04-25-2011 DECISION TIME NEARING FOR KSHB'S REPLACEMENT FOR ALEX Don't look now, but the all-important May TV sweeps period will be upon us starting this Thursday (4/28) running until May 25. This is one of the key ratings periods during the year that help TV stations set advertising rates. It also means that it is very likely that KSHB "Action News" will be making a major decision on who will officially replace 15-year veteran Elizabeth Alex, the NBC station's anchor who announced in February she would be taking a new position with an Olathe non-profit. Since March 7th Alex has been only doing the 6 p.m. news. KSHB News Director Peggy Phillip, who came to the station in June 2009 and has more than 30 years in the TV business, has been wading through a pile of resumes for the prestigious 10 p.m. anchor spot. In February she had whittled the field down from 60 initial applicants to 12. She told Bottom Line that she wanted the new person in place prior to the May sweeps. That means a decision is likely only a few days away. It is a major one. "It's a big deal replacing an anchor," says Philip, who came to the NBC affiliate in June 2009. "This is the person people will invite into their living rooms to tell them what happened in the world today. This is also a person who will be involved and engaged in the community representing the station." Insiders have told Bottom Line Alex's replacement has been narrowed down to two females---both local. One is an internal candidate. The decision regarding who will be sitting next to Mark Clegg, Jack Harry and Gary Lezak is not an easy one. While Phillip and other station executives will make the ultimate hiring decision, the station has reportedly done Focus Group testing on the final two candidates to determine their "likability" to viewers. That information will be an important key to who sits at the main anchor desk in the future. Stay tuned for an announcement on the final decision.
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