Jim Rosenfield Joins WCAU as Weeknight Co-Anchor

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

http://lauranachman.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/nbc10-names-new-weeknight-anchor/

 

That's a big get for 10. I think he'll fit in perfectly. I think this has the potential to a really good main anchor team.

[localnewswatch 6]

Jim Rosenfield is great in DC. Will miss him. He has hopped many markets and stations recently. WNBC - WCBS - WRC - now WCAU? He will be doing much more at WCAU than WRC.

[24994J 5276]

Man, totally out of left field, but a fantastic pick-up. I still remember when he was at WLS in the 90's.

 

So, what are we looking at? Jim and Renee at 6 and 11, Jim and ??? at 4, and Vai and Jacqueline at 5?

[Jess 1110]

 

Wow. And I mean wow. I opened up the app this morning and saw that the top story was "Jim Rosenfield Joins NBC10". I think the above picture sums up my reaction.

 

They could have skewed younger, maybe someone in the line of a Chris Cato or a Keith Jones. But Jim Rosenfield? He's older, but he is a Journalist with a capital J. He has gravitas. He has presence (if you work with Sue Simmons and then Roz Abrams, you kind of have to). And he has a lifetime of experience in pretty much every major market. He's about as good as you can get as an anchor without the last name of "Magers", "Gardner", "Kane", "Simmons", "Beutel", and "Grimsby".

 

This is 10's best anchor pickup since Larry Mendte. In fact, it very likely is the best anchor pickup since Larry Kane.

 

Hiring Rosenfield is a signal from 10. A signal that they don't just want to be the most popular newscast in the market. They want to be the BEST NEWS SOURCE in the market. They got a much larger news fleet, a chopper that can be best described as insane, and a format where live, in-depth reporting is favored above all else. And most importantly, a local owner who is investing in the station.

 

But Comcast money doesn't equate into a great newscast.

 

A few years ago I uploaded an hour-long WABC Eyewitness News, with Grimsby and Beutel in their primes. But I also noticed the constant presence and usage of the news team - they were as important to the newscast as the greatest anchor pairing of all time. And I noticed the tone - straight news, no celebrity coverage, no health tips, none of the fluffy crap. I lamented that we were never likely to see this again.

 

NBC 10 is now exactly that newscast I've longed for. A station where NEWS is the foundation, where reporters are actively shown getting their news, where Health Checks and Consumer Watches do not exist. At the end of the 4 and 5, they even do a fairly substantial piece, often focusing on New Jersey. In fact they cover that state better than the stations in the state. They'll go out to Ocean County a lot, and they'll frequently have WNBC's Howard Thompson on doing reports. Hell, they even mentioned Newark, NJ in a VO/SOT so casually, you'd think it was a suburb of Philly.

 

And that extends to the entire area. Action News claims that it's "everywhere" (that's what the open's about), but I think that's more appropriate to NBC 10 these days. They cover Jersey extensively, but they've also opened a Delaware bureau and a Mercer County (Trenton) bureau as well.

 

But they don't just report the crime and grime though. One story lately - during a weeknight 11pm - simply had Chris Cato go out to a Northeast Philadelphia community town meeting to hear out issues the community was having at that point. That isn't the type of story you'd see on a newscast at all. There are more stories devoted to more investigative issues - they've been all over the Building Collapse - and accountability. They've handled the school funding crisis like pros. Even on stories like Zimmerman, they try to find a unique angle. George Spencer was sent out to get reaction, and anchor Chris Cato opened by noting Spencer's last stop was Orlando and asked for his perspective.

 

And those reporters, from top to bottom, have been uniformly great. Yes, they're younger, but they clearly know their stuff - Spencer, Cato, and Daralene Jones are the standouts. And, of course, the anchors now report as well. During a second building collapse a few weeks ago, Renee anchored from the studio while Denise Nakano anchored on-site. All around, the anchor teams are great - Keith Jones and Tracy Davidson are a fantastic pairing in the mornings, Vai has been a revelation at the desk, and Jacqueline London has chops. With the addition of Jim Rosenfield to the cast, their anchor lineups now look just as good - and in some slots, even better - than Mighty 6.

