Bologna back at WPXI; Bowman hired full-time at KDKA
Pittsburgh:A week or so ago, it was just a rumor, but the male population who used to swoon over Julie Bologna on WPXI-TV (11) can get ready to do that once again. After a 3-year absense to KTVT-TV in Dallas, Bologna will return soon to deliver the forecast during the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. (on WPGH) newscasts. Chief Meteorologist Mike LaPoint will remain on the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. WPXI GM Ray Carter tells the Post-Gazette that this will make the largest weather team in the market. Bologna's previous work at WPXI was from 1999-2004.
Meanwhile, over at KDKA-TV (2), former WPXI meteorologist Dennis Bowman has been hired as the permanent morning and Noon meteorologist. Bowman has been freelancing at KDKA since he moved back to the area a few years ago. KDKA Management opted to get rid of Valerie Abati who hadn't even been at the station for a year. No comments from management or Abati were made to the Post-Gazette, but it's speculated that the morning news ratings and viewer complaints could have played a role. Bowman is expected to start his new venture on Wednesday.
Update 8/6/08: Comments for this article are closed.
Readers’ Forum
Geez! You think KDKA would have given Val Abati a chance!? She didn’t even last a year! Viewer complaints? Are you kidding me!? Oh, KDKA...
(By the way, get a new set…..Please!?)
Tim - July 18, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I was a faithful viewer of KDKA news in the mornings but would turn to another station when Valerie Abati would come on. She might be a phenominal meterologist but her voice was terrible. She mumbled too much and could not even properly prounce “temperature” saying “temp a cher” instead. Hope they at least gave her a warning to try to stop mumbling before they dropped the ax. Hope Julie Bologna worked on her speech problems while down in Texas as well.
Karen - July 19, 2008 at 09:38 am
DENNIS BOWMAN!!! They think their ratings are low now….please! I will now be viewing WTAE for my early A.M. news dose.
Claire Lowry - July 19, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I can’t wait to see the “chemistry” between Dennis and Keith and Sonni and Jim. I agree with Claire, I am switching to WTAE for my A.M. News!
Tim - July 19, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I have to say as far as weather people in the local news – Demetrius Ivory is one of the best. I can’t watch cutesy (too much makeup) Kelly Frey and Andrew Stockey is all right but not in the news. He always looks like he is smiling even reading about a drive by shooting the night before. If we could only take the best from each station and make a completely different station ….. hmmmmmmm.
Jamie - July 19, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Hey, will we be seeing Chester Drawers again? For anyone who does not know who this is – it is Dennis’ alter wooden ego.
Simon - July 19, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Maybe Val will come back to the Erie Market??
I didn’t mind her voice.
I know a few women in the Pittsburgh area that are probably now heartbroken that she is gone.
T. - July 20, 2008 at 06:40 am
I highly doubt that Valerie will come back to Erie TV. Markets like Erie are more or less training grounds for young reporters to move on to larger markets. I also doubt she’d settle for the pay now offered by the Erie outlets. She’ll probably look around at larger markets like Cleveland or Buffalo if nothing pops up at WPXI or WTAE.
Tom Lavery (URL) - July 21, 2008 at 07:32 am
I thought it was temp a cher.....
Aren’t you from Pittsburgh…?
I’ve been calling it temp a cher all my life…!
Bob - July 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Usually I don’t comment on the changing of anchors, weather people and so on, I’m more for a technical guy but I cannot resist in this case. It’s a shame that Valerie Abati wasn’t given too much of a chance. I always liked watching her in the mornings and yes, I think she is cute. I just hope she goes to one of the other Pittsburgh stations, where she goes, I’ll follow. I hope KDKA will keep Sonni Abata, next to Abati, she is the cutest, if she ever goes, that will be KDKA-TV’s “shark jumping” moment.
Charles D. Mandus - July 21, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Don’t we watch the news for the “news”? Is that what you call what she looks like – “cute”? I’ll give her credit for being able to do the weather – she would probably be better working off camera. Her voice was incredibly irritating. I turned KDKA off and switched to WTAE when the Valerie Abati came on – I would rather watch and listen to Demitrius Ivory. But, as soon as the weather was over and it was back to perky Kelly and smiling Andrew I went back to KD. And I can’t even stand Newlin Archinal’s voice …. ever heard nails on a chalkboard?
Kelly - July 21, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Does anyone think WPXI added Julie Bologna just to keep her from going to WTAE? I have a hunch ‘PXI didn’t have plans to add a 5th weather person until the rumors about her going to ‘TAE came up, but I could be wrong.
Brian Q. (URL) - July 22, 2008 at 11:54 am
Now all channel 11 needs is to get rid of Kevin Benson. Or least order him to lose his white shirts fetish.
Rick - July 23, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I have no problem with Kevin Benson … I’d rather they got rid of David Johnson … He “screams” the news to you. So does his sidekick Peggy Finnegan.
Vicki - July 25, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Some nasty stuff, but I do agree with most of it. Some advice on how all three stations can improve themselves AND save a ton of money: Get rid of the weather and traffic people completely. If the sports can be on a crawl, then so can the weather and any traffic updates. There’s nothing I enjoy more than seeing Lokay eight times an hour when I’m trying to get some real news. Keith and Sonni look at the road cameras and tell us “traffic is heavy” when Lokay is on vacation; they can do it all the time. By the way, don’t you actually have to work before you get a vacation? On a different subject, I’m still trying to figure out why WTAE got rid of Scott Baker and put Wendy Bell in his spot, and put a sports guy in her spot. If you think Kelly is cutesy, what about Wendy? The best lady anchor on Four isn’t even on during the week. Shannon Perrine outclasses them all. I understand she prefers the weekend anchor spot, and I hope that is the case. Channel Four hasn’t always made the best choices. For you long time viewers, about 20 years ago, WTAE went all the way to Minnesota to bring in Colleen Needles when they had terrific Sally Wiggin waiting for her shot. Sally ended getting the job because the other lady went back to Minneapolis.
PW
Paul - July 28, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Wow, are you right! The anchors can tell us what the traffic is. I get tired of Lokay and annoying Trisha Pittman. Scott Baker was the best, wasn’t he? Wonder if Wendy had anything to do with Scott’s departure? You are correct, Shannon is head and shoulders above any of the females, and males for that matter, at WTAE. She is easy on the eyes and is believable. She is real. I hope they keep her.
Casey - July 30, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Since when was Scott Baker all that? I like the 11 p.m. Wendy Bell/Mike Clark pairing a lot better than any pairing that includes Baker.
Rick - August 01, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Wow, you people are nasty. I’d like to see you all get on TV and do as well as the news and weather people do.
Leasa - August 05, 2008 at 09:13 am
I don’t think Channel Four has any male anchors who I would consider particularly strong at this point. You’ve got two former sport guys (Ploeger and Stockey, and one (Clark) who only seems interested in stories that concern the Pope and/or the Catholic Church. Who’s next? Maybe they can let Joe DeNardo sit at the anchor desk for a while. Or maybe Father Ron?
Jamie mentioned taking the best from each station, and forming a new station. For the “prime time” newscast, with a “one male”, “one female” news team, I’d probably have:
David Johnson
Shannon Perrine
Sports: Bob Pompeani
Weather: Jeff Verszyla
Reporters:
Marcie Cipriani
Bob Allen
Alison Morris
Mary Berecky
Alan Jennings
Sheldon Ingram
Thanks,
PW
Paul - August 05, 2008 at 1:43 pm