Rizzo In His Own Words: Applicable Right Now!

Many of the people who are bashing former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo (and those who led the removal of his statue and his mural) weren't alive when Rizzo was around or have no recollection or understanding of his time as Police Commissioner or Mayor.
Watch and listen to Rizzo on Rizzo, in his own words from this 1987 interview.
Much of what Rizzo said then is equally applicable now.

Sneak Peek: Broadway Come To Philadelphia!

Airs July 30, 2015 on NBC 10!
Join NBC's Brittney Shipp tomorrow and get a backstage pass to some of the hottest Broadway shows making a stop here in Philly!

Video: PPRA Gold Medal Award Luncheon

Yes, we had the pleasure of joining so many wonderful friends at the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) Gold Medal event this past week -- and what a joy it was to see the marvelously radiant NBC 10 anchor Renee Chenault Fattah. We've known Renee for more years than we care to mention and she's every bit as smart, natural, gorgeous and (most of all) down-to-earth as she was when we first met her. Success hasn't spoiled her one bit and she remains one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. She's a Philadelphia treasure!
And this too: A Big Shoutout to friend (and proud Cherry Hill resident) Terry Ruggles who co-anchors the news at NBC 10 and who was also at the event. Terry is a consummate pro, a hugely accomplished broadcast journalist and the very definition of affability.

Former TV Anchor DeMentri Cleared Of Charges

 

Here's an excerpt from a story by Dan Gross at the Philadelphia Daily News about former NBC 10 anchor Vince DeMentri  who beat a bum rap in the Big Apple.

 

We met Vince when he anchored the local news here and found him to be a likable guy. We hope he gets his job back. He's a good reporter and a fine TV personality. We're cheering for him.

"I paid an incredible price. I just want my life back," former NBC10 anchor Vince DeMentri said tonight just hours after a New York judge cleared him of any wrongdoing in a so-called road rage incident last May in which he was alleged to have slapped a limo driver in New York.

DeMentri, 47, was found not guilty of attempted assault over a May 18 confrontation with Hurley Senanayake, 55, the driver for the Bahamian Ambassador to the United Nations who said that DeMentri hit him through a partially open window during the argument over a parking space.

New York's WPIX-TV fired DeMentri, who was working as a reporter there, shortly after his arrest for the alleged assault. DeMentri said he would love to return to WPIX. "My life won't be complete until I have my job back," said DeMentri, adding that if he cannot return there he would like a job elsewhere.

Click here to read more.

Don't Miss NBC 10 At K'NEX Toys Tuesday AM!

Santa's elves at K'NEX Toys will be on NBC 10 tomorrow morning.
Check it out from 5-7 am if you're up e-a-r-l-y (or just stay up after the lunar eclipse!). Ho ho ho!
And congratulations to KNEX PR pro Aimee Cirucci for pulling off this major coup.
K'NEX is the next generation of construction sets. It inspires creativity, builds self-confidence and encourages interaction among children and parents. The possibilities are endless!
K'NEX Brands, L.P. is a privately held company, with the headquarters and manufacturing facility located in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Today, K'NEX is the most innovative and fastest growing construction toy company. Internationally, K'NEX products are distributed in over 30 countries. K'NEX Brands is also proud to distribute BRIO trains and toys, as well as Lincoln Logs in the North America. 

NBC 10 Spotlights Dinniman Efforts On Grove

Just outside of Philadelphia in the shadow of Valley Forge National Park and overlooking the Schuylkill River sits a hallowed place.
It's called Medal of Honor Grove.
The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge runs the 52-acre site that commemorates those who have received the nation's highest military award -- the Medal of Honor.
It's an admirable tribute to the worthiest of the worthy -- some of our nation's most courageous heroes.
But now the site has fallen into disrepair. In fact, it's in such bad shape that State Senator Andy Dinniman of Chester County has called it a "desecration." And Dinniman adds that he doesn't think that's too strong a word to describe the current situation.
Senator Dinniman is championing moves to get the site cleaned up and repaired. He feels we owe this to those who are honored there. And Dinniman is helping to organize volunteers who will get to work on the site
The Senator deserves lots of credit for shedding light on the situation and acting in a positive way to help make the Medal of Honor Grove presentable again.
Doug Shimell of NBC 10 has a great story about the grove and Senator Dinniman's efforts  You can watch Shimell's excellent report by clicking here.

