Necn, the nation’s largest regional news network, today announced it is adding a trio of new hires to its roster, including veteran New England meteorologist Pete Bouchard and journalists Joy Lim Nakrin and Melody Mendez. Beginning Monday, January 11, Bouchard will join the network’s experienced “Early Warning Weather” team led by Chief Meteorologist Matt Noyes, while Nakrin and Mendez will start at the network this spring.
Pete Bouchard, a local television meteorologist in New England for more than 20 years, joins necn from WHDH in Boston, where he was Chief Meteorologist for more than 13 years. Before working at WHDH, he was a meteorologist at a number of stations throughout New England, including WPXT and WGME in Portland, Maine, WFXT in Boston and WVII in Bangor, Maine, where he earned his American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval.
Bouchard has been nominated twice for Outstanding Achievement in Weathercasting by the New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. While in Maine, he won first place for Best Weather from the Maine MAB as well as honors from the state’s Associated Press. Bouchard holds a bachelor’s degree from Lyndon State College in Vermont. He, his wife and their three children live in the Boston area.
“New Englanders are tough and they know their weather,” said Kenny Plotnik, Vice President of News, necn. “Blizzards, tornadoes and nor’easters do not faze them, but they do depend on their local meteorologist to make sure they’re ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at them. Pete Bouchard has been doing just that for more than two decades and we’re proud to welcome him to our already strong necn weather team.”
A native of New England, Melody Mendez joins necn as a weekday morning anchor at the end of March. She brings more than a decade of journalism experience to her role, most recently as morning anchor of WFLD’s morning newscast, “Good Day Chicago,” where she worked for two years. Mendez has also held anchor and/or reporter positions at KDVR in Denver, Colorado, KOMO in Seattle, Washington, WICD in Champaign, Illinois and WBBJ in Jackson, Tennessee. She began her career in journalism in Boston at Neighborhood Network News.
Mendez holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University’s College of Communications, where she received the Dennis Kauff Award for excellence in journalism, the award created in memory of Dennis Kauff, the award-winning WBZ reporter who was killed by a drunk driver in 1985. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Mendez is in the process of re-locating to the Boston area, where her family lives.
“Melody is an excellent journalist who has covered stories of major impact, ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the deadly movie theater shootings in Aurora, Colorado,” said Plotnik. “Growing up in Southern New Hampshire and attending college in Boston, she understands and appreciates the communities we all call home and I know she will work hard to build a strong connection with our local viewers. We are proud to welcome Melody back to New England.”
Joy Lim Nakrin makes her debut on necn in early May as an afternoon anchor and evening reporter, bringing more than ten years of television experience. For the last two years, she was an anchor and reporter at WFXT in Boston. Before that, Nakrin was an anchor and reporter at KSTP in Minneapolis, Minnesota and WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut. Before entering the local broadcast television industry, she was an anchor and reporter for ESPN Asia, hosted shows on MTV Asia and starred in a Malaysian reality television series.
Nakrin is a licensed attorney with a law degree from Duke University and membership in both the American Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar. She has a bachelor’s degree from Haverford College. She resides in the Boston area.
“Joy is a smart combination of curious and persistent, which are two qualities of a top-notch journalist,” said Plotnik. “She’s well-liked and respected by Boston-area viewers and I know they will love seeing her on our air later this spring.”
Over the last two years, necn has experienced a transformation, featuring a brand new, state-of-the-art studio that debuted to viewers last year along with a brighter and more modern newsroom, upgraded technology and tools and a new focus on breaking news and weather coverage. Necn’s new studio includes a “working” Weather Center where the network’s team of meteorologists prepare and deliver their forecasts, including a 10-day forecast during every newscast so local viewers can get ready for any upcoming storms or inclement weather. Necn is available to viewers throughout most of New England; check local listings for channel placement.
About necn
Owned by NBCUniversal, necn is the largest 24-hour regional news network in the U.S. Since its launch on March 2, 1992, necn has grown to include 3.6 million subscribers in more than 1,050 cities and towns throughout all six New England states. Necn has established itself as an industry leader and as the only regional news network of its kind to earn a George Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I. duPont – Columbia University Broadcast Journalism Award, among many other accolades.
