Jim Spencer, the chief weathercaster for KXAN 36 Austin, announced his semi-retirement slated for the end of February. Central Texas weather watchers will be happy to know he is staying on with the NBC affiliate part-time.
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"For the past 37 years I’ve had the incredibly good fortune of living my childhood dream — telling people about the weather on television every day — now I’m looking to also do some other things," Spencer said on KXAN.com. "Over the years, I’ve started or become a partner in four businesses that I plan to be more involved in, while still stepping in here at KXAN whenever I’m needed."
He adds that he told station management four years ago he planned on reducing his hours on air when he hit 30 years with the now Nexstar station.
In Spencer's place will be current KXAN weekday morning meteorologist, David Yeomans.
Spencer's journey into broadcasting started at KADA-AM while as a student at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.
"I was probably the only third grader who watched the weather every night" Spencer told Austin Monthly in 2015. "By the time I was in fourth grade, I told my teacher that I was gonna be a weatherman when I grew up. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the career of my dreams."
In 1983, he moved to television at KTEN Ada–Sherman and became the station's chief upon graduating college.
Spencer joined KXAN in 1990 as the station's first weathercaster for its hour-long morning newscast. By 1993, he was named chief weathercaster.
"When I started here, I didn’t realize how good I had it," Spencer also told told Austin Monthly. "We were the very first one-hour morning newscast in Austin, from 6 to 7 a.m. Then, all I had to do was the local cut-ins for the Today Show at 9 a.m. I didn’t have voice mail. No Internet to update! We all really had it easy back then."
The longtime Austin weathercaster leaves behind a ton of awards such as three Lone Star EMMYs, five Texas Associated Press awards and 21 Austin Chronicle "Best Weathercaster" honors. Think that's enough? He also won Austin’s American Women in Radio "TV Personality of the Year" five times and the Austin American Statesman’s "Best Weather Reporter" in 2018.
Honors and awards aside, many Austinites will remember Spencer for his hours of charitable work and community involvement. Some organizations that KXAN's website says Spencer concentrates on include Family Eldercare, the Helping Hand Home for Children and animal welfare groups.
"I couldn’t be handing over my responsibilities to a more capable meteorologist," Spencer said about Yeomans on the station's website.
Yeomans, who starts on the nightly newscasts March 1st, actually interned with Spencer while attending University of Miami where he earned both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree.
"I’ve been so fortunate to learn from the best in Central Texas,” Yeomans added. “Jim has been my mentor since age 19. To then have the chance to work side-by-side with him through some of Austin’s biggest weather events, and now carry on what he has built here at KXAN, is an incredible honor."
The three-time Lone Star Emmy Award winner started with KXAN in 2012.
KXAN also announced weekend evening and noon meteorologist Kristen Currie will move to the morning news to replace Yeomans.
Newly hired KXAN meteorologist Nick Bannin takes over weekend evenings for Currie.
