• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Olivia Fierro Leaves GMAZ

F

formeraa

On FB this afternoon, Scott Passmore announced that Olivia would be stepping down to...you guessed it...spend more time with her family (and her husband's busines). Tess Rafols will be taking her place, which is the right choice IMHO.

That said, who will take Tess' place? Hopefully, Kylee!
 
formeraa said:
On FB this afternoon, Scott Passmore announced that Olivia would be stepping down to...you guessed it...spend more time with her family (and her husband's busines). Tess Rafols will be taking her place, which is the right choice IMHO.

That said, who will take Tess' place? Hopefully, Kylee!
Click to expand...
Only for awhile. Kylee announced last weekend that she's pregnant. I'm sure maternity leave is coming in a few months.
 
Wow, just wow. I was thinking GMAZ (weekdays*) was on a roll. Colton Shone was a great pickup and losing Javier Soto wasn't a huge blow. Now this.
I agree that Tess is the logical replacement. I could have seen Gina Maravilla taking the Olivia role or Tess role. However Gina might be happy doing traffic and reporting/fill-in anchoring.
I would agree with Kylee taking the Tess role, but, as was mentioned, going on maternity leave so Gray would need to find another replacement. If it were Whitney, then that leaves GMAZ weekends with two 'new' anchors (and no full time weather person) so Whitney might not be an option to replace Kylee who replaces Tess.
Finally, Olivia is leaving KTVK at the "end of June" which means we've got plenty of time to say goodbye.
 
brian4 said:
If it were Whitney, then that leaves GMAZ weekends with two 'new' anchors (and no full time weather person) so Whitney might not be an option to replace Kylee who replaces Tess.
Click to expand...
I used to watch GMAZ weekends but have given it up recently since Whitney won't shut up and continually interrupts and over talks Kylee. How she got the job I can't understand.
 
Gina is definitely another possibility. She was the am anchor on CBS 5 years ago when I first came to Phoenix. I guess it would be easier to find a new traffic anchor than a new early morning anchor.

With a new baby, Kylee may want to reduce her schedule anyways.

I have nearly stopped watching AZ Family News in the evenings. I can't get used to the seemingly random anchor pairings. It literally drives me crazy at times. I have started watching 12 News again and its not bad.
 
I mean this with all due respect, but what exactly even is the “Tess role” at this point, and why is it needed at all. Doing one feel good story a broadcast doesn’t exactly seem all that important in the grand scheme of things, especially to a media company that is more concerned about the bottom line than anything, like Gray.
 
Shoresy69 said:
I mean this with all due respect, but what exactly even is the “Tess role” at this point, and why is it needed at all. Doing one feel good story a broadcast doesn’t exactly seem all that important in the grand scheme of things, especially to a media company that is more concerned about the bottom line than anything, like Gray.
Click to expand...

The Tess role would also include the early mornings on GMAZ before Scott and Olivia come on air at 6 am. As you said, with all due respect, I don't find Tess to be a suitable replacement but more of a band-aid. I will assume that I'm in the minority here because I think she's well-liked, just not my cup of tea.

Hindsight is 20/20 but anecdotally watching Olivia over the last year it's almost as if you can see how the "news" wears on her, I mean reporting on child drownings, shootings, and politics multiple times a day every day can wear a person down. I've felt like you can see it in her face when she reads the news.
 
Shoresy69 said:
I mean this with all due respect, but what exactly even is the “Tess role” at this point, and why is it needed at all. Doing one feel good story a broadcast doesn’t exactly seem all that important in the grand scheme of things, especially to a media company that is more concerned about the bottom line than anything, like Gray.
Click to expand...
Tess co-anchors with Colton from 4:30-6am. I happen to like Tess and think she'll do a great job. Honestly, though, I think Kaley was my favorite GMAZ anchor, but again that's my personal opinion.
 
Olivia posted on Facebook that her last day is Thursday June 29th. Expect a lot of laughs and tears. It would be nice if Javier Soto and Kaley O'Kelley would send in video goodbyes.
 
Has anyone heard who will replace Tess on the 4:30-6? Another possibility is Susan Campbell, who does have previous anchoring experience and anchors the KPHO news updates during CBS Mornings. Since I generally don't watch early mornings, I don't know if Susan has ever filled in for anyone. From past experience (thinking Stella Inger), they don't want to have someone relatively unfamiliar in that slot.

I kind of hope Kylee gets it. As someone pointed out (@landtuna?), Whitney constantly talks over her on Weekend GMAZ. It seems that Caltabiano would be a better fit with Whitney (she didn't seem to talk over him as much when he subbed last weekend).
 
formeraa said:
Has anyone heard who will replace Tess on the 4:30-6? Another possibility is Susan Campbell, who does have previous anchoring experience and anchors the KPHO news updates during CBS Mornings. Since I generally don't watch early mornings, I don't know if Susan has ever filled in for anyone.
Click to expand...
Susan Campbell is an interesting choice. Maybe I've seen her on a weekend? She's done the Noon News several times. Susan might like the consumer reporter job (and the 6AM start time).
 
While I missed overwhelming majority of GMAZ on June 26 - 29 (darn work!) they brought in several (former) regulars during Olivia's last week. The parts that I saw were tastefully done. Tearful sendoff with at least 2 dozen people on set.

As far as who is taking the 'Tess Position' apparently no one! They played a new GMAZ spot with Pasmore, Rafols, Warnecke, Shone, Maravilla & Schwartz. No 7th person. Although I think they should have added Susan Campbell since she is there every morning with consumer news.
 
formeraa said:
While I like Susan Campbell, I still don't understand why they didn't make Heidi Goitia the consumer reporter rather than laying her off.
Click to expand...
I still think that Gray has no clue. This is Phoenix, not Wausau. They've let too many qualified people go, mostly young women that they found "lacking something:" Read: Unattractive in their view, which is not true. I've been watching more news on 15 -- and Scripps has its own issues -- than on 3/5 for the last few months.

And let's not even get into the mess they're getting into with sports. Their contract with the Suns is still on hold, the Mercury/WNBA is a niche sport, and there's still no word on what'll happen with the D'backs and Coyotes. This could still blow up in their faces after the Bankruptcy Court gets done.
 
charles420 said:
Hindsight is 20/20 but anecdotally watching Olivia over the last year it's almost as if you can see how the "news" wears on her, I mean reporting on child drownings, shootings, and politics multiple times a day every day can wear a person down. I've felt like you can see it in her face when she reads the news.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, that's Big Market TV, and a fact of life in Phoenix, Arizona. I won't say she can't handle it (because she has shown that she can), but she got the opportunity to join the company that her husband is COO of, and grabbed it. Hopefully it works out for her. I wish her well.
 
KeithE4 said:
I still think that Gray has no clue. This is Phoenix, not Wausau. They've let too many qualified people go, mostly young women that they found "lacking something:" Read: Unattractive in their view, which is not true. I've been watching more news on 15 -- and Scripps has its own issues -- than on 3/5 for the last few months.

And let's not even get into the mess they're getting into with sports. Their contract with the Suns is still on hold, the Mercury/WNBA is a niche sport, and there's still no word on what'll happen with the D'backs and Coyotes. This could still blow up in their faces after the Bankruptcy Court gets done.
Click to expand...
And another interesting point is Javier Soto. It was clear that he wanted a chance to move up, but Scott was going nowhere really fast. Other than letting him substitute a handful of time on the evening news, they didn't take him seriously. When Brandon Lee left the second time, Javier should have have been a strong contender for that position. Honestly, I'm not huge Derek Staal fan.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom