News
While Randy Beamer, Deborah Knapp, Steve Spriester, Ursula Pari and so many other household names continue to hold it down on our local news stations, we know that San Antonio is very much about nostalgia and being borderline obsessed with local news personalities. From desk-bound news anchors to sportscasters and plenty of weathermen, here are just some of the faces on the news that have played a big part in San Antonio's history.
Tags:
- news anchors,
- new reporters,
- sportscaster,
- weatherman,
- Texas,
- San Antonio,
- KSAT,
- KONO,
- WOAI,
- KENS,
- KABB,
- news station,
- Dan Cook,
- Chris Marrou,
- Fred Lozano,
- Karen Gallagher,
- Albert Flores,
- Steve Brown
Scroll down to view images
Dan Cook
Sports icon Dan Cook needs no introduction. He brought the sports talk for generations – literally. Part of the KENS 5 team from 1956 to 2000, Cook popularized the phrase "the opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings." He was also a sports writer for the San Antonio Express-News, where he worked for 51 years. His decade-spanning, influential career led to Cook being inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame. The Houston native passed away in July 2008 at the age of 81.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Chris Marrou
If you grew up in San Antonio, you can definitely remember the deep, yet soothing tone of Chris Marrou’s voice. An news anchor for KENS 5 beginning in 1973, Marrou held it down during the 10 p.m. newscast before he retired in 2009. He received a law degree from St. Mary’s University in 2007 (oh, and he’s a LEE alum). Today, he’s a municipal judge in Von Ormy.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Fred Lozano
After graduating from Brackenridge High School, Fred Lozano spent nearly 40 years bringing San Antonio the news. Covering a variety of newscasts, Lozano spent much of his career at KENS 5 with brief stints at WOAI. He retired in 2012, and died in 2016 at the age of 67 after a private battle with leukemia.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Karen Gallagher
Once part of a dynamic news team, Karen Gallagher hasn’t had the best time since her end in broadcasting. After getting her start at KENS 5 in the ‘80s, Gallagher eventually landed at KSAT, where she anchored alongside notable personalities into the ‘90s. In 2011, she was arrested for prescription drug fraud and again in 2015 for driving under the influence.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Bob Salter
Part of a team that brought KSAT up in ratings, Bob Salter spent about a decade contribute to local news.He eventually moved to Las Vegas and made flying helicopters his main passion. Salter passed away in 2015 at the age of 61.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Jud Ashmore
If you were around back in the day, chances are you remember Jud “Hug Somebody It’ll Make You Feel Good” Ashmore,. Though he got his start in meteorology anchoring for KSAT in 1968, he spent much of the ‘70s at KENS 5 until he decided to focus on his radio career in 1980. Wearing loud suits and with a mustache that curled up at the ends, Ashmore would sign off with fun messages. He was definitely a character with his sense of humor and general on-air personality.
Photo via Frontier Times Museum
Henry Guerra
Henry Guerra will likely be a memorable face to older generations. He spent more than 50 years in the broadcasting business, serving as an anchor for WOAI (both the news and radio stations). Lovingly nicknamed “the voice of San Antonio,” Guerra narrated many Fiesta parades and videos spotlighting Alamo City landmarks. He passed away in 2001 at the age of 81.
Photo via eBay / coolcanoga
Sarah Lucero
Though Sarah Lucero is a more recent retiree, her nearly two decades as a KENS 5 anchor have earned her a spot in many San Antonians’ hearts. Following a long career in news, Lucero made a major career change, retiring in 2017. She now runs a fitness company and competes in bodybuilding. And because we know you want to know, the Alamo City native attended LEE High School.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Joe Fowler
Many San Antonians will remember Joe Fowler, who had a number of antics he shared with viewers. During the ‘80s, Fowler was KSAT’s chief sportscaster and would scream “boo!” if he didn’t like something. He eventually left the station and San Antonio, moving to Los Angeles where he had small film roles and did some infomercials. Today, he lives in Colorado.
