How's Charlie Doing?

It's a question I hear a lot even though he vacated the anchor chair at WRAL more than 12 years ago. How is Charlie Gaddy doing? Well, I can now report that Charlie is doing just fine. We spent an afternoon and evening together last week working together on the Raleigh Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Public service continues to be a major part of Charlie's life. You won't find a better emcee or moderator anywhere. Charlie and I had a great time reminiscing and laughing about the good ole days. During a rehearsal break I broke out my guitar and we harmonized on "Unchained Melody." Charlie has a wonderful singing voice but during his remarkable journalism career he pretty much put music on the back burner. Now that he's retired he has plenty of time to enjoy music. He has even been known to break out the karaoke machine. I started thinking about my own situation. Journalism is my number one love but music has become a big part of my life in recent years. I hope I don't confuse people with my dual identity. I appreciate WRAL's willingness to let me follow both blisses. Another thing about Charlie. He looks great. He hasn't aged a minute since leaving WRAL in 1994. It's funny. The knock against me early on in my TV career was that I looked too young to replace Charlie. Guess I passed on the Dick Clark disease to my dear friend Charlie Gaddy. I hope you don't mind, Charlie.