Feb. 18 -- We hope there will never be another hurricane season like that one we experienced in 2004. It was a crazy, hectic and stressful time -- a six-week period when three deadly hurricanes impacted the lives of everyone in Cental Florida. WFTV's "Eyewitness to History: Hurricane Season 2004" DVD revisits that unprecedented storm season, presenting some of Channel 9's widely praised on-air coverage for Charley, Frances and Jeanne. The two-disc DVD set lands on the shelves of local Albertsons stores on Saturday, with sale proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross, the Second Harvest Food Bank and the SPCA of Central Florida. Watching an advance copy of the DVD and reliving Hurricane Charley's approach gave me the chills. It also illustrated, again, how much the National Hurricane Center blew its projections for the storm and the courage (yep, I said it) that WFTV and Chief Meteorologist Tom Terry showed by going on-air and saying the storm was heading right here. In one early afternoon clip from Aug. 13, Barbara West and Terry come on immediately following an ABC News Special Report about the storm and say -- directly -- that what ABC just reported about the storm is incorrect. It wasn't going to Tampa -- it was coming here. The station's early warning gave viewers more of the precious little time they had to prepare for the hurricane. Some of the best features of the DVD are the behind-the-scenes information, including interviews with Channel 9 anchors and reporters. Terry explains how the group of nine people working in the Severe Weather Center put together storm coverage with the latest technology, some of which had never been used before in tracking hurricanes. He notes that a representative from one software company was in the studio, literally rewriting code to improve the program while coverage was ongoing. Dain Weister talks candidly about fearing for his life in Punta Gorda when Category 4 Charley started tearing apart the hotel where he and his photog were seeking shelter. Greg Warmoth explains about being at the county command center all night, then slowly navigating debris-littered roads to get back to the station -- only to find his car underneath a tree. And those are only the stories from Charley. If you like TV news, history or even consider yourself a bit of a weather geek, this is definitely a must-buy.

Feb. 17 -- I get a ton of e-mail, and some of it is actually related to the website. In addition to tips and info about local TV, I get e-mail seeking help locating former broadcasters or complaints about what people see on TV. I read these all the time, but why should I have all the fun? So let's dive into the old mailbag...

||| I've received at least five or so emails in the past couple of weeks from Local 6 viewers wondering where former morning anchor Shawn Killinger landed. Heck, I don't know. If you do, please email "tips at rogersimmons.com" and I'll pass along the info ...

||| Our second APB is for a former Brevard County radio DJ. Don Gould, former sports anchor at WESH, is looking for Alan Jackson from WMMB and WAMT, where they used to a sports talk show. Again, if you have info, kindly send it along to "tips at rogersimmons.com" and I'll pass the info along to Don ...

Many times people mistakenly think this site is affiliated with a local station, and they send their complaints to me. Here's a sample of some of the most recent ones ...

||| From one visitor: "Sir, the commercial spot advertising a Vermont Teddy Bear with sexual innuendo is inappropriate.  Please remove this offensive content from your broadcasting.  It is not appropriate for any age and especially for younger folks.  This is another example of the continuing erosion of the standard of decency for commercial broadcasting.   My wife and I watch Fox News most of the day.  The normal programming, and the commercial messages that go with them, is excellent."

It's true ... at any moment one of those Vermont Teddy Bears could have a wardrobe malfunction, and civilization as we know it would end.

||| Another visitor writes: "I watched your news hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on for the Rolex 24 hour race in Daytona.  NOTHING on your news station or on any of the other Florida tv stations. There are drivers here from many countries.....I find that newsworthy.  Paul Newman is driving..he turned 80 last week....I find that newsworthy.  There are nine NASCAR drivers competing in the race this year.....I find that newsworthy.  They were all out practicing and qualifying yesterday in the beautiful Florida weather.  Obviously nobody in Fl. tv cares.  I am disappointed.  There will be more people at the Daytona 500 than at the Super Bowl for that is their Super Bowl.  Will you cover that event?  Disappointed and frustrated."

In defense of the "tv" stations, having 80-year-old drivers in Florida isn't really that newsworthy. Just take a ride on 441 through Lake County ...

||| And, finally, this: "Does Tom Sorrells on WKMG hate Lauren Rowe?  One day last week he was short with her.  Saying 'You've had your TV face time, now it's my turn.'  I've noticed more such events during the 4, 5, and 6 newscast."

