Ella Dorsey, CBS46 meteorologist, has moved to mornings in a revamped show called “Wake Up Atlanta.”
It debuted Tuesday morning and runs from 4:30-7 a.m. “It will be a mix of news, weather and sports, but it will be fun and happy and real,” Dorsey wrote on her public Facebook page. “It will not be your normal, boring news.”
General manager Deborah Collura, in an interview Tuesday with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, lauded Dorsey for her enthusiasm for weather and an engaging personality that will radiate well in the mornings.
“Ella and her personality will be front and center,” Collura said, “because weather is one of the most important drivers in the morning.”
The meteorologist joined the station as a weekend anchor in 2016 but has seen her role expand over time. She said she recently signed a new three-year contract into 2023, purchased a condo and is “settling down in Atlanta.”
Dorsey’s departure from evening weather forecasting means more duties for chief meteorologist Jennifer Valdez — who spent more than a decade in the mornings until last year. Valdez will now do newscasts at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m. (on sister station Peachtree TV) and 11 p.m.
In the mornings, Dorsey joins newcomer Rob Hughes from Charlotte. Collura knew him from her time running a Charlotte NBC affiliate station before joining CBS46 and felt he was ready to move into a top 10 market. She called the father of two “smart, and quick on his feet." He takes over for veteran broadcaster Karyn Greer, who as previously announced will remain as a reporter and noon anchor but has added more work overseeing reporters and community outreach.
News anchor Gurvir Dhindsa remains, along with Rodney Harris, who will do both traffic and weather. Dhindsa is a former Fox morning host who joined CBS46 in 2017 temporarily but soon became permanent. Meteorologist Fred Campagna, who joined CBS46 a year ago, will move from mornings to weekends and fill in for Valdez weekdays.
CBS46 has seen a lot of changes in the mornings in recent years as ratings have tended to lag behind those of its rivals. Among the anchors who have hosted mornings over the past 13 years since it launched as “Better Mornings” are: Mike Brooks, Brandon Rudat (now Brandon Lee), Tracye Hutchins, Michelle Burdo, Gloria Neal, Greer and the late Amanda Davis.
Collura is known as a turn-around specialist who has helped stations in Houston and Charlotte improve their ratings.
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