Tag Archives: Wendy Chioji

WESH extends Wendy Chioji’s contract

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WESH has extended the contract of longtime anchor Wendy Chioji, according to NewsBlues.com . No word on contract details. Her solo-anchored WESH 2 News at 6 p.m. newscast was up 10 percent from a year ago in the February sweeps. Chioji has been with the station since 1988, as a reporter, weekend anchor and then lead anchor. To salute Wendy on her new deal, here’s a clip of her closing out the weekend news back in 1990, plus a 2 News promo from 17 years ago.

>> Click here to watch WESH weekend news close.

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Time for a lot of local TV goodbyes

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Goodbye, Sports Jam. The WKMG Sunday night sports highlight show is apparently getting the ax. According to a Local 6 insider, a memo was circulated saying the 10-plus-year-old show will end after its Sunday, March 4 broadcast. As you may know, WKMG is not renewing the contract of sports anchor Todd Lewis – and now with Sports Jam being canceled, I think sports fans can see the writing on the wall about the future of sports on the station. And if you can’t see that writing, how about this, from the memo that went to the staff from News Director Susan Forbes: "As many of you know, we are reviewing our sports franchise with the goal of focusing and redefining it for our viewers. It is our belief that the strengths of our franchises belong in our newscasts and that we keep our resources focused on our main product."

Goodbye, Jim and Wendy. With all the anchor shuffling going on at WESH, the latest casualties are Jim Payne and Wendy Chioji. Oh, and Sally Schulze. And Tom Schaad, too. No, they’re not going off the air — only off the building. The massive posters of the WESH anchors on the station’s tower next to I-4 are expected to come down this week, making way for new CW 18 branding now that WESH owns WKCF.

Goodbye, Jim Van Fleet? We’re hoping this isn’t a goodbye, but WOFL is advertising for a morning weather guy. That job is currently filled by singing weatherman Jim Van Fleet. I haven’t been able to track anything down on this but perhaps Van Fleet wants to focus on his growing county music career. Or — again, pure speculation on my part — with WOFL adding an 11 p.m. show, maybe Fox 35 is moving Van Fleet to Fox at 5 so Glenn Richards can do the 10 and 11 p.m. shows? Stay tuned.

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Assessing WESH’s changes

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This week began with the anchors and weather personnel at WESH taking on their new news assignments. So far: Wendy Chioji is walking a lot, Tony Mainolfi isn’t sleeping a lot but the ratings look good.

The re-named, solo-anchored "WESH 2 News at 6 with Wendy Chioji" is definitely different from the other early-evening newscasts on the station — and the ones on the other stations, too. (Watch a clip of the first show here) The stories are a bit longer, and nightly interview segment with Chijoi is something that seems worthwhile. Chioji also is now standing while delivering the news, walking about the studio for the weather segment with Mainolfi and the sports segment with newcomer Guy Rawlings. If WESH was going for distinguishing this newscast from its others, it’s succeeded.

Mainolfi, though, is losing sleep over the changes. He’s been reassigned from the morning newscasts to the 6 and 11 p.m. shows — but his morning replacement hasn’t arrived yet. So, when Mainolfi finishes the 11 p.m. show, he basically takes a nap at a nearby hotel then returns to the studio for the 5-7 a.m. morning news and then the 7-9 shift on CW 18 . Fortunately for Mainolfi, new morning weather guy Jason Brewer starts on Feb. 12.

WESH insiders have been happy with the ratings for the revamped shows so far this week. The station says this is its long-term plan, so we’ll see how things fare during the sweeps.

And, speaking of WESH, former assistant ND Anzio Williams has been bumped up the Hearst-Argyle chain. After WESH, Williams became the news director at H-A’s WDSU in New Orleans — leading the station’s Hurricane Katrina coverage there and later in Orlando when the station temporarily moved its ops here. Now, Williams is going to be the ND at KCRA-NBC 3 in Sacramento.

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Going solo with Chioji — Will it work?

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Is Wendy Chioji becoming the Katie Couric of Orlando?

She will be the first woman to solo anchor a 6 p.m. newscast in Orlando when WESH’s anchor reassignments take effect Jan. 29. Channel 2 hopes to make "WESH 2 News at 6 with Wendy Chioji" a showcase for one of the area’s veteran anchors.

"She is our most trusted and recognized anchor: she can get interviews others can’t," said WESH ND Barbara Maushard. "Wendy will put her years of reporting experience and community connections to work to present viewers with a one-of-a-kind newscast."

Said Chioji: "This is an opportunity few journalists ever get. I look forward to bringing Central Florida viewers important stories they won’t see anywhere else … and do it in a unique and different way."

The new format reminds us of an earlier era in television when anchors used to have their names as part of their newscast titles — as Chioji will at WESH. (Anyone remember "The Ralph Rennick Report" on WTVJ or "Wayne Farris and the News" on WCKT in Miami?)

So, WESH goes back to the past for its 6 p.m. news. Will the future bring more viewers to WESH, or will Chioji’s new newscast end up in the same ranking as Couric’s in the evening news ratings?

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Chioji confirms WESH anchor shakeup

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WESH’s Wendy Chioji confirms the station’s reassignment of its anchors, including her role as solo anchor at 6 p.m. "I’m going to have a lot of creative control. I just love that," she told the Orlando Sentinel’s Hal Boedeker about the 6 p.m. newscast. Chioji says she will have a say in the story lineup for the revamped 6 p.m. show, which will also offer longer stories and more issue reports.

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WESH prepares to swap anchors

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Expect a complete makeover of Channel 2′s anchor assignments shortly, according to a WESH insider. Included will be a solo anchor shift at 6 p.m. for Wendy Chioji, a return to the 11 p.m. show by Jim Payne and a more prominent evening role for morning weather guy Tony Mainolfi.

I haven’t received confirmation yet, but here’s what the insider says the new assignments are:
  • 4-5 p.m. — Martha Sugalski and Chioji anchor
  • 5-6 p.m. — Payne and Sugalski anchor
  • 6-6:30 p.m. — Chioji anchors solo
  • 11-11:35 p.m. — Payne and Sugalski anchor
Payne and Sugalski have been anchoring the 4 p.m. show, Chioji and Raoul Martinez have been doing the the 5 p.m. with Payne and Chioji at 6 p.m. and Sugalski and Chioji at 11.

The anchor reassignments are due in some part to the hasty assignment of Martinez to anchor WESH’s new 7-9 a.m. newscast on CW18 with Eryka Washington.

What Mainolfi’s move to evenings mean for meteorologist Amy Sweezey remains to be seen.

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