Wmar

Longtime WMAR staffer Kelly Groft has been named the station's news director, giving her the chance to head a struggling news operation she joined a decade ago. "I'm thrilled, it's something I've wanted for a very long time," said Groft, who officially takes the job Monday. "I've never shied away from a challenge." Groft, a Harford County native who grew up near Bel Air, came to work at WMAR, Channel 2, in 1998 as a producer for the 6 p.m. news. She and her husband, Jay, a news photographer for WPMT, Channel 43, the Fox affiliate in York, live in southern Pennsylvania with their two children, Hannah, 7, and Camden, 4. Groft replaces Peggy Phillip, who spent a little less than a year as WMAR's news director after coming to Baltimore from Syracuse, N.Y. Phillip has been named news director of NBC affiliate KSHB in Kansas City, Mo. Both WMAR and KSHB are affiliates of Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps.

WMAR Vice President and General Manager Steve Gigliotti, who has attempted to raise Channel 2's perennial third-place finish among local network TV affiliates by committing to more Baltimore-based programming, will leave his job Feb. 1 to climb the corporate ladder within parent company E. W. Scripps. Gigliotti, who came to WMAR in October 1996, has been named senior vice president of advertising sales for Scripps Networks, putting him in charge of ad sales for the Cincinnati-based company's cable and Internet operations.

Expanding its reach into other media platforms, The Sun has struck partnership agreements with WMAR and Maryland Public Television, and is discussing a similar deal with a TV sports programmer. The agreements will enable the organizations to share content and resources for online, print and broadcast stories and commentaries, and should increase the visibility of Sun reporters and columnists. "We're increasingly living in a multimedia world," Timothy A. Franklin, editor of The Sun, said yesterday, "and it's important that we have our journalists and our content on multiple stations so that we can maximize our exposure and get more eyeballs."

Joe Lewin, vice president and general manager of Baltimore's WMAR (Channel 2) since 1993, resigned yesterday to become president of an eight-station broadcast group headquartered in Moscow.Lewin's title with StoryFirst Communications, the American firm that owns the stations, will be president of broadcasting for the Russian Federation."We appreciate Joe's contribution to the mission of Channel 2, especially in completing the conversion to the ABC network in 1994," said James M. Hart, senior vice president of the E. W. Scripps Company television station group, owner of WMAR.

Steven J. Gigliotti, a Sacramento television executive, yesterday was named vice president and general manager of WMAR (Channel 2), replacing Joe Lewin who resigned earlier this month.Gigliotti, age 46, has spent the bulk of his career in sales, and comes to the struggling station from KOVT-TV in Sacramento where he has been vice president and general manager since 1995.He will begin his new duties at WMAR on Thursday, according to Scripps' senior vice president Frank Gardner."Steve Gigliotti has proven to be an innovative and successful broadcaster," said James M. Hart, senior vice president of E.W. Scripps' TV station group, which owns WMAR.

WMAR (Channel 2) has a new general manager.Scripps Howard Broadcasting has named Joe Lewin vice president and general manager of Channel 2. He replaces Arnold J. Kleiner, who resigned in June to take over a San Diego TV station.Lewin, 53, who will join Channel 2 Nov. 1, is currently the general manager of WRIC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Richmond, Va. Before that, he worked at WLWT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati."Baltimore is an exciting and progressive market," Lewin said. "WMAR is a strong station with a great syndicated programming schedule and all the ingredients to be the regional news leader."

Conan . . . Conan . . . Conan . . . he's gone.WMAR (Channel 2) has dropped the "Conan O'Brien Show" from its late-night lineup, with last Monday night's program being the last broadcast. Jon Stewart's syndicated talk show slipped into the old 12:30 p.m. time slot starting last night, according to WMAR General Manager Joe Lewin."[Conan] really hasn't done that well in this market," said Mr. Lewin. "We gave the show every opportunity -- we gave it the time slot, we promoted it -- it just wasn't going to make it."

Each December for the past two decades, a group of actors from Arena Players could be found busily learning lines from a play that won an annual contest for the region's black writers. The production was prepared for broadcast the following February on WMAR-TV. Those activities won't be happening this winter. Station officials have canceled the competition, saying that they haven't been able to find any advertisers in recent years to help defray the $20,000 to $25,000 cost of the awards and of producing the play.

Two stations emerged with happy tidings from the latest "sweeps" period, during which television ratings are measured: WBAL-TV and, to a lesser extent, WMAR-TV. In fall 2002, WJZ-TV introduced a 4 p.m. newscast to lead into its early evening news programs against the reigning monarch of daytime talk - Oprah Winfrey, whose syndicated show airs locally on WBAL-TV. The move paid dividends in February 2003, leading to strong showings for WJZ at 4 p.m. and first-place ratings at 5 p.m. during a heavy news cycle.

It was celebration time at the Knights of Columbus in Perry Hall last week when more than 60 people gathered to roast their good friend George Stover, an award-winning news photographer for WMAR-TV. Stover's friends celebrated his 40th in style -- story-telling style.Susan White Bowden told funny stories about the birthday boy, including the time she had to interview Rock Hudson. She was mooning over Hudson's good looks and Hudson only had eyes for George!Good-natured teasing also came from Jack Bowden, Sandy and Tony Pagnotti, Toba and Andy Barth, Elaine and Jack Dawson and WPOC's evening deejay Diane Lyn.Others at the party were Sheila and Craig Silverstein, she's with WPOC and he's a lumber company exec; Norm Vogel, Channel 13 cameraman; Harold Glaser, attorney; and Channel 2's Mark Vernarelli.