Branden Frantz

Count WLWT-TV among the many NBC affiliates not broadcasting the 30 Rock reunion tonight with Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer and Jane Krakowski.

About half of the NBC stations nationwide are refusing to air the one-hour special because the affiliates consider the 30 Rock: A One-Time Special  "too much of a promotion for the company's new Peacock streaming platform," Vulture reports.

Local TV news ratings have dramatically increased while we're stuck at home – but TV stations haven't been able to cash in much, since many of the businesses which advertised were closed the past two months. 

And the worst may be yet to come.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has become a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel during the pandemic, got a big boost from WLWT-TV starting today.

Thursday April 4 update: Lisa Cooney anchors her final News 5 Today morning newscast on WLW-TV Friday, April 5.  

Original post Jan. 17, 2019: Forget what Lisa Cooney told me last month about how she loved the mornings, as she was celebrating her 30th anniversary at WLWT-TV.  

Being a 25-year TV veteran, Mike Dardis certainly knows about TV's revolving door. After all, he became Sheree Paolello's fourth co-anchor in three years when hired by WLWT-TV from Seattle in 2012.

But after Channel 5 offered him his second contract renewal, Dardis figured he was here to stay for a long while – and could take the risk of dating his co-anchor.

That was quick. Weekend morning meteorologist Ashley Brown has left WLWT-TV after only 15 months.

WLWT-TV has posted two openings: One for a meteorologist, and another for an anchor-reporter, even though Channel 5 hired anchor-reporter Ashley Kirklen last month.

Anchor Mark Hayes has left WLWT-TV after three years as anchor-reporter. Mollie Lair joined the News 5 team from Cape Girardeau, MO.

Hayes was hired in 2014 to co-anchor mornings with Lisa Cooney. 

For the second time in two months, WLWT-TV and parent Heart Television have been removed from a national satellite TV service.

Channel 5 announced early Friday it was dropped at midnight by DISH Network after an impasse in renewing a transmission consent agreement.

Colin Mayfield from Louisville's WLKY-TV will join WLWT-TV's "News 5 Today" anchor team in January, when morning anchor Mark Hayes moves to evenings.

Branden Frantz, former general sales manager at WXIX-TV (Channel 19), will succeed Richard Dyer as WLWT-TV president and general manager Jan. 1.