Former HLN anchor Vinnie Politan officially joins 11 Alive on air August 4 on a new morning show from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. dubbed "Atlanta Alive." He will be the primary anchor.
Morning anchor Karyn Greer's role will shift. She will anchor the noon telecast, do stories for the evening shows and provide more digital content, according to a story posted on 11 Alive.
Chesley McNeil will still anchor the 4:30 a.m. news with Tracy Humphrey. McNeil will continue to do the weather from 5 to 7 a.m.
"Commuter Dude" Jerry Carnes, education reporter Donna Lowry and "Ways to Save" reporter Valerie Hoff will be taken off the morning show but work throughout the day instead.
Christopher "Crash" Clark and Fred McFarlin will still be handling Atlanta morning traffic. Humphrey will provide headline news updates each half hour and Jaye Watson will present an "11Alive Morning Moment" each half hour.
What is a "Morning Moment"? Here's how the press release describes it: "Something special each half-hour that makes you think, smile, laugh or cry. This could be a profile of a great character, a Random Act of Kindness, or something else. Whatever form it takes, it will be a celebration of the human spirit and sharable -- something we all need each morning in a crazy, hectic Atlanta lifestyle!"
The morning show is in third place behind Channel 2 Action News and Fox 5 but ahead of CBS46. Ratings for the 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. show in the first half of 2014 are up significantly year over year at the 5 a.m. hour, flat at the 6 a.m. hour. The show averaged a 1 rating, up from a .75 a year earlier at 5 a.m. and a 1.9 rating at 6 a.m.
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