WHEC TV's Rich Funke to Retire

[Mark Giardina]

Rich Funke announced that he's retiring after a 44 year career in broadcasting.

Funke started out in radio as a newscaster and news director at stations in Batavia and Rochester.

After leaving WAXC 1460 AM Funke went to work for WHEC TV as sports director and was later named news anchor.

Funke told Channel 10 viewers that he is retiring at the end of December.

 

[newscool]

I heard they were doing a nationwide search for his replacement. Channel 10 should promote from within and give them someone the viewers are familiar with. I say Berkley Brean is the best choice. He's paid his dues with the station as a good reporter and a very reliable fill-in in the studio. He's covered every shift. It would be hard for the viewers in Rochester to warm up to someone from the outside, especially a key position like a senior anchor. Brean may or may not be the best choice for long term, but he's obviously the best choice for right now.

 

[Mark Giardina]

I heard they were doing a nationwide search for his replacement. Channel 10 should promote from within and give them someone the viewers are familiar with. I say Berkley Brean is the best choice. He's paid his dues with the station as a good reporter and a very reliable fill-in in the studio. He's covered every shift. It would be hard for the viewers in Rochester to warm up to someone from the outside, especially a key position like a senior anchor. Brean may or may not be the best choice for long term, but he's obviously the best choice for right now.

That is a standard line (a nationwide search) when an on-air personality decides to retire or moves to another market.

I've always been an advocate of promoting from within an organization especially when a station already has qualified people.

News of Funke's retirement can not bring too many smiles to Channel 10's management however. He has been a familiar face on Rochester TV for many years and, unlike Channel 13, I am not aware of any one particular person being groomed at 10 to replace Funke.

Also take into account that a few years ago Janet Lomax cut back on her on-air schedule. Eventually the day is going to come when Janet decides to pack it in and also retire.

With Channel 13's domination of the Rochester market, and Channel 8's resurgence, the bosses at Channel 10 have to be somewhat concerned as to what the future may hold.

 

[therealjm12]

With Channel 13's domination of the Rochester market, and Channel 8's resurgence, the bosses at Channel 10 have to be somewhat concerned as to what the future may hold.



Interesting. On another thread, they are talking about Hubbard eliminating local newscasts. I'll bet the number crushers are trying figure out right now if local news is profitable in Rochester. I would hate to see that but in other markets some stations, like nearby Syracuse, have done away local newscasts on once dominate WTVH and you you keep hearing rumors about WKBW in Buffalo.

 

[Bill Myers]

I would hate to see that but in other markets some stations, like nearby Syracuse, have done away local newscasts on once dominate WTVH and you you keep hearing rumors about WKBW in Buffalo.

WKBW in Buffalo doing away with local newscasts? Who will be around then to tell us it's 11 o'clock and if we know where our children are at?

 

[Mark Giardina]

Interesting. On another thread, they are talking about Hubbard eliminating local newscasts. I'll bet the number crushers are trying figure out right now if local news is profitable in Rochester. I would hate to see that but in other markets some stations, like nearby Syracuse, have done away local newscasts on once dominate WTVH and you you keep hearing rumors about WKBW in Buffalo.

Eliminating local news on Channel 10 would be one of the stupidest moves Hubbard executives could make.
Channel 10's newscasts generates a great deal of advertising revenue for the station. One can imagine how the bottom line would be negatively impacted if WHEC's news and sports operations were terminated.
The only ones that would celebrate such a decision would be the sales executives currently employed at Channels 8 and 13.

 

[newscool]

I heard they were doing a nationwide search for his replacement. Channel 10 should promote from within and give them someone the viewers are familiar with. I say Berkley Brean is the best choice. He's paid his dues with the station as a good reporter and a very reliable fill-in in the studio. He's covered every shift. It would be hard for the viewers in Rochester to warm up to someone from the outside, especially a key position like a senior anchor. Brean may or may not be the best choice for long term, but he's obviously the best choice for right now.

That is a standard line (a nationwide search) when an on-air personality decides to retire or moves to another market.

I've always been an advocate of promoting from within an organization especially when a station already has qualified people.

News of Funke's retirement can not bring too many smiles to Channel 10's management however. He has been a familiar face on Rochester TV for many years and, unlike Channel 13, I am not aware of any one particular eeeeperson being groomed at 10 to replace Funke.

Also take into account that a few years ago Janet Lomax cut back on her on-air schedule. Eventually the day is going to come when Janet decides to pack it in and also retire.

With Channel 13's domination of the Rochester market, and Channel 8's resurgence, the bosses at Channel 10 have to be somewhat concerned as to what the future may hold.

Like I stated before, Mr. Brean is the only one I see from the inside that is "groomed" Or brett davidson. As far as replacing janet when the time comes, I could see Lynette adams, I'm sorry but to me Lia lando is not the answer. But she looks like a possible predecessor for janet

 

[The Voice of Reason]

As far as replacing janet when the time comes, I could see Lynette adams, I'm sorry but to me Lia lando is not the answer. But she looks like a possible predecessor for janet

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Lia Lando was hired to replace Jennifer Johnson after she went to work for Channel 13. Johnson had been hired to take over once Lomax retired. So the same thing will happen regarding Lando. She will be Lomax's replacement.

