WDBJ, the Roanoke, Va. CBS affiliate, has announced promotions for two of its meteorologists.
Robin Reed has been named to the newly created position of director of weather operations, while Brent Watts has been named chief meteorologist.
“This is an opportunity to take our dominating weather team to a new level,” WDBJ news director Kelly Zuber said in a statement. “The audience is always interested in weather, and now we will tell the big and small stories with more depth on all of our media platforms.”
Reed will continue to anchor weather during the 6 PM and 11 PM newscasts on WDBJ7 along with WDBJ7’s 10 PM newscast on MY19. His new initiatives as Director of Weather Operations include an expanded commitment to education.
“We try to reach as many students as we can because the standards of learning in Virginia include a lot of meteorology,” Reed said.
To aid in that outreach, Reed, working alongside meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner, will roll out a digital teaching studio. Reed is also an adjunct instructor of meteorology at Virginia Tech.
Brent Watts has been the architect of the First Alert digital platforms and is constantly innovating in that area. He will continue to anchor the weather coverage at 5 PM with special reports at 6 PM.
“I am excited about this new opportunity. We want to continue broadening our reach as the region’s primary weather source, delivering critical information and daily forecasts wherever you are, on any device,” Watts said.
WDBJ7 is the only station in the market with four full-time meteorologists. Meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner will continue anchoring the market’s leading two-hour morning newscast, WDBJ7 Mornin’ and Meteorologist Lindsey Anderson will keep viewers updated all weekend on WDBJ7 with her First Alert forecast.