NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — By now, you've probably heard that NewsChannel 5's Vicki Yates is retiring in less than a month. If you've ever gotten the chance to meet our sweet Vicki, you know she gives the warmest greetings.
"Hello sir, how are you?" said Yates before a newscast to a member of the production crew.
But after 33 years at the anchor desk, it may be a lot harder for her to eventually say goodbye. Luckily for her, there are a few familiar NewsChannel 5 faces that have walked that path before. That's why we invited her longtime co-anchor Chris Clark, Meteorologist Ron Howes and Sports Director Hope Hines to give a little advice.
"It’s going to be great fun. This is a great chapter," said Chris Clark.
"Think about it as a beginning and not an ending. That’s the first thing," said Ron Howes.
"Well Hope, how do you like retirement, what are you doing? And I say — whatever I want to," said Hope Hines.
The three NewsChannel 5 legends say Vicki impressed them starting with her very first newscast in 1990.
"She was smooth," said Hines.
"You know Vicki has a bad day," interjected Howes.
"Oh you could never tell," said Clark.
"You could never tell it. You could never tell it. No matter what happened, it was the same Vicki," said Howes.
While the trio remains in awe of her on-air presence, it's their memories off-camera, that stand out the most.
"She and I were the King and Queen of the MoonPie Festival in Bell Buckle in Tennessee," said Howes. "By the time we finished that day, she could have been elected mayor of Bell Buckle. She had them all charmed."
Chris Clark recalled a longstanding Valentine's Day tradition between the two of them.
"First of all, you have to understand, Chris is pretty cheap. It starts right there, am I wrong or am I right," joked Hines.
"You’re not wrong," said Clark with a chuckle. "I was walking through Walgreen's a couple days after Valentine's, and I said, 'You know, this Valentine’s Day candy is by then 75% off. So I bought five or six boxes and gave them to the ladies of the newsroom and that just stuck. And some people came and went but Vicki was always there so it just got down to Vicki."
Even as Vicki prepares to step away, her former co-anchors say the mark she's left is indelible.
"She was so well-liked and received in the community. You know, there was nobody out there that didn’t like Vicki Yates, not to this day, and even 10 years after she’s retired, they still will. That’s the kind of impression and the lasting impression she makes on everyone," said Hines.
"She’s one of those people you can spend two minutes talking to or 15 minutes. Either way, you feel much better about yourself and your day for having had that little conversation with her," said Howes.
Clark said Vicki was able to endear herself to Middle Tennessee viewers from the very beginning. "Vicki made herself a citizen of Nashville, and she made it clear she was going to raise her children here, she was going to be here and be a part of the community," said Clark. "And that’s going to be her lasting impression."
Chris, Ron and Hope say the same warm Vicki that has said hello to us for all these years, will bring the same sweetness to her goodbye. "She definitely made us a whole lot better than what we normally were, I can promise you that," said Hines.
"The effect you had on all of us in a calming way, and keeping the boat steady was of such value that I never got to tell you that, so I want to tell you that now. Thank you very much for being the kind of person you were. You made my job a lot easier," said Clark.
"Vicki, you were the glue that held NewsChannel 5 together for so long, now it’s time to enjoy life. We love you, we enjoyed working every minute with you. Now go off and have the best retirement ever," said Hines.
To watch Part I of our interview with Chris, Ron and Hope, click here.
Vicki retires from NewsChannel 5 on Friday, June 2.
