Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

Solarski keeps WEAR anchor chair

Veteran WEAR anchorman Bob Solarski was recently arrested for DUI in Pensacola .The ABC affiliate has decided to stand by their anchorman.

Sun shines on Solarski

It looks like there will be a happy ending at WEAR TV-3 for anchor Bob Solarski. The newsman’s Oct. 1 arrest for DUI at Pensacola’s University Mall could have easily spelled the end of his journalism career – particularly in these tough economic times.

But the station’s management has decided to stand behind their 14-year anchorman, and after undergoing treatment over the past month, he settled back into the anchor’s chair at the beginning of this week.

Solarski, 46, pleaded guilty Oct. 22 in conjunction with his DUI arrest at the Sears Auto Center parking lot near University Mall. He had been awakened by Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputies there after driving erratically and even pushing a couple of other vehicles. According to an interview Solarski did with the Pensacola News Journal last weekend, he has struggled with alcohol addiction for years. He quit for some time, but recently started back drinking.

In the current corporate environment of television journalism, it’s rare to see a station stand behind a longtime employee. Here’s hoping that good deed works out to everyone’s benefit.

Newbold to P-Cola

The recent cuts to Alabama Public Television and Radio’s Mobile Bureau – as detailed in a recent column – have sent one of their former employees across the state line to Pensacola.

Chris Newbold, who served as the APT/APR Bureau Chief for several years, tells us he’s taken a position with WUWF-FM in Pensacola. The station is the NPR affiliate for Northwest Florida. Newbold will serve as the station’s new morning anchor during “Morning Edition” and then spend the rest of the day as a reporter.

He’s replacing 40-year news veteran John Richardson, who has done stints at WUWF, WCOA-AM, WEAR and WLOX in Biloxi.

“Though I am still learning the ropes, going back to morning radio in Pensacola is a homecoming for me. In the mid to late 1980s I worked at then hit country station WOWW 107,” Newbold said.

He also said his fellow APT/APR staffer Eric Lowe has joined the news crew at WALA Fox 10.

New ND at WPMI

Looks like the local NBC affiliate has landed its new news director. Wes Finley came in to run WPMI’s newsroom at the end of October, replacing Mike McCormick, who left for a position in Jacksonville, Fla. about a month ago.

Finley was most recently at WHP-TV in Harrisburg, Pa., where he was an assistant news director. Prior to that he worked at WHAS in Louisville, Ky.

New WPMI General Manager Shea Grandquest moved swiftly to fill the position as the station heads into the critical November “sweeps” period.

Get ready…

Speaking of “sweeps,” November promises to be an interesting month for local news viewing as stations will be pulling out all the stops in order to draw the higher ratings that will help set a better ad rate for the coming year. Stay tuned.

Red Square awards

Red Square agency has recently won recognition, including a silver award in the 2008 W3 Awards Competition. That award was for the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Web site www.parentalyzer.org.

Red Square also recently received 30 awards at the 2008 Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA) Medallion Award program, including a Judges’ Award for their work on Bishop State Community College’s integrated marketing campaign. The award program was held Oct. 3 at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery.

Among its other awards, Red Square received eight Medallion awards for its work for the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Bishop State Community College, Gulf Coast Cancer Centers and Verizon Wireless.

“Using the best practices in public relations and paying close attention to planning, research and execution has really paid off for our clients,” Jennifer G. Jenkins, vice president of public relations for Red Square Agency said in a press release. “We feel strongly that our work generates positive results for our clients and helps them achieve their company’s overall goal.”

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

Archives