The new logo unveiled today.

CBS Atlanta five years ago dropped its name CBS46, figuring people didn’t identify with channel numbers as much anymore.

But new general manager Trey Fabacher said research shows that the number 46 still has power so he brought it back.  Today, starting at the 4 p.m. news, the new logo and name CBS46 was unveiled.

“CBS Atlanta did not resonate like it was intended,” Fabacher said. “As we talked to people about our station, they refer to us as 46. The station is a local news station. It’s known in this market as 46.”

The logo CBS46 used as CBS Atlanta for five  years until today.

He said most stations in the country still use their original broadcast channel numbers. Locally, the other three local channels with news operations use their broadcast channel numbers prominently. For years, Fox affiliate WAGA-TV has dubbed itself Fox 5. For even longer, NBC’s WXIA-TV has been 11Alive. And WSB-TV, even with the heritage of those call letters, prefers to call itself Channel 2 Action News.

Many people in town use Comcast, which does not match up broadcast channels with their channel spots. Channel 2 is on 3, 11Alive is on 6, Fox 5 is on 4 and CBS46 is on 9. But on other satellite and cable networks, Fabacher said, CBS46 is on the proper channel.

Reporters are now saying CBS46 instead of CBS Atlanta.

The local station, owned by Meredith, also rebuilt their main studio, which looked very blue when I took this photo at 4:03 p.m. today:

CBS46’s new studios in Midtown, taken off my TV at 4:03 p.m. today. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Fabacher has hired several new anchors and reporters in the past  year since he joined the station. This is a culmination of his revamp.

Scott Light, a new evening anchor, posted this on his Facebook page:

Our new skyline background is thanks to a bank of 18 HD monitors. Plus we have two dozen different camera positions for anchors, reporters and meteorologists to bring you the best newscasts.

Here is Jocelyn Connell’s new mic flag she just posted on Twitter:

Outside of 11 p.m. news, the station has struggled over the years to climb out of fourth place in most time slots. Channel 2 tends to dominate, followed by Fox 5, then 11Alive. Atlanta local news viewers’ habits die hard.

Here are the various logos the station has used from 1977 to 2009:

Here were the CBS Atlanta openings from 2013 until today:

The station was briefly called  Clear News from 2000 to 2002. Someone actually posted a YouTube video of that:

Recent stories on CBS Atlanta:

2/18/14: Jennfier Mayerle leaving CBS Atlanta

1/22/14: Brandon Rudat finds a new job in Phoenix

1/9/14: Adam Murphy gets his “Restaurant Report Card” back

12/11/13: CBS Atlanta hires new morning anchor Frank Wiley

9/4/13: Scott Light hired as new evening anchor

8/13/13: Tracy Hutchins moves to evenings, replaced by Michelle Burdo

8/9/13: Two new members of CBS’s “Better Mornings”

7/18/13  Anchor Brandon Rudat leaves CBS “Better Mornings”

7/18/13: Larry Smith named new sports director at CBS Atlanta

6/18/13: CBS Atlanta cuts ties with 790/The Zone

6/17/13: Meteorologist Cris Martinez leaves CBS Atlanta

6/5/13 : Anchor Jaquitta Williams is out at CBS Atlanta

1/4/13: News director Eric Ludgood out at CBS Atlanta

12/15/12: Meteorologist Justin Lock departs CBS Atlanta

VH1 has given Atlanta plenty of love in recent years.

There is ‘Love and Hip Hop Atlanta,” its most popular show. There’s “T.I. and Tiny,” now in its fourth season. The network aired  three seasons of “Single Ladies” (since moved to Centric). And it has “Atlanta Exes” forthcoming in August. Last year, it shot a popular biopic film about TLC here. And currently, it’s filming “Drumline 2.”

On top of that, the network is currently taping two pilots that may or may not become a series.

Both appear to be reality shows though VH1 is declining to comment about either one.

All I have about the shows are their titles, provided to me by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, which tracks local TV and film production.

The titles are “Sorority Sisters” and “GRITS.” I presume both are reality shows.

Based on what I could find on the Web, Mona Scott Young (“Love and Hip Hop Atlanta”) is involved with “Sorority Sisters” and HelloBeautiful claims to have seen a 2011 rough cut trailer that didn’t place black sororities in the best light. It’s probably a little too early to judge something nobody has really seen yet.

As for “GRITS”, I’m not sure if it stands for “Girls Raised in the South,” as the Georgia production schedule provided to me by the department of economic development states. Online in a quick Google search, the only reference to VH1 and a show GRITS comes from a Facebook page by Dagwood’s Food Truck saying they were feeding the VH1 crew of “GRITS.”

***

Queen Latifah is in Atlanta right now shooting an HBO film “Bessie.” CREDIT: Getty Images

Queen Latifah, as my colleague Jennifer Brett in Buzzland has reported, is starring in an HBO biopic playing legendary blues singer Bessie Smith. The film, dubbed “Bessie,” has been shooting in Marietta lately. Latifah, who also hosts a syndicated talk show, is an executive producer of the aforementioned “Single Ladies.”

***

Stefan Chase has left WGCL after a year as traffic reporter. CREDIT: WGCL-TV

I’m told Stefan Chase has left WGCL-TV (CBS46) as morning traffic reporter after just a year there. She joined the station last August from Los Angeles.

Harry Samler takes over.

News director Lane Michaelsen wrote me:

Starting Monday Harry who knows every road, ally and sidewalk in Atlanta will be doing traffic ON CBS46 News 4:30-7am, plus cut-ins 7-9am.  Harry is very excited about this new role and bring a unique perspective on the Morning commute.

Lane Michaelsen spent 15 months at WGCL-TV, the CBS46 Atlanta affiliate.

CBS46’s news director Lane Michaelsen has left the station abruptly after just 15 months for a new job.

