Morning weatherman brightens lives of early a.m. viewers

Steve Stucker's career in television news has become a staple for early risers hoping to brighten their day

by STEPHANIE KITTS

Photo courtesy KOB.com

Steve Stucker

At 5 a.m., most people are crankily crawling out of bed — but not Steve Stucker. He’s in the studio ready to grab the attention of viewers with a theme for the day or a story about his family.

Since he became a weatherman and co-anchor for KOB-TV Channel 4 nearly 20 years ago, “Steve Stucker” has become a household name. On a daily basis, Stucker engages viewers by injecting a little personality into his forecasts, making him one of the most personable newscasters in town

Stucker may be known for his daily weathercasts, but that isn’t the only aspect of his job. Each morning, his forecast features different themes and segments to make the morning show a little more entertaining for viewers — something not usually accepted in news media. Stucker and the Channel 4 team decided that the morning newscast needed something fun, interesting and unique for the viewers.

“Everything just happened gradually, we were trying to create a buzz. We’d try something once and if it worked, we’d do it again,” he said. “I consider part of my job as being an entertainer. It’s because I have this unique position that’s not totally news and not totally weather — I’ve been allowed and encouraged to interject some personality.”

Stucker’s co-anchor, Marla Tellez, has been with Channel 4 since January and said she is familiar with the “jovial atmosphere” during the morning newscast. She said Stucker’s early morning entertainment-type newscast fits well in the “hard news” environment of most newsrooms.

“We're broadcasting to people who are just waking up and groggy, and many are in need of motivation. Therefore, I believe Steve's antics, and my ability to play off of him, help liven our viewers mornings. We receive many e-mails from viewers thanking us for making them laugh at 5 a.m.,” she said. “If morning news is strictly doom and gloom, sipping your coffee in front of the tube wouldn't be worth it. Mixing light-hearted fun with hard news is crucial to a morning show.”

Stucker’s antics aren’t the only part of his daily routine that viewers enjoy. In many of his segments, Stucker tries to include his family by telling stories or showing pictures — he even brings his dogs into the studio every Friday. He said it helps viewers realize that he’s more than just a “cardboard TV guy” because he tries to relate his family life to the lives of the viewers.

Stucker said he knows the viewers enjoy his personal stories when they approach him in public.

“Some people stop me or run into me and say, ‘I feel like I know you personally,’” Stucker said. “When viewers tell me they feel like I’m part of their family by extension, that’s what I’m going for. That’s when I feel like I’ve hit the money.”

Nicole Brady, former Channel 4 morning news anchor, said Stucker makes the morning show what it is and said that he is probably the reasons why so many viewers continue to watch each morning.

“Most of the time, Steve is ready to do something fun and it gives me a chance to offer a little commentary and sometimes a laugh or a joke. I wish there was more of that in all news shows,” said Brady, who now anchors the evening news on KOB. “If he retires one of these days, the show is going to look a lot different.”

Stucker said he holds an interesting position at Channel 4 because he doesn’t deliver hard news like other television newscasts. In many ways, he’s taken advantage of the freedom the station allows.

“When I started saying ‘and may God bless’ at the end of my newscast, I didn’t ask permission, I just started doing it. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but it eventually became an issue,” Stucker said.

After a few months had passed, Stucker was asked to explain why he signed off with, “Take some time to really enjoy your life today, and may God bless.” His response was aired and viewers were asked to send in their responses. Stucker said the station received “a flood” of responses and the good outweighed the bad. Since then, it hasn’t been an issue and Stucker continues to sign off with his now famous phrase.

Despite the entertaining role the anchors share each morning, Tellez says Stucker is still a professional and has no problem transitioning from “fun Steve to serious Steve.”

“This is particularly evident during our noon show in which he forecasts and reads news,” Tellez said. “In one moment he can be reporting a death and the next, predicting a sunny day — with a smile.”

If Stucker seems like a veteran journalist, it’s because he is. He began his career in broadcast journalism a little more than 30 years ago.

“I accidently got a full-time job the summer before my senior year of college,” Stucker said. “At the time, foolishly or not, I just decided to go with it.”

Not having a college degree didn’t slow him down. Stucker started in broadcast news as a disc jockey for a local radio station. After a 15-year career in radio, he left his position as program director to begin his journey in television. That transition lead him to where he is today — one of the best known personalities at Channel 4.

When it comes down to it, the fun portion of the morning show isn’t what most concerns Stucker. Instead, he said he is constantly concerned about the accuracy of his weather reports. He said he’s learned through experience that reporting the weather is just a matter of perceptions.

“My perception is that we’re much more accurate than we used to be, but we still blow it at times,” Stucker said. “There are some days that I have to be vague, but I try to be as specific as I can.”

He said that viewer complaints come with the territory of being a weatherman.

“I used to complain about TV weather guys myself,” he said.

Weather isn’t Stucker’s only responsibility. Outside of his daily weather routine, he said he gets many requests to give speeches or host an event. In addition, Stucker is a full time husband and father of four — what he considers his most important job. As his family grows larger, he said he is forced to decline many of the requests he gets outside of his daily responsibilities as a weatherman.

“I’ve been blessed with a position for a long period of time that has allowed me to enjoy myself and entertain others,” he said. “I enjoy my job a lot, but I don’t consider it of great importance in the overall scheme of things.”

Written May 1, 2008

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