ThisIsRochester.com: Media

News anchor finishes round of cancer treatments

Jan. 15, 2019 -- WHEC-TV news anchor Deanna Dewberry has finished her radiation treatment following her latest cancer diagnosis, she announced.

Dewberry posted a video to her Twitter account showing her ringing the symbolic bell at a Houston hospital after completing her treatment.

She plans to return to Rochester.

Hedge fund operator pursues Gannett

Jan. 13, 2019 -- Hedge fund operator MNG Enterprises announced an unsolicted bid to buy Gannett, publisher of the Democrat and Chronicle, at a cost of approximately $1.4 billion.

MNG, which already held a 7.5% ownership stake in Gannett, said it is proposing to pay 12 a share in cash, a 23 percent premium to the most recent closing price for Gannet stock.

In the letter, MNG said Gannett "has not demonstrated that it is capable of effectively running it as a public company, with the stock having lost 41% of its value since its debut as a public company two and a half years ago."

MNG operates over 200 publications including The Denver Post, The San Jose Mercury News and The Boston Herald through Digital First Media.

Dealership drops advertising on Channel 10

Jan. 9, 2019 -- Ontario Honda became the first major business to announce it had pulled its advertising from WHEC-TV in the aftermath of the firing of chief meteorologist Jeremy Kappell.

The Canandaigua automotive dealership announced on Facebook that it has terminated its relationship with Channel 10 "in light of recent events that have occurred."

Kappell was fired two days earlier because he appeared to utter a racial slur during a live telecast. He subsequently apologized on his Facebook page and made the rounds on local media to defend himself, saying he was speaking too quickly and jumbled his words.

Channel 10 fires Kappell after apparent gaffe

Jan. 7, 2019 -- WHEC-TV fired chief meteorologist Jeremy Kappell after a controversy that began three days earlier with an apparent racial gaffe on the air. In talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park during a newscast, Kappell appeared to instead say "Dr. Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Park."

A clip of the broadcast was shared to social media, and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren issued a statement calling for Kappell's firing. Warren alleged it was part of a larger issue of how people of color are referred to in local media and that its time to deal with these issues "head on." The Rochester Association of Black Journalists issued a statement demanding a "complete explanation of what happened and why nothing was done immediately after broadcast."

D&C has new top news executive

Jan. 2, 2019 -- Fairport native Michael Kilian, 55, is the new executive editor of the Democrat and Chronicle, succeeding Karen Magnuson, who recently announced her retirement.

Kilian is a graduate of Fairport High School and Cornell University. He has been a newspaper editor since 1990. He most recently served as executive editor of the Burlington Free Press in Vermont.

He was news director at The Cincinnati Enquirer when it published a Pulitzer Prize-winning look at the local heroin epidemic in 2018.

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	A summary of noteworthy news about media in Rochester
	More from early 2019 News anchor finishes round of cancer treatments Jan. 15, 2019 -- WHEC-TV news anchor Deanna Dewberry has finished her radiation treatment following her latest cancer diagnosis, she announced. Dewberry posted a video to her Twitter account showing her ringing the symbolic bell at a Houston hospital after completing her treatment. She plans to return to Rochester. Hedge fund operator pursues Gannett Jan. 13, 2019 -- Hedge fund operator MNG Enterprises announced an unsolicted bid to buy Gannett, publisher of the Democrat and Chronicle, at a cost of approximately $1.4 billion. MNG, which already held a 7.5% ownership stake in Gannett, said it is proposing to pay 12 a share in cash, a 23 percent premium to the most recent closing price for Gannet stock. In the letter, MNG said Gannett "has not demonstrated that it is capable of effectively running it as a public company, with the stock having lost 41% of its value since its debut as a public company two and a half years ago." MNG operates over 200 publications including The Denver Post, The San Jose Mercury News and The Boston Herald through Digital First Media. Dealership drops advertising on Channel 10 Jan. 9, 2019 -- Ontario Honda became the first major business to announce it had pulled its advertising from WHEC-TV in the aftermath of the firing of chief meteorologist Jeremy Kappell. The Canandaigua automotive dealership announced on Facebook that it has terminated its relationship with Channel 10 "in light of recent events that have occurred." Kappell was fired two days earlier because he appeared to utter a racial slur during a live telecast. He subsequently apologized on his Facebook page and made the rounds on local media to defend himself, saying he was speaking too quickly and jumbled his words. Channel 10 fires Kappell after apparent gaffe Jan. 7, 2019 -- WHEC-TV fired chief meteorologist Jeremy Kappell after a controversy that began three days earlier with an apparent racial gaffe on the air. In talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park during a newscast, Kappell appeared to instead say "Dr. Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Park." A clip of the broadcast was shared to social media, and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren issued a statement calling for Kappell's firing. Warren alleged it was part of a larger issue of how people of color are referred to in local media and that its time to deal with these issues "head on." The Rochester Association of Black Journalists issued a statement demanding a "complete explanation of what happened and why nothing was done immediately after broadcast." D&C has new top news executive Jan. 2, 2019 -- Fairport native Michael Kilian, 55, is the new executive editor of the Democrat and Chronicle, succeeding Karen Magnuson, who recently announced her retirement. Kilian is a graduate of Fairport High School and Cornell University. He has been a newspaper editor since 1990. He most recently served as executive editor of the Burlington Free Press in Vermont. He was news director at The Cincinnati Enquirer when it published a Pulitzer Prize-winning look at the local heroin epidemic in 2018.