Two sources tell me he wasn’t happy with the resources Michaelsen was given to try to lift the station’s ratings. The station is frequently in fourth place outside of the 11 p.m. telecast.

Managerial turnover at CBS46 has been chronic since WGCL-TV came into existence two decades ago.

At the time Michaelsen was hired, his boss Trey Fabacher sent these comments via email to staffers: “Michaelsen has built a solid reputation of leading quality newscasts and storytelling. Rating increases have been seen very quickly at almost every post he has held. He is also very skilled in listening and learning about newsrooms and culture and making the right adjustments to place them in the best situation to be successful.”

Today, Fabacher wrote in an email, “Lane accepted another opportunity and we wish him well.” Fabacher, who joined WGCL in September, 2012 as general manager, said he isn’t in a position to announce Michaelsen’s new job.

Michaelsen replaced the well-respected Eric Ludgood, who has since found an assistant news director job at Fox 5 (WAGA-TV).

Under Michaelsen and Fabacher, CBS46 has undergone quite a few staff changes. In February, the station rebranded itself as CBS46 from CBS Atlanta.

Stories I’ve written about the station during Michaelsen’s tenure:

7/1/14: Michelle Burdo apologizes for use of the word ‘colored’

2/18/14: Jennfier Mayerle leaving CBS Atlanta

1/22/14: Brandon Rudat finds a new job in Phoenix

1/9/14: Adam Murphy gets his “Restaurant Report Card” back

12/11/13: CBS Atlanta hires new morning anchor Frank Wiley

9/4/13: Scott Light hired as new evening anchor

8/13/13: Tracy Hutchins moves to evenings, replaced by Michelle Burdo

8/9/13: Two new members of CBS’s “Better Mornings”

7/18/13  Anchor Brandon Rudat leaves CBS “Better Mornings”

7/18/13: Larry Smith named new sports director at CBS Atlanta

6/18/13: CBS Atlanta cuts ties with 790/The Zone

6/17/13: Meteorologist Cris Martinez leaves CBS Atlanta

6/5/13 : Anchor Jaquitta Williams is out at CBS Atlanta

Jocelyn Connell will anchor the CBS46 new noon program starting Sept. 15. CREDIT: CBS46

CBS 46 (WGCL-TV) is bringing back a noon news program on Monday Sept. 15 after dumping it three years ago.

At the time, in a press release, then news director Eric Ludgood  (now at Fox 5) said CBS 46 management chose to drop the noon newscast because they believe people mid-days are more likely to be checking news online.

At the same time, it got rid of its 9 a.m. “Better Mornings” show, replacing it with the national “The Better Show” lifestyle show that had aired at noon.

Jocelyn Connell, who reports in the late afternoon and evening newscasts, will anchor and Jim Loznicka, who joined the station in late 2013, will provide the weather.

Parker Wallace is the host for a new CBS show called “Atlanta Unplugged” debuting at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2014. CREDIT: CBS46

At 12:30 p.m., the station will debut “Atlanta Plugged In,” a local lifestyle show hosted by Parker Wallace. This show will be similar to “Atlanta & Company” in that it features “pay for play” options for advertisers but alos include unpaid lifestyle segments. The host will talk to said advertisers, who will promote their products. On CBS46’s website, Wallace is called an “on-air host and producer for integrated marketing segments for CBS46. Her signature segment, “What’s on Parker’s Plate?” airs on Better Mornings Atlanta and features her favorite recipes and all things delish.” (Doug Richards’ “Live Apartment Fire” wrote a nice piece about her earlier this year.)

I was given sparse information since general manager Trey Fabacher was unavailable for comment. I don’t know if CBS46 will hire more staff to handle the new programming.

CBS46’s ratings in general lag behind those of the other three primary rivals, a chronic situation at every time slot. Its news director Lane Michaelsen recently left.

CBS46’s early morning show “Better Mornings” draws less than 10 percent of the ratings of Channel 2 Action News. During the first half of 2014, the 6 a.m. Channel 2 Action News drew a 6.2 rating vs. a 0.4 rating for “Better Mornings.”

The 9 a.m. “Better Mornings” on CBS46 drew a 0.5 rating vs. a 5.2 for Channel 2’s “Live With Kelly & Michael.”

At noon,  a repeat of “Inside Edition” on CBS46 actually drew slightly better numbers than 11 Alive’s noon news program 1.1 vs. 1.0. (Channel 2’s noon news  had a 6.6 and Fox 5’s news program drew a 1.8).

Trey Fabacher joined WGCL as GM in September, 2012. He was cut today.

Poor CBS46.

Another GM (in this case Trey Fabacher) has been booted today, two sources informed me.

On the bright side, the station did announce a new news director Larry Perret, who came from Kansas City. He takes over for Lane Michaelsen, who left in July and now works with Sinclair in Maryland.

Parent company Meredith runs through management like Taylor Swift goes through boyfriends. Since it purchased the station in 1998, Meredith has been unable to extricate WGCL-TV from fourth place out of four local news operations.

And the length of tenure for both news director and general manager seems to be getting shorter and shorter.

Fabacher, who I thought was reasonably well liked within the building, lasted all of two years. His predecessor Kirk Black? He made it two years and nine months. Before that? Andy Alford  was around for four years.

Michaelsen, the previous news director, stayed for 15 months. Before him, Eric Ludgood was in that post for 23 months. Steve Schwaid before him survived three years and one month. Prior to him, Rick Erbach kept his job for three years and five months.

On-air stability hasn’t been much better. Most of the reporters and anchors have been there less than five years. They have only four on-air personalities that have been around longer than 10 years: Rebekka Schramm, Renee Starzyk, Adam Murphy (Mr. Restaurant Report Card) and Stephany Fisher, who anchors the evening telecasts. Weather forecaster Jennifer Valdez has been their most consistent morning presence, having joined WGCL in 2008. Tracye Hutchins, who started with “Better Mornings” in 2007, is now an evening anchor.

