Image by starbright31 via Flickr
This is what I’m thinking:
* First impressions on the latest editions to Channel 4’s Kiddie Corps.
Bryan Shaw, the new meteorologist, received some prime exposure this week as the weather anchor on the evening newscasts.
He’s telegenic (okay, that’s a critic’s synonym for handsome), personable and – most likely – very cheap as a hire.
The hiring of Shaw stops a recent gender trend in the weather departments at all stations.
The veteran weather people are all men – Channel 4’s Don Paul and Mike Cejka, Channel 2’s Kevin O’Connell and Andy Parker and Channel 7’s Mike Randall and Aaron Mentkowski.
But in recent years, women (usually young women) have filled the available weather spots. Channel 2 has three women – Autumn Lewandowski, Maria Genero and Mary Beth Wrobel. Channel 7 has Jennifer Stanonis. Channel 4 has Amelia Segal. Shaw is the replacement for Lindsay Schwarzwaelder, who created the opening for Shaw by leaving for a Kentucky stration.
A native of Cleveland, Shaw has gotten the names of local towns down quickly. He tries to deliver so much information that he occasionally gets out of breath. He’s a little raw — especially during happy talk — but so was Schwarzwaelder before she developed over time.
Shaw’s bio on the Channel 4 website is educational. He graduated from Lyndon State College. Now I have two children who graduated from college and a third who is about to enter college and I never heard of Lyndon State. It is in Vermont. Shaw apparently was quite impressive in college because if you google him you will find a note from one of his professor’s praising him. (His dad also praises him).
After getting his meteorology degree, Shaw worked at a couple of TV stations in West Virginia from 2008 until now. I even heard of one of the towns where he worked — Huntington – because that’s where Randy Moss played football for Marshall University.
The second new member of the Kiddie Corps is Rachel Kingston, who previously worked as a reporter-anchor for WBEN-AM radio. So she has reporting experience. A Buffalo native, Kingston has a good voice that certainly is bound to irritate fewer Channel 4 viewers than the voice of Tricia Cruz, who left the station recently. I had no problem with Cruz’s voice, but constantly got emails from viewers who did.
* How many local viewers will return this Sunday for the first regular hour of the TNT alien series “Falling Skies” after last week’s two hour premiere?
That’s the key question for any miniseries. The opener of the series that stars Noah Wyle (see above) and is executive produced by Steven Spielberg had a consistent 4.8 rating locally, which the broadcast networks would be happy with on any Sunday. It beat the beauty contest on Channel 2, the Daytime Emmys on Channel 4 and repeats of “Castle” and “Body of Proof” on Channel 7 last Sunday.
Nationally, “Skies” received very positive reviews. I was bored by it.
* Breaking News: A former newspaper colleague from New England has advised me that Lyndon State is known for its meteorology school and that Mike Cejka graduated from there a few decades before Shaw.
Alan Pergament was the television critic for The Buffalo News for 28 years. He currently is an adjunct professor at Buffalo State College and Medaille College, teaching courses in communications. He also writes a monthly column on the media for Buffalo Spree magazine.
Funny, I find Rachel Kingston’s voice, highly annoying. She is also not the most photogenic girl I have ever seen, she is more suited for radio
As Elvis said, don’t be cruel.
Hey Alan. A reference in your column shows how long you’ve been away from the radio beat. WBEN hasn’t been at 2077 Elmwood Avenue for more than ten years now. WBEN and the rest of the Entercom cluster (WGR, WTSS, WKSE, WWKB, WWWS and WLKK) are all located at 500 Corporate Parkway.
Thanks Mark. I knew that. Just forgot. I need kind editors like you.
Can you say cheap talent???? And I use the word talent loosely. What a joke. Knock of the cheap lead-in music to your top stories. Sounds soooooo amateurish.
These kids on 4 have me wondering if a degree in communications is really necessary for the job. They look so professional in their new Men’s Wearhouse jackets, but the words coming out of their mouths is so cringeworthy at times. Congi trying to make small talk with Segal is painful at times, Congi saying “Elliot Creek”. Eyes are rolling here.
I’ll take the youngins over that incredibly annoying Pope Paul.