Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Former WLOSer Les Vann was kind enough to email us a link to a lengthy story up in Syracuse about the return of Frank Kracher. Vann and Kracher, a former WLOS anchor, both jumped ship and now work for a CBS affiliate there in Syracuse.
The story details Kracher’s return to work 10-months after he took a skull-shattering fall that nearly killed him. Here are a few excerpts:
Nearly 10 months later, Kracher is still dealing with consequences far more serious than a fading scar.
His brain shows lingering symptoms of the trauma. And while he’s happy to be alive, Kracher says in his first public interview since the accident, he remains haunted by unanswered questions.
“I never really felt sorry for myself,” Kracher says, sitting next to his wife, artist Barbara Fisher, in his office several days ago at Channel 5. “But at some point you find yourself looking at it (the accident) and saying, ‘Why the hell did this happen?’
“How do you just get up one day, going about your business, walking down the hallway at work, and have happen to you what happened? It’s been a hard thing to accept.”
But life goes on for Kracher, 51, who began working again at the James Street station in October on a part-time basis.
Since then, he has gradually returned to a full-time schedule as news director of the CBS affiliate, where he was hired in March 2005 after seven years in TV news in Asheville, N.C.
The Chicago native says he’s now well enough to also return to co-anchoring WTVH’s live 6 p.m. newscast, beginning this Wednesday. …
The force of impact shattered the left side of Kracher’s skull, causing a bone fragment to pierce an artery.
By the time Syracuse firefighters arrived to put him in a Rural Metro ambulance that rushed him to St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, a bulge about the size of a tennis ball protruded from the side of his head.
It was a sign that blood was leaking into his skull. The immediate danger was that the pressure against his brain would shut down vital functions, such as breathing and pumping of blood.
Here’s wishing all the best to Frank and his family. Les, thank you for sharing the update.
Here’s the full story.
Frank and I had a long history together. When I was a mere 17 years old, I used to watch him on television and gaze in awe at how someone could be that damned good. Eventually I was able to get a job as a janitor at WLOS and worked my way up to Head Gaffer at the station…just to be near Frank.
He was there when I had a near crippling boating accident on what was supposed to be a day of fun and frivolity at Lake Julian…
He was the 1st one to hold my baby high to the moon like Levar Burton’s emotionally disturbing "Kunta Kenta" on Roots….
When I was placed on an FBI watch list for an unfortunate and highly misconstrued incident at the Budlight stage at Bele Chere, Frank was the one who pulled strings and made phonecalls to get me exonerated….
and when my frail body leaves this bitter earth to return to Zeus…he is the man I want…no, I DEMAND, to be commissioned to write and perform my Eulogy.
Frank Kracher is one hell of class act…
and if Larry Blunt thinks that he can simply sit in that chair next to the magnificently tantalizing Darcel…slip on a clip on tie, and just start rattling off facts about Weaverville and think that everything is going to be ok…
well then Mr. Blunt is sadly mistaken.
I am taking up private collections at the website http://www.bringhimback.com to set up a trust fund to partition a special sattelite feed to broadcast Frank’s nightly news audio over the voice of Blunt on every other Tuesday. I have great confidence that this fund will soon reach capacity.
_I.Adams
Frank and I had a long history together. When I was a mere 17 years old, I used to watch him on television and gaze in awe at how someone could be that damned good. Eventually I was able to get a job as a janitor at WLOS and worked my way up to Head Gaffer at the station…just to be near Frank.
He was there when I had a near crippling boating accident on what was supposed to be a day of fun and frivolity at Lake Julian…
He was the 1st one to hold my baby high to the moon like Levar Burton’s emotionally disturbing "Kunta Kenta" on Roots….
When I was placed on an FBI watch list for an unfortunate and highly misconstrued incident at the Budlight stage at Bele Chere, Frank was the one who pulled strings and made phonecalls to get me exonerated….
and when my frail body leaves this bitter earth to return to Zeus…he is the man I want…no, I DEMAND, to be commissioned to write and perform my Eulogy.
Frank Kracher is one hell of class act…
and if Larry Blunt thinks that he can simply sit in that chair next to the magnificently tantalizing Darcel…slip on a clip on tie, and just start rattling off facts about Weaverville and think that everything is going to be ok…
well then Mr. Blunt is sadly mistaken.
I am taking up private collections at the website http://www.bringhimback.com to set up a trust fund to partition a special sattelite feed to broadcast Frank’s nightly news audio over the voice of Blunt on every other Tuesday. I have great confidence that this fund will soon reach capacity.
_I.Adams
Dear WLOS,
Frank seemed like such a regular guy and someone I could relate to. I think his fellow anchors felt the same way. Hope he comes back to WLOS.
Matt Restivo
Dear WLOS,
Please, please, please bring Frank Kracher back to your News Department. His chemistry with the other anchors is so superior to what I see now. Plus, his credibility and downright niceness radiate from the screen.
We miss Frank, too! He made our local news enjoyable. I’d trade the Syracuse station Frank for Darcel and Larry together. AND I heard he’s a really nice guy.
Wow, I saw that headline "The Return of Frank Kracher" and I thought he was coming back HERE.! My wife and I miss him a lot and hope maybe he’ll return. Asheville beats Syracuse any day!!!
Yeah, I stopped watching the local news when Frank Kracher
left,too. Frank had that combination of down-home and
cosmopolitan that made you proud to live here… he always
struck the right note… never trying TOO hard. No offense to
that new guy… he just seems SO uncomfortable. It really
would be great if Mr. Kracher could return to our mountains.
I might just start watching the local news again.
Are you listening WLOS?
Frank Kracher had rapport with everyone on WLOS…that is sorely missed. Bright, articulate, informed, he felt like family.Everyone seemed happier when he was sitting there in that anchor chair..now it’s just talking heads that don’t seem to care too much for one another.
April 21,2007 MH, Asheville
We all miss Frank. I am glad that he is back at work and feeling good. Wish he was back at work in Asheville. Any chance of that ever happening?!!!!
I know so many people who miss Frank on the air and also around town. Frank, if you are reading this, think about coming back!! A lot of people stopped watching the news when you left. Sorry, but Larry and Darcel have no chemistry and it’s very clear.
Where is Frank? Where is the news delivery that has an informed impact and a voice of intelligence? Do I have to continue to ignore the local news because I am insulted at the delivery?
I miss Frank
i’m sorry to hear of frank’s accident. i have some personal knowledge of people with brain trauma, and i hope he has a quick recovery.
did you hear tammy call darcel "diva" on tuesday night’s news? they were doing a story about a dog named diva and tammy said something to the effect of ‘we refer to someone around here as diva’ and looked over at darcel.
i cracked up!
welcome back, ash. we missed you while you were away.
IMO Frank will always be one of the better male anchors that ever sat beside Darcel at WLOS.