WKYC News Director Rita Andolsen has announced morning co-anchor Abby Ham is leaving the station to return to Knoxville, Tennessee, and her former station, WBIR-TV, as morning news anchor. Her last day on the air at WKYC will be during the first week of June."Abby joined WKYC in November 2007 and has been a wonderful addition to the morning show," says Andolsen. "Her heart is calling her home to her family in Knoxville."
Channel 3 viewers have fondly welcomed Abby into their homes as part of our morning show, along with co-anchors Mark Nolan and weather forecaster Hollie Strano over the past year and a half.
Abby tells the Director's Cut blog: "Cleveland has been so wonderful to me. The people have welcomed me with open arms and I have had a blast with my co-workers. This was a personal decision that took a lot of thought and prayer. My family lives in Knoxville and I miss them terribly. It was just too hard to be away."
"I have truly met some of my dearest friends here in Cleveland and at WKYC. The people here are so genuine and I know they will be friends for life. And... I will never stop rooting for the Cavs," she added.
On WBIR's website, General Manager Jeff Lee says that Ham will be paired with current morning co-anchor Russell Biven and meteorologist Mike Witcher in the same role she had prior to coming to WKYC.
You can email Abby: abbyham@wkyc.com
WBIR and WKYC are both owned by Gannett.
9 comments:
Sorry to see Abby go, but I'm not all that surprised. Over the past 6 months, the WKYC news machine has been dismantled. Abby is wise to head for home. As a loyal WKYC viewer for more than 40 years, it sickens me to see the disintegration of what was the most respected source for news in northeast Ohio. The only silver lining in the dark cloud that hangs over Channel 3 is that Carole Chandler is gone - hopefully for good. Is there any hope that the brass will manage to hold on to Kim Wheeler, Monica Robbins, Betsy Kling, and Hollie Strano?
@cooperk
What did Carole Chandler ever do to you? What a rude and obnoxious thing to say.
It's just the news, it's not a soap opera. You really need to watch some fiction because you're imagining way to much drama into a news team.
I'll be really sorry to see Abby go. She's such a bright spot on the morning show. Please don't put Kim Wheeler back on mornings. I hope you find a good replacement for Abby or I'll be forced to switch to another channel, and not Maureen Kyle! As much as I like her, she seems lost most of the time and is always stumbling over her words. While I'm at it, AJ needs to go too. You have one of the best meteorologists around, Bruce K., and you waste him on weekend mornings. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes next. Wake up Channel 3, too much turmoil over there!!!!
I agree cooperk....WKYC is going down the tubes. Who's running the show there? I sure hope they can save it. They're losing such good talent. I'll be looking elsewhere for news very soon.
What's the real truth here? Sounds like she's not leaving of her own accord.
Glad to hear Abby is returning to Knoxville, TN.
All TV stations are having to make tough decisions when the advertising market is shrinking. No one at WKYC is happy any changes need to be made..but to survive, we must.
It was Abby's decision to go back to Knoxville, nothing more. She has family there and misses being away from them. Plus, WBIR is another Gannett station, so she is staying in the family.
I am happy that Abby is following her heart and deciding what will make her happiest in life. After living in Tennessee for a few years before moving back up here, the sense of family and being from the state seem to be so strong in Tennesseans, that it is almost tangleable. Once can almost see it shine through them. I wish Abby well as she journeys "home".
It would be nice if WKYC brought back Lydia Esparra to sit beside Mark. Maybe I would tune in in the mornings.
I used to be a very loyal WKYC viewer but since all the changes have happened, I find myself tuning in just to catch Betsy or AJ's weather forecast. To me there are too few people and a good deal of the stories are coming from news pools of other places since all the changes.
I haven't found local TV news that I really want or have to sit down and watch anymore. That kind of news from other places I can hear, listen or read about almost anywhere this day and age. It's a sad state that the local media is in, as even the Plain Dealer is shrinking not only in size but in it's local news reporting. My neighbor just the other day expressed the same sentiments and is in the decision process on whether to cancel her morning PD.
With Ted Henry retiring, it'd be nice if WEWS reached out and brought Tim to sit and report along side of Danita. They seem to have a bit more reports and news that is of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Maybe for this, I would come back to local television news.
Though I never had the opportunity to catch a morning newscast while Abby has been with WKYC, I certainly understand the desire to be home. I'm there right now, working hard to find my way back to Cleveland for the same reasons.
Good Luck Abby! I'm sure Knoxville will be happy to see you again.
Keith
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