Buffalo Station Cuts Main Anchors Facetime
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Longtime WIVB (Buffalo) Anchors Don Postles and Jacquie Walker have had their on-air roles reduced during the Covid-19 crisis.
The Nexstar station is using a rotating anchor arrangement during the pandemic and viewers are seeing much less of Postles and Walker and more of anchors Christy Kern, Dave Greber and Luke Moretti.
It started a few weeks ago when Postles and Walker both were sick and took the week off. But it has continued, with Postles and Walker anchoring three days last week and scheduled to anchor two days this week, starting Thursday with the beginning of the May sweeps.
WIVB General Manager Brien Kennedy explained that keeping the “team healthy and safe is a priority.” “When Don and Jacquie are anchoring and in the building, Christy and Luke are not in the station,” wrote Kennedy in an email. “We want the least amount of people in the station at all times during this. So if a person on one team tested positive, the other team would not have been in contact.”
He added each team alternately works three days one week and two the next week and they work at home the balance of the time.
Postles and Walker are not happy with the plan.
In a telephone interview, Postles explained that the reduced schedule started when he and Walker were off sick. “It was a weird sickness, I was down for the count,” said Postles of his own health. “I was extremely fatigued.” He added he wasn’t tested for Covid-19 because the test wasn’t available. “I salute management for saying we should not come back unless we were 100%,” said Postles. “I think they’re trying to keep everyone safe and healthy.”
Postles said he and Walker were told the schedule change was a corporate decision. He added he would work from home, if asked. “I’m chomping at the bit to work,” said Postles.
In response to questions via email, Walker wrote that she also understood and appreciated the station’s effort to keep her and Postles safe by minimizing their time together on newscasts. “Having said that – I have not been shy about offering alternatives to the station schedule that keeps us off the air for a week at a time,” added Walker. “People turn to us for knowledge, credibility and a certain amount of comfort at a difficult and dizzying time like this. They are used to seeing us at certain days and times in our normal schedule. But, again, I appreciate the effort to keep us safe.”
It does seem strange in one of the biggest stories of our lifetime that this Nexstar station is not using their main anchors full-time to tell the story.
As for it being a corporate decision by Nexstar, it is surely not being practiced by all Nexstar stations. Some Nexstar stations have split the anchors, by having one at home and one it studio and others have both main anchors on the set each weeknight.
H/T Buffalo News
