Replaced (Demoted) in Cleveland (Patreon)

Sources inside Tegna’s WKYC (Cleveland) tell FTVLive that the station is demoting popular Anchor Sara Shookman on the 6PM newscast. 

The station announced that it is bringing in Laura Caso (pictured above) from WAVY in Hampton Roads, Virginia, to replace Shookman at 6 PM. 

The station says that Shookman is moving to the 7 PM to co-anchor with Jim Donovan  on a show they call “Front Row.”

"Front Row" is described by the station as a show that gives viewers a closer look at the newsmakers and tastemakers that are shaping Northeast Ohio. 

"Tastemakers"? 

"As you can imagine, replacing a pregnant hometown girl (Shookman) with a younger anchor with no ties to Cleveland (Caso) is not going over well in the newsroom," said one station insider to FTVLive.  

Many in the newsroom think that Shookman is being used as the fall-guy for the station's sagging ratings. "Sara is taking the fall for the 6p slipping to third place when it’s the hiring of comedians and a new format of very little news that is the reason," said the insider to FTVLive.

The station is doing its best to make it appear not to be a demotion for Shookman. “Sara has always had a gift for identifying the most compelling and newsworthy stories and people,” Adam Miller, WKYC director of content, said. “We’re excited for Sara to give a ‘Front Row’ seat to viewers as she shines a light on Cleveland’s best and brightest.” 

But Caso is taking over Shookman's job on the 6 PM newscast that WKYC calls “What Matters Most.”

So clearly if you are taken off a show that is named “What Matters Most” it is the Most important show and that means you have been demoted. 

It is just another of those head-scratching moves by a Tegna station.