WWL

Chris Slaughter is retiring from WDSU, Hearst’s NBC affiliate in New Orleans, after more than 45 years as a local journalist in Louisiana. Slaughter, who began his career in 1976, has held roles at WAFB in Baton Rouge and WWL and WDSU in New Orleans.

Ben Bates has been promoted to marketing director at WWL, Tegna’s CBS affiliate in New Orleans. Prior to WWL, Bates worked in creative services and marketing at stations in Denver, Albuquerque, N.M., and Tegna’s WXIA in Atlanta.

WWL in New Orleans aired an hour-long documentary in September that examined crime in the city to see what solutions may exist. Nicole Waivers, WWL’s executive producer, says the station wanted to cover the crime problem “in a deeper way instead of just the political finger pointing.”

WWL, Tegna’s CBS affiliate in New Orleans, is bringing back its unique, non-traditional sales campaign, Louisiana Made, Louisiana Proud. Over the years, the Louisiana Made, Louisiana Proud campaign featured more than 450 local commercials in almost every category imaginable.

Which Market Share columns were the most viewed in 2021? Articles about morning news promotion, local TV news investigations and a rare weather disaster are on the list.

WWL’s investigation exposing corruption in a city agency triggered a raid by the FBI to seize records just hours later. The three-part investigation, Hidden Dangers, reveals how months of painstaking, dogged detective work uncovered a practice literally ready to explode. And linear TV news viewers tuned in at the appointed time to watch.

Hurricane Ida roared into Louisiana on Aug. 29, knocking out power to all of New Orleans. During the storm’s approach, landfall and immediate aftermath, WWL, Tegna’s CBS affiliate there, measured more than 15 million video plays on its YouTube channel alone.

Edwin Edwards, Louisiana’s only four-term governor, passed away on July 12th. Edwards was a colorful and controversial figure in Louisiana politics, gaining national attention when he ran against former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke in the 1991 gubernatorial campaign in Louisiana. Here are some personal memories from my time working at a TV station in New Orleans during this campaign.

Lee Sucherman is retiring after 36 years as a local TV sales account exec in New Orleans. He shares how he got his start, what strategies worked for him consistently over the year, and what advice he has for others in the field.

At the Promax Station Summit last week in Las Vegas, attendees filled the room for the session Zero Budget Magic, to see how imagination, and little more, is the only currency allowed in spots submitted from stations across the country. Here are all 40 of them.