Channel Surfing
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
October 21, 2003

Yardley resident and Pennsbury High graduate Lisa Mishler is leaving WCAU (NBC10) on October 31.  According to a station publicist, Mishler, who most recently has been subbing on the high profile 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. news shows for Renee Chenault Fattah, is departing to pursue other interests.

However according to station insiders, the reason Mishler is leaving is because she and the station could not come to terms on a contract. 

"Just like Larry Mendte and Kathy Orr (who left WCAU for KYW), the station is letting another good person go.  Management cares more about the product than the people.  There is much instability and morale is low now," said the station source.

Mishler, who could not be reached for comment, spent three years as the weekend morning anchor and also anchored weekend evenings for several months this year.

She is expecting her second child at the end of December. 

News anchor Jim Gardner will moderate the final broadcast debate between Philadelphia mayoral candidates John Street and Sam Katz live on WPVI tonight at 7 p.m. from the National Constitution Center. 

WPVI has done a good job covering the race on its Sunday morning shows "Sunday Live" and "Inside Story."

Meanwhile, WCAU news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, who had a baby girl a couple of weeks ago perfectly timed her maternity leave.  Since her husband Chaka Fattah is a member of the Street campaign team, it would've been a major conflict of interest for Chenault-Fattah and she would not have been allowed to report on the race anyway.

A bunch of Philadelphia stars wanted to meet the HBO stars who were on display at Buddakan last week for a Comcast "HBO on Demand" party.  Naturally, plenty of CN8 personalities supported the company including Arthur Fennell, Connie Colla, Robyn Stevens, Mary Fay, Lou Tilley, Cathy Ballou, and Cindy Edwards.  For Comcast SportsNet, Michael Barkann represented.  Also in attendance were George Mallet, Kerri Lee Halkett and Jennaphr Frederick from WTXF, Alycia Lane and Garry Cobb from KYW, Karen Hepp from WCAU, and John DeBella from WMGK 102.9-FM, his former partner Mark "Don't Call Me Shark" Drucker - now with KYW 1060-AM.  HBO stars Cynthia Nixon of "Sex and the City," Lorraine Bracco of "The Sopranos" and Michael C. Hall of "Six Feet Under" all looked terrific in person.  Other crowd favorites were Steve Schirripa ("Bobby "Bacala") and Dominic Chianese ("Uncle Junior") from "The Sopranos."  P.S. Nixon's character on SATC, Miranda, is from Philadelphia.  One of the best episodes of the series is when Miranda returns to her hometown for her mother's funeral.  "Sex and the City" returns for its final (sob) episodes in January. "The Sopranos" returns in March, and "Six Feet Under" begins in June.

WDAS 105.3-FM was the top rated station in the summer Arbitron radio ratings for ages 12 and up with a 7.5 share of the 4,221,400 Philadelphia market. Here's the rest of the top 20: KYW 1060-AM (6.8 share), WUSL 99.1-FM (5.8 share), WBEB 101.1-FM (5.0 share), WJJZ 106.1-FM (4.7 share), WIOQ 102.1-FM (4.6 share), WOGL 98.1-FM (4.3 share), WYSP 94.1-FM (4.2 share), WPHI 103.9-FM (3.9 share), WXTU 92.5-FM (3.7 share), WPEN 950-AM (3.6 share), WMGK 102.9-FM (3.5 share), WMMR 93.3-FM (2.8 share), WPHT 1210-AM (2.8 share), WPLY 100.3-FM (2.7 share), WSNI 104.5-FM (2.7 share), WIP 610-AM (2.5 share), WPTP 96.5-FM (1.5 share), WMWX 95.7-FM(1.4 share), and WPST 97.5-FM (1.4 share).