WTOL News
WTOL (virtual and VHF digital channel 11) is a CBS-affiliated television station based in Toledo, Ohio, serving northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Tegna Inc., located in McLean, Virginia, owns the station and runs Fox affiliate WUPW (channel 36) via a shared services agreement (SSA) with American Spirit Media. WTOL's transmitter is located on Cedar Point Road near Oregon, Ohio, and the two stations share studios on North Summit Street in downtown Toledo.
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WTOL News Anchors Fired
WTOL-Channel 11 dismissed seven staffers at once during the New Year's weekend, essentially completing a total reorganization of their news crew, according to BuzzFeed. Two professional news anchors, a meteorologist, a news producer, and three content specialists were among those let go. Immediately following the Cards Against Humanity incident, the station advertised for all available positions.
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But there wasn't much of a fuss. As many players have done, the news staff was merely discovered playing Cards Against Humanity behind the scenes – not on the air and not even on social media.
According to a statement given to the Toledo Blade by Station General Manager Brian Lorenzen, the decision was taken due to a policy that requires professionalism and respect among staff.
"WTOL takes seriously its employment policies and our obligation to provide an environment in which all employees are treated with respect and dignity. As a result, WTOL had to take personnel actions this week related to several employees. Due to personnel matters being involved, we cannot comment further."
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WTOL Anchor Leaving
All three news professionals declined to comment on the Cards Against Humanity firing; however, Ali Bradley has been active on her social media page, sending "likes" to fans who wrote comments of support and disapproval of the station's action, and several of the workers mentioned as being dismissed have said their goodbyes on Twitter:
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Kimberly Newman
All I can say is THANK YOU. I've been so blessed to be your meteorologist for the past 4+years. For now, I'm Kimberly Newman, signing off xo
— Kimberly Newman (@WeatherKimberly) January 13, 2016
Image Source: InformationCradle
Ali Bradley
Former WTOL news anchor, Ali Bradley's tweet, says a lot without saying much at all:
Image Source: Twitter
Kristi Leigh
Kristi Leigh, nightly news co-anchor at WTOL-TV, Channel 11, and WUPW-TV, Channel 36, quit Toledo for Sinclair Broadcast Group's KMPH-TV in Fresno, Calif., a year ago. She announced her termination on social media on Wednesday. “I am so grateful and thankful for everyone that I met here,” said Leigh in a video uploaded to her Facebook page. “We were facing such a difficult news cycle and news year, a difficult time for news in general, and I couldn’t have asked for better co-workers to work alongside in this process.” She was one of more than 400 Sinclair employees put off on March 3. The broadcasting corporation, which owns and manages 186 television stations in 87 areas across the United States, decreased its personnel by almost 5%. Leigh, a Toledo native, and 2007 Bowling Green State University graduate, worked at many Toledo radio stations. Leigh joined WTOL and WUPW in January 2017 to co-anchor the stations' six weeknight newscasts with Jerry Anderson, a long-time Toledo broadcast journalist who retired in June 2018.
Former WTOL 11 anchor and reporter Rebecca Fondessy dies at 56
Rebecca Fondessy, a former anchor and reporter, died on January 11 at the age of 56. From 1994 through 2000, Rebecca worked as a health and wellness reporter, anchoring both the noon and 5 p.m. shows. Newscasts. She was a graduate of both Start High School and the University of Toledo, so she was no stranger to the city. Constance (Connie) and Donald Hoffmann gave birth to Rebecca on September 12, 1965. Rebecca relocated to Florida with her husband and infant baby Joseph in December 2000, after spending much of her childhood in Ohio. According to her obituary, Rebecca prioritized motherhood while working as a commercial voiceover artist, actor, and teacher. She then discovered another love in painting, which she pursued later in life.
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WTOL-11 News Channel Team
The Current team who works at WOLT- 11 News channel are
Anchor | Role |
Melissa Andrews | Main Anchor |
Jeff Smith | Co-Anchor |
Tim Miller | Reporter and Co-Anchor |
Tiffany Tarpley | Co-Anchor |
Dan Cummins | Anchor |
Amanda Fay | Main Anchor |
Tatiana Cash | Weekend Anchor |
Ariyl Onstott | Reporter |
Steven Jackson | Reporter |
Brian Dugger | Investigates Lead Reporter |
Caylee Kirby | Reporter |
Jon Monk | News Photographer |
Amy Steigerwald | Journalist |
Michael Sandlin | Reporter |
Roxanne Elias | Journalist |
Madelyne Watkins | Journalist |
Chris Vickers | Meteorologist |
Ryan Wichman | Meteorologist |
Diane Phillips | Meteorologist |
John Burchfield | Meteorologist |
Jordan Strack | Sports Director |
Kristi Kopanis | Sports Reporter and Anchor |
Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity is an adult party game in which players complete fill-in-the-blank statements on playing cards containing words or phrases considered derogatory, risqué, or politically wrong. It was inspired by a Kickstarter project in 2011 and compared to the 1999 card game Apples to Apples. Its title is a play on "crimes against humanity," reflecting its politically incorrect content.
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