Jaclyn DeAugustino came here by accident as a child. This time she plans to stay around a lot longer.
"When I was a kid, a plane I boarded from Pittsburgh had to make an emergency landing in Cincinnati. But other than Gate A at CVG, I had never been here," says DeAugustino, who took over WCPO-TV traffic duties last week.
The Florida native came here from WLOS-TV in Asheville, N.C., where she was morning and afternoon traffic reporter. While earning a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications news at the University of Florida, she interned at WESH-TV and the Golf Channel in Orlando.
"I wanted to build upon my experiences in Asheville, but in a larger city. Cincinnati felt like a great fit," she writes in an email to me. "I’m really enjoying the area so far. Cincinnati is a big city with a small town feel, and I love that. All of the people in Cincy are SO passionate about their city. It’s definitely a cool atmosphere to be around (especially for sporting events)."
Last winter, Channel 9 managers started searching for a traffic reporter so Ally Kraemer could be a full-time reporter, and Dan Carroll could report from the city's only TV news helicopter. They had been filling in since Adam Marshall left for Dayton's WHIO-TV in March 2015.
"We’re excited to have Jaclyn join the team. She’s smart and knows what viewers and users want when it comes to traffic information," says Jeff Brogan, Channel 9 vice president and general manager. (Brogan says he's continuing to search for a news director to replace Alex Bongiorno, who left in March.)
One of DeAugustino's biggest role models is her older brother, Stephen DeAugustino, a NBC Sports producer. He did a number of segments for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and worked on this story about USA wrestler Daniel Dennis.
One of the toughest parts of doing traffic in a new city is correctly naming streets and cities which have tripped up TV newcomers: Mariemont, Boudinot, Reading, Colerain, to name a few.
"Pronunciations in a new area can be difficult at times. Ally Kraemer and Dan Carroll did a great job training me. Ally is a local, and knows the area like the back of her hand. Dan too! They both really helped me feel prepared before hitting the air," she says.
You can read more about DeAugustino on her 9 On Your Side bio.
