Who will replace Mike Jacobs as WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) 10 p.m. anchor? Who knows?
Jacobs last day is Wednesday and the fact that no one has yet been named suggests there is uncertainty on how to proceed. Kind of like NBC and the Conan O’Brien “Tonight Show” fiasco.
Complicating the decision of course is new ownership, which will be making its first imprint on what the station will look like moving ahead. Rest assured someone will be sitting in his chair by September.
Compare that to the swift and assured anchor switch at WISN-TV (Channel 12).
Tuesday, one day after it was learned that anchor Craig McKee would be leaving to move to Cincinnati, WISN named its replacements – Joyce Garbaciak at 6 and 10 p.m. and Patrick Paolantonio at 5 p.m., with an “expanded role” at 6 and 10 p.m.
Their decisions reveal three things:
1) The value of a strong bench. All the moves at WISN came from within. If anchors are like quarterbacks, hiring reporters is like drafting a player who can move into the position if needed. The station hired Melinda Davenport last March to play a supporting role in the morning news. Then she replaced Marianne Lyles as Paolantonio’s co-anchor. Now someone will become her co-anchor.
2) The value of veteran journalists in a youth-driven industry. Jacobs brought almost 38-years of experience to the job. Before joining WISN in 2006, Garbaciak spent 17 years at WITI-TV (Channel 6) where she was a reporter and anchor. The younger Paolantoinio joined WISN in 2002 and has anchored the morning news for 12 years.
3) In 2004, Mykleby and Tammy Elliott became the first female co-anchors in the country, according to WISN. Later, Mykleby co-anchored with Toya Washington. Clearly gender is no longer a consideration, although stations continue to cling to the mommy-daddy, male-female co-anchor model.
WTMJ and its new overlords would be wise to keep these lessons in mind.
Tags: Craig McKee, Kathy Mykleby, Mike Jacobs, Patrick Paolantonio, Toya Washington, WISN, WTMJ Posted by