By Matt Wake
He’s covered everything from deadly north Alabama tornadoes to Luke Skywalker. Along the way, Jerry Hayes has won multiple regional Emmy Awards and been nominated at least a dozen times.
Now, Hayes, the longtime anchor at Huntsville CBS affiliate WHNT-19, will retire. On Monday, he announced his plans to retire, via his social media and WHNT-19′s website.
“The time has come,” Hayes posted on his Facebook page, “to say one last time, ‘Thanks for watching. Have a good night.’ After 45 years at WHNT, I have decided to take off the microphone and walk out of the studio into retirement. I’ve been talking to my daughters about this for more than a year, but the final broadcast is right around the corner.”
Hayes indicated his final newscast at the WHNT anchor desk will air the evening of March 26. He’ll turn 70 four days later.
It’s not Nick Saban on the retirement Richter Scale for Alabama public figures. (Really, who would be?) But for longtime and native Huntsvillians, Hayes has been a constant in nearly half a century of changes, heartbreaks and triumphs in local news.
The Nashville-born newscaster came to WHNT in 1979, the year of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s last national championship as the University of Alabama’s head coach. Hayes, a Middle Tennessee State grad, previously worked as a videotape editor at a Nashville CBS affiliate.
In Huntsville at WHNT, Hayes started as a reporter. He quickly working his way up to anchoring and producing weekend newscasts, then to 10 p.m. anchor, then noon anchor. In November 1983, Hayes ascended to the prime, 6 and 10 p.m. weeknight anchor slots.
For years, Hayes’ mustache was part of his signature look behind the anchor desk. In later years, he shaved the fashion fuzz and sported glasses. As an anchor, Hayes delivery was warm enough to sound like a neighbor yet polished like someone who knows what they’re talking about.
For the last several years, he’s co-anchored WHNT’’s 4 and 6 p.m. weeknight newscasts along with Christine Killimayer, who won Alabama Broadcasters Association’s (ABA) 2022 News Anchor of the Year award. Hayes has been honored as Alabama’s best news anchor by the Associated Press in 2005, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and by the ABA in 2008, 2011 and 2013.
After Hayes announced his retirement, Killimayer posted on Facebook, “I’ll just be over here sobbing and soaking in these last two months with my Jer-Bear!” Greg Screws, another popular longtime WHNT anchor, joked on FB about Hayes post anchor desk: “Jerry is going to be the Titans new offensive coordinator,” referring to a recent coaching staff on Nashville’s NFL team, of which Hayes is a devoted fan.
In addition to delivering the news on-air, Hayes career has included interviews with the likes of entertainers including legendary actor/comedian Carol Burnett and actor Mark Hamill, the latter known for his portrayal of aforementioned “Star Wars” hero Skywalker. An avid country music fan, Hayes has served as a Grand Ole Opry guest announcer. According to his WHNT bio, her was also the first TV reporter to interview superstar country group Alabama, known for hits like “Dixieland Delight.”
Away from the TV station, Hayes interests include golf and fishing. Speaking of what led to his retirement now and how he plans to spend his time, Hayes wrote on WHNT’s website, “Time seems to move faster when you get older. I’m convinced there are no longer 24 hours in a day. You blink and the day, the moments you are enjoying, are gone. I don’t want to miss those times with my family, my grandkids.”
He added, “I’m going to slow down and not worry about deadlines from the time I get up until I go to sleep. I’ve said for years, I want to write a book about the stories that I didn’t have time to tell or couldn’t share on tv. And I’m going to make more time for my family and friends. I will still be involved in my favorite charities that I support and take some time to volunteer. I plan to stay busy.”
Hayes hinted that just because he’s signing off permanently as a five-days-a-week anchor doesn’t mean his TV news career is completely going click and cutting to black. “As we say in television news,” Hayes wrote, “stay tuned.”
