TV News Potpourri
Pittsburgh:- Rob Owen interviews WTAE-TV's new News Director who took over a few weeks ago. Alex Bongiorno has her hands full at 4. She needs to hire a fourth weather person (and PBRTV wonders why Michael Haynes couldn't just take the job since he's filled the void for almost a year now), a weekend news anchor (to replace Jake Ploeger) and a sports anchor (to replace Jon Burton). Bongiorno says she hires not only for the station but also the viewers to make sure the person fits the city. So far though, she likes what she sees at WTAE.
- Patrice King Brown (KDKA-TV) is still recovering from her torn ACL and has been off the air since the end of February. Brown is anxious to return to the airwaves and hopes to be back by the first week of May.
- Karen Welles and WPXI have parted ways. Welles isn't telling the PG anything other than she's open to all offers in and out of TV. WPXI News Director Corrie Harding says the departure was a mutual agreement.
Readers’ Forum
So if ‘TAE needs a Sports Anchor why did they let Burton go? Why don’t they hire Guy Junker full time? And if you are Michael Haynes why would you still be at the station if you are not full time? Haynes isn’t even in the weather promos. WTAE needs alot of work to fix what Bob Longo did to damage it, I don’t believe that Alex Bongiorno will be here long enough to fix it.
Bill Alexander (URL) - April 24, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Karen Welles was one of the best reporters WPXI ever had. She can do better than Channel 11. Another station would be lucky to get her.
Casey - April 24, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Perhaps the new WTAE News Director can correct one of Bob Longo’s biggest flubs? Only using Sally Wiggin to anchor the Noon News! For the life of me I cannot understand why WTAE wants Wendy Bell to be the face of the station!? Bring back Sally to the 6pm newscast, or at least have her Anchor from 5 to 6pm?
I hope Ms Bongiorno is at WTAE long enough to make a real difference.
Tim - April 24, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I still prefer WTAE news over WPXI. They don’t have it together at all over there. Ugh.
Jan - April 24, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Now you know WTAE doesn’t look at sport guys and see, well, sports guys. They see news anchors. JB had a better chance of moving to the weekend news desk than he did being retained as sports guy. Why not stick with your strengths? The last time I checked their cast of characters on the WTAE site, they still had DeNardo listed. Why not Don Cannon and Sheila Hyland as well; we see them almost as much as Joe. As far as Sally, she doesn’t even write on her blog anymore; I fear she’s just waiting for her contract to run out. Maybe another station would show her some respect. And Karen Welles leaving WPXI? Who gets custody of Alby?
PWN - April 24, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Speaking of Oxenreiter, would someone please tell him to try a different color shirt?
Rick - April 26, 2009 at 02:32 am
There are two sides to every story, and this is why some reporters are kept and some let go. We never get both sides. It seems, however, that the ones that should be kept are let go and vice-versa.
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I think, just on looks alone, half of the street reporters on the three stations should be gone, but they stick. Take a look at their appearance. I’ll say no more.
Mike Smalley - April 29, 2009 at 08:59 am