Tag Archives: Syan Rhodes

Sabrina Fein leaves Fox 35; WESH adds more Aixa Diaz

Posted on by
1
Sabrina Fine posing in Orlando Style magazine

Sabrina Fine posing in Orlando Style magazine

A couple of changes to report on the local news scene…

WOFL-Fox 35 meteorologist/traffic reporter Sabrina Fein – declared by some to be the “hottest” woman on Orlando TV — has left O-Town. Posting on her Facebook fan page on May 19, Fein wrote, “For all of you that are wondering and asking, I have decided to take a short break from the news business and refocus my career in Los Angeles. Thank you all for participating in this page and I am hopeful that you will still follow me and my career. Take care for now. – Sabrina xoxo.” Reading more comments on the page, it appears that WOFL wanted to move her off the weather beat. …

Continue reading →

Early-bird WESH adds 4:30 a.m. newscast

Posted on by
1

WESH on Tuesday began airing an additional half hour of morning news, starting at 4:30 a.m.

“We are always looking for opportunities to serve the local news and weather needs of our viewers at times that are both convenient and valuable to them,” WESH GM Jim Carter said in a news release. “We saw that need in this time period and we filled it.”

Many stations across the nation have been moving up their morning newscasts to 4:30 a.m. The reason? With longer commutes, folks are getting up earlier. And, as one TV wag once said, the best lead-in to news is news.

WESH 2 News Sunrise usually runs No. 2 behind WFTV’s Eyewitness News Daybreak. Will getting a 30-minute jump on the competition at 4:30 a.m. make a difference?

The new  half hour of news will be anchored by Syan Rhodes, with meteorologist Amy Sweezey and traffic reporter Kimberly Williams, WESH said.

Continue reading →

WESH morning anchor Scott Walker heading to Big Easy

Posted on by
1

WESH has been hit with an unexpected setback in its quest for morning news dominance: anchor Scott Walker is departing the station.

Walker is heading to Hearst-Argyle sister station WDSU-NBC 5 in New Orleans to become that station’s 5 p.m. anchor. “The opportunity to return home to work in New Orleans at an institution like WDSU is an exciting one for me professionally and personally,” Walker said in a WESH news release. “I’ve covered everything from Super Bowls to hurricanes, but I’ve never done it in front of family, friends and the incredibly news-savvy viewers of South Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I’m looking forward to that — and finally using my Saints season tickets –more than words can express.”

Walker arrived at WESH two years ago from Mobile, Ala. He was paired with Syan Rhodes for WESH’s Sunrise show as well as its morning news on WKCF-CW 18 and WESH’s noon show. After a rocky start, the rebuilt WESH morning show has been picking up steam. WFTV-Channel 9 won the morning race by just 500 households over WESH in the May sweeps.

Continue reading →

Latest comings and goings in Orlando TV

Posted on by
Reply

Some good news to report. Former Fox 35 anchor Shelly Ribando has landed a new gig. She’ll become the main anchor at KOAT-ABC 7 in Albuquerque, N.M. According to Eckhert Talent Management, she’ll co-anchor the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts at the Hearst-Argyle station. Ribando anchored her final newscast at Fox 35 in September 2006. …

WKMG-Local 6 morning weather guy Larry Mowry is heading to Big D. He’s become the 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. meteorologist at CBS O&O in Dallas, KTVT-11. He’ll find another alum of the Channel 6 weather staff when he arrives. Longtime O-Town weather man Mike Burger is still at KTVT. …

Not sure if it’s just to help fill-in or if she’s Mowry’s replacement, but former Miami meteorologist Elizabeth Hart has been forecasting the weather on WKMG this week. She left CBS O&O WFOR-4 in September 2006 and has filled in for Mitch English on the Orlando-based Daily Buzz since then. …

Former Central Florida News 13 reporter Don Guevara has jumped to WSVN-Fox 7 in Miami. …

And Syan Rhodes from WMC-NBC 5 in Memphis will join newcomer Scott Walker as co-anchor of WESH 2 News at Sunrise starting Monday, Dec. 10. Found an interesting post about Rhodes on a Memphis TV site while seeking additional information for this item.

Continue reading →