News 12 at 6 O'Clock, December 3, 2007
AUGUSTA, Ga.---The year was 1957. Eisenhower was President. America was in a space race with the Soviets. Teenagers named Lennon and McCartney were just getting acquainted in Liverpool. And a young man in Augusta was just beginning his career in local television.
That man is Charles Moody, and the station is WRDW-TV, "Augusta's Tall 12" as it was known back then. Charles remembers being star-struck pretty early in his career.
"Well, the first thing that impressed me the second or third day- there's Bing Crosby doing a radio show in our studio, from Augusta of all places- and here I am, 20 years old."
We found some old black and white pictures of the studio crew from back then. You can see Charles in the middle, leaning on the camera. The man seated in the middle is Jim Davis who used to anchor the news here.
"Only 50 years?" Jim asked. "Hard to believe it's not 75 or 100. But we're still pretty young looking."
50 years in television and all of it at the same station. That's something worth celebrating. The News 12 family turned out to honor Charlie Moody for a half century of service. That includes a proclamation from Mayor Deke Copenhaver. He named December 3, 2007 Charlie Moody day in Augusta.
Fifty years is a long time in any profession--but just think of the changes Charles Moody has seen. From black and white to color to high definition.
When Charles started working here, all of our programs were done live.
"We did not have videotape," Charles said. "Everything was live in the studio."
That includes the commercials.
"Jim Davis used to do commercials in front of a jewelry set, Lee Sheridan used to do chinchilla commercials--with live chinchillas. So, we did everything."
And so it's only fitting that instead of a gold watch, the station's general manager, John Ray, gave Charlie a very old Polaroid camera. Probably one of the very ones Charles used to use at the station. He also got a very new flat screen TV to take home with him.
And there's one thing more: when Charlie comes back to work in the morning, he'll be walking into the same old studio, but with a brand new name. The sign above the door now reads "The Charles Moody Studio."
Charlie Moody is the kind of pro you hope you get to work with at least once in every career. How lucky we are that he decided to spend his whole career here with us.
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