 

Viewers are apparently noticing - and approving. Ratings for all newscasts are up significantly in the demo. They're doing well enough that 6 is resorting to some of 10's tactics (they have a Chopper 6 sting now). They also seem to be upping their game in the face of the new challenge by 10, and there have been times when 10 has stumbled and 6 capitalized on it.

 

But overall, yes, NBC 10 is the Delaware Valley's Leading News Program now. In fact, I'm starting to think they might be entering the elite group of best stations in the country. This is a victory for everyone who values journalism. It shows what happens when the number one gets a serious challenge. And more importantly, it shows what happens when you invest in your station.

 

And it shows why local ownership matters. I think we now have to say that despite what 30 Rock may say, WCAU IS THE FLAGSHIP STATION OF NBCUNIVERSAL. You really can't say otherwise with the amount of TLC this station has recieved.

 

But mostly, it shows what happens when you have great management. Eric Lerner and Anzio Williams, take a bow. You've done well.

 

One last thing:

 

This is the link to NBC 10's webstream. It's only active during newscasts and breaking news, so it's live from 4:30-7am ET, 11am-12pm ET, 4-6:30pm ET, and 11pm ET. If you value journalism, you should watch this station.

[emmi_18 33]

 

So, what are we looking at? Jim and Renee at 6 and 11, Jim and ??? at 4, and Vai and Jacqueline at 5?

 

I think it might be Jacqueline and Jim at 4, Vai and Jacqueline at 5, and Renee and Jim at 6 and 11.

 

For a while, I thought they were content with the lineup they had. But the hiring of Jim puts 10's anchor team from very solid to potentially great. For years, they settled with a lead male anchor who was solid at best. Now, 10 has an anchor who was second to WNBC's Chuck Scarborough and anchored with ex WNBC's 32 year vet Sue Simmons. I watched clips of him back when he was in NYC so it is exciting that he will be here in Philly.

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

 

I think it might be Jacqueline and Jim at 4, Vai and Jacqueline at 5, and Renee and Jim at 6 and 11.

 

For a while, I thought they were content with the lineup they had. But the hiring of Jim puts 10's anchor team from very solid to potentially great. For years, they settled with a lead male anchor who was solid at best. Now, 10 has an anchor who was second to WNBC's Chuck Scarborough and anchored with ex WNBC's 32 year vet Sue Simmons. I watched clips of him back when he was in NYC so it is exciting that he will be here in Philly.

 

You're most likely looking at Jim and Renee at 4,6 and 11 with Vai and Jacqueline at 5. With the exception of the dark period of '06-'08 they've always gone with their top guns at 4PM.

[Jess 1110]

 

I think it might be Jacqueline and Jim at 4, Vai and Jacqueline at 5, and Renee and Jim at 6 and 11.

 

For a while, I thought they were content with the lineup they had. But the hiring of Jim puts 10's anchor team from very solid to potentially great. For years, they settled with a lead male anchor who was solid at best. Now, 10 has an anchor who was second to WNBC's Chuck Scarborough and anchored with ex WNBC's 32 year vet Sue Simmons. I watched clips of him back when he was in NYC so it is exciting that he will be here in Philly.

 

I'm more inclined to think they want to give Jacqueline more than just the 5pm, so unless she ends up doing the 11am, I can easily see Jim paired with Jacqueline for the 4.

 

You are absolutely right, though - the addition of Rosenfield strengthens its anchor lineup significantly. I've always maintained that 6 has had the best lineup in the country - now that's in a bit of question. Certainly whoever they pick to do the 4, it blows the kids table out of the water. I think the 5pm comes down to taste - the goofiness of Rick and Monica or the surprisingly strong pairing of Vai and Jacqueline? And while Jim Gardner will always be awesome because he's Jim Gardner, 10 now has a 6 and 11 anchor team that could possibly gel along the lines of WABC's Ritter and Cho.

 

Really, I can't emphasize enough how huge this get is. Yeah, he's not from the market, but he's a phenomenal anchor and reporter with great authority and a warm presence. He's the perfect guy to put next to Renee Chenault-Fattah. And he adds to an already fantastic news operation.

