WENY-HD News Team

News Director | Anchor

Scott Cook

scook@weny.com

Scott joined WENY-HD NEWS from another Lilly Broadcasting station, WICU-TV in Erie.  There he spent seven years reporting & anchoring, asking the tough questions, and earning the reputation as Erie’s best-known investigative reporter.  In 2003, CNN called on Scott to report from the scene of the so-called “Pizza Bomber” story, which gained international coverage.

Scott began his news career in San Francisco.  He graduated San Francisco State University with BA in Broadcast Journalism, and went to work on the assignment desk for ‘Frisco NBC affiliate KRON.  After his first baby was born, Scott moved back east to be nearer to family.  He took a job as Associate Producer at WFSB in Hartford on the number one morning newscast.

Scott was born and raised in central New Jersey.  He married his wife, Andrea in 1989.  They have two boys.  Sam was born in May of ’98, and Adam was born in March of ’01.  A former Ultimate Frisbee and high-school football player, Scott now enjoys coaching his sons and playing what he calls “senior sports” like softball, bowling and golf.

Anchor | Executive Producer | Assistant News Director

Renata Stiehl

rstiehl@weny.com

Renata Stiehl is a Twin Tiers native with a passion for local news.

She joined the WENY-HD NEWS team in May 2005 as a producer.  Over the past several years, she’s worn many hats, including health reporter, and now as Executive Producer and Assistant News Director, as well as 5:30pm and 6:00pm Anchor.

Renata grew up in the Northern Tier, graduating from Towanda High School and getting her degree from Mansfield University in Broadcasting.  Before she was hired at WENY-HD, she interned at the station, where she got valuable hands-on experience in reporting and news writing.

In addition to all she does at WENY-HD, Renata also volunteers her time with the Children’s Miracle Network and is on the Board of Directors for the Sullivan Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross.

When she’s not working, Renata enjoys reading, learning to cook and spending time with her husband and dog.

Anchor | Producer | Reporter

Jennifer Sheahen

jsheahen@weny.com

Jennifer joined WENY-HD News in March 2013 as a producer, anchor and reporter.  She graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2011 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism with a concentration in Television.

Over the course of her college years Jennifer worked in several aspects of television journalism, from documentary TV to international reporting.  She was an intern for Kurtis Productions where she worked with Bill Kurtis and his team to make documentary’s for CNBC.  She was credited for her work on the show Crime Inc. where she worked on an depth investigation of human trafficking in the United States.  She also helped produce the show American Greed.
Jennifer’s international studies took her to an array of different EU countries where she navigated thru the international press corps, working with the French Embassy, U.S. Embassy, European Union, United Nations and the International Criminal Court.  She reported on the ghettos of Paris, the ICC trial of the former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Jean-Pierre Bemba, and much more.

She was also an anchor and reporter for Columbia College Chicago’s live newscast Newsbeat.

Jennifer traveled abroad every summer since she was a baby to visit her family in Poland. More recently she has enjoyed the life and music of Downtown Chicago where she has lived for the past six years. She is an avid boxer, loves Reggae music, the beach, and taking long bike rides with her best friend and dog Pocha.

She wants to thank her Mom and Dad for the tremendous amount of support and love they have always given her.

Good Morning Twin Tiers Anchor | Producer | Reporter

Laura Caso

lcaso@weny.com

Laura joined the WENY-HD NEWS team in November 2011. She comes to the Twin Tiers from Massachusetts and she is delighted to be reporting in and about the Northeast.

She graduated from the University of Miami in 2011 with a dual degree in Broadcast Journalism and Music Vocal Performance.  Laura’s passion for hard-hitting news blossomed while working at the University of Miami television station.  There, she anchored the Emmy award-winning newscast Newsvision, and hosted an online interactive political debate show.  She interned for WBZ- Boston as an assignment desk editor and field producer.

Laura's passion for journalism began at young age when she began writing children stories.  In the fifth grade Laura's book, “Chicken Pox Explosion” was published.  The day she walked into Border’s Books for her first book signing was one of her proudest moments.  She continues to read to children throughout the North East and whether it be reading hard news copy or reading her children’s book, she thrives in telling a good story.

Laura travels to Europe every summer and enjoys speaking various languages, especially Italian and Spanish. When she is not in the studio or reporting on a story, you will find Laura exploring the Twin Tiers.  She enjoys spending time with her large Italian family and friends, singing, traveling, and staying active.  If you have a story idea or would like to just say “hi”, send Laura an email.  She loves meeting new people!

