Kathy Fountain signs off

It is the end of an era here at FOX 13.

Our longtime anchor, colleague and friend Kathy Fountain is retiring.

Any of her many guests over the years will tell you, sit down with Kathy Fountain, and you know you would get a fair shake.

"Things that people cannot talk civilly about, they know that when they sat around this table with me, we are going to have a civil conversation, listen to others, be respectful and people may learn something," Fountain said.

Kathy's long time producer Anne-Marie Fagler helped bring people with very different positions together for the show.

"People on the polarizing sides of abortion, race, whatever the difficult topics are, they know they will get a fair shake at her table. They know they will be treated with respect whatever their position is," Fagler said.

When those people found common ground during discussions on the show, Kathy says it meant everything to her.

"You can find confrontation and provocation other places," Kathy said. "Here, lets have a conversation. There have been times at the end of the discussion when people who would never walk into the same room together talked and said, 'maybe we can have lunch. Maybe there is common ground.' That's worth everything to me."

Kathy is a true hometown girl, born in Plant City, grew up in Lakeland, attending Kathleen High School, Polk Community College and the University of Florida.

She got her journalism legs in the newspaper world before making the transition to TV. She started here at WTVT 24 years ago as a reporter, then an anchor. She was given a talk show called "Eye on Tampa Bay," a major production with its own staff and studio audience.

Anything and everything happened on the show.

"One time, a guy walked up on a dare and put a pie in my face. It wasn't even pie I liked," she says, laughing.

Kathy interviewed her fair share of celebrities over the years -- one of the most memorable was when Eartha Kitt came on the show and ended by doing a handstand on desk!

Eye on Tampa Bay became the Kathy Fountain show and went from 30 minutes to an hour.

"It was a ride," Kathy says. "It was a heady experience to have those people come in everyday and feed off their energy. And they were excited to be there."

Kathy's other job at FOX 13 is anchoring the 5 p.m. News with her co-anchor and longtime friend Denise White.

"Best co-anchor ever!" Denise says of Kathy. "And how long have I been in this business?
Let's not discuss it," she laughs.  "The best co-anchor ever. I'm so grateful. So fortunate to have been able to work 20 years with somebody who is my friend."

From news to celebrities to politics, Kathy has covered so much. But it is the extraordinary stories of everyday people that she has loved the most.

"Through the years, I've interviewed parents who have lost their children to suicide…drunk drivers…Shaken baby…cancer. Families torn apart. For them to trust you, to say 'I'm going to tell my story so that someone will learn from it.'...These are the impactful stories," she says.

Kathy's example makes it hard for us to imagine life here at FOX 13 without her. There are so many of us who have looked up to her and learned so much from her.

"How to be a better journalist, a better person -- a better wife and mother," says Your Turn producer Anne-Marie Fagler. Anne-Marie has worked side by side with Kathy for the past seven years, discussing topics, booking guests and shepherding a 35-minute show on the air five days a week.

"It's not just the show. She changed my life," Anne-Marie says.

And producers who worked with Kathy in the past feel very much the same.

"We worked very hard on that show," says Jen Boyd. "A labor of love. We were here round the clock, our tiny little staff of five people. Kathy is why we did it."

Kathy's on-air partner Denise White says her years working with Kathy have been a great ride.

"Kathy is a great person. She's smart. She's funny. She's honest. She's compassionate. She knows how to keep a secret...even though we call her 'Chatty Kathy.' She can keep a secret and she's always had my back," White says.

Without a doubt, Kathy has touched so many people's lives.

"I'm going to miss the people I work with. People I come in contact with everyday," she says. "The people I have interviewed have become friends. I know their stories. Their personalities. I'm going to miss the stimulation. Something new everyday. Unpredictable. Walk in the door and let's go."

We'll miss you too, Kathy. Thanks for everything…all the best.