Fabacher has made a lot of changes over the past 18 months, returning the name to CBS46 from CBS Atlanta, revamping the morning show, adding a noon newscast next week, resurrecting (to a m0dest degree) a sports department and adding a new evening anchor Scott Light. The station also retired the often-mocked slogan “we ask the tough questions” that dated back to 2008. (11 Alive has since u

CBS46 also has the smallest on-air staff of the four news operations with 28 featured on their website.

11 Alive, usually in third place, has 35, not counting its off air digital team.

Fox 5 has 33.

Channel 2 Action News? 43.

Here are some stories I’ve written about CBS’s changes since spring, 2013:
9/9/14:  CBS 46 brings back noon news program

7/17/14 CBS46’s news director Lane Michaelsen leaves after 15 months.

7/1/14: Michelle Burdo apologizes for use of the word ‘colored’

2/18/14: Jennfier Mayerle leaving CBS Atlanta

1/22/14: Brandon Rudat finds a new job in Phoenix

1/9/14: Adam Murphy gets his “Restaurant Report Card” back

12/11/13: CBS Atlanta hires new morning anchor Frank Wiley

9/4/13: Scott Light hired as new evening anchor

8/13/13: Tracye Hutchins moves to evenings, replaced by Michelle Burdo

8/9/13: Two new members of CBS’s “Better Mornings”

7/18/13  Anchor Brandon Rudat leaves CBS “Better Mornings”

7/18/13: Larry Smith named new sports director at CBS Atlanta

6/18/13: CBS Atlanta cuts ties with 790/The Zone

6/17/13: Meteorologist Cris Martinez leaves CBS Atlanta

6/5/13 : Anchor Jaquitta Williams is out at CBS Atlanta

March 1, 2010, by Rodney Ho

CBS46 Chief Meteorologist Markina Brown is leaving the station after four years. CREDIT: Publicity photo

CBS46 chief meteorologist Markina Brown is leaving her post after four years at the station and plans to leave the TV news business entirely. Her final day is Friday.

She is the third chief meteorologist to leave this year in Atlanta. At 11 Alive, Mike Francis was let go after management expressed displeasure with his performance. He is now in real estate.

Over at Fox 5, chief meteorologist Ken Cook in June retired over the summer after 35 years in Atlanta. David Chandley, a long-time meteorologist at Channel 2 Action News who worked with the chief Glenn Burns, left  the station over the summer after 25 years in July, hoping for a chief job somewhere else. He is still under a non-compete clause until January, 2015.

Brown released an exclusive statement to me:

I have spent my professional life predicting the weather and forecasting the seasons. This fall is one of expectation and change, inviting me to try new ventures and carrying me to new heights in my career.

I would like to thank the viewers in the greater Atlanta area for their support over the years, as well as the top brass at CBS 46 for the opportunity to work with a talented, successful weather and news team, who are dedicated to delivering quality broadcasts every night.

Brown wouldn’t say what she plans to do next, but she has been acting. Last year, she was in a play called “Make Time 4 Love.”

Larry Perret, the new CBS46 news director who joined the station in September, sent a statement to staff:

I want to let you know that Markina Brown has resigned to accept a position in another industry. Markina tells me she cannot let us know exactly what that position is right now.  But, she says it’s an exciting new adventure in her career.

I thank Markina for all of her contributions at CBS46 News over the past four years and wish her the very best as she embarks on this new opportunity.  Her last day here is this coming Friday.

Her departure is the polar opposite of that of her predecessor Dagmar Midcap, who left in a whirlwind of personal turmoil in 2010. Midcap opened up to me about her boyfriend’s suicide and her need to get out of town. (Read all about that here.) In 2011, the animal lover  landed a weather forecasting job in San Diego and she is still there.

Brown? She told me virtually nothing beyond saying she plans to stay in Atlanta for the time being. As her above statement made clear, she is purposely unrevealing. That’s her choice.

When I interviewed her in 2010 soon after she arrived in town, Brown told me the basics about her life but that’s all. She grew up in Detroit but interest in weather came later in life. Prior to Atlanta, she had TV news jobs in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis and Lansing, Mich. She has some family members here.

We compared the weather here vs. Cleveland, noting that it changes a lot.  She said she loves sushi and pizza. She was married at the time I talked to her but declined to identify her husband’s name. She had two dogs then.

According to her CBS46 bio, “in her spare time, Markina enjoys acting, shopping, working out, and watching movies.”

CBS46 recently lost its general manager as well.

Markina Brown on the set of CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

Here are some stories I’ve written about CBS’s changes since spring, 2013:

9/11/14: CBS46 loses its general manager, gets a new news director

9/9/14:  CBS 46 brings back noon news program

7/17/14 CBS46’s news director Lane Michaelsen leaves after 15 months.

7/1/14: Michelle Burdo apologizes for use of the word ‘colored’

2/18/14: Jennfier Mayerle leaving CBS Atlanta

1/22/14: Brandon Rudat finds a new job in Phoenix

1/9/14: Adam Murphy gets his “Restaurant Report Card” back

12/11/13: CBS Atlanta hires new morning anchor Frank Wiley

9/4/13: Scott Light hired as new evening anchor

8/13/13: Tracye Hutchins moves to evenings, replaced by Michelle Burdo

8/9/13: Two new members of CBS’s “Better Mornings”

7/18/13  Anchor Brandon Rudat leaves CBS “Better Mornings”

7/18/13: Larry Smith named new sports director at CBS Atlanta

6/18/13: CBS Atlanta cuts ties with 790/The Zone

6/17/13: Meteorologist Cris Martinez leaves CBS Atlanta

6/5/13 : Anchor Jaquitta Williams is out at CBS Atlanta

Paul Ossman and Jennifer Valdez are both popular meteorologists on CBS46 and could potentially take Markina Brown’s spot as chief meteorologist. CREDIT: CBS46.