Photo via YouTube / sptweb
Albert Flores
With two separate stints on SA stations, Albert Flores is a household name here in the Alamo City. He was first part of the golden era of sorts for KENS 5 in the ‘70s, ‘80 and ‘90s when the network held the No. 1 spot among local stations, appearing alongside Dan Cook and Chris Marrou. KENS later let Flores go in 2002 after a report proved that Flores plagiarized a weather column under his name in the Express-News. In 2011, WOAI hired the longtime weatherman. Flores suddenly retired from news in early 2018 without a farewell to viewers.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Jim Dawson
After attending “weather school” while serving in the Air Force, Jim Dawson eventually landed in San Antonio. He made his weatherman debut in 1957 and remained on TV (he spent time at KSAT, then known as KONO, and WOAI) until 1987, his retirement. Fans appreciated his sense of humor, in which he would draw cartoons at the end of each segment in hopes of putting viewers in a good mood. He lived to be 91 years old and passed away in 2011.
Photo via YouTube / Mark Langford
Lori Tucker
With frequent hair color changes, Lori Tucker added a bit of flair to WOAI when she anchored for the station from 1982 to 1989. She still anchors today, and has done so at plenty of lucky stations across the country, most recently in Knoxville.
Photo via YouTube / sptweb
Steve Brown
A recent addition to the list of retired news personalities, Meteorologist Steve Brown retired from KSAT in June 2018 after 26 years at the station. He gained national attention for his impersonation of a tuba, singing holiday tunes, and his overall lively personality.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Bridget Smith
Though not a traditional anchor, Bridget Smith brought a breath of fresh air to KENS during her two decades there. For the last decade of her tenure, Smith hosted “Great Day SA.” She resigned from the network in late 2016 and has been travelling since.
Photo via YouTube / BetterBecause
Gene Tuck
Spending some years at KSAT and KENS 5, Gene Tuck made an impression on San Antonio even if he wasn’t here long. He moved on to anchor in a number of different cities across the U.S. He now works in investing.
Photo via YouTube / SanAntonioNews78
Michelle Lima
A weekend anchor and reporter for KSAT, Michelle Lima has a place in San Antonians’ hearts. She was on assignment in March 1999 when she was struck by a car. Though she was airlifted to a hospital, she died due to her injuries. She was only 30 years old.
Photo via YouTube / mrmoonphotosa
Maclovio Perez
No, not that Maclovio. Known as “Mac,” Maclovio Perez was well-loved during his time at KENS back in the ‘70s. With a goofy personality, the weatherman departed from the Alamo City later on in the decade, taking his talents to Los Angeles and Corpus Christi.
Photo via YouTube / Maclovio Perez
Ted Garcia
With two brief stints in San Antonio news, locals affectionately called Ted Garcia a Donny Osmond look-alike. (A high compliment coming from baby boomers.) Garcia first came out on residents’ televisions as an anchor on KSAT from 1993 to 1996, and later on KABB from 2010 to 2014. He ended up leaving the Alamo City to return to his native Southern California to work in radio.
Photo via YouTube / dma37dude
Charles Gonzalez
After serving as a sports reporter at a number of stations in Texas and Minneapolis, the San Antonio native returned to his hometown as a general assignments reporter at KSAT in 2007. Gonzalez became an anchor the next year and held that position until 2017. He resigned from KSAT in 2017 to focus on his second act, heading the ever-growing Rosella Coffee.
