The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TV in Atlanta year in review: CNN vs. Trump, the N-word
Nobody will mistake 2017 as a normal year for TV in Atlanta.
The White House turned into a reality show with Atlanta-based CNN as a primary foe, the N-word became newsworthy in not just one but two different local news situations and scripted productions multiplied in Atlanta in record numbers.
Trump vs. CNN: Donald Trump doesn’t like news that isn’t flattering to him. CNN has aired plenty of unflattering news about him. Trump watches a lot of cable news. Result: plenty of Trump insults directed at CNN, with frequent references to “fake news.” Occasionally, CNN PR has fired back, defending CNN’s coverage. But CNN wasn’t perfect. It let go some investigative staff after a failure in the editing process led to a Trump-related mistake. It dropped Kathy Griffin from its New Year’s Eve special after she posed with a fake severed Trump head. The network also canceled Reza Aslan’s show after a profane Tweet about Trump. On the bright side, CNN and its two cable news rivals are raking in strong ratings numbers, thanks in part to interest in the president. CNN has hardly lost a step from an already strong 2016 election year. Fox News continues its overall ratings dominance, despite some prime-time turmoil over Bill O’Reilly’s departure. And MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow saw her rating skyrocket under Trump.
Ben Swann and Pizzagate: CBS evening anchor Ben Swann used to run a “Truth in Media” website, often airing stories or voicing theories he felt mainstream media were missing. On CBS, he’d air “Reality Checks” about topics often unrelated to Atlanta, delving into similar territory. One in particular about Pizzagate in January caught the eye of Media Matters. Soon, The Daily Beast, placing a tinfoil hat on Swann’s head, revealed that Swann’s “Truth in Media” site was affiliated with a Republican PAC. Swann was suspended for a few days by CBS management but returned on air. He deleted his “Truth in Media” website and affiliated social media pages, but he keeps one public Facebook page where he reposts conspiracy-related and anti-government memes from a site called the “Resistance Zone.”
Valerie Hoff and the N-word:
Hoff, a long-time 11Alive reporter, was private messaging via Twitter with a man who had posted video of cops beating a black man. The man publicly tweeted that “news n **** s” (using the more casual version of the N word) were trying to track him down for the video. Hoff jokingly wrote that she was one of those “news n **** s” in her private message. He was OK with that at first, until he realized Hoff was white. So he
put her on blast on Twitter. At first, she was quietly suspended. But once the story went public, the station decided to fire her instead. She later sued the station, citing “breach of contract.”
Sharon Reed and the N word: Earlier this month, the CBS46 anchor received an email from a person who used the N-word multiple times to describe her
and criticized her coverage of the mayoral run-off. Reed decided to put that person on blast on air during a 9 p.m. newscast. “On December 5, 2017, you think it’s OK to call this journalist a n ***** ,” Reed said. “I don’t. But I could clap back and say a few things to you. But instead, I will let your words, Kathy Rae, speak for themselves. And that will be the last word.” A video of that message went viral, and she received national attention.
Amanda Davis’ return: In January, the former Fox 5 anchor returned to the air for the first time since 2013 as morning host on CBS46. She had previously narrated an unusually personal threepart series in 2016 about drinking issues that led to her departure at Fox 5. She was joined in the fall by Gurvir Dhindsa, a former “Good Day Atlanta” host.
Steve Harvey leaves town for L.A.: The TV and radio host this past year uprooted his syndicated radio show from Atlanta to Los Angeles. He did the same with “Family Feud.” He has so many TV hosting jobs on the West Coast, he said he felt he had no choice but to move operations out there. But he still hosts his annual summer camp for black male teens in metro Atlanta. Harvey also had to fend off a fair share of controversy, from meeting with Donald Trump to insulting Asian men to joking about the Flint water crisis.
Local news moves: Channel 2 Action News’ Ross Cavitt became Cobb County communications director. WSB’s Jodie Fleischer left for an NBC station in D.C. Jaye Watson of 11Alive became director of brand awareness for the Emory Brain Health Center. Former CBS46 evening anchor Stephany Fisher is now a MARTA spokeswoman. Former CBS46 chief meteorologist Jim Kosek has the same job now at the NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ga.
Atlantans on reality competition shows: Grant Park’s Amanda Faber won ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show.” Johns Creek’s Angelica Hale, a mere 10 years old, sang like an angel on “America’s Got Talent” and came in second. Westminster grad Lilly Chin won the 2017 Jeopardy College tournament. Atlanta’s Rusty Hamlin of Atkins Park finished second on “Food Network Star.” And Kenya Freeman finished fifth on “Project Runway” with finely tailored, well-fit clothes for all sizes of women.
“The Walking Dead” hits 100 but sees ratings slide: Metro Atlanta’s most popular show, which reached a milestone 100th episode this fall, has steadily lost viewers this year as a meandering war between Rick’s crew and Negan’s Saviors drags on. Critics are bemoaning Negan’s cartoonish behavior and tiresome debates among characters over morality. And while food may be scarce in the zombie apocalypse, gasoline and ammunition remain absurdly plentiful.
Emmy winning: Former Stone Mountain resident Donald Glover pocketed two Emmy Awards for his FX show “Atlanta:” best comedic male actor and best directing in a comedy series. This is the first time a show shot in Atlanta won in either category. The scripted series, which blends comedy, drama and surrealism, debuted in 2016. Glover was too busy shooting “Star Wars” and “Spider-Man” films to actually finish the second season in time for 2017, so season two is set to come back in 2018.
Sampling of new TV productions shot in metro Atlanta in 2017: Netflix’s “Ozark,” Syfy’s “Superstition,” ABC’s ‘Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Amazon’s “Lore,” the CW’s ‘The Gifted” and “Valor,” Discovery’s “Manhunt,” IFC’s “Brockmire,” BET’s “The Quad,” WE-TV’s “Growing Up Hip Hop,’ HGTV’s “Flip or Flop Atlanta,” syndicated “Couples Court With the Cutlers”
Shows that closed shop this year: The most notable departure from the Atlanta scene was the CW’s “Vampire Diaries,” which was one of the first scripted shows to commit to the area in 2009 after the state passed sweetened tax credits. For a time, the supernatural drama was the CW’s top-rated show and turned Nina Dobrev into a star. Others that closed shop: VH1’s “T.I. and Tiny” (six seasons), OWN’s “For Better or Worse” (five seasons), Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” (four seasons), Starz “Survivor’s Remorse” (four seasons), AMC’s “Halt and Catch Fire” (four seasons), TLC’s “Too Close to Home” (two seasons), Fox’s “24: Legacy” (one season), VH1’s “Daytime Divas” (one season).