Oklahoma City News TV personalities: past & present.

[tlltnkr47]

Yes that was Lee Evans....she was also on a local am station before moving on to KFOR. The wreck happened around nw 36th and walker and i believe a drunk driver was involved. Not sure what happened to the drunk driver.
Very tragic.

She was killed as a result of two cars drag racing with one of them blowing through a stop sign and striking her vehicle.

[SoonerDave]

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!

Lol it's funny what you miss when you don't track old threads. I was browsing this old thread and saw this post wherein someone claimed Gary England never worked at KTOK....

Since I'm bored here early Saturday morning, I guess I'll necrobump this for nostalgia's sake. Obviously this post is wrong; England was on KTOK just before he took the KWTV gig. He was replaced on KTOK by Gene Collet, who later retired and was replaced by Rick Tasetano. Gary took his "thunderlizard" gag he started at KTOK and did it for a while at KWTV; he even stuck a green, stuffed toy lizard to one of the big old rotating forecast boards they had in the waaaay-pre-computing era one day.

KTOK had changed a lot by the time Tasetano retired, and I don't think they replaced him with a dedicated staff meteorologist. They moved to contracted or TV-affiliated forecasting....

[tlltnkr47]

She was killed as a result of two cars drag racing with one of them blowing through a stop sign and striking her vehicle.

Correction: It was a traffic accident that killed her. The driver of the other car was drunk.

[Jim Kyle]

England was on KTOK just before he took the KWTV gig.

It may not be general knowledge, but much of the original KWTV staff came straight from KTOK -- including the station manager. I believe that the Griffins were involved with both stations at that time.

My wife livd right acros Main from KTOK while going to junior high and high school, and spent much of her free time at the station becoming well acquainted with the staff. My eldest son is, in fact, named for Dick Kirschner, who was a night announcer and had helped Jo with her math homework. Chief Engineer Harold Phillips and his wife Becky were instrumental in getting Jo enrolled at Classen though she was firmly in Central's district. I met Harold and Becky soon after Jo and I married, and we attended Harold's funeral (and used Jo's knowledge of internal station communications to notify Dick Kirschner, by then a producer for ABC, of Harold's dath). It was actually a small but cohesive coummunity in those days!

[Mr. Blue Sky]

It may not be general knowledge, but much of the original KWTV staff came straight from KTOK -- including the station manager. I believe that the Griffins were involved with both stations at that time.

My wife livd right acros Main from KTOK while going to junior high and high school, and spent much of her free time at the station becoming well acquainted with the staff. My eldest son is, in fact, named for Dick Kirschner, who was a night announcer and had helped Jo with her math homework. Chief Engineer Harold Phillips and his wife Becky were instrumental in getting Jo enrolled at Classen though she was firmly in Central's district. I met Harold and Becky soon after Jo and I married, and we attended Harold's funeral (and used Jo's knowledge of internal station communications to notify Dick Kirschner, by then a producer for ABC, of Harold's dath). It was actually a small but cohesive coummunity in those days!

And then, Chester Grubbs, who worked for them for many years as chief engineer. The single most optimistic man I have ever met. (RIP, Chester) “Dynamic!” he would say when asked how he was doing.

[kukblue1]

Hearing Kfor got sold and Eli Roberts is out. What is going on with that station?

[TVVoiceGuy]

Hearing Kfor got sold and Eli Roberts is out. What is going on with that station?

Yes, and yes. KFOR and KAUT were sold to Nextar, and from what I've heard, his contract wasn't renewed. Knowing how Nextar operates, I suspect this will not be the last you hear of impending changes...

[brian72]

Clean house and bring in new people. Place has been going downhill since Dan Threlkeld quit/fired/left.

[Edmond_Outsider]

Anyone remember Bill Beebe? He was on Ch. 9 from the 60s until the late 70s. He had a morning show with Lola Hall I think. I'm not sure why but he's not remembered in any of the state's broadcasting history like she is. Considering how long he was on the air, it seems strange. He died in his late 40s in 1979 and I've wondered what happened. There doesn't seem to be any info about him leaving Ch. 9 or an obituary in the Oklahoman archives.

[Oklapatriot]

Does anyone know what happened to Alex Housden on KOCO? Seems she has disappeared.

[MagzOK]

not sure how this double posted. I must have hit some button.

[MagzOK]

Does anyone know what happened to Alex Housden on KOCO? Seems she has disappeared.

Weird, she's not listed on the KOCO website anymore and I had followed her on Instagram but the account seems to have been deleted. Now that I think about it, I do remember last fall she referred to one of her black co-anchors as a baby gorilla and she apologized profusely. I wonder if that has anything to do with her disappearance from the news and social media.

[scottk]

Does anyone know what happened to Alex Housden on KOCO? Seems she has disappeared.

Friday, March 13 she announced she was leaving KOCO.

[Oklapatriot]

Thanks for the replies. I thought she was a good newscaster. As I was "googling" her I did come upon the gorilla affair. Too bad, I know she was prob just joking.

[Brett]

Does anybody know more details to the departure of Grant Hermes from KWTV? I remember that he recently got engaged. Looking for a job at this time would be really tough. TIA.

[rte66man]

His Facebook page said he's moving to another city and staying in news, but he wasn't at liberty to say where just yet.

[Cohiba]

Is Kerry Robertson still alive and living in the NW OKC area??

[SoonerDave]

His Facebook page said he's moving to another city and staying in news, but he wasn't at liberty to say where just yet.

Normally, the "can't say where" comment implies a dead period when changing stations in-market. Be it he's leaving OKC...seemed like a nice guy but maybe was looking for a chance with some better possible upward mobility (?)

[Rover]

Is Kerry Robertson still alive and living in the NW OKC area??

Yes she is. She and her husband are close friends of my wife and I. She's doing great.

[Brett]

Does anybody know if Mecca Rayne is still working at KOCO? I remember her getting engaged. I haven't seen her on the air for about a month now. TIA.

[brian72]

Tough work environment. Hopefully she's doing good.

[5alive]

She is still on their website...I also hope she is well.

[tlltnkr47]

Maggie Carlo is leaving KOCO. I wonder who will replace her?

[scottk]

Maggie Carlo is leaving KOCO. I wonder who will replace her?

More than likely:
https://www.koco.com/news-team/a899c...6-233a7d758f67

Alejandra Briones has been on the morning team a while, it would make sense for her to co-anchor along side Jason Hackett.

[tlltnkr47]

Doesn't always work out that way.