Nothing Gold Can Stay: Dave Roberts Announces Retirement
Dave Roberts, who’s been piling on the foundation and anthropomorphizing clouds since you were in short pants, will do his last broadcast on December 11th. Roberts joined the station in 1978 for the long-gone AM Philadelphia show, but he’s spent the bulk of his career doing weather. Action News did a nice little fare-thee-well that includes hair and lapel choices that should remind you how, no matter how bad you think it is now, the news has never been news.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
*sniff*
November 19th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Can I get a “Jim O’Brien” inna house?
November 19th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
And on my birthday, no less. How will I ever get freaky insight into how David Boreanez will look in 20 years? HOW!?!?!
November 19th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Move closer to your world my friend.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Thought this was interesting:
“The day after Jim [O'Brien's] death, we didn’t even do the weather. We couldn’t. But the next day (Tuesday), the General Manager called me to his office and asked me if I could fill in for Jim.” Roberts agreed to anchor the weather that night, but only under the condition that it be temporary and the station “find a replacement fast.”
One of my favorite Action News moments was watching Dave finish the 11pm weather, and the cameras turned back to Jim Gardner. With all seriousness, Jim looked into the camera and said, “Please remember, folks: These numbers are all within a margin of error.” It was the most honest statement about the business of weather. What’s made watching Dave Roberts all of my life something I treasure is that, even with all the radars and green screens and super-mega doppler whatevers, he is a man who’s “weather guessing” was the most pleasant to watch. He’d sometimes giggle all the way through a five-day forecast. He took pleasure in rhyming in spring (“It’s the 9th day in the month of May…). His warmth always comes through, and I will miss him terribly.