Debby Knox hopes to lose news ‘addiction’ in second shot at retirement

Legendary local newscaster Debby Knox has been on the air in Indianapolis, with the exception of a short break, since 1980 when she joined WISH-TV Channel 8. She worked as a reporter and anchor for 33 years until retiring in late 2013. It didn’t stick. She soon was recruited to help launch the newscasts for CBS4, which had taken over the city’s CBS network affiliation from WISH-TV.  She was paired with veteran news anchor Bob Donaldson and meteorologist Chris Wright starting in January 2015.

Earlier this month, she announced that her second stint in TV news would come to an end with her second shot at retirement, set for Nov. 30. The Michigan native will be 70 years old in February and has a long list of places around the globe she wants to visit when she isn’t spending time with her granddaughter, now 18 months old. Still, she’s concerned about being able to shake what she calls an "addiction" to breaking news.

On this week’s edition of the IBJ Podcast, Knox shares a wide-angle view of her career, including the most difficult and most rewarding days on the job. She shares heart-stopping stories from her interviews with world leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Desmond Tutu. She also discusses how TV news has changed over four decades—and its current value in relation to today’s multitude of news sources.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.