And now for a semi-regular Friday feature we like to call “This ‘N’ That.”*
Former UConn standout Diana Taurasi has signed a new multi-year contract with the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA team she has called home since 2004. Both Taurasi and the team seem elated with the agreement. At 40, Taurusi says she still has gas left in the tank.
From the Bleacher Report:
“Over her career, Taurasi has become perhaps the greatest player in the history of the WNBA with a seemingly endless list of accomplishments. She has brought three titles to Phoenix, has won league MVP, is a 10-time All-Star and was a member of the league’s 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams.”
Fox 61 will be the official station of the Hartford Bonanza this July Fourth weekend. The live broadcast will run on Sunday night, July 2, from 8p.m. to 10p.m. and include coverage of the fireworks display in Bushnell Park. The broadcast will also run on CW20 and be live-streamed.
Connecticut native Chris Licht is marking the end of his first year as CEO of CNN. By most accounts it has not been smooth sailing. He has made some moves that don’t appear to be winning strategies and most recently he was forced to fire Don Lemon after re-assigning him to mornings in an effort to re-make the morning show.
Next week CNN will host a town hall from New Hampshire featuring Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The broadcast is already the subject of debate in the world of journalism, because of the controversy around the former president, including the fact that he is under indictment and faces at least three other on-going criminal investigations.
The pressure will be on host Kaitlan Collins who will need to hold Trump’s feet to the fire, call him out when he lies, and serve as a moderator who provides a fair shot for Trump to make his case.
It is reported that Collins is the leading candidate to be the solo host for CNN’s 9p.m. hour, a spot that has been empty since the firing of Chris Cuomo last year. If Collins moves to evenings it would leave former Yale student Poppy Harlow alone in the mornings meaning an almost certain need to re-vamp the recently re-invented morning show.
We note that Fox News has announced the winners of the fourth annual Charles Krauthammer scholarship, dedicated to the memory of the late conservative commentator and columnist. While we are sure the recipients are pleased to be honored with such an award, we wonder whether Krauthammer would still want to be associated with Fox News in the post 2020 era?
Some reverse osmosis in Rhode Island…
After eight years with WPRI, investigative reporter Steph Machado is leaving to work with the Boston Globe’s Rhode Island team. She will also be working with Rhode Island’s PBS station.
*The This ‘N’ That format is an homage** to an old feature of WTIC 1080 news called “Names in the News.”
**It is “an homage” if the “h” is not sounded.
