Originally posted Tuesday, October 2, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Karen Minton, long-time Channel 2 Action News meteorologist, said she is retiring after 33 years. She said she will be leaving at the end of February, 2019. Her final day on air will be Wednesday, February 27.
Until then, she will continue to do forecasts for Channel 2 Action News This Morning from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. Brian Monahan will take over in March.
“It’s been the worst-kept secret,” Minton said in an interview today after the announcement was made. “I have a milestone birthday coming up. I’ll be 65. My contract isn’t up until October 2019 but I just felt ready. It’s time for me to go and have some fun. My kids are raised and on their own. It’s time for me to do a few things and let the younger ones come in and have a go at mornings.”
She said she plans to travel once she catches up on sleep and perhaps take up tennis again.
Minton, who grew up in California, came to Atlanta in 1984 to work at the Weather Channel.
Chief meteorologist Glenn Burns saw her on The Weather Channel and recommended WSB-TV hire her.
“I will be forever grateful to him,” Minton said. “Because of him, I’m here. He’s been the most wonderful chief and good friend and the best mentor that I could have ever hoped for.”
She joined WSB-TV in 1986 and has been doing mornings her entire run. In the early years, she also did some morning anchor work, interviewed celebrities and filled in on Jocelyn Dorsey's community affairs show "People 2 People."
She didn’t intentionally plan to stay the rest of career at WSB-TV but ultimately liked it too much.
Minton said she won't miss the early hours but she will miss her morning team of Fred Blankenship, Linda Stouffer and Mark Arum. "It's fun every day," she said. "The newscast yesterday with all the cows, we never laughed so hard seeing Steve Gehlbach try to keep two cows from running onto the highway. Every day is new and there's always something funny happening."
Channel 2 Action News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.
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