PEOPLE

Laura Emerson to join WNWO-TV anchor team

Laura Emerson will co-anchor the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts beginning Aug. 10.

Longtime Toledo news anchor Laura Emerson is returning to local airwaves.

Beginning Aug. 10, Emerson joins WNWO-TV, Channel 24’s evening anchor and managing editor Jim Blue to co-anchor the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Her hire marks the latest in a string of significant on and off-air personnel changes for the station.

Emerson was an anchor at WUPW-TV, Channel 36, for 16 years, before she left in January, 2012, to co-anchor the 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts at NBC affiliate WPSD-TV in Paducah, Ky, a market that stretches into western Missouri, southern Illinois, and the northern edge of Tennessee, and is slightly smaller than the Toledo-area market.

“She brings a familiar face to our viewers,” said Nicole Hahn, who was recently promoted to WNWO’s news director position. “She has a vast knowledge of the area, and she will bring leadership and experience to our team.

“We wanted to bring Laura back because she is known in Toledo and because she spent so much time here,” Hahn added. “We think she and Jim will make a wonderful veteran team and that is what we want to bring to our viewers.”

The 46-year-old Emerson said she sees a lot of opportunity working at WNWO, the last-place news station in the market.

“When you’re in that position, all of your victories will be appreciated,” she said. “You’re not looking behind your back saying, ‘Oh, someone’s coming after us,’ you’re the one coming after them.”

Plus, she said she preferred living in a larger city like Toledo rather than Paducah and its metro population less than 100,000.

“I miss the larger area, I miss the amenities that come with a larger city: more ethnic diversity, all sorts of entertainment opportunities,” Emerson said. “I guess I had to leave Toledo in order to really appreciate how cool it is.”