Being a chief meteorologist at a major TV station is still a big deal, even in this day and age when weather is at your smartphone fingertips. Forecasts remain a staple of TV news, especially when storms are forthcoming.

So when a TV network finds a good meteorologist, they try to keep him or her as long as they could.

Michael Castengenra, a University of Georgia senior lecturer at the Grady College of Journalism who does consulting work with TV stations (none in Atlanta), said he does market research with what viewers want in their local news and who the  meteorologist is lands in the top 5. “Candidly,” he said, “in some markets. the chief meteorologist is more important than the main anchor.”

But in an unusual turn of events, three of the four Atlanta broadcast networks have lost their weather chiefs for different reasons this year. 11 Alive let go Mike Francis in January over issues of performance. Over at Fox 5 (WAGA-TV), Ken Cook retired after a glorious 35 years on air this past summer. (Long-time weather man Chris Holcomb ultimately took over.)And Markina Brown earlier this month voluntarily left CBS46 for new, as-yet unmentioned, ventures.

UPDATE at 5:24 p.m. Monday: I posted this around 3 p.m. today without realizing new news director Larry Perret had hired someone from his Kansas City news director days: Jim Kosek. More details here. So the rest of this is now out-of-date speculation. I’m sorry!

Fox 5 has not filled the slot yet but there is an expectation that David Chandley, who left Channel 2 Action News after more than 25 years over the summer, may take that slot once his non-compete is up in January. (Glenn Burns has been the chief there for more than three decades.)

If Fox 5 doesn’t work out, Chandley could opt for CBS46, though Fox has higher ratings and a presumably bigger budget to compensate him.

Brown’s spot could also be filled in house. Jennifer Valdez, who has been with the station for six years,  has a strong following as a morning meteorologist.

Michael Castengenra, a University of Georgia senior lecturer at the Grady College of Journalism who does consulting work with TV stations (none in Atlanta), said he does market research with what viewers want in their local news and the top 4 topics are weather related. The meteorologist, he said, often ranks fourth most crucial. “Candidly,” he said, “in some markets. the chief meteorologist is more important than the main anchor.”x

Paul Ossmann has been a regular fixture in Atlanta for 26 years, 24 of them at what is now Fox 5 (WAGA-TV) and 11 Alive (WXIA-TV).  He was let go from 11 Alive in 2011 (read my story here) and hired for weekend work at CBS46 in 2012, where he has been ever since. Ossmann is currently helping cover weekdays after Brown’s departure.

New chief meteorologist Jim Kosek worked under the current CBS46 news director in Kansas City.

Two hours ago, I posted a story speculating who might replace CBS46 chief meteorologist  Markina Brown, thinking it might be awhile before a new person would be named.

I was wrong on that front.  Larry Perret, the new news director there who arrived in September, just sent out a memo to staff announcing a new chief meteorologist from Kansas City (market No. 31): Jim Kosek. He previously worked at a Meredith station KCTV for all of five months. Prior to that, he was chief meteorologist at AccuWeather and a station in Salt Lake City (market No. 33). He has more than a quarter century experience in this business.

During his time at AccuWeather, which provides weather services all over the country, he became a bit of a Web sensation for his nutty on-air forecasts, which included screaming and strange voices.

There are some viral YouTube videos of Kosek doing some rather schticky stuff:

The Washington Post even felt compelled to write about his “over-the-top antics.”

This is Al Roker meets Sam Kinison. Samuel L. Jackson’s five-day forecast. Chris Matthews on a Starbucks jag. Howard Dean post-Iowa caucuses — but with live Doppler radar.

“You can get weather just about anywhere nowadays — you don’t have to pay for this stuff,” Kosek says, “so I think you’ve gotta add a little uh-umph, some panache to it.”

He toned it down quite a bit when he was in Kansas City for this August 23 forecast:

Kosek is joining CBS46 on Monday, Dec. 1. Brown’s final day, after four years at CBS46, was Nov. 14.

After watching his videos, I know I have to talk to this guy when he arrives in Atlanta! We’ll have to see how much leeway CBS46 gives him.

This isn’t a pick out of the dark. Perret previously worked at KCTV as news director for a year until September. So he knows Kosek’s work.

Perret said the timing was just right.

Kosek moves from market No. 31 to No. 8 so he does get a nice raise.

As part of Perret’s memo, he wrote this:

Jim tells me he loves humidity and hot weather along with severe thunderstorms, tornados and hurricanes.  In fact he and his wife Misty have actually planned vacations to see tropical storms!  Jim and Misty have a 4 year old son, Miles.

Jim is also a big animal lover and has worked with pet rescue organizations in the past.  He is looking forward to volunteering here in Atlanta.  He has a 7 year old boxer/lab mix, Chopper and a 10 year old cat, Spurs.  Watching sports is a priority for Jim along with playing golf.

Stephany Fisher took a few days off last week at CBS46 in what could have been negotiation hardball but the two sides appear to have agreed on a new contract. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, March 29, 2015, updated Tuesday, March 31, 2015

UPDATE Tuesday March 31: On Monday night, Fisher returned on air after several days’ absence. She also began posting news-related items again on her social media accounts.  I’m told her contract had ended and for a time, a new one had yet to be signed, which may have been why she was off air. I am not sure if not being on air was Fisher’s call or management’s decision. Larry Perret, the news director, emailed me today, writing, “She’s under contract and continues to work.” When I asked why she was off air for a few days last week, he said she was taking vacation days. That may be true, but why would she take vacation in the middle of March Madness when CBS is airing the highly-rated basketball games?

