Are two weatherheads better than one? The bosses at KDVR-Channel 31 think so.
When weather anchor Stacey Donaldson left the Fox outlet for greener pastures at KCNC-Channel 4, management at KDVR started a search for a replacement.
They came up with a new twist – an in-studio forecaster and a roving reporter. First to arrive was Crystal Egger, who’s doing “Good Day Colorado” and various fill-ins on other newscasts until Erin Little, Donaldson’s replacement, arrives from Kansas City on March 26.
It’s an attempt to get out in the weather – and not just standing outside the back door of the studio or at the Eisenhower Tunnel. Channel 31 general manager Bill Schneider said, “People criticize (stations) and ask, ‘Do you ever go outside?”‘ That’s Egger’s role. She’ll hit towns, ski resorts and other off-site locations.
Little and Egger will share the weather duties on “Good Day.” “We have four hours in the morning. That’s a lot of time,” Schneider said.
Egger’s another of those TV beauties – long, lean and blond, but that’s only part of the package, says her new boss. “The thing that impressed me is that, yes, she’s gorgeous, but she wants to be taken seriously.” A graduate of Cal-Santa Barbara, Egger is fluent in Spanish (is a weathercast in Spanish in her future?) and is about to get her meteorology certification from Mississippi State.
Lucky for her, she arrived on Jan. 8, just in time to miss the two big blizzards but, because she and her graphic-designer husband, Bruce, come here from Idaho, she’s familiar with the vagaries of our weather. “It’s going to be challenging because of the terrain, but it’s something I’m fascinated by. It keeps you on your toes.”
The lifestyle will be a fit for her, too, even though she grew up in San Diego. She’s been skiing since she was 4, and got into hiking and rafting during her days with the ABC station in Idaho Falls/Pocatello.
After we bonded through the interview process, she made me a promise – February will be a lot warmer. I trust her.
Around the dial
ESPN2 launches its “NASCAR Now,” a daily show on the stock-car circuit, at 4:30 today. Erik Kuselias hosts with help from ex-driver Rusty Wallace and former crew chief Tim Brewer. NASCAR’s Busch series returns to ESPN and ABC for the first time in six years on Feb. 17. … Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin talks about exotic animals at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the CU campus in Boulder. Tickets at the door. … Quotable: “A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” Carl Reiner
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-954-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