[TVNewsLover 727]

My vote is for Jim and Renee at 5&11, and Vai and Jacqueline at 4&6. Promote John Clark to lead sports anchor.

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

See my post above. Unlike New York the main anchor teams here in Philly are found on the 6PM news not the 5PM.

[TVNewsLover 727]

See my post above. Unlike New York the main anchor teams here in Philly are found on the 6PM news not the 5PM.

As I've lived in the area over 30 years, I am aware of that. I don't think it's a rule, but rather just the way things played out. I can see Rick & Monica keeping the 5pm and adding the 11pm after Jim retires.

 

As for NY, WABC & WNBC until about two years ago had their main team on the 6pm, and never on the 5pm.

[Amra 130]

Just amazing. I am so happy that Jim is back where he belongs, on the daily main newscast. Congratulations to him and NBC 10. And if possible, any clips of his first night at NBC 10, please?

[Phillyhere 11]

Boy, totally good reading of Hulkie's post. I wonder if Anzio and TPTB at 10 read any of the thoughts on here? Hulkie's made a lot of good observations and points. I would love to see 10 finally take over the #1 spot. It's long overdue.

I like the aggressive approach they're finally taking. I like the expanded coverage for Delaware which has been overlooked by the area media. Ever listen to a traffic report--it's rare to hear anything for DE unless it's something major.

I am not wild about Vai on the anchor desk so would prefer seeing Jacqueline paired with Jim.

[MorningNews 1293]

 

Wow. And I mean wow. I opened up the app this morning and saw that the top story was "Jim Rosenfield Joins NBC10". I think the above picture sums up my reaction.

 

They could have skewed younger, maybe someone in the line of a Chris Cato or a Keith Jones. But Jim Rosenfield? He's older, but he is a Journalist with a capital J. He has gravitas. He has presence (if you work with Sue Simmons and then Roz Abrams, you kind of have to). And he has a lifetime of experience in pretty much every major market. He's about as good as you can get as an anchor without the last name of "Magers", "Gardner", "Kane", "Simmons", "Beutel", and "Grimsby".

 

This is 10's best anchor pickup since Larry Mendte. In fact, it very likely is the best anchor pickup since Larry Kane.

 

Hiring Rosenfield is a signal from 10. A signal that they don't just want to be the most popular newscast in the market. They want to be the BEST NEWS SOURCE in the market. They got a much larger news fleet, a chopper that can be best described as insane, and a format where live, in-depth reporting is favored above all else. And most importantly, a local owner who is investing in the station.

 

But Comcast money doesn't equate into a great newscast.

 

A few years ago I uploaded an hour-long WABC Eyewitness News, with Grimsby and Beutel in their primes. But I also noticed the constant presence and usage of the news team - they were as important to the newscast as the greatest anchor pairing of all time. And I noticed the tone - straight news, no celebrity coverage, no health tips, none of the fluffy crap. I lamented that we were never likely to see this again.

 

NBC 10 is now exactly that newscast I've longed for. A station where NEWS is the foundation, where reporters are actively shown getting their news, where Health Checks and Consumer Watches do not exist. At the end of the 4 and 5, they even do a fairly substantial piece, often focusing on New Jersey. In fact they cover that state better than the stations in the state. They'll go out to Ocean County a lot, and they'll frequently have WNBC's Howard Thompson on doing reports. Hell, they even mentioned Newark, NJ in a VO/SOT so casually, you'd think it was a suburb of Philly.

 

And that extends to the entire area. Action News claims that it's "everywhere" (that's what the open's about), but I think that's more appropriate to NBC 10 these days. They cover Jersey extensively, but they've also opened a Delaware bureau and a Mercer County (Trenton) bureau as well.

 

But they don't just report the crime and grime though. One story lately - during a weeknight 11pm - simply had Chris Cato go out to a Northeast Philadelphia community town meeting to hear out issues the community was having at that point. That isn't the type of story you'd see on a newscast at all. There are more stories devoted to more investigative issues - they've been all over the Building Collapse - and accountability. They've handled the school funding crisis like pros. Even on stories like Zimmerman, they try to find a unique angle. George Spencer was sent out to get reaction, and anchor Chris Cato opened by noting Spencer's last stop was Orlando and asked for his perspective.

