We wake up with them, have dinner with them, go to bed with them and turn to them in times of crisis. Sound like family? For many people, they almost are.

Every day, several times a day, Southwest Florida's television news anchors are as close as the click of a remote. WINK, WBBH and WZVN, Big Three affiliates of CBS, NBC and ABC, respectively, have periodic newscasts throughout the day, from pre-dawn until they sign off at 11:30 p.m. WFTX, the FOX affiliate, has an hour-long newscast at 10 p.m., repeated the following morning. (Live morning newscasts will begin this summer.) In between, the anchors smile down from billboards, punctuate radio broadcasts, appear at social clubs and fund-raising events, and pop on between Oprah, CSI and Lost to offer a taste of what's coming on the nightly news.

Nothing represents a local station like its news anchor team, and the impression the team leaves with viewers has a tremendous impact on the station as a whole-and its financial well-being.

"A station's success depends on a variety of factors, but the single most important is how the anchor is perceived by the audience. People tend to identify with someone they see night after night or morning after morning," says Barbara Cochran, president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, which is based in Washington, D.C.

Most local stations feature anchor teams-typically a man and woman, because of a desire to engage all viewers, according to Cochran. "Half-hour shows tended to have single anchors, and as the length of time on the air and time of day changed, there needed to be more than one anchor just to be able to apportion the workload," Cochran explains.

What makes a good anchor?

Appearance is important, but not necessarily beauty.

"When you're on TV, the most important thing is that appearance not be a distraction from the information that's being communicated. There are lots of people who have had success who are not necessarily glamour pusses," says Cochran. Far more important is the credibility an anchor brings to the newscast, she adds. "They have to be seen to be giving reliable information and know what they're talking about, [providing] a sense of context and history."

Those are the qualities WINK-TV news director John Emmert looks for. "They have to think on their feet, they have to be very bright," he says. "They're the face of our broadcast. If something goes wrong [while they're on the air], they're the ones responsible for handling that."

"There is sometimes a tendency to think this is an easy and glamorous job, and the fact is anchors have to be able to communicate and do it through a television camera and have a lot of knowledge at their fingertips and be able to state it clearly," says Cochran. "[News anchors] often have to ad lib, and cover a breaking news event and do it live, as well as to read beautifully from a teleprompter."

We met with the main anchor teams who appear on evening newscasts Monday through Friday on WINK, WFTX, WZVN and WBBH to learn a little more about them and their work.

WINK (CBS)

Lois Thome and Chris Cifatte

Chris Cifatte had a tough act to follow when he joined Lois Thome at the WINK-TV anchor desk in 2005. Predecessor Jim McLaughlin had held the reins at WINK for 28 years, serving not only as news anchor but also as managing editor. When he retired, says Thome, "We needed someone who had a strong journalism background, was serious about news reporting and able to work with young reporters and help them grow as journalists-as well as being good on air, of course; that's the primary thing." Cifatte, who joined the station in 2002, "quickly rose to the top," she says.

Sitting in a small room tucked in a corner of the busy, nondescript newsroom at WINK's headquarters on Palm Beach Boulevard, Thome, 41, and Cifatte, 39, listen to questions and answer them with polish that comes from years of interview experience. Friendly, open, confident and unfailingly professional, they seem very much the same as on air-and that's how it should be, says Emmert. "We wouldn't want anchors to be different in person than what you see on the air," he says.

Here is what Thome and Cifatte had to say.

On public appearances:

Community involvement comes with the job. Anchors speak to social, civic and professional organizations, they host fund raisers and participate in charitable organizations. Many are attached to particular causes or organizations. Cifatte is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Florida. Education is Thome's bailiwick, from the Lee County Reading Festival to mentoring.

They say they do appearances because the causes are worthwhile, it's fulfilling and they enjoy it. It's also inevitable; since anchors are so visible, people seek them out to host events, act as spokespeople or advocate for their causes. Besides, community involvement is critical to heightening visibility and good relations.

"Lois does a lot more personal ap­pear­ances than any other anchor I've worked with," says Cifatte.

"That's sort of my niche," says Thome. "Years ago, it was decided it was very valuable to the station, and somebody needed to be doing these things. If you really want to have longevity in this market, you need to be willing to go out and get to know [people]. There are no egos allowed. I don't know anyone in this market with a huge ego that's lasted very long."

