WCPO-TV has hired Iraq war veteran Adrian Whitsett to co-anchor Good Morning Tri-State with Julie O'Neill.
The former Marine comes from Orlando's WESH-TV, where he was morning anchor.
"We're excited to get him here. Adrian is a strong journalist with a warm personality and has local ties," says Jeff Brogan, WCPO-TV vice president and general manager.
The local tie is his wife, an East Central High School graduate. "Her family is spread all over the Tri-State," with parents in Lawrenceburg, a sister in Delhi Township and a brother in Sunman, They also have relatives in Western Hills, Hyde Park and Brookville, and a 6-month-old son.
"I have a deep and ever-growing appreciation for Skyline Chili, La Rosa's Pizza, goetta and Graeter's,鈥� Whitsett said in the WCPO-TV story.
Whitsett was born in Hawaii, and spent most of his childhood in Omaha, He earned bachelor degrees in broadcast journalism and philosophy in 2008 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
After a four-year stint in the Marines (1999-2003), he was employed by Home Depot before working for KETV-TV in Omaha (2008-2015) and WESH-TV. Both are sister Hearst stations to WLWT-TV. At WESH-TV, he also was weekend anchor and a reporter who covered "big stories like the Pulse Nightclub shooting and severe weather events across Florida," said the WCPO-TV story.
As a Marine, Whitsett served in Iraq as a member of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion providing support during combat in Kuwait and Iraq in 2003, WCPO-TV said. Since then he has mentored veterans making the transition into civilian life after active or reserve duty.
Whitsett starts Oct. 12 at WCPO-TV. He鈥檒l begin co-anchoring Good Morning Tri-State in November with Julie O鈥橬eill, meteorologist Jennifer Ketchmark and traffic reporter Sina Gebre-Ab. (November sweeps begin Oct. 29.)
O'Neill has anchored the morning show since 2018, when on Good Morning Tri-State and didn't after four years. Riva now anchors for WXIX-TV.
From the WCPO-TV story:
鈥淲e are excited to add Adrian Whitsett to our morning team. Adrian is a journalist at his core. He has a proven track record of finding and telling stories that you can鈥檛 find anywhere else. He鈥檚 also a great morning anchor. I鈥檓 eager to see what he does here in our community.鈥� said Mike Canan, WCPO 9 senior director of local content.
"I'm excited to come back to my Midwest roots. I look forward to learning more about the people and places I've only visited in recent years and join a team dedicated to telling the stories that matter to the Tri-State," Whitsett said.
