WRDW morning anchor Lynnsey Gardner is leaving after six years with the Augusta CBS-affiliate. Her final day is set for May 25.

Jessica Dill, who joined the WRDW morning team two months ago, will replace Gardner at the anchor desk, alongside meteorologist Tim Strong.

“Becoming the new morning anchor in two weeks is very bittersweet,” Dill wrote on her Facebook page this week. “I’ve grown so close to Lynnsey Gardner over the past few months and I can’t imagine work without her. I’m very honored to take her place and I realize I have some big shoes to fill!”

In an email exchange with TVSpy about her next career move, Gardner said that she is currently “entertaining some possibilities and deciding on the right fit.” Read more

Longtime WRDW anchor Tom Campbell passed away on Wednesday, after a years-long battle with cancer.

The Augusta CBS-affiliate ran a tribute to Campbell during its newscasts on Wednesday (video above).

Longtime WRDW anchor Tom Campbell, who has been battling cancer for over a year, died Wednesday morning.

Campbell had a 44-year career in journalism, joining Augusta CBS-affiliate WRDW in 1995. He retired last December as he continued to undergo rounds of radiation and chemotherapy to fight tumors near his bile duct.

“Tom will be missed by all of us who were lucky enough to work side by side with him,” veteran WRDW anchor Richard Rogers wrote on his Facebook page today.

In September, Rogers sat down with Campbell and discussed his battle with cancer. Read more

Chad Mills, a multimedia journalist at WRDW in Augusta, was arrested early Sunday morning after he was spotted driving erratically.

The CBS-affiliate reported the news on Sunday evening’s 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts, as well as in a brief statement on the station’s website.

Mills was arrested under suspicion of DUI, but a breathalyzer showed a blood-alcohol level of .02. The legal limit in Georgia is .08.

“As difficult as it is for us to investigate one of our own, we at News 12 hold ourselves to the same standards as the rest of the public,” the statement reads. “Just like any other story we follow, we will keep you updated on this one.”

Charles Moody, a beloved member of the crew at WRDW, retired this week after more than 50 years at the station. The Augusta CBS-affiliate sent him off with a tribute video of all his best moments — both in front of and behind the camera (watch above).

Veteran anchor Tom Campbell is retiring from WRDW as he continues to battle cancer.

Campbell joined the Augusta CBS-affiliate in December 1995 and most recently worked as a daytime anchor at the station. He has been on leave for the past several months, undergoing rounds of radiation and chemotherapy to fight tumors near his bile duct.

This week WRDW bid farewell to Campbell, honoring his legacy at the station and in the community (video above).

WTHR staffers at the 2011 Murrow Awards

Twenty local television stations were presented with Edward R. Murrow Awards at an RTDNA dinner honoring the winners in New York City last night. TVSpy was there as WTHR in Indianapolis was presented the award for Overall Excellence in a large market. WGRZ in Buffalo was honored for Overall Excellence in a small market.

Although the winners represented every platform of the news industry — national news, radio, online — enthusiasm for the local stations was palpable, with staffers from winning stations cheering on their colleagues audibly as they took the stage to accept their awards.

In his opening speech, RTDNA chairman Kevin Benz implored the 95 Murrow award winners — more than the RTDNA has ever presented before — to “celebrate truth through journalism.”

“The practice of producing great journalism is as important today as it has ever been,” he told the packed ballroom at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Read more

Anchor Tom Campbell has been on leave from WRDW as he battles cancer but he recently returned to the newsroom and sat down for an interview with fellow anchor Richard Rogers.

“Many of you have been asking about Tom since he disappeared from the airwaves a few months ago,” Rogers told viewers this week. “And while you miss him here [on TV], we miss having him here, in the newsroom.”

Campbell has been undergoing rounds of radiation and chemotherapy to fight tumors near his bile duct.

“I just feel energized and happy and thankful every time I come here,” Campbell told Rogers, fighting back tears. “This place has been a big part of my life for 16 years.”

Video inside… Read more

This week WSAW, a Gray Television-owned CBS-affiliate, became the first station in north central Wisconsin to broadcast its local newscasts in HD.

“It’s the same thing that all of the big guys have,” WSAW chief engineer Chad Myers said about the station’s switch to HD technology. “[Now] we have it right here in central Wisconsin.”

WSAW serves the Wausau-Rhinelander market, which is #135.

Gray Television has made an aggressive push over the past couple of years to convert its stations, many of which are based in smaller markets, to HD. In 2009, Gray stations in Omaha and Lincoln became the first stations in Nebraska to broadcast in HD and their transition has served as a model for the company’s other stations to lead their respective markets in HD adoption, including Augusta’s WRDW which made the switch in January.

On Monday, CBS-affiliate WRDW became the first station in Augusta to broadcast its newscasts in HD.

“I am proud we are the first to serve Augusta’s news viewers in HD,” said John Ray, WRDW’s president and general manager. “We are committed to bringing our viewers the quality only high definition television can offer.”

In August, WRDW paved the way for the change when it began to broadcast its newscasts in the HD-friendly 16:9 aspect ratio. In the coming months, the station plans to also begin broadcasting all of its syndicated programming and commercials in HD.

Ever the local trailblazer, WRDW was also the first Augusta station to broadcast in color.