Leon Harris - TVSpy

Leon Harris and Alison Starling Mark One Year as Evening Anchors with Cupcakes from Diane Sawyer

Merrill Knox — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:40:49 +0000

ABC’s Diane Sawyer took some time during the “World News” tease on WJLA last night to recognize the one-year anniversary of Alison Starling and Leon Harris anchoring the 5 p.m. newscast (video above).

“I just think sometimes you have to pay attention to an anniversary,” Sawyer said, as boxes of cupcakes appeared on the anchor desk. “Eat and be merry, and we celebrate you.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

WJLA Juggles Anchor Lineup

Merrill Knox — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:30:47 +0000

WJLA anchors Cynne Simpson (far left) and Alison Starling (near left) will be taking on new responsibilities at the ABC affiliate in Washington, DC.

Starling, who has been WJLA’s morning anchor since 2004, will join Leon Harris on the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. nightly newscasts.

The 5 p.m. news is currently anchored by Simpson, who will take over Starling’s morning duties on “Good Morning Washington.” She will also anchor WJLA’s “News at Noon.” Simpson has been with the station since 2007.

According to station manager Bill Lord, the staffing changes are an effort to build on last month’s strong ratings during May sweeps. “Moving Cynne and Alison to these new assignments will bring even more energy and vitality to our news coverage,” he said.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Brushing TBD.com Aside, D.C.’s WJLA Prepares to Launch New Website

Andrew Gauthier — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:38:47 +0000

The name has turned out to be more accurate than perhaps originally intended as TBD.com, Allbritton’s local news site launched in partnership with D.C. ABC-affiliate WJLA last August, is about to take on a new identity following Allbritton’s decision to give command of the property to WJLA’s Bill Lord.

In a post on Monday, TBD and WJLA announced that they will be launching a “two-pronged online approach to covering news, traffic, weather, and much more” next week.

Previously TBD had served as the umbrella site for WJLA, as well as Allbritton’s regional cable news station News Channel 8, but now, as part of what Lord has called a “mid-course correction” for the online property, WJLA will launch a new, more autonomous website. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.