Back for a Bit

I'm taking a small vacation from my vacation. The reason is so that I can properly say goodbye to the best reporter I've seen come through Huntsville in the six years I've been here.

If you read the other WHNT Blogs, then you've probably seen by now that Jeff Butera is leaving. I mentioned it the other day, but didn't give a name. I felt that was Jeff's
prerogative to be the one to tell you himself.

Since I began in this business, I've heard stories about reporters who blow in, that you know won't be around long. They are so good that they will be able to pave their own path to where ever they want it to take them. With all due respect to the other reporters I work with and have worked with,(I'm certainly in there with you) no one had fit that bill until Jeff came along. I'm sure our 5pm producer Claire is surprised to read this. Since I would quite frequently ask her, "So, what's Wonder Boy Butera going to dazzle us with today." It was a joke Claire.

Jeff came to WHNT fresh out of college. It's almost unheard of for a new college graduate to begin working in a medium sized market like Huntsville. What's even more rare is for a fresh college graduate to not be bad. But not only was he not bad, he became the best reporter at 19. Usually the great reporters have a bad habit of knowing how good they are, and not letting you forget it. Not Jeff.

Jeff and I were on opposite sides of the state. We didn't run into each other that often. Usually just at station staff meetings.

I hate to see you go my friend. But something tells me, we'll all be seeing you again.