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Mark Nolan will be pulling double duty as both a morning host at WMJI and a news anchor at WOIO Channel 19.
(WKYC)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - When Mark Nolan left WKYC Channel 3 in early 2012, he insisted the move was not prompted by any kind of midlife crisis. "I'm calling it halftime," he said at the time.
"Well, looks like halftime is over," he said Thursday during a telephone interview. "Time to get back in the game."
Nolan and the station executives confirmed that he will become Romona Robinson's new co-anchor on WOIO Channel 19's 4 and 6 p.m. newscasts. The station will make an announcement next week detailing all newscast assignments.
Sources at the station say that Robinson's current 6 p.m. co-anchor, Denise Dufala, will continue as the 11 p.m. co-anchor and will be an anchor on other newscasts.
Robinson and Nolan are old friends, having worked together for many years at Channel 3, Cleveland's Gannett-owned NBC affiliate. He will probably start at Channel 19, the Raycom Media-owned CBS affiliate, in a couple of weeks.
"We are very excited about someone of Mark's talents and versatility joining our staff," said Dominic Mancuso, the general manager at Channel 19 and its sister station, WUAB Channel 43.
A few days after leaving Channel 3 in January 2012, Nolan joined Clear Channel Media & Entertainment's WMJI FM/105.7 as the radio station's midday host. He moved to "The Magic Morning Show: Nolan, Malone & Kullik" (with Jimmy Malone and Chip Kullik) when John Lanigan ended his long WMJI "Magic" run in 2014.
"The idea of going back on television is exciting and scary at the same time," Nolan said. "But that's good. If it was boring, it wouldn't be any fun. And it will be great fun working with Romona again. That opportunity was just too good to pass up."
Nolan recently signed a new long-term contract with WMJI, so he won't be giving up the radio gig.
"I couldn't think about a full-time schedule at Channel 19, because I literally would never sleep," he said. "I also recently moved downtown, so I won't be driving in from Geauga County. That made this more workable, too."
Born in Cleveland at Fairview Hospital, Nolan grew up in Northeast Ohio. A 1991 graduate of Kent State University, he was the weather director for TV-2, the campus television station. After graduation, he was hired by the university as a radio and television production instructor, a post he held until 1992.
He joined Channel 3 as a part-time weather forecaster in June 1994, becoming a full-time weatherman for the 6 and 11 p.m. weekend newscasts in January 1997. After contributing to the station's weekday morning and noon newscasts for more than two years, he was promoted to the 6, 7 and 11 p.m. newscasts as chief meteorologist.
Along with anchors Tim White and Robinson and sports anchor Jim Donovan, Nolan was a key part of the station's 6 and 11 p.m. news team that enjoyed an eight-year run starting in 1999. Donovan is the last member of that team still at Channel 3.
White left the station in 2008. Robinson, Channel 3's solo anchor for the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts after White's departure, left Channel 3 in late 2011 when negotiations for a new contract reached an impasse. She joined Channel 19 in early 2012. And when Nolan left Channel 3 about the same time, he was the co-anchor of the morning newscast.
"It really is my decision," Nolan said at the time. "It's something I've been thinking about for a year or so. I'm 42, and 42 isn't what it used to be in this business. It's a young person's game."
What's changed?
"The batteries absolutely have been recharged," he said. "I'm ready to pick up a little extra work."
Updated at 2:19 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.