Gone

KEYE TV’s Gregg Watson Gone

“I looked up and you were there. I looked up and thought you were there, but I was wrong. You were gone,” I told Gregg Watson formerly of KEYE-TV (CBS).

"After five years here at KEYE TV, I am leaving to start a new adventure,” Watson says on his blog, http://www.greggwatsontv.com. “I just wish I knew what that adventure is. The folks here at KEYE have been awesome, and I feel blessed to have worked here. The TV news business is brutal, and you can’t take management decisions personally.”

The UT-Austin graduate says that his contract was up, and “I’m too old to get tied into a situation that would make me unhappy in six months. No one wants to work with a negative Nellie,” he says on his blog entitled “Life After KEYE TV.”

Watson will turn 45 next month. He was the station’s most experienced and seasoned reporter. Watson moved on about a week ago.

Watson says he’s not through with TV news, if TV isn’t through with him. “I’m hoping to stay in TV news, although I have no offers. I turned down two jobs in the past month because they didn’t feel right.” He is exploring freelance offices in the Dallas area where his mother lives. Many stations are choosing to hire freelance reporters and avoid having to pay benefits. “I miss the folks in Austin, especially at my church, but I've moved on. Don't know if it's for the better yet because I still love TV News, he says.

Watson grew up in Denison, north of Dallas. Now, his mother requires 24-hour care for dementia costing some $6,000 a month. For now, he is taking on that responsibility, saving that money. “If I didn’t love this woman who gave me life, I would have walked out on her days ago. One doctor told Watson, “She doesn’t know how to do much, and [she] is depending on you for her care.”

Gregg Watson is a good guy, a talented guy. He’ll be missed.

© Jim McNabb, 2010