TVLifer

KTVL's Sebastian Robertson had a clever idea, head to the local junkyard and re-create a car robbery.  Minor problem, the junked Oldsmobile decided not to cooperate.  Be careful out there newsers!  We hope he's ok, but couldn't pass up posting this video... enjoy. 

Local TV reporters frequently use hidden cameras to uncover parking scams. Unfortunately for KTLA's Gayle Anderson, that wasn't her assignment on Tuesday when a parking enforcement officer handed her ticket after ticket -- all on live TV.

Anderson was doing a segment about the best road trip cars.  The clip also shows Anderson getting two tickets at $50 a piece.  Check out the clip below: 

A Fort Wayne city councilwoman and a local television news anchor are joining the list of those wanting to replace former Republican Mark Souder in Congress.

They are part of what could be a large field of candidates for the GOP nomination following Souder's resignation last week over an extramarital affair with a female staffer.

The new candidates include Liz Brown, an attorney who's in her first term as an at-large member of the Fort Wayne City Council.

Fort Wayne TV station WPTA morning news anchor Ryan Elijah scheduled two news conferences for Tuesday to announce his candidacy.  The TV station says he is taking a leave of absence.

State Sen. Marlin Stutzman of Howe and state Rep. Randy Borror of Fort Wayne are the other announced candidates.

The Business Journal is reporting that Denver's KDVR-Channel 31 is among television stations operated by Local TV LLC in several markets that will use a hyperlocal news and advertising platform provided by DataSphere Technologies Inc.

DataSphere, a Bellevue, Wash.-based startup, said that Fort Wright, Ky.-based Local TV, which owns Fox affiliate KDVR (branded as Fox31), will set up community-oriented news sites based on DataSphere's LocalNet service.

TV stations in 11 states are participating in the rollout, also including KSTU in Salt Lake City and WDAF in Kansas City.

DataSphere's technology is already being used to power 300 community websites for seven media companies across the country, including Cowles California Media, Raycom and Hubbard Broadcasting.

Its best-known local customer is Seattle-based broadcaster Fisher Communications Inc., which operates Seattle's KOMO TV and radio stations.

Fisher has established hyperlocal blogs through DataSphere that cover more than 50 geographic areas in the Seattle area, including neighborhood sites for Ballard, Bellevue, Capitol Hill and West Seattle.

Fisher recently announced that those sites -- along with its properties in Oregon, California and Idaho -- have attracted more than 1,000 local advertisers.

What happens here, stays here.  Well not quite the slogan this week as TVLifer has descended upon the National Association of Broadcasters Show.  We are off to meet and mingle with news directors and decision makers from stations across the nation, but wanted to give you a few insights from this afternoon.

1. There are tons of people looking for jobs.  That was evident by the bulletin board set up outside the RTDNA hall at the Hilton.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of students and journalists are here trying to gain an edge on the competition.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure if this bulletin board will do the job.  Of course we are a little biased, seeing as we have a completely online system that organizes the process and makes it much easier to send your information to potential employers.  (I'm just sayin)

2. The iPad has made it to television news.  Maybe one of the coolest gadgets on the floor of the NAB.  An iPad used as a teleprompter.  They also have a version to use an iPhone.  Impressive and extremely mobile to say the least.

Those are just a couple tidbits from Tuesday at NAB, much more to come.  RTDNA sessions to attend tomorrow, and also make sure to follow us on twitter, because we'll have more pics tomorrow.  @tvlifer

SI.com updates talk that the NCAA Final Four tournament could expand:

With its durability, structure and life cycle, the NCAA basketball tournament is a kind of organism. And like most living things it has, over time, developed an immune system. There's no better example than what happened in 1987, when men in backrooms plotted to strip the little conferences of their automatic bids -- and were foiled when No. 16 Princeton came within a point of upsetting top-seeded Georgetown.

The antibodies did their work. The event survived and grew stronger.

Today we await the ending of what may have been the most satisfying NCAAs ever, a jubilee of What's Not to Like: the greatest Day 1 in memory, with wins from 13th, 14th and 15th seeds; "Farokhmanesh" as a verb; an Ivy League school so dominating a Big Ten opponent that CBS cut away for the second half; a mid-major in the title game; and, not at all incidentally, resurgent TV ratings.

