Pa. forecaster leaves top-rated station for competitors: Where is Valerie Smock?

Valerie Smock, a meteorologist at WNEP in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, left the station in early March 2024 to join a crosstown competitor.

After leaving WNEP, the market’s leading ABC affiliate, Smock joined NBC affiliate WBRE and CBS station WYOU in the same market.

WBRE is owned by Nexstar Media Group, with WYOU owned by Mission Broadcasting. Nexstar handles management of both stations and they produce newscasts under the name “Eyewitness News” that air on either or both stations. 

Smock had been appearing mostly on WNEP’s weekend morning newscasts, but also filled-in on other shifts.

Smock is the second WNEP personality to leave for WBRE-WYOU in recent memory. Tom Williams, who co-anchored WNEP’s popular morning newscast, abruptly left the station in March 2022 to run for state office.

Running as a Republican, he lost his primary bid to a 21-year-old councilman in May 2022. 

Williams then had a stint working in communications for a state senator but would later sign on as a morning anchor at WBRE-WYOU in March 2023.

Prior to that, longtime WNEP manager and anchor Frank Andrews resurfaced as assistant news director and anchor at WYOU in 2000. Jane Adonizio, another former WNEP staffer, also had a stint at WYOU from 1998 to 2004.

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WNEP has historically been a top-rated station in the market. The other two stations have tried numerous talent changes, formats, branding and other efforts to pry eyes away from WNEP.