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Tony Cipolla joins KCOY

August 12, 2011

Tony Cipolla

Former KSBY news anchor Tony Cipolla is heading to Santa Maria for a new TV gig with arch rival KCOY Channel 12. [Tribune]

Next week, Cipolla will join Sara Cole as co-anchor of the morning show.

Last October, KCOY began airing a television spot showing Cipolla from behind which coyingly ended just as he began to face the camera. The announcer intoned “Coming This November Tony’s Back”

However, while Capolla began teaching broadcast journalism classes at Cal Poly, a job he plans to keep along with his KCOY gig, he did not start with KCOY in 2010.

Cipolla left KSBY last spring after 20 years as a reporter-anchor in a contract dispute. Reportedly making $160,000 a year in salary, Cipolla rejected a management request to drop his pay down to $110,000 a year.

Cipolla earned two Emmys for his work on the San Simeon Earthquake, numerous Associated Press honors and Golden Mike awards from the Radio and Television News Association, as well as the Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in broadcast journalism during his time at KSBY, the Tribune said.

How Cipolla does in Santa Maria remains to be seen. Rick Martel made a similar move in 1995 after leaving the anchor chair at KSBY in his own contract dispute, but Martel lasted little more than a year in Santa Maria at KCOY with then co-anchor Mary Babbitt.


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High price talent often doesn’t work…. even in the NFL… but I wish both KCOY and Tony luck in their arrangement… whatever it is.


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Tony left KSBY over money issues…. I bet he’s not making anything close to what KSBY was offering at KCOY.


…Any truth to the rumor that he’s practicing for his new gig by repeating “A stabbing in Santa Maria leaves two gang members arrested” over and over again?


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What are these four-letter capital things? Is that some sort of radio? ;-)


just kidding… I don’t do TV much anymore. Especially local news; I prefer radio and CCN.


But good luck to this dude.


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My favorite part of KSBY’s early AM ‘news’ is when the the two hosts open a laptop computer to show us the magic of Internet fluff.


An excellent use of the public airways.


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FINALLY, a platform for my biggest complaint with KSBY(besides no Tony Cipolla). KSBY repeats its news continually throughout the morning. I know this because most mornings I am up before 4am. It is ridiculous how often a story will repeat. I am looking forward to watching Tony again. I do enjoy the Richard and Carina chemistry tho.


Thank you for letting me vent…


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They all repeat over the 2 hours in the morning. 5am, 5:30am, 6am, 6:30am. KSBY, KCOY, and KEYT. They do that for a reason. You’re not supposed to sit and watch all 2 hours. Its not the Today show.


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I will certainly watch Tony on KCOY in the morning when he starts in a few weeks. But I would eally like to see him doing an evening news cast again.


I like Richard Gearhart on KSBY, but I don’t think he will ever move to evening. So the only “local talent” that KSBY has anymore is Jeanette Trompeter. Yeah, she lived and went to school here once, but she fled along time ago hoping to make it big in larger markets. It’s not until she hagged-out, and hit the glass ceiling – that she came running back to KSBY crying “there’s no place like home.”


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The ‘there’s no place like home’ stories for the most part seem like a waste to me. Once in awhile they’re good but over all, blaa. I haven’t like KSBY since Tony left.


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I agree. Pretty much informative to anyone who lived here 20+ years ago and left – then came back recently and want to learn just enough about this area to “appear” to be a local.


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Tony will be a good addition to the professional newscasters at KCOY. As long as Katie and Arturo remain, I’ll watch.


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I like Tony, I’ll be watching.


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I got six thumbs down for liking Tony C.. Toooo funny!


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Up to 9, can we make it 10. I’ll give myself a thumbs down so lets see if we can make it 11 people that disapprove of me watching Tony on KCOY. :) SSB, have you voted yet?


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Anyone know what happened to KCOY’s Randall White?


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Moved in with Donna Pangburn ?


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