11Alive launches daily online news show ‘The Take’ with Chesley McNeil
Longtime 11Alive meteorologist Chesley McNeil recently began hosting a new online-only daily news show called “The Take.”
The 30-minute program features McNeil reading a few headlines but mostly doing interviews, typically three or four per day, addressing various news topics.
“It’s a wise idea,” said McNeil in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “People want information. I think people are making their way back to the truth. We have to meet them where they are.”
This move is a reflection of changing viewing habits as more people turn to streaming over traditional TV.
“There is more focus on the streaming space,” said Carol Fowler, director of content for 11Alive. “We wanted to create a show that gives us some room to run that you don’t have the confines of a traditional linear newscast.”
McNeil said the format allows him to delve deeper into specific topics. On Tuesday, he spoke with Nobel Peace Prize winner Ira Helfand about the potential for nuclear war and NBC News correspondent Alice Barr about the Atlantic magazine editor accidentally added to a high-level government security text chain.
He also interviewed Devika Brij, a corporate consultant, about corporations forcing more employees to work in the office, and Courtney Lindwall, a Consumer Reports reporter, about the latest smartphone trends.
During his 16 years at 11Alive, McNeil has primarily been a meteorologist, becoming a reliable presence in the mornings.
But he also spent more than a decade anchoring the “Wake Up With Chesley” 4:30 a.m. newscast until 2022.
“I’m getting into the groove” with the new show, McNeil said. “Before, I was mainly doing weather or science around it. This is really stretching me, but I enjoy the challenge.”
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
