Former morning anchor at WTVG-TV Channel 13 Jeff Smith is joining the evening lineup at WTOL, Channel 11, the station announced Monday.
Smith will co-anchor WTOL’s newscasts alongside Melissa Andrews, meteorologist Robert Shiels, and sports director Jordan Strack for the 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. nightly newscasts beginning Monday, Jan. 4.
The new assignment comes five months after Smith left Channel 13 in mid July.
WTOL President and general manager Brian Lorenzen said Smith’s love of the northwest Ohio area made him a standout candidate for the job.
“This guy cares deeply about the community,” Lorenzen said. “The more we talked with him the more we realized just how much he loves this area and how much he wants to serve.”
Lorenzen believes Smith’s understanding of the Toledo area makes him a perfect fit for the WTOL team.
“He believes deeply in journalism,” Lorenzen said. “This is one of the few people I've interviewed, and I really was impressed by this. How he came in with a plan about how he would fit in with the group and how you would serve the community.
“He knows how our content lives on different platforms, which is very important today because our content lives online as much as it lives on linear broadcast.”
At the time of his departure, WTVG management had no comment on Smith’s exit, but in a statement to The Blade via Twitter, Smith said, “I hope I did them proud.”
“I devoted each day to give my best in my work as a journalist, as a broadcaster, and as a member of the community,” he said. “I graduated this year with a master’s degree, and I’m looking forward to making further contributions in this great region and beyond.”
In his 20 years as a broadcaster, Smith has worked in the Toledo market and markets in Traverse City, Mich., and Bloomington, Ind.
In a statement on WTOL’s Facebook page, Smith said the most important thing people want from the news right now is “Being real. Being honest. Being available.”
“If there's one thing that stands out in northwest Ohio and southeastern Michigan, it's the passion and the pride of its people,” he said.
First Published December 29, 2020, 3:47 p.m.
