Where are all the former news anchors?

[Intrepid]

So I was wondering...whatever did become of Patti Suarez? She WAS good.

Last I heard Patti Suarez is an anchor for a Fox affiliate in Los Angeles. She is also an aspiring actress.

She even has an entry on IMDB:

Patti Davis Suarez

[Intrepid]

Last I heard Patti Suarez is an anchor for a Fox affiliate in Los Angeles. She is also an aspiring actress.

She even has an entry on IMDB:

Patti Davis Suarez

I just read more information on her IMDB page:

(2005) After leaving Southern California, moved to Arizona and began new career as a popular theatre performer in Arizona at the Arizona Theatre Company

Patti Davis Suarez - Biography

[SuperScooper]

I notice this thread has not been updated for awhile, so I hope I'm not preaching to the choir here....

I lived in OKC way back in '85, and was impressed with what a pretty good local news market it was. At the time Bowen was doing his thing at Gannett-5. 9 was up and coming, and 4 was very old-school back then.

So I was wondering...whatever did become of Patti Suarez? She WAS good. Roger Cooper I understand is working for KCEP in Southern California.

And, both Jerry Adams and Jerry Bowen in trouble with the law? What is that all about? They seemed like such upstanding people back in the mid-80's.

Dan Slocum became "Eric" Slocum when he moved on to KOMO in Seattle, probably because their principle anchor was named "Dan". Eric (Dan), eventually was dropped from KOMOTV, but is now doing news on KOMO-AM radio.

Bowen was doing advertising for Economy Hearing Aids then he got busted for stalking a woman who rejected his marriage proposal. He was caught wearing a fur coat and a fake beard.


This from 1996:

Former television news anchor Jerry Adams has pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge in exchange for a five-year deferred sentence, an Oklahoma County prosecutor said Thursday.


In a plea bargain with prosecutors, Adams received a deferred sentence, meaning he will not have a criminal record if he successfully completes the five years of probation.

Adams pleaded guilty last Friday before Oklahoma County District Judge Karl Gray to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, said Lisa Hammond, assistant district attorney in Oklahoma County. A second drug-related count was dismissed, she said.

Adams, 58, was charged by Oklahoma County prosecutors in January after he was arrested by police who received a tip from a confidential informant.

Adams had no prior criminal record, but Hammond said prosecutors normally seek prison time for first-time offenders convicted of distribution. However, Adams has entered a drug treatment program and remained drug-free since his arrest, she said.

"Under the circumstances of this case, it (the plea agreement) was appropriate," she said.

According to a police report on Adams' arrest, police showed up at Adams' apartment about 4:30 a.m. and spotted him leaving through the front door. He was detained and his apartment was searched.

White powder was found on a mirror under a bed, on a plastic cup in the kitchen, in aluminum foil in a bedroom, on a bathroom counter and on a spoon, the report said. Police said they found marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Adams anchored newscasts in the Oklahoma City market beginning in 1974, then became a television pitchman for car dealerships.

[SoonerDave]

...(Cavanaugh) talks about the strange feeling she got when she woke up in a Vietnam hotel room, turns on the TV, and sees KFOR being broadcast in her Hotel Room TV.

Man, can I appreciate that. In my job, I (fortunately) don't have to travel very much, but that week I was in Maryland attending a software development course at the Pax River Navy base. There were people from all over the country there, and someone asked me, "hey, aren't you from Oklahoma City?" Then she said she'd heard about someone bombing a "mailbox," which didn't make any sense, then the phones in this office starting going nuts.

We all then walk into the manager's office where they have CNN on the TV carrying (IIRC) Channel 9's live feed of downtown OKC. Even though it wasn't his gig, you could see Jack Bowen squarely in the middle of the picture. You talk about eerie -- being half a continent away from home and seeing your home town being bombed like that, and seeing all the local TV people you're accustomed to... Although I had no relatives in Murrah, I remember flying back home and starting to cry as we flew back into OKC...

Awful, awful week.

-soonerdew

[billinvegas]

It is the truth...I worked at KFOR from Jan 88 Thu March 95 doing Camera and Chyron..I left KFOR for a downtown job just a few weeks before the bombing..I came back to KFOR to fill in when local TV was going 24hrs a day the few days after bombing..

It looks like z4evrnevr isn't a current user (can't find him in the user search)
I wish he were still around, because...

I was his replacement at KFOR. I was on shift the day of the bombing.
What a way to start off a new job, huh? I'll never forget that day.

Actually, it was a strange day all around. The morning director / td was off out of town on her anniversary, so the director was the evening director who was filling in for her.
I was supposed to be on evenings, but the morning c.g. op was on vacation, so I was filling in for her, and I can't remember, one of the camera ops was also an evening shift person, filling in for a missing am crewmember.

After the am news, the director and I were discussing how we had so many evening folks here in the morning, that "something bad was going to happen"

Boy did it ever. We were on 24/7 after that. I forget the reason that the main c.g. op wasn't there those first few days, so it was just me and another girl. I did a
4am-4pm shift, she did 4pm-4am...it was just the two of us for a while.
Until z4evrnevr volunteered/offered to come in and help.

That first week took a toll on us. We actually had some folks come in from the D/FW
NBC affilliate to help us out (KXAS)

And speaking of Lee Evans (God rest her soul) we did the first cut-in about the explosion with Lee.

[billinvegas]

Remember Jennifer Eve?
(sorry, couldn't seeem to find a better photo of her)



She started at KOCO about the same time I did in '87.
I really enjoyed working with her, she was one of my favorite anchors...

Katie O'Mara - morning anchor at KFOR


Theresa Green - easy to work with, very professional

[pwalker]

Thanks for all the info.

