CBS News Detroit has hired anchors Shaina Humphries and Rachelle Graham, meteorologist Ahmad Bajjey and executive producer of community impact Amyre Makupson. CBS News and Stations is building a news operation from scratch at WWJ-WKBD Detroit.
Brian Watson is VP/general manager at the stations, and Paul Pytlowany is news director.
“As we move forward with this unprecedented opportunity to build the newsroom of the future from the ground up and with a streaming-first mentality, we are excited to welcome Shaina, Rachelle, Ahmad and Amyre to CBS News Detroit,” said Watson. “They are part of our growing team of grassroots journalists who will set the standard for community-focused news reporting in Detroit.”
Humphries is a Chicago area native who was co-anchor of the 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts at WTXF Philadelphia.
Graham is from the Detroit area and was an anchor and reporter at the NBC, Fox and CW stations in Flint. Sinclair owns or operates WEYI, WSMH and WBSF in Flint.
Bajjey, from Dearborn, Michigan, also worked at WEYI-WSMH-WBSF Flint. He spent the past 17 months as the stations’ chief meteorologist.
Makupson, from Detroit, is the daughter of WKBD Detroit anchor Amyre Makupson. She began her career in Lima, Ohio, then produced and anchored newscasts for stations in Macon and Albany, Georgia. She was news director at WMUB in Macon, Georgia.
“Credible local news coverage is more important than ever,” Pytlowany said. “Shaina, Rachelle, Ahmad and Amyre’s commitment to in-depth storytelling and weather coverage will be vital to our viewers. Their commitment is in alignment with our vision of turning neighborhoods into newsrooms and reflects their passion for creating original content for the communities we are honored to serve.”
CBS Stations president Adrienne Roark, who has worked closely with Watson and Pytlowany to launch CBS News Detroit, said, “It’s exciting to see CBS News Detroit starting to take shape. Our local leadership team, led by Brian and Paul, is doing an amazing job of executing on our vision as we write a new chapter in the history of local news. We look forward to continuing to add employees who want to be part of something that will truly be special.” ■
