The Blue Bell Easter bunny along with WPEC morning anchor Suzanne Boyd, and the morning crew from WIRK 103.1 FM visited the kids in the pediatric unit at Palms West Hospital yesterday to cheer them up and deliver loads of ice cream goodies for everyone.
The Florida chapter of Little Smiles, a volunteer driven non-profit with a mission to help kids in local hospitals and other like facilities, organized the visit.
You can support them by going to LittleSmiles.org
Our Photo of the Day is what we thought is the funniest take on hug a newsman day, courtesy WPEC morning anchors Suzanne Boyd and Eric Roby
My attempt to get a #HugANewsman pic with @Eric_Roby. @fredontv @ChrisWragge @JenHerrera10 @CBS12 @MaryCalviTV pic.twitter.com/2g6AvRyeAu
— Suzanne Boyd (@SuzanneBoyd) April 4, 2014
It wasn’t long until Palm Beach CBS affiliate WPEC received a new news director. Sinclair picked Mike McCormick to take over for Cathy Younkin, and hopefully pull the station out third place.
McCormick has been an ND at several stations, until recently at WTEV-WAWS, the Cox-owned duopoly up in Jacksonville. He was also an ND at WTLV Firstcoast News in Jacksonville for seven years from 1999 until 2006.
Four years after coming to WPEC, and after a not so hot November ratings book, news director Cathy Younkin has been shown the door
Yonkin is part of the old guard at WPEC. The station’s former owner Freedom Communications, brought her in from WWMT in Grand Rapids after former ND Dave Christopher left after only two years on the job. Under her watch WPEC has remained lagging in the ratings though. Freedom’s bankruptcy and its lack of investment in WPEC along with the departure of high-profile anchor Curt Fonger, and a resurgent WPBF did not help the CBS affiliate.
In the November 2013 sweeps only WPEC’s noon newscast placed second, with tenth of a rating point behind WPTV. In all other time slots the station lagged behind the once perennial third place WPBF 25 who have really stepped up their game in the last couple of years with a much sleeker newscast that moves faster, and borrows some of its cues from WSVN, along with anchor teams that have a good on-air chemistry together.
Jeff Berardelli Photo: cbs12.com
The Sun Sentinel’s Johnny Diaz had a short Q&A with new WPEC meteorologist Jeff Berardelli where he asked him about his recent move away from WFOR. Jumping from the 16th largest TV market to the 38th is usually not the trajectory most on-air personalities take with their career but Berardelli says he made the move to WPEC because he “wanted a job where I could really help make a difference in the weather department” and that his position at CBS12 requires him to be more creative. While at WFOR Berardelli says he was “more of a worker than someone who had the ability to change things.”
If I were to consult the non-existent SFLTV crystall ball, I think it would say that we’re looking at the next WPEC chief meteorologist.
You can read the rest of the Q&A at the link below
