Rochester, NY - TVSpy

WHAM Re-Signs Anchor Don Alhart

Merrill Knox — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:48:27 +0000

Don Alhart has signed a multi-year contract extension at WHAM, the ABC affiliate in Rochester.

Alhart anchors the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts and serves at the station’s associate news director. He has worked at WHAM for almost 50 years.

“When you think of news in Rochester, you think of Don Alhart,” WHAM general manager Chuck Samuels said in a statement. “The passion he has for his job and this community is evident every day. We are thrilled to let the viewers know that he will be behind the anchor desk for many years to come.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Rochester NBC Affiliate Apologizes After Airing Sensitive Episode of ‘Chicago Fire’

Merrill Knox — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:33:31 +0000

WHEC, the NBC affiliate in Rochester, has issued an apology after airing an episode of “Chicago Fire” that closely resembled the Christmas Eve shooting in neighboring Webster, N.Y.

The episode, which aired Wednesday evening, featured a scene that showed firefighters and ambulance workers being shot during the response to a 911 call. Derek Dalton, the station’s vice president and general manager, released a statement Thursday:

Last night, NBC, our network, ran an episode of Chicago Fire that many in our community felt was insensitive in light of the Christmas Eve tragedy.

We understand and regret the timing of this episode. By no means did we, or NBC, intend any disrespect to the families or our community affected by the recent events in Webster.

All of us in the WHEC-TV family have a personal connection to our community and our firefighters. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and we will continue to cover this story with compassion and professionalism.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WROC to Host Debate for House Candidates

Merrill Knox — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:11:28 +0000

Rochester CBS-affiliate WROC is partnering with the League of Women Voters to host a debate between incumbent Louise Slaughter (D) and Maggie Brooks (R), who are competing for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in New York’s 25th district.

The debate, which will be held on October 30, is so far the first debate the candidates have committed to in this campaign. It will be held at Nazareth College. Moderators and other details will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the station.

“It is important for us to present the type of forum,” news director Bryan Queen said in statement. “It enables the voting public the opportunity to understand the issues and candidates’ positions on these issues.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Rochester’s WROC to Launch HD Newscasts

Merrill Knox — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:46:25 +0000

Rochester CBS-affiliate WROC is preparing to launch in high definition.

Matt Malloy announced the HD transition on the 4 p.m. newscast yesterday. WROC newscasts are currently taking place on a temporary set while the old set is dismantled and the new one is built. Newscasts on WUHF, the Fox-affiliate that is operated by WROC through a shared service agreement, will also be transitioning to HD, according to a statement on the station’s website.

“We’re very excited about the changes here and we hope you are too,” Malloy said. “We’re going to have more details about News 8 in HD in the coming weeks.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Anchor Don Hudson Joins WHEC From KTVX

Merrill Knox — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:17:18 +0000

Don Hudson will join Rochester NBC-affiliate WHEC as an anchor and reporter this fall.

Hudson is currently the 5 p.m. anchor at KTVX, the ABC-affiliate in Salt Lake City. He will begin in his new role in late September, according to the station. He replaces Rich Funke, who is retiring after 38 years at WHEC.

“Not only is Don a true professional but he is also a dedicated family man,” VP-GM Derek Dalton said. “His committment to family and community are the exact values that we look for here at News10NBC. Hie is passionate about getting to the heart of the story making him a perfect addition to our News10NBC family.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WHAM Interviews Boy Who Recorded Bus Monitor Bullying Video

Andrew Gauthier — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:38:00 +0000

WHAM, the ABC-affiliate in Rochester, NY, recently interviewed the boy who recorded the notorious video of a bus monitor being bullied by middle school students.

“I had no clue it would go this far,” Luis Recio Jr. told WHAM reporter Alexis Arnold about the video, adding that he started recording because of peer pressure.

“They told me to record and I’m just like okay, I’m going to record it,” Recio Jr. said. Video inside… continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

After 38 Years at WHEC, Rich Funke to Retire

Merrill Knox — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:18:42 +0000

Rich Funke, the longtime evening anchor at WHEC in Rochester, will retire at the end of this year.

Funke, who joined the NBC-affiliate in 1974 as sports director, announced the news on the 6 p.m. newscast yesterday.

“I don’t know where the time has gone,” he said. “But I do know the time has come to step aside, move into the next phase of my life. My last day on the air will be sometime in December, but in the weeks and months ahead we’ll share some stories and revisit some people and places I’ll never forget.” continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Nexstar Taps Former WROC News Director to Oversee Cross-Platform Content

Andrew Gauthier — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:36:42 +0000

Nexstar Broadcasting announced today that Jerry Walsh has been named director of local content development.

In his new role Walsh, who previously served as news director at Nextar’s WROC in Rochester, NY, will work with news directors and web producers at the company’s stations to create local, cross-platform content for TV, web, and mobile.

“Jerry’s ability to leverage the value of local content creation across multiple platforms in a manner that elevates its relevance to on-air, online and mobile audiences has proven to be of value to our viewers and advertisers alike,” said Blake Russell, Nexstar’s senior vice president of station operations, in announcing the move. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Longtime WHEC Boss Arnold Klinsky Retires

Andrew Gauthier — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:49:53 +0000

Arnold Klinsky is bidding farewell to Rochester’s WHEC.

Klinsky, WHEC’s vice president and general manager, is retiring after 27 years with the station.

During his tenure with WHEC, he oversaw the station’s switch in network affiliation, from CBS to NBC. He also served as chair of the New York State Broadcasters Association.

Before joining WHEC, Klinsky served as news director and VP of operations at Hartford’s WVIT. He will be succeeded by Derek Dalton.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WHAM Reporter Silenced for Asking Sandra Lee About Her Newly Inaugurated Boyfriend

Andrew Gauthier — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:20:13 +0000

WHAM reporter Sean Carroll was silenced by aides for Sandra Lee after he asked the Food Network star about her boyfriend, newly inaugurated New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

During an event at a Rochester food bank in which Lee was, according to a press release, using “her added notoriety as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s significant other to raise awareness of hunger in New York State,” Carroll brought up the topic that other reporters had been dancing around.

When Carroll and his photojournalist pressed Lee about her relationship with Gov. Cuomo, one of her aides shut the press conference down. Carroll, who has been with the Rochester ABC-affiliate since 2007, was told that he could no longer ask Lee questions.

Here’s video of the exchange…

In a post about the exchange, Carroll wrote that, although Lee’s aides made it clear that questioning should be about her food bank initiatives, he felt that WHAM’s “viewers/readers needed a word or two about why Ms. Lee would not so much as mention the job her boyfriend just began…a job that includes governing some 19 million New Yorkers.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Rochester Duopoly WHAM Plans to Launch 10 p.m. Newscast on Digital Subchannel, CW-Affiliate

Andrew Gauthier — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:04:18 +0000

WHAM in Rochester, NY announced on Monday that it will launch a new half-hour newscast beginning January 1. The new 10 p.m. newscast will be broadcast on WHAM-DT2, the ABC-affiliate’s digital sub-channel and local CW-affiliate.

The newscast will include the usual mix of local news, weather, and sports and the Newport Television-owned duopoly plans to have it air seven days a week.

“We are extremely excited to expand our news product, and give the people of Rochester a convenient alternative to the late news,” said Chuck Samuels, WHAM’s vice president and general manager. “We have a commitment to this community to be the leaders in local news and weather.”

WHAM-DT2 was launched in 2000 as a cable-only WB-affiliate known as WRWB. WHAM acquired the station from Time Warner in 2006 following the launch of the CW network.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.