Politan, with Chesley McNeil providing weather and Fred McFarlin and Christopher “Crash” Clark handling traffic. Tracy Humphrey will read the headlines. Regulars who had been on the previous morning show –  Karyn Greer, “Commuter Dude” Jerry Carnes, education reporter Donna Lowry and “Ways to Save” reporter Valerie Hoff – will report during the rest of the day.

And while Politan will have to read off the teleprompter at times, he likes to wing it. “I work a lot off the script,” he said. He will spend a lot of time interacting with the reporters and the other show members. His four primary reporters will be Jennifer Leslie, Kaitlyn Ross, Ryan Kruger, and Blayne Alexander.

The toddler in the hot car case is right up his alley. In fact, he was covering it to his final day on HLN July 3. “I’m not going to leave my expertise at the door,” he said. “We can cover it at a different level and add different layers.”

Politan has a connection with “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. “She was a reporter at Court TV when I was an anchor,” he said. He remembers seeing her first live shot and thinking, ‘Wow. She’s really good!’ ” He hopes to re-connect with her when the show does its “Today” show promos during the 6 a.m. hour.

He knows how hard it is to change people’s habits in the morning. (11 Alive is generally in third place behind Channel 2 Action News and Fox 5.) His show is launching when school is restarting in many metro Atlanta counties, a time when people are potentially more likely to sample new shows.

“I’m trying to be a different cup of coffee,” Politan said. “Try it out. See if you like it. Don’t dismiss it outright.”

TV preview

“Atlanta Alive,” 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., starting August 4, WXIA/11 Alive

Sam Crenshaw has spent nearly 16 years at 11 Alive. His final day is August 2, 2014. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Sam Crenshaw, sports anchor and reporter for 11 Alive (WXIA-TV) for the past 16 years, is leaving the station. His final day, I’m told by two sources, is tomorrow, Saturday, August 2.

Crenshaw has been on a month-to-month situation and without a long-term contract for quite awhile.

“Sammy is much loved out in the community especially among high school coaches and families and players,” said Randy Waters, a former 11 Alive sports anchor who retired last year after 29 years and is now in banking. “You can’t express what a great person he is. One of the best friends I’ll ever have.” (Waters is also doing Falcons work for CW 69 and Georgia Tech radio.)

UPDATE: August 3, 2014: On his final newscast, Crenshaw had a decent-sized story to cover: the death of former Braves broadcaster Pete van Wieren. His on-air farewell was brief – about 40 seconds. Weekend anchor Keith Whitney wished Crenshaw goodbye at 11:26 p.m. last night. “If there is a nicer guy in this industry, I personally have not met him,” Whitney said on air. “We love you. We’re going to miss you.”

“I appreciate it so much… Thanks so much,” he said in very succinctly.

“End of an era,” Whitney said.

The two remaining sports broadcasters are Fred Kalil (who no longer anchors) and Jeff Hullinger (who also anchor news).

David Wilkinson starts at 11 Alive, replacing Sam Crenshaw, on August 7. CREDIT: 10TV

I haven’t heard back from GM John Deushane to find out if they are going to find a replacement but newsblues, an online website that covers local news, said David Wilkinson from WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio has been hired as a new sports anchor. Wilkinson, according to his Facebook page, is from Atlanta and his 10TV bio says he grew up wanting to play for the Braves. UPDATE on August 6: Wilkinson starts Thursday, August 7.

According to Crenshaw’s bio, he is a graduate of University of West Georgia and lives with his wife Phyllis in Duluth.

Crenshaw has not responded to texts to his cel phone.

Paul Crawley was a steady presence on 11 Alive going back to 1978. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Last week was busy and I was terribly remiss not including this bit of news about a veteran news reporter: 11 Alive’s Paul Crawley retired last week after 36 years with the NBC affiliate, an impressively long run.

As Doug Richards, his colleague at 11 Alive, posted on his blog “Live Apartment Fire,” he said Crawley was incredibly prepared every morning “with the best array of story ideas.”

