DEDHAM, Mass. — September 9th marks a major milestone for WFXT: 30 years since the station launched its first newscast in 1996. Much has changed in the newsroom — and in the world — since then, but several members of the original team are still here today. They reflected on the station’s early days, the technology that transformed news gathering, and the people who helped build a newsroom they describe… as family.
The launch of ‘Fox News Boston’
Kevin Lemanowicz, 1996 Chief Meteorologist: “From the very first newscast, I go back, I’ve gone back to watch it, and you could tell everybody was just putting everything they had into it.”
Bob Ward, Reporter/30-Year Employee: “We were called Fox News Boston back in 1996, and it really was all for one, one for all kind of an attitude.”
Scott Tetreault, Assignment Manager / 30-Year Employee: “It was all, ‘Picture this, imagine this. This is how we think it’s going to go. Are you in?’ And yeah, I mean, it’s exciting, right?”
Mike Finnerty, Senior Director / 30-Year Employee: “Being the underdog is what pushed us to get that first show on the air because I think we felt like we had something to prove.”
Todd Krupa, Editor / 30-Year Employee: “Basically, we were told we wouldn’t make it. It really was the crew and the vision that made this grow to what it is today.”
How technology changed the newsroom
Kevin Lemanowicz: “The technology in 30 years is tremendously different.”
Scott Tetreault: “At the beginning, it was all phone books, if anybody can remember phone books!”
Bob Ward: “Back in 1996, we used these big map books to find our way around. So the photographer would be driving the car. I would open up the map book and I would start saying, okay, we go up here, get to that stoplight, turn right.”
Kevin Lemanowicz: “When we started in 1996, not only did we not have internet access, we didn’t have email. I started the station, I was issued the station beeper that I carried around in case there was an emergency and they had to beep me somewhere.”
Todd Krupa: “You had to rewind and you had to wait for it to get to where you needed to go on the tape.”
Mike Finnerty: “It has changed so much in terms of live shots. We used to have to have a van with a microwave antenna or a satellite dish.”
Bob Ward: “We don’t have to wait for the newscast to go live with a story. We can just do it on our phones. All of that was science fiction back in 1996.”
Moving into a new home
Mike Finnerty: “Probably one of the most exciting things we did here was moving into this building.”
Scott Tetreault: “Right where we’re sitting now was a parking lot.”
Mike Finnerty: “Where the control rooms and editing are now used to be a General Motors facility. So we connected those two and built this amazing newsroom. Going from sort of a basic set to this state-of-the-art facility at the time was just, you know, that was sort of a dream come true.”
The people who made it last
Bob Ward: “Our newsroom was so special and so profound that I have a special bond with all of the people I worked with back then.”
Todd Krupa: “I built my family here over these last 30 years.”
Scott Tetreault: “Getting married, going to people’s weddings, having kids, having the little kids come in and now these kids are in college or they’ve graduated college.”
Mike Finnerty: This is really a second family.
Kevin Lemanowicz: I left here a better person than I was when I walked in the door as a 26-year-old kid. And a lot of that is because of the people who were here.
Looking back on three decades
Scott Tetreault: “Goosebumps right now, actually, to tell you the truth. It’s been special. It’s a special run. It has been. And I wouldn’t have given up for anything.”
Todd Krupa: “It’s crazy, three decades. Crazy, isn’t it? It’s amazing.”
Bob Ward: “Thirty years of news for our station. It’s a great accomplishment, and there are going to be many, many more years and decades ahead. This station will not be denied and will keep going. And I’m proud to have played a part in the launch of the station.”
We’d also like to celebrate photographer Bob Goodale, who has also worked at WFXT since 1996. Congratulations to all our true originals!
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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