 

And those reporters, from top to bottom, have been uniformly great. Yes, they're younger, but they clearly know their stuff - Spencer, Cato, and Daralene Jones are the standouts. And, of course, the anchors now report as well. During a second building collapse a few weeks ago, Renee anchored from the studio while Denise Nakano anchored on-site. All around, the anchor teams are great - Keith Jones and Tracy Davidson are a fantastic pairing in the mornings, Vai has been a revelation at the desk, and Jacqueline London has chops. With the addition of Jim Rosenfield to the cast, their anchor lineups now look just as good - and in some slots, even better - than Mighty 6.

 

Viewers are apparently noticing - and approving. Ratings for all newscasts are up significantly in the demo. They're doing well enough that 6 is resorting to some of 10's tactics (they have a Chopper 6 sting now). They also seem to be upping their game in the face of the new challenge by 10, and there have been times when 10 has stumbled and 6 capitalized on it.

 

But overall, yes, NBC 10 is the Delaware Valley's Leading News Program now. In fact, I'm starting to think they might be entering the elite group of best stations in the country. This is a victory for everyone who values journalism. It shows what happens when the number one gets a serious challenge. And more importantly, it shows what happens when you invest in your station.

 

And it shows why local ownership matters. I think we now have to say that despite what 30 Rock may say, WCAU IS THE FLAGSHIP STATION OF NBCUNIVERSAL. You really can't say otherwise with the amount of TLC this station has recieved.

 

But mostly, it shows what happens when you have great management. Eric Lerner and Anzio Williams, take a bow. You've done well.

 

One last thing:

 

This is the link to NBC 10's webstream. It's only active during newscasts and breaking news, so it's live from 4:30-7am ET, 11am-12pm ET, 4-6:30pm ET, and 11pm ET. If you value journalism, you should watch this station.

Good stuff I read one of your post a while back regarding the turn around happening at 10. Jim Rosenfield is a powerhouse journalist and will help 10's image of being focused much less on sensationalism. I love channel 6 when I visit the area but I like what 10 is doing and hope they can offer up some serious competition to 6!

[nycnews4 12]

WCAU went from third place to second place and now with Jim Rosenfield, they may go up to number 1 or tie with WPVI.

[adamv2 21]

 

WCAU went from third place to second place and now with Jim Rosenfield, they may go up to number 1 or tie with WPVI.

 

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. I believe the last time ch10 was a player, back in the 90's, ch10 managed to beat ch6 one sweeps period at 11:00, but that was back when NBC was must see TV, and they had very strong lead ins from the network. ch6 will stay #1, especially at 6 & 11 until atleast Gardner retires.

 

As for ch10, it is rather amazing to think this is the same station GE only a few yrs ago was sucking every cent ch10 made & keeping it. All the big names they let had to let go like Larry Mendte, and rising talents such as Doug Kammerer, and getting beat by CN8 on going HD. Is it safe to say wcau has benefited the most from comcast buying NBC?

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

 

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. I believe the last time ch10 was a player, back in the 90's, ch10 managed to beat ch6 one sweeps period at 11:00, but that was back when NBC was must see TV, and they had very strong lead ins from the network. ch6 will stay #1, especially at 6 & 11 until atleast Gardner retires.

 

As for ch10, it is rather amazing to think this is the same station GE only a few yrs ago was sucking every cent ch10 made & keeping it. All the big names they let had to let go like Larry Mendte, and rising talents such as Doug Kammerer, and getting beat by CN8 on going HD. Is it safe to say wcau has benefited the most from comcast buying NBC?

 

10's victory against 6 was back in 2002.

 

Letting Mendte go was the result of one of the most bizarre sequence of events I've ever seen and spurred mostly by 3 tampering with both him and Tim Lake. Long and short of it was 3 originally tried to lure Lake and 10 caught wind of it and demoted Lake to reporter and that resulted in lawsuits being filed by both Tim and 10 meanwhile 3 started the same thing with Mendte but 10 didn't seem to bothered with letting him go as there were some issues behind the scenes between him and management (that came out later in gossip columns). After Mendte left 10 promoted Lake to lead anchor and the rest is history.

