Retiring Donna McCollum says ‘thank you’ to East Texas News viewers

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - As some of you may have heard, KTRE’s Donna McCollum will be retiring. Her last day is tomorrow. She didn’t want to leave without expressing her gratitude to our viewers. Here’s Donna’s message to you:

How do I begin to wrap up more than four decades of appreciation for the viewers of the East Texas News. If I spoke of all that could be said, I certainly would get called out by a producer who knows there are only so many minutes in a newscast. But I’ll try.

For those of you who have been in Deep East Texas long enough to remember ‘Area 9 News’, thank you for your patience. Watching a reporter as green as I was those first few years couldn’t have been easy.

As my reporting improved for the better, so did broadcasting. Gone are the days of lugging, by myself, a 40-pound film camera and close to a 20-pound tripod.

Fortunately, there was an extended period when extremely talented photographers made a full team. Then it was back to solo, but the equipment became lighter.

Today an I-Phone is often used to gather and watch instantly the news around you. I’m proud to have successfully tackled film, tape, and digital shooting and editing to better serve you the viewer.

The tools let me share not my stories, but those shared by Deep East Texans. Together we went thru happiness, sadness, and lots of growth.

It was a privilege to tell ‘your’ story and thank you for trusting my ability to do so.

And when controversial, critical, debatable topics were reported thank you for remembering demanding accountability exhibits professional and responsible journalism.

Here at the East Texas News we hold to the words caring, committed, and proud. I can’t think of a better way to say thank you. Thank you for sharing what you care about. Thank you for the commitment to a region whose leaders refuse to be placed ‘behind a pine curtain’. And thank you for letting me say with you we’re ‘Proud of East Texas’.

Thank you East Texas News viewers for a long and productive career. Now for the last time …. Donna McCollum KTRE-EAST TEXAS NEWS NINE

Donna wants everyone to know she’s not going anywhere. Nacogdoches County, with her family, will remain her home. And like she once said in a KTRE promo, if you see her in the grocery store or around town say hi and talk of the time you may have helped her tell your story.

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