I think I need more evidence than that. Maybe if Tom says, "Let's look at Vipir," and he stares directly at Lauren for the next, oh, 10 or so seconds and never blinks, then maybe that's a sign.

Feb. 16 -- Get the U-Haul gassed up, it's time for some moving news ...

||| An insider tells us that Dao Vu is leaving The Daily Buzz on WB 18 and headed to The Weather Channel. Her last day on the national Orlando-based morning show will reportedly be Feb. 25. ...

||| NewsBlues.com reports that Local 6 reporter Giovana Drpic is leaving WKMG to head to the Big Apple. She will join WWOR-UPN 9 in New York in April as a GA. ...

||| Though not all the details can be mabe public just yet, a well-placed source says popular former Real Radio host Drew Garabo will return to the Orlando airwaves on March 18 -- one day after his non-compete clause with former employer Clear Channel expires. Can't give the location of Drew's new gig, but it will be a Rock station. ...

||| And, finally, just when you thought things had settled down at WOFL, it looks like Fox 35 weekend anchors Glenn Pearson and Laverne McGee are on the move. Here's the latest posting on the WOFL website job page: "WOFL – Weekend Anchor / Reporter – (Regular Full Time, 2 Positions): Anchor newscasts as assigned. Enterprise and report news stories. Write creatively, clearly, accurately and quickly. Provide live coverage of breaking events. Take initiative and be a leader in the newsroom. A minimum of three years experience working as an anchor in a medium or large market preferred. Good news judgment and knowledge of fair and accurate journalism practices. Ability to tell stories, ask good probing questions in Q&A with reporters and ad-lib effectively. Strong writing skills and thorough knowledge of current events. Excellent people and communication skills; must be a team player. Working knowledge of newsroom computers."

Feb. 14 -- So why, you ask, did I disappear for the start of sweeps? Well, I turned the big 4-0 recently, and my wife surprised me by sending me off on a birthday trip to Vegas for Super Bowl weekend with a couple of old college buddies. I had no idea it was going to happen -- but it was a blast! And I've been recovering ever since -- from the trip and from having to play catch-up at work for skipping out on short notice. But now, I'm back ... because what happens in Orlando doesn't really stay in Orlando ...

||| In what must be a show of NBC Universal synergy, peacock affiliate WESH has landed a prime remote camera location at Universal Orlando's City Walk. The station's "Universal Cam" is providing some eye-catching images from the two theme parks at Universal during WESH newscasts. Makes you wonder if ABC will let WFTV put up a camera over at Walt Disney World soon? If that happens, could Local 6 and Fox 35 be far away from fighting over a Gatorland Cam position?

Feb. 14 -- First, the "old" news -- WOFL-Fox 35 started using its new, monster set on Feb. 1. Adding to the changes are new graphics and new music. But what about the "new" news? That could be an early evening newscast to go up against Orlando's established network stations. It could be happening before you know it. KMSP, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Fox O&O, is hoping to launch an early evening newscast soon -- and apparently that's what Fox corporate wants all its O&Os to do. "The concept of early news has been around," KMSP GM Carol Rueppel told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "We were asked to put that in our budget. They asked all the Fox stations" that don't have early news to budget for such a program, she said. So, is the money there in WOFL's budget to start another newscast and if so, when will the new show start? Stay tuned.

WOFL-Fox 35 New Set

Feb. 1 -- If you think CFN 13's Weather On The 1's doesn't give you local weather information often enough, you need to run out and buy a digital TV (on the way home from your therapist, of course). Last week WESH launched WESH Weather Plus, a joint venture with NBC that provides local-national weather 24 hours a day on digital subchannels.

WESH is among 15 stations nationally participating in the start of the network. In between national maps and temps, Channel 2 meteorologists give local weather reports. On the screen at all times are temperatures and forecasts for Central Florida cities.

Even some of the national features of Weather Plus may seem a bit familiar to Central Florida viewers. Among the NBC Weather Plus staff is former Fox 35 meteorologist Bill Karins.

The WESH-DT project makes it the third of the area's Big 4 commerical network stations broadcasting original content on a digital subchannel. WKMG-DT has a web page-like display that offers weather and traffic info, plus news headlines and sports scores. WFTV-DT carries programming from ABC News Now, a trial project that will be relaunched soon as a partnership between the network and its local stations.

||| Watch WESH Weather Plus Promo and Forecast

Sampling of area digital subchannels
WESH-DT "WESH Weather Plus"
WKMG-DT "Local 6 Web Channel"
WFTV-DT "ABC News Now"