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He was Milwaukee's answer to Marvin Zindler. Sad news from WITI-TV, long time TV6 News Anchor and Contact 6 consumer watchdog Tom Hooper has passed away at the age of 85. Over the course of his 35-year career in local news, most of it as Contact 6 anchor, Hooper's name be synonymous with the journalism principles of comforting the affected and giving voice to the voiceless.

 

Hooper died this evening in his home in Georgia at 85. Prayers and condolences goes to The Hooper Family and his extended family at TV6 News (FOX 6 News WITI).

 

RIP Tom and Godspeed. Say hello to Vince Gibbens from all of us here, and tell him we still miss him.

 

https://fox6now.com/2018/10/19/longtime-fox6-news-anchor-tom-hooper-passes-away-at-85/

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For the second time this year, a former WFMY anchor has died.

 

This time, it's Lee Kinard, who had joined the station in 1956. He birthed the station's Good Morning Show and later went on to anchor evening newscasts. A studio at the station is named in his honor.

 

Kinard would have turned 87 on November 5.

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Former WGME anchor Doug Rafferty has died at 66. His death was mentioned in passing at the end of the A block in their 5PM newscast and wasn't mentioned again during the 5PM-630PM news block. The exact same script (and video montage) was recycled for the 11. Curiously, Rafferty was seen but not heard (his booming baritone was a noteworthy aspect of his presentation.)

https://wgme.com/news/local/former-wgme-anchor-reporter-doug-rafferty-dies

 

A possible reason for the cursory mention of Rafferty's passing: After an on-air stroke in 2006, he was relegated to mostly behind-the-scenes work at a sharp reduction in pay. He left WGME, took a job with the State of Maine and subsequently reached an out-of-court settlement with Sinclair on an age discrimination claim.

https://www.pressherald.com/2013/11/25/settlement_reached_in_ex-tv_anchor_s_suit_against_wgme_/

 

The Indy Star had a writeup on Rafferty focusing on his stint at WTTV

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/10/31/former-wttv-channel-4-anchor-doug-rafferty-dead/1830295002/

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Longtime WPXI Sports Director Sam Nover died overnight. He was a major part of the Pittsburgh Steelers TV coverage during the team’s dynasty in the 70s when then-WIIC was the team’s flagship station carrying their preseason games and the majority of their regular and postseason games carried on NBC. He also was the last person to interview Roberto Clemente two months before he died tragically in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972. He worked for WIIC/WPXI from 1970-2001 with a two year stint at NBC in between from 1980-82. 

https://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2018/12/04/Sam-Nover-longtime-WPXI-sportscaster-dies-at-77/stories/201812040178

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, H4UL4U said:

Speaking of Mark Johnson, he posted that longtime WEWS meteorologist Don Webster died this morning.

Very sad news indeed.   Next to Dick Goddard, Don Webster was a fixture of WEWS, from hosting Upbeat, and even serving as the stations' general manager in the 1980s (when he ceded weather duties to Tom Tasslemyer).  He returned to weather in 1989 and was the chief meteorologist for the next decade until his retirement.

It's good to hear that Mark didn't disappear either...could he be going back to mornings?

Edited by tyrannical bastard
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46 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Very sad news indeed.   Next to Dick Goddard, Don Webster was a fixture of WEWS, from hosting Upbeat, and even serving as the stations' general manager in the 1980s (when he ceded weather duties to Tom Tasslemyer).  He returned to weather in 1989 and was the chief meteorologist for the next decade until his retirement.

It's good to hear that Mark didn't disappear either...could he be going back to mornings?

Trent is going to be on mornings.  Mark is likely staying put on evenings.

Very sad to read about Don Webster.  He is one of the legends in Cleveland television.

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Looks like WEWS (and the other Scripps stations) underwent a website revamp, so that could have been how Mark's bio disappeared (it's back now, but empty) 

I'm sure the Gibber is happy to see Don again...

 

And some very famous bloopers came from Don on the weather wall...

And maybe he'll make up with Dorothy Fuldheim over this....

Godspeed.

