Burchett, Ferrari leave Newsplex
Roger Burchett, the general manager of the Newsplex who oversaw the new TV stations in town from infancy to adolescence over the past three-and-a-half years, is leaving Charlottesville to head up another Gray Television station in Alabama.
“I’ve accepted a promotion to WTVY in Dothan, ” says Burchett, who who had no television experience when he took over the Newsplex in 2004 but will be VP and general manager there.
Burchett will be succeeded by Brad Ramsey, currently general manager of Gray’s TV3 in Winchester, a digital ABC affiliate he started in 2006. Ramsey, 31, a former sports anchor and reporter at Gray’s WHSV in Harrisonburg, takes over the Newsplex and its flock of stations: WCAV CBS19, WVAW ABC16, WAHU FOX27, My C’Ville TV and Weather Now.
“We’re as strong as we’ve ever been,” beams Burchett. “We’re at a very good point and well ahead of where Gray wanted to be.” In moving to Alabama, Burchett goes from Charlottesville’s 181 Nielsen designated market area to Dothan’s 172, but he points out that the CBS station reaches Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Its transmitter is in Panama City, FLorida, a 154 market.
Friday is the last day for WCAV reporter Lisa Ferrari, who has been with the station since it first went on the air in late 2004. She heads out of journalism to work at the Alzheimer’s Association as director of events.
“What a great asset,” says Burchett. “I’m glad she’s staying in Charlottesville. It’s a small market and she’s a star.”
He says he’s not surprised to see reporters at the station move on, calling Charlottesville a “boot camp” for young broadcast journalists. “We’ve lost reporters to Miami, Charlotte, Boston, St. Louis. It’s not a negative when people leave. You’re not going to keep good reporters here in a 181 market unless they marry a doctor,” says Burchett. Or in the case of Beth Duffy, a cop.
The Newsplex is not the only media outlet seeing turnover. NBC29’s David Douglas started June 2 with CBS affiliate WISC in Madison, Wisconsin, a number 85 market.
And two reporters over at the Daily Progress are ready to bid farewell to the city and county beats. Jeremy Borden, who covers Albemarle, leaves June 10 to teach high school students for six weeks in the Young Writers Workshop at UVA and then goes on to Argentina to work on his Spanish. After Argentina, he plans to return to journalism. And Seth Rosen heads to Georgetown University to get a master’s in international relations.
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Uh, I forgot, where is that Ferarri going?
David, who cares? She never impressed me much.
She interviewed me in 2005. And because the truth in my interview would have embarrassed a local government agency to no end, she refused to air anything in the interview. She favored the government’s press release as the truth. She later learned that “the truth” was as told by me. I had no use for her after that. So, the point being — if she questioned my telling the truth, why didn’t she question the government agency who obviously could (and was)lying to her?
WTF is Burchett talking about? Why would be being a cop keep a reporter here in Charlottesville and Albemarle? I know a girl who went to a high paying hotel chain management job in North carolina, and her husband (cop) quit and went with her.
Is Burchett under the impression cops make $1,000,000 a year? :)
Rambos - Burchett did not say that, Provence did. Check the links in the story.
Two great people. Charlotesville will miss Roger and glad Lisa is staying put.
Congratulations to Roger B. for the extraordinary job he did here in our community. From the time of his arrival, he was always there for Charlottesville.
Lisa Ferrari, thank you for staying in Charlottesville and accepting such a challenging endeavor with the Alzheimer’s Association.
29 lost big losing David. He’s going to be a star one day.
Lisa is a great reporter and Roger a great leader. They may not get the ratings but they often get the respect of not sensationalizing news.
Charlottesville will sorely miss Borden’s and Rosen’s contributions to community journalism. While Ferrari and Burchett get the attention here, Borden and Rosen are the ones in the trenches at every City Council and Board of Supervisors meeting keeping our elected public officials acccountable, driving local conversation. How will certain local weekly, seemingly flashier publications collect their local government news without these young men’s reports? Best of luck to them both.
David Douglas is the kid who looked like a tiny Conan O’Brien, right?