At least there’s good news for “Bad News Brad” Maushart.
After a two-year absence from Cincinnati television, the former WKRC-TV meteorologist has returned to Cincinnati television at WXIX-TV, where the winds of change have depleted the weather staff.
The East Central High School graduate debuted on Fox 19 Thursday morning as the station prepares to lose its third forecaster in five months — in advance of chief meteorologist Steve Horstmeyer’s retirement. Two have left television completely.
- Ethan Emery, the Hillsboro native hired in February 2022, will leave May 11 to concentrate on his full-time job as a communications specialist for Montgomery County. He has been working part-time since March, when he started the Dayton job.
- Ashley Smith left Fox 19 in January after seven years to become a public information officer at Hoxworth Blood Center.
- Frank Marzullo, WXIX-TV’s longest-tenured meteorologist, abruptly resigned Feb. 11 after 18 years to “pursue other opportunities.” The longtime morning forecaster announced his departure shortly after filling in for Horstmeyer on evening newscasts.
The revolving door in the Fox 19 Weather Center has caused Horstmeyer, the city’s most veteran weather personality, to postpone his retirement for a second time.
Horstmeyer, 71, announced in November that he was retiring March 16 when his contract expired, but he would stay around off-air until the station hired a new chief meteorologist. In February he pushed retirement back to May. Now he’s sticking around until August.
When I emailed Jennifer Rieffer, Channel 19 vice president and general manager, about the weather staff turnover, she replied: “Ashley and Ethan made the decision to move on to positions that are not on air. Ethan's last day with us is 5/11, he has been gracious to stay with us a bit longer to forecast the weekends. Steve's retirement month is now August of this year, and we've not selected a chief just yet.”
Maushart was born in Indianapolis and grew up in Guilford, Indiana. He graduated in 2012 from Ball State University, where he was the Charlie Cardinal mascot while earning a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and climatology and a minor in emergency management and homeland security.
While in college he co-owned a storm chasing company that provided footage of severe storms, tornadoes and hurricanes to several Midwest television stations, CNN, and other national television outlets. He told Fox 19 Morning News Xtra co-host Jordan Vilines Thursday morning that “I thought that’s what I was going to do for a living, but it didn’t pay the bills, so here I am.”
Maushart was a full-time staffer at WKRC-TV from December 2018 to May 2023. He left TV to work for The Weather Company, the IBM firm which owns the weather graphics software and hardware Channel 12 used. At the time he said he was looking forward to having "weekends off for the first time since the summer of 2016 and 'normal people' hours," he told me.
For Fox 19, he’ll work weekdays doing forecasts on the 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. newscasts.
Since Marzullo left, morning forecasts have been done by Catherine Bodak, who celebrates her 11th year at the station in June. Erin Ashley, a 2023 Ohio University graduate from the Milford area, was hired from a Toledo station in February to do weekends.
Horstmeyer, a former Dater Junior High teacher, started his TV career in April 1977 as a part-time assistant to legendary WLWT-TV chief meteorologist Tony Sands. He was named Channel 19’s chief meteorologist in 2008.
“I wanted to retire two years ago, but the station wanted me to stay, so I did” — even after suffering a stroke while doing the 10 p.m. news four years ago, he told me in November.
“It’s time. You know when it’s time,” says Horstmeyer, a 1971 Moeller High School graduate.
