Parsons named news director at WTAE
July 25, 2016Today, WTAE-TV (4) announced that Jim Parsons has been named news director effective immediately. Parsons is promoted from the assistant news director position that he has held for a few years. Prior to that, he was an investigative reporter for the station for 15 years, helping the station to win several awards in the field of investigative reporting.
The promotion follows the news that former news director, Justin Antoniotti, was recently named President and GM of WTAE’s Hearst sister WPTZ/WNNE in the Plattsburgh, New York and Burlington, Vermont market.
I hope the newly installed news director hired weekend and backup news anchors. Making sports anchors perform news anchor duties lies somewhere between cheap and Mickey Mouse, especially in a market that carries such a strong sports orientation. Parsons\\\’ predecessor, Justin Antoniotti, clearly refused to recognize that. Either that or else he simply hates sports.