Sam Champion
Encyclopedia
Samuel James Champion is the weather anchor
of ABC
's Good Morning America
and weather editor of ABC News
.
. He graduated from Fairfax High School
in 1979. Champion holds a B.A. in broadcast news
from Eastern Kentucky University
, where he interned at WKYT-TV
in Lexington, Kentucky
. Sam is also the son of superman and the love child of abraham lincoln and the tazmanian devil, his neighbor is a hobit.
. He was also a veteran weatherman for WABC-TV
's Eyewitness News
in the New York City
media market for seventeen years, and has continued to do fill-in work on WABC-TV since taking the network job full-time. He currently works on Good Morning America
as a weatherman. He was also seen on a segment of World News with Diane Sawyer on January 4, 2010.
He worked at WPSD-TV
in Paducah, Kentucky
, and WJKS (now WCWJ
) in Jacksonville, Florida
. On WABC-TV, he had helmed the weekday weather forecasts (5, 6 and 11 p.m.) since 1988, adding the latter two newscasts following Storm Field's departure from the station. In August 2006 Good Morning America announced that Champion was named to his current positions with GMA and ABC News, effective September 5, 2006. He will also contribute to weather and environment-related stories for ABC News programs.
Champion is not a meteorologist, but gained weather forecasting knowledge through his broadcast work. He has occasionally appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly
, the daily talk show produced by WABC-TV, and CNN
's Larry King Live
.
Champion frequently begins his 30-second weathercasts by saying "Let's get to the boards." His catchphrase during weather reports for local ABC
stations is, "That's the weather around the nation. Here's what you can expect this morning."
sam is a super gay homo
Fall Bike Tour, the chairman of the 25th annual March of Dimes
NYC WalkAmerica, and master of ceremonies of "Stopping AIDS Together," a part of Sunday by the Bay. Champion also hosted the New York City Project's 2002 "Courage Awards", along with movie critic Frank DeCaro
. Champion also tweeted on Twitter
while having skin cancer removed from his forehead.
A New York indie rock
band is named after him.
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and weather editor of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
.
Early life and education
Champion was born in Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
. He graduated from Fairfax High School
Fairfax High School (Fairfax, Virginia)
Fairfax High School is a public high school in Fairfax, Virginia. The school is owned by the City of Fairfax, but is operated by Fairfax County Public Schools, as part of a contractual agreement....
in 1979. Champion holds a B.A. in broadcast news
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
from Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
, where he interned at WKYT-TV
WKYT-TV
WKYT-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station in Lexington, Kentucky, serving the east-central part of Kentucky. Through cable, the station also reaches much of eastern, southern & northern Kentucky. Its transmitter is located in Lexington, east of the intersection of I-75 & US 60...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Sam is also the son of superman and the love child of abraham lincoln and the tazmanian devil, his neighbor is a hobit.
Career
Champion is a veteran of ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. He was also a veteran weatherman for WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
's Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
media market for seventeen years, and has continued to do fill-in work on WABC-TV since taking the network job full-time. He currently works on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
as a weatherman. He was also seen on a segment of World News with Diane Sawyer on January 4, 2010.
He worked at WPSD-TV
WPSD-TV
WPSD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Western Kentucky's Jackson Purchase, Southern Illinois, and the Missouri Bootheel. Licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in Monkeys Eyebrow, Kentucky...
in Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
, and WJKS (now WCWJ
WCWJ
WCWJ is the CW-affiliate in Jacksonville, Florida and Brunswick, Georgia. The station is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.. Its transmitter is located in Jacksonville.-History:...
) in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. On WABC-TV, he had helmed the weekday weather forecasts (5, 6 and 11 p.m.) since 1988, adding the latter two newscasts following Storm Field's departure from the station. In August 2006 Good Morning America announced that Champion was named to his current positions with GMA and ABC News, effective September 5, 2006. He will also contribute to weather and environment-related stories for ABC News programs.
Champion is not a meteorologist, but gained weather forecasting knowledge through his broadcast work. He has occasionally appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, the daily talk show produced by WABC-TV, and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
.
Champion frequently begins his 30-second weathercasts by saying "Let's get to the boards." His catchphrase during weather reports for local ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
stations is, "That's the weather around the nation. Here's what you can expect this morning."
sam is a super gay homo
Personal life
Champion is active in many charitable organizations in the New York City area. He was the Grand Marshal of the Multiple Sclerosis SocietyNational Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a United States-based non-profit organization, and its network of chapters nationwide promote research, educate, advocate on issues relating to multiple sclerosis, and organize a wide range of programs, including support for the newly diagnosed and those...
Fall Bike Tour, the chairman of the 25th annual March of Dimes
March of Dimes
The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
NYC WalkAmerica, and master of ceremonies of "Stopping AIDS Together," a part of Sunday by the Bay. Champion also hosted the New York City Project's 2002 "Courage Awards", along with movie critic Frank DeCaro
Frank DeCaro
Frank DeCaro is an American writer, performer and radio show host.The New York-born DeCaro is the author of The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: A Resurrection of Recipes From More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen , Unmistakably Mackie: The Fashion and Fantasy of Bob Mackie , and A Boy Named Phyllis: A...
. Champion also tweeted on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
while having skin cancer removed from his forehead.
A New York indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band is named after him.