The New York Mets and PIX11 will host the seventh annual “Weather Education Day” this Thursday, May 17 at Citi Field for 8,000 students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut prior to the Mets playing the Cincinnati Reds at 1:10 p.m.

Students will be treated to a pre-game meteorology lesson by PIX11 weather experts Mr. G and Linda Church, who will engage them in an interactive program about weather patterns and phenomenon and take students behind the scenes at the PIX11 weather center.

Mr. Met and the Pepsi MAX Party Patrol will also be on hand to entertain students and fire t-shirts into the crowd.  At the conclusion of program, the students will stay at the ballpark to watch the game.

As part of “Weather Education Day,” Linda Church will also be delivering the forecast for “PIX11 Morning News” from Citi Field beginning at 6:00 a.m.

PIX11, Tribune Broadcasting’s New York CW affiliate, has won a New York Press Club Award in the category of TV: Crime Reporting which covers crimes, police techniques, law enforcement, trends or profiles.

TV: Crime Reporting

Inside the House of Horrors: The Barbara Sheehan Interview

Kirstin Cole, Peter Ruello, Thomas Cassidy, Ken Pelczar

After covering her murder trial for more than a month, Barbara Sheehan agreed to be interviewed exclusively by PIX11 News. She shared all the details of the day she killed her former police officer husband with 11 bullets from his own guns, as well as revealed the abuse she suffered for two decades prior. 

The full series can be viewed on PIX11.com: 

http://www.wpix.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=barbara+sheehan&target=adv_article

An enduring tradition in New York media, the annual New York Press Club Awards for Journalism honor excellence in the craft by writers, reporters, editors, producers, shooters and multimediographers. Judging is by prominent working journalists, former journalists and academics selected for their expertise in each category.

This year’s awards will be formally presented at the New York Press Club’s Awards and Installation of Officers Dinner - Monday, June 11th - at Manhattan’s Water Club.

PIX11 News is honored to announce award-winning television journalist Joan Lunden will be co-anchoring the PIX11 Morning News with Sukanya Krishnan and Frances Rivera on Thursday, May 10th from 8-9am.

As host of Good Morning America for nearly two decades, making her the longest running host ever on early morning television, Joan brought insight to top issues for millions of Americans every morning and PIX11 is thrilled to have her share the anchor desk with Sukanya and Frances on Thursday.

PIX11 Morning News airs weekdays from 4 to 9am.

A New York Times bestselling author, sought-after motivational and keynote speaker, successful entrepreneur and one of America’s most recognized and trusted television personalities, Joan exemplifies today’s modern working woman. A part of the sandwich generation, Joan is a working mother of seven and caregiver to her mother. She recently hosted RLTV’s Taking Care, a series dedicated to caregivers across America; and the CW Network’s Emmy-winning special America’s Invisible Children. Joan is currently working with A Place for Mom, Inc. (www.aplaceformom.com) the nation’s largest senior living referral service providing resources and personalized assistance in finding senior care and housing.

For more information about Joan Lunden, please visit her website, Joan Lunden’s Healthy Living at www.JoanLunden.com

• 6 – 9am  WGN Morning News
• 11am – 1pm WGN Midday News
• 9am – 2pm Continuing coverage on CLTV (as news breaks)
• 4:30 – 6pm WGN News at Five starts early, right after the White Sox @ Cubs game
• 9 – 10pm  WGN News at Nine
• Viewers can also watch coverage online throughout the day at WGNtv.com and CLTV.com

If breaking news warrants during the White Sox @ Cubs game, WGN News coverage will be seen on CLTV, WGN 9.2 Antenna TV, WGNtv.com and CLTV.com.

Chicago will be the only city in the United States other than Washington D.C. to host the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit. NATO is a political organization made up of 28 countries, including the United States.  The NATO Summit will be held on May 20-21 at McCormick Place.