Good Morning Twin Tiers Anchor | Producer | Reporter

Joe Melillo

jmelillo@weny.com

Joe joined the WENY-HD NEWS Team in January 2011 as a General Assignment Reporter.  He graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut in 2009 with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Film Studies Minor.  Shortly after college, he graduated from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and interned at WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut, where he worked on the weekly political program "Face the State".  Joe went on to work as a freelance reporter for online news websites and as an Associate Producer and Assignment Desk Editor for News 12 Connecticut in Norwalk.  He covered the 2010 United States Senate Campaign in Connecticut, and reported from Republican Candidate Linda McMahon's headquarters on election night.  Joe spent the summer of 2010 as the on field MC for the Double A New Britain Rock Cats, a minor league baseball team in the Minnesota Twins system.

Joe was born in Stony Brook, New York and moved several times before his family settled in Southbury, Connecticut.  During his high school and college years, he played football and baseball.  His high school football team won the State Championship.

In college, Joe played football for the Trinity College Bantams, which at one point had the longest winning streak in the county with 31 consecutive wins.  He was elected to the student body Senate, spent a semester studying in Rome and interned for a Connecticut State Representative.

In his spare time Joe enjoys playing golf, skiing and going to Yankees games.  If you see him around the Twin Tiers make sure to give him a fist bump!

Chief Meteorologist

Joe Veres

jveres@weny.com
Joe Veres can be seen weeknights on WENY-HD NEWS at 6:00pm and 11:00pm.  Originally from Parsippany, New Jersey, Joe had an early interest in weather.  In elementary school he would entertain his family with weather forecasts gathered from watching the Weather Channel.  In high school Joe gained valuable experience working at ION Weather, and became the "go-to guy" for the inside scoop on impending snow storms.  Joe's next stop was Lyndon State College in northern Vermont where he studied Meteorology and Communications.  While in college, Joe gained on air experience doing fill in work at WCAX in Burlington.  He also interned at FOX 5 in New York City.  Upon graduation Joe headed north to WAGM in Presque Isle Maine.  In just three months he was promoted to the 6 and 11pm newscasts.  After a long cold winter in potato country of northern Maine, Joe and his wife Donna headed for the warmer climate of the Twin Tiers.  Joe has been the Chief Meteorologist at WENY-HD since 2000 and is the only local Meteorologist to hold the prestigous National Weather Association Seal of Approval.  Joe is active in the local community often going to schools and talking to students about weather safety.  In his spare time Joe enjoys working around the house and traveling with friends and family.  He and his wife Donna, daughter Madelyn, and son Joseph reside in Big Flats.

Good Morning Twin Tiers Meteorologist | Reporter

John Hickey

jhickey@weny.com

John Hickey can be seen weekdays on Good Morning Twin Tiers 6-7AM.  John is a New England native who knew he wanted to be a Meteorologist from an early age.  Skiing was an every weekend family adventure growing up, and John took it upon himself to forecast where the best skiing was going to be.

John attended Lyndon State College in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont where he earned his B.S in Broadcasting and Meteorology.  He will always remember his freshman year when the “Valentine’s Day Blizzard” closed down the school for two straight days.  That meant two straight powder days at Burke Mountain.

As a senior, John began working part time for WCAX-3 in Burlington, VT, filling in and recording cut-ins for the weekend morning show and the digital channel.  He continued to work there after his graduation from Lyndon in May 2010 before joining the WENY-HD Weather Team in November 2010.

When John isn’t at the station, he can be found skiing or enjoying a round of disc golf.  If John isn’t outdoors, which is rare, he’s probably rooting for one of his favorite Boston area sports teams.

Sports

Andy Malnoske

amalnoske@weny.com

Andy came to WENY-HD in February 2009 as a sports reporter and then worked his way up to Sports Director in October 2010.  Andy currently anchors at 5:30 and 6 pm weeknights on WENY-HD NEWS.  A Horseheads native, and once intern at the station in spring 2006, Andy’s honored to return home and cover sports for the area he grew up in.

Andy graduated from Ithaca College in 2007 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Media, and received a Master's Degree in Communication Studies from Shippensburg University in December 2008.  While at Shippensburg, Andy was actively involved with WSYC 88.7 FM radio where he hosted his own weekly show "Sportainment," and did play-by-play for numerous Red Raider athletics.  He received the exceptional DJ Award for broadcasting excellence, and also covered sports for The Slate student newspaper.  During his time in South Central Pennsylvania, Andy worked in the Shippensburg University sports information office, and assisted WHP-TV CBS sports in Harrisburg.  Andy created a documentary on the 1990 Shippensburg Little League National Champions, and it's now a part of the Little League Baseball Museum video archives.

In his time at WENY-HD, Andy’s work has been honored several times by the NYS Associated Press (AP) for best annual sports coverage, as well as by The Syracuse Press Club for best sports story of the year.  Additionally, Andy is on the board for The Chemung County Sports Hall of Fame, worked as the play-by-play voice of WELM 1410 AM for high school football and basketball, and served as a color analyst and voice for RLMSports.Net.

