 Bob Brunner - News Director
Bob Brunner has been covering news in West Virginia for most of his adult life. He began in 1968 at WSAZ-TV in Charleston-Huntington as a reporter, leaving the station as executive news director in 1990.
After 3 years as executive assistant to governor Gaston Caperton, Bob served as managing editor at WCHS-TV in Charleston from 1993-1996. In recent years, Bob has served as news director for the CBS station in Montgomery, Alabama and as executive editor for the CBS affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee.
After a brief attempt at retirement, Bob returned to West Virginia in April 2005 to become the news director here at WOAY-TV. His popular "One Tank Trip" features are seen every Thursday on Newswatch 4 at 6pm. |
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 Keke Vencill - 6pm and 11pm Anchor
Keke values covering stories important to West Virginians. Her love for journalism began while attending Western Kentucky University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a broadcast news degree. Prior to coming to WOAY, she worked as a news intern at the Fox affiliate in Nashville and also worked at an NPR radio station in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Keke grew up in Richmond, Kentucky and the kindness of southern West Virginians reminds her of the Bluegrass State. She has an adventurous spirit and has been soaking up all the outdoor activities West Virginia has to offer, including rock climbing, skiing and rafting the Upper Gauley River. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hanging out with her cats, Buford, Bumpkin, and Sam, running, scuba diving and reading. |
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 Dan Toth - Sports Director
Dan joins WOAY from after covering the Carolinas for nearly two years at CN2, a local cable station. Before heading East, Dan began his broadcasting career in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Southwest Montana serving as Sports Director for the tri-market stations of KXLF, KBZK, and KXLH in Butte, Bozeman and Helena respectively.
Son of Tom and Lynn Toth, the traveling bug bit Dan at an early age. After growing up in Seattle, rooting mightily for all things Seahawks, Sonics, and Mariners, Dan took off for college in Flagstaff where he obtained a degree in Electronic Media from Northern Arizona University.
Dan is happy to call West Virginia home and looks forward to covering all the diverse sports the Mountain State has to offer. He also anticipates visiting all the picturesque outdoor places on those rare off days. If you see Dan out and about, be sure to wave hello!
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 Ross Ellet - Chief Meteorologist
Ross Ellet became News Watch 4’s Chief Meteorologist in September of 2007. Ross grew up on the outer edge of the lake-effect snow machine in northern Indiana in the small town of Albion located between South Bend and Fort Wayne. He graduated at Purdue University in May of 2007 with his Meteorology degree and a minor in Communications and Sociology. During his junior year at Purdue, Ross got his first job in broadcasting working as the weekend weather anchor for WLFI in West Lafayette, Indiana. Ross and his wife Sara are now glad to call southern West Virginia home. They are also the proud parents of twin boys Bryce and Simon.
Ross began with a strong passion for weather and forecasting at just a few years old. He would watch the local weather every day and try to compete with local forecasters by making his own forecasts at the age of 5. At that time his forecasts had very little accuracy and many people just laughed, but with time that began to change. At the age of 15 he became a weather spotter for WPTA-TV 21 in Fort Wayne, IN and the National Weather Service. Once Ross turned 21 he became a member of the American Meteorological Society and began his first on-air forecasting job.
Besides the weather, Ross has several hobbies. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, he is a huge Indiana Pacers and Colts fan, and loves photography, traveling and camping. He says that perhaps his favorite hobby is storm chasing because it includes almost all of the hobbies into one while helping people stay safe by reporting severe weather conditions as they unfold. Ross loves the challenging weather the Mountain state has to offer while enjoying the vast amount of outdoor activities.
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 Alycia Pence - Morning Weather Anchor
Alycia comes to us from the Bluegrass State. She graduated from the University of Kentucky Cum Laude in December 2006 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She began her career at WOAY as a weekend weather anchor/reporter. Alycia was eager for the new opportunities given to her at WOAY and discovered a new found passion for the weather. She's now taking classes online and working on a second degree in Broadcast Meteorology at Mississippi State University. Alycia likes understanding the intricate details of weather and how everything works together to create a dynamic, changing environment. Wild, Wonderful West Virginia has lived up to it's name...Alycia has come to enjoy the Mountain State's many outdoor activities such as horseback riding, whitewater rafting and running in her spare time.
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 Erika Rieth- Noon Anchor/Reporter
Erika joined WOAY in November 2007 as the noon anchor and reporter. She’s a Cleveland native and enjoys the beautiful landscapes and friendliness of the mountain state. Erika graduated magna cum laude from the university of Toledo, majoring in broadcast journalism and geography and planning. She’s also taking classes through Mississippi State for broadcast meteorology. Erika has always had a passion for weather. Before coming to WOAY, Erika worked behind the scenes at WTVG in Toledo and produced for her college broadcast. She thinks the best part of reporting is meeting new people and learning something new everyday. She looks forward to bringing great news coverage to southern West Virginia. In her spare time, Erika enjoys road trips, shopping, and catching up on her favorite tv shows. |
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 Kristin Sommer - Reporter/Weekend Anchor
Kristin comes from Clinton Township, just outside the Motor City of Detroit. She graduated from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan in May 2006 with a bachelor's degree in Journalism and a minor in Communication. She joined the WOAY team in August 2006.
In June 2007 Kristin was promoted to weekend anchor.
Back home she worked for her college newscast as a one-man-band reporter and later behind the scenes. She was also a senior reporter for the independent student newspaper. She completed two internships in the newsrooms at WDIV and WJBK in Detroit.
Kristin loves exploring the New River Gorge and all the off-the-beaten-path places in Southern West Virginia. |
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 Marty Longhi- Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter
Marty graduated with a Bachelor's in creative writing from the University of Arizona. He interned in Tucson, AZ with KVOA before taking the job as weekend anchor/reporter with WOAY. When Marty's not talking about sports on the air, he's usually talking about sports off the air or playing sports. His hopes and dreams are limitless and range from someday getting to national news, starting a frisbee league in Oak Hill, to getting up in the morning. |
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 Maria Chung - Weekend Weather Specialist/Reporter
Maria brings her passion for the weather as well as a new perspective on news all the way from another MSU; Michigan State University. She graduated in 2006 with a degree in broadcast journalism and an external specialty in the environmental and geological sciences.
In college, Maria completed an internship at WLNS in Lansing, MI. Her dream of being a weathercaster began when she was in the fifth grade. She is excited to provide West Virginians with accurate forecasts on the weekends and news during the
week.
In her spare time, Maria enjoys playing scrabble, cooking, crafting, outdoor activities, and serving others. |
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 Mike Pickett - Reporter
Mike joined the Newswatch 4 staff in January of 2006. Originally from St. Louis, Mike earned his bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2003. He also received his Master's in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University in August of 2005.
Prior to joining Newswatch 4, Mike interned in the sports department at WSTM-TV in Syracuse, New York. He was also a sports reporter in the summer of 2005 with WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and watching sporting events. |
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 Sarah Bloom - Reporter
Sarah joins the Newswatch 4 team from Lexington, Virginia where she graduated from Washington and Lee University in June 2007. There she co-anchored her student broadcast, and completed an internship with CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight.
An Iowa native, Sarah has always had a passion for the camera and a good story. During her childhood years, Sarah was frequently asked to step aside during home videos-- giving her mother the rare opportunity to tape the other children in the family.
Now, she's greatful to the people of West Virginia for giving her the chance to serve them. Being a good reporter has always been her goal, and she's so excited that she landed her first job in the beautiful Mountain State!
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