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Matthew Roth
Asst. News Director |
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As executive
producer, Matt helped manage several enhancements to WFMZ’s growing
presence in Berks County, including the move to a more spacious newsroom
and studio in Downtown Reading, the addition of a live Berks Edition
newscast at 10:30, and the doubling of the news staff.
In August 2003, Matt was offered the chance to take on another challenge
at WFMZ as assistant news director. He now helps to oversee a staff of
more than 70 people in the Allentown, Reading, Easton, and Philadelphia
newsrooms. He also works closely with the
wfmz.com staff of producers and editors in providing
round-the-clock coverage of news on the WFMZ website. But in all the
years since he got his foot in the door as a photographer, Matt still
enjoys picking up a camera from time to time and going out on a story.
Since he began his career with WFMZ, Matt has covered many stories of
local, regional, and national significance, including the 1996, 2000,
and 2004 presidential campaigns and elections. One of many highlights is
the four days he spent in Philadelphia covering the 2000 Republican
National Convention with Rob Vaughn
and Wendy Davis. A story he likes to
share from that experience is of him literally bumping into White House
correspondent Helen Thomas while hurriedly seeking out a snack of
Tastykakes for himself and his colleagues.
Matt also shares the honor with his coworkers at 69 News of being
nominated for and winning several awards, including
MidAtlantic Emmy,
Associated Press, and PA Association of
Broadcasters awards.
Matt represents WFMZ as a member of
Crime Alert Berks County’s board of directors, the Lehigh
Valley CounterTerrorism Task Force, and the American Red Cross
Communications and Marketing Advisory Committee.
Prior to his start at WFMZ, Matt graduated from
Antietam High School
near Reading and from Temple
University in Philadelphia with a degree in broadcast
journalism. Ever since he was a kid growing up in Berks County, Matt had
a passion for working in TV news. And it was at Temple that he got his
first hands-on feel for the business as an intern with WTXF-TV and as an
anchor for the school’s news program –
Temple Update
– televised on cable throughout the Philadelphia region.
When he can manage to break away from the newsroom, Matt enjoys spending
time with his wife Lori and family and friends; spoiling his niece
Abigail and goddaughter Morgan; hanging out at the ballpark during a
Reading Phillies
game; and traveling to Florida to escape as much of the Pennsylvania
winter as possible.
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