When WFTV Anchor Vanessa Welch decided to leave a warm Florida for a snowy Boston last year, many thought she might be crazy. 

But Welch says Boston gave her a warm welcome in December. “It didn’t take long to figure out why people are so proud of Boston,” Welch said, ticking off the museums she’s taken her three boys to, their New England Patriots jerseys and their upcoming first Red Sox game at Fenway. “Bostonians have just been so welcoming. I’ve gotten so many kind messages from people on social media,” says Welch.

She took over as the main Anchor of Boston's Fox 25 News and now anchors its 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Both her old station and new one are owned by Cox. 

The Boston Herald writes that Welch had just lost her mother to cancer, was about to have her third child and had just moved into a new home in Florida last year when Fox 25 Vice President and General Manager Tom Raponi called to ask her to interview at the station’s sprawling open newsroom in Dedham.

“I talked it over with my husband,” said Welch, 39, who was then anchoring Orlando’s top-rated 5 p.m. newscast at WFTV. “And we just said, ‘OK. This is a great opportunity.’ ”

Raponi calls her an “incredibly talented journalist, a great community citizen, a great newsroom leader.”

“And she’s authentic,” he added. “That’s really a special trait to have. That’s what resonates with viewers.”

As we say, if you are really good at faking being authentic, then you can make it in this business.