Whatever Happened To Carol Marin?

For those that go way back, Carol Marin started at WBIR. Locally, she will forever be associated with the Ray Blanton scandal.

She has really made her mark as a journalist in Chicago. As far as I'm concerned, she is a living legend in the industry and a rarity for asserting her independence.

I know from my own experiences as a newspaper reporter, I had to exert a level of independence when called upon to do some things that I felt were unethical or questionable. It is a tough situation to be in, but somewhere you have to draw the line. I, like Carol have no regrets.

Whatever Happened To Corrina Collins?

Corrina Collins is now Corrina Sullivan and she is working at the Fox affiliate in Orlando, Florida. Before that, she was a fellow co-worker of Teresa Woodard at KTVI in St. Louis.

Whatever Happened To Denise Dillon?

Denise Dillon is alive and well and working as a voice over talent. She was an anchor at WATE during the early 1990's.

Whatever Happened To Amelia Daniels?

Amelia Daniels is now an account executive with Ackerman PR in Knoxville.

Whatever Happened To Kelli Parker?

If you were around as recently as six months ago, you would know Kelli Parker left television to pursue a career as a pharmaceutical sales rep and to spend more time with her young children.

This seems to be a common trend. I do know that many ex-wrestlers start a new career in real estate or car sales. Hmm.

THE GREAT WARRIOR: Last U.S. WWI veteran has seen, survived much

Frank Woodruff Buckles is stooped and bent from his 107 years, but he is not bowed. His spirit glows with the life he has lived.

Whatever Happened To Nancy Lynne Trentham?

Well, Nancy Lynne-Trentham is now Nancy Lynne-Walters. She used to work at WATE and WVLT as a news anchor. She is now working at Sanofi-Aventis, a pharmaceutical company as a sales rep.

Whatever Happened To Catharyn Campbell?

Catharyn Campbell is now at WSMV in Nashville after working at WATE from March 2004 thru April 2007.

Whatever Happened To Sam Brown?

Sam is still very active in the Knoxville community. You can go here to his website.

Whatever Happened To Bret Dark?

The only information I have on Bret Dark is that he is retired from television to pursue a career in pharmaceutical sales.

Whatever Happened To Syan Rhodes?

Syan Rhodes is now in Orlando. Previously, she was in Memphis.
I thought she was a pretty good anchor/reporter during her time at WBIR.

Whatever Happened To Kristin Hoke?

I loved watching Kristin Hoke on weekends in the mid 1990's. From what I remember reading at the time, she and WBIR had a no so good exit in which she ended up in Fresno, California for some time before returning to her hometown of Miami. She has bravely fought breast cancer for a few years now.

Check out the following posts:

Praying for former WBIR news anchor Kristin Hoke

Update on Kristin Hoke

Happy Birthday Dolly!

Also born on May 20 is the wife of the 4th President, Dolly (or Dolley) Madison. Two interesting facts about her are she is the only "First Lady" to have been given an honorary seat on the floor of Congress and was the first American to respond to a telegraph message sent by inventor Samuel Morse.

Whatever Happened To Heather Donald?

Heather Donald is now an anchor and reporter at KRON-TV in San Francisco, California.

Jimmy Stewart: We Love You!

I don't have the ruggedness of John Wayne, the sophistication of Cary Grant, the voice of Frank Sinatra (although I've been told by several women that I have beautiful blue eyes), or the machismo of Clint Eastwood.

But I do relate to Montgomery Clift, Gary Cooper mostly because he played a certain Tennessee farm boy and last, but not least James Stewart. Why? Because he was just...well, average with a heart that weighed a ton, with the sincerity of his beliefs, the strengths of his convictions and the people behind him.

I won't waste space on the obvious about James Stewart, like his many classic movies, his image, or his life in general. It speaks for itself.

The best story I ever read about Jimmy Stewart was that during November of 1932 in the midst of the Great Depression, he was cast in his first major stage production as a chauffeur in the Broadway comedy Goodbye Again, in which he had two lines. The New Yorker noted, "Mr. James Stewart's chauffeur... comes on for three minutes and walks off to a round of spontaneous applause."

