Longtime WTVJ anchor, Bob Mayer announced this morning during the newscast that he will retire on July 1st, 2010 after a 40 year tenure at NBC6. Bob says he wants to do it while NBC Universal is still under the ownership of GE since they have a better retirement package. “Retiring now is financially much more beneficial.” Mayer told Herald gossip queen Joan Fleishmann. Mayer continued on to say, “I definitely am not the retirement type. I will do something, it’s just a matter of finding the right gig”.
Bob Mayer joined WTVJ in 1969 as an intern, when Ralph Renick was all the rage in South Florida. He left briefly in 1984 going to work for WVIT, the NBC affiliate in Connecticut, before returning in 1987 when NBC purchased WTVJ. He will sign off from WTVJ sometime in Mid-June.
From all of us at SFLTV, we wish Bob Mayer all the best.
Yeah, he is retiring in July, but his hair piece is expected to stay on indefinitely as a news consultant.
Bob Mayer is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in this business. It’s too bad he won’t be on in the mornings anymore. We’ll miss you, Bob!
I hope his replacement works well with Pam! They make such a great team. Other than that NBC 6 sucks.
Bob Mayer Replacement Is Keith Jones ?
In effect, yes. In between, Pam anchored solo on the AM news.
The truth is…..his contract was up and he knew for some time they would not be renewing when they could replace him for less then half of what they were paying him and with less benefits. I doubt very much if that is a hairpiece as it is very much like brillo , and I’ve seen it when it was messed up.
Maybe they will replace Bob with another part timer as they won’t have to pay benefits , much like they do with Pam who is also part time. I wonder if TBS still has that dog who used to do the news back in the 70s after they put peanut butter on his tongue? Maybe….his grand puppy ?
I think it will be good to bring in some new blood. Something about Bob never sat right with me.
I wonder if they might call Kelly Craig back? She was a part-timer and would slide into that role nicely. She has a good morning show persona (which Bob really didn’t master) AND she’s a solid newswoman. My other vote would be for Trina Robinson – she delivers the news beautifully and is already on staff. I would not be surprised to see Adam Kuperstein’s name tossed around. He’s subbed a few times before and seems to be doing less and less sports as they continue to try to save money.
Or will Pam go solo?
BRING KELLY CRAIG BACK!!!
Bob is a very nice guy in person, it is sad to see him leave but maybe they will bring in somebody new? Bam was awesome. Maybe Roxy will be on desk with Pam? And Nathalie can fill in Roxy’s spot? Trina is very professional but to me,but boring.
Only time will tell.
What Jason failed to mention was that not only are Bob and Pam WTVJ’s longest running team, but the most successful team the station has had in years. Their 5-7 am show is number 1 in the market. Roxy is a joke Bee, but she fills a requirement for all new on air talent……be a minority, Latin or black…….Sure wish they would hold some jobs for us white people……Bee , I think you might enjoy ch 7 news more, with the bright graphics and constantly saying “News Alert”……….even if its a broken down school bus.
Mitch,
I do enjoy Channel 7’s graphics but I prefer NBC any day. I would like to Adam Kuperstein on desk with Pam. I think they may do good. I doubt they will bring somebody new in due to money and cut back.
I think Bam in the mornings were an amazing team and we can’t let that go, we need somebody that will fill in Bob’s seat that can attract the viewers and keep NBC in the mornings at #1.
And LOL at the school bus NEWS ALERT. I dislike those by the way.
Guys, come on, they are NOT gonna do a dual female thing. It didnt work for them in the evenings, and it certainly wont work for them in the mornings. Remember, Pam and Bob werent #1….like ever.
Bob’s the best. I loved working with him!
Pam and Bob were number 1 from 5 to 7 am……..a good reason why that was the only team WTVJ never touched.
they provided WTVJ their best local news ratings throughout the day…better than other times….that is why they left them alone…but they were not #1.
Lonnie should come back from WCBS to do the weather on Bob’s last broadcast 😉
It was just a joke guys, sorry.
who knows if they do a send off with lots of video he’ll could give bob a shout, no that big of a deal. Most people don’t know anything about WCBS or that it exists or where Lonnie Quinn went 🙂
Since Lonnie now works for CBS, don’t think thats a good idea Dean…….