“His anecdotes from our industry, told during slow moments at trials, stakeouts, legislative hearings and in the newsroom, nearly always came with wry insight or a belly laugh or both,” Richards wrote. “His execution and professionalism are top-drawer.”

He wrote more than 10,000 stories and outlasted 11 news directors and seven general managers, according to an 11 Alive story about him. Julie Wolfe, a colleague, wrote this about him: “He never told the same story the same way. He always found a way to reach through the television, grab you by the lapels and make you watch. He made important stories interesting and tragic stories bearable. It’s impossible to know how many of us he inspired to become journalists; I just know I’m one of them.”

UPDATE: In an interview Monday evening, he said this was 100 percent his decision. At age 62, “this was totally my choice,” he said. “I had enough.”

Crawley said he realized it was time when he was covering the second Atlanta snowstorm in two weeks in early February this year. “I was at a Waffle House shaving, shooting my own video,” he said. He said his feelings were the same as those of Channel 2 Action News’ Jeff Dore, who retired in March after 30 years at that station: this type of work was no longer energizing. It was just tiring.

He said 11 Alive’s bosses were very kind to him. When he warned them two years ago after signing his last contract that he might retire in 2014, they said he can stay as long as he wants. Even when his contract expired in May, they offered for him to stay part time or as a freelancer. He said no but he did stick around two more months as they sought to fill his slot.

“We left on amiable terms,” Crawley said. “The way things are going I may as well leave on my own terms.”

Crawley looked at his finances and figured he could make it (a pension from Gannett helped), with just a little part time work. He hasn’t decided if he’ll do voice over work or similar work but he is sure he won’t do news reporting any more.

He also could indulge in his love of cars.

“I”m not a bad mechanic,” he said. “I have a friend who works on muscle cars.” (Crawley is a Mustang fan.)

While Crawley admits he has been able to adjust in a world of social media and 24/7 news online, he calls it “ADD hell.”  He feels all the time spent promoting his stories and being his own camera man and editor “has watered down the product” because he doesn’t spend as much time as he used to doing meat and potatoes reporting.

Crawley said he didn’t dream of being a broadcaster growing up. Rather, he was a theater guy who tried to break into acting but found it easier to get a job in Raleigh on TV in the 1970s. Dick Williams, a former AJC editor who is now part of Fox’s “The Georgia Gang,” hired Crawley at 11 Alive in 1978 when he was the news director.

“His longevity is a testament to his reliability and steadiness,” said Williams. “He’s a fireman. He can cover anything thrown at him any given day.”

The hard-nosed reporter covered the Wayne Williams child murder case (when 11 Alive ran out of space, he took the 30,000-page case file, which is still in his  home), suffered through every major storm in Atlanta going back to the disco era and interviewed every president going back to Gerald Ford. He has ridden on the back of a garbage truck. He’s gone skydiving. He’s been scuba diving.

“I’m one of the dangerous people who knows an awful little about an awful lot,” he said. “I can talk for five minutes on any topic!”

One thing he enjoyed was immersing himself in another person’s profession and different aspects of society. “I love jargon,” he said. “Every profession has its own. Picking up on people’s jargon is a little hobby of mine.”

Crawley came into the business during the glow of Woodward and Bernstein’s Watergate revelations. “Reporters were superheroes,” he said, “not that I ever thought I was. If anything, I always had a fear and awe of what we do. One misspoken word and we can destroy a person’s reputation, destroy their business. There’s no taking it back… Ninety percent of the people we put in front of the camera any given day don’t wake up that morning expecting to have a camera in their face that day. It’s a big deal for them. That’s one thing I always tried to remember. It’s just a job for us.”

Watching the send-off video below, his hair goes from dark brown to bright white over three-plus decades. “I started turning gray in my 40s,” he said. “It happened quickly. I attributed it a great deal to stress. It shows. My father’s hair didn’t turn white until his 60s!”

