Changes coming to Channel 12: WPRI announces Michelle Muscatello's replacement
PROVIDENCE — When Michelle Muscatello announced in February that she would be leaving Channel 12 this spring, it raised the question of who would replace her on the station's morning news broadcast.
Now, we have an answer: Longtime Channel 12 meteorologist T.J. Del Santo will get promoted from his weekend morning slot to weekday mornings.
WPRI-TV announced the move Monday morning, with General Manager Patrick Wholey saying in a news release, “Our viewers can trust T.J. for the most reliable forecast in a region that’s known for its unpredictable weather. He’s got an impressive knowledge of southern New England’s constantly changing weather patterns, and there’s no one better for this job.”
Del Santo, an East Providence native who started at Channel 12 in 1997, said, “I’ve been fortunate to have started my career in my home of southern New England,” adding, "I know how important the weather is to our viewers, and I’m excited to help them start their weekday mornings.”
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Del Santo graduated from Lyndon State College in Vermont before working as a marine forecaster in Glens Falls, New York. He was also a computer specialist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for his documentary "State of the Bay." Del Santo is an FAA-certified drone pilot and flies Channel 12's drone.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Channel 12 meteorologist T.J Del Santo replaces Michelle Muscatello
