Just Before the May Book

Just in time for the May book, this O-Town station is doing the Anchor shuffle.

Hearst-owned WESH is reshuffling its anchor lineup in Orlando following the departure of Summer Knowles, who retired from the station last week. The changes, which take effect today, move several familiar faces into new time slots across the NBC affiliate’s evening and late-night blocks.

Michelle Imperato is moving into the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. chairs alongside Stewart Moore. The two will be joined by Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi and Sports Director Daren Stoltzfus for both broadcasts. Imperato’s move upward creates a vacancy in the early evening, which will be filled by Lindsey Sablan. Sablan is transitioning into the 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. (on CW18) slots, where she will partner with Jesse Pagan.

The internal shift allows the station to maintain its current roster while filling the void left by Knowles, who wrapped up her tenure on Friday. Management is leaning on the established chemistry between Moore and Imperato, noting their history of covering the Central Florida market as a team. For the 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. shows, the pairing of Pagan and Sablan will be supported by Mainolfi’s weather coverage, with Stoltzfus joining the 10:00 p.m. broadcast on the CW side.

Station leadership indicated that the move is designed to leverage the existing experience and community ties of the current anchor team. By promoting from within, the Hearst station is looking to maintain its consistency in a competitive Orlando market without a lengthy external search.