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I really hate starting the first week of 2019 with a death of a broadcaster. Long-time WLTX-TV Sports Director Bob Shields has passed away after an 18 month battle of cancer. Shields had covered local High School and College sports in Columbia, SC, market for three decades. Shields survived by his wife and two children.

 

Condolences goes out to The Shields Family and his extended family at WLTX News 19. RIP and Godspeed.

 

https://www.wltx.com/video/news/remembering-bob-shields/101-7ac8eb55-163d-435a-b178-4fff02f853ab

https://www.wltx.com/video/news/local/wltx-colleagues-remember-bob-shields/101-e5d07da1-9ddd-4667-b741-e7195d7b9cf1

https://www.wltx.com/video/news/bob-shields-farewell-broadcast-on-wltx/101-7ee446d3-d569-40fc-ba14-d67589aa40bc

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It is with a very heavy heart I tell you that Doug Johnson, the longtime Chief Weathercaster at KPRC (NBC) Houston has passed away today. Doug anchored the weather at KPRC for 33 years until his retirement in 1994. Doug along with the late, great Ron Stone were two great KPRC legends throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s until Ron's retirement in 1992. From hurricanes, thunderstorms, hail and hot sunny days... Doug was there to cover it all.

 

Tribute of Doug Johnson is on the KPRC's website. Condolences goes out to Doug's family and to his extended family at KPRC NBC 2. Rest in peace, Doug and Godspeed. And say hello to Ron Stone from all of us.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/doug-johnson-longtime-kprc2-weatherman-dies-at-79

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  • 3 weeks later...

KVII director Malcolm Montgomery passed away suddenly early Tuesday morning at the age of 27, while he was making preparations for that morning's edition of ABC 7 News Daybreak. Steve Kersh, the station's chief meteorologist, disclosed on his Facebook FastCast feature on KVII's Facebook page that the station canceled that day's edition of its morning and 11:00 a.m. newscasts as a result of Montgomery’s death. We at TVNT send condolences to Malcolm's family and the KVII staff.

Edited by T.L. Hughes
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4 minutes ago, T.L. Hughes said:

KVII director Malcolm Montgomery passed away suddenly early Tuesday morning at the age of 27, while he making preparations for that morning's edition of ABC 7 News Daybreak. Steve Kersh, the station's chief meteorologist, disclosed on his Facebook FastCast feature on KVII's Facebook page that the station canceled that day's edition of its morning and 11:00 a.m. newscasts as a result of Montgomery’s death. We at TVNT send condolences to Malcolm's family and the KVII staff.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone at KVII and the Montgomery family. I would also like to make very clear that now is not the time to make any comments about Sinclair regarding this situation. This could have happened anywhere.

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57 minutes ago, NewsMaster said:

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone at KVII and the Montgomery family. I would also like to make very clear that now is not the time to make any comments about Sinclair regarding this situation. This could have happened anywhere.

 

It was also the right thing to cancel the newscast. They were probably in no mood to do them at that time, and in the morning they may have not even had information and they likely had the shock still fresh on them.

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4 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

KVII director Malcolm Montgomery passed away suddenly early Tuesday morning at the age of 27, while he was making preparations for that morning's edition of ABC 7 News Daybreak. Steve Kersh, the station's chief meteorologist, disclosed on his Facebook FastCast feature on KVII's Facebook page that the station canceled that day's edition of its morning and 11:00 a.m. newscasts as a result of Montgomery’s death. We at TVNT send condolences to Malcolm's family and the KVII staff.

 

 No day is promised. May he RIP.

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Ron "The Ghoul" Sweed, the successor to Cleveland TV legend Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson, has died.

https://fox8.com/2019/04/02/ron-the-ghoul-sweed-legendary-tv-personality-has-passed-away/amp/

 

His show was carried on 10 stations across the country owned by Kaiser Broadcasting including Detroit's WKBD and Cleveland's WKBF (which signed off in 1975 and was re-incarnated as WCLQ several years later... it's now Univision owned WQHS). His show made a comeback at WCLQ in the 80s and later in the 1990s at WBNX.

 

 

 

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