WHAM Rochester, New York, anchor duo Ginny Ryan and Doug Emblidge have announced their retirements. The pair has anchored 13WHAM’s 5 p.m. news since 1990, and 10 and 11 p.m. news for two years.
Ryan and Emblidge were inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2018. She will sign off October 7 and he will retire November 29.
“Doug and Ginny are consummate professionals and great people on top of that,“ WHAM VP and general manager Chuck Samuels said. “You won’t find two better journalists who care more about their community than these two Hall of Famers. Their dedication to making 13WHAM News the best it can be is second to none. I am very happy for them as they take on new challenges and extremely grateful for the legacy they will leave here.”
Ryan will be director of community engagement at Canandaigua National Bank. Emblidge is joining investment advisory firm Alesco Advisors.
WHAM is part of Sinclair. Rochester is DMA No. 77.
Ryan got her start at WENY Elmira (New York) during college, then was hired at WHAM in 1987. She co-anchored the 11 p.m. news since 1991.
In high school and college, Emblidge worked at radio outlets WHAM and WHFM in Rochester, WDNY in Dansville, and WHEN in Syracuse. After college, he worked at WROC, then WOKR, and then WHAM. He co-anchored 13WHAM’s morning news from 2000 until 2020.
“It’s been a great run. This job has been our calling and our passion, for a combined 75 years,” the pair said in a statement. “There are so many things we will miss--the privilege of being reporters and storytellers, the buzz of the newsroom, the adrenaline rush of live television and, most of all, the people.
“We'll miss connecting each day with the viewers who have treated us so well for so long. It has been an honor. We took the job seriously. Hopefully, we served them well.” ■
