I’ve been in broadcasting since 1988. Never, to my sketchy memory have I read a newscast, on radio or TV. But that’s what I’ll be doing Friday night on the WMBD-TV, channel 31, Peoria’s CBS affiliate and our Radio Peoria news partner’s 6 O’clock newscast with fellow Detroit native and main anchor Paul Cicchini.

It’s part of the TV station’s “Family Reunion” month. A surprisingly lot of former channel 31’ers have stuck around in the Peoria area, mostly working public relations jobs for Caterpillar or OSF St. Francis Hospital. So far, I’ve seen quite a few of my former co-workers do their stints, like my Morning Mix co-host Renee Charles (pictured above in the middle), Bob Larson, Shelli Dankoff McClellan, Brent Lonteen, Yvonne Greer and more.

While I’ve done just about every on air job in broadcasting, I’ve mainly staked my claim as a music D.J. and sports guy, never actually done “real” news. So, things could get dicey during the newscast. And it’s live, so when I mess up, there’s no take two. This will be unlike the Morning Mix, where screw ups were laughed at and encouraged in our sleep-deprived morning fog.

Doc Watson