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Troy Dungan's Retirement from WFAA

T

texas_prwriter

I've read (here and elsewhere) Troy's retirement was going to be official in July 2007. I haven't seen any WFAA promos about his retirement date (probably more than a few people on Young Street nervous of what 'FAA looks like post-Troy) -- any word on what WFAA will do to commemorate his retirement?

And, any feedback on new WFAA weathercaster Meghan Danahey? I don't watch much news on Saturday or Sunday mornings, but was curious if anyone watched her enough to know. She seems like she has a good on-air demeanor from the one time I caught her on WFAA.com.
 
I believe I heard/read that his retirement would take place on July 18th. When I looked at the calendar I wondered if that was right since it is a Wednesday. I expect you will see alot of promotion the week before.

I believe I read that WFAA has him under contract to come back and work Santa's helpers this year also. Hopefully he will be back on the air from time to time. He will be missed, I would rather Trust Troy and Pick on Pete.

On Meagan I like her so far, she seems to be doing OK. She is local so she knows the area and pronounces the towns right.
 
Troy Dungan's Retirement Coincidental

How interesting that Troy Dungan is retiring after 31 years at WFAA. Old timers remember that Troy was weather-guy at KTRK Channel 13 in Houston before moving to Dallas.

His retirement comes only a month or two after the guy who replaced him at KTRK -- Ed Brandon -- also retired. Ed came to KTRK in 1972, while Dungan was still there, and moved up to number one weather guy when Dungan left.

Troy is remembered in both cities for his vast collection of bow ties.
 
Troy is a deffiniton of "class". I have had a chance to speak with him on several occassions, and always felt he was very polite and outgoing. Meagan is good and will grow,finally a good choice. Pete Doofus and his "shakespeare in the park" presentation of weather is a little overbearing. His hands must have a sizeable bed of callouses from the continued slapping of them to illustrate a point. Steve should have been moved up.
Well there is still Him,plus Mike at Ch.11 and reliable Finfrock on 5.
 
Pete is a blowhard. Well-positioned and very well-promoted, so it's not all his fault. But McCauley should've gotten Troy's job. Troy's poise and assurance will be missed and replaced by "everything I have to say is life or death" Delkus. Meghan Deheney is good...needs a little work and seeing that she's an English major, probably doesn't know diddly about meteorology. Same with Maria Sontolongo and Julie Bologna...pretty faces and not much else.

Mike Burger at CBS11 phones it in these days and the times have most likely passed him by. Unfortunately with weak talent like Kristine Kahanek, what are you going to do? I like Jeff Jamison..he's young but solid and knowledgable.
 
Seeing how 11's weather department has its best talent in Jamison and Garry Seith, is there room for Bob Goosman back in the chief meteorologist chair? He's solid, and seems like wasted talent on 33.
 
I'm kinda surprised Meghan's bio was even put up on the WFAA website. She was mainly hired to work weekend mornings at TXCN until Craig Porter comes in for the late afternoon/evening shift. I know once Nancy Snell announced she was leaving Belo had an influx of candidates in and out of the TXCN and WFAA buildings. TXCN would have probably signed off on anyone but WFAA was in no rush since Steve McCauley agreed to work weekend mornings until someone was hired.
 
If Pete is 8's answer to weather for the next thirtysomething years, we're all in trouble. Well, not unless Hansen decides to squash him one night. Which sometimes I wish he would.
 
I believe ch 11 and 5 will get some extra viewers unless Steve is doignthe 10pm on occasions. Pete's "shakespeare in the park" presentations are something relegated to an 8th grade science class.
 
I really don't care for Pete and his "perfect hair". Yet, I heard that the Cincinnatti TV station he was working at offered him a "lifetime" contract to stay up there instead of coming down to DFW.

As for Steve, he got his Masters degree at Texas Tech, and I am a Red Raider, I've never seen anyone get so excited about changing weather patterns in the DFW area. I think he is either going to die of a heart attack from so much excitement, or the camera operator cannot show a shot of Steve below the waist because something is rising in his pants, IYKWIMAITYD.
 
texas_prwriter said:
I've read (here and elsewhere) Troy's retirement was going to be official in July 2007. I haven't seen any WFAA promos about his retirement date (probably more than a few people on Young Street nervous of what 'FAA looks like post-Troy) -- any word on what WFAA will do to commemorate his retirement?

