Former Philly newscasters: Where are they now? July 11, 2009
Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Philadelphia.Tags: Alycia Lane, Angela Russell, Billy Vargus, CBS3, Don Tollefson, Etta, Fox29, Gerald Kolpan, Larry Mendte, Paul Deanno, Sally Ann Mosey
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Philly loves its newscasters. Philly loves it more when its newscasters have drama. Stations have seen many come and go, so here’s a look at where some of them went.
Alycia Lane
Lane was last seen on the air in December 2007 after the now-infamous incident involving an NYPD cop and a few choice words. She was no stranger to making news in Philly, not necessarily for good reason.
Lane has sued CBS3 for wrongful termination. But she is leaving Philadelphia behind and following her beau, radio host Chris Booker, to Los Angeles. She says she hopes to get a job in TV, although rumors of a future in real estate are also swirling.
Larry Mendte (larrymendte)
Mendte is a household name in the Philadelphia area — a local guy who people trusted. However, he was convicted last August of illegally accessing former co-anchor Alycia Lane’s e-mail account hundreds of times. He recently got off his sentence of six-months’ house arrest.
He has kept himself under the radar lately. He has started a blog in which he shares stories, poetry and other writings. Mendte’s wife, Dawn Stensland (dawnstensland), anchors the 10 p.m. newscast on Fox 29.
Gerald Kolpan (geraldkolpan)
Kolpan was a 21-year veteran of Fox 29, the most tenured member of its on-air staff. Kolpan was the go-to features reporter, known for his quirky stories and quirky delivery. He was released from the station earlier this year.
His release came just months before the release of his book, Etta, which is a fictional tale of the Sundance Kid’s companion. Kolpan is also keeping busy with an age discrimination lawsuit against Fox 29. (See the update.)
Don Tollefson and Billy Vargus
Within a year, Fox 29 canned two of its three sports anchors. Don Tollefson, a well-known broadcaster in Philly, was released last year (literally days after returning to the air after recuperating from a car accident). Billy Vargus was released this spring after 12 years at the station. No word on any future in the Philadelphia sports scene, though. Vargus still has a link to Fox 29 — his wife, Sue Serio (sue_serio), is the meteorologist for Good Day Philadelphia.
Joe Staszak is now the lead sports anchor/reporter, occasionally getting help from former Eagle Hugh Douglas and 610 WIP’s Anthony Gargano. Senior sports producer Tom Sredenschek has also taken up anchoring duties.
Angela Russell (thenewslady)
Russell was an anchor/reporter at CBS3. She co-anchored the 4 p.m. newscast with local news legend Marc Howard and reported for the 11 p.m. newscast. Known for her conversational tone and engaging reports, she was released from the station in January.
However, she quickly landed on her feet. She picked up the lead anchor job at KIRO in Seattle, Wash. She anchors the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Paul Deanno (pauldeannoKOMO)
Deanno was a popular morning meteorologist for CBS3. He was one of the few reporters to (reportedly) leave on his own terms to become chief meteorologist at WTVJ in Miami a few years back.
Miami must not be like Philadelphia. There were no reports on why Deanno quietly left Miami in the fall of 2008, but he is reunited with former CBS3 colleague Angela Russell in Seattle. He is the morning meteorologist at KOMO. (See the update.)
Sally Ann Mosey
SAM, as she was known by colleagues, was a popular, cheerful meteorologist at 6ABC. Like Deanno, she (reportedly) left on her own terms, making a name for herself at WNBC in New York City.
However, WNBC announced some hefty layoffs beginning in December 2008. The station released many of its big name personalities, likely to cost cut. Mosey was among the cuts.
Rumors quickly swirled in Philadelphia about a possible return to the area, much like Fox 29 meteorologist John Bolaris after his stint in NYC. Mosey has followed his example. She is now a freelance meteorologist for WTXF, and her first appearance back on air in Philadelphia will be on July 19.

Mosey, cheerful and popular? haha. Add inept and stupid to that list. The only thing funnier than that is you implying that she was a “big name” in NYC. Dude, she worked the graveyard shift on the weekends. No one will hire her so dumb fox 29 will get her on the cheap as a fill in.
I’d say making it to the No. 1 media market in the country — a city of 8.3 million — is considered making a name for oneself. But to each his own.
Yeah, the NYC market is not what it used to be. There’s no real cache to it anymore. I think everyone knows that. I’m just saying, most people consider the big name weather talent at 4 to be Huff and Cimino.
Just curious, what made Mosey inept and stupid?
Hope you caught her 6:20 performance. By her own admission, she “forgot to put the maps” in the computer. Then there’s the inane crap she was babbling about at the beginning of her set. She is, by far, the worst I’ve ever seen. But she’s always happy…as long as she’s making it all about her. Dude, there are reels of this kind of stuff.
[...] Update on Philly newscasters July 27, 2009 Posted by Chris Stover in Journalism, Philadelphia. Tags: Gerald Kolpan, Paul Deanno trackback Two updates on a recent post: [...]
I really, really miss Jessica Borg.