Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Move Toward Youth (Surprise!) at WDBJ7

Chris Hurst
WDBJ7 in Roanoke has named young reporter Chris Hurst, most recently at a station in eastern Washington state, co-anchor of NEWS7 at Six and NEWS7 at Eleven when long-time anchor-reporter Keith Humphry retires later this month.

In recent weeks, WDBJ7 has lost much-honored news director and Roanoke native Amy Morris and popular anchor Natasha Ryan. Ryan moved up the ladder to Seattle, and Morris, who was fired, jumped all the way to WABC in New York, that network's flagship local station.

WDBJ7 has dominated the news ratings in this market for many years and this move appears to be toward youth. In recent ratings releases, younger viewers have preferred WDBJ's competitors. Humphry and Jadhon are both old by television standards where diapers are often the preferred after dinner wear.

Hurst will share the NEWS7 at Six anchor desk with Jean Jadhon and co-anchor NEWS7 at Eleven with Hollani Davis. Humphry did not do the later newscast. Hurst has a broadcast journalism degree from Emerson College in Boston.

“I’m incredibly honored by this opportunity to serve our viewers in this new role,” says Hurst. “I don’t think there is any replacing Keith Humphry; his experience and ability cannot be replaced. I'm going to try to bring a different energy and experience to our viewers in the years to come.”

“Chris has a real talent for storytelling and is a great communicator as well as a hard working journalist,” said WDBJ Television President and General Manager Jeff  Marks.“We [believe] he fits well.”

13 comments:

  1. He may be young, but he has old man hair.

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  2. Anon:
    Let's hope he has old man talent.

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  3. The hair looks fine to me. Perhaps Anon would rather see the dippity-do look preferred by some competitors. Mr. Hurst was on the air last week subbing for Jean Jadhon and I thought he was very good. But, what do I know? I like old hair.

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  4. At least he has hair. How old is Jadhon, she's been around a while but does not look that old, in fact she hardly seems to have aged.

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  5. Scott: We'll disagree on Ms. Jadhon, the Betty Boop of local news. I suspect she'd love to be in her 20s, but my guess is mid-40s.

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  6. Kathy: They said, in their on-air story tonight-that the new guy has been with WDBJ since "last summer." I haven't seen him. Not once. And that's the local news I watch when i watch TV news.

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    1. your comment is interesting - given recent events.

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  7. Dan, I must have been having a senior moment. Still have my hair, but the mind is questionable at times. He subbed for Kimberly McBroom, not Jean. It was early morning, last week. I thought he was very good. And, I still like "old hair" rather that the West Side Story look.

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  8. Welcome to the "Hot Seat". Keith became such an institution here in the "Valley of the Man Made Star" and I hope you do too.

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  9. lose some of your cockeness no body wants to see and hear that stuff

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  10. OK, Anon, I give up. What is "Cockeness"?

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  11. He has gotten so much more fat on him since coming to wdbj7.

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