Facebook Celebrates the Local Media Personality

When the news broke that longtime WBZ reporters Bob Lobel and Joyce Kulhawik had been fired, many media-watchers said the young people just don’t care about local news personalities. Emily Rooney blamed it on the average twenty-something’s inability to love. Others blame it on new technologies that have lured kids away from the TV.

But young adults are honoring some of their favorite personalities using the very technology often cited as a reason for plummeting local ratings. We found several Facebook groups dedicated to local reporters and anchors.

One group encourages users to boycott Channel 4 after they fired Lobel in April. David Wade’s group was established to assert his awesomeness shortly before he left FOX 25. Oddly, WCVB anchor Bianca de la Garza does not yet have a group of her own.

Many of the groups deal with the physical attributes of local anchors. Frances Rivera is HOT! has only one member, while Maria Stephanos is a smokin’ hot FOX! has 10. The ladies seem to feel the same way about WHDH meteorologist Pete Bouchard.

Channel 7’s new weatherwoman Dylan Dryer has a group, yet highly-anticipated NESN sideline reporter Heidi Watney does not. Which may be a good thing, since there are pages of groups dedicated to the praise or scorn of her predecessor, Tina Cervasio and anchor Hazel Mae.

But our favorite group may be the one dedicated to the struggling WHDH. It seems that some disgruntled employees might be responsible for this one:

We are THE NEWS STATION.

Sure, we may be overworked and underpaid, and completely replaceable at Management’s whim. But we get cake, like EVERY Friday.

And, we have Randy Price.

Rooney is wrong about our inability to have relationships—we’re in love with whoever is responsible for that blurb. Maybe we’ll make them a Facebook group.