Fisher has not been anchoring the 11 p.m. since she returned – just the 4, 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. I’m not sure why.

A reliable source told me Saturday night that CBS46’s longest running anchor Stephany Fisher is out. [UPDATE: Said source wasn’t 100% reliable in this case, as noted above. She was off air for a time but she was not 100% out.]

Fisher has been with CBS46 for 12 years anchoring the evening newscasts. Her current duties are 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m..

One sign that my source may be right: she changed her Twitter handle Saturday night from @fishercbs46 to @stephanylfisher, which has 1,864 followers. Her Twitter description: “Evening news anchor at CBS46. Being wife to my college sweetheart, mother to our teenage daughter and spoiler of 2 dogs is my life.”

As of Sunday morning, her public CBS46 Facebook page remained. She hasn’t updated it since March 24. (I checked in on her on her private FB page this morning but nothing yet.)

Her public FB page has 498 likes compared to 25,296 for Channel 2 Action News’ Jovita Moore, 3,936 for 11 Alive’s Brenda Wood and 5,952 for Cynne Simpson on Fox 5.

Her page on CBS46 also remained as of Sunday morning.

She wasn’t on air Friday night. Scott Light anchored solo on Fred Kalil‘s second night there as new sports anchor.

Fisher had been one of the few stabilizing forces on air for CBS46, which has been in fourth place for much of the past two decades. Over her tenure, she has worked with least five general managers and five news directors.

Only three other CBS46 on-air staff have been at the station more than a decade: Rebekka Schramm, Renee Starzyk and Adam Murphy. Presuming she’s out, Tracye Hutchins would be the station’s veteran anchor at eight years.

This is potential good news for Kayrn Greer, recently departed from 11 Alive. But Perret said a replacement for Michelle Burdo is forthcoming.

Before joining CBS46 in 2003, Fisher was an anchor/reporter in Yakima, Wash. (1992-1994), WYFF-TV Greenville (1994-2000), and KPTV-TV Portland (2000-2003).

Stephany was born in Dallas and grew up in San Angelo and Spokane,. She graduated from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication in 1991.

She also writes her own blog.

Here are some stories I’ve written about CBS’s changes since spring, 2013:

3/20/15: Michelle Burdo leaving CBS46

3/10/15: CBS46 hires Fred Kalil as sports anchor

11/24/14: Jim Kosek replaces Markina brown at CBS46

11/10/14: Meteorologist Markina Brown leaves CBS46

9/11/14: CBS46 loses its general manager, gets a new news director

9/9/14:  CBS 46 brings back noon news program

7/17/14 CBS46’s news director Lane Michaelsen leaves after 15 months.

7/1/14: Michelle Burdo apologizes for use of the word ‘colored’

2/18/14: Jennfier Mayerle leaving CBS Atlanta

1/22/14: Brandon Rudat finds a new job in Phoenix

1/9/14: Adam Murphy gets his “Restaurant Report Card” back (but it was gone again by the end of the year.)

12/11/13: CBS Atlanta hires new morning anchor Frank Wiley

9/4/13: Scott Light hired as new evening anchor

8/13/13: Tracye Hutchins moves to evenings, replaced by Michelle Burdo

8/9/13: Two new members of CBS’s “Better Mornings”

7/18/13  Anchor Brandon Rudat leaves CBS “Better Mornings”

7/18/13: Larry Smith named new sports director at CBS Atlanta

6/18/13: CBS Atlanta cuts ties with 790/The Zone

6/17/13: Meteorologist Cris Martinez leaves CBS Atlanta

6/5/13 : Anchor Jaquitta Williams is out at CBS Atlanta

Stephany Fisher is leaving CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday April 13, 2015

I want to apologize for my inconsistent reporting about CBS46 evening anchor Stephany Fisher‘s status the past couple of weeks. I blame myself for not being particularly precise in my questions and making rather unimaginative presumptions.

What I know 100 percent now is Fisher is leaving at the conclusion of her current contract. She has not signed a renewal.

I do not know exactly what day will be her last on the air but I get a sense it’s soon.

Here’s what happened last month. A very reliable inside source told me she had left the airwaves during March Madness and that she was leaving the station permanently. Fisher herself wasn’t responding to my inquiries.  She was off the air for several days. I didn’t hear back immediately from news director Larry Perret.

I held off from writing anything until I noticed Fisher doing something unusual on Saturday night, March 28: she changed her Twitter from @fishercbs46 to @stephanylfisher.

That’s when I made presumption #1. She must be leaving the station, I figured. Why change the Twitter handle and drop the station name?

So that’s what I originally wrote on March 29: signs were that she was departing after 12 years.

But on Monday night, she returned on air with no comments about her absence. Perret said she had taken some vacation days and was still under contract and working.

I proceeded at this point to make presumption #2: she was staying at CBS46. I didn’t ask Perret the right question: was she under a new contract or her existing contract? His wording, in retrospect, implied she was under her current contract. Nobody told me she had signed a new contract. But I made an assumption she may have done so.

In other words, I didn’t think of another scenario: she is simply riding out her current contract by staying on air until the contract ends and would be leaving soon.

So I changed the headline to my previous story to “she’s staying after all.” Technically, I was right. But that implied she was staying because of a new contract. I didn’t say that in the story but it was easy to make that supposition.

In reality, that was not the case. So today, once I learned what was going on for sure, I changed the headline to that original story yet again: “she’s staying for now.”

I will repeat the bottom line: Fisher is leaving CBS46 at some point in the next few weeks.

Fisher has arguably been the face of CBS46. She has been the station’s consistent evening anchor since 2003, leading the 11 p.m. newscast, which tends to be their highest rated.

