CBS46 brings back Amanda Davis, Sally Sears, Kimberley Kennedy - for 'Just a Minute'

This unusual idea came from the brain of new GM Mark Pimentel, who joined CBS46 last fall but has also worked at 11 Alive and Channel 2 Action News.

The "Just a Minute" commentaries will run every day at 5:56 p.m. and will feature an all-star cast of (mostly) former journalists from rival stations such as Amanda Davis (Fox 5), Sally Sears (Channel 2 Action News, Fox 5), Kimberley Kennedy (11 Alive, WSB), Ken Watts (11 Alive and Fox 5) and Paul Crawley (11 Alive).

Bill Nigut, who still does radio and TV for Georgia Public Broadcasting, will join the crew, along with Mark Pettit (CNN, 11 Alive), Angela Robinson (Fox 5, 11 Alive), Cynthia Tinsley (11 Alive) and Lyn Vaughn (11 Alive, CNN).

Combined, they have more than 250 years of journalism experience and 300 years living in metro Atlanta, Pimentel said.

Curiously, none have ever worked at CBS46.

For a fourth-place station like WGCL-TV, this is a shrewd marketing move because it may create appointment TV for folks who miss those personalities, said Michael Castengera, a broadcast news consultant and University of Georgia journalism lecturer. "You got to get on the radar screen" as a fourth-place station, he said. "This could help."

Some stations to this day in some markets have their general managers provide commentary. But Pimentel thought it would be fun to have former journalists well known in the Atlanta market provide daily commentary and add a potentially intriguing element to a newscast.

"It came to me when I accepted the job," Pimentel said. "I was Facebook friends with half these people. I had worked with half these people at WSB and 11 Alive. How do I harness some of that into Channel 46?" (He had already hired long-time 11 Alive sports anchor Fred Kalil earlier this year.)

Pimentel himself had done commentaries called "Just a Minute" at stations in Huntsville, Ala. and Richmond, Virginia.

The station gathered the 10 journalists together last week to tape a promo. "It was like a high school reunion on steroids," Pimentel said. "We had a tough time taping because they kept talking to each other. Some people hadn't seen each other in years."

He said he has encouraged them to be "provocative."

Kennedy, now a communications and media coach, said she's excited for the opportunity. (Pimentel said the 10 are being modestly compensated. "It's grocery money," he said.)

"Atlanta TV needs to be shaken up," Kennedy said in an interview. "This is something different. I love giving my opinion!"

On Facebook, recently retired 11 Alive reporter Paul Crawley said no at first but Pimentel took him to lunch and convinced him to join the team. "We get to say whatever we want and will probably argue with each other sometimes," he wrote. "It's a diverse group of people used to biting our tongues for years."

Pimentel wouldn't say who said no but only three people on his wish list declined the invitation.

11 Alive a few years ago provided a platform for prominent folks in town such as Frank Ski (radio jock), George Andrews (banker) and Laura Turner Seydel (philanthropist) to talk in videos you can still see here. And esteemed anchor Brenda Wood provided a "Last Word" commentary on her 7 p.m. evening news show until 11 Alive eliminated the newscast a few months ago.