A small child might have caught a glimpse of Mike Barker casting the news on local tv years ago. The child grows into an adult and has great grandchildren who might still be watching him. Mr. Barker must have a Dorian Gray in his attic. Just kidding. He isn't really that old, but he has graced our screens off and on for a long time.
Actually it's nice to see a mature person presenting the news. Not that there's anything wrong with the younger ones, but it's good to have Mr. Barker back again. And it's reassuring to know that the tv news presenters may not always have short shelf lives.
The local stations build up their on-air anchors into local celebrities. But when the anchor quits or gets fired, there's hardly any mention of it. And those of us not in the gossip loop are left wondering what happened. Now you see them, now you don't -- like one of those old Soviet photographs where people popped in and out.
The on-screen tv people really should start their own websites independent of their employers so that those of us who see them in our living rooms every night can keep up with their comings and goings, or more specifically, their goings.
Sometimes search engines can dig them up after they leave. See What the heck happened to Glenn Glazer in the Sleepless archives.
Maybe some of the new media specific blogs, West Texas TV, Media Showdown or Kmid Blews & Blows, can help the rest of us keep up with what's going on at the other end of the cable.
In the meantime, welcome back Mr. Barker. You've witnessed a lot of local history, maybe there's a documentary in your future.
So where the heck has Mike been? And why is he back?
Posted by: Wallace-Midland, Texas | April 30, 2006 at 10:34 PM
Afterleaving KMID, Mike did a stint at UTPB and I beleive Wells Fargo. As for coming back, I guess he got board and need to be back in the limelight. I guess him and Pamela Hamm, made up if 7 brought him over there. But good luck to Mike.
Posted by: BloggingMediaMan | May 01, 2006 at 02:39 AM
Another one of KMID's mistakes, letting go of Pam and Mike. I hope Mike is doing well. Glenn is at KENS-TV in San Antonio. If you get a chance, go here http://www2.mysanantonio.com/multimedia/video/NewsOnDemand/#60
and watch him do an interview with Bo Bice.
Posted by: vadervorral | May 02, 2006 at 06:15 AM
where is mike barker now and what happened to Becky Neighbors ?
Posted by: Teresa Sexton | November 08, 2010 at 06:17 AM
Good questions, Teresa. CBS7 seems to have purged Mike Barker from their website.
Posted by: Geo | November 08, 2010 at 03:40 PM