Staying on in Buffalo
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Goodbye seems to be the hardest words....
Especially if you are WGRZ Weather Anchor Kevin O'Connell.
O'Connell announced months ago that he was retiring from the Tegna station.
He was supposed to retire this month, but he has decided to delay it a bit.
How much?
He's not leaving until the Summer of 2018.
Of course this kind of screws over all the people waiting in the wings.
Patrick Hammer, who was originally hired to replace O’Connell, has been named chief meteorologist and will remain the “Daybreak” weather anchor in the mornings.
Maria Genero, who had been the “Daybreak” weather anchor until Hammer took over, will work “Daybreak” on Saturday and Sunday and on Monday will do all the shifts that O’Connell does the rest of the week.
Heather Waldman, the new meteorologist that O’Connell introduced Tuesday on the air, will do the weekends at 6 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. and also work behind-the-scenes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Before O’Connell delayed his retirement, Waldman and Genero were expected to split the weekday duties. Waldman arrived from AccuWeather.
No word on why the Weatherman isn't leaving, but the Tegna station has seen its ratings slipping away and maybe keeping O'Connell on will prolong the inevitable.
H/T Buffalo News