Produced by WDCW-TV/DC50

The 4^th Annual “Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Expo” (FBL), a local extravaganza featuring all-day runway fashion shows; free beauty makeovers; and the latest information on design and style trends, will return to the Washington Convention Center on Saturday, October 20^th from 2-8pm.  “America’s Next Top Model” runway coach J. Alexander (Miss. J) will headline this year’s event, which is produced by WDCW-TV/DC50, Tribune Broadcasting, the CW affiliate in Washington, DC. Kate Michael, editor-in-chief of K Street Kate, will serve as co-host of the Expo.  WDCW-TV is producing the Fashion Beauty & Lifestyle Expo in conjunction with event production expert Maggy François.

FBL is a full day featuring beauty & fashion-related seminars; free makeovers; hourly fashion shows; meet and greet sessions with nationally-known models and other celebrities; and more than 60 booths of local beauty & fashion-related businesses. Miss J. will host fashion shows and meet with attendees at FBL.

Other events currently scheduled throughout the day include a Top Model tryout in which the winner will meet personally with a casting director in LA or NY.

Tickets to FBL can be purchased on-line at www.DC50TV.com or on-site at the Expo. 

“We are excited that our annual Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Expo is returning for its 4^th consecutive year.  Last year was a huge success with several new designers and vendors, and this year we plan to build on that excitement with the nationally and internationally famous Miss J and the wildly popular Kate Michael.  This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better than last year,” said Ashley Messina, Vice President/General Manager WDCW-TV.

About Miss J 

Alexander Jenkins, commonly known as “Miss J.” and/or J. Alexander; was born and raised in the South Bronx of New York City, which served as Miss. J.’s first introduction to fashion and overcoming adversity. His childhood memories have been well documented within his self‐authored book “Follow the Model,” a memoir about his rise to fame as a black gender‐bending model coach. He is best known for his television work as a runway coach for contestants on America’s Next Top Model (ANTM).  J. Alexander’s career as a world‐renowned runway coach began when he coached runway glamazons both backstage at fashion shows and within the venerable fashion houses of Europe. He was recognized for his coaching abilities and has worked with most major models through both private training and consultancies with major designer brands.  J. Alexander became a judge in cycle 5 of America’s Next Top Model and most recently in season 14 and 15 has returned to his role as a guest celebrity, model coach and mentor. He has an ability to elicit elegance and movement on the catwalk. This coupled with his outlandish sense of style, has put him in high demand in the world of fashion and modeling.

About Kate Michael

Kate Michael is the President and Founder of K Street Kate, an online media company comprised of an online magazine (www.KStreetKate.net) and online talk show (www.TheDistrictDish.com) devoted to lifestyle news about the District of Columbia.   Hip, happening and hyperlocal, Kate formed the company while serving as Miss District of Columbia 2006 and competing in Miss America (2007) while at the same time completing her dual MBA/Masters in Government from Johns Hopkins University and working both for the Federal and District of Columbia governments.  When not writing or serving as an on-air talent, Kate works as a professional model having walked the runway for such industry icons as Valentino, Peter Som, Dior, Badgely Mischka and Carolina Herrera. Her media portfolio includes a spread in Elle magazine and features on Inside Edition and BBC World News’ “The Real Cities” series as well as work appearing on NBC, NewsChannel 8, Comcast and other local publications. 

About Maggy François

Noted Washington DC style expert Maggy François began her career in event production over fifteen years ago. She regularly plans events and fashion shows for both corporate and nonprofit clients and has been instrumental in creating and directing numerous fashion industry educational programs and developed the Project Fundway Scholarship for gwfcc.  In 1996, François began to produce fashion shows and provided behind the scenes productions for numerous reputable organizations along the East Coast. In 2000, she formed an event management company specializing in the fashion industry. She has worked with well-known designers such as Christian Siriano, Korto Momolu, Betsey Johnson Georgetown, Amsale, Project Runway & Bravo TV designers, Manale, Courtney Washington, Edward Wilkerson, Manale, Francis Hendy, and Sean “Diddy” Combs collection to name a few. Currently, François is expanding her event management company to serve the distinct markets and is designing beautiful events for high profile socialites.