He never used hairspray or dye. His thick head of hair has always been no fuss, no muss. “TV hair,” he mused. “My wife hates how easy I have it!”

Other recent 11 Alive news:

8/2: Exclusive: Sportscaster Sam Crenshaw let go from 11 Alive after 16 years

8/1: Vinnie Politan plans to bring energy, legal expertise to new morning show “Atlanta

7/16: Vinnie Politan to lead 11 Alive morning show; Karyn Greer moves to daytime

7/2 Former 11 Alive meteorologist Mike Francis joins real estate

7/9: Chris Holcomb named chief meteorologist

6/16: Exclusive: Vinnie Politan leaving HLN for 11 Alive

CineStars’ Brittany Umar and I discuss Atlanta ties to FX’s new “Partners” with Martin Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer, the passing of former “American Idol” contestant Michael Johns and a shakeup at 11 Alive.

For the past 18 months, dedicated followers of Atlanta TV news broadcasting have gotten an insider’s take of the business thanks to former WAGA-TV broadcast journalist Doug Richards.

The often funny, always insightful blog is dubbed Live Apartment Fire. The name is a reference to a frequent breaking news story that would often supersede whatever is going on, simply because it makes a good visual.

Richards had left the business to start his own production company and he blogged in hopes of generating buzz and some business. But these are tough times and when WXIA-TV offered him a part-time gig as a reporter again, he decided to take it. He starts back August 10, set to work three days a week.

He was genuinely surprised WXIA’s news director Ellen Crooke even called him. “I really hadn’t expected any news director to be particularly interested in my services after reading my blog,” he said.

Although he was a bit burned out with the business when he left WAGA in 2007, he said he’s looking forward to going back to TV. “There were a lot of things that drove me crazy about the TV business,” he said, “but I still have a lot of affection for it.”

Crooke arrived less than a year ago to WXIA from Buffalo.

Richards isn’t sure if Crooke’s more solutions-oriented approach will boost WXIA’s ratings. (The station is a distant third among four stations.). But he likes her and based on what he’s heard from WXIA’s staff, “she has brought a lot of personal energy to that newsroom. And the troops are behind her.”

Richards said his production company will continue. And the blog will survive, too. But as an employee of WXIA, he won’t be able to honestly slag his competitors or his own WXIA colleagues. He’ll have to show more discretion. He hopes to get some help from others such as CB Hackworth.

He said his blog has been gaining popularity in recent months. “It was never a money maker,” he said. “It was always a hobby. Having a successful hobby is kind of cute. It’s like following the Braves. They win, you clap your hands and find something meaningful to do.”

Read more here.

Will I cover an apartment fire, ever? Quite probably. I’m OK with it. I hope you’re watching when it happens.

I left a phone message with Crooke and will update this if I get a hold of her. (She seems to be on vacation.)

At a recent Atlanta Press Club event, Crooke explained why she told a journalism class a few months back that the local TV news business “stinks.”

Jaye Watson thought for a few days earlier this month that she had MS. CREDIT: 11 Alive

Jaye Watson, a veteran 11 Alive news reporter, considers herself a healthy person who takes care of herself. She is teased at work for eating “tree bark and dirt.”

But her left leg had that dreaded “pins and needles” feel for a few weeks. Then it spread to her left hand. One morning, she felt general weakness and could barely type. A medical expert then gave her a bombshell early diagnosis: ” You have a high chance of having MS.”

Multiple schlerosis is, as WebMD describes it, “a long-lasting disease that can affect your brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in your eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions.”

As Watson also noted in her blog: “More than half of people with MS suffer cognitive issues. Half to three quarters are out of their jobs within a decade. And then there’s the mobility issues. People use canes, walkers, wheelchairs. Not all, but many.”

She was scared. Understandably so. She treasured her career at 11 Alive, where she has worked 15 years. She loved her life, her two kids, her husband of 10 years. She was racked with worry, with regret, with sadness.

