A New Twist On WLW-WLWT Partnership

Did you see WLW-AM reporter Andrew Setters on Channel 5 news last weekend?

Setters, a morning co-anchor and assignment editor, was asked to freelance for Channel 5 due a staffing crunch. He's working weekends through Nov. 18, until Lisa Cooney returns from her personal leave.

Sally Thelen, Channel 5 assistant news director, asked Setters earlier this month if he could do some fill-in work. "She said they were short staffed, and asked me if I would like to give it a try," he says.

"As far as I know at this point, this is just a temporary situation. I think it was great of the people here at the Big One to give me the go-ahead to pick up some freelance work for a while. It's been a wonderful opportunity and I'm really enjoying getting a chance to learn another side of the business. A lot of the experience I've picked up over the past 9+ years at 700 WLW has been a big help in working at News 5, but there is definitely a learning curve that comes from taking a radio guy and putting him on TV."

Says Brennan Donnellan, Channel 5 news director: "Andrew has done a great job for us the past few times on the air. If other similar opportunities arise, we'd be open to it. So far, we don't have any further plans."

It's not the first time a radio reporter has made the transition to TV, although I don't recall a radio reporter freelancing for TV at the same time. John London (Channel 5) and Dan Carroll (Channel 19) came from WLW-AM, and network news veteran Edie Magnus did radio news at WUBE-FM.

Do you recall any others? Did you see Setters on TV?