Tickets to The Washington, DC Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Expo can be purchased on-line at www.DC50TV.com or on-site at the event.  Additional information including photos from last year’s event plus video interviews are available at DC50TV.com 

 Contact:  

Event information / photos:

Jim Byrne / WDCW-TV, Washington, DC:  jbyrne (at) tribune.com  

Press credentials / interviews: 

Jessica Bellucci / Tribune Company, NY: jbellucci (at) tribune.com

For more information or to purchase tickets please visit:  www.dc50tv.com

TWITTER: #FBL2012

Surrounding the 25^th Anniversary of the Houston Art Car Parade, the oldest and longest parade of its kind in the world, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is thrilled to announce a fantastic weekend of events May 10-13, 2012. What started out as a small caravan of like-minded artists and individuals 25 years ago has blossomed into one of the largest and most beloved events in the city of Houston all year, drawing an estimated crowd of over 300,000 on parade day.

KIAH-TV and Newsfix is proud to be an official media sponsor of the Houston Art Car Parade and is providing full coverage of the event on-air and online. Every night this week at 5:00pm and 9:00pm (CT), NewsFix on CW39 will feature some of Houston’s most memorable artists and the stories behind their car entries. Additionally, NewsFix will feature nightly live and continuing coverage of key activities during Art Car weekend, including The Legendary Art Car Ball on Thursday, May 10^th. The 25^th Annual Houston Art Car Parade can be seen this Saturday at 1:00pm (CT) via free live stream at www.39online.com/artcar hosted by Steve Simon and Maggie Flecknoe. On Sunday, May 20^th at 6:00pm, KIAH-TV will present an hour-long special broadcast of the parade, featuring inspiring stories of select artists. Fans of NewsFix will also be treated to an up-close look at its own art car entry, “The NewsFix Beast”.

A full schedule of the Houston Art Car Parade activities can be seen at www.TheHoustonArtCarParade.com

About the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art

Now in its 30^th year, The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization based in Houston, TX with a mission to preserve, promote and document visionary art environments, provide opportunities for the expression of personal artistic vision and create a community where that expression is valued. The Orange Show owns and operates The Orange Show monument, The Beer Can House and Smither Park, as well as produces the Houston Art Car Parade – the world’s oldest and largest event of its kind. For more information, visit them online at www.orangeshow.org. Funding is provided in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, The Brown Foundation, Houston Endowment, The Cullen Foundation, Wortham Foundation, Silver Eagle Distributors, Ann and James Harithas and Marilyn Oshman as well as private contributions, in-kind support, and volunteer assistance. The Orange Show is a member of the Fresh Arts Coalition.

Rick will be forecasting weather weeknights on FOX 17 News at Five, FOX 17 News at Six, and FOX 17 News at Ten.  He joins weekend meteorologist Kevin Craig and FOX 17 Morning News meteorologist Jon Shaner. 

“I am very excited to have Rick joining our FOX 17 weather team,” said News Director Kerri Cavanaugh. “He knows how important weather is to our viewers. Rick’s experience, leadership and knowledge of West Michigan will make our weather team even stronger.”

Prior to coming to FOX 17, Rick was the Chief Meteorologist for WSBT in South Bend, IN where he worked for 15 years.  He also worked at WAAY and WAFF, both in Huntsville, AL. 

“Having grown up in Marshall, I can honestly say it is great to be home and forecasting weather for West Michigan,” said Rick.

Saturday, October 27th from 11a-5p

Fitness Classes, Seminars, Health Screenings, Celebrity Guests, Book Signings, Vendors, Giveaways and More

Meet the entire PIX11 News Team; Watch a Taping of “Dr. Steve”

Plus: Workout with Tae Bo Creator Billy Blanks

This October, PIX11 again is bringing together the top experts in the health and wellness fields for an all-day, all-ages expo. The second annual PIX11 Health & Wellness Expo will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan on Saturday, October 27^th from 11am to 5pm and will be hosted by Dr. Steve Salvatore, of the nationally syndicated program “Dr. Steve Show.”