But there's a line between a newsperson's responsibility for covering news and his or her advocacy. "Education is something I'm passionate about, but you'll never hear my position on any education issue," says Thome.

Even more so than in other markets, people in Southwest Florida have a desire for personal contact with anchors, Thome and Cifatte agree. "Everybody is from somewhere else, so that's how we make a community," Cifatte theorizes. "Here, neighbors are not necessarily the people who live next to you."

On competition:

"We have a healthy respect for our competition," says Thome. "We're all trying to put on the best news we can each day. Having said that, if you don't have the fire in your belly to be No. 1, you will not succeed in this business. But that's not what drives what we do every day; we try to be the best and put on the best stories that are most relevant to people."

Competition also comes from "everything else going on [with viewers]," says Cifatte, "making dinner, talking to your spouse, just getting home, [being] with the kids." And at 11 p.m., competition is with bedtime.

"If you don't measure up, or if they have to flip the channel to find what they're looking for, viewers notice that," he says.

On factors that affect ratings:

"No one person makes the ratings, and no one person makes them drop," says Thome. The national affiliate, however, plays a big role in local ratings. The lead-in show preceding the newscast often determines whether viewers will stay tuned to that station's newscast. When ER was an NBC blockbuster, Thome says, "we really struggled with 11 o'clock."

On being anchors:

Although newsrooms tend to breed competition among reporters and photographers, says Thome, "on the anchor desk, you have to be a team; you're driving the ship."

When there's tension, viewers know it. Successful anchors form a close relationship and can anticipate each other's words and actions. "She's always got my back," says Cifatte.

Anchors "have so much of the weight of creating the image for this business," he adds. "Whatever [viewers] think about the two main anchors personality-wise is what they think of the station, whether they're watching the news or Oprah."

WFTX (FOX4)

Krista Fogelsong and Patrick Nolan

Started in 1993, WFTX's news station is the newest kid in town, and its anchors seem to impart youthful energy. They are quick to joke and laugh, and come across as no-holds-barred, friendly and maybe a little less polished than their more formal counterparts. They bring to the newscast a casual, upbeat attitude and what some see as titillating news coverage, sometimes verging on sensational. FOX4 has competed successfully by airing a one-hour newscast at 10 p.m., while the others' half-hour newscasts air at 11 p.m.

Journal Broadcast Group bought WFTX last year from Emmis Communications Corp. and has ushered in a new general manager, news director and other executives. "From a content standpoint, some news coverage choices have changed since we have taken over," says Journal spokesman Jim Thomas. "There was not a news director prior."

Journal is still in the process of evaluating the station and market. "There's nothing that we're prepared to announce as far as additional newscasts," he says. "Many of the stations in our group have successful news stations in them-most have considerable news commitment," but the company will take its cue from local viewers.

Fogelsong, 34, arrived in 2002 from South Dakota, where she was anchor and reporter. Nolan, 37, joined her the following year, returning to Florida from an ABC affiliate in Houston, where he was a reporter and weekend anchor. (The Florida native attended the University of Florida and did a stint with a West Palm Beach station several years ago.) The two have developed high profiles in Southwest Florida through station advertising and numerous public appearances. (Anchors at the other stations point out that Folgelsong and Nolan's schedule allows more public appearances.)

On reporting:

Because the staff is smaller than at other stations, the FOX anchors do more reporting, they say.

"You get to go out and meet people. That's why we like doing public appearances; that's who we're doing news about," says Fogelsong.

"A lot of times, people contact us with story ideas or information because we're the most visible part of the station," says Nolan. "Sometimes, big or official organizations tend to drive the agenda in the media, and it seems like they have all the power and sometimes viewers feel powerless," he adds. FOX4 tries to give them a voice.

But the anchors have to walk a fine line; sometimes that personal involvement threatens to drag them into individual battles. "You want to hear what people want, but in a way that's beneficial to everybody," says Fogelsong. "You have to be practical. Some people want us to help them raise money or file lawsuits, and we can't do that; we're there to report the news."

On public appearances:

Public appearances have boosted their visibility, especially when both were new.

