Veteran forcaster moving on after 40+ years on television.
By Brian Allen
Rain or shine, sunny or stormy.
Whatever the weather is, was, or will be doing, Fox 5 Chief Meteorologist David Chandley was there to report it.
But this Friday, he will be turning in his clicker as he heads for retirement, capping 42 awesome years in broadcast meteorology.
His upbeat presentation of the weather kept viewers tuned in to his forecasts throughout the years. His careful monitoring and advisement during severe weather kept viewers informed. He even found time during the holidays to keep track of Santa on Christmas Eve.
Today, he met with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp to receive a special recognition for his storied weather forecasting career.
“It’s been my honor to deliver weather information to Georgians for 42 years, so to be recognized by the Governor and First Lady is really special,” said Chandley at the State Capitol today. “My wife Lynn and I thank Governor Kemp and Marty for their hospitality this morning and look forward to seeing them again in Athens this Fall, Go Dawgs.”
Chandley announced his pending departure on Facebook last March. He shared what his future plans would be now that he will no longer be watching the radar or reading weather maps, at least behind the camera.
“I am excited for this next season, which includes dinners with my wife every night, making memories with my 3 granddaughters, family trips, reconnecting with old friends, and more time to care for my elderly parents,” said Chandley.
“It will take some time to reflect on my life in the TV news business, so many people have influenced me, and I hope I have returned the favor to the next generation.”
The UGA grad forecasted for stations in Albany, Macon, and Columbus before he came to WSB-TV in 1988 and worked there for more than 26 years. He headed to Fox 5 to become their head forecaster in 2015. He has won 11 Southeastern Emmy awards and is a member of the NATAS Southeast Silver Circle.
Chandley joins a storied and revered group of local Atlanta weathercasters who have moved on after years of service to the market, such as WSB’s Glenn Burns, WAGA’s Ken Cook, WXIA’s Johnny Beckman and Guy Sharpe (both of whom, like Chandley, worked at more than one Atlanta station during their tenure), and WSB Radio’s Kirk Mellish.
Image credit: Facebook