She has been an exception. For the most part for years, CBS46 has been a shifting morass of management and staffing as it has struggled to lift its ratings. But the constant changes and lack of consistency (something both Fox 5 and Channel 2 Action News generally have) has handcuffed the station to a degree. Meredith Corp., which owns CBS46 (WGCL-TV), has shown little patience and keeps hiring and firing administration every couple of years.

Other departures at CBS46 here.

Jocelyn Connell will be having a baby later this year, she announced this morning. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, May 18, 2015

CBS46 noon anchor and reporter Jocelyn Connell is having a first baby due in December, she announced this morning.

“Any parenting advice, send it our way,” she said on air this morning during “CBS46 News at 6 a.m.”

Connell joined CBS46 in 2010. According to her CBS46 bio, she is married.   She previously worked in Chattanooga and Michigan.

Sharon Reed will take over for Stephanie Fisher in mid-June as an evening anchor. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally field Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Stephany Fisher’s replacement as an evening anchor at CBS46(WGCL) has been named: Sharon Reed, who was last working in St. Louis at another CBS affiliate KMOV owned by Meredith Corp. She will start in mid June.

Rumors of Reed’s impending arrival go back to March, starting with FTV-live reporting that news director Larry Perret had a meal with her.  (That’s impressive sourcing FTV!)

Soon after, I received confirmation Fisher will be leaving next month when her contract is up.  Fisher had been at the station for 12 years, by far its longest running anchor. But under Perret, the station has hired a raft of new people in recent months with many folks leaving as well.

He has hired a new meteorologist Jim Kosek to replace Markina Brown. Gloria Neal will soon be joining the morning anchor desk to replace Michelle Burdo. Veteran sports anchor Fred Kalil recently took over sports programming, effectively replacing Larry Smith. And several reporters (including Renee Starzyk, Bernard Watson and Mike Paluska) have left and have been or are about to be replaced.

Reed, according to her Linkedin page, has been in St. Louis since 2012. She has also worked at WSVN (Miami, 1997-1999), WCAU (Philadelphia, 1999-2002) and WOIO (Cleveland, 2002-2012).

“Sharon is an incredible addition to our team.  Her journalistic skills and passion for the community are second to none,” said Perret in the press release. He noted in a follow-up email that she helped bring the 5 and 6 p.m newscasts at KMOV to No. 1. He also said her coverage of the Ferguson riots impressed him deeply.

“It’s an opportunity to continue working with a great company (Meredith) and to come to a station doing a number of new and exciting things.  On top of that I get an opportunity to get involved in the great city of Atlanta” said Reed in the same press release.

Reed made headlines all over the world in 2004, including  the New York Times of all places when she posed nude with 2,700 others as part of an art installation in a move approved by her bosses at her employer WOIO, a Cleveland TV station.

In the late great David Carr‘s story, he described her story as shown to Cleveland viewers at the time:

Ms. Reed, who has a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, lauded her own bravery as she removed her bra in front of the cameras, suggesting that there was significance in her willingness to strip naked for the sake of art: she was taking part in an installation by Spencer Tunick, an artist who photographs choreographed scenes of public nudity. She then took off the rest of her clothes, and the camera filmed her as she walked away from it and joined a group of participants in the photo shoot, also naked.

Critics said this was a blatant ratings grabber. Reed was not apologetic to the Cleveland Plain Dealer:  “I’m in it to win. When did that become a crime?”

She also defended her work on David Letterman‘s late night CBS show, calling it a “very legitimate new story.” (She called Carr of the Times “a boob” to Letterman.)

In 2005, Cleveland magazine did a fascinating piece on her called “The Mystique of Sharon Reed.”

Like the station she works for, Reed’s style is more adventurous than most. She favors sexy suits and necklines low enough to be cut off by the ticker running across the bottom of the screen. Reed doesn’t just relay the news of the day, she wears it.

At the same time, the writer Jacqueline Marino was mystified by who Reed was.  She is protective of her private life. The reporter managed a short front-end meeting with her, but Reed declined to give her an extensive interview.

So over two months, Marino did her best to get a sense of Reed by talking to a lot of other people at a level of depth I’m jealous of because I never have time to do that.

Eventually, Marino did talk to her by phone but it sounded like Reed spent a lot of time excoriating Marino for not being totally clear about her intentions, that she was doing reporting behind her back, that she had been burned before by other media.

I finally learn something — a few things — about Reed from Reed: She won’t be a victim. She won’t let anyone put words in her mouth. And she doesn’t want “the point to get across that I don’t want to talk.”

Wondering how ratings are among the TV stations? I recently did a piece here breaking it down hour by hour.

For years, CBS46 (WGCL-TV) has generally been the fourth-place station in local news ratings behind leader Channel 2 Action News (WSB-TV), followed by Fox 5 (WAGA-TV) and 11 Alive (WXIA-TV).

Jocelyn Connell, who is expecting a baby later this year, is moving to Italy with her husband. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Emmy-winning noon anchor and reporter Jocelyn Connell is the latest to leave CBS46 with her final day Friday.

“The station is going in a new direction with both the noon and morning shows,” she wrote on Facebook this morning.

At the same time, Connell said her husband has a new job in Italy so she is moving overseas. “We are so incredibly blessed and can’t wait to get started on this new journey,” she wrote. “Thank you for being the best viewers I could ever ask for.”

Last week, she also announced she was pregnant with her first child.

Before she left, she was included in a blooper reel on David Letterman’s second-to-last show last week:

She joined CBS46 in 2010. She previously worked in Michigan and Chattanooga.

Kim Passoth, who came from an ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City, takes over for Connell.

Kim Passoth takes over as noon anchor and evening reporter for Jocelyn Connell on CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

The changes at CBS46 have been extensive in the past nine months since general manager Mark Pimentel and news director Larry Perret showed up.