People have been applauding him ever since even though he passed on almost 11 years ago on July 2. Interestingly enough, another classic actor Robert Mitchum died the day before, but Stewart's eclipsed his. While Mitchum was yet another fantastic actor, it is easy to see why this would have happened.

There is the scene towards the end of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington when he says: 'I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Paine. All you people don't know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for. And he fought for them once, for the only reason any man ever fights for them; because of just one plain simple rule: 'Love thy neighbor.'... And you know that you fight for the lost causes harder than for any other. Yes, you even die for them.'

Stewart represents the common man (and woman), the idealist who has a vision of the world that although will never be perfect, he will do his very best to make it a better place to live for those around him and for his own offspring even after he passes away by passing on those same bedrock values to them.

Of all the relationship archetypes throughout movie history, whether it was Scarlet O'Hara - Rhett Butler, Humphrey Bogart - Lauren Bacall, Katherine Hepburn - Spencer Tracy and countless others fiction and non-fiction alike, the one that I relate to the most are the roles of L.B. Jefferies and Lisa Freemont in Rear Window.

Grace Kelly's character was according to Jefferies, "...too perfect, she's too talented, she's too beautiful, she's too sophisticated, she's too everything but what I want."

He didn't feel he would ever be good enough for her, but she felt he was perfect for her if only he would take an interest in her. This relationship although fiction is very much rooted in reality and can serve as an important lesson to us all.

So to Jimmy Stewart (and all others like him):

Happy Birthday!!!

Thanks For The Birthday Wishes!

You know what is really funny, this album was released ten years ago today.

Whatever Happened To Kelly Cox?

Kelly Cox is currently a meteorologist (and my favorite weather girl!) at News Channel 5 in Nashville. She primarily is on weekend mornings and as a fill-in during the week. She served as the Grand Marshal during Smithville's 2007 Christmas Parade.
Before moving to News Channel 5, she was at Volunteer TV for three years.

Read here as Kelly explains how wind forms and what role it plays in the atmosphere.

It's My Birthday!!!

I am now a very young 32 and looks even younger with the exception of my hair falling out! Ugh!!! Believe it or not, a few years ago, a store clerk asked for my photo ID when I was buying a can of dust cleaner apparently because she thought I was a teenager. What exactly are teenagers doing with dust cleaner these days? Kind of like Elmer's glue when I was in school?

Anyways, according to Facebook, this is the meaning of my birthday:

Lucky Color:	Mustard
Personality Strengths:	Drive, Sensuality
Personality Weakness(es):	Impulsiveness
Successful Career Path:	Computer Science
Sense of Humor Style:	Raunchy
Adjectives to Describe You:	upredictable, enterprising
Description:
A hip non-conformist who truly stands for his/her beliefs - you are out to make a difference in this world, and you have a realistic chance of success. You have always been self-driven and derive your inspiration from those close to you. Ambitious - and why shouldn't you be - the sky is the limit for you! If you think that is something, check out the personality profile on MySpace. My (new) career goal is to be an NFL scout (I sure hope and pray that my trip to Charlotte in June turns into something great) and then eventually General Manager of an NFL team. I'm willing to work for any team that will give me an OPPORTUNITY! People who share my birthday: Ho Chi Minh (1890) X, Malcolm (1925) Kwan, Nancy (1939) Townshend, Pete (1945) Manning, Archie (1949) Ramone, Joey (1951) People who died on my birthday: Boleyn, Anne (1536) Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1864) Hawkins, Coleman (1969) Nash, Ogden (1971) Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy (1994)

Whatever Happened To Kim Stephens?

Well, Kim Stephens has been at KMPH-Fox 26 for several years now.
Check out this post about her on Knoxville Trivia Blog.

Whatever Happened To Gina Miller?

Gina Miller was a sports reporter for WBIR in the mid 1990's. She is now working at the CBS affiliate in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Whatever Happened To Amy Rutledge?

Amy Rutledge whose hair is also a bit longer now was at Chicagoland's Television until just over a week ago. She is moving to China with her husband who was promoted by his company.

