The Virginian-Pilot
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NORFOLK
WVEC-TV is celebrating its wins in the February ratings by moving two familiar on-air personalities into anchor roles.
The 5:30 p.m. news slot will have an anchor team, as Janet Roach joins David Alan, who has been solo anchor. Roach has been anchoring daybreak and noon newscasts, and she will continue to anchor the noon news show.
Vanessa Coria, a weekend anchor, will slide into Roach's former slot on the weekday morning show. She will anchor with LaSalle Blanks and Craig Moeller, and work as a reporter after the morning broadcast ends, according to Rich Lebenson, WVEC news director.
"We're always happy with our position in the ratings," Lebenson said, "but we think this will strengthen both those shows."
WVEC, the ABC affiliate, is the top-rated news station for the prime evening newscasts. In the February ratings, the station won the 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m. and noon news slots.
WAVY, the NBC affiliate, won the morning news and 11 p.m. periods, with WVEC in second place.
WTKR, the CBS affiliate, finished behind the other major network affiliates with its news programming.
The previous rating period, in November, had the same results.
"A lot of times, changes are done by stations out of desperation," Lebenson said. "It's great to be operating from a position of strength." He noted that two anchors had recently been brought in by local stations - Tom Schaad at WAVY and Eric Harryman at WVBT.
"We have a veteran group of anchors that people know and trust," Lebenson said. "This just shows how strong our bench is."
Roach and Coria will debut in their new jobs April 14.
Roach grew up in North Carolina and began her broadcast career with WVEC. In the mid-1990s, she moved to larger markets, in Milwaukee, Washington and Baltimore. She returned to WVEC in 2002.
Lebenson said Roach's new job will free her to work on investigative and special reports.
Coria became interested in news in high school in Wellsburg, W.Va. She has worked in broadcast news in Pittsburgh, Bluefield, W.Va., and Evansville, Ind. She joined WVEC in 2003.
Roberta T. Vowell, (757) 446-2327, roberta.vowell@pilotonline.com
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Still won't win AM newscast ratings!
While Vanessa Coria is great for the late night weekends news - I watch every weekend... I just can't see her being a morning person - especially with LaSalle Banks.
WVEC has always seemed a bit too 'prim and proper' for the early morning news - where WAVY is a bit more relaxed and easier to handle at those early morning times. That's why WAVY will always be the morning news leader - chemistry is just too good to resist. Wonder what plans WAVY has for Cheryl Tan while on maternity leave? I'd like to see newbie Katie Collett take the helm. She has anchor potential on her as well!
WTKR, well I guess there's no shame in saying at least your anchors get good resume experience even if it's just a few people that watch.