That hilarious TV character Ted Baxter (the late, great Ted Knight’s role from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) was the stereotypical anchorman character for years. His stuffy manner, constant mistakes, arrogance, and incompetence created an American icon for sure. As an award-winning newsman of 30 years in Charleston at WCSC’s Live 5 News, anchorman Bill Sharpe — one of the only native Charlestonians on the local news scene — may be the closest thing we have to a local Ted Baxter-type. Although Sharpe is loose, casual, prepared, and extremely confident (and totally un-Baxter-like in many ways), he has that sing-songy delivery that’s instantly recognizable.
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