Three of the four television news directors in Toledo have been on the job for less than a year. That's not surprising, considering that the average stay for someone in that high-pressure position is only two years.
But a news director's fingerprints on a newscast can be detected long after he or she is gone. It depends on how many people were hired during his or her tenure. Perhaps the best example of a news director's lasting influence can be found at WTVG-TV, Channel 13, where in the early 1980s Neil Carmean OK'd the hiring of two of the most familiar faces on Toledo television today: Diane Larson and Stan Stachak. (Carmean died in 1995 at age 47.)
At WUPW-TV, Channel 36, Jose Suarez, whose one-year anniversary with the Fox affiliate will be June 4, is getting the opportunity to build a legacy. He recently hired two weathercasters and soon will offer jobs to two news reporters.
The key hire was the chief meteorologist, who will replace Detroit-bound Andrew Humphrey. (Weather is the most popular aspect of a local newscast, according to research by the Radio-Television News Directors Association.) Jeff George, chief meteorologist at KRBC in Abilene, Texas, was the choice.
George, 33, will be making a big jump in market size -- Abilene is Market No. 162, and Toledo is Market No. 68. WUPW and KRBC are owned by LIN Television Corp. Suarez got to know George while working at a sister station in San Angelo, Texas; George provided the weathercasts from Abilene.
George -- who bears a striking resemblance to actor Jim Carrey, at least in the accompanying photo -- spent nine years in the Air Force before embarking on a television career. He describes his delivery style as “very friendly and something that most people can relate to.” It's going to be a whirlwind month for George: His last day at KRBC is May 30; he and his fiancee, Angela, are getting married on June 9; and his first day at WUPW is scheduled for June 17.
With both of the weather positions now filled (Autumn Ziemba does weekends), Suarez can concentrate on filling the reporter openings to replace the departing Megan Pringle and Dan Bumpus.
C.J. Beutien, who has been at WTOL-TV, Channel 11, since 1993, making him the dean of Toledo's news directors, can relate to what Suarez is going through. Beutien made two key hires -- Chrys Peterson and Robert Shiels -- during his first 15 months at the CBS affiliate.
START-UP NEWSPAPER: Toledo now has two free weekly newspapers geared toward African-Americans. The Sojourner's Truth made its debut on April 24 and is poised to take on the Toledo Journal, which was established in 1975.
Kevin McQueen and Fletcher Word are co-publishers. For last week's 12-page edition, 9,000 copies were printed. Word said the paper's editorial content “will focus very, very heavily on educational and economic issues.” It shares a building with La Prensa, a weekly newspaper geared toward the Latino community. Word indicated the papers have a “working relationship” but they have different owners and maintain separate staffs.
RADIO RATINGS: WWWM-FM (105.5) had its best morning-drive numbers in two years during Aribitron's winter survey. Its morning show, hosted by Brian Casey, had a 6.1-percent share of listeners age 12-plus. That ranks sixth among Toledo's morning shows. It was the first time Casey's show garnered more than a 6 share. Two years ago, Star 105's morning show, then hosted by Mike & Kerrie, had a 6.6 share; they were fired shortly thereafter and replaced by Casey.
CONGRATULATIONS: Today is the first day for public broadcasting's WGTE (radio's 91.3 FM and TV's Channel 30) at its new home, 1270 South Detroit Ave. Ribbon-cutting for the state-of-the-art facility is scheduled for 9 a.m.
Russ Lemmon's column on the local media appears Mondays. Readers may contact him at 419-724-6122, or e-mail rlemmon@theblade.com.
First Published May 20, 2002, 11:54 a.m.
