Marselis Parsons, WCAX

Marselis Parsons is the News Director of WCAX-TV and serves as Anchor of the Channel 3 News at 6:00 PM.

Born in Rye, New York, in 1944, Marselis traveled extensively in Europe and Africa during his youth, as his father was a Foreign Service officer.

He graduated in 1966 with BA from Lafayette College, in Easton, PA, where he majored in foreign affairs.

Marselis worked for radio stations in New Hampshire and Easton, and a brief stint at WRLH-TV, a low power UHF in Lebanon NH (the precursor to WNNE-TV).

"Div" joined WCAX-TV as a general assignment reporter in April 1967, and was appointed Montpelier Correspondent in 1968. He covered the last year of Democratic Governor Philip Hoff and the election of Republican Governor Deane Davis and the legislative debate over--and passage of--Act 250, Vermont's landmark land control law.

He was promoted to Night Editor and anchor in 1972, and also covered the city of Burlington.

In 1979, he instituted and produced a monthly newsmagazine program for WCAX-TV called Dimension. Marselis and the program won two New England EMMY awards...one for Best Newsmagazine in New England in 1980, the other for his role as the program's producer. Dimension also won many other awards from UPI, the National Association of Retarded Citizens, and others. He also helped the station win a Peabody award for the 25 part series called the Patterns of Practice which Hamilton Davis reported and Parsons produced in 1983.

In October of 1984, Marselis became News Director upon the death of Richard Gallagher

He is particularly proud of the accomplishments of the Channel 3 News team which has won dozens of awards in the last 20 years, including Best Television Newscast in the United States. That award, named for Edward R. Murrow, was given to WCAX-TV in 2003 by the Radio and Television News Directors Association..selected from all stations in markets sized 50 and smaller. WCAX TV just won the same award again in March of 2004 in the New England Region.

E-mail Marselis at: parsons@wcax.com