"No one knew who we were. We were a very new anchor team. It was a way for us to get our name out there," says Fogelsong.

The appearances are often on their own time, including weekends, but they say they enjoy it. "We get to go to balls [and other events] and we're helping with noteworthy causes," she says.

The new marketing director will be reviewing requests for public appearances, partly because they get so many now, they add.

And they try to be careful not to let community involvement undermine their work. "We will never let a commitment to an organization supercede our commitment to be critical journalists," says Nolan. "Our community involvement is also a tool to get news stories and build trust."

On FOX News Network:

"People tend to associate us with that, which can be good or bad," says Fogelsong. It seemed to help during national elections, when the national network carved a niche to counter other news networks, but FOX4 also bears the burden of the national network's reputation for programming lowbrow shows.

"If [viewers are] not watching the shows, it's hard to get them to watch us," says Fogelsong.

"It's really good for us to hear feedback, to avoid becoming what at the national level has been, 'I like this news because they have this agenda or that agenda,'" says Nolan. "We concentrate on local news, and oftentimes those issues aren't politicized in terms of Democrat versus Republican; they're things that affect everybody."

On competition:

The 10 p.m. time slot has worked in their favor, especially when its lead-in, the popular American Idol, had Vonzell Solomon of Fort Myers as a finalist.

Although the FOX network tends to draw the commercially desirable younger audience, the 10 p.m. local newscast also attracts older viewers who don't want to stay awake for 11 p.m. newscasts. The biggest challenge is keeping viewers through the hour.

Although the 10 p.m. newscast airs again the following morning, says Nolan, "We do hear from people who say they'd like to see more news in different parts of the day from us."

On their image:

Their image is "younger and hipper" than competitors, says Fogelsong. "We're a little more relaxed; we do have a young staff, a little more energetic."

"Because of the network we're associated with, because of our personalities, we might be able to present the news with a little more edge, a little more casual style than our competitors," says Nolan. "We see that as a freedom and because that's true to who we are; it's not like we're trying to be news with a 'tude."

The hour-long format lends to a more casual approach, he adds. "Think of it as an hour-long conversation. You don't want to be serious the entire hour. [We get] folks who have to get up for work the next day, a few who like the style and think Krista's cute," he says with a grin.

"Or who want to make fun of our hair," Fogelsong adds, laughing. She's talking about attention Nolan has received for his hair, which is uncharacteristically long for an anchor.

"We have a smaller staff than our competitors, and we haven't been in the [Southwest Florida] market as long, so we recognize we have to be scrappy and work a little bit harder," Nolan adds. "It pushes us, and I think our viewers sense that in our presentation."

WZVN (ABC7)

Sharon Gregory and Len Jennings

ABC7 is owned and licensed by Montclair Communications, but operated through a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Waterman Broadcasting, the owner and licensee of NBC2. The two share a building, a news director and other resources.

Gregory, 43, arrived in 1997 from Texas and worked as a reporter and part-time anchor at NBC2 before slipping into the main anchor's seat at ABC7. Jennings, 38, came from a

background in sports reporting, including a stint at FOX4, before joining ABC7 in 2001 as an anchor.

They lead the way to a second-floor conference room in the Waterman Broadcasting center near Edison Mall, a facility with a distinctly more upscale, polished flavor than its competitors. Both are congenial, polite and professional, and Gregory takes the lead, answering questions with an air of confidence and directness. Jennings seems more reserved, weighing his words; or perhaps it's the journalist in him, assessing the situation with a critical eye. Questions about the relationship with WBBH are met with hesitancy and diplomacy. Neither says so, but ABC7, which trails the other stations in ratings, seems to carry less weight at Waterman than its partner, and is struggling for a shot to shine.

On the LMA:

Although Gregory made the jump from NBC2 to ABC7, staff crossover isn't common; when it does happen, it's not a lateral move, say Jennings and Gregory. The news teams share resources on big stories, such as brush fires and, notably, hurricanes, when the two have provided round-the-clock coverage. Otherwise, ABC7 works to produce its own news product. "It's a unique situation and there's no perfect formula as far as trying to be able to have our own identity and not seeping over to the other side," says Jennings. "Sometimes in the [mutual] afternoon meetings, we fight over exclusivity [for stories]," but in practice, reporters are expected to "give a little taste" of what they are working on.

