29 Great Years

We are fast approaching the 29th anniversary of my entry into Birmingham television.

In August 1979, I was working at Y-102 FM in Montgomery, playing rock and roll music on the radio. I had worked at WSFA-TV in Montgomery from October 1978 to May 1979, when I resigned to take the radio job. I loved Channel 12, but I pretty much grew up in a radio station in Tuscaloosa, and when Larry Stephens gave me a chance to work in Montgomery radio doing afternoon drive, it was hard to pass up. And, I got a big raise. As I recall, my salary went from $180 a week to $195 a week. Lots of money for a 23 year old, you know. That summer of 79 was really care free, but I knew my real love was weather, and having a chance to do a few weathercasts on WSFA really got my motor running (I was actually hired by Channel 12 to handle weekend sports, but when Gene Hocutt left I was able to do some weekend weather anchoring).

Around this part of August in 1979, Wendell Harris from WAPI-TV (Channel 13) in Birmingham called me; he had an interest in drawing me back to TV with an opportunity of a lifetime – being the primary weeknight weather anchor. Considering the fact I was not very good, had no college education in meteorology at the time, and was only 23, I do believe that was a miracle. I turned in my notice in Montgomery, and my first day at Channel 13 was scheduled for Monday September 10. I would be alongside news anchors Ken Snow and Pam Huff (yep, the same Pam Huff I still work with today!), and sports anchor Scott Palmer (long time sports guy at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia after leaving Birmingham a few years later).

After the first two nights on the air, I was then sent south to the Alabama coast on Wednesday September 12 to cover the landfall of Hurricane Frederic, which came right up Mobile Bay. No satellite trucks back then; all of the live reports were done by telephone. We had to race back on Thursday September 13 to get the video back to Birmingham for the evening news. It was a remarkable beginning of a career which I still love.

After five great years at Channel 13, I have had stops along the way at KDFW-TV (Channel 4) in Dallas, WBRC (Channel 6) in Birmingham, and I joined my current family here at ABC 33/40 when the station was formed in 1996. I hope I retire here… these people are like my family, and I am thankful for the Allbrittons for their support and encouragement over the last 12 years. They have given me the freedom to break lots of ground and take many chances. And, I still believe our best years are ahead of us!

Category: Pre-November 2010 Posts