Whatever Happened To Yvonne Nava?

Yvonne Nava moved to Miami after a brief yet stellar stint in Knoxville while at WATE. She worked at Channel 10 in which you can still read her bio.
She is now an anchor at NBC News 30 in Hartford, Connecticut.

"As for my time in TN, I loved it! The mountains were always so breathtaking. The people were sweet and I enjoyed their southern hospitality. I was at WATE for 2 years and helped launch the weekend morning newscasts with Bob Becker. Those were some fun mornings. More than 3 years later, Bob (who's still at WATE) is still one of my best friends. Believe it or not we talk every week. He is an amazing meteorologist and we just clicked."

Whatever Happened To Jennifer Broome?

Jennifer Broome has been at WOAI in San Antonio for the past eight years and by all appearances she is doing very well and active in the community. I've corresponded with a number of times over the years. In a nutshell, she says she enjoyed working at WBIR and misses the mountains.

Whatever Happened To Tanya O'Rourke?

Tanya O'Rourke has been working at WCPO in her hometown of Cincinnati for the past 15 years. She briefly worked at WATE and WBIR when she was starting out.

Whatever Happened To Laura French?

Laura French best to my recollection worked at WATE in the mid to late 1990's. She is now working at WVIR in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Windy Weather Today

not to mention tornado alerts it seems like all over the state.
Here are some pictures I took just a few moments ago on Lake Douglas:

Whatever Happened To Ben Bailey?

Ben Bailey left WBIR in late 2004 and now is working at the Fox affiliate in Detroit.

Whatever Happened to Chloe Morroni?

Chloe Morroni was at Volunteer TV and WATE during her time in Knoxville. She is now living and working at WISN in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Image Courtesy: The NWT Group

Whatever Happened To Marti Skold?

Well, Marti Skold has been to many places since she left WBIR in the middle of 1996.
The buzz from what I hear around these parts is she was the favorite weather gal of many people during her time in Big Orange Country. She was really on top of things when the Blizzard of 1993 rolled through. I was a junior in high school at the time and I remember it as if it were yesterday. She described her time here as "...without a doubt one of our favorite places to live in our nomadic broadcasting career life." She is now doing five shows a day at the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City.

Whatever Happened To Teresa Woodard?

Image Courtesy: The NWT Group

Teresa Woodard was one of my favorite reporters during her time here.
She is intelligent, well-spoken and you could always count on a thorough report regardless of the subject matter. Much to my dismay, she left for St. Louis. She is now at Fox News 2.

She had this to say "I'm flattered you thought to look me up and check on me!

I spent almost six years in Knoxville...so it will always feel like a second home!
I wonder if the good folks from East Tennessee will remember me!
I left WBIR in September 2005 to take a job in St. Louis that I absolutely love.

I am a reporter for the Fox station. I work with wonderful people, and I've been
really privileged to cover some amazing news stories since I've been here.
In just two and a half years I've experienced historic floods, massive ice storms, and deadly heat waves (Midwestern weather is just a joy).
I covered the Shawn Hornbeck case - he was kidnapped as a young child and
found four years later in an apartment with another missing boy.
Just three months ago I covered the horrible city hall shootings in Kirkwood.

But it's not all death and destruction. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a real baseball fan so the chance to live in an MLB town is awesome! I got to cover the World Series in 2006...even going to New York City for the NLCS! I'm hoping to still be covering news here in the summer of 2009 - the All Star Game will be here!

St. Louis is a town I really love. Only trouble is -- there aren't enough TV news jobs in town for everyone. I'm married to another former Channel 10'er...Mark Schnyder.
Mark is working in Louisville, Kentucky as a reporter for the NBC station.
He's certainly making his mark - he was runner up for "Best TV Reporter in Kentucky just a few weeks ago. We call ours a "commuter marriage".
We see each other almost every weekend...he makes the four and a half hour drive.

I do think of Tennessee very often. St. Louis is too flat! The Smokies are beautiful...the people there are, too.

