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.
But the WDSU job is a chance for Walker to go back to his roots. He was born and raised in Metairie, La., and graduated from Southern Miss.
“During the past 15 years, I’ve covered news and sports at TV stations in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. My wife, son and I are grateful to the management of Hearst Television, WESH and WDSU for the opportunity to bring that experience back home to New Orleans,” Walker said.
