Anchor Changes in the Twin Cities

Viewers of WCCO will soon be seeing some familiar faces in new places as the station announced a significant anchor lineup change affecting its afternoon and evening newscasts. The move splits up the longtime husband-and-wife anchor team of Amelia Santaniello and Frank Vascellaro on the station's flagship broadcasts.

The most notable change involves Amelia Santaniello, a fixture at the station for nearly three decades. After co-anchoring alongside her husband for almost 20 years, Santaniello will now co-anchor the 4 p.m. newscast with Erin Hassanzadeh. In her new role, the station says Santaniello will also lead daily newsmaker interviews.

Her husband and longtime co-anchor, Frank Vascellaro, will now anchor the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts solo.

The shuffle also creates a new role for journalist Jeff Wagner, who will move from the 4 p.m. anchor desk to lead the station's popular "Good Question" franchise, where he will focus on deeper reporting for the segment.

Station leadership framed the move as a way to better utilize the team's talents. “This new lineup at WCCO underscores the strength and collaboration of our trusted on-air journalists, giving them the opportunity to go deeper into the news of the day and provide even more value to our community,” said WCCO’s Vice President of News, Brian Nemitz.

Fans of the station’s most-watched newscast can rest easy. The 6 p.m. anchor team will remain the same, featuring Amelia Santaniello, Frank Vascellaro, meteorologist Chris Shaffer, and Mike Max on sports.