After more than four decades in television and nearly 16 years at CBS News Texas KTVT Dallas-Fort Worth, senior meteorologist Jeff Ray delivered his final broadcast on Friday, June 26, 2026, and his colleagues made sure it was a sendoff to remember.
His broadcasting career spans more than 40 years.
Throughout the broadcast, colleagues shared how emotional the day felt and remarked on how quickly the moment had arrived. Between jokes about North Texas heat and stories from years working together, the CBS News Texas team celebrated Ray’s dedication, professionalism, and presence in the newsroom.
Ray admitted he had been counting down to retirement for the past two years and hinted that more details about his next chapter were still to come.
That next chapter is now becoming clear.
During his farewell broadcast, Ray announced that he is “hanging up” his radar iPad to begin a second career as a truck farmer in Pikeville, Tennessee. The move fulfills a lifelong dream inspired by his grandfather, who worked as a truck farmer in Ohio. Ray said the opportunity to follow a similar path made retirement feel less like an ending and more like the beginning of a long-awaited new adventure.
Ray joined CBS 11 and TXA 21 in December 2010 and became a familiar face to North Texas viewers as the station’s senior meteorologist. He appeared Monday through Friday on CBS News Texas at 4 p.m. on KTVT and at 7 p.m. on KTXA.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Ray spent much of his childhood in Tennessee. His educational background includes a communications degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a bachelor’s degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University, and a master’s degree in science education from the University of Missouri.
