It’s no surprise to anyone, particularly anyone reading the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), but it’s now official.
Local TV LLC Fox affiliate WJW/8 “Fox 8 News” morning co-anchor Tracy McCool is putting the early alarm clock away, and will sit alongside anchor Bill Martin on the 5 and 10 PM editions of “Fox 8 News”, starting in January.
Our friend Rich Heldenfels at the Akron Beacon Journal had first word of the move this afternoon on his Ohio.com blog “The HeldenFiles Online”:
McCool told me she takes the anchor chair on Jan. 2; she called the promotion “awesome.”
But though word is now official, it’s no surprise to either OMW readers or those, in general, watching doings at Dick Goddard Way.
From our item about now-former “Fox 8 News” evening co-anchor Stacey Bell’s departure, last month:
The announcement of Bell’s departure appears rather sudden, but we’ve talked about her impending exit here for weeks…and have already passed along word that “Fox 8 News in the Morning”‘s Tracy McCool has been the odds on “in house” favorite to move to the evening co-anchor chair alongside Martin.
We heard nothing of outside candidates…something we have heard about the opening left by Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 evening anchor Romona Robinson, who exits on Friday. (Could one of the candidates in the Replace Romona Sweepstakes have top 5 market background?)
And we saw McCool “filling in” alongside Martin, after Stacey Bell had already gone to New Jersey. We were impressed…and didn’t frankly know if her evening stint had already started.
Who replaces McCool on “Fox 8 News In The Morning”? The Beacon Journal/Ohio.com’s Heldenfels has one thought:
No word on what will happen on the station’s morning show, although Kristi Capel may add it to her duties.
It would seem to make sense as a possible move from here…
I’d watch FOX 8…..IF I am ever able to pick up their OTA digital signal.