Boston Fox station welcomes one anchor back, adds another

WFXT, the Cox Media Group-owned Fox affiliate in Boston, Massachusetts, has added two anchors to its news team, bringing back former station anchor Scott McDonnell and hiring Shaynah Ferreira from WTXF in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The station announced the appointments Oct. 1, 2026, introducing both journalists to viewers during an on-air segment with anchor Kerry Kavanaugh. The additions mark a homecoming for both broadcasters, who have ties to New England and previous experience in the region.

Ferreira joins Boston 25 after five years at WTXF, where she worked as a reporter and anchor, including appearances on the station’s “Good Day Philadelphia” morning program. She also contributed to the station’s “Tell Me Something Good” segment, which featured positive stories and community initiatives.

A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Ferreira graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 2017. Her earlier television experience includes reporting and anchoring at WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut, and reporting at WSAV in Savannah, Georgia.

She began her professional broadcasting career at WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, working as an associate producer and assignment editor. Ferreira also gained experience at Emerson’s student-run WEBN News and interned with CBS News in Washington, D.C.

Ferreira, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, described the move as an opportunity to return to the region where she grew up and attended college.

“I’m really excited to be home – it’s a homecoming,” Ferreira said during her introduction on Boston 25.

McDonnell returns to WFXT after previously working at the station from 2019 to 2021, including anchoring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Most recently, he anchored the 5 p.m. newscast at Hearst Television-owned WMTW in Portland, Maine, joining the newsroom in September 2024. His career also includes anchoring and reporting positions in Phoenix, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; and Orlando, Florida.

Before his first stint at Boston 25, McDonnell anchored the 6 p.m. newscast at WTNH. His reporting assignments have included presidential elections, hurricanes, tornadoes and major national stories, including the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

McDonnell has also worked as a multimedia journalist and anchor at WSEE in Erie, Pennsylvania, and held positions at WSHM in Springfield, Massachusetts, and WFSB in Connecticut.

A native of Upton, Massachusetts, McDonnell graduated from the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School of Communications and Media in 2000.

McDonnell is expected to anchor weekday afternoon and evening newscasts, while Ferreira has identified her new position as an evening anchor. The station has not publicly detailed all of their specific newscast assignments.

The additions follow several changes to Boston 25’s on-air staff in 2026, including the retirement of longtime anchor Mark Ockerbloom and the departures of reporter and anchor Rachel Keller and chief meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz.