WNYW 6pm Newscast with Ernie Anastos Gets Big Update

It's a whole new way to see the news.

 

That is, at least, what WNYW/Ch. 5 anchor Ernie Anastos and the station’s news director, Byron Harmon, hope to do this summer.

 

Monday will mark the unveiling of the station’s reformatted 6 p.m. newscast. The program now will focus heavily on enterprise journalism and lifestyle stories, aiming to offer viewers a more positive spin on the news.

 

“I’ve been doing the news for 35 years in New York, and I feel a very personal relationship to the viewers,” Anastos told The News. “So this is a chance to be more personal, more direct and more conversational,” he said. “It’s a chance to discuss things rather than just report them.”

 

The nightly report will have a new set and a slightly different lineup of talent.

 

Anastos will do a solo anchor on the broadcast, backed by meteorologist Nick Gregory and sports anchor Russ ­Salzberg. But Anastos says he’ll occasionally leave the studio to report.

 

It’s a chance to discuss things rather than just report them.

 

Meanwhile, Audrey Puente will step outside her usual role as meteorologist and serve as a reporter, along with entertainment reporters Simone Boyce and Christal Young.

 

Harmon said the broadcast will offer more original reporting and interviews, and aim to cover a wide and eclectic group of topics, including lifestyle, social issues, family, wellness and education, as well as the day’s headlines.

 

The reformatting of the 6 p.m. telecast is part of a continuing reshuffling of WNYW’s news programming that has been unfolding since June 5.

 

“Our goal is to redefine local news in New York City,” said Harmon. “I feel that news is more than fires, crimes and car crashes.”

 

Changes this summer include the pairing of Dari Alexander and Steve Lacy, who are pulling double duty as anchors at 5 and 10 p.m.; a 10:30 p.m. telecast called “Friday Night Live,” on entertainment, food and travel; hourly news updates throughout the weekend; a documentary series called “Fox Docs,” and “Backstory” a behind-the-scenes look at how the station puts together its newscasts.

 

 

See more at: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/channel-5-big-update-article-1.1840146#ixzz35UfCaBKT