Last week, I was sitting at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial when I saw the following press release from channel 13. The station's chief meteorologist Tim Heller announced on air and on Facebook that he is leaving the station in 2019 for a new career. You can read that below.
Here is the KTRK release:
ABC 13 KTRK TV today announced that Tim Heller, chief meteorologist for the station, has informed senior management of his intention to retire from ABC 13 in January 2019.
“For nearly 35 years, I have covered blizzards in Iowa, tornadoes in Dallas, hurricanes and floods in Houston and even a few sunny days,” said Heller. “I’ve been thinking about this for awhile and thankfully I have the full support of my loving wife, Monica. We are excited about the future.”
Tim has served as the Chief Meteorologist at KTRK Channel 13, the ABC owned TV station in Houston, Texas for 16 years. He is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and member of the American Meteorological Society. His weathercasts have also earned the Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association.
“Our commitment to keeping viewers safe and informed during severe weather has never been stronger and Tim has played a huge role in developing this remarkable team.” said Wendy Granato, VP of News for KTRK. “Tim will always be part of the ABC13 family. We wish him well in all of his new adventures.”
Heller’s weather coverage over the past 35 years has earned him several awards including four Emmy Awards, one for his coverage of Hurricane Ike in 2008. Tim has also received multiple Best Weathercast awards from the Houston Press Club, the Dallas Press Club and the Texas Associated Press.
“When someone has an opportunity to pursue a dream you support and celebrate with them. We will miss Tim,” says Henry Florsheim, President and General Manager of KTRK-TV ABC-13. “He has led what we know are the strongest team of meteorologists in Houston for nearly two decades. He takes his craft very seriously and has worked tirelessly to keep the community informed whether it is a life threatening situation or how you should plan for your weekend. We are fortunate that Tim has agreed to stay through the end of
the year. We wish him nothing but happiness.”
Heller has been covering weather for more than 30 years. The award winning meteorologist has taken home honors from the Lonestar Emmys, Houston Press Club, the Dallas Press Club and the Texas Associated Press.
Before Houston, Heller worked for FOX 4 KDFW in Dallas. He previously worked for KGAN Cedar Rapids, Iowa; KRCG Jefferson City, Missouri; KDUB Dubuque, Iowa and WIFR Rockford, Illinois.
According to his bio, Heller is a graduate of the Broadcast Meteorology Program at Mississippi State University, and has a BA in Communications from Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa.
He is originally from Prairieburg, Iowa. He and his wife have three children.
Here is what Heller wrote on Facebook in case you can't access it:
Hello Facebook Friends,
I wanted you to be among the first to know that I’m retiring as a broadcast meteorologist and will be leaving ABC13 to pursue a different career.
This photo was taken nearly 35 years ago at KDUB-TV in Dubuque, Iowa, where I did the weekend weather. Since then, I’ve worked at six different TV stations forecasting blizzards in Iowa, tornadoes in Dallas, hurricanes and flooding in Houston…and even a few sunny days. There’s not a weather event I haven’t covered.
Even though the weather changes every day and the technology has changed considerably over the last three decades, the job is essentially the same today as it was back in 1984. I simply need a new challenge.
I know this might sound crazy. Who gives up a high-profile job and starts over? I do. And apparently a lot of other people do too. Google the words “second career” and you’ll get 876-million results.
This is not a sudden decision. I’ve been thinking about this for a few years and I made this decision after some careful personal and financial planning.
Thankfully I have the full support of my loving (and equally crazy) wife, Monica. We are confident and excited about the future.
I’m going to take some time and consider my options. My plan is to find a job that allows me to still serve the public in some way.
This isn’t good bye! We still have the rest of hurricane season to get through together. My last on-air broadcast will be Friday, January 11, 2019.
Finally, thank you for following me. I truly appreciate it.
And thank you for watching ABC13.
