Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

The search for Anissa Centers’ replacement is over, as WALA-TV 10 announced Lenise Ligon Feb. 12 as its newest anchor.

According to a WALA press release, Ligon comes to FOX10 from WBTV in Charlotte where she co-anchored the morning and noon broadcasts. She will join Bob Grip in anchoring the 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. broadcasts at WALA.

Ligon has also spent time as an anchor/reporter in Saginaw Michigan, and was an entertainment reporter in her hometown of Detroit.

According to an article that ran in the Charlotte Observer, Ligon was suddenly released from her position at WBTV Jan. 14 by station management who told her they were looking to go in a different direction.

She landed on her feet quickly at WALA where she will start March 31. Ligon, 30, has a husband and 1-year-old son.

Anissa update

Speaking of the lovely and talented Anissa Centers, it seems she has also quickly landed on her feet in Atlanta. Starting March 3, she’ll be working at WSB-TV. Centers tells me she will be anchoring the noon shows on Saturdays and Sundays, and reporting for the morning shows on those days, as well as three days during the week.

“The great thing about that is I’ll be home with my children in the afternoons. That’s what I’d been praying would happen and it did. I’m very grateful to be able to work in news and be with my children after school,” Centers said.

WSB is Atlanta’s ABC affiliate.

WNTM schedule changes

Clear Channel’s talk radio station, WNTM, has just solidified a new schedule that will see the station bring a consistently conservative talk format to the Mobile area. For 23 hours a day, that programming will be live, too.

The new schedule begins at 4 a.m. with “Wall Street Journal This Morning,” followed at 6 a.m. by the “Uncle Henry” show. At 10 a.m., “Ask The Expert” runs, followed an hour later by “Rush Limbaugh.” Limbaugh will also run on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At 2 p.m., “The Schnitt Show” starts. It’s billed as a “funny, opinionated, insightful” fast-growing program. At 5 p.m., “Michael Savage” takes to the airwaves, followed at 8 p.m. by “Rusty Humphries,” another conservative commentator.

“Coast-to-Coast with George Noory” starts at 11 p.m., and focuses on conspiracy theories and paranormal topics. And on the weekends, WNTM will also be bringing NASCAR events.

Blotter bagged for now

Regular readers will probably have noticed Lagniappe’s popular “Police Blotter” column has been absent the past two issues. This isn’t due to a lazy intern or space constraints. Sadly, it’s because the Mobile Police Department has changed the forms it uses, drastically reducing media access to the actual narrative written by police officers.

As a result, all we now see is a very boring form that might tell us there was a robbery on a certain street at a certain time, but offering no details. I spoke with public affairs officer Eric Gallachant, but he offered little hope the practice would change. He added that the department was within its rights to withhold the narrative from reporters.

Looking at the state law, I believe he is right. Still, we’re hopeful the police department will reconsider so we can continue bringing you the strange and entertaining things our boys and girls in blue encounter while protecting us.

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

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