Good Night
Jun 19, 2012, 10:00 PM | Updated: 10:00 pm
Well, I can’t believe it, but another giant is gone.
For those of you who have lived in Phoenix or virtually anywhere in Arizona, the name Ray Thompson was not just familiar. It meant a local news anchor that had the same level of trust that Walter Cronkite had. He was Channel 3’s first anchorman but he was more closely associated with Channel 12.
In addition to being the most recognizable news personality in local television, he was also Channel 12’s News Director.
When he passed away last week, it didn’t come as a shock to Valley broadcasters because he was 92, but for all the families who only had the choice of a handful of news broadcasts in those days, if Ray Thompson said it, it must be true.
In all the years I knew Ray, including those after he left television, I never had a clue whether he was a Democrat or a Republican. A conservative or a liberal.
I only know he loved Phoenix for 60 years and that’s good enough for me.
I’m Pat McMahon.
