Steve Rondinaro, who spent 10 years on the anchor desk in O-Town, is back reporting the news. He’s the new lead anchor and managing editor for WWAY-ABC 3 in Wilmington, N.C. Rondinaro was the main anchor at WESH from 1986 to 1995, when he stunned co-workers with a decision to…
Category: WESH-2
WESH’s ‘bland newscasts’ cited
"Bland newscasts [that] lack a distinctive style." That’s how Orlando Sentinel TV Critic Hal Boedeker characterizes WESH 2 News. It was part of a Sunday feature on the state of the city’s newscasts. He says top-rated WFTV "delivers fast-paced Eyewitness News with businesslike determination," and WKMG "has hit on a…
Internet sex sting played differently on TV
Some quick midweek notes: — The Internet sex sting in Polk County that resulted in the arrests of 28 men — including three Disney workers and one technician for Local 6 — was widely reported on local TV news. But the way the stations reported it varied greatly. Video on…
WESH flying high with its new Chopper 2
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird? It’s a plane? No, it’s …. the new, blue Chopper 2. WESH has a new eye in the sky, debuting its improved Chopper 2. Piloted by veteran helicopter reporter “Chopper Dan” McCarthy, the new Chopper 2 is quipped with four cameras…
Overweight? WESH wants to see you
In what sounds like a possible May sweeps series, WESH is seeking some overweight volunteers to be on TV. According to a number of Atkins-related Web sites, Channel 2 wants four volunteers to test out different diets so it can report the results. One site, Living La Vida Lo-Carb,…
WESH extends Wendy Chioji’s contract
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…
Catching up: Lots of “new” news to report
Dang, a lot of stuff has been going on since I took my spring break … NEW BABY: Central Florida’s largest team of broadcast meteorologists just got larger. WESH’s Leslie Hudson gave birth to Avery Vy Russell last week. She was born at 7:26 a.m. on Wednesday and weighed in…
Former WESH ND lands in Little Rock
Ed Trauschke, whose four-year run as news director at WESH ended in August, has landed in Little Rock, Ark. The Arkansas TV News blog reports that Clear Channel’s WLRT-Fox 16 has hired Trauschke as its new ND. He replaces Michael Fabrac, who left the station in Nielsen market No. 57…
Time for a lot of local TV goodbyes
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…
Stations deliver with storm coverage
All of the area media outlets did an outstanding job with coverage of Friday’s deadly tornadoes. They alerted viewers overnight about the tornado warnings and then went wall to wall with more than 12 hours of coverage of the storms’ destruction. Even before their regularly scheduled 5 a.m. newscasts Friday,…