Bob Solarski is a news anchor for WEAR-TV 3 located in Pensacola and hosts the station's 4pm, 5pm, 6pm and 10pm evening news broadcasts.
| Bob Solarski | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | : News Anchor |
| Spouse | : Jennifer |
| Children | : Erika, Morgan and Bobby (twins) |
Channel 3, which first aired in 1954, is an ABC Network regional broadcasting system owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair is one of the largest TV broadcasting companies in the United States and owns 65 stations in 39 markets. Channel 3's 1000 kW transmitter power allows for a massive viewing area which include sister-cities Mobile and Ft. Walton Beach Coverage and programming reaches into the southern parts of Alabama and Mississippi as well as the Florida Panhandle. Pensacola TV station WFGX-35 is a sister station.
Early Life
Solarski was born in Long Island, New York and was raised in upstate New York (near Montreal), Lake Placid and Burlington, Vermont. An avid ice hockey fan, he became an honor society member in high school, a member of the school wrestling team and a frequent golfer. His love for hockey enabled him to see numerous Montreal Canadiens games near his hometown, although his favorite NHL team continues to be the New York Rangers.
He enrolled at the State University of New York and received a degree in Mass Communications in 1987.
Early Career
Solarski was hired as a general assignment reporter for the NBC station WPTZ in Plattsburgh, New York. His reporter area included St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, although on occasion he was sent to Montreal for several special-event stories.
While at WPTZ, Solarski was assigned events and news stories which generated out of the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in Franklin County, New York. The reservation is also known by its Mohawk name Akwesasne. He focused his reporting on the reservation's internal and external struggles with casino gambling. The reservation is situated on over 30,000 acres extending from New York State and into the Canadian providences of Quebec and Ontario.
The problems and controversy at the time of Solarski's tenure centered around the tribe's Warrior Society and various contemporary elected chiefs which supported gambling and bingo houses, while the longtime traditional chiefs opposed the actions.
Gambling was adopted in the 1980s. Currently there is the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino and the Mohawk Bingo Palace. These two enterprises along with other tribal businesses are currently one of the largest employers in Northern New York.
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Began doing morning cut-ins during the Today show. then became fill in anchor for the 6 and 11 pm newscasts. Then became assignment editor and anchor. The station was owned by Heritage Media, which also owned WEAR.
from the and in 1987 began reporting for WPTZ, the NBC affiliate for Plattsburgh and the surrounding area. He became a news anchor and managing editor in 1989 and received a number of Associated Press Awards.
Pensacola Bound
Joining the WEAR team in March 1994, Solarski hosted "This Week with Bob Solarski" until 1995, as well as a live call-in show called "Extra" from 2003 to 2006. He has interviewed politicians including President Bill Clinton, Ross Perot, Mario Cuomo and other state and national figures, and has received several Florida Associated Press Awards for his work, including Best Editorial Feature and News Magazine.
Pro Career:
Pensacola, Mobile, and Fort Walton Beach
External links
On October 1, 2008, Solarski was arrested for driving under the influence, in addition to several other charges. According to witnesses and police, Solarski caused damage to several vehicles in the parking lot of the Sears Auto Center at University Mall. On open bottle of vodka was discovered in the vehicle, and he later registered a 0.296 and 0.30 percent blood alcohol level on two separate breath tests. (The legal limit in Florida is 0.08 percent.) Solarski was also charged with driving with an open container, leaving the scene of an accident with damage, criminal mischief and resisting a law enforcement officer.[1]
On October 21, 2008, Solarski pleaded guilty to the charges of DUI, driving with an open container, and resisting arrest. The other charges were dropped by the State Attorney prior to the hearing. Escambia County Judge Joyce Williams sentenced Solarski to one year of probation, a one-year license revocation, $2,300 in fines, 50 hours of community service and first-offender DUI school. Solarski must also attend two drunken-driving impact panels and have an interlock ignition device installed for one year.
According to a WEAR statement, Solarski will remain off the air as he “progresses through treatment".
External links
References
- ↑ "Bob Solarski arrested." Pensacola News Journal, October 2, 2008.