“It had been exquisite, my life. More than I deserved,” she wrote.

Last Monday, she had an MRI. The results came back.

“You’re clear,” the doctor told her. “Your brain and spine are clear. You don’t have MS.”

She had an inflamed spinal cord. That is hardly a walk in the park but is not MS. He said she needed to reduce stress. But as a friend told her, “She is stress.”

I spoke with her after I read the piece.

“The reaction has been really overwhelming,” Watson said. “I’ve gotten hundreds of emails and voicemails. I’m trying to respond to everybody. People have been so compassionate and encouraging sharing their own stories dodging bullets and getting bad diagnoses, about life with neuro-degenerative diseases.”

She said she spent three days in a valley, wondering what life would be like with MS, how she would tell her bosses, how she would stay in the business or transition out. She felt gratitude and joy after the less severe diagnosi. It was a no brainer for her to write about the situation in her blog, which she has written for 18 months. “It would have taken longer for me to get to the point I could articulate what was happening if I had MS,” she said. “Now I could stay lucky and keep having the life I’m having.”

Watson said the spinal cord is self repairing but stress creates cortisol. Too much of that won’t heal the spinal cord. “I think I manage my stress but I guess I don’t,” she said. “I eat well. I try to sleep as much as I can. I do yoga. But I set impossibly high standards on myself. Even if I jump through 27 hoops, I need to jump through four more.”

Given how she is wired, Watson said she chose her crazy profession with its weird hours, tight deadlines and high adrenaline rushes. “I love the spontaneity,” she said. “I can still do my job. I love what I do.”

She is taking steroids to reduce inflammation. She is resting for now. She said it will take months for her  spinal cord to fix itself. “I have some pain right now,” she said. “I’m kind of hobbling on one foot by the end of the day.”

“I have not figured it all out,’ she added. “My biggest stress is trying not to be stressed. It’s ironic!”

Both WGCL-TV and WXIA-TV recently started measuring the weather each day using a single numerical scale. For instance, both stations ranked today a 7.

On August 30, the CBS affiliate WGCL began what news director Steve Schwaid calls a “clean” and “straightforward” one-to-ten scale. “Ours,” he said, “is handled in a very professional, classy, high-end manner.”

In contrast, the NBC affiliate WXIA this past Tuesday cheekily debuted its Wiz-o-meter - as in the Weather Information Zone. This is the same station which has a “Commuter Dude” and an investigative team dubbed the C.I.A. (Center for Investigative Action.). And like “This is Spinal Tap,” their scale goes to 11. Paul Ossman in this video explains:

WXIA news director Ellen Crooke acknowledges the cutesy nature of “Wiz” in the name. “It makes people laugh,” she said. “It’s kind of funny. It’s memorable. In my 24 years in the business, I’ve never seen people react this way” to a weather presentation. She also said the new iPhone app version of the Wiz is doing really well. She also said the station also provides plenty of in-depth weather coverage as well.

This measurement system is nothing new in Atlanta.

Condace Pressley, assistant program director at AM 750 and now 95.5FM News/Talk WSB, said the station has been doing the Mellish Meter for at least 12 years. “Maybe they’ve only now discovered us on FM,” Pressley joked.

Kirk Melhuish, the WSB Radio meteorologist, said the Mellish Meter was not his idea but he’s unclear who actually came up with it.

“Funny thing is I’ve heard at least three people given (or taking) credit for it. LOL,” he wrote in an email.

“I do get to decide the number so that’s something!” he added. “And yes, I am surprised it took this long to get a copy cat. Imitation and flattery as they say.  Too funny!”

Melhuish is aware the limitations of spouting a single number. “I have to take into account an entire day and an entire area,” he said in a follow-up phone interview. He gets phone calls and emails all the time complaining that his number is too high or too low.

And he says he rarely gives out a one or a 10. (If it’s anywhere close to a one, he said that probably means a tornado or major storm so he doesn’t use the meter then. “I drop the cutesy,” he noted.)

