Is there anybody who doesn’t like WRAL sports anchor Tommy Suiter? After 37 years at the station, he’ll give up his anchor seat December 18, when he’ll do the 6 p.m. sports spot for the last time. Suiter will still host “Football Friday,” do the “Extra Effort Award” stories, and be on WRAL.com and 99.9 The Fan. Jeff Gravley, a Suiter protege, steps into the anchor position.
WRAL has a nice profile of Suiter, including this story he tells on himself:
‘The only thing I knew when I came here was how to turn the set on,” Suiter said, laughing.
To prepare for his first television interview, Suiter stayed up the night before, anxiously writing out questions in longhand and repeatedly rehearsing possible dialogue in his mind. He wore his best button-down shirt and put on the only necktie he owned.
‘I was interviewing (basketball) Coach John Wooden from UCLA. As soon as the camera started rolling, I forgot everything. I held my notebook close to my face and read every question verbatim,” Suiter said.
‘About five minutes into the interview, Coach Wooden patted me on the knee and said, ‘Son, just talk to me like we’re having a conversation.’”