As for Brean and Davidson being the heir apparent to Funke I highly doubt it. Both of them are what Channel 10 needs to be competitive: Investigative reporters.

It would be a serious mistake on the part of Channel 10's management to move one of these men out of the field and behind an anchor desk considering Davidson and Brean have established connections which results in both of them being able to report "breaking stories" over the years. It would take a newcomer a long time to establish those above mentioned contacts.

Now in my opinion if WHEC executives were smart they would try to hire away from another local TV station an already well established anchor who is familiar to Rochester TV viewers.

 

[newscool]

As far as replacing janet when the time comes, I could see Lynette adams, I'm sorry but to me Lia lando is not the answer. But she looks like a possible predecessor for janet

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Lia Lando was hired to replace Jennifer Johnson after she went to work for Channel 13. Johnson had been hired to take over once Lomax retired. So the same thing will happen regarding Lando. She will be Lomax's replacement.

As for Brean and Davidson being the heir apparent to Funke I highly doubt it. Both of them are what Channel 10 needs to be competitive: Investigative reporters.




It would be a serious mistake on the part of Channel 10's management to move one of these men out of the field and behind an anchor desk considering Davidson and Brean have established connections which results in both of them being able to report "breaking stories" over the years. It would take a newcomer a long time to establish those above mentioned contacts.

Now in my opinion if WHEC executives were smart they would try to hire away from another local TV station an already well established anchor who is familiar to Rochester TV viewers.

Well who would replace Funke then? An outsider? Rochester viewers would hate an immediate outsider. Brean is more of a studio man than Davidson. Let Brean upgrade to the studio as a tryout, if not then go with someone else. As for another anchor at another station to possibly replace janet, I would say go and get Rachel Barnhart. Lynette Adams or Rebbecca Leclair those are possible Janet replacements as well.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Well who would replace Funke then? As for another anchor at another station to possibly replace janet, I would say go and get Rachel Barnhart. Lynette Adams or Rebbecca Leclair those are possible Janet replacements as well.

Sorry for the misunderstanding but what I was referring too is hire someone local (from another station) to replace Funke not Lomax.

As for replacing Lomax when she retires that is why Lando was hired. Barnhart isn't about to leave 13 and LeClair is happy with her morning gig.

 

[NYNewsInsider]

So does anybody have the latest on the search?? Are they actively trying to recruit someone who’s already working in the Rochester market?? I don’t see any of the major players at 13 leaving anytime soon.

 

[Bob1370]

"Interesting. On another thread, they are talking about Hubbard eliminating local newscasts. I'll bet the number crushers are trying figure out right now if local news is profitable in Rochester. I would hate to see that but in other markets some stations, like nearby Syracuse, have done away local newscasts on once dominate WTVH and you you keep hearing rumors about WKBW in Buffalo."

Not going to happen. Local news is a major revenue and profit center, stable and independent of the uncertain fortunes of network and syndicated programming (and the equally uncertain potential for selling local avails and adjacencies) for stations in the Hubbard portfolio like WHEC, WNYT in Albany and KSTP in Minneapolis-St. Paul. They also have some secondary players in some other markets that are either independent stations or affiliated with minor nets like CW, and local news could be expendable in a few of those--but not their major network-affiliated players. That would be nuts.

WTVH is a different case in that its owner, Granite, hit the financial rocks (no pun intended) and ended up farming out its news to WSTM because without some local news, from whatever source, it probably would have lost its lucrative CBS affiliation.

As far as WKBW, its Eyewitness News is still a brand with some value and with profit potential even though Irv, Tom and Rick are all retired and consequently WKBW's been passed in the numbers by WIVB's Don Postles and Jacquie Walker.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

As far as WKBW, its Eyewitness News is still a brand with some value and with profit potential even though Irv, Tom and Rick are all retired and consequently WKBW's been passed in the numbers by WIVB's Don Postles and Jacquie Walker.

Not to change the topic but I find it ironic that Jacquie Walker worked at WROC TV and did, what I thought was, a splended job, yet she ends up leaving Channel 8, along with a host of other great talent, and ends up working in Buffalo where she is apparently appreciated by viewers.

Maybe after years of a "revolving door policy" when it came to on-air talent, the light bulb finally went on in the heads of Nexstar executives that they need to stabilize things in order to be competitive.

 

[editthis]

According to rnyn.com

July 18, 2012
WHEC announced today that Don Hudson will join the station in September. It is expected that Hudson will become Rich Funke's successor when he retires at the end of this year. Hudson is currently an anchor and reporter at KTVX, the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can learn more about Don Hudson on his bio page at ABC4.com

 

[The Voice of Reason]

According to rnyn.com
July 18, 2012
WHEC announced today that Don Hudson will join the station in September. It is expected that Hudson will become Rich Funke's successor when he retires at the end of this year. Hudson is currently an anchor and reporter at KTVX, the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can learn more about Don Hudson on his bio page at ABC4.com

Hudson is going to have some big shoes to fill. Until or if Hudson is accepted by Rochester TV viewers then there is a good chance that Channel 8's ratings will increase.