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FoxCT announced this morning that former WTNH meteorologist Geoff Fox has found a home at the Hartford-based news station. He will appear on the station’s 4 pm and 11 pm newscasts (with Rachel Frank remaining at 10 pm). As we reported two days ago, Geoff visited the FoxCT newsroom on Tuesday and speculation was more than high that he was joining the team.
On his blog Geoff gives his impressions of his new employer versus WTNH where he spent 26 years.
I’ve always liked his technology reports and was a faithful watcher of Inside Space when that on ScFi. Don’t know if I’ll be watching him at 11pm though..
This won’t last…Geoff Fox’s ego won’t ‘allow’ him to play second fiddle to the un-experienced Frank.
I’ve heard the numbers are sooooooo loooooooww…he’s getting paid beans!
wonder if they will still be hiring a new weekend evening meteorologist or if Dan Amarante will be pulling double duty like Curtis does on WFSB
another thought… Joe Furey is on from 4:30-9am then again 11am…
Why not move Frank to the 11am and keep her on 4pm newscasts (similar shift to Mark Dixon at WFSB). then have Geoff on weeknights at 10 and 11…
Great Pick. I am a big fan!
Congratulations Geoff.
I already found out about this on Geoff’s blog! I can’t wait to see him on the air again.
8’s ratings went up after fox left. guess they’ll be going down at 61.
With Joe and Geoff now anchoring this weather team, I believe it to be the strongest in Fox 61 history….ultimately benefiting their viewers.
Happy spring everyone!
Michael Friedmann
twitter@WeatherTalk_TV
So who is their Chief Meteorologist? Is it Joe or Rachel? Mr. Fox did say that this position was created for him so it sounds more like he’s a technology reporter first and they just threw him a bone for the one forecast at 11pm
The photo is quite telling in the pecking order. Rachel and Dan might as well be in the next room.
True. But FOX61 made a smart move. They brought in a guy who will not only funnel in thousands of former viewers with him, but he’ll be at the station as a mentor to Rachel Frank and Dan Amarante. During the week, he’ll be working directly alongside Rachel, they’ll be able to develop forecasts together, and granted, she’s a good meteorologist, Geoff has 30+ years experience in the business. He can share a lot with the younger, yet no less capable, meteorologists there now. In response to Ben, I also doubt anyone is worried about their jobs or ego checks with Geoff’s arrival. It’s been made public that he’s in his 60s now (surprisingly! he doesn’t look that old), so one can expect he’ll be retiring from the station within the next decade. At that point, Rachel and Dan will be seasoned and in the right positions. Joe Furey is the Chief Meteorologist, I believe, and appears content with the morning show and all of his radio station weather gigs. So all in all, I don’t see anyone feeling threatened with Geoff’s addition. In fact, everyone’s pretty excited. The station’s going to get to do some interesting science/technology segments (probably leading to similar articles in the Courant written by Geoff), the weather team’s going to be an even stronger entity now, the station’s going to have more credibility in the market and on par with the Big 3 affiliates (don’t be surprised if other non-renewed 8 people end up there in the future), an influx of viewers are going to follow Fox to Fox, and last but not least, what an incredible marketing slogan “Fox on Fox,” so good that neither the station or Geoff could pass the thought up.
Did News 8 dump Syd Starks too? There’s a new meteorologist on tonight, Erica Grow. So first Matt, then Geoff, now Syd.
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/about_us/news_releases/wtnh-news-8-welcomes-erica-grow
Sid is on my Facebook so I took a look and found this.. it was changed on April 8th:
WTNH-TV
Free Lancer Weather Forecaster
Provide on air weather forecasts.
He’s a Financial Advisor from Longmeadow so maybe he only wants to work as a fill in?
I saw Ms. Grow tonight and she wasn’t bad…?
It’s the smart move. Fox CT would have been stupid to ignore the uproar that followed Geoff’s departure from WTNH. They are still trying to break into a 3 station news area so when you can pick up someone that could potentially deliver the southern half of the state, you jump on that. It was like a gift from above…
I don’t believe the ratings went down after Geoff
left, how can we see the ratings what is the website.
Geoff was there 26 years and we liked him the
problem is WTNH does not respond to e-mails
or calls, you go to voice mail so now they had to hire
3 people after letting 2 guys go. They are a joke I
am sure he took less money he would of at WTNH
but was not offered anything but the door . The General Manager who let him go is fool and I hope
they boot him out next.
Joe Amarante wrote in his column this morning in the New Haven Register that the ratings in January and February but that came from News 8s GM.
I can understand not answering every single email or call that came into the station concerning this … not many companies would tie up alot of personnel to handle things like this. They keep issuing the same statement that they would not comment on the personnel issue of not renewing Mr. Fox’s contract.
I don’t know about anyone else, but that continued statement about personnel issue makes me think there was something else going on as to why they didn’t renew his contract and that shouldn’t be our business, but it’s strange how that keeps coming up.