Through the use of classes, demonstrations, seminars and hands-on experience, PIX11 will provide a day of information and entertainment that the whole family will enjoy.  The event will bring together a variety of doctors, nutritionists, sports and fitness specialists, wellness celebrities and authors, plus vendor booths and health/wellness screenings.

Fitness classes include: Tae Bo with Billy Blanks and Salsa Dancing with Ral’eau Salsa Dance Company with many more to come!

Confirmed celebrities include: fitness superstar/Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks, plus PIX11’s Dr. Steve, Jodi Applegate, Mr. G, Kaity Tong, Sukanya Krishnan, Frances Rivera, Tamsen Fadal, Linda Church, Craig Treadway, Lisa Mateo, Larry Mendte, Greg Mocker, Lionel and more!

Plus, join PIX11 at the Expo to watch the taping of “Dr. Steve” segments from the Expo floor.

“We are very proud to have created a new tradition in New York with the annual PIX11 Health & Wellness Expo,” said Eric Meyrowitz, Vice President & General Manager.  “In our first year we saw over 7,000 attendees at the expo, with the average visitor staying nearly 4 hours. Attendees had the opportunity to take fitness classes, listen to informative seminars and speak with health experts. This year promises to be even more exciting as we continue to add classes, seminars and special guests.”

The PIX11 Health & Wellness Expo is open to the public, and for less than the cost of a doctor’s visit ($15 in advance at www.pix11.com/expo, $20 on site – with children 11 years and under free) attendees will have the opportunity to meet leading doctors, medical experts, health practitioners and celebrity fitness experts. Use online discount code EARLYBIRD before June 30^th for $5 off the ticket price.

Please visit www.pix11.com/expo for detailed information on seminars, fitness classes and to purchase tickets.

PIX11 Health & Wellness Expo

DATE: Saturday, October 27

TIME: 11am-5pm

LOCATION: Jacob Javits Convention Center 655 West 34th Street, New York 10001

GENERAL ADMISSION: $15 in advance, $20 on site – Children under 12 are free

Use online discount code EARLYBIRD before June 30^th for $5 off ticket price

For complete details please visit www.pix11.com/expo

TWITTER: #PIX11Expo

According to bullying statistics, there are nearly 3 million students being bullied each year.  To help educate parents, PIX11 Morning News will be airing a week long initiative to raise awareness and empower families, airing Monday, May 7 through Friday, May 11 in the 7 and 8 am hours.

Segments include:

Monday, May 7 

• BREAKING DOWN BULLYING: What really makes a person a bully? For this piece we’ll explore the different types of bullying. From physical, to verbal to relationship bullying and more – PIX11 News is breaking it all down. 
• DIGITAL HATE: What is it?  How is it different from other forms of bullying?  PIX11 News visits the Simon Wiesenthal Center where the issues of cyber bullying and digital hate are addressed through cutting edge technology.

Tuesday, May 8

• BABY BULLIES: How early does bullying start?  Can you recognize if your child is going to be a bully or be bullied?  We’ll take a look at early childhood programs that teach about anti-bullying.
• ALL ABOUT BULLIES (LIVE PERFORMANCE): Miss Amy & The Big Kids Band perform “Keep Your Chin Up” from the Grammy Award Winning children’s album, ALL ABOUT BULLIES… BIG AND SMALL.  ALL ABOUT BULLIES is dedicated to raising anti-bully awareness.

Wednesday, May 9

• STOP BULLYING, BE CREATIVE! We’ll take a look at a unique anti-bullying program taking place in local schools. The Stop Bullying, Be Creative! Tour by the Creative Boys Culture spreads an anti-bullying message using music. We’ll see the program at work in William E. Grady High School in Brooklyn.
• TEEN PANEL: A panel of local teens will share their perspective on bullying, and what they feel might be missing from the greater conversation.

Thursday, May 10

• STAMPING OUT SUICIDE: Bullying-related suicides have increased in recent years. According to the CDC, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year…and for every suicide among young people; there are at least 100 suicide attempts. A Yale University study revealed that “bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims.” This segment will discuss what parents can do to stamp out suicide.

