Falen Bonsett and Colt Parkey of KDWB/101.3 shared audio of the moment that Jesse Merkel, the father of school shooting victim Fletcher Merkel, called to tell them that Fletcher had been part of a call to the station just a few months ago and asked them to replay the clip. Bonsett also discussed the moment on “The Jason Show.”
CBS O&O WCCO-TV/4 (Minneapolis) announced that longtime husband-and-wife anchor team Amelia Santaniello and Frank Vascellaro will only co-anchor the 6 p.m. newscast beginning Sept. 8. Vascellaro will solo anchor the 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts while Santaniello will co-anchor the 4 p.m. newscast, in addition to the 6. Erin Hassanzadeh will remain as 4 p.m. co-anchor while Jeff Wagner will exit the newscast and take over the station’s “Good Question” franchise.
Matt Kummer announced that he’s joining Tegna NBC affiliate KARE 11 (Minneapolis) as news director. Kummer, who has prior news director experience at three stations, describes it as a “dream job” that he’s been working towards his entire career.
Matt Chibe has joined Gray ABC/FOX affiliates KOTA-TV/KEVN-LD (Rapid City) as news director. The hiring was first reported by Rick Gevers.
Longtime anchor Rob McCartney announced that he will retire from Hearst ABC affiliate KETV/7 (Omaha) at the end of the year, capping off 40 years of work in the market.
Trevor Forsythe, a photojournalist and editor at CBS affiliate WZMQ/19.2 (Marquette), has died from complications of diabetes at the age of 21. He was remembered on a recent WZMQ newscast. The Michigan Association of Broadcasters says Forsythe won an MAB scholarship last year and had also worked at WNMU/13 at Northern Michigan University, where he was a student.
WISC-TV/Madison Magazine and WMTV report that Kitty Dunn has departed the morning show at Audacy’s “105.5 Triple M” (WMMM-FM Verona-Madison) after 33 years with the station.
Prairie Public announced that PBS president Paula Kerger will visit Fargo this fall to talk about the future of public media. The event will be held Thursday, October 2, at 7 p.m. at the Sanctuary Events Center in Fargo. Tickets are $15 for general admission.
Meteorologist Rebecca Schuld announced that her forecasts are now appearing on Weigel MeTV affiliate WMEI/31.1 (Shawano-Green Bay), which is noteworthy since MeTV stations aren’t generally known for carrying local forecasts. Schuld works at sister Weigel station CBS58 (WDJT Milwaukee).
Civic Media’s WELY-FM/94.5 (Ely) announced that it will soon return to the air and is asking for suggestions for a new name for WELY/1450 and its FM translator, K280AT/103.9, to avoid confusion between the stations. Meanwhile, WELY/K280AT have been carrying high school football, returning local sports to the air after an absence of almost three years.
In case you missed it here:
- Large Manitoba AM Station Shuts Down (Updated)
- Data Dump: Number of Major Radio Group Owners By Market
- FCC Monitor: Antenna Fire Knocks Northern Wis. FM Off Air
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