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WCVB promotes Cindy Fitzgibbon to chief meteorologist role after Harvey Leonard’s retirement

By Matt Collins Article may include affiliate links

Morning meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon has been named chief meteorologist at Hearst’s WCVB in Boston, becoming the first woman to hold that title in the market.

Her promotion comes after Harvey Leonard retired in May 2022.

Fitzgibbon will remain on the station’s “EyeOpener” morning newscasts, rather than take over the evening duties that meteorologists with “chief” in their title often hold (though in Boston, Matt Noyes, who works at the NBC-owned station, holds the tile and appears in the morning).

Back on “NewsCenter 5,” Mike Wankum will provide forecasts during evening newscasts, according to the station.

Fitzgibbon has been with WCVB for nine years, having been hired from Fox affiliate WFXT in the market. She also worked at WBBH in Ft. Meyers, Florida, and WPTZ in Burlington, Vermont. Altogether, she has over 20 years forecasting the weather in the Boston market.

While TV news stations typically give the “chief” moniker to the person appearing on the evening and late newscasts, the title can jump around to other dayparts.

Morning forecasters typically end up getting more airtime than those appearing on the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. newscasts both because morning news runs longer and often includes more time dedicated to weather (many stations run weather and traffic every 10 minutes during the morning, whereas evening newscasts may only include a brief “first weather” segment with a full block running later for a few minutes).

Leonard retired in May 2022 to become the station’s chief meteorologist emeritus, with plans to contribute weather and climate-related content to the station but not appear on air regularly.

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