Think about this for a minute, as we go forth into this mess: There was a time when local news personalities actually reflected, and yes, interacted, with the people they were broadcasting to. Jim O’Brien may have been a native Texan, but for the last 13 years of his life, he worked his way up the local broadcasting ladder here in Philly, first at WFIL (quite possibly the greatest AM radio station the city ever had) and then, most famously, at WPVI, where he seriously was the sweetest weather dude of all time. Jim died 25 years ago today (that’s his Action News obit clip at right), and it’s hard not to miss his goofy, homegrown vibe — especially when you consider how television news (especially Jim’s alma mater) has devolved into basically one fear-based commercial for one kind of death after another. There’s a great tribute page to Jim here, and his Wikipedia entry is here. We still miss ya, Jimbo, especially now that we’re old enough to drink. See you on the other side, bro.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 11:51 am.