TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Anchor Aweigh: WFLA Bids Hite A Fond Farewell

ADVERTISEMENT

By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 29, 2007

TAMPA - Wishing viewers "God bless and smooth sailing," anchor Bob Hite signed off the 6 p.m. newscast Wednesday to end a 30-year-career at WFLA, Channel 8.

Gayle Sierens, his co-anchor since 1985, gave him a farewell hug and lost the battle she was waging to hold back the tears. Hite offered her his necktie to dry them.

Before the newscast, Sierens said she didn't how she would handle this last one. "I've been emotional all day," she said.

Hite, 60, is leaving the anchor desk to live in Colorado and run a production company with his wife, Bonnie.

"I'm leaving while I've got enough time and energy to devote to freelance work," he said after the newscast.

"I'm kind of numb right now because there's a flood of emotions with all these people here and this last program," he said.

He was surprised and impressed by a taped tribute from former CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite, who has known Hite since his childhood.

"Can it really be time for you to retire?" Cronkite said, recalling that Hite's late father, Robert Hite Sr., used to take his son sailing with Cronkite on Long Island Sound. "If he were here today, your dad would be so proud of your life, your career and the man that you have become," Cronkite said.

Hite's final newscast also included taped tributes from NBC's Matt Lauer, Brian Williams and Kerry Saunders as well as Channel 8 staffers and rival anchors John Wilson and Kelly Ring from WTVT, Channel 13. They joked that they were glad to see him go.

Only a handful of TV anchors in the country have survived even two decades at one station. During his 30 years at WFLA, Hite has been a weekend anchor, a nautical news expert, a roving feature reporter and a weekday anchor.

The final newscast featured lighter moments, such as Hite flubbing a newsbreak, his whistling in the newsroom and singing "If I Only Had a Brain" from "The Wizard of Oz."

An audience of friends, relatives and co-workers was watching off-camera and for the final minutes of the newscast, the entire newsroom came on the set.

"We have surrounded you with people who love you and respect you so much," Sierens said. "We will miss you more than you can imagine. ... Just to get to work with someone for 30 years and love it is great. But to work with someone you've loved for 30 years is even more amazing."

Hite joked that he and Sierens are like brother and sister because "every time I proposed she turned me down."

Hite said he planned to answer the more than 1,000 e-mail messages and letters he has received. He thanked all the viewers for supporting him and all the bosses he has had over the years who gave him the freedom to do his job.

Dan Bradley, vice president of news for the Media General Broadcast Division, said Hite's leaving is bittersweet.

Hite, who has remained popular with viewers, will be missed, he said. "It makes us all pause for a moment, take stock and realize the years catch up with us all," said Bradley, who started his career at WFLA in the 1970s as a photographer and later was the station's news director.

"I had the opportunity to work with Bob for 22 years and I had some unbelievable experiences that I don't think I would have had partnering up with anyone else," he said. "Never a dull moment, often it was fly by the seat of your pants because that's how Bob does his best work. I learned something every day from him, how to take a better picture, how to turn a better phrase. Those are lessons I take with me as long as I am in this profession."

Hite said he will return to the Bay area as often as possible and will produce freelance reports for WFLA. Keith Cate, who has been with WFLA for eight years, replaces Hite on the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.

The Tampa Tribune and WFLA, Channel 8, are owned by Media General and share reporting resources. Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT