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Where's Mellany Armstrong?

I

ixnay

Star Participant
Only Peter's name is mentioned in the new BOH 'DEL morning news ID (which sounds recorded slightly faster than the old one).

ixnay
 
Not mentioned on the station website. No recent posts on Facebook.
Her Linkedin profile says WDEL October 2003 – September 2014.
Sounds like she's out.
Not only does she sound good on the air, she actually went out and got stories - unlike the two fat old White guys still on the payroll. If her departure was not voluntary, she's got a heft legal settlement coming.

That said, I'm surprised it has taken Delmarva this long to start cutting personnel. Audience and revenue shrinkage like George Costanza after a cold water dip. Look for more people to disappear. And the owners have reportedly had trouble finding a buyer. No suckers like Clear Channel was 11 years ago coming around these days.
 
WDEL launched a new (and IMO inferior, especially the cacophonous traffic sounder) musical logo around the time Armstrong was jettisoned, perhaps Delmarva's wanting to signal the new era in that corner of Shipley Road.

ixnay
 
Still no stories from her posted in the last month.

Watcher: How many years ago did Kanefski leave? I don't think my description could be more obvious. But here's a hint: Their job function is the same as Mellany's.
 
Fred Leonard asked me on the KJWP-TV post on National TV board in regards to the departure of Mellany Armstrong by saying: " I know you have contacts. If you learn anything, please let us know (over there)."

So here's my reply over here.

I've not asked any of the folks I know at WDEL about Mellany's leaving WDEL. In the first place this is a personnel issue and they'd not ethically be allowed to discuss this with me; and as a friend I'd not ask them to divulge such info. Secondly Ms. Armstrong's entitled to her privacy. So whether she left on her own or was laid off is frankly is none of our business. Hopefully her great sounding voice will re-appear somewhere else in the Philly/Wilmington market.
 
MikefromDelaware said:
I've not asked any of the folks I know at WDEL about Mellany's leaving WDEL. In the first place this is a personnel issue and they'd not ethically be allowed to discuss this with me; and as a friend I'd not ask them to divulge such info. Secondly Ms. Armstrong's entitled to her privacy. So whether she left on her own or was laid off is frankly is none of our business. Hopefully her great sounding voice will re-appear somewhere else in the Philly/Wilmington market.
Click to expand...

And you claim to have been a "journalist?" No wonder radio news in Wilmington is worthless. Nothing but hand-outs and staged events - nothing that wasn't given to them, only what they want you to know.

And the courts have made it clear for decades that public figures do not have expectations of privacy.
 
Thank you Ravens for clarifying the issue.

By the way Fred, I never claimed to be a journalist. I've said that I worked weekends at WILM as a Reporter, News Anchor for 7 years and as a Talk Show host for 4 years. As you've said, in the past a number of years ago, the station wasn't automated back then and they needed a monkey [I believe the words you used] to keep the place on the air on Saturday nights. So to keep me interested rather than just airing satellite shows, they had me write news stories for Sunday morning's news block, anchor a half hour news block on Saturday evening, and eventually they threw me a bone by letting me do a talk show on Saturday nights, not prime time. I guess they figured how much damage could I do as its a low listener time anyhow. As it turned out I did beat out WDEL during my talk shows time slot in the actual ratings, not 12+. I saw the book. Not too shabby for a weekender who did not have the credentials to be called an actual journalist. But make no mistake, I'm not an expert, I did the best I could [I tried to learn from the full timers there] and I definitely don't have the credentials to be considered a journalist. I was just a weekender whose real job was to keep the station on the air.
 
MikefromDelaware said:
Thank you Ravens for clarifying the issue.

By the way Fred, I never claimed to be a journalist. I've said that I worked weekends at WILM as a Reporter, News Anchor for 7 years and as a Talk Show host for 4 years. As you've said, in the past a number of years ago, the station wasn't automated back then and they needed a monkey [I believe the words you used] to keep the place on the air on Saturday nights. So to keep me interested rather than just airing satellite shows, they had me write news stories for Sunday morning's news block, anchor a half hour news block on Saturday evening, and eventually they threw me a bone by letting me do a talk show on Saturday nights, not prime time. I guess they figured how much damage could I do as its a low listener time anyhow. As it turned out I did beat out WDEL during my talk shows time slot in the actual ratings, not 12+. I saw the book. Not too shabby for a weekender who did not have the credentials to be called an actual journalist. But make no mistake, I'm not an expert, I did the best I could [I tried to learn from the full timers there] and I definitely don't have the credentials to be considered a journalist. I was just a weekender whose real job was to keep the station on the air.
Click to expand...

You worked for a station that called itself "newsradio" as a reporter, news anchor and writer for seven years - but you don't claim to be a "journalist?" That's rather telling.

For the record, this is not about the station's personnel files. It's about finding out what happened for people who know what's going on. F

The privacy of personnel files can be rather fluid. A manager who once worked at the station where you were not a journalist for seven years and now works at a station where you say personnel files are private once leaked personal information about a former employee from station personnel files on to several Internet message boards in retaliation for online criticism of the station. I guess personnel files are not so private when management decides they are not.
 
As you have lamented, in the past, that there's no farm team of reporters being trained with so many of stations being on the bird these days. Yet WILM did that certainly with me. I realize that if they had had automation, I'd not have had that opportunity. So while I may not be considered to be the best reporter, news anchor, or talk show host to have ever graced the airwaves of Wilmington, I'm wasn't the worst either. So given the fact I did not study journalism, I didn't do badly, given others I've heard who had.
 
MikefromDelaware said:
So given the fact I did not study journalism, I didn't do badly, given others I've heard who had.
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised how many so-called or self-proclaimed "journalists" never studied journalism. Exhibit A: Right-wing talk show host A. Loudell.
 
FredLeonard said:
The privacy of personnel files can be rather fluid. A manager who once worked at the station where you were not a journalist for seven years and now works at a station where you say personnel files are private once leaked personal information about a former employee from station personnel files on to several Internet message boards in retaliation for online criticism of the station. I guess personnel files are not so private when management decides they are not.
Click to expand...

What you are describing is illegal. Nothing fluid about it.

The bottom line is this: You don't have a "right" to know what happened to this person. She's gone from the station, and that's that.
 
Who said anything about "right to know." I asked. I have a right to ask. So did Mike From Delaware.
 
Mellany, your very professional voice and the work you did as a reporter for WDEL is missed. I hope you landed on your feet, as some station in another market hopefully snatched you up. You have a distinctive female voice that doesn't have that "sing song / valley girl" tone that so many women in radio today have. I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing you the best.
 
No, he's not alone.

Mellany, please let us know where you land and what you're doing. On the plus side, in the meantime, you can sleep in and not make that schlep to Wilmington every day.
 
I heard Mellany in the middle of her 5:02p traffic report on KYW as I was pulling away from my local pizza place with the order I had just picked up. When did she start doing traffic? Glad you're still in the business, Mellany.

ixnay
 
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