The longest job search in Milwaukee media is now its worst kept secret.
LinkedIn photo
After almost a year of deliberation, WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) is expected to name former WTMJ reporter George Mallet as anchor of its 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts later this week.
He will most likely start during the May sweeps period, a year after the retirement of veteran anchor Mike Jacobs last May.
Mallet left WTMJ in 2010 to anchor the news at WPTZ-TV in New York state.
Mallet, a native of Philadelphia, was previously afternoon co-anchor and reporter at WTMJ.
WPTZ is licensed to North Pole, N.Y. and serves the Champlain valley area of Plattsburgh, N.Y. and Burlington, Vt. and southern Quebec including Montreal.
He has interesting relationship with WTMJ: Mallet was hired by previous WTMJ news director Bill Berra in 2007 and left under the Berra tenure. He also worked with current WTMJ news director Janet Hundley, at WTVD-TV in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina
Mallet has been chronicling his departure , where his biography lists him as a “Daddy/Horseman/Writer/TV Anchor.”
It fails to mention that Mallet is also a proud dog owner. But, no worries.
Mallet’s dog Charlie has his own and.
Charlie’s Twitter bio reads: “I’m a very good boy. I kept a bad guy from stealing my dad’s GPS at a roadside rest stop when we were both sleeping. I bit him good. It was way fun!”
The link on Mallet’s Twitter bio directing you to the WPTZ website comes back “page not found.”
Mallet’s Twitter photo shows him riding horses with his child. His latest tweet was posted from Glendale.
WTMJ-TV GM Joe Poss has scheduled a staff meeting – with lunch! – for Wednesday presumably to discuss branding, community outreach initiatives and goal setting.
The hiring of Mallet presumably puts an end to speculation about who will replace Jacobs, who was the longest serving anchor in Milwaukee, and why it took so long to reach a decision. Since Mallet left, of course, WTMJ has undergone ownership changes, from Journal Communications to E.W. Scripps.
Mallet is expected to anchor the 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts, Charles Benson will host the 4 and 6 p.m. and Steve Chamraz will host “The Now,” the 6:30 p.m. show leading into NBC prime time.
During the February sweeps WTMJ was third ranked at 6 p.m. behind WISN-TV (Channel 12) and WITI-TV (Channel 6) and second ranked at 10 p.m., behind WITI.
The May sweeps ratings survey begins April 28 and run through May 25.
Tags: George Mallet, Mike Jacobs, WPTZ, WTMJ Posted by