Des Moines TV changes

[jakeandelwood]

Expect a shift on the TV sports landscape in the Hawkeye State's capital.

Mark Meisenheimer has left KCCI-TV, and will appear on WHO-TV as part of their sports team.  No word as to why, but it's a coup for 13 to pick off yet another of 8's talents (after Erin Kiernan).

One thing is for sure:  Iowa's News Leader is going to be at least 1 person short at the start of football season.  Not that it matters -- KCCI wins all the ratings and doesn't give a rip about sports anyways.

[dsmtv]

So is anyone leaving WHO-TV or are they just adding a 4th to the sports team?

[zachteck]

> So is anyone leaving WHO-TV or are they just adding a 4th to
> the sports team?
>
Telly Hughes is gone.

[builderbob]

I don't know that this is such a great "STEAL" on WHO's part. No offense, I don't know him and he may be a great guy and he might know his sports but Mark has a really weak delivery. A little too choppy, tries to pull off being cute and funny.... He's not cute and I have yet to find funny.


> > So is anyone leaving WHO-TV or are they just adding a 4th
> to
> > the sports team?
> >
> Telly Hughes is gone.
>

[Inconspicuous]

I still consider him to be the second best sports anchor in this city.  Just behind Murphy and just ahead of Fales.

He's still on KCCI's website....I would think he would have a contract that forces him to stay off the air for WHO for a year just like Kiernan's.


> I don't know that this is such a great "STEAL" on WHO's
> part. No offense, I don't know him and he may be a great guy
> and he might know his sports but Mark has a really weak
> delivery. A little too choppy, tries to pull off being cute
> and funny.... He's not cute and I have yet to find funny.
>
>
> > > So is anyone leaving WHO-TV or are they just adding a
> 4th
> > to
> > > the sports team?
> > >
> > Telly Hughes is gone.
> >
>

[dsmtv]

According to WHO's website Mark will be the weekend sports anchor and produce Sound Off. Sounds like a demotion for Andy Fales if you ask me.

On a side note, does WHO really think bringing these people over from KCCI is going to change ratings that much? KCCI has been #1 for basically 50 years and the latest ratings book shows their strength more than ever. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big KCCI fan, but to me it doesn't make a lot of financial sense to keep taking KCCI's people away, especially when it doesn't change the ratings.

[Inconspicuous]

I'm not on the inside when it comes to this stuff, but I think I heard that KCCI got smacked pretty good in the morning ratings (may not have gotten beat, but lost a lot of viewers) when they dumped Sheila Brummer and went to the new anchor.  Granted that wasn't a WHO hire-away, but still, I don't know that it's HELPING KCCI to have their anchors hired away.  I don't like Stacey Horst much....I switched from KCCI to WHO for my news. :shrug:

> According to WHO's website Mark will be the weekend sports
> anchor and produce Sound Off. Sounds like a demotion for
> Andy Fales if you ask me.
>
> On a side note, does WHO really think bringing these people
> over from KCCI is going to change ratings that much? KCCI
> has been #1 for basically 50 years and the latest ratings
> book shows their strength more than ever. Don't get me
> wrong, I'm not a big KCCI fan, but to me it doesn't make a
> lot of financial sense to keep taking KCCI's people away,
> especially when it doesn't change the ratings.
>

[Inconspicuous]

Wow....I was just watching the WHO sports cast here at 10 on Friday and it sounded like Andy was none too happy with having Meisenheimer on there.  Maybe he was just doing it for show...but he looked and sounded genuinely upset.
 

>
> > According to WHO's website Mark will be the weekend sports
>
> > anchor and produce Sound Off. Sounds like a demotion for
> > Andy Fales if you ask me.
> >
> > On a side note, does WHO really think bringing these
> people
> > over from KCCI is going to change ratings that much? KCCI
> > has been #1 for basically 50 years and the latest ratings
> > book shows their strength more than ever. Don't get me
> > wrong, I'm not a big KCCI fan, but to me it doesn't make a
>
> > lot of financial sense to keep taking KCCI's people away,
> > especially when it doesn't change the ratings.
> >
>

[RockinRog]

> Wow....I was just watching the WHO sports cast here at 10 on
> Friday and it sounded like Andy was none too happy with
> having Meisenheimer on there.  Maybe he was just doing it
> for show...but he looked and sounded genuinely upset.
>  
>
I saw it at 6.  It was pretty funny.  They had the split screen and Andy asked Mark, "Hey, aren't you at Channel 8?  What are you doing on here?"  And Mark starts waving like he is a tourist on the Today show or something.  Mark then said he was the weekend guy, and Andy started acting all pouty about nobody telling him.  It was pretty funny, he wasn't mad mad, just pretend mad.  Or so it seemed.....

I'm just surprised Mark didn't have a no compete.  He mustve been too far down the totem pole to require one.

And about a post above about Stacey Horst....though she has a nice pair, and is reasonably attractive, there is something creepy about her.  I don't know what it is, but I don't like watching her.

[dsmtv]

I didn't see Andy, but it's my guess that he really is upset about this, whether it comes off on air as a joke or not. Wouldn't you be upset if you were demoted?

Also the earlier post about KCCI's morning ratings after Shelia Brummer- that only lasted one or two ratings books...a few people sampled the other newscasts..then after Brooke Bouma left WHO most people went back to KCCI. In July KCCI was #1 again in the morning and every other time slot. That's exactly what will happen to WHO with their new hires....when Erin goes on air there will be people who switch and sample, but after a few months they'll go back to their old habits and KCCI will remain #1. Iowan's just aren't too quick to change their habits....unfortunately two really great news departments suffer because of it and KCCI gets away with running stories that WHO and WOI ran a few days earlier.