News 19 to debut on HSTV
When Anthony DeNunzio signed on to be a news anchor on HSTV’s News 19 broadcast, he had no idea that painting would be part of the job. He, along with fellow anchor Amy Lutz, features reporter Carrie Lenardo and weather forecaster Pete Churney, got out of the old and into the blue when they rallied to repaint their studio so that it would be ready in time for their first newscast.
Those four comprise the news team which – starting Monday- will present news from Fayette and Greene counties Monday through Friday at 7 p.m.
“News 19 is a real cooperative effort,” said DeNunzio, laughing about the paint job.
But DeNunzio is quick to point out that he means that seriously. The four reporters connected to News 19 are working together to bring the residents of Fayette County localized news they can relate to.
The others nod, agreeing with DeNunzio’s assessment.
The half-hour show, which will include features segments from Lenardo three times a week, will be televised on Charter Communications’ channel 19.
Herald-Standard Publisher Val J. Laub said the show will focus strongly on local news, something he said Pittsburgh-based newscasts don’t do.
“I think it’s going to take HSTV to a whole new level,” said Laub, who hopes the show will serve as a compliment to the Herald-Standard newspaper.
Interactive Media Director John Voytek proposed the show in the spring. Voytek said he received strong support for the idea, both from Laub and the Herald-Standard’s parent company, Calkins Media.
“I’ve always felt the need for a local newscast, and I think that it will have a strong, positive impact on our community,” said Voytek.
With cameras ready to roll, the reporters will start their day around 9 a.m., going to different events in the community. The schedule of things to cover includes commissioner meetings and trials.
By late afternoon, they will get ready for their live-to-tape newscast, recorded at a studio in the Herald-Standard’s interactive media building.
Each newscast will include 12 to 15 stories, and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Lenardo will have a features segment.
Eventually, said Voytek, he hopes that the newscasts will be totally live and run seven days a week.
As it stands now, the 7 p.m. newscast will repeat at 10:30 p.m. and the next day at 6 a.m.
Voytek said updates to the 7 p.m. show will run at the bottom of the screen during the subsequent newscasts.
In addition to painting their studio, the reporters went out to events in the community to hone their news skills in the weeks before their first newscast.
The News 19 crew was the first on scene of the Connellsville tanker explosion on Nov. 21. That, said Laub, is the advantage of having a local crew of television news reporters to cover local spot news events.
Channel 4 WTAE-TV news used some of the HSTV footage on their newscasts about the accident, said Laub.
As a result, News 19 may partner with the Pittsburgh network, said Laub.
DeNunzio, Lutz, Lenardo and Churney all expressed excitement to be working on the newscast, the first within Calkins Media to marry newspaper and television news in this way.
“This is just a natural evolution for our company in its mission to be the leader in local news and information – a true multimedia force,” said Voytek.
News Director Joanne Hunt, who works directly with the anchors, said she is eager to see the newscast get on its feet.
“The debut … will undoubtedly make a substantial impact in our community, and that impact will make our organization, as well as our community, very proud,” she said.
As for the news personalities, Lenardo and Lutz both have roots in Fayette County.
Lenardo, a Uniontown native, graduated from West Virginia University, and has been active in theatre productions throughout her life.
The mother of two, Lenardo has been featured on public safety announcements, in a West Virginia historical documentary and as a spokesperson for FYI commercial advertising.
Lutz, who currently lives in Pittsburgh, said she is pleased to return to Fayette County, near her mother’s former Dunbar home.
She received her degree from Point Park College, acting as the news director of WPPJ radio and as a critique writer for The Globe, the school’s weekly publication, while in college.
Lutz said she likes to sing and dance and was the fourth member of her family to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
DeNunzio is a native of Jeannette and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.
He formerly worked as an intern and assistant sports producer for WTAE-TV.
He has also done marketing work for Pitt’s athletic department, which included coordinating game-day presentations and promotions for the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Churney hails from Harrisonburg, Va., and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked as a meteorologist at several television stations across the nation and has been a featured reporter for CNN.
He is the creator and producer of three other shows and credits his love of weather to his grandfather, who took him sailing off the coast of Maine at age 4.