Joe Melillo is leaving Media General’s Buffalo CBS affiliate WIVB to work at the station group’s Indianapolis CW affiliate WISH.
Melillo came to WIVB from WENY in Elmira, N.Y. in July.
In September, Alan Pergament, TV critic for The Buffalo News, wrote WIVB “is cutting expenses, letting popular, behind-the-scenes staffers leave, losing young aggressive reporters and destroying morale.”
By the time news director Scott Levy took over the newsroom in December many of the departures had already happened.
This morning, Pergament revisited that theme, pointing out Melillo’s departure comes on the heels of the station saying Elysia Rodriguez had left after one year. Pergament says the station’s on-air turnover may not be over.
The contracts of Channel 4 reporter-weekend anchor Lou Raguse and his wife, reporter Emily Guggenmos, are believed to expire early next month and they could be headed elsewhere.
Reinforcements are coming. [WIVB news director Scott] Levy announced two weeks ago that the station has hired a new reporter. Jenn Schanz arrives in early March from KLKN in Lincoln, Neb. She has something in common with Fairbanks. Fairbanks arrived here from Traverse City, Mich. Schanz’s bio in Lincoln says that she grew up in Ann Arbor and Traverse City. She is a graduate of DePaul University and has worked in Lincoln for two years.
Channel 4 has finally gotten around to confirm the hiring of a Binghamton anchor, Dave Greber. It was reported here two weeks ago. He anchors several newscasts at WBNG and is expected to join the CBS affiliate here next month as a reporter. A native of Cincinnati and a graduate of Miami of Ohio, Greber has been in Binghamton for three years. With his background, you would expect he would get an opportunity to at least substitute anchor, especially if Raguse were to leave.
The hiring of Schanz and Greber essentially replace [Ed] Drantch and [Rachel] Kingston. Nalina Shapiro has taken over [Diana] Fairbanks’ anchor duties, leaving a reporter opening for Shapiro’s former duties.
With the departures of Melillo and Rodriguez, Channel 4 still will have three reporting openings and it could expand to five depending on whether Raguse and Guggenmos leave.
If Raguse — who just received three New York State Emmy nominations — and his wife depart, seven reporters on Channel 4’s staff will have left in less than one year.
It would also mean the only news staffers in their early 20s remaining on the CBS affiliate hired by former Channel 4 News Director Joe Schlaerth a few years ago during the news department’s reorganization will be Shapiro and Brittni Smallwood in news and Lauren Brill in sports.