Friday, May 11

• RAISING SELF-ASSURED CHILDREN: By raising children to be more self-assured, we give them the confidence to not be a victim of bullying.  We’ll talk with Dr. Balter as well as school counselors about building your child’s self-esteem and confidence and the long-term effects.

• BULLY COACH: Joel Haber, a bully coach, will offer up advice on how to teach your kids to be more self-assured so they are not bullied, and offer tips on how to create the courage to bring their problems to adults.

Additional resources and information can be found at PIX11.com

“The decision to move our printing and packaging operations will enable us to focus our efforts entirely on community journalism and marketing, reaching consumers through the media channel that suits them best—in print, online, or via their mobile device,” said Digby Solomon, DPMG’s President, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer.

Media General’s plant is a state of the art facility providing cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities. The facility currently prints The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The (Charlottesville, Va.) Daily Progress, and several other daily and weekly newspapers.  The facility will print all editions of DPMG’s three newspapers.  The agreement will result in the elimination of positions in DPMG’s printing and packaging division; the company will provide severance and outplacement assistance to displaced employees.

This agreement does not impact the management of delivery operations.  DPMG contractors and employees will continue to lead the company’s delivery and customer service operations.  The Daily Press will also continue delivering other newspapers sold in its market area, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Virginian-Pilot, and Media General’s Richmond Times-Dispatch.
 
“The Daily Press continues to be a profitable and thriving business in its 116th year, in part because our employees are constantly innovating to ensure we serve clients across all of our media platforms,” said Solomon.  “The consolidation of printing and packaging operations is picking up momentum across the industry.  In the end, we decided that moving these operations to Media General’s Hanover plant makes good business sense.”

The production agreement builds upon an existing business relationship between the Daily Press and Media General’s Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper.  For two years, each newspaper has distributed the other in areas outside its core circulation region. The arrangement has allowed both newspapers to reduce costs while providing better delivery service.

“This agreement positions us to better serve our readers, users, advertisers, and communities,” said Solomon.  “Ultimately, it will enable us to invest more money in new digital and targeted print opportunities to continue growing our business.”

Sam Hightower, vice president of operations-manager of the Hanover production facility, said, “We are very pleased to add the Daily Press to our printing operations and expand our relationship with our valued colleagues at the Daily Press. We have worked closely with the management team at the Daily Press to develop a production plan that ensures we can provide their readers with the highest quality printed product, and we will do so  in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.”

###

The Daily Press Media Group (DPMG) publishes the Daily Press, Virginia Gazette, Tidewater Review, Williamsburg Magazine, hosts a variety of web sites covering Hampton Roads including dp.com, inside tidewater, savvyshopper.com, hrvarsity, and is affiliated with cars.com and careerbuilder.

Media General’s Operations & Distribution Solutions Group was formed in 2009 to manage the company’s production and distribution operations across all markets in order to maximize utilization of its production and distribution assets in the Southeast.  Media General operates 10 strategically located print facilities in the Southeast. In addition to printing its own newspapers, the company provides printing and delivery services for more than 170 other newspapers and specialty products. For more information, visit www.mgprintanddeliver.com

Media General is a leading provider of news, information and entertainment across multiple media platforms, serving consumers and advertisers in strong local markets, primarily in the Southeastern United States. The company is transforming itself over time to a digital media model, while continuing to effectively manage its larger, cash producing broadcast television and print platforms. Media General’s operations are organized in five geographic market segments and a sixth segment that includes the company’s interactive advertising services and certain other operations. The company’s operations include 18 network-affiliated television stations and their associated websites and 23 newspapers and their associated websites. Media General operates three digital media advertising services companies:  Blockdot, a specialty digital agency; DealTaker.com, a shopping website; and NetInformer, a wireless marketing services provider.

MEDIA GENERAL MEDIA CONTACT:
Ray Kozakewicz
Corporate Communications Manager
(804) 649-6748
rkozakewicz@mediageneral.com