Photo via YouTube / KSAT 12
Page 1 of 2
Next Page
`this.removeSpinner = () => {jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemContainerSelector + ' div[uk-spinner]').remove()};this.prevPageLinkHTML = `Previous Page `this.nextPageLinkHTML = `Next Page `Object.defineProperties(this, {'items': { get: function() { return jQuery(this.itemContainerSelector).find(this.itemSelector)}},'currentItem': {get: function() {var foundItem = nullvar foundItemInView = nullthis.items.each(function () {var currentInView = elementInView(jQuery(this), scrollTopOffset, 0)if (currentInView) {// An in view item is already located extra logicif (foundItemInView && foundItemInView.inView) {// The entire previously found item is visible - it winsif (foundItemInView.topInView && foundItemInView.bottomInView) return// The previously found item covers the visible area - it winsif (foundItemInView.middleCoversView) return// The previously found item has more surface area - it winsif (foundItemInView.percentVisable > currentInView.percentOfViewHeight) return}foundItem = jQuery(this)foundItemInView = currentInView}})return foundItem}},'currentItemIndex': {get: function() {var currentElement = this.currentItem.closest('[slide-index]')if(currentElement) {return parseInt(currentElement.attr('slide-index'))}return null}},'currentItemId': {get: function() {var currentElement = this.currentItem.closest('[slide-id]')if(currentElement) {return currentElement.attr('slide-id')}return null}}})var slideshowInstance = this// xxx for debuggering - igwindow.slideshowInstance = slideshowInstance;var scrollTopOffset = window.innerHeight > this.smallMenuBreakPoint ? 110 : 140var originUrl = window.location.hrefthis.scrollToIndex = function (index) {var slideItem = this.items.filter('[slide-index="' + index + '"]')if (slideItem.length) { var topOffset = slideItem.offset().top - scrollTopOffset// window.scrollTo({ top: topOffset, behavior: 'smooth' })window.scrollTo({ top: topOffset, behavior: 'auto' })}else {this.fetchMore(index, function () {slideshowInstance.scrollToIndex(index)})}}this.fetchMore = function (startIndex, callback) {var currentItemOnFetch = this.currentItemvar url = '/sanantonio/beloved-news-anchors-from-san-antonios-past/Slideshow/19520996'var params = {ajaxComponent: componentId,action: 'grabMore',startIndex: startIndex,oid: slideshowOid,cb: '1565381853',}if (paginate) {params.paginate = paginate;}var keywords = currentItemOnFetch.attr('slide-keywords')if (keywords) {params.keywords = keywords}if (editorView === true) {params.editor = true}// jQuery.ajax({url: url,type: 'GET',data: params,dataType: 'json',// beforeSend: function () { console.log('Fetching results') },success: function (data) {console.log('success', data.results, data.results.length, data.error, data)if (data) {if (data.error) {console.log(data.error)}else if (data.results) {console.log('slideshowInstance.items', slideshowInstance.items)for (var i = 0; i < data.results.length; i++) {var resultItem = jQuery(data.results[i])// // var resultItem = jQuery.parseHTML(data.results[i], document, true);var resultItemIndex = parseInt(resultItem.attr('slide-index'))var resultAlreadyInserted = slideshowInstance.items.filter('[slide-index="' + resultItemIndex + '"]').length > 0console.log('result', resultItemIndex)var previousItem = nullvar previousItemIndex = 0if (!resultAlreadyInserted) {slideshowInstance.items.each(function () {if (resultAlreadyInserted) returnvar currentItem = jQuery(this)var currentItemIndex = parseInt(currentItem.attr('slide-index'))if (resultItemIndex === currentItemIndex ) {resultAlreadyInserted = truereturn}else if (resultItemIndex > previousItemIndex && resultItemIndex < currentItemIndex) {var topOffsetBeforeInsert = currentItemOnFetch.get(0).getBoundingClientRect().topresultItem.insertBefore(currentItem)resultAlreadyInserted = truevar adjustedTopPosition = currentItemOnFetch.offset().top - topOffsetBeforeInsertwindow.scrollTo({ top: adjustedTopPosition, behavior: 'auto' })}previousItem = currentItempreviousItemIndex = currentItemIndex})if (!resultAlreadyInserted) {var topOffsetBeforeInsert = currentItemOnFetch.get(0).getBoundingClientRect().topresultItem.insertAfter(slideshowInstance.items.last())resultAlreadyInserted = truevar adjustedTopPosition = currentItemOnFetch.offset().top - topOffsetBeforeInsertwindow.scrollTo({ top: adjustedTopPosition, behavior: 'auto' })if (typeof instgrm === 'object' && instgrm.Embeds && typeof instgrm.Embeds.process === 'function') {setTimeout(instgrm.Embeds.process, 200);}}}}}else { console.log('How did we get here?') }}else { console.log('No result or error returned from content request.') }},complete: function () { slideshowInstance.items = jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemSelector) // Update items resultslideshowInstance.removeSpinner();if (typeof callback === 'function') { callback() }},error: function (jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown) {console.log(jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown);if (textStatus === 'timeout') {slideshowInstance.removeSpinner();if (paginate === true) return;paginate = true;if (slideshowInstance.items.length < totalSlides) {var firstLoadedIndex = parseInt(slideshowInstance.items.first().attr('slide-index')) || 1;var lastLoadedIndex = parseInt(slideshowInstance.items.last().attr('slide-index')) || totalSlides;if(firstLoadedIndex > 1) {var prevLink = jQuery(slideshowInstance.prevPageLinkHTML);var prevLinkUrl = new URL(url, `https://www.sacurrent.com`);prevLinkUrl.searchParams.append('startIndex', firstLoadedIndex - 1);prevLinkUrl.searchParams.append('paginate', 'true');prevLink.attr('href', prevLinkUrl.href);jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemContainerSelector).prepend(prevLink);}if(lastLoadedIndex < totalSlides) {var nextLink = jQuery(slideshowInstance.nextPageLinkHTML);var nextLinkUrl = new URL(url, `https://www.sacurrent.com`);nextLinkUrl.searchParams.append('startIndex', lastLoadedIndex + 1);nextLinkUrl.searchParams.append('paginate', 'true');nextLink.attr('href', nextLinkUrl.href);jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemContainerSelector).append(nextLink);}}}}})}// // // var lazyLoadSurroundingItemsInterval = null;// var lazyLoadTimeout = null;// var lazyLoadSurroundingItems = function (index) {// if (paginate) return;// if (slideshowInstance.items.length >= totalSlides) {// clearInterval(lazyLoadSurroundingItemsInterval);// }// if (slideshowInstance.lazyLoadMoreResults) {// // Rate limit lazyloading more slides// clearTimeout(lazyLoadTimeout);// lazyLoadTimeout = setTimeout(function () {// var prevIndex = Math.max(index - 1, 1)// var prevPrevIndex = Math.max(index - 2, 1)// var nextIndex = index + 1// var nextNextIndex = index + 2// var prevIndexLoaded = slideshowInstance.items.filter('[slide-index="' + prevIndex + '"]').length > 0// var prevPrevIndexLoaded = slideshowInstance.items.filter('[slide-index="' + prevPrevIndex + '"]').length > 0// var nextIndexLoaded = slideshowInstance.items.filter('[slide-index="' + nextIndex + '"]').length > 0// var nextNextIndexLoaded = slideshowInstance.items.filter('[slide-index="' + nextNextIndex + '"]').length > 0// if(!prevIndexLoaded) {// slideshowInstance.removeSpinner();// // jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemContainerSelector).prepend(slideshowInstance.spinnerHTML)// slideshowInstance.fetchMore(Math.max(prevIndex - (fetchMoreMaxCount - 1), 1))// }// else if(!prevPrevIndexLoaded) {// slideshowInstance.removeSpinner();// // jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemContainerSelector).prepend(slideshowInstance.spinnerHTML)// slideshowInstance.fetchMore(Math.max(prevPrevIndex - (fetchMoreMaxCount - 1), 1))// }// if(!nextIndexLoaded) {// slideshowInstance.removeSpinner();// jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemContainerSelector).append(slideshowInstance.spinnerHTML)// slideshowInstance.fetchMore(nextIndex)// }// else if(!nextNextIndexLoaded) {// slideshowInstance.removeSpinner();// jQuery(slideshowInstance.itemContainerSelector).append(slideshowInstance.spinnerHTML)// slideshowInstance.fetchMore(nextNextIndex)// }// }, 200)// }// }// // // var lazyLoadLastCheckedIndex = slideshowInstance.currentItemIndex// lazyLoadSurroundingItemsInterval = setInterval(function () {// var currentIndex = slideshowInstance.currentItemIndex// console.log(`lazyLoadSurroundingItemsInterval - currentIndex: ${currentIndex}; lazyLoadLastCheckedIndex: ${lazyLoadLastCheckedIndex}`);// if(currentIndex !