GREENSBORO, N.C. (WFMY) – You welcomed him into your home every morning for years!
WFMY News 2’s Lee Kinard transformed television and was a staple in the community. Kinard started here at WFMY News 2 on April 16, 1956 and quickly worked his way up. Kinard started just seve years after WFMY News 2 first broadcasted in the community. Whatever needed to be done to help WFMY News 2 be a news leader, Kinard did it. He’s known as the “Father of the Good Morning Show.”
PHOTOS | Remembering Former WFMY News 2 Good Morning Show Legend Lee Kinard
FATHER OF THE GOOD MORNING SHOW
That’s right, morning television wouldn’t be what it is today without Kinard. He was the one who started it all. Kinard gave local organizations a forum to connect with the community by spotlighting education and other hot topic issues.
WFMY News 2's Good Morning Show launched December 1957 and Lee Kinard was the writer, producer and anchor of the show. He was also responsible for the show's format and it was his idea to have weather. Believe it or not, WFMY News 2's Good Morning Show is the reason you see weather in morning shows across the country. It's the oldest and longest running morning show in America. Above all, he took risks that paid off, while always thinking about the viewer every morning.
Just last year, Kinard was back right here at WFMY News 2 'Lee Kinard Studio' to help the Good Morning Show celebrate 60 years!
IN THE COMMUNITY
After retiring in 1999, Kinard focused on education working with UNCG, getting people to vote, and raising money for those in need.
In February of this year, Lee Kinard received the International Civil Rights Center and Museum's 2018 Unsung Hero Award.
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND TV NEWS
Kinard said one of the defining moments in television history and what led to the change of how journalists covered their community was the Civil Rights Movement, particularly, the Woolworth Sit-Ins in downtown Greensboro. He said during an interview with Eric Chilton on the Good Morning Show, "It was the moment news TV cameras went out to the streets to cover what was happening in communities."
Kinard passed away Saturday morning surrounded by his family at Moses Cone Hospital.
PHOTOS | Last Lunch With Lee
► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WFMY News 2 App: Apple Users, Android Users