On ABC7's identity:

It positions itself as "the advocate station," says Jennings. "We're constantly trying to establish that 'works for you' angle. We're here to help you out. ABC7 is not only going to tell you the story, but we're going to tell you what to do, who to call.

"We take it a step further, make a couple of phone calls for you," and the station provides additional opportunities through its Web site to learn more and share information.

On public appearances:

Gregory and Jennings are connected to certain organizations, such as the ALS organization in tribute to their late colleague, Harry Horn, and Gregory is spokesman for the local March of Dimes and committed to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

But much of their charitable work is under the radar. Jennings makes a point of trying to keep his work-related community service separate from his personal volunteerism.

On ratings:

Although ABC7's ratings have trailed the competition, "[they] haven't skyrocketed, but they haven't plummeted, either," says Jennings. "My work speaks for itself."

The station, however, does pay attention to ratings, even to the point of shifting its anchors' schedules. With strong ratings from shows such as Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey's Anatomy, the station wanted its lead anchors on Sundays. "When you have a better show leading into your newscast, it's more of an opportunity for people to see your product," says Gregory.

So throughout November, Gregory and Jennings were on at 11 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Thursday. Saturday was their only day off, which they spent hosting a fund raiser and working promotions at local cinemas.

On competition:

For Gregory, the station's competition is "everybody who's not ABC7," she says. "I want to take ratings. I want higher viewership. I want people to view our product, and I think we have a good product."

WBBH (NBC2)

Craig Wolf and Jessica Stilwell

WBBH and WINK run neck-and-neck in the ratings, and their anchor teams are arguably some of the most recognizable people in Southwest Florida.

Senior anchor Wolf, 51, has been with NBC2 since 1993 and has manned the main anchor desk for 10 years. Stilwell, 32, started in 1995 with a cable station in Collier before moving to ABC7, and then to NBC2, where she was happily working mornings before moving to the evening position. (Stilwell's predecessor, Kellie Burns, returns to anchor the 5 and 6 p.m. slots in April; Stilwell will continue anchoring the 5:30 and 11 p.m. segments.)

Speaking in the same conference room as the ABC7 team had, Wolf and Stilwell are friendly and frank, and in spite of their jokes about their age difference-the widest among the local anchor teams-seem comfortable with and respectful of each other.

On public appearances:

Both Wolf and Stilwell have made their marks with various organizations, from the children's hospital and A-Team challenge academic quiz to Special Equestrians, although Stilwell's appearances have been rarer since her twins were born less than a year ago.

"When you say 'I'm going to work with you,' it's a huge commitment," she says, and organizations sometimes have the mistaken impression that association with an anchor guarantees them television coverage.

Although ethics guidelines tend to discourage journalists from advocating for organizations because of the risks-losing their objectivity, conflicts of interest or the appearance of impropriety-Wolf has little patience for those "pointy heads at think tanks," defending community service as an essential part of being a member of the company and the community. That's especially true in a relatively small community such as Southwest Florida, adds Stilwell. "Doing events and getting out in the community is a win-win."

On the LMA:

From a cost standpoint, both WBBH and WZVN benefit. "We run two stations on less than two full staffs," Wolf points out, and Waterman Broadcasting has been able to invest in high-end, high-cost technology.

It also seems to heighten competition between news teams. Wolf admits that when he started, he tried to keep his stories from the other station, and Stilwell says she had to turn over stories to NBC2 when she was on ABC7 staff. But the benefits of collaborating were obvious during hurricane coverage, Wolf adds. "We were unstoppable," he says. "We tromped WINK."

On ratings and job security:

Good ratings don't guarantee an anchor's job, says Wolf. "It's not a given you're the reason people are watching." They might be watching for the weatherman or the "hot blonde," he adds with a grin. More important are the results of focus groups, he says. "We're tested regularly. You'd better do well in focus groups or your tenure will be short."

On reporting:

As with other anchors, Wolf and Stilwell do little "day-of" reporting, focusing more on larger projects and helping reporters, who usually don't have the anchors' longevity or their local knowledge.

Wolf intends to do more reporting, he says. "I've decided I want to get on the street more. I've spent eight or nine years being a talking hair-do."