Yet there appears to be a kind of autoimmune deficiency microbe loose on the land. The NCAA, the tournament's putative steward, is on the cusp of messing with the most beloved sporting event in America by throwing it open to 96 teams.

Almost no one beyond the NCAA office wants this, of course.

Not most of "the guardians of the game," people who, with their service on the basketball committee, helped lead the tournament to its current status. Most are too politic to talk, and instead grit their teeth as steam escapes from their ears.

She's back-according to the Boise Weekly. That's right, Dee Sarton of KTVB, the queen bee of Idaho television news is back in the top spot this year after, several years of being shown up by some relative newbies at her station. She beat out the other members of her own news team to reclaim the title of favorite local television anchor.

Sarton's been ruling the Boise television news scene for decades now--in fact, some adult Boise natives don't remember a time when she wasn't the one reading the nightly news. She's a familiar face in a constantly changing sea of anchors, and she's made the big desk her territory for years. Sure, the rest of the KTVB news team didn't do badly, either, but there's no question who rules the anchor desk at Channel 7.

More positive news for local television stations in a recent report by the Wall Street Journal.  The advertising market started to turn around in the fourth quarter of 2009 and now the projections are positive for 2010.

News Corp.'s local TV station group, which was hit particularly hard by the recession, posted a 6% revenue gain for the quarter after six consecutive quarters of decline. Murdoch said the business is on track for an 18% to 19% gain in the current quarter.

"But you must remember that we're now beginning to compare with some very bad quarters last year," said Rupert Murdoch. "And are we down on the boom years of two years ago? Yes, certainly, but our profits are very well up on last year."

Other large owners of local broadcast stations, like The Walt Disney Co. (DIS), CBS Corp. (CBS) and Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI), posted continued revenue declines, citing tough comparisons to the year-ago period when political spending for the presidential election was in force. Many executives predicted that 2010 will reverse this dynamic, with strong political spending for the midterm congressional elections.

On Thursday, CBS reported a 1.7% decline in overall ad revenue for the recent fourth quarter, as further declines at its TV and radio stations, Internet properties and outdoor advertising division offset an 8% increase in ad revenues at its national broadcast network, which remains the most-watched national network in the U.S.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles steel city morning team anchors Rick Dayton (left) & Todd McDermott (right) at WPXI:

As a TV market, Pittsburgh stations generally have more stable anchor lineups than many other American cities (see the 20-year teaming of Peggy Finnegan and David Johnson as Exhibit A). But slowly, inevitably change does come.

In the past six months there has been marked change in stations' morning anchor lineups: WTAE's Kelly Frey was on maternity leave for several months, KDKA introduced a new morning team in Jennifer Antkowiak and Rick Dayton, and Bob Bruce retired from WPXI to run his own financial planning firm, working with former co-anchor Newlin Archinal.

Todd McDermott is the newest face in the morning on Channel 11. He began at the station last month, and with anchor Jennifer Abney he has been presiding over a long slog of morning snow coverage/school closings ever since. But he's used to the weather: Mr. McDermott grew up in snowy Buffalo, N.Y.

He studied political science at Canisius College with no intention of going into TV, although he did work for three Buffalo radio stations to make money while in school.

"I wanted to go to law school," Mr. McDermott said in a conversation earlier this month. "I just didn't have the financial wherewithal to try law school."

This week's college tour event at Emerson was a huge success - despite a snow storm that hit the Boston area.

Emerson students got a first hand look at how TVL's resources can help them begin their job search well ahead of graduation day.  For example, the Market Map has demographic data and reviews (updated in real-time) for all 210 DMAs.  In addition, students can create their online profiles and upload their demo reels for free, begin building their professional network, and have their reels critiqued by industry experts.

Students were most impressed with how active TVLifer is in the jobs search process.  One student reacted, "it's like you guys are our partner working just as hard as we are to find a job."

It's true. All TVL Premium Members have access to the staff 24 hours a day.  Whether it's a question about how to organize a reel or making a connection within a certain newsroom - TVLifer will find the answer and utilize all the resources of our network - including news directors to help you land the job you're looking for.

TVLiferU will be returning to the Boston area soon for a campus visit to Boston University.  Be sure to check back for updates.

If you would like TVLifer to visit your college or university email us at tvlifer@tvlifer.com.