Mitch — I did fail to mention that Pam and Bob have been #1. They do have great chemistry and he will be missed. He should be commended for having such a long and heralded run at WTVJ. Few journos have that kind of longevity anymore.
My comment really related more to Bob’s chemistry with his other co-workers and guests on South Florida Today. He comes off as pretty disinterested and aloof. He also makes some pretty strange comments: “I hope that drywall that just spilled on the highway was Chinese drywall.” Whaaaat?!?
He’s a great journalist (no one can argue that point) — but he does come off as rather awkward sometimes (my humble opinion only, for what it’s worth).
My vote — bring back Kelly Craig! She’s a known presence, and the two woman format may work in the mornings.
Jason, we should start a petition to bring back Kelly Craig! I miss Kelly and I hardly don’t watch South Florida Today anymore. I like Bob, Trina and Natalie but Roxanne Vargas is not clicking with me. Is she missing something? Also, how come SFLTV has not mention that Calvin Hughes has joined Laurie Jennings was the main anchor of Local-10 and Baron James is coming to Local 10 as their new morning anchor. He is from Dallas-Fox 4 and is starting in Mid-June. I miss Kelly Craig she is so talented and she would definetly fit in the mornings with Pam.
Who will replace Bob in the next coming months??? Trina would be the safest move for the house. Bringing Kelly Craig back would be the best move for the viewer. She’s funny and smart and has an established name in the market. When I watch Kelly and Trina I trust that they know what they’re talking about. I’m 33 years old and watch local news on a hit or miss basis but when I do I want to watch people I trust like Bob and Pam or Trina and Kelly.
The stupidest choice would be Roxy. Picking her will only solidify that she is protect by upper management! Roxy anchoring full-time will only turn more and more viewers away.
NBC 6 seems to be turning the corner with better stories that matter to the viewers rather than just reporting on crime. But with better stories you still need people you can trust to bring you the RIGHT information not just read what’s been written for them.
Does anyone else see what I see when Roxy is on TV? She plays the dumb bimbo role that really doesn’t fly?? Why does she turn every story she does into a story about her?\
Lets discuss….
PLEASE NBC DON’T PICK ROXY!!!
Did anyone not notice the typo in this article? lol .“I definately am not the retirement type. I will do something, it’s just a matter of finding the right gig”. Last time I checked, the word was definitely. That’s “one of the most common moronic misspellings found on the Internet” and sfltv.com once again has lived up to its credibility.
Changing gears, I’ve worked with Bob and he is a really nice person. He’s good at what he does. Plain and simple. I have no doubt that NBC6 screwed him on his contract and left him with no respectful option. This is a company who escorted one of their producers out after giving that producer a pink slip just before the show was to air. That was awful news to my ear. Of course they blame it on ‘budget issues’ and the ‘economy,’ but that’s no way to treat their employees.
The woman sitting at the top, overlooking through those glass windows, is quite the character! She’s fake and pulls all the strings to make the mess… and to clean up the mess.
I wish Bob all the best!
oh give em a break!
hurr durr … ok spell check police and the (local) papers & station sites don’t have spelling errors
I wonder if Tammy ever thought , if the show’s ratings drop after Bob leaves , how many hundred of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue they would lose. Even a half a point is $$$$$$……”Dollar Wise, but Penny foolish”
Correction…..Penny wise but Dollar foolish……heck, I just woke up….
Here, here… it’s the spell check police. I see you made the spelling correction, lol. And this ‘blog’ does one post a day… the most. So i don’t see how hard it is to make sure your one-paragraph story is spell checked, hahaha. I’ve seen errors on station sites and local papers, but that shouldn’t be your cop out. At least say ‘my mistake. correction noted.’ hurr duuurrr!!
Thank you for that. It’s great that you come on here not to read articles, but to be the SFLTV Spell Checker. 😉
ok you win, but i’ll get you next time
That was so “Domb”……..Spell check !!!!!!!!
Anyone but Roxy. She is terrible. I cannot stand how she cannot do impromptu interviews and seems to have a lack of control in the moment with whatever segment. She sucks. Stick to doing traffic news but not this morning show which is already pretty bad to begin with. Could be better if the anchors would be better chosen.