Former Philly newscasters: Where are they now? July 11, 2009

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.