The ‘anchor’ of local TV news Johnny Wood dies at 82

He was a lunch date. He’d take you fishing to show where the bass were biting this week. He helped thousands start their day.

We’re talking about anchor emeritus Johnny Wood at WCYB who died Monday at the age of 82. Wood worked for the radio version of WCYB then came full circle by signing on to the television outlet in 1968. Some of Johnny’s most popular segments were his weekly fishing report, sharing his love of the lake with the audience, and Lunch with Johnny where Wood toured the Appalachia region and would sample some of the region’s restaurant specialties.

At one point, Johnny was a one man band when he gathered and read the news, gave daily weather forecasts, and close out the broadcast with a sports report–all from his written notes. Before streaming and on-demand programming, Johnny became appointment television with legions of fans, including kids who hung on his every word in the wintertime as he would deliver school closings. Dozens of cub reporters, journalists, and young staffers would ask him for advice. Johnny’s newscasts in the a.m. reportedly recorded huge audience numbers in the days of Nielsen ratings.

Johnny was on the air for 44 years and was the bridge from golden age broadcasting to a newscast in digital up to his retirement in 2012 when he was given an honorary Emmy Award for his many years of media work. Johnny’s wife Mary told the station that he died peacefully Monday while a pastor was reading Bible verses at his bedside.

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