Where are all the former news anchors?

[theparkman81]

I also notice that the weekend weather guy from Fox 25 is gone, I know that he was there for a long time, I wonder where he took off too.

[S_C_B]

Hello group.
I just had to join, because the conversation was getting so good.

BTW, I just saw Sophia Reza'a pic on Fox Dallas.
She said she is "very excited to be back in Texas and closer to family and friends."

I sure am tired of seeing new faces at KOCO.

[eck74]

Does anybody know what happened to Randy Renner this time? He was gone very quickly from KOKC 1520 radio. He was on all morning and throughout the day doing local news, and then one day he was gone. Even replaced his commercials with someone else reading the same script.

[Bigrayok]

Whatever happened to Tammy Payne who was on 4 and 9?

Bigray in Ok

[drumsncode]

Whatever happened to Tammy Payne who was on 4 and 9?

Bigray in Ok

Wow, you're taxing my memory, but I think it has something to do with a harassment lawsuit at her station, years ago. She just kinda vanished into the sunset, and I think someone wrote on here years ago that she married someone wealthy.

That's the best I can do. I bet there are people here that can paint a much more detailed and accurate picture. The media really kept it low-key as I recall.

[TaoMaas]

Whatever happened to Tammy Payne who was on 4 and 9?

Bigray in Ok

I saw her a few months ago and she was doing some interviews for (I think) "Oklahoma" magazine.

[FFLady]

Man, I bet Cherokee wishes she was back at the anchor desk! So much negative going on at the ME Offices....So far she seems pretty good for damamge-control, though!

[bpd514]

I believe she is married to the OK County District Attorney and goes my Tammy Prater.

[duckman]

Did anyone else notice that Andy Wallace has disappeared from KOCO? A new fellow named Damon Lane was working today. Who has the goods on what happened to RoboWallace

[kevinpate]

I believe she is married to the OK County District Attorney and goes my Tammy Prater.

Unless I've been taking the wrong medication, I think it is Tamera Pratt who is married to OK Co. DA David Prater.

[kevinpate]

Cherokee has done rather excellent in a tough situation.

I've always liked her work. Whatever they are paying her as spokesperson, it's likely not enough.

[TaoMaas]

Unless I've been taking the wrong medication, I think it is Tamera Pratt who is married to OK Co. DA David Prater.

lol Don't adjust your medication, Kev...you're right about 'Tammy vs Tamera'.

[drum4no1]

Cherokee has done rather excellent in a tough situation.

I've always liked her work. Whatever they are paying her as spokesperson, it's likely not enough.

Im sure the relief of getting out of the tv news biz is payment enough...

[whasup]

You're thinking of Ray Preston. I think his wife's name was Kathy Jones-Preston. And she wasn't doing a story about pilots without licenses or anything like that, just a story about aerobatic flying. She and the pilot were doing manuevers near the Cimmaron River valley in Kingfisher county. The pilot was performing a diving manuever, but he underestimated his speed, and was unable to pull up in time. The plane slammed belly down into the mostly dry riverbed, and both were killed instantly. A KFOR photog was filming it all, and the footage is very stunning, if you haven't seen it.

I believe Ray Preston is still a reporter at the CBS affiliate in St. Louis, where he's been since just after the crash. Devin Scillian is a top anchor at the NBC affiliate in Detroit, and was getting serious play for a time to replace Brian Williams as anchor of MSNBC's nightly newscast when Williams when to NBC's Nightly News.

Kathy Jones-Preston was the reporter that was killed in the plane crash. It has been fifteen years, so I may be wrong, but I believe it happened the day after the 4th of July. I used to work a lot with Kathy's husband, Ray Preston. They were both very kind people...wonderful folks.

I remember working on the 4th of July and Kathy had to work too. Consequently, she was unable to spend the holiday with Ray and the baby. Maybe it was Ray that I worked with that day, and it was Kathy and the baby that came to the station to visit him. As I said, it has been a long time. Feeling bad that they couldn't celebrate the holiday together, I went home during lunch on the 4th and grilled some hot dogs for all of us who were forced to spend the 4th in the news room. Ray, Kathy, and the baby were there together, enjoying their holiday.