Among the biggest personnel shifts:

– A new morning host in Gloria Neal, replacing Michelle Burdo

– A new sports anchor Fred Kalil, replacing Larry Smith

– A new evening anchor Sharon Reed, replacing Stephany Fisher

– A new chief meteorologist Jim Kosek, replacing Markina Brown

Bobby Kaple joins CBS46 next month as a new morning host.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday May 18, 2015

CBS46 has hired a new morning anchor Bobby Kaple to join fellow newbie Gloria Neal as part of a major turnover of anchors in just a matter of a few months.

Kaple, who starts June 15, was at the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles for three years. He has also worked at stations in West Palm Beach and Des Moines.

The changes leave Tracye Hutchins as the longest-standing anchor on the CBS affiliate. She arrived in the spring of 2007 as part of the morning show. She is currently an evening anchor.

Scott Light, another evening anchor, joined CBS46 in late 2013. His 18 months at the station makes him the second most senior anchor there.

The architects of all the shifts are general manager Mark Pimentel and news director Larry Perret, who arrived last fall.

I presume this will be the last of the major shifts there for awhile. Given owner Meredith’s recent track record of impatience, “awhile” means a year or two.

So let’s review: new morning hosts are Kaple and Neal, replacing Michelle Burdo.

The new noon anchor is Kim Passoth, taking over for Jocelyn Connell, whose last day is May 29. .

The afternoon and evening anchors are Sharon Reed, Hutchins and Light. Reed replaces Stephany Fisher, whose contract is up soon.

The station also has a new sports anchor (Fred Kalil) and new chief meteorologist (Jim Kosek).

For continuity buffs, at least morning meteorologist Jennifer Valdez is still around!

The “Just a MInute” ten-spot of mostly former journalists. Bill Nigut is arguably still an active one on GPB. CREDIT: CBS46

Kimberley Kennedy, formerly of WSB and 11 Alive, will be doing bi-weekly one-minute commentaries for CBS 46.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday June 4, 2015

CBS46 is bringing back 10 mostly former local TV broadcasters to offer rotating daily one-minute commentaries during the 5 p.m. telecast beginning June 15.

This unusual idea came from the brain of new GM Mark Pimentel, who joined CBS46 last fall but has also worked at 11 Alive and Channel 2 Action News.

The “Just a Minute” commentaries will run every day at 5:56 p.m. and will feature an all-star cast of (mostly) former journalists from rival stations such as Amanda Davis (Fox 5), Sally Sears (Channel 2 Action News, Fox 5), Kimberley Kennedy (11 Alive, WSB), Ken Watts (11 Alive and Fox 5) and Paul Crawley (11 Alive).

Bill Nigut, who still does radio and TV for Georgia Public Broadcasting, will join the crew, along with Mark Pettit (CNN, 11 Alive), Angela Robinson (Fox 5, 11 Alive), Cynthia Tinsley (11 Alive) and Lyn Vaughn (11 Alive, CNN).

Combined, they have more than 250 years of journalism experience and 300 years living in metro Atlanta, Pimentel said.

Curiously, none have ever worked at CBS46.

For a fourth-place station like WGCL-TV, this is a shrewd marketing move because it may create appointment TV for folks who miss those personalities, said Michael Castengera, a broadcast news consultant and University of Georgia journalism lecturer. “You got to get on the radar screen” as a fourth-place station, he said. “This could help.”

Some stations to this day in some markets have their general managers provide commentary. But Pimentel thought it would be fun to have former journalists well known in the Atlanta market provide daily commentary and add a potentially intriguing element to a newscast.

“It came to me when I accepted the job,” Pimentel said. “I was Facebook friends with half these people. I had worked with half these people at WSB and 11 Alive. How do I harness some of that into Channel 46?” (He had already hired long-time 11 Alive sports anchor Fred Kalil earlier this year.)

Pimentel himself had done commentaries called “Just a Minute” at stations in Huntsville, Ala. and Richmond, Virginia.

The station gathered the 10 journalists together last week to tape a promo. “It was like a high school reunion on steroids,” Pimentel said. “We had a tough time taping because they kept talking to each other. Some people hadn’t seen each other in years.”

He said he has encouraged them to be “provocative.”

Kennedy, now a communications and media coach, said she’s excited for the opportunity. (Pimentel said the 10 are being modestly compensated. “It’s grocery money,” he said.)

“Atlanta TV needs to be shaken up,” Kennedy said in an interview. “This is something different. I love giving my opinion!”

On Facebook, recently retired 11 Alive reporter Paul Crawley said no at first but Pimentel took him to lunch and convinced him to join the team. “We get to say whatever we want and will probably argue with each other sometimes,” he wrote. “It’s a diverse group of people used to biting our tongues for years.”

Pimentel wouldn’t say who said no but only three people on his wish list declined the invitation.

11 Alive a few years ago provided a platform for prominent folks in town such as Frank Ski (radio jock), George Andrews (banker) and Laura Turner Seydel (philanthropist) to talk in videos you can still see here. And esteemed anchor Brenda Wood provided a “Last Word” commentary on her 7 p.m. evening news show until 11 Alive eliminated the newscast a few months ago.

Scott Light came from Phoenix in late 2013 and lasted just 18 months at CBS46. CREDIT: CBS46

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Saturday, June 6, 2015

Netflix is reviving “Full House.” CBS46 has created what you might call the latest version of “Clean House.”

I spoke too soon a few days back when I said it appeared CBS46 had finished revamping its anchor lineup, which meant replacing everyone but Tracye Hutchins and Scott Light. CBS46 this past week let go of Light after 18 months, leaving Hutchins as the sole weekday anchor survivor since new management arrived last fall.

Tracye Hutchins is the only weekday anchor to survive new management. She has been with CBS46 since 2007. CREDIT: Loraine Foushee

News director Larry Perrret declined to comment, but I hear a replacement for Light is coming soon so the musical chairs may finally be coming to an end.

