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Tom Holden Passes Anchor Chair to Robb Schmidt
By Andrea WoodYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- "It's time," Tom Holden announced yesterday as he blessed his successor at WKBN-TV's anchor desk, Robb Schmidt.Effective April 18, Schmidt, WKBN-TV's sports director, will replace Holden on Channel 27's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts, and Holden will move to the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts. "It's a passing of the torch," Holden told The Business Journal. "The time was right for me to make a change and clear the way for changes they want to make here. They think Robb is the guy and I'm pleased they kept it in-house."The announcement, made to station employees at an afternoon staff meeting, comes one month before Holden turns 67 and four months before his contract expires.Come July, when his contract ends, Holden may continue to anchor the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts, or elect to work part-time, he said.Holden, a native of Youngstown, has been Channel 27's primary anchor since 1974, and is one of the country's longest-running local news anchors. He came to WKBN-TV in 1972 from WBBW radio where he did news and sports. "There may be some concern that perhaps our sports guy isn't the right guy [to replace me]," he reflected. "But when I came here people thought I would replace Don Gardiner," Channel 27's veteran sportscaster. "And few people remember that when Bob Black started here, he did sports."Black, now WFMJ's anchor, quickly moved to news, a path that opened up for Schmidt when he was tapped to sit in Holden's seat during the two-week union lockout in February 2004. As sports director, Schmidt is part of management; Holden belongs to Local 47 the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians. Schmidt's performance at the news desk was given good reviews and thrust him into contention as Holden's successor. Stations executives did, however, look outside the station and, sources confirm, contacted at least one of Channel 27's alumni now working in a major market. Schmidt, a graduate of Warren Harding High Schcool and Kent State University, will be replaced by weekend sports anchor Ryan Allison, said Gary Coursen, WKBN-TV news director."Tom had been talking about making a change for a year," Coursen noted, "and we needed an orderly transition. He's fully on board with this -- he wants to go home at night.""It's by mutual agreement," Holden emphasized. "We started talking a year ago. They didn't want to get caught short with me retiring and giving them two weeks notice -- which I wouldn't do -- and they needed to start planning."This semester Holden said he "backed off" from teaching at Youngstown State University, which he has done for 21 years. "They tell me I can stay at WKBN as long as I want but who knows how I'm going to feel when my contract ends," Holden said. "I've been working since I was 12 years old setting pins in the bowling alley and caddying at the golf course. I may just decide it's time to hang it up." Visit WKBN-TV at www.wkbn.com"