Julie Durda makes waves on WPLG

Julie Durda seems to be everywhere these days.

Billboards, bus ads, radio andTVspots, and social media pages all promote hernew role as theweekday morning meteorologist at WPLG-Ch.10 in the Fort Lauderdale-Miami TVmarket.

Although local stations typically promote their anchor teams with spots, WPLG’s recent campaign is different in that station officials are plugging one air personality— best knownfor helping drive morning ratings at her former station, WSVN-Ch. 7— and it’s stirring up all kinds of attention in the social media sphere.

“The station is trying tomake the most of her arrival and beat the drum as loudly as it possibly can,’’ said Ellen Fleysher, whoteaches broadcast journalism at theUniversity of Miami’s School of Communication. “She has to be rebranded as a meteorologist associated withWPLG.”

WPLG’s morningweekday team is now led by anchors JasonMartinez and JenHerrera, with Constance Jones andMarjorie “MJ” Acosta. Last month, Durda replaced meteorologist Scott Padgett, whowasmoved toweekend morning newscasts.

“That is the blowback to the Julie Durda campaign,’’ added Fleysher, referring to Padgett’s reassignment toweekends. “So a negative comes with the positive.”

Indeed, South FloridaTVviewers have been floodingWPLG’s social media with both supportive and highly critical feedback. SomeWPLGloyalists say theABCaffiliate is trying to mimic the look and style of its crosstownrival, WSVN, which has an all-female morning anchor team. But Durda’s addition toWPLGteam underscores the importance of the local morning news.

In recent years, TVstations have aggressively courted early-morning risers by adding a 4:30 a.m. newscast, whichWPLGdid two years ago. Palm Beach County stations WPTV-Ch. 5, WPEC-Ch.12 andWPBF-Ch. 25 have also added 4:30 a.m. newscasts in recent years.

“There are a lot of people whose lifestyle forces them to be up that early,’’ said Michael Pumo, general manager atWPEC, which has a news-sharing partnership with the Sun Sentinel. “As people’s lifestyle changes, there is more need for news early in the mornings.”

Other stations have expanded newscasts such asWSVN, which extended its four hours of morning news to five with a 9 a.m. newscast. WFOR-Ch. 4 andWTVJ-Ch. 6 also extended theirweekend morning news blocks in the past year.

“The mornings have become more important over the years,’’ saidRobert Leider, WSVN’s general manager, whose station leads in the morning ratings followed by WPLG.

Stations have increasingly focused on their morning programs because that’s when viewers are less distracted by the Internet and time-shifted viewing devices. The morning programs have also become a critical growth area for ad revenue and viewership. In particular, advertisers covet viewers ages 25-54whotend to tune into morning news.

“It has become a great area for advertisers to reach their audiences,” Leider said.

And those viewers, whosometimes see their morningTVpersonalities as friends or members of the family, can be sensitive to any on-air talent change.

“People have very tight relationships with on-air talent,” Fleysher said. “This relationship is even tighter, more profound and more personable in early morning television.”

And thanks to social media, those viewers have local forums to voice their concerns.

“We miss you everyweekday morning, it’s just not the same,’’ DominickNapoli wrote on Padgett’sWPLGFacebook page.

“The morning show, except for Jason Martinez looks like aTERRIBLErip off of WSVN,’’ another morning viewer wrote on theTVblog, sfltv.com.

OnDurda’sTwitter page, one follower tweeted: “Actually took a moment and smiled whilewatching… Great energy Julie& team.”

WPLGgeneral managerDave Boylan acknowledged the station has been going all out to promote hisnewmorningweather anchor. “Shewas a strong player atWSVN, she has a strong following, and to be able to bring that to our station is a real plus,’’ he said. “Whenyou have a person with the following that Julie has, to be able to get the message that she is nowat anewstation is very important.”