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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

After February Sweeps Come TV News Changes

Meghan Mongillo

With February sweeps ending Wednesday, viewers soon will start seeing local TV news changes.

Again WKRC-TV was first for all local weekday newscasts in the Nielsen overnight household ratings in sweeps (Feb. 4-March 2).

WLWT-TV finished second at 6-7 a.m., 5-6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. WXIX-TV was third 6-7 a.m., and first for local news at 10 p.m. (tying Channel 5’s 11 p.m. audience with a 4.7 rating, or 39,193 TV homes). WCPO-TV was fourth 6-7 a.m., and third in the evening for Channel 9's new Craig McKee-Tanya O’Rourke team that debuted in January.

Now get ready for these moves:

WKRC-TV: Former WXIX-TV morning news anchor Meghan Mongillo anchored her final morning shows Thursday on Dayton’s Channels 22/45. (Sinclair Broadcast Group owns Channels 12, 22 and 45).

I reported in December that Mongillo, a Norwood resident, would become Channel 12’s weekend evening anchor, filling a chair vacant since Curtis Jackson went to Detroit last summer.

“I start at Local 12 on Monday, then anchor March 12-13 as my first weekend. So everything is finally happening,” Mongillo says. In 2010 she went to Dayton after six years as a Fox 19 morning news reporter/anchor when Channel 12’s Sheila Gray co-hosted the program.

WCPO: Channel 9 soon should have a new traffic reporter and a new news director.

When the station posted the traffic job in late February, Channel 9 General Manager Jeff Brogan told me that traffic reporters Ally Kraemer and Dan Carroll “have been covering” an open position. Traffic reporter Adam Marshall left last March after seven years to anchor mornings at Dayton’s WHIO-TV  (Channel 7).

Brogan also is looking for a news director, and that person could make other changes. Alex Bongiorno announced in January she was leaving the station this month after 2-1/2 years. Since she arrived in July 2013, Channel 9 has changed its primary anchor team to Craig McKee and Tanya O’Rourke from Clyde Gray (retired) and Carol Williams (now working part-time),  and added co-anchor Chris Riva and replaced meteorologist Larry Handley with Jennifer Ketchmark on the morning news.

The station also debuted two weekday newscasts, “The Now Cincinnati” at 4 p.m. and “9 On Your Side at 7PM.” She also hired anchors Julie Dolan, Ken Broo and Tamyka Artist.

Credit WXIX-TV
Dan Wells (left) joins Fox 19 morning hosts Kara Sewell and Frank Marzullo March 14.

WXIX-TV: As I reported earlier this week, Rob Williams moves to nights from mornings on March 14 to co-anchor with Tricia Macke.

Weekend morning anchor Dan Wells moves to the weekday morning show with Kara Sewell and meteorologist Frank Marzullo on March 14. Fox 19 will hire a replacement for Wells.

Williams replaces main co-anchor Scott Schneider, who left for Chicago’s Fox affiliate in November after his contract was not renewed. Williams had co-anchored weekend nights and later mornings with Macke 1995-1999.

WLWT-TV: I’ve not heard of any changes coming to Channel 5 as of now. But don’t be surprised if news director Jeff Benscoter, who came here seven weeks ago from Kansas City, makes some moves. 

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.