Meet the WRDE Team | WRDE

Bob Backman
President, General Manager

Bob was born and raised in Philadelphia. At a very young age, he became transfixed with local TV and radio broadcasting.

His first job, at the age of 12, was answering the request line phone for the DJs at the local Top 40 Radio station.

Bob saw firsthand how broadcasting could be an important part of people's lives and a force for good. TV and radio in those days was truly local, locally owned... locally programmed. And, that's the part of broadcasting Bob fell in love with.

When he got his chance after serving all these years in the broadcasting business to finally get his own local NBC TV station, Bob declared as his mission: "local, local, local" and assembled a wonderful family of broadcasters to carry out and enhance that goal.

Bob loves the outdoors and is a member of a local hiking club. Bob also is a huge fan of Doo Wop Music and hosts a nationally syndicated Doo Wop radio show on SiriusXM as well as hosting Oldies concerts all over.

For Bob, WRDE, NBC Coast TV is truly a dream come true. A dream he hopes you will share with him.

Bob's direct phone line is 302-703-6104 and he would love to hear from you on how to better serve our local community.

Anne Imanuel
Evening News Anchor

Anne Imanuel anchors WRDE News weeknights at 6 and 11 alongside Mark Edwards.

She's from Ft. Myers, Florida and has worked at TV stations all across the Sunshine State. Most recently she was an anchor in Tampa. She's also anchored in Tallahassee, Gainesville, and worked as a reporter in Ft. Myers.

Her work has been recognized by several first place awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Anne graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida and was inducted into the UF Hall of Fame.

Anne is committed to volunteering and has dedicated her time to a number of organizations including the American Cancer Society and animal rescue groups.

She has her very own rescue best friend! He's a Pomeranian-poodle mix who she tries spending as much time with as possible. Anne also enjoys hitting the beach, going to the gym (ok, she doesn't love the gym but she goes anyway!), and traveling.

Anne and is recently married and should never have trouble remembering her anniversary - 12/13/14!

Anne Imanuel

Mark Edwards
Evening News Anchor

Mark Edwards grew up in Arkansas. He joined the WRDE news team in October of 2014. Mark grew up very active in all sports and chose to play basketball at Henderson State University.

After college Mark planned to go to medical school, but took a job as a radio DJ for a popular radio station.

It wasn't long after, he was hooked on the entertainment industry. He spent time acting in Los Angeles before moving back to the south to pursue radio in Memphis, TN. He would eventually find his way back to Arkansas where he covered and ventured into the world of television.

During his career, he's covered the SEC for more than ten years and interviewed countless professional athletes. He is a people person and says he has never met a stranger. His hobbies include sports and reading!

Abbey Smith
Morning News Anchor / Multi-Media Journalist

Abbey Smith joined the WRDE news team in December, 2015. Traveling all the way from the "Mitten," Abbey is a proud Michigan State University alumna where she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

Abbey looks forward to bringing you local news every morning as WRDE's morning anchor. You can catch her Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 10 a.m., during the TODAY show. Abbey also hosts WRDE's "Delmarva Pets" every Monday at 5 p.m.

Prior to WRDE, Abbey worked as a multimedia journalist for HOMTV in Okemos, Mich. She also worked as a development/event coordinator for Whaley Children's Center, a non-profit organization in Flint serving abused and neglected children. When she's not tracking down lead news stories, you can find her at the beach or at Starbucks.

Got an interesting news tip? Abbey would love to hear from you! Send her your idea or simply say "hello". Follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

abbeysmith@wrde.com    |    Abbey Smith

Nick Franck
Sports Anchor

Nick Franck grew up in a small town in North Dakota. He joined the WRDE sports team in July of 2016. From a young age, he was always passionate about sports.

Nick graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism. During his time at ASU, he was a sports anchor for the college TV program and the sports director for the college radio station. He earned a national Hearst Broadcast Award for his radio work.

After college, he was hired as the weekend sports anchor at a TV station in Duluth, Minnesota. Nick spent two years covering some of the best prep hockey in the country as well as Vikings' training camp and the 2014 MLB All Star Game.

When he is not busy reporting on sports, Nick loves golfing, running, biking and grilling! Despite the lifelong heartache it has caused him, he fully supports the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves and Wild.

Anthony Joseph
Multi-Media Journalist, Sports

Anthony is a sports journalist for WRDE NBC Coast TV. He is a Sussex County native, born and raised in Seaford, and graduated from Salisbury University with a Communications degree.

He loves cheering on his favorite teams the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadephia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles. He also enjoys watching high school sports, and Nascar.

He worked at WGMD as the Sports Director, and is known as the voice of "High School Sports" in Delaware.

AnthonyJoseph@WRDE.com

A.J. Clemente
Multimedia Journalist

A.J. Clemente grew up in the Bronx, New York before moving to Newark, Delaware where he attended Newark High School. His superlative in high school was "most likely to get on ESPN".

He attend West Virginia University and is a proud Mountaineer! While at WVU he was the Main Anchor for WVU NEWS. After college he moved to the beach area in Sussex County and bartended at local places like Que Pasa Restaurant and Crooked Hammock Brewery.

