Libby Weaver says goodbye to Fox31: Did she jump or was she pushed?
Last night, longtime Fox31 anchor Libby Weaver bid the station adieu surrounded by her three kids -- her stated reason for stepping away from the outlet. But even as good wishes stack up on the station's Facebook page, media observers are speculating about whether her decision to leave has to do with the shrinking resources and tight budget constraints affecting broadcast TV these days.
Big photos below.
No denying that Weaver, who worked as a host of Extra in addition to stints at stations in Salt Lake City and Chicago before landing at Fox31, brought a new level of unabashed glamor to Denver TV news. Who can forget the 2009 Denver magazine "Men's Issue" cover that we described at the time like so:
The two women on the cover are literally busting out of their flirtatious attire, with the girliest of the two wearing a breast-boosting garment that turns her wiggle rack into an awesome blossom. Meanwhile, her more masculine partner is clad in an open shirt from which one mam threatens to escape as she perches spread-legged on a chair and holds a cigar that, with apologies to Sigmund Freud, isn't just a cigar in this case. As a bonus, the sitting woman has her arm looped suggestively through the crooked leg of her gal pal, whose crotch is at mouth height.The magazine also included a complete behind-the-scenes slide show of images from the shoot, featuring images like this one:Scissor sisters relaxing on the set of their latest Skinemax sextravaganza, The Goodies: Live Hard, Get Hard? No, they're Libby Weaver and Natalie Tysdal, anchors for programs on Channel 31.
Was Weaver's career was hurt by questions about the wisdom of a news anchor engaging in such male fantasy schtick? Hardly -- and her sense of balance was a big reason why. For the most part, she managed to offset her show-biz side with a down-to-earth persona epitomized by a goofy sense of humor and canny playing of the mom card. Add her obvious chemistry with co-anchor Ron Zappolo and you'll understand why she was able to last a dozen years-plus in the market.
Throughout that time, she and Zappolo were paid handsomely for their efforts. But in recent years, the rise of the Internet and new technology has reduced the audience for traditional TV news, and profits along with it.
Continue for more about Libby Weaver's departure from Fox31, including a video of her goodbye.
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