Wbtv news anchor dies how to#
Wbtv news anchor dies series#

Bob had no qualms about showing his prosthetic eye on the air as he was being fitted for it. Underwood, and now Bob, fought the good fight against various forms of cancer, often bringing their stories to viewers. Longtime operations manager Ron Harrington, anchor C.J. Nowhere is this truer than WBTV, which has gone though more than its share of sadness.

You send a potted plant when a co-worker's grandmother dies. You put together a food chain to feed someone's family when there's an illness. You share those grocery store sheet cakes for birthdays and anniversaries. It's the same as when you work for a bank, a store, or a plant where members of a team, division or shift get to know one another over many hours together on the job.

While newsrooms do pull together, taking this kind of loss is very hard. Could he have been David Bloom on that tank? I thought so. I thought he had the makings of someone who could move up the ladder, on to the networks and bigger fame.

He liked to take on stories that challenged the status quo and questioned authority. He was the kind of guy you wanted at your party, especially to chat with in the corner, whether about politics, or why those red-light cameras were a taxpayer rip-off. I think about his wicked sense of humor, his love of baseball, and his passion for the Rolling Stones. Bob had just started at the station and barely knew where the men's room was when he stepped in a hole and tore a hamstring. His first big splash was as part of the team coverage of the Susan Smith trial. During the job interview, he was everything a news director looks for in a reporter: aggressive, ambitious, and good-looking.

Wbtv news anchor dies series#

He'd been in touch, and I'd seen his resume tape, and was particularly impressed with a series he'd done on militia organizations in South Carolina. I hired Bob in 1995, bringing him from WCSC-TV in Charleston, SC, to WBTV. He was a former colleague, and finally, a friend. My take is a bit more personal when it comes to Bob, and writing this isn't easy. Tan, energetic, and even a bit dashing, the cancer didn't fit. Self-assured and with enough reporting swagger for two people, the idea that he was fighting cancer was hard to believe for people who watched him on television. His story had become quite familiar to Charlotte, a touching tale of his matter-of-fact handling of a rare cancer that first took his eye and, eventually, his life. I never thought it would be so soon.Much has been said and written in the days since WBTV anchor Bob Knowles' death last week at age 42. I smile today thankful that I was honored to be able to call Bobbie Battista a colleague,” wrote Mark McKay of WSB Atlanta.ĬNN political commentator Karen Finney also paid tribute: “I used to love watching Bobbie Battista! Rest in peace.I hadn't heard the news yet, so when I came home that morning and found some strange answering machine messages, I knew something was up. She smiled & begrudgingly said: ‘thanks’. “ When I came to ATL to work Headline Sports in 1985 I told Bobbie that I used to watch her & Charlie Gaddy growing up in Fayetteville. After her two decades at CNN, she occasionally contributed parody reports to the “Onion News Network” program.

Wbtv news anchor dies how to#

My dear partner of 25 years of marriage has cut her earthly bonds and is now in peace.”Īlso Read: How to Watch CNN's Live 2020 Super Tuesday Coverage Onlineīattista began her career at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, N.C. In her 20 years at the network, Battista anchored shows like “CNN WorldDay,” “CNN NewsDay,” “CNN NewsHour,” “CNN Daybreak,” “CNN PrimeNews” and “CNN WorldNews.” She also anchored “TalkBack Live,” a program that was filmed in front of a live audience and featured not only newsmakers, but public participation.ĬNN reported the news, citing Wendy Guarisco, a family spokeswoman, and quoting Battista’s husband, John Brimelow: “Bobbie was the consummate trooper in her struggle with cancer, she was courageous and fearless in her battle and thoughtful for all the others in her life even as she fought through the pain. Former CNN news anchor Bobbie Battista died Tuesday at the age of 67, after a four-year battle with cervical cancer.īattista was one of CNN’s first Headline News anchors when the network launched back in 1981.