In the news

By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 8, 2002

Ch. 28 gets makeover

Viewers watching WFTS-Ch. 28 Monday saw the station unveil its new "ABC Action News" logo, debuting a new graphic look and slogan: "Taking action for you."

The new "Action News" title -- the station had already renamed its weather radar "Local Action Doppler" -- marked another evolution for WFTS, which has emphasized aggressive news coverage in an attempt to energize ratings, moving from previous slogans such as "28 Tampa Bay News" and "28 News." Larger letters and bolder colors bolstered the station's emphasis on live reports and breaking news.

A pirate's life for you?

Break out those Gasparilla costumes and a passport. Walt Disney Pictures will hold an open casting call Oct. 19 for swashbucklers to perform in a movie based on the Pirates of the Caribbean amusement park ride. Auditions will be held at the Pier in St. Petersburg from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Similar casting calls will be conducted in Miami and Key West. About 250 actors will be chosen for those events. According to St. Petersburg/Clearwater film commissioner Jennifer Parramore, selected actors will travel to California for two weeks of "pirate training" then spend two months on location on St. Vincent, part of the Windward Islands chain about 200 miles northeast of Venezuela. Pirates of the Caribbean will star Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. For information, call Parramore's office at (727) 464-7240 or Susan Robertson at (727) 821-6443.

Gannett son buys Como home

The son of the founder of the company that owns USA Today has bought singer Perry Como's Jupiter mansion, court records show.

Deeds filed at the Palm Beach County courthouse show that Dixon Gannett, son of the man who started the media group Gannett Co. Inc., paid $3.25-million for the home on Jupiter Inlet Colony.

Dixon Gannett also owns a home on the Loxahatchee River, where Fort Jupiter stood 150 years ago.

Como died on May 12, 2001, at his home after a lengthy illness. He was 87.

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