In his spare time, Andy loves to hang out with friends & family, watch pro wrestling, and enjoys writing.  Some of his work is published by the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, and has been featured in Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.  If you see Andy out, say hello and get ready to talk sports.

Sports

Josh Getzoff

jgetzoff@weny.com

Josh joined the WENY-HD Sports Team full-time in September 2011 after spending the previous summer as a Fill-In Sports Anchor, News Editor and Tape Operator for the station.

Josh graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Television-Radio from Ithaca College's Roy H. Park School of Communications in the Spring of 2011.  At Ithaca, Josh anchored Ithaca College Television's (ICTV) award-winning sports show, "Sports Final," and appeared as an analyst on the weekly football show, "The Gridiron Report."  He did Play-By-Play for Ithaca College Bombers Football and Basketball broadcasts.  His work at the television station earned Josh induction into the ICTV Hall of Fame.  On the radio, Josh was part of the Bombers Football broadcast team on 91.7 WICB-FM.  He also served as a "Sport Update" anchor on VIC Radio.

Over the last few years, Josh completed internships with Comcast Sports Net, 3601 Creative Group, the Philadelphia 76ers, and NBC Sports. During February of 2010, Josh served as an On-Site Runner for NBC's Winter Olympic coverage of Men's Ice Hockey in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In his spare time, Josh enjoys cheering on his beloved Philadelphia sports teams, playing hockey, working out, writing, and hanging out with friends and family.  If you see Josh around, be sure to say hi and get ready to talk sports.

News Reporter

Tanja Rekhi

trekhi@weny.com

Tanja joined the WENY-HD NEWS team in December 2012. Before coming to the Twin Tiers, Tanja worked freelance as a reporter, writer and, production assistant at an international station called Ebru TV. A New Jersey native, she graduated Cum Laude from Montclair State University this past May with a dual major in Broadcasting and English and a minor in Journalism. She also held internships in New York City with NY1, WABC, and WWOR.

During her time as a student, Tanja was the news editor of the school newspaper and reported and anchored frequently for “Carpe Diem” and “Inside MSU.” She also was president of her sorority, Omega Phi Chi, which aims to promote multiculturalism, community service and women empowerment.

Tanja had a unique opportunity to travel to the Middle East in Tunisia, exactly a year after the uprising, to learn about the country that sparked the Arab Spring. She had an amazing experience and learned how important social media was to revolutionaries during a time of government censorship.

When she isn’t reporting, Tanja loves to kick box, run, bake, sing and read. She loves learning about different cultures and fluently speaks Punjabi. Her full name is Ratanjot, which is a Sikh name meaning “the diamond of God’s light.” Though she’s a Jersey girl at heart, she’s excited to make new friends out here in Elmira and finally learn how to pump gas!

News Reporter

Candice Cole

ccole@weny.com

Candice arrived in the Twin Tiers from her native Washington, DC in October 2012. Prior to joining WENY-HD NEWS, she anchored and produced the weekend news at Baltimore’s WBAL 1090 AM and worked as a freelance journalist for P.G. Suite Magazine and Press TV.

She holds a masters degree in Television Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London and has worked as a producer for the BBC World Service under their work placement program.

Candice has a passion for investigative journalism, documentary film, and traveling. She enjoys experiencing different cultures first hand and was afforded the opportunity to travel extensively around the world from a very young age. From the snow capped mountains of Sapporo to the black pebble beaches of Playa Jaco, Candice one day hopes to turn her love of exploration into a travel series tackling everything from local flare to hard hitting societal issues. 

News Reporter

Kellie Meyer

kmeyer@weny.com

Kellie joined the WENY-HD News team in March 2013 as general assignment reporter. Kellie's no stranger to the Twin Tiers, she's been visiting her grandparents in Sayre ever since she was a child.

Kellie grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and moved to Philadelphia for college. She graduated from Temple University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Kellie realized her passion for news reporting at 19, during her first internship at WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre, PA. From there on out she interned every chance she could. Wanting to learn as much as possible about the field.

One of Kellie's favorite experiences was when she moved to London, England to study abroad her junior year of college and interned in travel journalism. Kellie was a born traveler, her father being a pilot for US Airways and spent her whole life traveling. But it wasn't until she started traveling abroad at 17 then again when she studied abroad, that she truly learned about the world. She says it was one of the best things she could have ever done and truly made her grown as a person.

But Kellie couldn't stay away from the newsroom for long, following her travels she returned to Philadelphia and interned with Fox-29 and CBS-3.

Kellie graduated in May 2011 but wanted to do one last internship program before she left for good. Kellie always wanted to move to Los Angeles and work in television so she took the opportunity to go there with Temple's program after she graduated. And she had one incredible summer, living in the Hollywood Hills and interning at Paramount Pictures with The Dr. Phil Show and Nickelodeon on their kids show 'Supah Ninjas', and with Cheri Sundae Productions. Kellie loved her California summer and brings what she learned there and all her internships to her job today. She says she wouldn't be where she is today without all these experiences.

