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This section of the web site is devoted to host sightings. Where oh where has your favorite host gone?

NEW MOVES

Former Jewelry Television host Tim Temple has moved on and is now selling watches and other things as a host for ShopNBC in Minneapolis. Good luck Tim!

Michele Lau has moved on from the now defunct GemsTV to Jewelry Television in Knoxville, TN.


GEMS TV CLOSES, MANY HOSTS LOSE JOBS

As we are well aware by now, GemsTV recently closed their doors, leaving quite a few of your favorite hosts out of work. If you spot any of them in another position, or on another network, please alert me by email, and I will be happy to post the good news for everyone to celebrate!


BIG CHANGES AT SHOPNBC

In an attempt to avoid going under, ShopNBC has made some bold moves that, in my opinion, are mostly in the right direction, as they turn away from being a high-priced jewelry and watch network, and diversify into other areas. They have hired veteran hosts Carmella Sterling, Paul Deasy and Laura Duffek to help fortify the ranks. Deasy I believe has been added to the staff, while Sterling and Duffek are going to be guest hosts. I understand that Carmella has already been on the air at least once. Guest host extraordinaire Anne Lynch continues to present electronics as only she can. Former QVC/WSS veteran host Paul Kelly has been named Head of Hosts, and he has no doubt had a hand in all of this. Casualties of the new order have included Bill Fahey, Kerry McNally, and both Wes and Pam McCoy, although Pam will still be making appearances there for awhile, as she still has merchandise on hand to sell. This caught quite a few people by surprise, and was not a popular move with the well-liked duo.

SUZANNE SOMERS JOINS SHOPNBC

In what has been called the biggest news to impact the home shopping industry in quite awhile, celebrity guest host Suzanne Somers has left the Home Shopping Network and is moving her lines to ShopNBC. Is this a big win for the network? I would say "definitely, yes." No matter how much merchandise Suzanne sells, just having her on ShopNBC speaks volumes for the networks' stability and credibility, something ShopNBC needs right now more than anything else on this planet. Suzanne has built a huge, loyal following at HSN, and since ShopNBC's viewers are basically the same as HSN's viewers, although not as many in numbers, this should bring a boost to ShopNBC.

MY COMMENTS

I look at this from two separate ways: a business perspective, and a personal perspective as well.

It is never a good thing for any industry when a competitor, particularly a large competitor like ShopNBC, the nation's third largest, goes under. It is no secret that they were, and as of this writing, still are walking that fine line. However, they appear to be turning a corner, and I hope they make it, so that the public does not lose confidence in the medium.

Personally, I have many friends that work at ShopNBC, who would all lose their jobs if the network falters. In an industry that is hard to break into or find work that would be a serious problem for all of them. I hope for all of them as well, that the network continues to make the right moves.

I only hope it is not too late.

I have contacts on the inside at all the various networks, ShopNBC included, so when you see something here, you can take it as gospel. You may hear rumours floating around prior to seeing the news on my site, but I check all my sources first, so as to be sure of its' accuracy. Every word that you have just read is 100% true as of this writing.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS:

Veteran show host turned watch guru Tim Temple has left The Jewelry Channel and is now with GemsTV out of Reno, NV. No, check that, Tim is back at Jewelry Television. Smart move, Tim.

Former Jewelry Channel host Bonnie Stepp is now working for a shopping channel out of Atlanta.
 
Christian Schmidt, Dionne Ross and Stacy Weaver are now all guest hosts at the Liquidation Channel in Austin, where yours truly is employed. 

Tara Darby, former daytime host at TJC has recently moved to Los Angeles with her fiance, to pursue her career in television. Her future husband is also in the same field. We wish them the best. 

HSN-ex hosts continue to dominate the infomercial market. Familiar faces like Bob Circosta, Mel Arthur, Tom Wise, Mindy McCortney, Terri Toner Wise, Brian Heider and others can be seen all over the dial. Throw in live guests like Alice Cleveland and Stella Riches, you have enough to staff an entire new network! While we are on the subject of HSN, former host Tracey Edwards is now hosting a morning talk show on a network affilitate in South Florida, and the show is doing well.

My close friend Skip Connelly remains on board as host and in an advisory capacity at The Jewelry Channel in Knoxville

 If you know of a host (or two) that has recently turned up in a new area and would like to share that with all of your friends here at Dan Dennis Dot Com, we ask you to please send us an email with your information. We will then collate it and put it up on the web site in this area for all to see. Let's share our knowledge with others and have some fun besides!

Send your information to: ddennis@dandennis.com