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Just caught the 'new' weather guy on ABC11 this morning and my 1st impression was real good. Great voice and it sure seemed like he had been doing weather here for years.
Was today his first day? I don't pay that much attention. I can definitely detect a Midwestern accent; not surprised he's from Chicago. So "Big Weather" is his nickname? Pretty lame, considering all the "buildup". We expected a whole new computer system or something.
And if Glenn was let go, and well-liked (thanks for the info, emmertae), it must have been difficult for the current staff (Barbara Gibbs et al) to make those promos being all excited about his replacement starting. That's show biz... (cue Don Henley "Dirty Laundry").
FYI "leaving to be closer to/spend more time with family" is almost always a euphemism for "fired", in any industry.
I'm sure the people who watched Don in Chicago will miss him - That's the nature of the beast I think. I'm sure Glenn Willey will land on his feet.
Have to admit though, I wouldn't even have noticed the change if I hadn't read about it here. I too am surprised how invested some people are with the local news.
The entire news team over there at ABC11 is kinda lame. There is almost zero chemistry between any of them, and there is always visible tension whenever one of them makes a joke or something. That whole station needs to lighten up - managers included. Though I do feel bad that Glenn left.
You want an example of a good anchor team? A few years back Rick Williams, Monica Malpass, and Cecily Tynan on ABC Philadelphia. Those guys joked around and had a good old time. They'd even have local businesses come in and cook for them in the studio. It was a really laid back, conversational atmosphere. Jokes were made and there wasn't any tension (like when John or Barbara make a comment), they got along on air like they were old friends. It was really nice. Cecily eventually got promoted to the evening rotation (which I can imagine is a "better" time slot), but they'll never get back what those 3 had in the morning.
Schwenneker left his Chicago station after they kept moving him around in time slots and duties. The final straw came when they moved him to traffic reporter, and he bailed.
First, I wish Willey well and hope he finds a position he enjoys. I think he's got the talent to do so.
All of the rest of this is just opinion, for what it's worth. I liked Willey. I thought Willey helped ease the tension for the morning crew. Personally, I find Gibbs to be very stiff and cold, and thought Willey kept it light.
@Mike Frontier: Agree about the chemistry between Rick, Monica, and Cecily (and Dave Frankel long before) and that it's missing in most of the newscasts in Raleigh. To me, some of the WRAL personalities are impossible to watch.
I never realized so many people took an interest in local news personalities.
Not sure how it is elsewhere, but know growing up in NC local news personalities have always been local celebrities. Invited to ribbon cuttings, class rooms, and speaking engagements independent of their broadcast duties. It's like the movie Anchorman, except it didn't stop in the 70s.
In the age of the internet I guess people still watch local news. Mine is on every morning in the bedroom while I am getting ready. I watch WRAL. Always have since I moved here. I like Kelcey and Bill. Elizabeth is a little chatty. But I still like her. Nothing worse than someone with a dry personality giving the weather report.
It's like that elsewhere, too. In NY state, I used to have dinner with a long-time local news anchor about every four to six months (she was a friend), and it was bizarro.
I'd have to go to the restaurant first and pick a place in the back where she would be facing a wall so we could talk without interruptions.
We'd go to some restaurants (often Asian ones), and the whole family would come out and want to meet her, shaking her hand. She knew many people, so it seemed there'd always be another diner who played the "Do you remember me?" game with her...which was such an irritating thing to do to someone.
Sometimes the restaurant owner would send out free food. That was nice.
It takes a lot of patience, I think, to be a celebrity, local or otherwise.
It's probably a little less like that now because kids have so many other media options. In Raleigh, two NBC-17 newspeople at a health fair decided to run over to us to sign my grandson's leg cast one time, and he didn't have a clue who they were. (But I was impressed they were so nice. )
Sometimes
Quote:
Originally Posted by macjr82
Not sure how it is elsewhere, but know growing up in NC local news personalities have always been local celebrities. Invited to ribbon cuttings, class rooms, and speaking engagements independent of their broadcast duties. It's like the movie Anchorman, except it didn't stop in the 70s.
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