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Ellen Crooke accepting a Southeastern Emmy last year for 11 Alive. CREDIT: Rodney Ho

Former Weather Channel executive Jennifer Rigby has been named the new 11 Alive news director, replacing Ellen Crooke, who was promoted by Gannett to help run news operations for 46 stations nationwide.

According to a memo sent out yesterday to staff by general manager John Deushane:

For the past four years, Jennifer has been with The Weather Channel as VP Live Programming, Senior Director Coverage and Talent and MultiMedia Content Director…the latter in which she was charged with merging the divergent efforts of www.weather.com with TWC.  Immediately before that, she was a Senior Consultant with Smith Geiger and worked with newsrooms and group heads across the country and Canada. The lion’s share of her previous work was at various Cox stations where she served as news director in Dayton, Pittsburgh and for 5 years at WSB. [She was at Channel 2 Action News as news director from 2002 to 2006.]

New news director Jennifer Rigby at 11 Alive.

Rigby has a good reputation from what I hear and knows Atlanta well. She brings online and on-air experience, which Gannett values.

Crooke moves on up but will remain in Atlanta. She came on the scene from Buffalo in 2009 with a philosophy that her station would transcend the “if it leads, it bleeds” mentality.

While 11 Alive has largely remained mostly a third-place finisher in viewers, she did provide more substantive coverage of issues and took home awards galore, from 21 Edward R. Murrow Awards to 150-plus Emmy nominations.

“There have been high’s and low’s regarding television ratings over the past five years,” Crooke wrote me back in August at the time her departure was announced, “depending on several factors including network programming.   But that’s why I love working for a company that is more progressive than to just look at antiquated metrics as a basis for success in journalism.  Most people are getting their news online, on their phone or tablet…and our growth and innovation presenting great news content for those consumers has been tremendous.”

Crooke had a fair share of supporters and detractors within the newsroom. Some loyalists embraced her aggressive style and need for staff to drop everything when breaking news happened and come together.

The hours needed to keep her happy didn’t please everyone. For instance, anchor Ted Hall returned to Knoxville last year after seven years in Atlanta  partly because of lifestyle choice. And former chief meteorologist Mike Francis infuriated Crooke when he couldn’t be reached one Saturday morning when a major winter storm was approaching Atlanta. He was let go soon after.

But she took chances – some beefy, some silly. There’s the infamous “Wizometer” to measure how nice a day it is from 1 to 11. She created Commuter Dude to follow traffic and potholes and road hazards. She cheekily dubbed the investigative team the Center for Investigative Action (CIA), though it’s now just called the Investigators. She allowed Brenda Wood to provide commentary at the end of her newscast. (The Atlanta Press Club, of which I’m a board member, is inducting her into the Press Club Hall of Fame tonight.) She gave Doug Richards permission to keep writing his excellent blog about the local news business.

Her last big move was bringing HLN’s Vinnie Politan to mornings. It’s too early to say if that will be a success or not.

Emcee and former Channel 2 Action news anchor Monica Pearson with Tom Brokaw and inductee Brenda Wood. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.om

As a board member of the Atlanta Press Club for the past five years, I take pride in what we do at the organization. I was never more proud than during our fourth annual Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame dinner, with four well-deserved inductees: retired NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, New York Times reporter Claude Sitton, the late great Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter/columnist Celestine Sibley and 11 Alive anchor Brenda Wood.

Wood, who has been in Atlanta as an anchor and reporter for 26 years, gave an especially emotional speech.

“This is an unbelievable moment,” Wood said. “I did wonder the sanity of the selection committee. I don’t know how and why this came to be… I never intended to be on camera. God made other plans for me… I was fresh out of college with no journalism background.” She said the Huntsville news director who took a chance on her “must have been smoking something strong!”

She said the “journey has never been easy but never boring.” For her first job, she was the only black, female in the newsroom and she didn’t smoke. “I buckled in for the ride,” she said, “feeding the hungry beast of news broadcasts.”