Early the next morning, several of us were watching the live feed of Kathy in the plane while we taped it for airing later on that day. It seemed so exciting - knowing she was living the thrill of the Top Gun experience. Then, so quickly, it all changed as we watched a plane nose-dive into the ground.

There were two planes up there simulating the dive-bomber experience, so at first we were unsure as to which one of them had crashed. All of us in the news room held hands and prayed together, hoping against hope that Kathy was safe-that she was in the other plane. Tragically, within a few minutes we learned it was Kathy's plane that had gone down.

It was terrible. It still affects me when I let myself think about it. I remember how my family and friends used to mistake me for Kathy in the background shots of the news room because our hair was the same color and cut. I recall her little kindnesses when I was a new writer and everything and everyone terrified me. Little memories of working with her haunted me for the longest time. For weeks I was unable to stop crying.

We had to write our own copy for stories about Kathy's death-forcing us to relive it over and over. They kept assigning me her story and I would write and cry, write and cry. It was difficult to sit in the editing room, still in shock, having to grind out copy about her. It took a long time to get over seeing her go like that...live.

To many, that crash is just a statistic. It is just one of those bits of trivia people mention.

"Wasn't she the reporter/anchor that died in that plane crash?"

But to many of us that were there that day, and many of us that had the privilege of working with her, it was a very sad and memorable moment.

About two months and thousands of tears later, I quit. I guess I just wasn't cut out for the news business. Now I teach writing at a college. Nothing too exciting happens there. I like it that way.

[OKCLifer]

I hear that John Flick's last day at KOCO is Tuesday, October 20. I hate to see him leave. Anyone know where he's going?

[circled9]

I saw Cherokee a couple of weeks ago and she looked great. She is the spokesperson for the Medical Examiners Office.

[duckman]

I hear that John Flick's last day at KOCO is Tuesday, October 20. I hate to see him leave. Anyone know where he's going?

If they gave him the evenings instead of the horrid Paul Folger we wouldn't be in this position of losing another fine broadcaster.
I wonder if they'll give weekdays to JiaoJiao and have diversity day every day of the week?

[braums manager]

I also notice that the weekend weather guy from Fox 25 is gone, I know that he was there for a long time, I wonder where he took off too.

i liked him to

[braums manager]

crappy browser

[bluedogok]

Not looking back through all of this but I saw Mitch Jelniker on the ABC affiliate in Denver doing the morning show.

[rkjg24]

I hear that John Flick's last day at KOCO is Tuesday, October 20. I hate to see him leave. Anyone know where he's going?

What?! Wow. KOCO's never going to stop the bleeding.

[gmwise]

Good grief..

I like John Flick,and I dislike Folger..jeez

[duckman]

Here's a little something something from Sarah Libby's FB page.
"John Flick: Welcome back. See you bright and early.
Yesterday at 5:35pm

Sarah Libby: Missed you John..sniffle sniffle.. what am I gonna do in a few weeks!! booo hhoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday at 5:45pm
John Flick: You'll come visit.
Yesterday at 6:15pm

Sarah Libby: Yes yes!! I will!!!
Yesterday at 6:46pm"

[oneforone]

Not looking back through all of this but I saw Mitch Jelniker on the ABC affiliate in Denver doing the morning show.

He has been in Denver since he left KWTV.

[CMYC5GO]

Ok...here's a brain teaser for some of you. I moved down here in 1999, just in time for the May 3rd tornado. I'm thinking it was shortly after that that an early morning anchor showed up on KWTV, but for the life of me, I can't remember her name. She was dark haired, had slightly pronounced front teeth, and was pretty cute in a wholesome way. Anyway..she could NEVER get the words to come out right. She would stammer, make grammatical mistakes, and would sometimes act like she was totally lost. She didn't last long. I saw her again on a few commercials for some dentist office. I want to say her name was Amy, but who knows...my mind is feeble nowadays! Thanks in advance for the name! (if you remember it)