His career started in North Dakota as a reporter and you may have recognized him from an appearance on "David Letterman", "NBC Today Show" and "Live with Kelly and Michael". He has interned at WJZ in Baltimore and with the Baltimore Blast Soccer team.

A.J spends his time playing beach volleyball, riding his scooter down to the beach and trying any new foods he can get his hands on. He looks forward to continuing his career with WRDE TV and making friends with the locals as best he can.

A.J. Clemente

John Brady
Politcal Reporter and Legal Analyst

WRDE-TV is pleased to welcome attorney and former Delaware elected official John Brady to the WRDE news team. Brady will serve a dual role for WRDE. He will report on political and legal stories and serve as the station's legal analyst.

"I've known John Brady for many years", says WRDE President and General Manager Bob Backman. "John's decades of experience and expertise is unmatched in Sussex County. He will be a tremendous resource to WRDE".

On June 13, 2012 the Delaware State Senate confirmed him for a six-year term on the Delaware State Industrial Accident Board. He will continue to serve in this role.

Brady grew up in Wilmington and attended Salesianum School. He went on to the University of Delaware, and graduated from the University of Richmond for undergraduate and then to W idener Law School. He is admitted to the Bar in Delaware and New Jersey and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States and serves as the town Prosecutor in Dewey Beach, Delaware and Town Solicitor for Ellendale, Delaware.

Brady Served as a Deputy Attorney General for the state of Delaware, as a legislative attorney, taught courses at Widener Law School, held offices in county government, practiced privately as an attorney and volunteered for charitable causes.

In 2011, he left office as Recorder of Deeds, and was later appointed by Governor Jack Markell to serve on the Delaware State Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning for a three-year term as a public member.

On November 6, 2012, John Brady was elected clerk of the Peace for Sussex County, Delaware. The Clerk of the Peace is the head of the Marriage Bureau for the county, where marriage licenses are issued and upon request, the ceremony is performed. Brady was sworn into office in January, 2013. As of his retirement Brady performed almost 1000 weddings during his term.

Nicole Edenedo
Multimedia Journalist

Nicole Edenedo is back with the WRDE team covering the latest news around Delmarva. Nicole previously worked as the morning show reporter for the Lower Hudson Valley at FiOS 1 News, a 24-Hour cable news network in New York City.



A native of sunny Los Angeles, Nicole has worked as a full time television reporter for the past four years here on the east coast but her journalism career really began over 10 years ago in her hometown. While most of her peers were worrying about the latest news around the schoolyard, at age 15 Nicole was working as an online reporter for My Club My Life, a teen-driven website of the nationally acclaimed Boys and Girls Clubs of America. During her time with the Club, Nicole was their go-to red carpet reporter in Hollywood interviewing a long list of prominent celebrities from director Ron Howard, teen sensation Miley Cyrus, Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, to media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Her poised and captivating interviewing skills earned Nicole spots on several discussion panels, an exclusive job with People Magazine, and a role as social media manager for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).



Throughout her storied career, Nicole has experienced the ups and downs of the journalism industry and knows what it takes to survive in what can be a cut-throat, dog-eat-dog business, be it in the concrete jungle of New York City or the pastoral fields of Delmarva. That's why Nicole enjoys taking her time to tell stories that make a difference in people's lives, that touch the hearts of her audience.



When she's not running around town with her camera and microphone in tow, you can find Nicole enjoying the booming restaurant scene along the coast or simply enjoying time with friends. After all, what's the point of living at the beach if you don't fully enjoy it?



For media inquiries, general questions or just a quick hello to your friendly neighborhood TV reporter, email Nicole at

NicoleEdenedo@wrde.com.

Mallory Metzner
Multimedia Journalist/Producer

Mallory Metzner was born and raised in Lewes, Delaware, where she grew up and still lives just 5 minutes from the beach. Mallory is deeply rooted in Sussex County for she attended Sussex Technical High School. There she studied Media Broadcasting, but she had been an aspiring journalist long before that. She first worked for WRDE as an intern during the summer before her senior year at the University of Delaware. Shortly after graduating a semester early, Mallory began reporting and producing for the 6pm and 11pm weekend broadcasts. By May 2018, Mallory was part of the full-time news team.

Always an overachiever, Mallory double majored in Media Communications and Fashion Merchandising, and she triple minored in Journalism, Spanish and Business Administration. During college, Mallory was both the producer of the Student TV Network's "49 News" and the production director of the school fashion magazine. During her three and a half years of college, she held 6 internships, including a position as a Junior Reporter for Fox 29 in Philadelphia. Mallory was making pieces for Good Day Weekend and fronting them live alongside the morning anchor. If that wasn't enough, Mallory also competed on the National Champion Intercollegiate Figure Skating Team at UD and she taught lessons a few days a week. In fact, she's been figure skating since she was 6 years old.

In her free time, Mallory likes to get to the gym or the ice rink as much as she can. Naturally, you can also find her taking advantage of as many beach days as she can.



mallorymetzner@wrde.com    |    Mallory Metzner