I just came through OKC for business. Media seems a bit mundane, although all three net affilitates look pretty good...though there seems be less "style" that existed in '85.

Is it just me, or does OKC seem to be less friendly and more "course" than 22 year ago? It's hard to tell tell in less than 48 hours, but OKC seems to have more of a "big-city" attitude, more of a "Texas" attitude than it did in '85. When I lived in the area in the mid-80's, it seemed to be quite friendly and cordial, didn't sense that during my recent trip. Somebody correct me.

[dashriprock4077]

Hello I am new to this group Sure glad to find a killer group like it.
Most of the oldtime news folk have been filling in on OETA's news I've noticed.
Quin Tran was on there and I saw Angela Buckalu on there too.
So I guess OETA is like a graveyard for ex-bigtimers.
I think Ross Dixon has been on there along time.

[MrZ]

In between the news there were some BAD commercials in the 80's. So bad that they were almost good. Remember Linda Soundtrack and the Audio Dimensions wizard? Oh man, the memories.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

In between the news there were some BAD commercials in the 80's. So bad that they were almost good. Remember Linda Soundtrack and the Audio Dimensions wizard? Oh man, the memories.

Was that Audio Dimensions or Audio Midwest?

Because Audio Midwest still uses a wizard.

[okiedivot]

And they come and go even faster. There was a wx reported "Andy Wallace" on KOCO. His coffe din't even get cold before he was gone... I thought he was ATs replacement. Guess Carano will have to keep filling in .

[drum4no1]

Andy Wallace is still at KOCO

[rwood8]

Andy is on weekend mornings....

[drumsncode]

If anyone misses Rosa Flores and that incredibly charming voice of hers, she landed in Houston.

NEWS TEAM | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas

[oneforone]

I loved how she closed her reports and pronounced her name. It sounded like she was in the throws of passion. It made my toes curl because it sounded so sexy.

[drumsncode]

I loved how she closed her reports and pronounced her name. It sounded like she was in the throws of passion. It made my toes curl because it sounded so sexy.

Absolutely, and I thought it just me! She was so good at flying from perfect English into her Spanish accent. She did a story once on "Cafe do Brazil", and every time she pronounced one of their dishes in full Spanish accent, I think I needed a cigarette. (And I don't smoke!)

She was so classy and cool.

[mickinwarracres]

Great posts here but there is one name that I haven't seen as I scanned all of the posts. Jim Williams....I haven't seen or heard anything about this Channel 4 Weather Man in many, many years. Is Jim still alive and living in and/or around Oklahoma City?

He retired from 4 a long time ago but I've never heard anything about him since even when I've made multiple tries via email to the Channel 4 Weather Center...at least 5 always replies to my emails.

[Alwaystalking]

Jim is a low key guy. Always was. Never into the show biz aspect of TV. He's still alive. I think they did a piece with him on one of their anniversary shows.

[magicchord]

Yes, I knew Jim back in the 70s and 80s at Ch4. In my opinion he knew about 10 times more about meteorology and weather than Gary England ever will.
But, Gary was always the far better self-promoter and more dynamic personality, and as the nature of TV news changed - became Big Business and more flashy - Jim just kinda couldn't deal with that effectively.
It's a shame because I'd always be more likely to trust one of Jim's tornado watches, etc.

[mickinwarracres]

Yea, I was saddened when they announced his retirement. You could always trust Jim in what he said without the present day hype!

Don't get me wrong...I'm a weather geek and I love weather but there are times when our modern day television meteorologists go overboard when forecasting and telling me what is about to happen.

Would be nice have a special about him.

[bornhere]

Maybe this has already been mentioned... I went back a couple of dozen posts, but not all the way to the beginning...

looking for some info in Tulsa this afternoon, I noticed several former OKC TV people working there, including Rich Lenz and Russ McCaskey from 9.

Also, I don't if anyone here knew or knew of Gary Shore, who was a chief meteorologist at Ch 2 in Tulsa in the eighties, and was as popular as Gary England was here... he died at the end of February, of a heart attack, at age 55. He was working in Iowa.

[drumsncode]

Just for the sake of completeness, I'll mention Constance Jones of KOCO has left, and I believe she landed in Miami. Melissa Newton also departed a few months back, and she landed somewhere in Texas, I believe Fort Worth. I don't know how these people can stand to have jobs that are so short-lived. It must wreak havoc on relationships.

[OKCisOK4me]

I really didn't want to peruse all 7 pages so if this has been mentioned then I'll shut my trap...lol.

Anyway...I only have ever paid attention to the weather forecasters. Two of my favorites are still around Oklahoma--one still in weather, the other still in television. First being Dan Threlkeld who is still doing weather but up in Tulsa & Kevin Forman who does car commercials for Jackie Cooper.

Also there's George Tomek. You see him on TV from time to time. I liked his presence on TV when I was a kid. Was it Channel 4 or Five Alive?

Remember when Five Alive would close out their newscasts in the '80s with locals giving the thumbs up sign? I actually got to be in one of those!

[Matt]

Remember when Five Alive would close out their newscasts in the '80s with locals giving the thumbs up sign? I actually got to be in one of those!

You sure that was the thumbs-up sign you were giving?

[SoonerBorn1973]

Speaking of KOCO, I have heard rumblings that Tyler Suiters contract is not being renewed. This doesn't mean he's leaving anytime soon (I've known several KOCO employees who were kept around awhile without a contract), but it does mean he's probably not in their long-term plans. It will be interesting to see if they go with an all female anchor team of Jessica Schambach and Maggie Carlo. I would watch (for obvious reasons). What about you?