August 23rd was Bill Hartman’s last night at the sports desk on Channel 2. After 35 years in Atlanta, Bill has decided to sit back and enjoy the games for a change. Fairly new arrival Zach Klein has taken over the weekend shows.
Here’s more from The AJC:
In a mercurial profession, defined by turnover, ego and the almighty ratings book, Hartman has spent an entire 35-year television career in the same city, sportscasting with the civility and amusement of a neighbor talking over the fence. And that ain’t so easy, folks.
If ESPN has lit the way for the boo-ya generation of anchors —- louder, brasher, hipper —- Hartman was simply Bill Hartman, hardly flashy, imperturbable and never, ever fired. To have done so for 35 years —- he sat down at WAGA’s set to give his first run-down barely 48 hours after he graduated from Georgia —- is to flaunt TV’s nature.
“That’s unheard of,” said Chuck Dowdle, sports director at WSB, where Hartman finishes out a 13-year run. “And it wouldn’t happen today.”
Click here to continue reading
Another WSBer Is Leaving
From AccessAtlanta/Rodney Ho:
WSB-TV has confirmed that reporter and weekend anchor JaQuitta Williams is leaving the station next week. Her final anchoring day is Sunday. Her final reporting day is Sept. 12.
She has been at the TV station since 2004 and been in the TV business for about 20.
I got a hold of Williams at about 3 p.m. Friday. She said her recent bout with breast cancer was a factor in her departure.
“When I came back from my cancer journey in January, I was different,” she said. “I wanted my life to be more enjoyable. I wanted to do other things.”
While thinking about staying or going, she looked for signs. She found two: her Blackberry stopped working, then her laptop was stolen out of the WSB-TV van while she covered a church fire.
Ultimately, she had nothing but good things to say about WSB itself and was appreciative that they let her tell her breast cancer story on air. (Essence magazine has a story about her in October’s issue.)
Williams said she has a new job lined up but with respect to WSB, won’t reveal what it is until after she leaves.
Better yet, she noted: “I am cancer free. My last mammogram in August was clean. I’m in a wonderful place. I’m so excited!”
According to her online bio, her favorite moments have been interviewing the late legendary R&B singer James Brown and meeting with former V-103er Robin Roberts, now “Good Morning America” host. Both were diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2007 and had surgery, chemo and radiation at the same time.
If you want to reach out to Jaquitta, here’s her Myspace page.
Once again, thanks to AccessAtlanta/Rodney Ho for this story.
New to Fox5
Kaitlyn Pratt is the newest reporter to join the Fox5 News team. She comes from WSAV in Savannah where she was a general assignment reporter. Pratt is a Massachusetts native and a proud graduate of Providence College.