Mendte Fights Back, Sues

From Vince Lattanzio at NBC10:
Larry Mendte, the former CBS3 anchor is suing the Philadelphia Inquirer, columnists Michael Klein, Jill Porter (who recently retired) and Jonathan Storm, alleging they "set about to destroy his life."
Mendte, who just finished serving six-months of house arrest, makes a myriad of allegations in the civil complaint filed late Wednesday. Most of the complaint centers on the relationship Mendte says gossip columnist Michael Klein and Alycia Lane developed, which crossed the lines of journalistic integrity and ultimately ruined any chance of Mendte salvaging his career as a television news anchor.
The suit alleges Klein published articles with false information that provoked the U.S. Attorney to upgrade charges from a misdemeanor to a felony."
The feds do not respond to the press, nor are they influenced by press accounts," said Lane's attorney, Paul Rosen.
Mendte claims Lane and Klein's friendship began in May 2007 after the Inquirer columnist accessed restricted Daily News files to read an article to Lane before it was published. The complaint says the friendship became very close, with Klein and Lane talking and texting on a regular basis and hanging out together in the city.
Mendte alleges that friendship led Klein to write seven articles before Mendte was charged, casting him in a "dastardly, degrading and humiliating light." He says Klein "was determined to create news about him even when there was none."
In addition to the allegations made against Klein, Mendte claims two other columnists and management at Philadelphia Media Holdings (PMH), the parent company of the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com, defamed him.
Daily News columnist Jill Porter called Mendte a "sick, evil, deviant, voyeuristic cyber peeping Tom" in a series of 2008 opinion articles. Philly.com writer Jonathan Storm called the former anchor a liar in an August 23, 2008 article, according to the complaint.
Mendte is seeking damages in excess of $50,000. Scott Baker, attorney for the newspaper's parent company, said: "We're still in the process of reviewing the allegations and intend to vigorously defend the people named in the lawsuit."
Mendte, who worked at NBC10 prior to CBS, was arrested in May 2008 for illegally accessing Lane's email account after installing a keystroke recorder on a CBS3 computer. He pled guilty to one felony count of unauthorized computer access in August 2008. He also admitted having a romantic relationship with Lane for more than a year. Lane is suingMendte and CBS3.
She is also suing the newspapers' other gossip columnist, Dan Gross for invasion of privacy and emotional distress. Her suit claims Mendte passed information to Gross that he got when he hacked into her email.

'Miss Edie'

They called her 'Miss Edie' at NBC 10 in Philadelphia.

Now, we will all miss Edie - especially those of us who knew her, loved her, and counted her as a friend.

Edie Huggins brought grace, dignity, humanity, kindness, caring and a sense of total professionalism to everything she touched, everywhere she went.

And she touched the hearts of so many Philadelphians over a long, distinguished, trailblazing career. In the cutthroat world of local TV news Edie sure as hell knew how to compete. But she always played by the rules, she had a smile for everyone, she had time for everyone and she never raised her voice.

Edie Huggins passed away today after a prolonged illness.

You can read what I wrote about Edie on this blog last December by clicking here.

And you can read Edie's complete story and a tribute to her at NBC 10 by clicking here.

Edie dedicated much of her professional life to community service and to being a strong advocate for many causes, as she served on many boards throughout the region.
Edie is survived by her two devoted adult children, Hastings Edward, a complex engagement manager with IBM and a daughter, Laurie Linn, a national television producer in Los Angeles and a marketing specialist for Broadcast Advertising in Baltimore and Philadelphia.
"So I feel like when I walk back into this town that I'm just one of many of her children. I don't know that I could give a testimonial that would be anymore insightful then anyone else that could say they loved her," Hastings Huggins, Edie's son, said.
She rubbed elbows with everyone from mayors to governors to celebrities -- she had access to them all. But Edie was most inspired by the lives and stories of the many unknown, hard working people of the Delaware Valley, ordinary people doing extraordinary deeds.

I was so, so proud to know this extraordinary lady.

In a business where personalities come and go and authenticity is often in short supply, Edie Huggins was the real deal.
A memorial service for Edie Huggins will be held on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m., at Bright Hope Baptist Church, 12 Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue in Philadelphia. The service is open to the public.

We Give It A 10!

We had a great time visiting today with Bill Henley, Lori Wilson and the staff of Philly's The 10! Show (aka 10!) at the NBC10, WCAU-TV studios.

The one-hour magazine/lifestyle show is taped in the morning in front of a live audience and airs at 2 PM, Monday through Friday. Hosts Lori Wilson and Bill Hendley (pictured) couldn't be better matched. They have great chemistry on-air and off. They told us that they enjoy working with one another and look forward to doing the show every day. We also chatted with the show's resident DJ, Omega, who spins great music and peppers the proceedings with youthful energy and street lingo. Omega told us he's been doing deejay gigs since he was 12 and he knew early-on that this is what he always wanted to do.

Audience coordinator Colin McAndrew and talent booker Jami Osiecki also discussed details of the show with us including audience demographics, the types of topics and guests the show prefers, audience giveaways and bookings.

10! was re-launched nearly a year ago with Wilson as Henley's new co-host and has been a big success ever since. We wish Lori and Bill (who's also an NBC10 meteorologist) continued success.