There's another loss for that revolving door that is Channel 13's newsroom.
Rafer Weigel, a general assignment reporter for the station for the past two years, will leave on Jan. 29 to join CNN Headline News as a sports reporter. Specifically, Weigel will be the sports anchor on Headline News' "The Morning Express with Robin Meade."
Coincidentally, Weigel is replacing Will Silva, another former Sacramento reporter, who recently left CNN for ESPN.
Weigel's father, Tim, was a longtime Chicago sports anchor. And that's where Weigel's interests are centered. But he says the two-year gig reporting news at Channel 13 gave him valuable experience.
"I had virtually no experience before this job (at Channel 13), so I thank Steve (Charlier, vice president for news) for giving me the chance," he says.
The experience, Weigel adds, will make him a better sports reporter, in the long run.
"This (news) business is shrinking," he says. "Gone are the days when you can say, 'I'm just a sports guy' or 'I'm just an investigative reporter or politics reporter.' You have to do everything. And with sports jobs disappearing at local stations around the country, you've got to be versatile."
Cable news, however, has become a haven for TV sports anchors who have seen local news cut back or even eliminate sports reporting from newscasts.
"Cable seems to be the one area now that's not getting downsized," he says. "It's a cliche, I know, but this (CNN job) is a dream job."
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