Wood recounted 14 co-anchors, 11 general managers and 15 news directors at 11 Alive, yet she is grateful for being there. “This is a business that feeds on change,” she said. “I know I’ve been privileged.”

This is the profile shown at the dinner for Wood. All the videos were professionally edited by Richard Crabbe of Kettle Creek Media, narrated by Jaye Watson and scripted by Jon Shirek.

“I always felt an affinity to the South,” said Tom Brokaw, who was inducted into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame Saturday for his brief but notable time covering the civil rights movement out of Atlanta in 1965-66. Former CNN President Tom Johnson (right) introduced him. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Tom Johnson, former president of CNN, introduced Brokaw, who worked at WSB-TV in the mid-1960s before going national. He said CNN had approached Brokaw to anchor for the network but couldn’t get him to leave NBC.

“I was tempted to work with him,” Brokaw acknowledged, referencing CNN founder Ted Turner. “But we became really close friends. No one had greater impact on journalism than Ted Turner. It was a transformative moment” when he started CNN.

Johnson said he beamed with pride during the first Gulf War when Brokaw on his NBC evening newscast complimented CNN’s work as “the little network that could.” “Our newsroom cheered,” Johnson said.

Brokaw has suffered from cancer the past year plus but is in recovery. He walked gingerly but appeared strong.

He said his time in Atlanta was fruitful for him, lifting him from the minor leagues to the majors. He not only learned to love butter beans but also how to pronounce Ponce de Leon Ave. correctly.

Here is Brokaw’s profile:

CNN founder Ted Turner said he tried to woo Brokaw to his network but Brokaw was too loyal to NBC. They did become friends. Here is Turner greeting Brokaw at the Atlanta Press Club VIP reception before the Hall of Fame dinner. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

11 Alive’s Brenda Wood works in a selfie with Weather Channel morning host Sam Champion. CREDIT; Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

I shamelessly did a selfie with Tom Brokaw. Why not?

Three Atlanta Press Club Hall of Famers: Monica Pearson, Brenda Wood and Alexa Scott. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Fox 5’s Dale Russell, former Channel 2 Action news anchor John Pruitt (right) and Tom Brokaw kibitz at the VIP party before the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame dinner. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Sitton was a Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter and Emory University graduate who covered the civil rights movement in the late 1950s and 1960s for the New York Times. At age 88, he is still alive and well and gave a speech that was humble and focused more on his family and the other honorees than himself. Dean Baquet, executive editor for the New  York Times, introduced him.

Here is Sitton’s profile:

Celestine Sibley was a legendary reporter and columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution for 58 years until her death in 1999. She was one of the first female reporters to cover crime and she had an affinity with the down and out, the bottom rungs of society. “She was tough  as nails but had a soft heart as well.

“She treated them as equals,” said her friend and author Kathy Trocheck, during her introduction. “She faced real adversity. She was a single mother who married twice, was widowed twice.”

She recalled having lunch with Sibley at the Magnolia Room at Rich’s downtown. “I ended up paying for lunch because she had given her last dollar to a panhandler at Five Points,” she recalled.

Sibley was also an incredibly prolific writer.

Trocheck quoted the following line from food writer John Egerton: “That woman could write a column while I was trying to figure out how to set the margins on my typewriter.”

And she was never compensated the way her male colleagues were, Trocheck said.

Her grandson John Bazemore accepted the award on her behalf and joked how everything he said and did was fodder for a column. He recalled when he was five and Sibley was driving him to New Orleans. She heard on the radio that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. She pulled over and called the office to see if she could help. She was a dedicated, hard news woman at heart.

He wonders how Sibley would do in this day of social media. “She’d do great but the transition would be a bear,” Bazemore said. “To her, a well-written story, a good photo, was a force for good. She was modest, humble to a fault. She would have loved this” Hall of Fame induction.

This is Sibley’s piece:

February 8, 2010, by Rodney Ho