Light, who last worked at a Phoenix TV station, was one of the last major hires of the previous regime.

My original story about Light’s hiring.

For those of you who are trying to keep count, here are the recent anchor changes:

Mornings: Michelle Burdo out, Bobby Kaple from L.A. and Gloria Neal from Denver in.

Mid-days: Jocelyn McConnell out, Kim Passoth from Oklahoma City in

Evenings: Stephany Fisher, Scott Light out; Sharon Reed from St. Louis, plus another person soon, in

Sports: Larry Smith out, Fred Kalil in

Meteorologist: Markina Brown out, Jim Kosek in

Ben Swann comes from a Cincinnati station and begins June 15. CREDIT: TruthinMedia

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, June 8, 2015

Another day, another CBS46 anchor change.

Okay, it’s not quite that frequent. It only seems that way.

Evening anchor Scott Light, as I reported on Saturday, has been released after 18 months. Today, CBS46 announced his replacement Ben Swann.

If anything, fourth-place CBS46 is hiring a lot of interesting characters to shake things up. Swann is not just another pretty face in the crowd. He’s got some Doogie Howser in him. Home-schooled, he graduated Brigham Young University in 1993 at age 15 and received a masters degree at California State University at age 16.

Over the years, Swann has worked for TV stations in El Paso, Texas and Cincinnati, where he created a fact-checking segment called “Reality Check.”

Since 2013, the 36-year-old journalist ran his own independent media operation at benswann.com, which morphed into truthinmedia.com, which involves more people.

Based on his descriptive, he was trying to be like Vice Media: brash and bold and off the beaten path in his reporting. He is also a big believer in having more major political parties.

On the site, he described it as thus:

The Truth in Media Project THE source for uninfluenced, reliable and fearless news. Mainstream media has failed to provide an honest representation of current and past events, and the public is fully aware. Your news or vision of current events at home or across the globe must not be leveraged.

Journalism, the Fourth Estate, must be free from undue or corrupting influence. Whether challenging the “Left vs. Right paradigm” or witnessing firsthand the misrepresentations of the Mexican drug war, Ben’s mission is focused, intentional and highly credible.

His site notes that “through the generous support of thousands of backers, Swann created 16 episodes of the Truth in Media project, a video series that has garnered millions of views and has impacted the national discussion on issues like cannabis and ISIS.”

Here’s his ISIS piece from February:

He also noted on his site that while “covering the 2012 Republican Presidential primary, Swann confronted problems in the American electoral process, the stranglehold of America’s two party system and the suppression of voters’ choices by mainstream media.”

Once he joins CBS46, he’ll have to clear anything he posts over there with the station first.

Swann has generated a fan base: 49,000 Twitter followers and 129,000 likes on Facebook.

His Twitter sig: “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.”

Light, by the way, ironically won a Southeastern Emmy this past Saturday for best news anchor, beating out four others, including DeMarco Morgan on 11 Alive and Jovita Moore on Channel 2 Action News.

All the newbies start on Monday, June 15. Here’s the line-up changes, in review:

Mornings: Michelle Burdo out, Bobby Kaple from L.A. and Gloria Neal from Denver in.

Mid-days: Jocelyn McConnell out, Kim Passoth from Oklahoma City in

Evenings: Stephany Fisher, Scott Light out; Sharon Reed from St. Louis, plus Ben Swann in

Sports: Larry Smith out, Fred Kalil in

Meteorologist: Markina Brown out, Jim Kosek in

Plus, the station is bringing in 10 mostly former journalists to do rotational “Just a Minute” daily commentaries, including former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis. Those begin at 5:56 p.m. daily starting Monday though I don’t know who will be up first.

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, June 9, 2015

CineStars’ Brittany Umar and I discuss Dad’s Garage’s fundraiser, OWN dropping a show about Atlanta man who fathered 34 kids with 17 women and new hosts and anchors at CBS46.

Adam Murphy’s two Emmys from this past Saturday night. CREDIT: Courtesy of Adam Murphy

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com

It’s been a crazy few weeks for CBS46, with all the staff changeovers. People in the Midtown offices at WGCL-TV probably need name tags with five new anchors starting on air Monday, June 15.

So in all fairness, I would like to note that CBS46 is actually keeping a long-time reporter: the station has signed Adam Murphy to a new contract. He’s staying!

And unlike former colleague and anchor Scott Light, Murphy was on hand to accept his two Southeastern Emmys this past Saturday night in Buckhead at the Grand Hyatt. Murphy has won one Emmy previously and been nominated numerous times.

He took home an Emmy for best business/consumer news series with his long-running “Restaurant Report Card.” He also won an Emmy with Eric Carlton and Dimitri Lotovski for a general assignment news story called “Catch Me If You Can,” an investigative report which involved drivers who lose their license in court, then drive away anyway.

Murphy is second longest running on-air journalist at the station, having joined CBS46 in 2003. Rebekka Shramm has been there since 2001, about six general managers ago.

And for those who missed my last dozen stories on CBS46, here’s a quick summary:

Mornings: Michelle Burdo out, Bobby Kaple from L.A. and Gloria Neal from Denver in.

Mid-days: Jocelyn Connell out, Kim Passoth from Oklahoma City in

Evenings: Stephany Fisher, Scott Light out; Sharon Reed from St. Louis, plus Ben Swann in

Sports: Larry Smith out, Fred Kalil in

Meteorologist: Markina Brown out, Jim Kosek in

The station is also bringing in 10 mostly former journalists to do rotational “Just a Minute” daily commentaries, including former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis. Those begin at 5:56 p.m. daily starting Monday though I don’t know who will be up first.

And if you want a little flashback action, here’s the story I wrote about Murphy in 2007.