Thanks again for checking on me. I hope someone out there remembers me!
If they do - they'd probably be surprised to know I'm a bit blonder now than ever before!"

Whatever Happened To Janna Fite?

Janna Fite is now Janna Herbison. She was a news anchor/reporter at Volunteer TV from 1995 to 1997 before moving to Nashville. She now is a communications consultant in Memphis and published a book called "Southern In The City" about her experiences in New York.

She wrote the following regarding her experiences:
"I could write a book alone about my WVLT/ Knoxville media experiences
(maybe I will one day).

I loved working at WKXT/WVLT. The man who hired me as a reporter there in 1995 (Roger Wallace) went on to be a senior producer for CBS MarketWatch in NY. He actually approached me about the job at a dead body scene on Cherokee Lake, which was pretty funny looking back. That was on a Friday, and I got the job the following Tuesday - will never forget that.

When I started, we literally had a newsroom of about 10 people, and we all learned our craft the old-fashioned way, by having to do everything ourselves...it's not that way anymore in most places.

I previously had the honor and pleasure of being trained right out of college in the WBIR newsroom (as a very green producer) and by people like Margie Nichols and Bill Williams...doesn't get much better than that. I will say now that I did most of the best work in my entire career at Channel 8, even before it became WVLT.
I had the opportunity to interview people like Bill Clinton, Bob Dole and Fred Goldman (Ron's father). I loved working the police and criminal court beat, but it eventually got to me in the end. Too many sad and real stories.

I am so happy that WVLT has thrived so much in the past decade. I stayed there for about a year after the station was bought out in 1996 and I have followed it ever since."

Whatever Happened To Jennifer Leslie?

Jennifer Leslie is now at WXIA in Atlanta which is where Ted Hall also is. Jennifer was a reporter at WBIR from 1994-96. She told me while she was in Knoxville that she "loved it".
She married her college sweetheart shortly after moving to Atlanta and now has two boys, ages 2 years and 4 months.

Whatever Happened To Terri Gruca?

Terri Gruca moved to the North Star State in 2002.
She is primarily a consumer reporter these days and
anchors on the weekends.

She told me in an email that "I've been here five years now and
I still can't get used to the long winters.

Yes, I am a southern girl at heart.  I miss all of my Knoxville friends.
It is still one of my favorite places to visit.  I'm convinced you won't
find nicer people than those in Knoxville."

Whatever Happened To Tammy Eichholz?

Tammy Eichholz who is now Tammy Akard was a sports reporter at WBIR in the late 1990's before accepting a full-time position with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

She is now running her own video production company primarily focusing on sporting events and wedding videography.

Tammy is also a former high school classmate of mine and fellow graduate of Halls High School (1994).

Whatever Happened To Heather Burgiss?

Heather Burgiss worked at Volunteer TV for a few years as a reporter and backup anchor.
For the past 8 years she have been working as a freelance producer/reporter for UNC-TV, North Carolina PBS. During this time, she also taught broadcast journalism at Coastal Carolina Community College.

Whatever Happened To Denae D'Arcy?

For one, Denae D'Arcy is a fellow blogger. She moved to WKRC in Cincinnati in 2003 after two years at WATE in Knoxville. She tells me that she misses Knoxville and that it is a great city. She had been living overseas in London (hence the Blond Across the Pond) while attending a school for international journalism and traveling all over Europe. Lucky gal!
Denae recently accepted a position at KVAL in Eugene, Oregon primarily serving as a reporter and the 11 p.m. anchor.

Whatever Happened To Milissa Avery?

Well for one, Milissa Avery is now Milissa Reierson. She has two children, ages 3 and 8 months. She once had a cat named Bogie named after Humphrey Bogart. During her time at Volunteer TV, she anchored the 5pm newscast with Alan Williams. She was also on the weekends before that. After two years there, she went to Nashville and worked for the ABC affilliate for two years.
She has been working as Communications Director for the TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development for the last 6 years.

She states in an email that "I enjoyed working and living in Knoxville. My current job with state government is a great experience and very interesting. I work closely with Governor Bredesen's communications office and have learned a lot about Tennessee politics."