Marselis Parsons retiring from WCAX, Anson Tebbetts to take over

Long-time WCAX-TV news director and anchor Marselis Div Parson is retiring, it was announced today, and former WCAX reporter Anson Tebbetts will rejoin the South Burlington television station and take over Parsons off-air duties. Tebbetts currently is deputy secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Tebbetts will take over as news director, but will not be the regular news anchor.
Parsons, meanwhile, will remain as the 6 pm anchor through the summer. He has been with WCAX for 42 years. Parsons was named news director in 1984. Since 1967, he has been a reporter, anchor, program producer and now news director.
Over my years in public service, I ve known Marselis to be a fair and dedicated journalist of the first order, said Governor Douglas. As a reporter, then anchor and news director, he has shaped Vermont history with intelligent coverage and piercing insight. His love of Vermont and passion for telling a good story shines through in each evening's broadcast. Div will be truly missed.
Tebbetts will become news director at the end of May. Darren Perron will succeed Parsons as anchor of the 6 pm news.
Tebbetts, a native Vermonter, will be stepping down as Vermont s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture immediately, a position he has served in since January 2007. He joined WCAX News as the Rutland Correspondent 1994, moving to Montpelier in 1995 to cover state government and the Legislature.
Peter Martin, president of WCAX, said, We are delighted to welcome Anson back to WCAX as leader of the News Department. He is a gifted reporter and storyteller with a deep love for and extraordinary knowledge of Vermont. He was a farmer before he was a reporter, and even while he was a reporter. As our Montpelier Correspondent he demonstrated an extraordinary depth and breadth of knowledge about Vermont government and politics, even while producing delightful features about aspects of Vermont life off the beaten path. He is uniquely qualified to carry on the tradition of news which has made WCAX Channel 3 Vermont s Own .
In assuming his new position, Tebbetts said, "I look forward to building on the strong tradition of story telling and fairness that's been part of the Channel 3 newsroom for decades."
Raised in Cabot, Tebbetts was also news director of WDEV Radio in Waterbury from 1987 to 1989. He graduated from Emerson College in 1987. He lives on the family farm in Cabot with his wife Vicki and their two young children.
Tebbetts has won numerous awards from the Associated Press in both TV and radio, including his coverage of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. In 2001, the Vermont Farm Bureau honored him with the Friend of the Farmer Award. He continues to host the popular For the Birds program.
Perron began his broadcast career in 1994 as an intern at WCAX News. He joined the News Department full time in July 1995. He was promoted to Senior Reporter in 2004. Perron has anchored WCAX s weekend broadcasts. He has both produced series reports on a wide range of topics and has also covered of breaking news.
In announcing Perron s appointment, Martin said, Darren is one of the most gifted Vermont broadcast journalists of his generation. He will bring to the broadcast the perspective of a young Vermonter with a deep knowledge of his state and an ability to connect with people of all ages. He will ably carry on the tradition established by Marselis over the two decades he anchored the news.
Also a native Vermonter from Barton, Perron attended schools in Barton, and graduated from Lake Union High School in Orleans and Castleton State College. He lives in Burlington.
Parsons said of the transition announced today: It has been a privilege to be the News Director of this station for almost 25 five years, and an honor to be invited into the homes of Vermonters, as well as viewers in New Hampshire, New York and even Quebec. I am confident Anson will continue the traditions of WCAX established by those who hired me, and I look forward to watching Channel 3 broadcasts with Darren and Kristin Kelly. They are two excellent journalists.
I am proud to say I hired all three and I have watched Anson, Kristin and Darren develop into award winning broadcasters, Parsons said. It s not yet time too say goodbye, but it is certainly time to wish all three of them and all my colleagues at WCAX the best in the future.
Kelly, once she returns from maternity leave later in the summer, and Perron will be the principal anchors on the evening broadcast.
As part of the budget cutting maneuvering between the Douglas Administration and the Legislature, one of the two deputy agriculture secretary positions had been earmarked for elimination, though no action had yet been taken. The administration, Legislature and state union have been wrangling for months over how state payroll could be reduced and/or positions cut.
Tebbetts was approached by WCAX as early as last February. The details of his hiring, however were not finalized until today.
Secretary of Agriculture Roger Allbee said, Anson has been an integral part of our team here at the Agency and I will miss him personally and professionally. Many times I have relied on his guidance to navigate difficult situations. Anson has a wonderful way of looking at things that helped us get through some tough experiences.
During his tenure as deputy secretary, Tebbetts was instrumental in getting many programs off the ground to help farmers and the community alike. "Our farmers are the backbone of Vermont. Driving our agricultural economy with strength, resilience, and creativity in changing times, Vermont's farmers keep our land open, keep our people employed, and supply us with world-class, fresh products. They are leaders in reinforcing what makes Vermont special for all of us. I am honored to have worked with Vermont's agricultural community, said Tebbetts.
I have appreciated Anson s dedication to the state and to the agricultural community in Vermont, commented Governor Douglas. We will miss his enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, but I wish him the best in his exciting new endeavor.
I have really appreciated this experience and have enjoyed working for agriculture and the state. The people at the Agency are some of the most dedicated and passionate people I ve had the opportunity to work with, said Tebbetts.