Kellie had once last thing to do before she started her career in TV. She always wanted to move back to london to live and work for a year, before starting in news. She says she wanted to Learn about the world before she started reporting on it. And that's just what she did. From January 2012 through just before starting at WENY she lived in london working with her old internship company from her study abroad. It was one of the biggest challenges she ever faced but said she wouldn't be the same without it. And she made the most of that year. Traveling all over the world- from the beautiful islands of Thailand, to exotic Croatia, down under to Australia and all over Europe from the Cannes film festival, to the queens diamond jubilee, to being at as many events as possible at the london 2012 Olympic Games. She took advantage of all the events but knew one thing was missing, she missed reporting.  So she returned in December 2012 and found her way to the WENY.

Kellie is so thrilled to finally have made it as a reporter after all her internships and travels and happy to be here in the Twin Tiers. Feel free to contact Kellie at kmeyer@weny.com she loves meeting new people and hearing new stories and can't wait to meet all of you!

News Reporter

Nick Quattrini

nquattrini@weny.com

Nick started at WENY-HD NEWS in May 2011 as the night side editor and photographer, and moved to the newsroom as a reporter in April 2013.

Nick has had a camera in his hand since he was a young kid.  From begging his parents to let him use their 8mm Handycam, to saving up money for his first digital camcorder as a teenager, Nick has always been interested in shooting and editing video.  Nick's work has been featured on VH1, MTV, and Youtube.  His work at WENY-HD NEWS won awards from the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association.

Originally from the Capital District, Nick moved to the Southern Tier, and has called it home since 2004. In 2007 he enlisted in the Armed Forces, and honorably served his country for several years.  During his time in the military he traveled all over the globe, crossing every degree of longitude, and meeting people who make up the world we live in. During Nick's service, he was twice awarded the Army Commendation Medal.

On the weekends, Nick loves to travel and explore the area, taking random day trips throughout Upstate New York, and if the weather is bad, he can be found glued to his computer playing video games, or watching his favorite movies.

Washington, DC Bureau

Jacqueline Policastro

Jacqueline.Policastro@13abc.com

Jacqueline Policastro rejoins the Lilly Broadcasting Washington, DC Bureau as Bureau Chief and Correspondent.  She created the bureau in 2007.  Jacqueline covered Congress and the White House for Lilly Broadcasting affiliates throughout the nation.  She then signed on to the evening anchor desk at CBS WSEE TV in Erie, PA.  Jacqueline most recently worked as a reporter and anchor at CBS WISH TV in Indianapolis, IN where she has been honored for her breaking news reporting.

Jacqueline covered the Indiana Democrats walk out over right to work, the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, as well as the 2004 Republican Convention.  She reported on several candidates on the 2008 campaign trail, the Pope’s first visit to the United States, President Bush’s State of the Union Addresses, and the 2009 G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

Jacqueline was chosen to moderate a live debate between the Democratic candidates running for the PA-3 Congressional seat, one of the hottest races in the nation during campaign '08.  She was also a panelist alongside several national journalists during the event, "Full Disclosure: The Media and the 2008 Election."  Jacqueline was part of the team that won a 2009 Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Award.

Jacqueline worked for Associated Press Television in Washington, DC and spent time at the ABC News bureau in Washington and the Fox News Channel in New York City.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science.

She attended BU’s Sydney, Australia and Washington, DC journalism programs.  Jacqueline is a Paul Miller Washington Fellow, an NAB Professional Fellow, and a Fellow with the International Women's Media Foundation.

She is originally from New Jersey.

Washington, DC Bureau

Ted Fioraliso

Ted.J.Fioraliso@abc12.com

Ted rejoined WENY-HD NEWS in January 2012 as a Washington Correspondent.  He previously worked for the station as a one-man-band reporter, producer, and anchor from 2007-2010.

During his time in Elmira, Ted covered the 2008 presidential campaign -- including visits by Barack Obama and John McCain to the Northern Tier.  He was also the only Elmira TV reporter to follow the New York delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

After Elmira, Ted moved north to WHEC, the NBC affiliate in Rochester, New York.  He worked there as a one-man-band reporter at the station’s Finger Lakes Bureau three days a week, and he was the sole reporter in the Rochester newsroom on weekends.  While in Rochester, Ted covered Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s first State of the State Address in Albany and major flooding in Binghamton the week after the remnants Hurricane Irene hit.

Ted has received awards from the Associated Press, New York State Broadcasters Association, New York State ARC, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and Fox News Channel.  He grew up in Long Island, New York, and graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism.