Longtime CBS-2 (WFMY) anchor Sandra Hughes announced last night she will retire from the Gannett-owned station after 37 years. In her on-air announcement last night, Hughes said she will "ease away" from the station sometime next year.The move comes only days after nightly co-anchor Kent Bates exited after his contract was not renewed.
Today's News & Record has more and editor John Robinson speculates about forthcoming changes at the Gannett-owned station.
Robinson:
With the announced retirement of anchor Sandra Hughes and the departures of anchor Kent Bates and sports anchor Greg Kerr, WFMY is losing a great deal of experience, institutional memory and brand value. (As jerseyfreeze commented on twitter: "Perhaps the station is moving to an all-weather format.")
I wouldn't go that far, but the station does have a golden opportunity to do something different and innovative with its news programming. The four news stations in this market tend to be the same. News, weather and sports. Nice chatter. Neat graphics. Live standups. They're even nearly right after each other on the cable dial: 9, 10, 11 & 14. Cookie cutter -- and I say that with all due respect.
Here is where we are: Advertising revenue is suffering. Technology has made everyone a publisher/producer. People's news consumption habits are changing. With all the change in the air -- plus vacancies in three of the four chairs in the studio -- why not do something interesting and radical with the newscast?
Maybe if 2 takes the blinders off and discovers the counties outside of Guilford, they may end up making a dent in some of FOX-8's numbers...maybe? Not....
Segmented news is dead.
But I do agree that with the financial problems Gannett is having up in Tysons Corner, Va., coupled with the new brass in the front office, this will be an opportunity for 2 to make some serious changes, and for the better. It can be done.
E.C. ;)
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Looks as if Ch 2 is going to a 2 Person Format - Frank Mikens with News and Sports and Eric Chilton with the Weather. Sandra does the "Sandra Show" at 6, with Frank and Eric at 5 and 11.
Thank goodness we have the Internet and other options. WFMY is gone beyond repair, nothing to see there except the ashes of a once great powerhouse.
I agree, now that Menkins is the main anchor more people will be tuning out. This guy has no credibility with most of the audience. At least we still have two good stations left.
It sure is interesting how she is able to leave on her own terms unlike most of the other departures there. You could make a case with the EEOC the way things are playing out there. It would serve them right the way they have covered the GPD.
I think Sandra SHOULD be able to leave on her own accord... regardless of how you feel about her. She has been there 37 years... and deserves respect if nothing else.
As for Channel 2 as a whole... I completely agree with everything said. It is disgustingly sad to see what has happened to the mighty deuce. Remember the "Number 1's" at the end of the newscasts in the 80s? They were on top of the world and I would've put one of their newscasts up against any other station in any other market.
I know some people are reveling in the tumble... but having grown up with WFMY I find it horribly sad.
I can't fathom that they chose Frank Mickens to be a solo anchor. Last night I watched two of the newscasts with Frank present. After almost every single story he had some kind of person comment or reflection on the store.
I don't like that. I don't care what he has to say or what he thinks about the news. (It's certainly more acceptable with the fluff stories.)
This is a disaster in the making.
I agree. This has "Coke Classic" written all over it.
And the sad part is... they were so so good.
R.I.P. WFMY
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