[NYPhillynews 103]

About time the Philadelphia market became competitive again. Things were getting dry & stale in market 4. Jim Rosenfield is a big name & a major catch for NBC Philadelphia.

November sweeps should be interesting.

[24994J 5276]

 

About time the Philadelphia market became competitive again. Things were getting dry & stale in market 4. Jim Rosenfield is a big name & a major catch for NBC Philadelphia.

November sweeps should be interesting.

 

November of 2014, sure...more like February or May, at the earliest.

[TVNewsLover 727]

What is going on at 10? The past few days Renee is on at 4&6 (not 11), Vai at 5&11, Jacqueline at 4,5,&11, and Jim Rosenfield in the Digital Satellite center. Didn't they say Jim was going to anchor at 4,6,&11? And why is Renee not on at 11?

 

Also, why do they rotate anchors for the 11am news? I've seen Keith, Tracy, and even Chrisitine Madella solo anchor. Why not just give it to Keith & Tracy together?

 

I'd still like to see Jim & Renee at 5&11, and Vai & Jacqueline at 4&6, with John Clark becoming the weekday sports anchor.

[Jess 1110]

Jim joined 10 on Monday, as expected, but his on-air debut wasn't going to be next week. The boardwalk fire changed things quite a bit. On the 6 he was brought in to co-anchor from the control room ("Digital Oprations Center"). Today, he's field anchoring the coverage of the Seaside Heights fire.

 

So far, he has been an impressive pick-up. A little stilted at times, but let's chalk it up to opening week jitters. He knows what he's talking about and doing a good job of coordinating the typically large NBC 10 presence. I'll wait until he's at the desk, but already he's showing signs of being he best pickup since Huddles, maybe going back to Alan Frio.

[localnewswatch 6]

 

Jim joined 10 on Monday, as expected, but his on-air debut wasn't going to be next week. The boardwalk fire changed things quite a bit. On the 6 he was brought in to co-anchor from the control room ("Digital Oprations Center"). Today, he's field anchoring the coverage of the Seaside Heights fire.

 

So far, he has been an impressive pick-up. A little stilted at times, but let's chalk it up to opening week jitters. He knows what he's talking about and doing a good job of coordinating the typically large NBC 10 presence. I'll wait until he's at the desk, but already he's showing signs of being he best pickup since Huddles, maybe going back to Alan Frio.

 

He'll do fine at the anchor desk.Anchored at WNBC and WCBS and I watched him every weekend on WRC. The guy rocks.

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

 

What is going on at 10? The past few days Renee is on at 4&6 (not 11), Vai at 5&11, Jacqueline at 4,5,&11, and Jim Rosenfield in the Digital Satellite center. Didn't they say Jim was going to anchor at 4,6,&11? And why is Renee not on at 11?

 

Also, why do they rotate anchors for the 11am news? I've seen Keith, Tracy, and even Chrisitine Madella solo anchor. Why not just give it to Keith & Tracy together?

 

I'd still like to see Jim & Renee at 5&11, and Vai & Jacqueline at 4&6, with John Clark becoming the weekday sports anchor.

 

I think they're having Jackie and Vai do the 11 to get them some exposure as they'll be the back ups for Jim & Renee. I dunno just my guess.

[Daybreak 269]

I think Jackie is the 11 p.m. anchor because she tweeted to meet her new co-anchor at 11. Is this true? "Have you met my new co-anchor yet?Your introduction to "https://twitter.com/jimrosenfield"@jimrosenfield is next at 11. You HAVE to meet him. Hope you're watching. Jacqueline London (@jackielondon)"

[emmi_18 33]

Jacqueline and Jim look great! 10 has a very solid news team there. I only got to see the beginning of the 4 PM and watching 11 PM newscast now. Renee and Jacqueline were on at 4... so what's their plan for 5 and 6 now that Jim is on air anchoring? I would love to see Renee and Jim though anchoring together. I know last week they kinda did, with Jim (?) on location. But I can see Jim being Renee's best co-anchor... even better than Mendte.

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

The plan is Renee and Jim at 4 & 6. Vai and Jackie at 5 and Jim and Jackie at 11.