Sharon Reed quickly became persona non grata after the station announced that Reed was no longer an employee last week.

By LAURA NACHMAN
Courier Times
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  Once a rising star at WCAU (even named in this column as "breakthrough anchor" last year), Sharon Reed quickly became persona non grata after the station announced that Reed was no longer an employee of NBC-10 last week. (Notice that carefully worded statement. It didn't say that she was fired or that she resigned.)

According to a station source, employees were amazed how quickly her picture was pulled down from the station hallway, her headshot was pulled off nbc10.com, and her desk was cleaned off. Reed's Los Angeles-based agent could not be reached for comment on what is next for Reed, who was embroiled in an online battle of words with reporter Alicia Taylor that resulted in Reed getting questioned by police and then becoming "no longer an employee of NBC 10."

Yardley's Lisa Mishler continues to anchor the morning news with Steve Levy until a permanent replacement is named. This is an important personnel move for WCAU because the 10 a.m. slot will become vulnerable when Rosie O'Donnell leaves her show in May and WPVI will air "Rosie" reruns in the summer and the new "Wayne Brady Show" in the fall.

"The NBC 10 News at 10" shouldn't be called "news" because this hodgepodge of a show is practically everything but news (that's a compliment).

WCAU can add someone else's picture to the hallway and Website, as general assignment reporter Joe Vazquez begins this week. Vazquez joins the station from KPRC-TV in Houston, Texas.

'9-11' SHOW A BIG DRAW

Philadelphia was the second-highest rated market behind New York for the "9-11" special Sunday night on CBS with a 31.32 rating/39.5 share. That translates to nearly 900,000 local households. Sensing that the special would get big ratings, in a savvy move, KYW news director Susan Schiller assigned weekday anchors Larry Kane and Denise Saunders to that night's 11 p.m. broadcast.

COMINGS & GOINGS

Out-of-control teens will have to find a new show to go on. "Sally Jessy Raphael" was canceled this week after a nearly 20-year run (this move was 17 years overdue). "Sally" airs on KYW at 10 a.m. ... Pat Ciarrocchi celebrates her 20th year at KYW-3 tomorrow. We've lost count on how many news directors and station managers Ciarrocchi has worked for during that time. The Chester County native and Rosemont College graduate currently co-anchors the noon and 5 p.m. news after spending over a decade doing the early morning news. She also co-hosted "Evening Magazine" for a couple of years before its demise (we'll forgive her for that) ... Most of the WPHL newsroom said goodbye to outgoing news director Rich Scott at a farewell party at the Manayunk Brew Pub recently. Scott left the station at the end of February after five years as news director. New leader Chuck Carter begins this week ... On March 20, Council Rock High School students in Chris McWilliams' broadcasting and journalism class will visit WTXF for a special "Television Literacy Day" program organized by the local chapter of NATAS (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences). The event is designed to show students the inside of a television station ... The final televised interview with fashion icon Pauline Trigere is on "Seeking Solutions with Suzanne" Sunday at 6 p.m. on CN8. Trigere died last month at the age of 93. Suzanne Roberts hosts. Roberts is the wife of Ralph Roberts and the mother of Brian Roberts who are the founders of Comcast.

E-mail questions and comments to [email protected]. Laura will appear on "The Sports Connection with Lou Tilley" tonight on CN8 at 11 p.m.

Thursday, March 14, 2002