Tag Archives: WESH-2

Recent RogerSimmons.com Orlando TV News reports involving WESH-Channel 2, the NBC affiliate for Central Florida. The station calls its newscasts WESH 2 News.

Jim Van Fleet, Guy Rawlings, Mike Dunston leaving Orlando TV news

Posted on by
Reply

Jim Van Fleet and anchor John Brown chat during the meteorologist's last newscast for Fox 35 Monday.

Comings and goings in Orlando TV news …

After nearly a decade with WOFL, meteorologist Jim Van Fleet presented his last forecast on Monday morning. The popular Fox 35 weatherman is heading to WTSP-CBS 10 in Tampa to become the station’s chief meteorologist. On Monday’s Good Day show, Van Fleet said, “It is bittersweet. Fox has been my family. For the record, I think this is the worst time for me to leave Fox 35 because I feel this is the strongest Fox 35 has been. So, I realize what I am doing but it is an opportunity that is too big to say no to.” …

WESH 2 sports anchor Guy Rawlings is heading to Atlanta to become a news anchor at WGCL-CBS 46. “I’m really excited and a little bit anxious,” Rawlings told the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Monday. “I wanted to try something different, look for a new challenge. A lot of my friends who are sports anchors are unemployed. Local sports seems to be shrinking. This opportunity is a hybrid of news and sports. I had to jump on it!” Rawlings’ last day at WESH will be Dec. 23. Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker reports that WESH will start “a national search” for Rawlings’ replacement. Veteran Pat Clarke will help fill the sports gaps at WESH for awhile. …

Another familiar face in the mornings at Fox 35 is leaving town, too. Mike Dunston is heading to Cleveland to anchor “Good Morning Cleveland” for WEWS-ABC 5. Dunston has been with WOFL since 2007. He’ll join his new station in December.

Meteorologist Leslie Hudson gets part-time gig at Fox 35

Posted on by
4

A familiar face to Orlando TV news viewers will be reappearing shortly on Fox 35. It’s meteorologist Leslie Hudson, who previously reported on the weather at Central Florida News 13 and at WESH-2.

“I’ve told a few friends this, now I am telling the rest of my friends! …  I will be working at Fox 35 as their freelance meteorologist in December,” Hudson posted on her Facebook page Tuesday. “It’s very part time, but I am very excited.”

WOFL needs the additional weather help with the upcoming departure of morning meteorologist Jim Van Fleet, who is scheduled to leave in early December for his new job as chief meteorologist at Tampa CBS affiliate WTSP-10.

Hudson, who was with WESH during 2004′s historic hurricane season, added, “Can’t wait to track the radar again!”

Jason Brewer, Vanessa Welch welcome son Wilson

Posted on by
Reply

Jason Brewer and new son Wilson (courtesy WESH.com)

The fiercely competitive newsrooms at WESH and WFTV both had reasons to celebrate a new arrival in town this week.

WFTV anchor Vanessa Welch and her husband WESH meteorologist Jason Brewer welcomed son Wilson Beech Brewer on Monday night. He arrived a few days early at 20 inches and 6 pounds, 15 ounces.

“He’s just perfect. He’s so handsome,” Welch told Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker. “We’re blessed.”

The multi-station couple has been married for seven years, and Wilson is their first child.

“Mom, dad and baby all doing well,” WESH news director Bob Longo told Boedeker.

Added WFTV news director Bob Jordan: “Vanessa’s Channel 9 family is thrilled at the birth of Wilson. Vanessa will return to WFTV, but no firm date has been set.”

Best wishes to Jason, Vanessa and “Wils.”

Do WESH, Payne have WFTV to thank for Obama interview?

Posted on by
Reply

Catching up with the latest Orlando TV news …

WESH 2′s Jim Payne was among several local anchors invited to the White House last week to interview President Obama — who was pushing his jobs plan. But why WESH instead of market-leader WFTV-Channel 9? I’m guessing the Obama team still hasn’t forgotten Barbara West’s satellite interview with Joe Biden during the 2008 campaign. …

Speaking of WESH, Steve Rifkin was named creative services director for Hearst Television’s Orlando properties, which include WESH, WKCF, MeTV, ThisTV, Estrella TV, WESH.com and CW18tv.com. Read more here. …

WFTV.com has undergone a makeover, and it is featuring more national and world news on its home page. The site has been asking its registered users to re-register. WFTV.com and WESH.com usually are pretty close in the ComScore rankings of local websites — leading the Orlando TV stations but still pretty far behind local leader OrlandoSentinel.com in market share. …

Saturday marked the 40th anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World. And unless I missed it, I didn’t see any Orlando stations showing their footage from opening day in 1971. I hope they kept that film — since it was a pretty historic day for all of us. But I suspect like many old news films, it’s probably disappeared. Too bad.

More Orlando and Florida TV history added to the site

Posted on by
Reply

These 1975 ads for Channel 2 News with Dave Walker, Dave Marsh and Ken Brown are some of the many that have been added.

So now you’ll know why you haven’t seen many story updates recently on the site. We’ve been busy adding content in other areas — continuing to build the television history scrapbook for Orlando and for Florida. Here’s some of the new stuff on the site:

  • Our Orlando TV ad section has grown, now with more than 600 newspaper advertisements for our local stations. Look at the Orlando TV ad section here.
  • We’ve also divided the Orlando TV ad galleries by stations. Just scroll over the navigation at the top for WESH, WKMG, WFTV and WOFL to see their specific galleries.
  • Wonder what was on Orlando TV in its early years? We’ve compiled sample TV schedules for the first 25 years of Orlando television, from 1954 to 1978. See the year-by-year Orlando TV schedules here.
  • Miami is where television started in the Sunshine State, and there’s great history down south. Our gallery for South Florida stations has grown to more than 300 newspaper ads, going back to the start of TV there in 1949. See the South Florida TV ad gallery here.
  • What about other nearby markets? We’ve started work on those and invite you to check out the Tampa Bay TV station ad gallery, with more than 80 ads so far. The Jacksonville TV station ad gallery is now also up, with some 20 images.

You can access all of the above and more in our navigation at the top of the page. Just look under the “More TV” tab. And keep checking as we continue to add to all of those sections.

Heart-warming puppy story draws attention to WESH

Posted on by
Reply

Michelle Meredith, one of my favorite Orlando TV news reporters, did this report on WESH 2 News about a poor pooch who was left in the trash. Thanks to help from some animal lovers, little pitbull “Harper” is learning to walk and will be up for adoption soon.  TVSpy.com says the video is starting to go viral.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy