Oklahoma City News TV personalities: past & present.

[AAC2005]

...a weekend guy named Ken Broo was there for a while...

LOL, small world! Ken Broo was the sports guy at WUSA-TV Channel 9 (Washington, DC) for about a minute back in the late 90's, I think.

[gmwise]

If my memory serves me right was there two female news casters that were killed a short time apart. One being killed in a helicopter and another on NW 36th and Walker?

I remember the stunt airplane one, the other i have no clue then again i was out of pocket for 2 yrs in cali.

[soonerstan56]

Was watching Dan Threlkill(sp?) during the May 3'rd tornado coverage when in his excitement he said "don't fart around with this thing folks".

Stan

[oneforone]

Was watching Dan Threlkill(sp?) during the May 3'rd tornado coverage when in his excitement he said "don't fart around with this thing folks".

Stan

He is now the Chief Meteorologist at KJRH Channel 2 up in Tulsa.



Dan Threlkeld | KJRH.com

[micesu]

Let's not forget Mike Steely's ex-wife Suzanne! With her infamous 'FAT ... LIKE ME!!!' exposé. LOL

I was in high school when that aired. She actually showed up to a basketball game in her fat suit and walked by a group of girls I knew and of course they started pointing an laughing. Of course she used this as proof of fat people being discriminated against.

One of the girls later told me they weren't laughing at her because she was fat but it was obvious that she was wearing a fat suit and a wig. The girl told me her face was very thing and they thought she was part of a half time skit.

[nighttrain12]

I was in high school when that aired. She actually showed up to a basketball game in her fat suit and walked by a group of girls I knew and of course they started pointing an laughing. Of course she used this as proof of fat people being discriminated against.

One of the girls later told me they weren't laughing at her because she was fat but it was obvious that she was wearing a fat suit and a wig. The girl told me her face was very thin and they thought she was part of a half time skit.

Yeah, they should have got a real life fat person and a hidden camera for that exposé. If I remember correctly, she walked into a Braum's dressed that way and some teenage employee started laughing and Suzanne's after the fact voiceover assumed the employee must have been laughing at her because she was fat. Then a few businesses threatened lawsuits over the story and the whole thing got dropped on air. Of course its been remembered many years later. LOL

[Matt]

If my memory serves me right was there two female news casters that were killed a short time apart. One being killed in a helicopter and another on NW 36th and Walker?

I remember the stunt airplane one, the other i have no clue then again i was out of pocket for 2 yrs in cali.

Kathy Jones was the plane crash; Lee Evans was the car crash.

(God bless Wikipedia.)

[magicchord]

...Back when Jack Ogle was anchor, Jim Williams was WKY->KTVY->KFOR's weather man, and he's also local radio personality Danny Williams' brother...

Heh heh. I worked with both men at Ch.4 back in the day, and no, they're not related.

Jim was a real weather geek, whose meteorological skill put Gary England to shame. Gary was the better self-promoter and more colorful personality though.

[mugofbeer]

Mitch Jelniker (sp?) was an anchor on channel 9, I think. He married another anchor on the station. He now is in Denver still doing the news. I dont recall his wife's name or if she is still doing news.

One other thing is my wish to remember the news reporter back in the 1970's who gave one of the classic lines of all time. There was a large apartment fire that had broken out in a complex, the anchor led the story and then switched to the female reporter who said, "Thats right ***, the fire is currently confined ONLY to the buildings that are burning!" I remember sitting in the dorms at OU laughing so hard I spilled my beer.

[TaoMaas]

Mitch Jelniker (sp?) was an anchor on channel 9, I think. He married another anchor on the station. He now is in Denver still doing the news. I dont recall his wife's name or if she is still doing news.

Mitch married the daughter of Ch. 9's GM.

[mugofbeer]

Heh heh. I worked with both men at Ch.4 back in the day, and no, they're not related.

Jim was a real weather geek, whose meteorological skill put Gary England to shame. Gary was the better self-promoter and more colorful personality though.

magicchord - I hate to tell you this but Gary England is regarded nationwide as one of the best broadcast metorologists out there. He may get pretty excited when the tornadoes come calling, and he may be a little more folksy than you like, but in that 2-3 times in a lifetime situation like the monster tornado of 1999, he probably saved the lives of hundreds.

[mopicdude]

26 Apr 2003 (Dallas Morning News, April 28 issue)
Ralph Eugene COMBES died.

COMBES, RALPH EUGENE passed away April 26, 2003, at his home in Rowlett, TX. He was born in Counsil Grove, KS, to Eugene and Georgia (MORGAN) COMBES. He was a member of the National Television & Radio News Directors Assoc. and worked as newscaster/journalist at WKY Radio/TV, KWTV, and KOCO TV in Oklahoma City, OK, before moving to Texas. He volunteered reading books on tape for the blind and volunteered for the National Kidney Foundation. He served honorably in the Navy...

[Prunepicker]

Does anyone remember Bob Thomas the weatherman on WKY-TV?

[ljbab728]

Does anyone remember Bob Thomas the weatherman on WKY-TV?

Yes, do you remember Harry Volkman before him? He is supposed to be the first weatherman to ever issue a tornado warning.

[Danno]

Ralph Combes did NOT go straight from TV down to Texas, where he passed away. He worked with us as our newsguy at KXY, until Nate Webb joined us a year or two into our show. Ralph was hysterical, and knew everything! Sadly, he was also the most pesimistic man we'd ever met, and didn't care what he said to those in power. With all he'd been through, can't say as I blamed him, either! We loved him, but every day became an excercise in negativity!
One day, Ralph called me in the afternoon, and said, "Somebody stole my lawn!!!".
He lived over by 122nd and May, and sure enough, while he was at work with us and nobody was home, somebody had backed their truck up in his driveway, and proceeded to roll up the fresh turf lawn he had just paid to have installed a few days before!! All he had left was a dirt front yard!!
And no, Gary England never worked at KTOK, another place I worked at...and we worked closely with Gary for years, before he decided he didn't want to wake up early anymore. I STILL miss working daily with Gary, and he's not only brilliant, but a really nice guy, too!

[Prunepicker]

Gary England never worked at KTOK...

Rick Tasetano was the weatherman at KTOK for years.

[cameron_405]

...not sure if this belongs in this thread. Anyone remember 'cable auction'? I did an on-air gig for a couple of weeks (all it took -- haha). Do I qualify as a past personality? {;+Þ

[Prunepicker]

... not sure if this belongs in this thread. Anyone remember 'cable
auction'? I did an on-air gig for a couple of weeks (all it took -- haha).
Do I qualify as a past personality? {;+Þ

Cable Auction? I remember a classified billboard.

[cameron_405]

Cable Auction? I remember a classified billboard.

Cable Auction will premiere Thursday in the Oklahoma City area -- 1998

[Prunepicker]

Cable Auction will premiere Thursday in the Oklahoma City area -- 1998

It appears Amazon took over that niche in the market. LOL

[cameron_405]

It appears Amazon took over that niche in the market. LOL

...wish you could've seen some of their 'wares'. It was a riot though!

[bmrsnrou]

...not sure if this belongs in this thread. Anyone remember 'cable auction'? I did an on-air gig for a couple of weeks (all it took -- haha). Do I qualify as a past personality? {;+Þ

Cable auction was HILARIOUS! We even had a bidder number, lol. We'd kick back a few adult beverages, then about midnight, we'd call and start bidding on the crap that they had. We actually bought a vacuum cleaner that we went and picked up at their warehouse/studio off of I-35 service road. Too funny that you would mention Cable Auction. Btw, where did they get the crap that they sold on there?

[Thunder]

Cameron, I may remember the cable auction, but I'm not sure if its the same one. There was many different items on tv and remember calling in (maybe something about bids?) on some things. We picked them up at a big building on the east side of I-35.

Does anyone remember the black lady at KFOR killed in a wreck after the 10pm newscast? She was on her way home. I can't remember her name.

[kevinpate]

I recall that cable auction and its warehouse on I-35. Crapola items or not, the made elsewhere drill I purchased still functions after all these years.

[RadicalModerate]

Was "Cable Auction" the one that came on late at night, was shot in a large warehouse with various piles (or "lots") of junk and featured a couple of girls who seemed as if they might have been sampling some cannabis off camera? It sure doesn't seem like it's been over ten years since I last accidentally surfed onto that program a few times . . .