== lazyLoadLastCheckedIndex) {// lazyLoadLastCheckedIndex = currentIndex;// lazyLoadSurroundingItems(currentIndex);// }// }, 1000);var onScrollLastCheckedIndex = slideshowInstance.currentItemIndexjQuery(window).on('scroll resize', function () {var currentIndex = slideshowInstance.currentItemIndexif(currentIndex !== onScrollLastCheckedIndex) {onScrollLastCheckedIndex = currentIndex// console.log(`Slide Item index: ${currentIndex}`)fireEvent('foundation:slideshow:slidechange')}});// var onScrollTimeout = null;// jQuery(window).on('scroll resize', function () {// // Rate limit lazyloading more slides// clearTimeout(onScrollTimeout);// onScrollTimeout = setTimeout(function () {// var currentIndex = slideshowInstance.currentItemIndex// if(currentIndex !== onScrollLastCheckedIndex) {// onScrollLastCheckedIndex = currentIndex// console.log(`Slide Item index: ${currentIndex}`)// fireEvent('foundation:slideshow:slidechange')// }// }, 100);// });this.initialized = falsethis.init = function () {if (this.initialized === true) return// Prevent the browser from trying to scroll to the last scroll position before reloadif (history.scrollRestoration) {history.scrollRestoration = 'manual'}var startIndex = this.items.first().attr('slide-index')var oid = window.location.pathname.match(/\d+$/)if (oid) {var grabIndex = parseInt(this.items.closest('[slide-id="' + oid[0] + '"]').attr('slide-index'))if (!isNaN(grabIndex)) {var startIndex = grabIndex}}// if (startIndex > 1) {// this.scrollToIndex(startIndex)// }// if(jQuery(this.itemContainerSelector + '[single-listing]').length === 0) {// this.lazyLoadMoreResults = true// }this.lazyLoadMoreResults = truethis.initialized = true// lazyLoadSurroundingItems(startIndex)}return this}var SlideshowItems = new SlideshowItemsObj()// Ad refresh on slide change handlingvar adSlideChangeRefreshThreshold = 10;var adSlideChangeRefreshTimeout = null;// adSlideChangeRefreshTimeout = setTimeout(function () {adSlideChangeRefreshTimeout = null; // Set timer to null}, adSlideChangeRefreshThreshold)// Timeout to prevent fast jogging from item to itemvar itemChangeTimeout = nulljQuery(document).on('foundation:slideshow:slidechange', function () {if (editorView !== true) {updateMetaDataFromElement(SlideshowItems.currentItem)}// Google Anayltics track pageviewif (typeof ga === 'function') {console.log("foundation:slideshow:slidechange event", "sending pageview navigation to:", window.location.href);ga('set', 'location', window.location.href)for (let i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {let currentDimension = jQuery(SlideshowItems.currentItem).attr('ga-dimension'+i)if (typeof currentDimension === 'string') {ga('set', 'dimension' + i, currentDimension)}else {ga('set', 'dimension' + i, '') }}ga('send', 'pageview')}// if (adSlideChangeRefreshTimeout === null) {// adSlideChangeRefreshTimeout = setTimeout(function () {adSlideChangeRefreshTimeout = null; // Set timer to null}, adSlideChangeRefreshThreshold)// if (Foundation.Ad && Foundation.Ad.slots) {if (typeof (Foundation.Ad.slots['_Footer-1']) === 'object') {Foundation.Ad.showFooter('_Footer-1');}}// if (Foundation.Gpt && Foundation.Gpt.getInPageSlotDataById) {var gptSlots = window.googletag.pubads().getSlots();var gptSlotFixedFooter = gptSlots.filter((slot) => slot.getSlotElementId() === `FixedFooter`)if (gptSlotFixedFooter.length) {Foundation.Gpt.ShowAd.refreshFixedFooter(gptSlotFixedFooter[0]);}}}});// Try to init immediatelySlideshowItems.init()// On document loadedjQuery(function () {SlideshowItems.init()})// })();
