Where are they now?
Today, we feature former WNEP sports anchor Dave Pingalore.
Pingalore started in Florida, first as an intern at WTVT-TV and then as a weekend sports anchor for WJKS-TV, where he covered the Jacksonville Jaguars. He moved to Pennsylvania in 1997 as the sports anchor for WATM-TV in Johnstown, and not surprisingly, found himself following all things PSU. After two years of that, "Ping" came to WNEP, where he stayed for six years, until he left this year.
Where is he now? "Ping" is now a weekend sports anchor for WOIO-TV in Cleveland.
Pingalore started in Florida, first as an intern at WTVT-TV and then as a weekend sports anchor for WJKS-TV, where he covered the Jacksonville Jaguars. He moved to Pennsylvania in 1997 as the sports anchor for WATM-TV in Johnstown, and not surprisingly, found himself following all things PSU. After two years of that, "Ping" came to WNEP, where he stayed for six years, until he left this year.Where is he now? "Ping" is now a weekend sports anchor for WOIO-TV in Cleveland.
posted by Howard Beale at 6:51 PM
10 Comments:
Well I didn't know him and for all I know he might have been one helluva guy but I don't think that came across on TV.
That's an understatement.
The managers who hired him, since departed, wanted a clown. They got one. I met Ping a few times. He seemed like an okay guy.
It seems in sports you have one of two ways to go, the Ping and Joe Zone way or the steady knows their stuff way like a Jim Miller or Jason Knapp.
There used to be a guy on channel 11 out of NY, back about ten years ago, who seemed to somehow blend both together, I can remember the last name, but I think the his first name was Jerry....
The latest thing from the consultants is to ditch sports. It's a mistake in this market because it's very sports oriented. Miller worked in thie market for years, and never made an impact. He knew his stuff, but he was dry. Knapp is solid and entertaining. The same goes for Coles on WNEP. Zone was paid to be controversial, and it worked. Eventually, people got tired of the act. Ping's mission was to draw non traditional people in to the sports tent. He spent more time screwing around and playing games than covering the nuts and bolts. It appears 16 has gone back to the traditional model. Consultants be damned.
I say ditch sports AND weather. That is, weather insofar as four minutes worth of blahblahblah peppered with "I think...possibly...a chance of...". Who cares? Beyond 24 hours, does one person anywhere believe there's any reliable degree of accuracy in a forecast? Today, tonight, tomorrow. 30 seconds tops. Of course what do you fill up a 30 minute opportunity to sell local avails with then?
Jerry Gerard from WPIX-11
I've been thinking about something ever since Howard posted this item. I don't mean this as low-road stuff, but it seems to indicate something.
One night, I was watching Fox56 News at 10. Marissa and Ping were on the set and he was waxing eloquently about the sports. Too eloquently. Marissa was becoming visibly antsy after a while and even gave him the "wrap it up" signal right on the air. He kept going. She finally said, "You're over." "Oh? How much?" "A minute."
That's a lot of time to be over and unaware of it. Just seemed odd at the time and it still seems odd. Was this typical of him?
He knew he wasn't getting another contract. He was just being petulant.
In response to weather and sports -- both are time fillers.
Sports less so, but they are both in there just to fill time...and weather is there in order to make the show a full 30 mins...otherwise it would be impossible to time a show to the minute.
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