Jumping on the Titanic

FTVLive told you that WKBW in Buffalo had decided to blow up their morning news show and start over. 

"We view it as a restaurant," said WKBW GM Michael Nurse. "We're going to change the menu, spiff up the place and ask viewers to try it."

The problem is, most restaurants that change their menu, still end up going out of business.

But, the station is hoping that isn't the case and has hired two new anchors to try and revive the struggling AM show.

Starting in early or mid-August, Cole Heath and Tiffany Lundberg will be the co-anchors of "Eyewitness News This Morning," replacing Patrick Taney and Ginger Geoffery.

According to the station, Heath is a native of Arizona and graduate of the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State and has recently worked as an anchor and reporter in Spokane, WA. and Joplin, Mo. He started his career in sports in Missouri. 

A native of California, Lundberg is a graduate of Cal-State-Fullerton and recently worked in Casper, WY. and Waco, Texas.

The station says they both have ties to the Western New York area (which likely means their parents took them to Niagara Falls when they were kids). 

Nurse, who officially takes over as the station’s general manager in a few days, said he believed the new co-anchors were in the late 20s and acknowledged that the names Cole and Tiffany aren’t typical of TV anchors or reporters in this area.

"They certainly stand out," said Nurse of the names. "Maybe that will be a strong plus. It is reflective of their age."

He said the plan wasn’t to hire anchors in the younger demographic.

"It wasn’t by design,” said Nurse. "We were looking for a fresh start and something we could build with over time."

He said the two anchors were found with the help of agents. WKBW then brought them to Buffalo for a few days for interviews. He praised their energy level and said they both have a strong likability factor. 

H/T Buffalo News