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01/23/2015

Veteran ABC 11/WTVD-TV News Anchor Larry Stogner Announces He Will Step Down

 

Veteran ABC11 Eyewitness news anchor Larry Stogner announced at the end of today’s six p.m. newscast that he will step down from the WTVD anchor desk, effective immediately.

“I’m sure that in recent months, you’ve noticed a change in my voice…my speech….slower” explained Mr. Stogner. “Many of you were kind enough to email me ideas about what it might be…or just to show concern. As it turns out, I have ALS, known to many as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and brought to national attention by the Ice Bucket Challenge. There is no cure, so it is time for my broadcast career to come to an end,” he went on to say. “I’m going to take some vacation now with my wife Bobbi. But I’ll be back here two weeks from today for a final few things…and a more personal goodbye.” Mr. Stogner ended the newscast with his signature, “Thanks for the company.”

“Larry is the dean of our Eyewitness newsroom and the patriarch of the ABC11 family,” said Caroline Welch, President and General Manager of WTVD. “While we are rocked by this news, our full love and support go to Larry and his family as he fights against this disease.”

In honor of his many years of service to WTVD and to the region, Ms. Welch announced that ABC 11 will honor Mr. Stogner’s long and storied career on-air the week of February 2nd, and Mr. Stogner will join the celebration on Friday, February 6th. “We have been blessed by Larry’s wisdom and leadership for four decades,” Ms. Welch added, “and we want to share that with all of those who have invited Larry into their home over the last forty years.”

In his 39 years at ABC 11/WTVD, Mr. Stogner, the most senior broadcast journalist in the Raleigh-Durham market, has covered many of the most important historic events in the U.S. and the world.

He has covered every type of political story, from presidential primaries, to twenty years of political conventions, to every presidential inauguration, from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama. He has conducted one-on-one interviews with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, George Bush, Sarah Palin and many other prominent figures, both national and local. Mr. Stogner served as Raleigh Bureau Chief, where he became an accomplished political correspondent, covering state politics and the General Assembly. He has moderated a number of statewide debates in gubernatorial and senatorial races, and served as President of the Capitol Press Corps for two years.

Mr. Stogner’s coverage of major stories has taken him to many international locales. A Vietnam veteran in the U.S. Air Force, he traveled to Vietnam in 1995 to report on the 20th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, which effectively ended America's involvement in that conflict. His documentary, “Back to Nam,” was nominated for an Emmy.

In the summer of 2002, he accompanied units of the 82nd Airborne Division into Afghanistan, where he provided live nightly reports from Kandahar and later produced an hour-long special, “Kandahar Diary.” He traveled to the Persian Gulf to cover the conflict with Iraq, and to the Adriatic Sea, as U.S. Navy warplanes hammered targets in Kosovo and Yugoslavia. In 2010 he went to Haiti with the 82nd Airborne, providing live reports for ten days following the devastating earthquake there. Other career highlights include two long-ranging interviews with Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, a former Green Beret Captain at Fort Bragg who is serving three life terms after being convicted of killing his wife and children in 1970. Mr. Stogner was the only reporter to travel to Japan and China in 1979 to cover former Governor Jim Hunt on his historic trade mission to recruit foreign companies to expand into North Carolina. He also reported live from the World Trade Center Ground Zero in New York following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“Larry is a North Carolina icon, beloved by viewers and respected by political and business leaders,” said Eyewitness News director Rob Elmore. ” Inside the newsroom, Larry is our mentor and friend. He touched all of us and helped shape our extraordinary team. We will continue to honor Larry every day by upholding his high journalistic standards”.

Mr. Stogner began his television career at UNC-TV, and joined ABC11 Eyewitness News in 1976. In 1982 he was named anchor of the 6:00 and 11:00 newscasts.

In 2010 he was inducted into the prestigious N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame, the only local news anchor to be so honored. Two years later he was inducted into the N.C. Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He is also the recipient of the 4H Lifetime Achievement Award.

Born in Burlington, NC, Larry was raised in Yanceyville and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and his wife, Bobbi, have six children.

Media Contacts:

Susan Sewell in New York: susan.l.sewell@abc.com; 212-456-1508

Caroline Welch in Raleigh/Durham: caroline.f.welch@abc.com; 919-687-2241

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