And, any feedback on new WFAA weathercaster Meghan Danahey? I don't watch much news on Saturday or Sunday mornings, but was curious if anyone watched her enough to know. She seems like she has a good on-air demeanor from the one time I caught her on WFAA.com.
Click to expand...

Back to the original post...Troy's "last" date is Wednesday (7/18). WFAA's 6PM newscast has been counting it down for the last couple of days...running a piece on Troy each night before Troy does the weather. I believe he said Wednesday, he's still committed to working 25 days a year after 7/18 and will still work on the Santa's Helpers program. So, he will still pop up from time to time, so Wednesday will be his last regular full-time newscast, but not his "last" date.

The piece Wednesday was a "Why Guy" one on Troy's bowties. The piece Thursday was on Troy's Christian faith...that he wears a small cross on his jacket every broadcast and runs a weekly Bible study at WFAA (after hassling with the Belo legal department). Megan was interviewed as one of the attendees to that. Didn't see Friday's 6PM news...

Supposedly, there is a section for viewers on wfaa.com to see the stories and post messages (the Belo websites are awful, so I haven't looked).
 
I have a feeling troy will be with us for many years to come, esp. with the Santas Helpers program, which is his baby.
 
Troy said on one of last week's broadcasts that he was still contracted to work 25 days out of the year from here on out...so that's a couple of times a month on average, or perhaps a few times here and there, then a lot during the holidays to promote Santa's Helpers.

Troy is a classy guy and always goes out of his way to say "hello" to this lowly traffic guy with only 4 years at the Channel 8 roost...and I appreciate that.

I like Pete as well, and wish that some of his off-air candor and spirit could be integrated more into his on-air persona. He's really a fun guy and could probably put Dale in his place if given the proper venue. Probably best that Delkus wasn't around yet when the Hansen Roast came up a couple years back!

No problems, either, with Meghan Danahey...I work with her every Saturday morning, and she improves and gets more comfortable every week. I think she'll do just fine. Yes, there was a long process involved with finding Nancy Snell's replacement, and just hearing some talk here and there, it was a hard and very lengthy decision over a ton of tapes.

But sure, Steve's my favorite, because that passion for weather shows through, and he's not afraid of talking over the viewer's head. I've learned more about weather in the last few years from his forecasts than I have since Harold Taft was alive.
 
WE are stuck with Pete on Channel 8.It was a wrong decision not to advance Steve to weeknights at 6 and10. They will not admit it,and thats the way it is . Pete maybe a nice guy but his presentation is not only a shakespeare in the park presentation,but a guy doing an informercial for the latest vegetable blender 'mixed in".
 
Mike,

Not to change the subject completely, but I enjoy listening to you when you do traffic reports when Alexis isn't around and when you do them on the weekends.

I like the new weather girl on the weekends as well. I think she does a good job and will get better as time goes by.

Steve gets WAY out of control at times, never seen somebody get so excited about an approaching storm. Delkus has perfect hair and probably more of a robotic style which is what Channel 8 would like in all of their on air talent, in my opinion.

It was also very odd to see Joe Trehan doing the news on Sunday, in place of Debbie Denmon. Hope she
comes back soon, I always like her.
 
Thanks for the kind words, Jay. I have to admit that I've never liked the way I sound on WFAA...I've got an RE-20 in my face at WBAP, which makes it easy to know where my voice is going, but Ch 8 has me wearing a clip-on.

I missed Joe anchoring the news. I'm seeing an effort there to test out a wide variety of folks on the air in the anchor chair, probably for experience or for potential fill-in work. David Schechter did Sat AM's news last weekend. Janet St. James gets reeled in periodically for the same duty. Debbie Denmon's a great lady, and fun to work with. I know she's been using some of the non-sweeps months to do some international travel lately.
 
You make me blush. :-[


(Oh, and sorry, ChipK, for duplicating much of your earlier post in one of my later posts...I didn't notice it until later!)
 
6 PM, Wednesday, July 18th

Tonight at 6 PM is only time I can recall that I have had to watch a newscast written down on my calendar. Troy has been there my entire adult life. I look forward to him popping up on the air from time to time.
 
History.Personally happy for Troy.Now how many like many before left 5 when Harold passed on,will stop watching 8 and tune to someone else?
 
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