Television to radio to the Internet is the path Vince Coakley has taken in Charlotte media.
He was a news anchor at WSOC (Channel 9) for 18 years, then for a year hosted a conservative talk show on WBT-AM (1110) in afternoon drive-time. He left that job earlier this month when his contract wasn’t renewed by the station and is now doing an hour-long podcast on blogtalkradio.com.
“It’s the temporary home of the show,” says Coakley, 47. “It allows me to stay connected with listeners.”
Coakley records the weekday show in a home studio and posts it from there to Web. It is similar to the commentary he delivered at WBT and allows him more latitude to discuss spiritual beliefs. It doesn’t have the same kind of listener interaction he had at WBT, though, but neither is he tied to the click-click-click pace of radio.
Coakley says he’s free to pursue other job offers, but nothing has firmed up yet. “Those plans are in the works. I’ll leave it there.”
A native of Cincinnati, Coakley started his broadcast career at a small radio station in Newark, Del., 30 years ago. He succeeded Bill Walker as a prime anchor at Channel 9 in 2005. In August 2010, he left the station and began doing fill-in work at WBT, finally succeeding Tara Servatius in the afternoons a year ago.
“I’m looking for the next venue to communicate a timely message,” he says.
Media Movers
Duncan McFaden will join WFAE-FM (90.7) next month as host of “Morning Edition,” replacing Scott Graf, who moved to a station in Idaho. McFaden, a native of Wilmington, has been the morning host on Asheville’s NPR affiliate, WCQS-FM. … Michael Tomsic, a UNC Chapel Hill graduate who interned at WFAE, rejoins the station in August as a reporter. …
WBTV (Channel 3) reporter Steve Crump wins a salute to excellence award from the National Association of Black Journalists for a report on the Martin Luther King memorial weekend in Washington. Seth Bowman was the photographer on the story. …
Erica Parkerson decides to leave the WRCM-FM (“New Life” 91.9) morning show and the station is looking for a replacement. “It was my decision to leave and the hardest decision of my life. I know God has a plan though,” says Parkerson, who had been paired with Eric Calhoun. … Brad Krantz and Britt Whitmire take over the 3-6 p.m. shift Monday on WBT as “Brad and Britt.” …
Olivia Chisholm, the Charlotte woman who is a finalist on ABC’s “Duets” (8 p.m. Thursdays, Channel 9), says she got invited to audition for the program after singing the Robin Thicke song “Pretty Little Heart” and posting a version on YouTube. A producer from the show saw it, called her and asked if she’d be willing to try out. She’s paired with Thicke as a mentor on the summer performance show. …
Weekend lineup changes take effect at WFAE-FM on July 7, says program director Dale Spear. On Saturdays, “Splendid Table” moves to 3 p.m. and “This American Life” moves to 4 p.m. On Sundays, repeat broadcasts of “Splendid Table” and “People’s Pharmacy” will be replaced by “Studio 360” at 2 p.m. and “America’s Test Kitchen” at 3 p.m.
